Before the Lord Buddha was able to consolidate all of His teachings and impart them to us, He had to undergo an immeasurably long period of time — spanning twenty asaṅkheyyas and one hundred thousand mahākappas. Moreover, the arising of each Perfectly Enlightened Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) is by no means a simple matter; such an occurrence is exceedingly rare. Beyond that, the opportunity to hear and receive the Dhamma of the Lord Buddha is itself a difficult thing to come by. Even in this present age, in which the Lord Buddha has already appeared in the world, there are still those who have never once, throughout their entire lives, heard or encountered His teachings.
For this reason, the Tipiṭaka — which enshrines the teachings of the Lord Buddha and reveals to humanity the hidden truths of existence — is something we must endeavor to read in its entirety, time and again. We should read it with deep appreciation and heartfelt reverence for the Lord Buddha’s boundless compassion (mahākaruṇā). In doing so, we shall find the inner strength and inspiration to dedicate our lives wholeheartedly to the practice of the Dhamma, following in the footsteps of the Lord Buddha ever more earnestly. This, in turn, will serve as the cause by which we are able to gradually access the Dhamma within, until at last the mind and the Dhamma become one and the same.
From the book Buat Mai Sia Pha Lueang, Suek Mai Plueang Pha Lai, page 31
