Wisdom of Human Life in Meditation

How to Get Your Mind Liberated

Author: Chan Master Ben Xin

Translator: Zhi Wei

Resume of Chan Master Ben Xing

1965 Born in Xiapu County in Fujian Province of China.

1981 Graduated from Sansha Senior Middle-school in Xiapu County

in Fujian Province;

Afterward, became a teacher in Chengtian Central Primary

School of Xiapu County in Fujian Province.

1985 Got ordination at Xingfu Temple, the national key Buddhist

temple of Chinese system in Changshou City in Jiangsu

Province.

1988 ① Received high-ordination at Nanhua Temple, the national

key Buddhist temple of Chinese system in Shaoguan

City in Guangdong Province;

② Graduated from the Mountain Xixia Buddhist College, a

division of China Buddhist Institute set up in Nanjing.

1992 Graduated from China Buddhist Institute in Beijing.

1993 Studied in the Post-graduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist

Studies of Kelaniya University in Sri Lanka.

1996 ① Graduated from the Post-graduate Institute of Pali and

Buddhist Studies of Kelaniya University in Sri Lanka;

② Succeeded the dharma lineage from the inner pupil

Minyang of Great Master Yuanyin, as the 42nd successor

of Linji School、the 48th successor of Caodong School of

Chinese Chan Buddhist School.

1997 ① Returned to China and served in Fujian Provincial

Buddhist Association;

② Be appointed as the vice-secretary of Fujian Provincial

Buddhist Association.

1998 ① Be elected as the vice-chairman and the deputy secretary of

Fujian Buddhist Association;

② Become an adjunct director of Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple

which has a history of 1,500 years.

2000 Be appointed as the vice-director of the College Committee of

Fujian Provincial Buddhist College.

2001 Be appointed as the legal person of Fujian Buddhist Chinese

Herbal Medical Tumour Clinic.

2001 ① Be elected as the standing director of China Buddhist

Association;

② As a member of Escorting Committee of Buddha Finger

Relic from China Mainland to Taiwan for Oblation, escorted

Buddha Finger Relic of Xi’an Famen Temple of Shanxi to

Taiwan for oblation and worshipping;

③ By the invitation, went to Indonesia to deliver Buddhist

speech in three grand temples respectively.

2003 As a member of Escorting Committee of China Buddha Tooth

Relic to Thailand for Oblation, escorted Buddha Tooth Relic

from Beijing Lingguang Temple to Thailand for oblation and

worshipping.

2004 Honorably received the post of the abbot of Fuzhou Kaiyuan

Temple.

2005 ① As a member of Welcoming Committee of Buddha Finger

Relic from China to Korea for Oblation, went to Korean to

welcome the enshrined Chinese Buddha’s Finger Relic back

to China successfully;

② Be invited to preach Chan series topic in Singapore Youth

Buddhist Organization and Malaysia Johor Buddhist

Mission.

2006 ① Be invited to attend the First World Buddhist Forum held in

Hangzhou and Zhoushan;

② Pursued further education in China People’s University;

③ Led a Buddhist delegation of fifty members from Fujian

Province to visit Thailand and Cambodia for Buddhist

culture exchange.

2007 ① Established the research organization on social science

named Fujian Kaiyuan Buddhist Cultural Research Institute,

acted as the director;

② Be invited to be a researcher in Religious Research Institute

of Fujian Normal University;

③ Launched, organize and held “The Holy Statue of

Boddhisattva Cihang Returning to Ancestral Temple namely

Buddhist Ceremony on Praying for Blessing the Peaceful

Development for Both Sides of Strait” series large scale

activities;

④ Led a delegation from Fujian Buddhist Association went to

Japan to make a survey of Buddhist Esoteric School and

Huangpi School.

2008 ① Held a concurrent post of the abbot of Taining Qingyun

Temple, the ancestral temple where the flesh Bodhisattva

Cihang got ordination;

② By the invitation, went to Malaysia for a Buddhist speech

tour in Malacca Buddhist Association, Sembilan Buddhist

Association, Schellong Buddhist Association, Perak

Buddhist Association, Terengganu Buddhist Association etc.

five Buddhist organizations of Malaysia Buddhist

Association;

③ Delivered a series speech on the topics “How to get your mind

at rest” and “Ten thousand miles distance of the mental

emptiness from Chan” for more than twelve hours, and were

recorded by Compassionate Buddhist Television Channel and

Life Television Channel in Tai Wan, and were played on T.V.

continuously in Tai Wan;

④ Be appointed as the Dean of Fujian Provincial Shengshi

Kaiyuan Calligraphy and Painting Institute.

2009 ① Renewed a new term of office as the vice-chairman and

deputy secretary of Fujian Provincial Buddhist Association;

② By the invitation, attended the Second World Buddhist Forum

held in Wuxi and Taipei;

③ Went to Japan to participate Buddhist Friendly

Communication Conference among China, Japan and Korean

three countries by leading an observing delegation of one

hundred and two members belonged to China Buddhist

Association;

④ By the invitation, went to Malaysia for a Buddhist speech tour

in Malacca Buddhist Association, Perak Buddhist Association,

Sarawak Meili Buddhist Association, Kuala Lumpur Pataling

Jaya Buddhist Association, Penang Tanxiang Temple,

Zengjiang Golden Mountain Temple, Sabah Kuanyin Teng etc.

seven big Buddhist organizations and temples of Malaysia

Buddhist Association;

⑤ Went to Taiwan to investigate Buddhist education for monks

by leading a delegation belonged to China Buddhist

Association;

⑥ By an union invitation such as Fayin Temple, Avalokitesvara

Temple, Wangyuan Temple, Bodhi Temple, Guangming

Temple, Yanshou Yemple, Dinghui Temple, Xinyuan

Monastery, Xuefeng Monastery, Shenneng Temple, Wangshou

Temple, Miaojue Temple, etc. twelve temples in Los Angles,

went to U.S.A. to deliver a series speeches on Buddhist Chan in

some temples respectively.

2010 ① Renewed as the standing director of China Buddhist

Association;

② Launched, organized and held series activities on the

Buddha Image Opening Ceremony after completing the

construction of the Grand Hall of Qingyun Temple namely

Foundation Laying Ceremony of Bodhisattva Cihang

Memorial Hall.

③ Published a series of books: How to set your mind at rest;

How to get your mind free; How to get your mind liberated;

How to get your mind abandon attachment; How to get your

mind calm, etc., in the title “Wisdom of Human Beings in

Meditation.”

2011 ① By the invitation, led a delegation of Fujian Provincial

Buddhist Association to visit Vietnam;

② Went to Russian to survey religious buildings by leading a

delegation of Fujian Provincial Buddhist Association.

2012 ① By the invitation, went to Taiwan by leading a delegation of

Fujian Provincial Buddhist Association to participate the

Sangha Forum on topic “Base on the present, take a broad

view on the future”;

② By the invitation, went to Taiwan by leading an academic

exchange delegation of Fujian Provincial Buddhist

Association to participate the first “Human Centered Buddhist

Forum”;

③ By the invitation, participated the Third World Buddhist

Forum held in Hong Kong;

④ Received Sri Lanka Presidential Buddhist Contribution

Commendation awarded by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa

personally in the presidential office in Sri Lanka.

Published Monographs:

Records of meditation:

How to set your mind at rest; How to get your mind free; How

to get your mind liberated; How to get your mind abandon

attachment; How to get your mind calm.

Record of traveling:

A Lonely Monk Walked for Ten Thousand Kilometers; Broke

shoes for travelling to Buddhist sites; Blossoming lotuses on

the traveling road.

Translation from Chinese into English:

Buddha and His Ten Prominent Disciples.

Thesis Collection: Buddhist Basic Standpoints.

Content

Life of Half-seat (Author’s Preface)

1. There is Buddhist doctrine, there is a method

2. Exist，for the Sake of the Dignity and the Salvation

3. The life is Like Epiphyllum

4. Dialyze the Life with the Law Hetu-pratyaya

5. The Basis for Setting up Precept is the Good or Evil of Human Nature

6. All of us are Convicts Sentenced to Death

7. Practice a Method of Becoming a Vegetarian, Save the Life of Sentient

Beings

8. From the Image Sign to the Essence can Make One to Clearly

Distinguish the Good and Evil

9. Birthday should be Celebrated, Birth Month should also be Celebrated

10. From the Precept of non-killing Think of Abortion and Euthanasia

11. Faith of the Medicine Buddha is the Propeller of Humanistic

Buddhism

12. How to do Secular Career with Supra-mundane Spirit

13. What is the Main Occupation for Buddhist Sangha1

14. Whether the Modern Era of Maitreya Buddha Has Already Arrived

15. Abstain from Liquor is not Different to Forbid Poison

16. What is for the Unreligious without Holiness

17. Shut Myself up and Ponder over My own Mistakes

18. How is possible for monks to live beyond the mundane world

19. The Charm of Buddhism Art

20. Change to Practice the View of Mercifulness for Disaster Relief

21. Treatment for Tiredness

22. Several Wishes on the Dragon Boat Festival

1 Sangha is a Pali word meaning the community of Buddhist monks.

23. Buddhist Comprehension to Harmony

24. The Spirit of Revolution in Buddhism

25. Will Science be Buddhism Tomorrow

26. Chan and Tea is One Taste

27. Two Wings of Science Should Be Ethics and Rule

28. Equal Horizontal and Vertical Characteristic

29. Let Religion Go Forward Together with Science

30. Don’t Speak out All Your Good Words

31. How Nice to Live Peacefully

32. Am I a Civilian Teacher and a Civilian Master

33. Secret Knack on Preaching Dharma by the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng

34. Buddhist Way of Understanding to Disease

35. My Journey of Olympic Games

36. When Can I Repay the Usury I Borrowed

37. Mend People’s Mind with Buddha’s Mind, Serve the World with

Buddha’s Way

38. Return to the Faith, Rebuild the Moral

39. The Symbol of Our Temple

40. My Practical Way

41. There is Courage to Die, isn’t there Courage to Live

42. I also get to the Internet

43. Interaction between Self-power and Other-power

44. Eighteen Keywords on Learning Buddhism

45. What Does One Believe yet without Faith

46. The Realistic Meaning of the Nature of Emptiness

47. Noise of Mosquito also Disturbs Meditation Mind

48. Sickness Originated within One’s Own Body

49. The life is such flimsy and pertinacious

50. Less discrimination, more equality

51. Do three kinds of things each day

52. Happy charity

53. Save the old-aged monks and nuns

54. Reality and Illusion of Life

55. Rational Four Kinds of Dependence on Learning Buddhism

56. Repay evil with morals

57. There is ashamed, there is no complaining

58. One line separates the life and the death

59. The fatal mistake area of birthday celebration

60. Buddhism teaches you to speculate in stocks easily

61. Treat the blessing and the disaster by common mind

62. Why should we become angry with a small matter

63. Shall we gamble for tomorrow

Life of Half-seat

(Author’s preface)

Once, Buddha was preaching. In the speech, he saw his great

disciple Mahakasyapa listening among the crowd, so he stopped,

glad-handed to Mahakasyapa, called Mahakasyapa to his side, he even

moved half seat to invite Mahakasyapa sit. Mahakasyapa refused with a

firm hand, but Buddha still invited him to sit, and invited him to deliver

sermon to audience as well. This is the story about Buddha sharing his

seat with Mahakasyapa. Sharing seat is also called half-seat, means the

grand old man inviting the junior speak about Buddhism, it also means

one who invites the speaker has a high position, and he gives the speaker

(the invited one) equal position as he has. This Gong’an (Public record) is

found in Samyuktagama-sutra. In the Lotus Sutra, there is also similar

Gong’an which tells Jewels-Buddha sharing half seat with Sakya-Buddha.

Buddha ever accepted half-seat from the previous virtuous one, he again

shared half-seat with the junior; this illustrates that Buddha paid attention

to the propagation of dharma, and he hoped the tradition of dharma

propagation would go down generation after generation.

The whole life of Buddha’s teaching is just a life of preaching

dharma, we said so because from the time when he preached for the first

time to the time when he enjoined on his last teaching, all his teaching

were compiled to a vast Tipitaka (Buddhist Canon) containing three

baskets and twelve divisions. We may be able to say Buddhism enjoys its

refulgence today, in addition to practical merit, the importance is that

many historical renown monks and great virtuous ones have being set feet

on sacred footprints of the Buddha to spread Buddhism continuously for

thousand years.

The meaning of spreading Buddhism lies in making the line of

dharma being transmitted without a stopping, making the wisdom of

sentient beings receive liberation constantly. If the line of dharma does

not fail, it is namely the true dharma which is lasting forever. The merit

of saving one’s life is more than building a seven stories tower, the rather

that you give people wisdom.

The objects that Buddhism is preached are not limited in human

beings. Actually, in our activities of promulgating Buddhism, there are

many others including sentient beings from the six destinies are present.

Because, all sentient beings with the feeling have the Buddha-nature, they

are capable of listening to dharma.

Someone may say: I just got into the door of Buddhism, or I have

never contacted with Buddhism before; what masters spoke I couldn’t

understand, what shall I do? Don’t worry, it’s not important whether you

can understand or not, the importance is whether you listen to it and chant

it. Once you listened it、read it、chanted it, in spite of the fact that you

comprehend the meaning or not, this meaning have already entered your

alaya consciousness, and planted dharma seeds, so this is a nice process

of changing consciousness to wisdom. Your wholesome karma

accumulate from this way, your wholesome result produce from this way.

Have you ever seen the rotating sutra wheel? The scripture is on the

wheel, it rotates cycle after cycle; when you watch it, you may not read

the scripture clearly and understand its meaning, but, Buddha’s dharma

have been rotated into your head、your mind、your consciousness, and it

will definitely change your consciousness to intelligence.

I often think: today is the time that Buddha has passed away for

more than 2,500 years, we still have Buddhism to spread、listen、talk、

read、chant, how uncommon it is! How rare it is! Because, it’s uneasy for

Buddha to attain fully enlightenment, it’s uneasy for Buddha’s prominent

disciples to collect his teaching, it’s uneasy for our ancient masters to take

Buddhism to China, it’s uneasy to get Buddhism come down from

generation to generation! We may say Chinese Buddhism can be called

Chinese characteristic excellent historical context and national gem.

I was in samsara during Buddha’s time, I was born when Buddha

passed away. Repent this body is full of karma, for I didn’t see the gold

body of Buddha.

It’s seldom to become a human being but I am one now, it’s rarely

to listen to Buddhism but I heard now. If we don’t get us saved in this life,

then when can we get our suffering liberated?

Therefore, as the inner disciples of Buddha—monks, we must

promulgate Buddhism. As the outer disciples of Buddha---lay Buddhists,

we must listen、read、chant Buddhism. As social members, we must

respect、tolerate、understand Buddhism.

The wisdom of sentient beings relies on you only. If you don’t

fulfill your duty, the sin would fall upon you.

I am a monk named Ben Xin. As a member of Sangha (Buddhist

community), I am grateful to receive blessing from the grand old man,

and luckily I often get half-seat now; of course I can’t forget my status、

duty and responsibility. I pray the cause and condition is always ready for

me to fulfill my vow of preaching dharma for a whole life. I am

expecting to make mutual effort by accompanying four kinds of Buddhist

followers (Bhikknu, bhikkhuni, male laity, and female laity), unity of our

wills is a formidable force.

In China, there are many interesting legends about Buddhist

spreading, such as: When Master Dao Sheng was preaching, the rock

nodded; when Shen Guang was preaching, flowers dropped down from

the heaven. But Buddhism, still contains many interesting classical stories,

these include: human life and non-human life, birth、old age、sickness and

death, loving affair、marriage and family, study and career, bear oneself,

ethics and virtue, literature and art, philosophy and religion etc. These

categories are complete; the content is abundant, like an encyclopedia. If

you are interested in it, you could go to check and have a look except

listen to my speech、read my writing, and it will be wonderful.

How to Get Your Mind Liberated

1. There is Buddhist doctrine, there is a method

Master Xing Yun2 has a well-known saying: “There is Buddhist

doctrine, there is a method.”

Yesterday, one lay Buddhist came to the temple to visit me, he

recounted with a worried look that his family had a big problem which is

like that misfortunes never come singly, his company went bankrupt, and

wife divorced him. Now he has nothing except a son. He said: “Master, I

really admire you.”

I said to him: “You cannot be said to be pathetic, I am more

pathetic.”

He asked me in surprise: “Master, have you met any trouble?”

I said: “Yes, I am more than forty years old, and I have neither

company nor wife, even no child. Anyhow, you are younger than me, and

you still have a son.”

Having heard of what I had said, the lay Buddhist smiled and said:

“Master, I understood now, I don’t worry about anything. I will come to

the temple to act as a volunteer during the Spring Festival period.”

“All phenomena come into existence or perish due to the

condition; my master who is a great monk always says so.” Since the

phenomenon is conditioned, it is then impermanent, and has blemish and

affliction; it only depends on how we treat it.

Before the condition was not appeared, this lay Buddhist had no

company originally, neither had a wife; he said he got bankrupted was

actually not a bankrupt, and his divorced marriage was out of the question

as well.

Suppose it was a real bankrupt and divorce, so how about? The

condition has already disappeared, it can’t be detained; if you wanted to

keep it to stay, so this is by force which would bring you trouble.

I have often heard people saying of “Not to make a resolution

without experiencing failure”. These words though summarize the

entireness with partiality, it is also unlikely no any reason at all. To this

lay Buddhist, since the company and the wife have passed, he might not

think he has no new beginning. Probably, this new beginning will make

2 Xing Yun was born in Jiangsu Province. He became a monk during his childhood and received monastic education widely. Later he went to Tai Wan and set up Mountain Foguang in GaoXiong which is the international Buddhist center.

him to achieve a success for a long time as he took part in a struggling

action with nothing on his conscience.

Who can say that the disaster and good fortune are not mutually

leaned on?

Besides, disasters usually refine a person, making him strong and

wise. Confucianism considers when the heavenly god wants to help one

person to accomplish an ambition, he at first will make this person to

have mental suffering, hard bodily working, and undergoing hungry. Isn’t

it said in Buddhism that who else would go into the hell if I didn’t go into

it? Actually, distress comes to us to remove our karma.

The truth of hetu-pratyaya(cause and condition) means

extinguishing on one side, on the other side it means existence.

Extinguishing means destroying, vanishing; but existence, is it exactly the

new source of vitality? Chinese people usually say: if one person did not

die in an imminent disaster he should has fortune in later life; one can get

saved at a critical moment. One poem also says: one traveler felt there is

no road at the end of hills and rivers, but he suddenly enchanted spring

sight of a village.

Right, the law of the nature also prompted us this cue. Please have

a look: the moon is in a lunar eclipse, it means the moon will become full

soon; the night is getting darker, it also means it will dawn; the winter

came, will the spring be far away?

On second speaking, anyway you have already been enough

unlucky, what extent will you face it finally? People who are facing the

luck should be vigilant on the alert, strenuous and affliction.

I have ever seen ants in the little river in the rain, floating in the

water current helplessly, but I have never seen them stopping to flounder;

isn’t this floundering a kind of resisting to the destiny? I believe there is

the time after all when it (ant) can hold grass and wood, or earth on the

shore. “The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man

makes himself strong and untiring.” We human beings are in front of the

difficulties, will be inferior than an ant?

Having experienced a life for more than twenty years in

Buddhism, I do believe one point deeply: “Sentient beings are beaten

down by themselves.” As everyone has the Buddha-nature, whoever will

have no way to trample on your body forever as long as you don’t grovel

on the ground. Even if others trample on you, that is also your flesh body

for symbolist, but not the spirit. Even the earth explodes and gets ruined

someday, is it possible that there is no existence of other celestial bodies?

The cosmos is limitless and boundless, how large it is! The time has no

beginning and no ending. What is the value for a momentary worry? The

future is too long. There are more opportunities and hopes.

Saying in this manner doesn’t mean that I have not met trouble in

the real life. It is just when the predicament catches up me, I have never

refused it. What is fantastic for it? Since innumerable kalpa3, I even don’t

know how many samsara4 I have experienced. The predicament I met

this time, I just consider it a little samsara in this life’s samsara. As long

as we are not pessimistic and don’t lose the ambition, we will definitely

have a new beginning. We merely stand up from the place where we fall

down without worrying the anterior road.

Ever, the top Japanese scholar Ahn, because of having smallpox,

his feature was ugly, two terms of wives was difficult to endure that, and

left him. He strived in the disturbance and finally became a well-known

scholar. Afterwards, he hanged the painting of those two wives highly in

his office. Some people asked his the reason. He said that he should thank

two wives for abandoning him, because of this made him realized mistake,

thus he made himself strong and untiring, made effort and have the today.

There was an emperor who wanted to kill a subject. The subject

thought up a good idea, he spoke to the emperor: “If you don’t kill me

first, I will do you a work which cannot by anyone else. The emperor

asked what it was. He said: “Within three years, I can tame your horses to

fly.” Seeing the appearance that he swore, the emperor thought: “If the

horse can't fly by that time, you still have to die. Let him try.” So the

emperor promised him. Someone asked the subject privately: “You will

3 Kappa is a Pali word(Sanskrit kalpa) meaning world-period, an inconceivably long space of time, an aeon. This again is subdivided into 4 sections: world-dissolution (samvatta-kappa) dissolving world), continuation of the chaos (samvatta-tthayi), world-formation (vivatta-kappa), continuation of the formed world (vivatta-tthayi).

"How long a world-dissolution will continue, how long the chaos, how long the formation, how long the continuation of the formed world, of these things; o monks, one hardly can say that it will be so many years, or so many centuries, or so many millennia, or so many hundred thousands of years"

The beautiful simile in S. XV, 5 may be mentioned here: "Suppose, o monks, there was a huge rock of one solid mass, one mile long, one mile wide, one mile high, without split or flaw. And at the end of every hundred years a man should come and rub against it once with a silken cloth. Then that huge rock would wear off and disappear quicker than a world-period. But of such world-periods, o monks, many have passed away, many hundreds, many thousands, many hundred thousands. And how is this possible? Inconceivable, o monks, is this samsara , not to be discovered is any first beginning of beings, who obstructed by ignorance and ensnared by craving, are hurrying and hastening through this round of rebirths."

Compare here Grimm's German fairy-tale of the little shepherdboy: 'In Farther Pommerania there is the diamond-mountain, one hour high, one hour wide, one hour deep. There every hundred years a little bird comes and whets its little beak on it. And when the whole mountain is ground off, then the first second of eternity has passed." 4 Samsara is a Sanskrit word meaning turning of the wheel or revolving. It refers to the transmigration in the Six Directions of Reincarnation.

die definitely. Where is a flying horse?” The subject said: “Don’t lose the

hope at anytime. Within three years, probably I will die, probably the

emperor will die, probably the emperor will change his idea, probably I

will become a person who cannot be killed, and probably the horse will

die. The most important is that the horse will really be able to fly after a

taming for three years. In fine, whatever may take place.”

The way of thinking determines the way of the life.

Buddha’s teaching gives you the method.

2. Exist，for the Sake of the Dignity and the Salvation

Where is the value for mankind to exist, namely the meaning that

the mankind lives?

I don't think that is the happiness. Though, in wishing phrase

spoken by mankind, the happiness is lined up at the beginning, in spite of

the black people, the white people or the yellow people who speak it.

Although the concept of the happiness has been used widely, its

contents are very poor in the present life or in the reality.

The Buddha said very early: sentient beings have the phenomena

of birth, old age, sickness and death, feelingless objects also have the

phenomena of formation, existence, destruction, and non-existence,

namely the changing and impermanent is the regulation of the present

world. The conclusion of this iron-liked regulation would be a word:

suffering!

If the birth and formation is said to be the happiness, then this

kind of happiness is also the cause of the suffering, because the birth

conduces to the old age, sickness and death, and because the formation

conduces to the existence, destruction and non-existence.

The existence is a kind of suffering as well, for, the existence

itself is just non-existence, otherwise, where do the destruction and

emptiness come from?

For this, the wise man always thinks the goodliness is always the

past and the future, but no now.

This is exactly why one of the fundamental doctrines of the

Buddha is the suffering, the cause of the suffering, the cessation of the

suffering, and the path leading to the cessation of the suffering. Buddhism

considers the human life as suffering, suffering has its cause, suffering

can be exterminated, and there is a way for the extermination.

Since, suffering always runs through mankind, then, how to find

happiness in suffering? Even if people make happiness in suffering, this

kind of happiness is still suffering.

So it is said that the value of human’s existence does not lie in

pursuing the happiness which is just like the moon in the water or the

flower in the mirror.

What we should pursue is: it should be the dignity in this life; for

the next life, it should be the salvation; keep dignity while undergoing

suffering, tend to liberation from samsara.

3. The life is Like Epiphyllum

It is said that there are about 365,000 are born and 155,000 people

stopping breath every day in the world.

Having left my hometown for more than twenty years, some days

ago due to the work of helping the poor families in mountain areas, I

returned to hometown by the way. When elders and people from same

town came to see me, I couldn’t know the youngsters, most adults have

gone to big cities to make a better living or for a higher pursue, many

old-aged people have already died, and, there are also coetaneous

classmates have died during their prime of life.

This is the real fact that human life is impermanent, life is like an

epiphyllum.

Life is short, that made many people lacked confidence to it, the

life; these people thought the life is like chrysalis which would fly away

by changing to butterfly without living for four seasons. Thus, they lost

enterprising power, passed the life confusedly.

The Buddha said that it is difficult to get a human life, he again

suggested us to value each day; but the real meaning of the life is not to

live long.

For this, I often warn myself to regard each day of my life as my

last day to live. Most people have many things to do in a hurry in their

last days. Thus, I have a busy life each day, and I personally think my life

is full of meaning.

What have caused my feeling worried is that I have much work to

do, but in my imagination the time for me is too short. Therefore, I recite

the name of the Buddha in the meditation state in the deep night every

day, or worship the Buddha in the quiet room, paying the Buddha

blessing me, giving me one more day again, so that I can complete what I

have not finished yet. Thank the correspondence from the Buddha very

much, for he has made my praying be true all the time. This made me felt

grateful, and also urged me to cultivate the spiritual program and do work

more hardly, so I have never dared to give up my life of every moment,

but to hold it tightly. May the moment of each thought that I am holding

will be eternal.

Though, the life is like epiphyllum, we must be strong, we must

try to make our lives to live as long as it can. Because, it’s difficult to get

a human life; for one individual who can live one day more, it will be

more than one day’s opportunity for him to do good and accumulate merit,

then the brightness for his future will be naturally more.

Why does the medicine Buddha have a great vow of making

sentient beings have a long life span by eliminating their own disasters,

here is exactly his intention.

At most time, the life that approaches the utmost still can break

through the life utmost. On the grassland in Inner Mongolia, a child

called Abag missed the direction with his father in the boundless

grassland. At last, the hunger caused him could walk no more. When he

decided to give up, his father took out five gold coins from the pocket and

said: “The human life is just like these five gold coins,

childhood, teenage, youth, middle age and old age, you are just using this

one coin---childhood, will it be possible for you willingly to bury four

other coins on the grassland without using? For this, he had high morale,

and finally they walked out of the grassland.

4. Dialyze the Life with the Law Hetu-pratyaya

Hetu-pratyaya(cause and condition) parlance is the core theory of

Buddhism.

If we dialyze the life with the law of hetu-pratyaya, we can get the

following four important conclusions at least:

1. Human life is suffering. Man is the law of the hetu-pratyaya,

it is the union of causes and conditions. When the causes and conditions

separate, disperse, perish, man will separate, disperse and perish. Under

the hetu-pratyaya, human life will be the birth, decaying, sickness and

death forever. Buddhism says that there are eight kinds of main suffering

in human life, and then there are thousands of it. Because the human life

is suffering, the place where they inhabit is also like a firing house, where

is a place fulfilling five defilements5. The suffering of human life is an

existing fact objectively. Even there is happy, it is also the cause of

suffering.

Since the human life is suffering, should we negatively treat and

cynical live in the world? The answer is negative.

2. Difficult to get a life. Hetu-pratyaya is appearing and vanishing,

assembling and dispersing, combing and disporting. Hetu-pratyaya is a

union, and it’s difficult to get a human life, but how difficult to get and to

meet the opportunity when we want to make the complicated

hetu-pratyaya perfect to combine to be a special human life. Probably, it

will happen in one hundred, thousand and ten thousand years, even one

hundred thousand and ten thousand kalpa. “If we can’t find ourselves a

salvation in this life, so when will we get us liberated.” The opportunity is

rare, it vanishes in a moment; once we miss it, then when will we be able

to retrieve?

Therefore, though the human life is suffering, we still have to

cherish it, for this is the rarely unique upward opportunity for us in the

condition of suffering, we must cherish it well and hold it tightly. Within

this life, we should do more good deeds, develop more Buddhist activities,

and accumulate more blessedness and virtue, for the sake of the bright

future.

3. Non-ego in life. Where is the suffering in human life from?

Becasue hetu-pratyaya conduces to the birth, old age, sickness and death,

because of hetu-pratyaya there appears the phenomena of impermanent,

emptiness and ownerless. In other words, there is no ego in life. We also

want try to dominate ourselves, but cannot. As an ordinary people, our

independent ability are all eroded by the greedy, hatred and ignorance,

etc., and such annoyance.

A human life without ego does not need us to take ego for

5 Five defilements are : (1) the defilement of the trends of the present age; (2) the defilement of mistaken views; (3) the defilement of afflictions; (4) the defilement of being a sentient being; (5) the defilement of having a lifetime.

attachment, or to attach for an ago. At ordinary times, we make ego for

excuse to produce various attachments; actually there is not an ego

enjoying the life, and there is also not an ego getting this feeling. To

attach for ego or to be selfish for ego has no practical meaning.

4. Save yourself in life. There is no ego in human life, but it is not

completely non-existence. Non-ego in human life is due to the fact that

one individual has no way to dominate himself. But a non-ego human life

has the existence of all kinds of changing mind, thought, and karma

produced by all kinds of speech and behavior. This karma is white, or

black, or neutral element, and it also namely good, or evil, or neither

good nor evil. Regardless of whatever kind it belongs to, it will produce

the corresponding result when the hetu-pratyaya is mature, and become

our life in another time and space.

Yes, we have no way to dominate our own life, but our nature is

originally kind at the beginning; we have the Buddha-nature, we have the

subjective motile character, we can choose to follow good or evil, we can

decide to behave good or evil.

Since Buddhism speaks of hetu-pratyaya, then if the cause and

condition is changed, the result will be changed as well. When we choose

to follow the good, decide to behave good, so the cause and condition is

wholesome, we will receive wholesome karma, and get wholesome result.

From this point we can say that the human life can get a self-salvation

through their own continuous struggle upwardly under the blessing and

guiding of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha triple gems.

Life is suffering, life is rare, non-ego is in life, self-salvation is in

life, all these are four aspects of one integral whole for the life in the

frame of hetu-pratyaya. Because the life is suffering, and there is no ego

in life, thus, the life is empty, and is a real empty; because the life is rare,

and there is self-salvation in life, thus, the life is the existence, and is a

subtle existence. Because the life is suffering and non-ego, thus, we

should have wisdom, and we should dialyze and give up. Because the life

is rare, and there is self-salvation in life, thus, we should treat it with

compassion, give it cherishing and salvation.

5. The Basis for Setting up Precept is the Good or Evil of Human

Nature

Is human nature good, or evil? The parlance is different.

At the beginning, the human nature is kind, the Confucianism says

so. But Christianity thinks human has original sin. However, Buddhism

says that everyone has a Buddha-nature and everyone will become a

Buddha.

According to Buddhist saying, human nature should be kind, and

it is the seed of becoming the Buddha.

Different viewpoint to the good or evil of human nature

determines different attitude to good or evil action of human beings, and

this kind of attitude will be the law if it is in the person of the country. It

will be the precept if it is in the person of religion.

From the view of those whose human nature is evil, mankind is

incurable, for the root is evil. If someone says there are some ways to

save them, so this is to depend on the heavy penalty, or the vicious law.

To the illegal doer, implement severe penalty, even the capital

punishment. Only doing so can serve as a warning to others, and produce

a frightening effect.

From the viewpoint of those whose human nature is good,

mankind has an upward mind naturally. Thus, as long as the guiding is

proper, and create a perfect condition, so the mankind will have the

possibility to break away from evil behavior spontaneously. For this, to

those who had made mistake, though give punishment, but the key lies on

the education, for the spirit of Buddhist precept embodies this point.

In the Buddhist precept, except killing, stealing, sexual

intercourse and lying four fundamental precepts, offending other precepts

can be repented. Buddha still left words in those early years: at certain

time, the minor precept can be abandoned yet, don’t enforce them. Even

if some biggish precepts, under the special condition, they are also can be

prohibited without caring for. This made us to think about when we study

the Buddhist precept, we must learn its spirit but not pay attention to its

content of itself. To observe the Buddhist precept, one must also observe

its spiritual essence, but not to observe it because of necessity,

particularly in today which is different on the condition of setting up and

observing the precept with the time of the Buddha.

Certainly, this is not to say that the Buddhist precept can be

abandoned totally. If there is such kind of view, it is dangerous to

Buddhist future. Because the Buddha had said very early that we should

regard the precept as the master after he passing away, and he pointed out

there is the existence of the precept there is the existence of Buddhism.

What we want to express is that we should carry out new

annotation and give more abundant but comprehensive contents to

precepts, because, the time, location, person, scene and condition has had

a change. Not to change but to follow the opportunity, follow the

opportunity without changing, follow the opportunity to teach Buddhist

doctrine, follow the opportunity to explain the precept, all these actions

though are not extremely urgent, but the time will not wait for me.

6. All of Us are Convicts Sentenced to Death

The world becomes civilized. Some countries began to abolish the

death penalty.

I say that the death penalty can be discarded, but the convict

sentenced to death will unlikely be eliminated.

Several decades ago, I was born. Several decades later, I will die.

For the birth, I have no choice. For the death, I have no choice as

well. Or it might be said to the birth, I have no way to choose. To the

death, I have no way to choose as well.

Buddha said: sentient beings are equal.

Right, to the birth and death, it is really so.

Qin Shihuang6 sought a way of living for one thousand years, even

to be eternal, but he died, and, he lived less than one hundred years.

According to the data, in the world, there are more than eighty

thousand children died annually. In fact, the real quantity is far more than

that, for we don’t know the number of people who died in mothers’

wombs before being born out.

One of the truths attained by the Buddha is the birth, old age,

sickness and death, which is far more difficult to surpass forever towards

human beings.

Once we are born out means the coming of the death. What we

wait daily is approaching the death; what we strive daily is approaching

the death; what we complain daily is approaching the death; what we

make suffering as happiness is approaching the death.

The death, is constantly to approach us every day, every hour,

6 Qin Shihuang is the founder of Qin Dynasty, one first united kingdom of major parts of China in Chinese history.

every minute and every second. About thousands of years, none has

escaped from the death, so we have no exception as well. Therefore, in

this present life and this age, we all are unalterable convicts sentenced to

death, who are brought to trial by hetu-pratyaya, or impermanent, or

non-ego, or emptiness; someone is executed to death right away;

someone is postponed a deadline for executing.

I once thought of resisting, but I knew it was useless and invalid.

For this, I once thought as well to factitiously accelerate the process for

dying, but I finally gave up, because, this did not tally with rule. Now, I

want to factitiously defer the process for dying, so, does it conform to

rule or not?

Buddhism says that the rule is the principle of hetu-phala (cause

and effect). But creating the cause and changing the effect is still possible

to us. Because, the Buddha said: “Man has the Buddha-nature.” Since

man has Buddha-nature, then it is probably to produce a Buddha fruit.

In such a saying, man is again not a convict sentenced to death,

and he is able to surpass the death.

I think this is right. We can set free to die, we are unwilling to

become convicts sentenced to death innocently. But I know this does not

refer to this present life and age. To set free to die, the death in this

present life and age is the price we have to pay, and we will again be born

and grow up from the death.

In this kind of saying, what is again the price of the death in this

present life and age? We may be able to think in such: our death is to

obey the rule. We may be able to be indocile, the method of indocility has

already pointed to us by the Buddha.

Since our dream of living eternally in this present life and age is

hopeless, for we all are convicts sentenced to death, so let us pray and

make effort by Buddhist method for our next life and next age, and for an

eternal life of next life and next age.

7. Practice a Method of Becoming a Vegetarian, Save the Life of

Sentient Beings

The vegetarian food saves others’ lives, and saves one self’s life

more.

During my childhood, I grew up at the circumlittoral village; in

the meal, there although contained little meat, but were full of fish. From

child to youth, from ordinary person to a monk, from eating meat and fish

to eat green vegetable and bean curd, the time passed very fast, like

yesterday which just went away, I have started to eat vegetarian food

from eating meat in my dining for more than twenty years. During that

period, I had become a vegetarian from not have a habit to have this kind

of habit. And, on eating meat, I had become one who was uninterested in

eating from a habit of eating, because its flavor was hard for me to smell.

Buddhism is a democratic religion, which has never forced a

person to do anything. Proceed from my loyal believing in religion, and

also for the sake of a health mind and body for everyone and a hope of

the future, here, I want to give everyone some suggestion and advice on

the food.

What I want to remind you is that eating meat and fish is not

different from killing creatures indirectly and committing suicide

chronically.

Because, if there are some people going to eat meat, there will be

some people going to kill, there are lives being killed. I often think that

fish is meat, beef is meat, and human flesh is also meat. If we change a

sequence in the front and back to speak, it will also be such. If people are

afraid of eating human flesh, how dare they eat beef and fish?

Animals, as Buddha said, regardless of their large or little sizes,

advanced or inferior lives, all of them have the Buddha-nature and will

become the Buddha. Killing animals is equal to eat the Buddha indirectly.

Buddhism speaks of samsara, which explains that sentient beings

in the six destinies are mutual to be the cause and effect generation after

generation. Human beings and animals are usually according to their

karma to enter a mother's womb in preparation for rebirth into this world

mutually. Base on this point, killing animals is not different from killing

man, eating animals is not different from eating man. Perhaps you killed

or ate your parents and children, because nobody can deny that his

parents and children are not a wreath in the six destinies?

Eating animal meat merely make people increasing evil karma,

losing compassionate mind, increasing tendency to violence, and losing

the peaceful mind.

When animals are in the process of being slaughtered, the

poisonous element produced because of their fear, anger and sad etc.

emotion are more than enough to invade and harm the health of the body

and mind of people who eat them. Besides, majority of animals, such as

pig, dog, chicken, and duck etc., what they eat are all dirty things, which

contain innumerable poisonous elements. How could not these elements

stay in their bodies? But men ate them, how could men not have a

reaction? How could men not to get infected with problematic disease?

The greatness of man’s desire can be said being ahead to major

animals. The appearance of the endless desire has its source. But the meat

food is indeed one of roll boosters strengthening the desire, eating man

feeding animals which are richly full of hormone is particularly such.

The animal is similar to plant, all have the rule of their own

growing and perishing, this is the so-called creature chain. The artificial

capturing and eating broke this creature chain, made the environmental

protection appearing problems. Sometimes some animals get infected

with malignant virus, such as bird flu, a foot-and-mouth disease etc.; once

man eats them, the evil result appeared soon, caused the social cost

consumed greatly, even aroused social scare.

The body flavor of people who eat meat is also not smell.

But the vegetarian does not have such problems which was

mentioned above. They eat green, insipid, healthy production of the food

of which flavor is not inferior to the meat dish, lack of desire and get

satisfied with what they have, do not create evil karma, possess

compassionate mind, and are free in the mind. It is also because of that,

their life span is different with those people who eat meat dish, the

vegetarian is always happy, and many of them live with longevity.

Eating meat has much harm; therefore, soon after Buddhism was

introduced to China, it was not followed by Chinese. Till the ruling time

of Emperor Liang, eating meat is completely prohibited to Buddhist

monks. Until today, not eating meat is still esteemed as a precept which is

not a precept actually, and this gets a common observance. It is not only

such, this regulation still influences the outside from Buddhist inner

community. Today, eating vegetarian food is prevailing throughout the

world. For instance, in 1998, there were four million vegetarians in

Britain, while there were 17,200,000 in U.S.A.

Vegetarian food is no longer a habit. I think it has already

become a practical method, which we call it the vegetarian method at the

moment. To people outside of Buddhism, is it possible that they are such?

8. From the Image Sign to the Essence can Make One Clearly

Distinguish the Good and Evil

As the proverb goes, doing good has a good retribution, doing bad

has an evil retribution; it is not that there is no retribution, but the time

has not come yet. The meaning is that the cause and the result are

corresponding, which is perfectly accurate.

Sometimes, someone says who is good or who is bad. I think the

meaning of this good and bad is not equal to the natural good and bad,

because the mutual connection of hetu-pratyaya results in the complexity

of the hetu-phala, which made it uneasy to distinguish the essence of the

good or bad concept, though it is easy to distinguish the good and bad

superficially.

The thinking way of the ordinary people always has their

habitual manner, in addition, they did not think from the highest point, so

what they have said probably not accurate. Sometimes, it is even a

prejudice. This prejudice predestined to make one committing fault on

judging the good or bad of something, even great mistake, and it usually

causes one consider who has already been good is good, and who has not

already been good is bad.

Sometimes, good matter doesn’t produce good result, and bad

matter does not always produce bad result as well. When the old man on

the frontier lost his mare, who could have guessed it was a blessing in

disguise?

To judge good and evil, we must see what kind of good and evil

view one individual bases on. Someone considers the motivation’s good

or evil as the standard of the good and evil, other one then makes the

good or evil of the result for the standard of the good and evil. Though,

we don’t approve of the second view of the good and evil, but this does

not mean that it (the second view) does not exist in the world.

I remembered I had once read a story telling: Rome warriors

robbed women belonged to Sabin warriors, married them, and had

children. Later, Sabin warriors came to revenge; while two groups were

opposite to each other, with swords and bows holding on their hands,

regardless of the dangerous situation, the robbed women of Sabin

warriors rushed to the middle place between two armies by taking their

children, attempted to sacrificing themselves to prevent an imminent

combat; for they knew that the conflict and war will make them suffer the

double loss: the war will make them be tended to destruct together, the

Rome warrior will lose their wives and children, and the Sabin warriors

will also loss their women. To the woman of Sabin warriors, the war will

make their former husbands, the present husbands, and their related elders,

brothers facing a danger of fighting to death or be wounded. They could

not bear such a big price; hence they chose to negotiate for peace by

risking their lives.

The behavior of Rome warriors was evil, but was the behavior of

Sabin warriors good? Sabin women became others’ wives in grievance,

risked their lives to stop the breaking out of the war, and were they on

earth good or evil? It will be more difficult to judge what is good or evil

from that story. If we want to clearly distinguish the good and evil, we

must analyze matter from its image sign to its essence, but how many

ordinary people can be such.

Therefore, I often think, the ordinary people after all is the

ordinary people, and it’s really hard for them to hold the criterion of

judging the good and evil. The good and evil of behavior is really

difficult to be judged. And then, I think, as a religious practitioner, the

criterion for us to behave and associate with people in the world will only

be that: depend on the conscience, depend on the morals and ethics

approved by the public, depending on the national law, depend on the

precept you are observing. At the same time, have more tolerating and

much understanding, back nine inches, go forward one inch. If so, we will

suit to the environment, and will set out minds at rest.

9. Birthday should be Celebrated, Birth Month should also be

Celebrated

To the infant, birth means the life and palingenesis. Birthday, thus

is worthy of being celebrated joyously and extolled. But to mothers, birth

also means the danger and death, especially in those old days when the

medical skill got behind.

In Buddhism, we call the birthday the day of mother’s misery.

Celebrating the birthday, its intention is not to celebrate the new birth of a

life, but to commemorate the day of mother’s misery, have gratitude for

the deep favor of mother who clearly knew the danger but proceeded

without hesitation to breed babies.

In “Buddha said parents’ favour is too heavy to repay Sutra”,

there is mother’s ten kinds of favour to children: favour of being pregnant

and protecting it, favour of being about to give birth and getting suffering,

favour of being delivering baby and forgetting sorrow, favour of

swallowing bitterness to vomit sweetness, favour of drying wet clothes

for the baby, favour of nursing and bring up, favour of washing dirty,

favour of missing when the child is far way, favour of showing sympathy

for the child with action, favour of having pity for the child. There are

endless words to say mother’s favour.

In “Buddha said parents’ favour is too heavy to repay Sutra”, it also

narrates mother’s favour cannot be repaid to an end. The sutra says:

“Suppose one person carries his father on his left shoulder, mother on

right shoulder, grinded his skin to bone, penetrated the bone to marrow,

going around the Mountain Sumeru for hundred thousand kalpas, his

blood bled to submerge his ankle, but all these he had done still cannot

repay his parents’ deep favour; suppose a person who was facing a

famine, for looking after parents, he cut off his flesh to feed them, and he

did so for hundred thousand kalpas, but all he had done still cannot repay

his parents’ deep favour; suppose a person for looking after his parents,

he held a sharp knife to cut out his eyes to offer to Tathagata, and he did

so for hundred thousand kalpas, but all he had done still cannot repay his

parent’s deep favour; suppose a person for looking after his parents,

grasped a sharp knife to cut out his heart and liver, the blood bled all over

the ground, he was not afraid of pain, and he did so for hundred thousand

kalpas, but all he had done still cannot repay his parents’ deep favour;

suppose a person for looking after his parents, had hundred thousand

knives and spears stabbed him at the same time, these weapons penetrated

his body from the front and came out from the back, and he did so for

hundred thousand kalpas, but all he had done still cannot repay his

parent’s deep favour; suppose a person for looking after his parents,

broke his bones to make the marrow flowed out, and he did so for

hundred thousand kalpas, but all he had done still cannot repay his

parents’ deep favour; suppose a person for looking after his parents,

swallowed hot iron balls for hundred thousand kalpas, his whole body

was rot, but all he had done still cannot repay his parents’ deep favour.”

Have gratitude for mother reflected in Confucianism is the filial

morality, this is also the perfect traditional virtue for the Chinese nation.

In order to spread the filial piety, on the 7th each month of lunar

calendar, in Kaiyuan Temple in Fuzhou City, we hold birthday party for

lay Buddhists whose birthday is on the day, singing “Happy birthday to

you” and reciting “Namo Wuliangshou(Life span is infinitude) Buddha”,

cutting birthday cake, making four great vows: “I make a vow to save all

sentient beings though they are uncountable, I make a vow to put out all

afflictions though they are endless, I make a vow to learn all dharma

though they are immeasurable, I make a vow to attain Buddhahood

though it is the most superior.”, reciting Medicine Buddha Sutra, chanting

the mantra of Medicine Buddha, etc. Pray happiness for mothers who are

living, may their happiness is like the eastern sea, life span is like the

southern mountain; or pray for mothers who have passed away to be born

to the superior sphere. At the same time, we advocated to have vegetarian

food for the birthday party, to abstain from killing, to avoid get damaging

the happiness and life span. This concept and activity received a warm

welcoming and strong resonance.

Having read “Buddha said parents’ favour is too heavy to repay

Sutra”, we got to know that it is suffering for mother to give birth to child.

Mothers get pregnant and bring up child is suffering, especially within

that one month when mother deliver and nurse the infant. In our folk,

mothers must rest for a month quietly after delivering infant, so that she

can recover vigor and health, this is called “Sit for one month”. In order

to have gratitude for mothers who suffered on giving birth to child and

bring them up, we also hold a birth month celebration for lay Buddhists

who are born on the seventh day of each month in the proper month.

When the celebration is being held, plenty of lay Buddhists joined in it. It

is thus clear that this concept and activity also impresses deeply upon

everyone’s mind.

Birthday and birth month, mother’s pain and disaster, is what we

should consider carefully. If you are a female, you came from your

mother, perhaps one day, you will also become a mother or you have

already become a mother. If you are a male, you came from your mother

as well. Therefore, just as a Buddhist allusion says: mother is one whom

we need not to seek far for getting blessing and guidance, but the living

Buddha whom we should pay respect and offering forever.

10. From the Precept of non-killing Think of Abortion and

Euthanasia

There is a clear statement of abstaining from killing in five main

religions.

In Buddhism, the first one among the five fundamental precepts is

to abstain from killing, which is the bottom line of Chinese and foreign

social morality, showing an affirmation and respect to the value and

dignity of the life, particularly the human life. Today, we emphasize

human right and humanitarianism, and think that human right is the

person's right to live first, incarnating a solace to the existence of the life

as well.

Concerning abstaining from killing, it is not only to abstain from

killing by act, but also by words and thought. This is also to say that to

abstain from killing one should manage well his body, mouth and mind,

and guard against completely the emerging of killing motivation,

language and behavior. Anytime, if one breaks one of these three he thus

offended the precept of killing. Of course, the content of abstaining from

killing does not only confine in this.

While talking about the abstaining from killing, I think of

abortion and euthanasia. In modern society, or it can be said in modern

hospital, where is the ecbolic center and the place for detaining, and it

becomes a slaughter house where not only devastates the newly born life

but also the remaining life, even makes this for advertisement on a grand

scale, making the killing motivation, intention, words and action widely

known, and embellish these as well; with these, it(hospital) explained its

behavior was necessary, proper, feasible, effective, and meaningful. This

made the merciful people hardly to accept.

In Buddhism, disregarding and killing the life is never praised,

regardless of what kind of reason it is. Though, some killing cases are

probably in accordance with the law of hetu-phala, and reasonable.

Therefore, Buddhism does not agree with abortion and euthanasia.

Buddhism considers sentient beings including inferior animals as

the life, much less fetus. As for the remaining life, it is the same existence

of life. Whatever with the life is the sentient being, it has the

Buddha-nature, and will become the Buddha. If someone kills it, he kills

the Buddha, which is called to cause the Buddha body bleeding in

Buddhism. Refer to the Buddhist teaching of samsara in triple world of

the past, the present and the future or several worlds, the fetus, or the

remaining life is probably our parents or masters during many generations.

Buddhism regards the sin is equal for killing the Buddha and parents,

making the Buddha and parents’ body bleeding.

Maybe, abortion and euthanasia have their social demand; however,

thinking of this demand and its violating scale to social ethics and human

dignity, which one is serious or frivolous? The rather that human beings

are full of wisdom, otherwise, satellite cannot be sent to the sky. In the

light of the essential principle of respecting and protecting the life, we

will be unlikely to find a solution to the problem of abortion and

euthanasia, so as we the whole society goes to try our best.

11. Faith of the Medicine Buddha is the Propeller of Humanistic

Buddhism

The great master Tai Xu7 said: “One whom we admire the most is

only the Buddha, for he accomplished the most superior personality; one

who becomes a virtuous person also means he becomes the Buddha, and

this is the reality indeed.”

The great master Hui Neng said: “Buddhism exists in the secular

world, one who attains the enlightenment cannot depart from the secular

world; one who wants to search for Bodhi (wisdom) by leaving this world

is just like to look for a rabbit which has horns.”

It is thus clear that if one really becomes a man, namely he

completed the base of becoming a Buddha as well; the coming of the pure

country of man indicates the coming of the pure country of the Buddha as

well.

The faith of Medicine Buddha or believing in Medicine Buddha

who helps sentient beings to eliminate disaster and to extend a longer life

span is established in the present life, and this kind of faith also help

people to have a good future in the next life. Pay attention to this side (of

the river which is suffering), yearn for the other side (It is full of

7 Tai Xu is the Buddhist reformist in modern China. He advocated Humanistic Buddhism which are being

followed and practiced by many Buddhist monks in mainland China, Tai Wan and other foreign countries where Chinese people live.

happiness without suffering). This kind of belief thinks none but a happy

today will bring sentient beings a nice tomorrow. Tomorrow is today’s

success which is assured, and the inevitable result. One who gave up the

moment or could not hold at the moment, he then lost the future.

Sakyamuni Buddha said: “It’s difficult to get a human life, it’s

rare to listen to the Buddha’s teaching.” The Medicine Buddha responded

to this actively. Because it’s difficult to get a human life, thus, the

Medicine Buddha swore to let sentient beings removing disaster,

extending a longer life span, and striving for a happy and satisfactory

ultimate. He enlightened us that if we live one more day, we will have

one more day’s hope, for in this one more day we will be able to do many

good things and accumulate more merit and virtue. It is also because of

that, we can increase one portion of grasping, and reduce one portion of

risk. As it’s rare to listen to the Buddhist doctrine, thus we need to

remove our disaster and extend a longer life span. Removing the disaster

and extending our life span can create more opportunities for us to listen

to the Buddha’s teaching. Because of listening to the Buddhist doctrine,

we will have broad place, the brilliance of the moon and the shining of

the sun at the end of laneway in our life.

Buddhism said we (monks) should teach lay Buddhists according

to circumstances. The reason for according to circumstances is because

there is difference to people’s condition. I often think, to practice

humanistic Buddhism, the faith of Medicine Buddha is pretty in

accordance with the opportunity which not only confirms the realty,

man’s world and man’s value, but also gives the method of removing the

disaster and extending the life span; it not only confirms the importance

of the happy and satisfactory life at the moment for the sentient being, but

also gives them a bright path leading to the western paradise namely the

pure land. This bright path is just the method of Medicine Buddha, this

western paradise is just the eastern pure azure paradise. Man’s world and

Buddha’s kingdom, this side of the sea and its other side, the present and

the future, all these in Medicine Buddha’s method can get two gains

through only one act, and receive a perfect unification.

One of the essential theories that the Buddha realized is the Four

Noble Truth which is suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of

suffering, the path leading to the cessation of suffering, namely human

life is suffering, the suffering has its cause, the cause can be eliminated,

and there is a path for how to eliminate the suffering. The coming of the

method of Medicine Buddha who helps sentient beings to remove disaster

and to extend the life span is just to experience and verify this Four Noble

Truth and to remove the suffering; it is thus clear that this method

corresponds to the great method possessed by the Buddha originally. This

is also the reason that the method of Medicine Buddha has received a

common believing and praising in the Buddhist language system of Pali,

Chinese and Tibetan. And, this kind of faith is still highly spread to Japan,

Korea etc.

What I would be more grateful is that I am luckily to become the

abbot in the well-known temple where the Medicine Buddha is

enshrined---Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple, which is with a history about 1,500

years, and it has become a place of enshrining the Medicine Buddha since

Tang Dynasty, where built the hall of the Medicine Buddha, the hall of

Medicine King Bodhisattva, and the hall of Lord of Medicine Bodhisattva

to form a complete set, and propagated the esoteric doctrine at the same

time. We cannot get to know whether it is due to the esoteric doctrine so

the method of Medicine Buddha is propagated, or due to the method of

Medicine Buddha so the esoteric doctrine is propagated, because of the

shortage of the historical data. However, what can be assured is when the

eminent Indian monk Pajnahenra was residing in Kaiyuan Temple, he

propagated both the esoteric doctrine and the method of Medicine

Buddha. Probably, this is why the tradition of the method of Medicine

Buddha has still been taken up in Kaiyuan Temple afterwards, and

became one of reasons for the founder of Shingon School Master Kukai

and the revival patriarch of Tendai School Master Enchin of Japan who

came to China to learn Buddhism there. Till the modern time, while

Bhikkhu Bao Song was strongly preaching the method of Medicine

Buddha, he at the same time collected donations to build the Buddhist

hospital which could be said to be the largest scale in the country at the

former site of the Medicine Buddha Hall, giving relief to the poor public

who were short of medical services and supplies. Afterwards, in order to

pray the peace and protest the war, he fired himself to warm the people,

which shook the heaven and earth; people did believe he was the

reappearancing incarnation of the Medicine Buddha. During the eighty

years in 20th century, the abbot Ti Yun of the temple inherited the custom

left by Master Bao Song, continued to propagate the method of Medicine

Buddha, set up Fujian provincial Chinese herbal medicine clinic to heal

the wounded and rescue the dying with Chinese herbal secret recipe, and

made efforts in preparing to establish Fujian Provincial Buddhist Hospital.

His last wish was: hope Kaiyuan Temple to expand the method of

Medicine Buddha, and to spread the tradition of Buddhist medicine.

Though there is birth, old age, sickness, death for mankind, and

formation, existence, destruction and emptiness for the matter, but man

can know the suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering and the

path leading to the cessation of suffering cause them to believe and

understand buddhism, thus they go to practice and get a ultimate

realization. From the Great Master Tai Xu to the lay Buddhist Zhao

Puchu and Master Xing Yun, from Buddhism in life to humanistic

Buddhism, Buddhism always does not forget to pay attention to the

humanistic society while remaining its nature of religious holiness

contemporarily. This is just the core characteristic of the method of the

Medicine Buddha, which will make sentient beings not only be saved in

the future, successfully get into the eastern paradise which is the most

suitable for our oriental people without mistake, freely come and go to

the western paradise, but also be saved in reality, remove the disaster and

extend the life span, acquire the happiness, health and satisfaction in life.

12. How to do Secular Career with Supra-mundane Spirit

Do secular career with a supra-mundane spirit.

Though these words sounded to be pleasant to the ear, but it

seemed not highly satisfactory.

Everyone knows, in Buddhism, all phenomena are created by only

the mind or the consciousness, the mind or the consciousness is the

principle plotter, and what kind of mind or consciousness determines,

there will be that kind of speech and action. The speech and action of

sentient beings led by the supra-mundane spirit must be supra-mundane;

the speech and action of sentient beings led by the secular spirit must be

secular. Man has no way to do secular career with supra-mundane spirit,

he also has no way to do supra-mundane career with secular spirit,

otherwise, they will do that unwillingly.

Some people put forward this slogan “Do secular career with

supra-mundane spirit”; we understand they have really given much

thought to this matter. They must worry that if they emphasize on leaving

this world, others will think they are negative; if they emphasize on

enjoying in this world, others will think they are ordinary. Between these

two, fish and palm of the bear, we cannot get them at the same time.

Thereupon, they advocated this slogan, showing consonance and giving

consideration to the both.

In fact, people should not be like that. Buddhism is after all

Buddhism, which is perfectly united and satisfied. In Buddhism, there is

abundant supra-mundane spirit, and there is also abundant secular spirit;

they are the Buddhist spirit similarly, which are advocated and practiced

by Buddha and his disciples personally, and what they have done are

Buddhist career similarly. We should not worry about once the word

‘supra-mundane world” is brought forward, it will be put on a negative

label or not in accordance with the present world. We also should not

worry about that once the world “live in the secular world” is brought

forward, it will be put on a secular or vulgar hat. The most is that we

should not say turkey to one and bazzard to another. Actually, as long as

we can glory the Buddha and benefit the world, we can do whatever

corresponding to the opportunity and condition.

13. What is the Main Occupation for Buddhist Sangha8

In the second half of the year in 2006, I became a member of the

earliest research and study class for patriots who were religious persons,

and studied at China People’s University for four months. During that

period, I lived in Xingyuan, had meal at the western canteen. The class

was held in Mingde Building, the main subject were Religion, History of

world religion, An introduction to philosophy, Management, Ethic,

Classical Chinese, Modern history in China, Religion and modern society,

Basic knowledge of law, and some experts such as Weiqun Zhu, Xiaowen

Ye, Litian Fang etc., who delivered lectures on special topics. I also had

some contact with the university teachers and students during that time,

especially had more communication with the teachers and students from

Philosophical Institute. After the event, I have always thought of a

question, what is the main occupation for our Buddhist Sangha?

8 Sangha is a Pali word meaning the community of Buddhist monks.

Seeing about the whole life of Sakyamuni Buddha, his chief

work was to expound his doctrine, set the model of ethic and virtue,

establish and practice the precept, manage the Sangha well, coordinate

the relation between the Sangha and the authority, the Sangha and the

society including lay Buddhists, cultivate the fellow-up strength of

Sangha. While Buddha was expounding his teaching, to lay Buddhists

and social persons who came to seek advice or put questions, he gave

answers in correspondence with their different opportunities. Most

Buddhist text books are the record of asking and reply between the

Buddha and people who came to him for advice. The prime work of

Buddha’s ten chief disciples was not far from this as well.

From the main speech and action of the Buddha and his disciples,

we can get a notice announcemente: the main work for Buddhist Sangha

is not directly to create wealth which is the business of the economist and

businessman; our task should inherit the career which Buddha had done

in those early years, and spread the spirit established firmly by the

Buddha.

According to this, as monks, our main occupation is to

propagate Buddhism, observe the precept, spread Buddhist doctrine and

practice it, become the experimentalist and example of Buddhist doctrine.

Thus, the lay Buddhist has professional teacher, they then will meet less

difficulty. As monks, we gave up the right that we may have the wife or

husband, and children, but wear ash dress, have vegetarian food, pure our

mind and reduce our desire; we must have some other seeking or some

other yearning, this is to get something in the religion. So, being monks,

we must go forward on the path edified by the Buddha, even have a

visiting to see how the effect is. The faith, if one believer has not got

religious experience from the faith, is a defect. There are various kinds of

dharma-gates in Buddhism, such as reciting the name of the Buddha,

sitting for meditation, chanting the mantra, reciting sutra (Buddhist

doctrine), contemplating on objects etc.; if one monk does not go to

practice these, he then is not engaged in his main occupation, thus he

merely wastes the time.

Life is brief, money, power, feeling, reputation etc., are just as

transient and ephemeral as a fleeting cloud, only the religious karma

follow our body. We will not disappear forever by living in the world for

only once so that we will break our bright future. Therefore, we need to

store the karmic seed of conscience, virtue and goodness except

reputation, wealth, benefit and feeling etc. which we like, try hard to hold

the religious life, for only the reality of the religious life is sufficient to

make itself extending its ever-lasting vitality, so, we need have to have

some conduct and action on the religion.

In the enactment of my life, my main occupation lies in spreading

and practice the core doctrine, observing the precept. Lay Buddhists who

come to the temple should not only see the Buddha image but are unable

to see the heart of the Buddha; Buddhist doctrine is the heart of the

Buddha. Saving sentient beings does not mainly depend on the Buddha

image, but his refined edification. Therefore, I hope to enrich myself,

make dissemination and practicing Buddha’s teaching as my heavy

responsibility for my whole life, become the person of Buddhist culture’s

sowing, hastening and reaping.

While reading the book of the record of eminent monks, we can

find that those who became eminent monks are because they had saved

many people, had propagated Buddhist doctrine broadly, and had brought

the theory of the passed people into play. Or, they practiced

conscientiously and carefully, had some realization, thus they became

sainted. From this we get to know that the eminent monks are outstanding

on their achievement, on the religion and on spirit rather than how much

material wealthy they created directly, this is also the basic core of

Buddhism.

Many monks attend to the superficial and neglect the essentials on

believing Buddhism, for they have not fixed a clear position for their

identities, they made themselves became social activist, entrepreneur,

diplomat and philanthropist, but not the religious expert especially. They

put on Buddhist robes without speaking Buddhist words, thinking of

Buddha’s favor, acting for Buddhism, carrying out Buddhist event,

attaining the fruit of Buddha; they even not believe in the existence of

three worlds (the past, present and next world), the theory of the cause

and effect, what the Buddha had said; so what is the difference between

he and the ordinary people? What should the ordinary people base on to

respect monks, and what should monks base on to preach to the ordinary

people?

People usually say that something is valuable for it is rare. The

value of Buddhist Sangha lies in grasping Buddhist spirit and having the

practical experience, they are honorable because they are rare, then they

are worthy of becoming the master for lay Buddhists. Thus, we the

Buddhist Sangha, should be professional in Buddhist educational activity,

make propagating the doctrine and observing the precept as our

housework, and make leading lay Buddhists to practice Buddhist doctrine

as the chief duty. The ancient eminent monks were no more than that.

This is also how they behaved in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching,

and the reason why they have been come down in the history as well.

What I follow the Buddha’s teaching is to pay attention to the

faith, understanding, practicing, and realization. Without faith, where

comes the persistence and the wishing strength; without understanding,

one will follow blindly; without action, there will be no practicing, then

where comes the effect, and where comes the real realization. Without

these, is that for monks to teach people to understand with their own

confusion? For this, we should not set up temples for the purpose of

setting up it, but to change religious sites into the base of the faith,

understanding, practicing and realization, sum up the way of believing,

understanding, practicing and realization that correspond with the era or

the time, and serve the believers and common people from the religion.

Don’t make the temple more and more transform to a pure tour place or a

cultural unit for protection. Otherwise, the faith becomes the profession,

monks become the employee, the main occupation of the Sangha deviate;

these not only are ordinary but also vulgar, the core spirit of Buddhism

also cannot appear because of that. Thus it loses the fundamental meaning

for the existence of the Sangha.

14. Whether the Modern Era of Maitreya Buddha Has Already

Arrived

The relevant sutras on believing in Maitreya say that Maitreya

was the disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha; he will become the Buddha and

now resides in Tusita9, and by the due time he will be born in the human

world to inherit the career of Sakyamuni Buddha to become the Buddhist

9 Tusita is theheaven of satisfaction, which is the fourth of the six heavens in the World of Desire. It is said that

Bodhisattvas are reborn there just before their last rebirth in the human world when they will attain Buddhahood.

This heaven consists of an inner court and an outer court. The inner court is said to be the abode of Bodhisattva

Maitreya."

leader of this saha10 world, so he is named Maitreya Buddha who will be

born to this world.

As it is said in the sutra that Sakyamuni Buddha also descended to

be born to this saha world from Tusita in that very year.

It is thus clear that Tusita is a specialized pure land for hierarches

who are born to the ordinary world, and it has special feeling of affinity

with the secular world.

Sentient beings pray to be born in Tusita, this is very easy, they

only need to listen to and chant the name of Maitreya and then they will

be born there after death, and it is even more easy for those who recite the

sutra on him and worship his statue.

In fact, Maitreya has already started to save sentient beings in the

secular world one thousand years ago when Buddha reached to an era of

semblance dharma 11 , which is a complementarity to the force of

spreading buddhism after the correct dharma period in the saha world,

also a preparing for him to promulgate dharma when he becomes the

hierarch afterwards.

Maitreya Buddha had once become a hop-pocket monk; he carried

a hop-pocket on back, held a walking stick, came in and went out villages.

When it was raining, he lifted up shoes and lied across the bridge, then

the weather became sunshine definitely; when it was sunshine, he wore

on straw sandal and walked very fast, then the weather became raining

definitely. His appearance was much different, with which he saved

people. He ever had verses:

“I have a body of the Buddha, but the worldly people don’t

recognize. This body is neither molded nor decorated, it is neither carved

nor engraved.”

“One thing does not have a piece of mud, it also has no any color.

The painter cannot paint it, the thief cannot steal it.”

“The substance and the appearance is originally nature, it is pure

and clean. Though it is a body, it can have hundred or thousand or

10 Saha is Sakyamuni's Buddha-Land (q.v.) or Buddha-Field. It often identified with the galaxy we live in. It is

said to be a large world system composed of one billion worlds. "This world, which is full of sufferings. The Sanskrit word Saha means endurance. According to the sutras, the Saha World is so called because people in this world (gladly) endure many sufferings stemming from the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion as well as earthly desires."

11 Semblance dharma means Buddha’s teachings which resemble those of the true dharma taught by the Buddha. One of the three periods of time after the passing away of the Buddha, which are the periods of the correct dharma, semblance dharma and degenerate dharma. Buddhists study the teachings and engage themselves in practice, but the practices do not necessarily lead to the full enlightenment of the Buddha

hundreds of million incarnations.”

He again said a verse:

“Maitreya is Maitreya indeed, he changes his body to thousand or

hundred or hundreds of million incarnations. He ever and again hints to

worldly people, but all people don’t know him.”

At that time, a great deal of people were saved and born in Tusita,

among them the eminent monk Dao An and Xuan Zang12 were the

well-known examples.

When Master Dao An was meeting his disciples each time, he

used to swear before the Maitreya statue, wishing to be born in Tusita.

While he was passing away, there presented different strange appearances.

Master Xuan Zang, while he was passing away, some disciples asked him:

“Do you surely want to be born to the Pure Land of Maitreya?” He

replied: “I determined to be born there.” Soon after his words he passed

away serenely.

Till the time of 20th century, Buddhist doctrine has already been in

times of latter dharma; when one practitioner cultivates the moral

teaching to a high level, there will be higher evils to disturb him during

this period. Sakyamuni’s teaching cannot be said is not good, but sentient

being are stubborn and bad during this age of impurity, and their basic

religious capacity is superficial. Buddhist doctrines are less propagated,

not many people get saved. Therefore, in the dharma-gate of practicing

Buddhism, how could it lack the method of Maitreya?

Great Master Tai Xu and Great Master Ci Hang rescued the

declining Buddhism in the chaotic world, what they learned and practiced

were the Consciousness School and Maitreya method, and they all wished

to be born to the Tusita Pure Land. Later, Great Master Tai Xu became

the flag of the humanistic buddhism, and Great Master Ci Hang achieved

a whole bodily vajira(diamond) relic---flesh Bodhisattva.

Here I remember one Gong’an (Public record of speech by

eminent Chan monks) about the Madhyamika(middle way) School’s

commentator Master Qing Bian: one day, Qing Bian thought that only

Maitreya could solve his question. Hence, he did everything possible to

practice a way of eternal living by that waiting to the birth of Maitreya,

12 Dao An was a famous translator who translated many original Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Chinese during

Jin Dynasty. The famous one called Anasatipana Sutra is the first Buddhist text in China teaching how to practice Chan (meditation). Xuan Zao was a great translator during Tang Dynasty. He went to India to study for seventeen years, then returned to the capital city of Tang, where he started to translate Sanskrit texts into Chinese, and made a great contribution to the development of Buddhism in China.

from whom he would get a solution to his doubts. His persistent pursuing

moved Avalokatesvara Bodhisattva who appeared before him and

reminded him: “The land where sentient beings are residing is dangerous

and of flimsiness, the world is delusion, the life of people is impermanent,

what’s use to remain your physical body? Why don’t you practice the

dharma-gate of Maitreya so that you will be earlier born to Tusita where

you can see Maitreya on your own initiative.” Qing Bian seemed to get a

stick and shout13 towards his head, so he made an effort on practicing

Maitreya dharma-gate, seeking to be born to Tusita in a hurry, but no

longer to wait.

The old era of Sakyamuni Buddha has not passed yet; the new era

of Maitreya has already arrived.

15. Abstain from Liquor is not Different to Forbid Poison

Abstain from liquor is one of five Buddhist precepts. The evil of

liquor is not in itself, but in the person after he drank superfluous liquor.

The alcohol in the liquor can cause chaos in people’s intelligence

and nature. The confused intelligence and nature will do bad things, and

this is also why the Buddha laid down precepts in those years actually.

Poison is in line of the liquor in Buddhism, its function and

essence is as the same as the liquor.

In Buddhism, there are examples of monks having chaotic

intelligence by drinking liquor, and there are also examples of lay

Buddhists ruining their families by having drug abuse.

Therefore, Buddhism abstains from liquor and also abstains from

poison at the same time.

Nowadays, the drug wreaks havoc, and bullies around Europe and

America, although it is produced in the third world. From some extent to

say, the influence of the drug has already exceeded AIDS.

In recent years, the drug has more and more strongly violated our

country, this should cause our Buddhist circles to follow with interest.

The Buddhist circles should assist the government to adopt measures to

deal with this situation, and help to solve some social problems producing

13 Stick and shout are two methods developed in Tang dynasty Chan which were used in the instruction of

students. Deshan was famous for the stick and Linji was famous for the shout.

because of the drug’s harm.

16. What is for the Unreligious without Holiness

It is undoubted for the religion to keep its holiness, avoid being

unreligious.

Holiness is the important characteristic for the religion, losing of

the holiness is not different to lose the religion itself. The holiness is the

snow lotus in Mountain Tian, which is revered by everyone, but there are

few people can climb to the mountain to get her (snow lotus). Even some

people have no courage to get here, how to say they can climb the

mountain. This demands us to have a road which can make us to get the

snow lotus without climbing Mountain Tian. With our worldly

imagination, this is to either transplant it (snow lotus) at the foot of

Mountain Tian, or go to pick it directly by taking a helicopter. Taking

helicopter, most people do not have such condition, who has such a

capacity? Transplant it at the foot of Mountain Tian, we should consider:

firstly, whether it can survive? Secondly, whether it will change its nature?

This is a question worthy of being explored.

Religion, here we mean Buddhism especially. Since Buddha

passed away, his snow lotuses have been gradually transplanted at the

foot of Mountain Tian, and became unreligious, especially after it came

to China. China has localized Buddhism which is actually the unreligious

Buddhism. From the sixth patriarch Master Hui Neng of Tang Dynasty to

Master Tai Xu in modern time, they were supervisors and flagmen who

established a localized Buddhism in China. Buddhism lost some parts of

its holiness because of them, but it is also because of them Buddhism got

widely known and accepted, thus being spread, developed and became

grandness. This explains that the snow lotus also can survive after it came

down the mountain.

To the localized Buddhism in China, some scholars from some

traditional Buddhist countries think Chinese system of Buddhism was not

spoken by the Buddha, this is an extreme speaking. On the manifestation

form between Chinese characteristic of Buddhism and Primary Buddhism,

there is a tremendous dissimilarity indeed, and this is the result of worldly

feature. The worldly form is nothing but the epitome of the traditional

form in a certain place of a country where Buddhism is available.

However, the localized Buddhism in China has not abandoned the core

spirit of Buddhism; on the contrary, it developed this kind of core spirit,

and all sects and all schools were established by depending on the

relevant sutras or points in sutras. The snow lotus which grows at the foot

of the mountain, its shape, color, and size had some change, even the

component of the element also had a tiny change, but its nature has not

changed, it is still the snow lotus of the Mountain Tian. Chinese

characteristic of Buddhism and primary Buddhism is a kind relation

possessing both the inheriting and innovation.

In fact, Buddha’s teaching has already pointed us a direction on

how to position the holiness and worldliness. Buddhism emphasizes the

principle and phenomena are perfect and fused together, nirvana and the

birth and death is not impossible to get coordinated. If they coordinate

with each other well, then the annoyance is Bodhi (wisdom); the

emptiness is the matter, the matter is the emptiness; the real emptiness is

the subtle existence, the subtle existence is the real emptiness. See a

problem from the basic own-nature, we should keep the holiness; if we

see a problem in corresponding to its opportunity, it again needs the

worldly condition, for mankind is originally worldly. Buddhism says that

we should follow the external condition and not to change this rule, and

not to make an inner change but follow the external condition. I think this

is a very good guiding idea. While ensuring the holiness we should also

follow some secular conditions at the same time; while following the

secular condition, we should not to make any change to the essence of the

holiness as well.

All dharma (phenomena) are just the mind, every dharma

(phenomena) is only the consciousness. Holiness is the product of the

consciousness, worldliness is also the same, and all of them are originated

from our own body. Because of our own body, it then affects the society

etc. Self-problem needs self to solve. Summarizing what I had said above

the article, the solution to the problem is “middle way”. Whether it is

holy or worldly, all should hold the path of the middle way. Otherwise,

we will insist on the crankiness, and break the essential track for the

existence and development of religion.

Since the activity of reforming and opening, we have called for

the humanistic Buddhism. Where should humanistic Buddhism lie in its

position between the holiness and the worldliness, I think, the view of the

middle way can give us many apocalypses.

17. Shut Myself up and Ponder over My own Mistakes

Today, I felt a bit sad. In the morning, two little monks who are

good friends to each other quarreled in the public because their

viewpoints are different to the same matter.

For a long time, as the head of a temple, for the sake of the

Buddhist career, I also remind and advise fellow monks now and again:

monks should make harmony as dignity; should obey six harmonious

ways: To unify their respectful deportment to be the same; to unify their

chanting; to unify their purpose; to unify their practices of purity; to unify

their view; to unify their benefits; should endure and tolerate; should

eliminate hatred to practice concentration; must be compassionate, etc.

But today, why did they quarrel with each other?

The source or the reason, I think I must seek from myself. Why

did not they listen to my advice? If they had heard of my advice, why did

not they do according to it? It must be the problem occurring on my

management, my bodily and mental diathesis needs to be improved, or

the accepting strength of my own personality is not enough.

While feeling sad, I felt ashamed at the same time. I told the

executive of the temple: don’t blame them, give them some money from

the temple for traveling expenses, and let them go to visit some other

places and to learn.

Buddhism often speaks of saving people, the Buddha saved

innumerable sentient beings during his whole life, and I am also studying

the Buddha’s method of saving people. Why is the effect of saving people

not satisfied to me? Having not saved monks residing in the temple been

saved satisfactorily, how can I go to save more sentient beings?

Some fellow monks spoke to me: “Abbot, you are too

compassionate, so your power and prestige is not enough to frighten them,

then they did not listen to your advice.” Thank to the reminding by the

fellow monks. However, I think it is not that I am too compassionate, but

it is not enough, thus they (two little monks) quarreled in the public.

Avalokitesvana bodhisattava is too compassionate, if she gives a dharma

talk by herself, who will not listen? Nobody will be so.

Just now, two little monks phoned me and said they should not

quarrel, expressed their repenting. They confessed they created trouble to

the temple, increased worries to the abbot. I was moved after heard their

words.

Man is very intelligent, why can’t he control his emotion at the

moment? Buddhism emphasizes to practice the sila (precept), sammadhi

(concentration) and pajna (wisdom). It seems this is not to complain

without a cause indeed, and also not a theoretical problem, but a big

matter of one’s true realization. If one’s true realization is insufficient,

this is more than enough to cause the friendly monks to burn their merit.

This fire is the angry fire.

Buddhism speaks of curing the sickness to save people, so I want

to save these little monks, even save myself. To the little monk, we

certainly should not adopt the punishment step, but to follow the Buddha

using the method of influence. There are some very improper examples:

in those early years, Buddha made the robber, prostitute, murderer,

heretical followers, etc. reformed. We are four kinds of disciples of the

Buddha similarly, so it’s no doubt that little monks will slowly restrain

their temper and become good Buddhist disciples. But for myself, how

could it is enough by only depending on the verbal reminding and

advising. I should make a self-examination well basing on the sorrow and

shame.

Thus, I told several executives of the temple to hold a meeting.

Quarreling, though it is not a big event, but it is a big event for monks

who quarrel with others. This must be treated seriously, find out the

reason, take up the lesson, and announce it to the whole temple. This is

beneficial not only to the two little monks, but also to all permanent

residing monks and the temple; thus it is also possible to make me

including executives of the temple to be able to discover much scarcity on

ourselves in time, which is conducive to improve our self-personality,

bodily and mental quality and managing standard.

And then, today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, I will shut up

myself and ponder over my own mistakes, feel sorry for myself, confess

to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and bring computer to read and have an

experience on Yijiao Sutra14 for three days, hope to get more blessing

from the Buddha and bodhisattvas, and more apocalypses from Yijiao

Sutra. I wish to have an exact understanding: why do monks become

14 Yijiao Sutra is the sutra said by the Buddha to his disciples before passing away.

monks? How to become a monk? How to concentrate the body and the

mind? How to propagate Buddhist doctrine to save the sentient beings?

How to realize the truth? How to become the Buddha?

While in shutting myself up in a room, I also pray for the two

little monks, wish them be peaceful on the process of studying outside

hereafter, and take good care of their health.

18. How is possible for monks to live beyond the mundane world

The person who is beyond the mundane world should live beyond

the mundane world; this is the expectation to monks from lay Buddhists.

How is possible for monks to live beyond the mundane world?

If all monks are in the place beyond the mundane world, firstly,

how can lay Buddhists look for them? When they (lay Buddhists) have

afflictions, how can they request monks to give them sermons?

Buddhism says that compassion and wisdom are two big wheels

of Buddha’s teaching, if one lost either of them, he should lose the

balance, and thus it is said the compassion and wisdom are mutual

related.

Compassion, for whom? for other people, sentient beings, and

lay Buddhists yourselves. The master wants to save you, to get along well

with you, and to know your suffering and happiness. If the master keeps a

far distance from you, or hides in a deep forest, or locks self in a room,

when you want to meet the master then the door of buddhism or door of

the abbot is as deep as the ocean, which is difficult for you to get in, so

how will you get mental benefit?

And wisdom, for whom? for the master himself. Compassion is to

help others, but wisdom is to help self to get rid of own desire, hatred and

ignorance, etc.

Sometimes, my respectable lay followers often speak to me that

such and such monk, though he is beyond the mundane world, he

wallows in the mundane world everyday without go to practice, what

kind of rubbish is he? I am sad by hearing of that, I am sad not only for

such and such monk, but also for lay Buddhists. The purpose of lay

Buddhists is for the goodness of such and such monk, and monks are also

for the goodness of lay Buddhists, but both sides have difficulty to

communicate and don’ t understand with each other, what a sorrowful

matter it is! It may be able to say again how could lay Buddhists dare to

confirm that the master who wallows in the mundane world does not

practice what the Buddha taught?

In fact, besides monks should introspect and self-examine what

followers expect them to do, followers should also think of selves. Many

followers complain that the position of some abbots is too high to meet

them, or not satisfied on chatting with the abbot for only several words

then have to make a leave. But being an abbot, he must look after one

temple or several temples, and he has thousands and thousands of

followers, so he naturally needs to spend time on monastic affair and

human relations. Actually, this is also one of methods to serve and save

the sentient beings. But for followers, some of them have not realized this

point of matter; they not only want the master manage the temple well, be

easy of approach, can meet him whenever they want, be unable to say no

to them of help, but on the contrary blame monks indulging in worldly

affair too much without practicing, not like people who are beyond the

mundane world; they made monks in a quandary like a crow which is

never beautiful inside or outside the mirror, not know whether they

should do secular career or practice the supra-mundane method. Because,

as monks, is to consider followers’ choice as my own ones? Now,

followers have double choices, how should the master do to this?

I remember there is a story about a waterwheel, when it is

revolving, half of it is below the water, half is in the air, in such a way,

the water can be taken out. If the waterwheel does not touch the water,

how does it get water? If it is put into the water completely, how does it

get water?

Yesterday, a fellow monk who is following a doctor degree in a

foreign country came to visit me, and told me some doubt he had met;

thus, I wrote down this article, hoping to communicate with the fellow

monk and Buddhist lay followers, and look forward to understand and

encourage mutually.

19. The Charm of Buddhist Art

Buddhism opposes attaching to the form or external appearance.

It is said in the Diamond Sutra: “All appearances are illusion, if one sees

all appearances are non-appearance, he thus sees Tathagata (Buddha).”

The sutra again says: “If one sees me by form, begs me by voice, so this

man practices the heresy, and can’t see Tathagata.”

But, Buddhism still affirms the meaning of the existence of the

form or external appearance, and, praises the especially excellent one. We

often say: thirty-two marks of the Buddha’s body, eighty minor marks of

the Buddha’s body, etc., are examples.

If we don’t insist on attaching to the marvelous attributes, so all

kinds of appearances mentioned in Buddhism have extraordinary effects

and are very good convenient methods for us to spread Buddhism, for

instance, the carved or molded Buddha image, the painting of the

Buddha.

Ever, I was fortunately to visit the sculpted Buddhist caves in

Dunhuang, Yungang, Dazu, Longmen, etc., I was greatly shocked by

those ancient Buddhist art relics. Their mystery and enigma is completely

the tacit understanding showing of the Buddha, his teaching and Sangha’s

mystery and enigma, making the worldly people have to produce

inevitable respect and shocking to Buddhist triple gems.

I have also ever visited Borobudur Stupa in Indonesia, the great

golden pagoda in Rangoon of Burma, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, etc.,

which made me revered. Standing at the foot of them, I had a sense that

they are so great and sacred, but I suddenly felt I am chickenshit and

sinful.

How really astonishing the strength of Buddhism is!

Therefore, I thought that since the implementing of the policy of

reforming and opening, many temples have been built in China, but their

representation on art seem to be rough and lacked too much. From south

to north, from east to west, from south to north, from east to west, I have

never heard of exquisite temple or something which is relevant. If the

situation continues like such hence, what can we leave for the next

generation or posterity? Should all these newly built temples be

dismantled due to their bad quality? Of course, history has its process; the

productivity in one era determines the quality of the production of this era,

but it also may not be completely such.

Thus, I like to remind my Buddhist friends, when you again start

to set up Buddhist buildings, if the condition is permitted, you should

build it fine with a feature, make it become a product which can be

handed down for generations.

The charm of the refined and distinctive product is great, its

effect is also great, especially the spreading of the religion and this is

exactly what we are working for!

It was said that Daozi Wu15 ever pained the Picture of the

Changing in the Hell, Su Dongpo commented on it: Look at the Picture of

the Changing in the Hell, I did not know the cause that these sentient

beings had created, but saw the actuality they are suffering. Among them,

the suffering states of butchers are painted very gloomy and fearful; when

people living in the capital watched it, they all felt trembling with fear.

Because of that, butchers changed their occupation, which led to the

result there was nobody dared to slaughter animals, and there were fish

and meat available in some shops occasionally but it could not sell out.

20. Change to Practice the View of Mercifulness for Disaster Relief

Since a period of time, I have been reciting the Diamond Sutra

and the Platform Sutra, and at the same time, I occasionally had an

insight on the white bone from which I tended to attain the mental state of

emptiness.

Recently, an earthquake occurred in Wen Chuan, showing the

territory is dangerous and fragile, the life exists in the moment of breathe

in and breathe out; the property was subject to destructive breakage, tens

of thousands of lives got separation between loves ones in life or death,

the situation made us too ghastly to look at, hence we appealed to

Buddhists and social public figures for an active disaster relief.

In order to correspond with the kind effort of salvation and

releasing souls from purgatory, in recent days, I changed to recite

Avalokitesvana Bodhisattva Pumen Pin and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

Benyuan Sutra. At the same time, I occasionally chanted the holy names

of Avalokitesvana Bidhisattva and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, hoping to get

into the view of mercifulness, and making the loving kindness and

sympathy emerge in the mind. At the same time, with the power of

Avalokitesvana I give sentient beings salvation, with the power of

Ksitibarbha I give sentient beings releasing.

15 Daozi Wu is a famous painted who is especially good at painting Buddhist pictures during Tang Dynasty.

However, the ultimate goal of learning Buddhism is not

sympathy and loving kindness, but the liberation and to be reborn in the

Pure Land. Disaster relief is its helpful condition or dominant condition,

but not the basic reason.

In view of a certain angle, realizing the nature of the emptiness is

the short way to the liberation and to be born in the Pure Land. For this,

after a while, one will trend to practice towards the view of emptiness.

21. Treatment for Tiredness

Today, a large praying ceremony on “Pray for the Olympic

Game, May Buddha blessing China” was held in the temple, its intention

is to solve the disaster for China and to eliminate hardship for the

Olympic Game. At the same time, a vegetarian meal for one thousand

people was also held and provided freely for the public. Moreover, it also

raised disaster relief fund for the earthquake area in Si Chuan.

For tacking charge the ceremony and receiving visitors who

came to get advice on Buddhism, without knowing the time arrived at one

o’clock in the afternoon, I forgot to have lunch. However, I also didn’t

feel hungry.

In the night, though my mind was in a calm state, I had a sense of

tiredness on body.

In order to recover physical strength, I practice on writing

calligraphy about an hour, then returned to my rest room, where I sit on

the meditation bed made of wood with two legs crossed.

At first, I concentrate my consciousness on my breath, one breathe

in and one breathe out, from one to ten and again from ten to one, again

and again I counted the number of breathe in and breathe out. After half

an hour, I moved my consciousness to my lower part of abdomen,

focused on its point. Again after half an hour, I started to decompose my

physical body with consciousness to tend to the nature of emptiness. By

the time, there were all kinds of strange phenomena appearing.

It is the real emptiness and the subtle existence.

It took me about two hours for practicing meditation, the

pre-established clock send out a light tone for reminding me, I awoke out

of the meditation. The time was nearly twelve o’clock in the midnight,

the Dragon Boat Festival will arrive. I only had a sense of clear spirit and

cheerful consciousness, quiet in mind and peace in disposition, and

vigorous, so I stood up to open my diary book and wrote down these

words. In the following, I will again write one article --“Several wishes

on the Dragon Boat Festival” to show one of strange phenomena from my

meditation, and to be used as a small gift for the beginning of the Dragon

Boat Festival in 2008.

22. Several Wishes on the Dragon Boat Festival

The time is on the connecting point between the seventh and the

eighth of June, the poet Qu Yuan who has already become the God of the

River Miluo was walking towards me, I paid esteem to him with my two

closed palms. I said to him: “This is not Chu Kingdom, but I have several

wishes on the festival day which is relevant to you, you will have no

harm to listen as well:

The first wish: May Avalokitesvara entrust me to have a broad

merciful mind to urge victims’ homeland in earthquake disaster area of Si

Chuan to be rebuilt early.

The second wish: May Ksitigarbha entrust me to have a broad

vow to release souls of all fellow countrymen who died in the earthquake

to be born to the heaven early.

The third wish: May Manjusri entrust me to have the wisdom like

the broad ocean to moisten all students to get a good result as they wished

on the university entrance examination.

The fourth wish: May Samantabhadra entrust me to act like the

high mountain to bless the Olympic Game be successfully held in

Beijing.

The fifth wish: May Medicine Buddha entrust me to eliminate my

disaster and extend my life span; may all followers and non-followers get

blessing, eliminate disaster and have a good health as soon as they heard

of the name of Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple, the name of Master Ben Xing,

and saw the appearance of Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple, and the appearance

of Master Ben Xing.

The sixth wish: May Maitreya entrust me to be joyful infinitely,

and may all my followers be happy and pleased infinitely.

Having heard I completed my speaking, the God River Miluo Qu

Yuan replied with emotion: “It’s a pity that there was no Buddhism in

Chu Kingdom at that time, so I did not know Buddha; otherwise, I also

needed not to drown myself in River Miluo.”

I said to Qu Yuan: “It’s not late to recognize the Buddha and

know Buddhism today.”

Qu Yuan said: “It’s right. From now on, I will not to be the God

of River Miluo, I will try to become a Buddha.”

23. Buddhist Comprehension to Harmony

Theoretically, the harmonious conclusion bases on the concept

of hetu-pratyaya (cause and condition), which is applicable everywhere.

Hetu-pratyaya is the core doctrine in Buddhism. It indicates the

physical and mental world which is composed its internal cause and

external condition. If the cause and condition assemble together, the

matter come into existence; if the cause and condition separate, the matter

disappears. At the same time, internal cause can become external

condition for another thing, external condition can become another

thing’s internal cause, and they are the cause and condition mutually.

It is thus clear that things are connected within themselves, which

has not only the inner essential connection, but also the external

phenomena connection. Because things are connected, so their appearing,

vanishing, rising and declining is correlative. This is also to say that if a

link is broken, the whole chain breaks, and the life and destiny is one

whole. When people help with each other, and have common cooperation,

so we can conclude that I conduct for everybody is actually the fact that

everybody conducts for me; behaving for others is just behaving for

oneself, benefitting other people is just benefitting oneself. Whereas,

harming other people are just harming oneself.

In a practical manner, harmony embodies the protecting to

natural ecosystem, the adapting to the social ecosystem, and the

reconciling to man and life. Concerning to the adapting to the society, the

process of Buddhism getting its localization in China is a typical example.

Buddhism emphasizes forbearance, tolerance, mercifulness, and six ways

that Buddhist practitioners should live in harmony and be sensitive and

caring towards each other; this is the best annotations to the spirit of

reconciling.

Six ways of harmony for Buddhist monks mentioned in

Buddhism are: (1)To unify their respectful deportment to be the same; (2)

To unify their chanting; (3) To unify their purpose; (4) to unify their

practices of purity; (5) to unify their view; (6) to unify their benefits.

Other sets of six may be seen in various scriptures. This is the principle

for Buddhist Sangha to get along harmoniously.

Buddhism pays attention to the hetu-pratyaya, since the

hetu-pratyaya means the relation, it also means changing or developing.

Thus, Buddhism is a developing religion.

In 2006, the World Buddhist Forum was held in Hangzhou. In

the declaration of the forum, new six ways of harmony for Buddhist

monks was brought up, expounding our Buddhist circles’ fine wish on

constructing the harmonious China and world.

The new six ways of harmony for Buddhist monks are: be

kind-hearted in mind, be concord in family, be smoothly in human

relation, be harmony in society, be nice in human life, be peaceful in

world.

24. The Spirit of Revolution in Buddhism

Buddha is the leader of revolution. Buddhism is the religion of

revolution.

The life is in transmigration, the spirit is immortalization.

Therefore, there is no way to get rid of the life, but only to convert.

Buddhist revolution is not to eliminate the life, but to get rid of evil

though in the life.

2,500 years ago, Buddha established Buddhism, raised Buddhists to

start the first great revolution to the evil thought. Immediately, the four

caste thinking and system dominated by Brahmanism was destroyed in

disorder. Hence, the new thinking that every people has the

Buddha-nature, the Buddha-nature is equal, the human-nature is equal,

even every people is equal was prevailing widely in India, up to the king,

and down to the beggars. Hereafter, the low caste people also have the

right for education and religious belief, etc., and the democratic rights.

Therefore, Buddhism also changed the politics and the whole

social ecosystem in Indian continent, and it influenced to the territory in

South Asian even to a broad world.

1,300 years ago, Great Master Hui Neng inherited the robe and

bowl from the fifth Chan Patriarch Hong Ren and became the sixth

patriarch. He carried out an epoch-making revolution to Indian Chan

studies, made the Indian Chan tradition which paid attention to the

process and emphasized gradually attaining enlightenment changed to a

Chan study which paid attention to the present moment and emphasized

attaining enlightenment suddenly, basically completed Indian Chan study

getting localization in China and made it became Chan School indeed.

Hereafter, one flower blossomed out five leaves (Chan School was

developed to five sub-sects in China later), Chan School became the new

favorite practice way for the ordinary public and is spread widely

throughout China. Because of his revolutionary contribution to Buddhism,

the posterity bravely regarded Hui Neng’s speech as equivalent to

Buddha’s words, and also called the record of his speech as sutra named

the Platform Sutra, which has not got any rejection for thousand years.

The revolution of thought inevitably drove or induced the

revolution for system or precept.

After Buddha passed away, there appeared Buddhist sects due to

the fact that Buddhist thought developed constantly. Theravada sect

conserved the tradition, determinedly defended the precept laid down by

the Buddha and strictly observed its unchangeable nature. But for

Mahasangika Sect, they thought that the Buddha taught us that the world

is impermanent, and we should save the sentient beings corresponding to

the condition; thus, to the precept, we should have obedience to its basic

spirit, guard its main part, and in the special time and place, be not

necessary to guard the minor precept which is not only irrelevant to

general situation but also unsuitable to the convenience of the time and

place. History gave Mahasangika more space and opportunity, so this sect

got a larger development.

Soon after Great Master Hui Neng, there appeared a preceptor

named Huai Hai from Mountain Bai Zhang, who carefully went through

the article in the precept laid down by the Buddha and combined to the

practicing and studying on monastic management, he found that some

articles did not suit monks in China. For some cases, which needed

articles to control but he could not find articles. Therefore, he risked

condemnation from Buddhist circles, created Chinese characteristic

precept for monks in accordance with the basic spirit of Buddhist precept,

as supplementary part to the original Buddhist precept; this is the

so-called Monastic Regulation which is named Bai Zhang Regulation.

This regulation was very popular and influenced deeply, and after it has

being spread thousand years, till today, Chinese Buddhism is still

observing it.

In modern times, there was master called Tai Xu who advocated

carrying out three kinds of revolution on Buddhist teaching, Buddhist

property and Buddhist regulation, and also advocated Buddhism in

human life. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful. Because his revolution

was not complete, particularly his revolution on Buddhist regulation did

not touch the precept problem. Nevertheless, it can be considered as an

innovation at least. Concerning the development of Chinese system of

Buddhism in areas where Chinese people lives (Include main land China,

Tai Wan and other countries in the world) in the present time, his

innovation is successful, and the effect is remarkable.

From Buddha to Mahasangika monks, from Great Master Hui

Neng to Preceptor Huai Hai, until Great Master Tai Xu, if we have an

examination on the time and place when they lived, we can know the time

gap for their living is about hundred to thousand years between each other,

and they were all in the innovatory period.

Today, the world of Chinese system of Buddhism is in an

innovatory period, should we make like the action of Buddha, Theravada

Bhikkhus, Master Hui Neng, Master Huai Hai and Master Tai Xu when

Master Tai Xu will be reborn to this world from several hundreds to

thousand years after his passing away? If these several hundreds to

thousand years are too long, so, we only have to make the best use of our

time. At least, we can first complete the historical mission that Master Tai

Xu has still not completed.

Buddha is an enlightened Buddha. Buddhism is not a dogmatic

Buddhism.

25. Will Science be Buddhism Tomorrow

Satellite ascending to the sky can make mankind know much

matter about the sky, but how much does mankind know about the matter

underground.

Several decades ago, a heavy earthquake happened in

Tangshang. At that time, it was not monitored in advance and could

impute to the backward technological at the due time. How about today?

The so strong earthquake in Wenchuan which even made many animals

had consciousness by appearing omen. The nature also appeared unusual

phenomena. But the Monitoring Department was kept completely in the

dark.

Is this exactly the perplexity for man or science? It is said that

monitoring the earthquake is a tough question which has not been

unraveled in the world.

So, the high level official set up China Earthquake Bureau with

directly subordinating to twenty-one units. There are thirty-one provincial

earthquake bureaus throughout the country, and probably 1,559 regional

earthquake bureaus; are boards hung on these bureaus empty? No, staffs

in these bureaus are busy, they are monitoring all the time. The only

problem is the limitation of science; it even can be said that the ignorance

of science made them still have attempted nothing and accomplished

nothing.

Today, we advocate there is no mistake in science, but if we

depend on the science for everything, how can we do?

Science is a stage achievement. How can we seek a solution or

verifying to the whole process by stage result?

Therefore, there is also the truth except science, and there again

need the truth, for it belongs to the science tomorrow. So, will the science

be Buddhism tomorrow?

26. Chan and Tea is One Taste

Practice Chan does not lie in the taste of Chan; sample tea does

not lie in the taste of the tea. Though the taste is not requested by Chan or

tea, we don’t deny the taste of Chan and Tea, and that Chan and tea is one

taste.

In my or an old monk’s eye, practice Chan is just drinking tea,

drinking tea is just practicing Chan.

Ordinary people drinking tea is for pursuing the art.

Monks drinking tea is to pursue cultivating the moral teaching.

The way of drinking tea not only embodies in cooking and tasting,

but also in planting and making.

During the leisure after drinking tea, you can go out of the room,

have a walk in the tea garden, plant some tea seedlings, hoe up weed,

pick up little tea, make some tea with your own hand in a traditional way,

fill in your bowl (A special bowl only for mendicants), again pack some

into your bag of pilgrim, and go to travel some other temples by bringing

it with you. You plant it at will, make it freely, and the taste of Chan is

thick.

But what makes the taste of Chan thick is no more than cooking

and tasting. In Buddhist point of view, cooking tea and tasting tea is as

solemn as holding religious activity. The norm of tasting tea is also

considered as the precept of Chinese characteristic which is listed in

Baizhang Regulation.

Tea is highly praised in Buddhism, and there are many examples:

Dian Tea which is used when monks pay homage to Buddha and

ancestral monks; the abbot entertains all monks in the temple uses Pu Tea;

when the abbot announces the board of executives for the temple

annually, he holds a Tea Party; during the important Buddhist activity,

Tea Feast is held; all these activities include Tea Ceremony. Temples

normally set up many Tea Hall, Tea Drum, Tea Head, and again Tea

State, Tea Soup, etc.

The so-called the way of tasting by free of vulgarity means giving

up the part of art, or it may be able to say the art part is concealed. There

is Dao (moral teaching), how to need art? Seeking art from Dao, is this of

putting the cart before the horse? Therefore, many prominent monks

uphold the way of tasting tea. But there are also monks who are fond of

art seek art from Dao, and show their art level through Dao or show their

Dao through their art level; they addict to match on drinking tea which is

also called fighting to tender tea leaves. Monk Fu Quan of Song Dynasty

once poured a full cup of tea, and spoke out a poem “Gain reputation by

cooking tea”. And Monk Chu Qian of Northern Song Dynasty was called

“One who cooks tea in Samadhi (meditation)” by Su Dongpo because he

was deep in thought while matching on drinking tea with others.

As there is a close linking between tea and monk, so many

well-known tea monks appeared, so the famous monk tea as well. The

monk tea is found in many places, such as Large red clothes in Mountain

Wuyi, Iron Avalokitesvara in Anxi, Cloud and Frog tea in Mountain Lu,

Maofeng in Mountain Yellow, Longjin in West Lake, Cloud and Frog tea

in Mountain Tiantai, West Mountain tea in Guipin, Blue Bamboo tea in

Mountain Emei, etc.

The interest is though the monk and tea is closely, but Tea Sutra

was written by a lay Buddhist, who was honored as Tea Saint after his

death, and he is just the abandoned orphan Lu Yu who was picked up

below the bridge and raised by a Chan monk.

Chan and tea is one taste, its deeper meaning embodies on one

person’s realization of planting, making, cooking and tasting tea, and in

fact tea ceremony and tasting tea is just to realize the tea. Planting is the

cause, making is the result, cooking is the cause, tasting is the result;

planting and making is the cause of cooking and tasting, cooking and

tasting is the result of planting and making; at the same time, cooking and

tasting is the cause of planting and making, planting and making is the

result of cooking and tasting. For cooking and tasting, it thus impelled to

plant and to make tea. The whole process of tea activity formed a process

of causality mutually. In the process of cooking and tasting, one can

realize the suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and

the path leading to the cessation of suffering in human life. The flavor of

tea is bitter, this is suffering; when the tea is thick the flavor is bitterer,

this is the cause of suffering; after drinking one teapot of tea, boil water

again, but there is no tea flavor, this is the cessation of suffering; when

you break the teapot, there will be no cooking and tasting tea, this is the

path leading to the cessation of suffering. Though tea is good, if one

attaches to its goodness in the process of planting, making, cooking and

tasting, he will have desire, hatred and ignorance. Someone drinks tea for

he encountered the honor and disgrace, he wants to dispel his worries by

tea; though his motivation is reasonable, but it is difficult for him to get

the real taste of the tea. Because there is no honor and disgrace in the

process of tasting tea; one person comes to practice tea activity with a

mind or feeling of honor and grace, Dao naturally will not correspond

with him, he thus can’t get the taste of Dao. Therefore, when one is in the

situation of honor and disgrace, he should forget it and afterward go to

taste tea.

Tea’s Chan taste is just like one drinking tea, he knows its

strength himself.

Zhao Puchu wrote a poem: “Having drunk seven bowls of wine I

got its flavor, but one teapot of tea made me tasted the real life; I realized

that I have recited hundreds and thousands of useless verses rather than

going to drink tea.”

Someone asked: “What is the meaning that patriarch came from

the west?” Chan Master Zhao Zhou answered: “Go to drink tea.”

Right, what I am writing a prolix article here! Go to drink tea!

27. Two Wings of Science Should Be Ethics and Rule

According to the report, one iridium 33 satellite launched by the

United States in 1997 collided with one scrapped Russian satellite

launched in 1993. The time is on the date of eleventh, the location is

above the sky in Siberia. It is said that is the first accident the satellites

collided with each other in human history.

This made me think of the invention of explosive powder has

brought a production of massive destruction weapons such as land mine,

shell, even the nuclear weapon; the development of biotechnology

conduces to the appearance of the cloned sheep and cow, even probably

appears the cloned human.

The production of the nuclear weapon has brought more and more

threatens to the existence right for human beings, and the storage of

nuclear weapons at the present are more than enough to destroy several

earths. But the final appearance of cloned man will cause a serious

disorder on mankind’s ethics.

However, regardless of it is the nuclear weapon or the cloned man,

in the general way of thinking, we still always think they are the matter

on the earth. Now, the collision of the satellite between United States and

Russian made us seem to find out suddenly that our science and

technology has threatened to the safety of the space and universe, thus the

disaster will be brought to the creature in the space and universe.

Originally, how clean the sky is. There are beautiful worlds for

celestial beings, Buddha and the God, but it is also invaded and harassed

now.

Buddhism speaks of hetu-pratyaya, which means the universe is

one unity, between living creature and non-living creature, living creature

and living creature, non-living creature and non-living creature, all of

them are related to each other, mutual honor and existing, calamity and

misfortune. Though the space is endless and boundless, when compare

with the ability of mankind, it also has the end and bound rather than

infinite. Nowadays, it is said there are about ten millions garbage full of

the space, and many of these with the biggest harmfulness are just the

man-made production, for example, the satellite collision this time will

probably produce thousands of fragments. Saying in such was, on the one

hand, mankind needs to explore the space; on the other hand, mankind

again artificially sets up obstacle and danger for exploring the space.

Because these garbage are an obvious threaten to space aircraft. The

polluted space will finally harm the mankind on the earth.

I have never begun a talk without referring to my own line, this

is Buddhism. From the Buddhist point of view, the development of

science though is beneficial to human beings on one side, if it has no

norm but be morally developed even be used, this double blade sword

will definitely harm the mankind who develops and makes use of it. This

reminds us one point: science should also possess a global scientific

ethics and norm, and this is also to say that we should pay attention to the

worldwide moral and rule while developing and using the science. Today,

we emphasize the science very much, but who emphasizes the scientific

ethics, moral, norm and rule?

Therefore, here, I like to give a suggestion to those collectivity

and individuality who love, support, push and make use of the science:

two wings of science should be ethics morality and norm rule, but not the

science and science, and also not for the sake of science then we only

believe in science. If we are only for the sake of science then believe in

science, we will consequentially get the terrible retribution. If so, it would

rather to return the cleanness for we originally came from the cleanness,

return the space to the Buddha, the God and the celestial being.

28. Equal Horizontal and Vertical Characteristic

Equality is the duty, but not the responsibility.

Equality, freedom and human rights seem to have been the

worldly axiom.

Buddhism also advocates the equality. Buddhism thinks: all

worldly lives are sentient beings; sentient beings all have the

Buddha-nature, they all will become the Buddha; all sentient beings are

equal.

The sentient beings are equal, so Buddhism emphasizes: there is

only difference for high or low of the quality and rich or poor of the life

among human beings, but not a difference for gentle or simple. Between

man and animal, there is just the difference of karma, so the retribution is

different, but the Buddha-nature is not different in essence, all sentient

beings originally possess the Buddha-nature.

There is equal among human beings, so, in India where the caste

system was prevailing at that time, the Buddha emphasized: everyone has

the right to receive education, and also has the right to believe in religion.

One of his purposes was to deny the caste system, and to criticize the

absurd of the class system of four castes produced by the caste system.

Concerning the equality, what the priest or ordinary people have

talked about or compared are mostly its horizontal characteristic. But I

think we must care more about its vertical characteristic.

It is necessary for us to emphasize the equality among human

being and between man and animal at the same time and in the same

space. But, why do we neglect the equality among human beings or

between man and animal at different time and in different space.

Buddhism told us the time has beginning and ending, it is the

combination of innumerable past, present and future; the space is

boundless, it is combined by innumerable worlds. The equal objects that

we have emphasized should consist of the past and the future, and include

the different space. Thus, the equality we are seeking for is not only the

equality for the present life and the sentient beings in the present life, for

the earth and sentient beings on the earth, but also for the innumerable

sentient beings in the present, past and future, the sentient beings in

innumerable worlds.

The vertical equality is not meaningless. If we have a think:

today, we spend energy resources extravagantly, such as fuel, coal, water

and wood etc., we share the convenience brought to us by these energy

resources equally, so we are equal. However, to your descendants, to

them, is it equal? Because of our extravagance, what they will inherit is

only a scarce earth with a shortage of energy.

Therefore, we should not forget when we are brandishing the big

ensign of equality, we should not only watch and listen on all sides, and,

we should also watch and listen the up and down, high and low.

Otherwise, we will not know when our big ensign of equality is broken

by some obstacles.

29. Let Religion Go Forward Together with Science

I always think that religion and science is not contradiction.

Religion is helpful for the scientific development; science is

helpful to religious expansion. Because, science gave religion means,

religion gave science dream.

Someone may say, in the Middle Ages of Europe, did not

so-and-so religion prevent the scientific progress and persecute the

scientist?

This is right, but that was the Middle Ages, and there was

political factor intermixed with it. Because the involvement of the

political power, the religion had no way to think for something

independently, thus, the particular historical matter happened at that time.

And, what had conflict with science has not only been this one

case.

The key is that today is not the Middle Ages of Europe.

Today is the 21st century, the religion and politics have already

been separated. I think the time for the religion going forward together

with science has arrived.

We might as well make a relative decomposition on the mission

of both science and religion. Religion and science respectively stress the

studying and solution to the spirit or subjective level and objectivity or

material level. They respectively have special emphasis, and also special

feature. The natural world needs a deep understanding constantly from

exterior, thus, it demands science; the human society needs us to have an

internal understanding constantly, thus, we demand religion.

At the beginning of the year, the weather was not cold, but the

natural disaster of snow and rain taking place by turns raided many

regions of China. Recently, the heavy earthquake of Si Chuan was

cataclysm, caused people died, the property ruined, and spread to several

provinces and cities. Does this need science or religion to give a solution?

It is very obvious that is not enough to depend on just one of them. If

science got developed, this could be predicted. If it is predicted, then it

could be prevented. However, this disaster still took place, and it still

harmed us. Thus, we who have been harmed still demand the religion.

It is no doubt that it’s correct for pushing forward the

development of science, we will consequently grasp more material and

objective regulation. But for the subjective regulation of the spirit, I think,

speaking from a certain level, religion controls more proficient than

science.

Today, we advocate a social modernization, and then again

advocate a harmonious society. The modernization will get more benefit

from science; but for harmony, it will get more benefit from religion. At

the same time, religion and science will again encourage, influence and

promote mutually.

Therefore, we appeal we should devote our major effort to push

forward science during this bright and prosperous time of reforming,

opening and developing, and also boost the religious development, let

religion and science bring their strongpoint into play respectively, and go

forward together, serve to the great revival of Chinese nation.

30. Don’t Speak out All Your Good Words

Master Xing Yun says: “Say good words.” This has no wrong.

In Buddhist four dharmas of attraction16, is there not a method

of kind words in it? The kind word is to speak good and gentle words.

But Chan Master Fa Yan told that we should care for four points: 1.

Don’t exhaust your influence; 2. Don’t enjoy all the blessedness; 3. Don’t

utilize all regulations; 4. Don’t speak out all good words.

Why cannot we speak out all good words?

Because it’s easy to speak out all good words, it’s difficult to

do all good deeds. If one doesn’t do whatever he has said, or he is unable

to do whatever he has said, so he has no way to fulfill his promise, then

how about him.

This is also one of reasons why many monks in Buddhist

16 Four Dharmas of Attraction indicates four methods of winning (people) over. In Mahayana Buddhism,

there four methods that bodhisattvas employ to approach and save people. They are: (1) Giving the gift of Dharma or something that people like; (2) Using kind words; (3) Acting for the purpose of benefit to them; (4) Physically working together with them.

monasteries are unlikely to talk more good words.

What patriarchs remained us is: try to do more good deeds,

even do to the utmost; try to talk more good words, but not talk to the

utmost.

Chan Master Fa Yan said so and behaved so as well. Here is an

example about him: once Fa Yan was expounding dharma, he said the

life of human beings is an important matter, firstly it must be O, if one

wants to become O, he first should prevent O, if one is a true OO person,

OO. While talking about the keyword, he did not talk anymore and let it

be empty; this kind of Chan without words made people to fancy from

afar. It is infinite profound indeed.

31. How Nice to Live Peacefully

I am sleepless tonight.

At dawn, I drafted a short poetry “There is a stretching hand

underground”:

“On the 12th of May, underground, there is a stretching hand.

Breaking the gray sky, the blood, fell on the mountain and in

the river in Sichuan.

This is one hand of the mother, children, hold her tightly

through the separate space.

The black sun rose, shone the burning flame to break.

Give, another hand, my mother, my motherland.”

In succession, I chanted Medicine Buddha Sutra for three

times, called his name about hundred times. During the process of

chanting, I could not help crying.

On the 12th in May, it is the lunar calendar of eighth in April,

when it is the holy birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha. In the temple at noon,

lay Buddhist followers are happily to celebrate the Buddhist festival of

bathing the Buddha. But in Sichuan, many buildings collapsed, hundred,

thousand and ten thousands lives in a short instance were deprived of

voice and breath.

Is it possible that the water we bath the Buddha statue the tear

of compatriots?

O! Lord Buddha, you are really a person of foresight.

As early as 2500 year ago, you were at the moment of attaining

enlightenment, hinting us the essence of the life which is the suffering,

the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path leading to

the cessation of suffering.

The suffering of sentient beings had a shocking verification on

the day of 12th in May. Let’s imagine the lives buried under the reinforced

concrete, at the moment, what is their wishing for?

After calling the name of Medicine Buddha, I recited

Ksitibargha Sutra, calling the name of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. While

calling, I again could not help crying.

I have seldom cried because of sadness. I am sleepless tonight,

and let the tear flow long.

Cry for the sentient being underground!

Cry for my strength does not match my ambition.

Since putting on the holy robe on my body, I have always

prayed for the relief of all sentient beings through the power of the robe,

and may they get free from the water and fire disasters. Evermore, there

will no suffering but only the happiness. But, the day of 12th of May is the

annual birthday of Buddha.

Today, I just understood why is hard to make a change to the

common karma!

Reciting sutra, chanting the name of the Buddha, I felt a little

bit tiredness and sleepiness, I sit down quietly. I should not sleep tonight,

but to think about disaster area, where there are many people are still

alive under the rubble tonight, without water, lack of air, in short of food,

but only the darkness. Not to be disappointed is their hope. Give them a

little strength, even they are in the dark. So, I insisted on sitting calmly,

for I believe in the power of meditation, and I even believe the power of

the Buddha. Draw the power of the Buddhist through the power of

meditation, help the power of meditation through the power of the

Buddha, it surely can cross over numerous mountains and rivers to

influence those victims of the earthquake in Sichuan.

At 3:00 AM in the morning, a phone ringing awoke me while in

meditation, it was phone by lay Buddhist Chen from Luoshan city of

Sichuan, whose voice with little crying made me understood what

happened around him.

How good the peace and alive is. Price, how much the price is

just can make us realize the true meaning of this sentence! Amitabha!

32. Am I a Civilian Teacher and a Civilian Master

Yesterday, a civilian follower came to meet me and said the

world stock market had a black Monday; while talking about these, he

said: “Master, could you please organize lay Buddhist followers recite

Buddhist sutra to save the stock market.”

Hearing of what he said, I originally wanted to play a joke with

him, for Buddha originally opposed gambling, so how would he help? In

Buddhism the character of stock is similar to gambling. However, after a

think, I did not speak out. Because I know that my followers are as same

as those small stockholders whose little sum of money gained hardly has

slowly scooted off recently. I should have the sense as their mood but not

to comment on this topic.

However, to the civilian follower, here I still have some words to

say: though I have no objection to the type of stock market, I don’t

approve civilian followers to invest on the stock market which has a very

strong risk. For this will ruin your common thinking, and make you no

longer have a peaceful life. Although, this is not absolute, it is a kind of

trend.

As I came from a civilian, I personally think I always sympathize

with and comprehend the civilian, especially the civilian in China.

Because Chinese civilians have been influenced by the left tradition of

the long-termed feudalistic society, they were subjected to the oppression,

grievance, poverty, chaos even humiliating too much. In spite of the fact

that the present cannot compare with the past, but not all the problems

have got satisfactory solution. In other words, the civilian’s social milieu

is congenital insufficient, so their starting point in society is

comparatively lower. Thus, in addition to very few lucky followers, the

major civilians still live at the bottom of the society, and they have no

many opportunity of gaining the power, fame, wealth and vanity. It is

exactly because of that, civilian mind is essential important to them, and

this is the foundation which they depend for a quiet life. If they lost the

civilian mind, so, what will they remain?

In the teaching targets of Kaiyuan Temple in Fuzhou, we have

four speaking words: the method should with the character of life, the

object should with the character of humans, the level should with the

character of civilians, and the scope should with the character of society.

I think, civilians need us (monks) very much, for they are the

feeble ones in the society. Thus, in the society, they need us to give them

strong spiritual support. I do believe on one point: the spirit will become

the strength, and we should also give them priority of helping them to

become the strong people in the country. Under the possible

circumstances, we should try our best to give them material assistance.

Buddhism does not refuse the dignitary and rich people, during

the Buddha’s period he also strongly saved the rich man and the dignitary,

but I still prefer to save the civilian. This has the suspicion of

differentiation, probably it is the hetu-pratyay caused me to behave so. I

hope we will become the modulator among the dignitary, rich people and

civilians, invited the rich people to give donation, invite the dignitary to

be kind, and then go to benefit the civilian through our various ways, let

them share.

In Kaiyuan Temple of Fuzhou City, we implement a rule that

entering the temple, burning incense and having meal are free of charge,

established Liqin Fund to help the poor student, set up the old-aged home

free for those who need,etc., were derived from this thinking discussed in

the above paragraph. This not only made the soul of the dignitary, the

rich people relieved from the purgatory, consequently the civilians at

least enjoyed the social fair and justice and the result of the social

development and progressing. The civilians also can get inspiration and

encouragement from the charity activity done by the dignitary and the

rich people, thus they will be able to perform good deed like the dignitary

and the rich people and catch up with them, even surpass them.

One of my classmates once made a joke with me: “See your wish

and action, you are just can be entitled a civilian teacher, a civilian

master.” Have I really done so? I also didn’t understand what he said is

praising or depreciating, but I am proud of it. I think, I was born in a

civilian family, what is flowing in my blood channel is civilian blood; I

am living within the civilian, I am only a common monk. Therefore, if I

do not serve the civilian, so, to whom should I serve? Besides, the civilian

occupies the majority of the population in China currently. Because of the

real love from four kinds of Buddhists17 that caused me have some

17 Four kinds of Buddhists are bhikkhu (monk), bhikkhuni (nun), upasake (male laity) and upasika (female

laity).

visional and so-called positions and honor, then if I think I am no longer a

civilian today, is this not ungrateful? Thus, I enjoy the form of address

“civilian teacher and civilian master”, and I will also be happy to take it

as my struggling target during my whole life, make myself to be worthy

of the name.

33. Secret Knack on Preaching Dharma by the Sixth Patriarch Hui

Neng

Man can spread Dao, but Dao cannot spread man.

How to expound Buddhist doctrines? I have such sense after

chanting the Platform Sutra each time.

In Fuzhu Pin of the Platform Sutra, Great Master Hui Neng spoke

to his disciples: “You are different from others, you will respectively

become the chief master in different areas, and today I will teach you how

to expound dharma so that you will not lose our teaching.” What kind of

secret knack of preaching dharma did the Sixth Patriarch instruct? It is

said in succession in Fuzhu Pin: “At first you should list the dharma-gate

of three categories18, referring to thirty-six pairs while expounding. The

emptiness and existence are two extremes, and whatever kind of dharma

you speak about you should not lack of the own nature. While you are

preaching, if someone suddenly asks you about dharma, all you speak out

should be in pairs relatively, and you should also understand all

conditions and appearances of dharma, not let it fall into the category of

relative dharma; you should know that the ultimate truth cannot be

spoken with the language. So this is called that two utmost dharma are

extinguished, there is no other dharma.”

The sixth patriarch was originally a woodcutter who did not

learn to read, but he accomplished his speeches being compiled to the

Platform Sutra. It is thus clear that the secret knack of preaching dharma

by the sixth patriarch is not technical method on knowledge, it must be

the realized wisdom from his mind.

Since I got my high-ordination from Nanhua Temple19 in Shao

18 Three categories is a classification of all dharmas into the three categories of the five skandhas, the

twelve loci and eighteen realms. 19 Nanhua Temple locates in Shao Guan City in Guang Dong Provice. The sixth patriarch lived there and

preached Chan for many years. Today his flesh relic is preserved there.

Guan, I have already felt I have the feeling of affinity with the sixth

patriarch and specially the Platform Sutra. This feeling of affinity

originated from a tacit understanding of my mind to the Platform Sutra in

some degree. Therefore, I dare not to break his spirit while on preaching

and writing book at all times. On answering questions, I also follow the

technical method pointed out by him. I personally think I have received a

little achievement, and the effect is fair.

Recently, during the leisure in the night, I specially focused on

reciting the Platform Sutra. When meeting the essential part, I studied

carefully sentence by sentence, and had a deeper sense of tacit

understanding on the soul of the Platform Sutra. Thus I also understood

that preaching the doctrine and writing books is not to depend on

technique and method, but to base on real realization and enlightenment.

Whatever the spoken dharma, or the established teaching, all came out

from the realization, but not by making a thorough searching in one’s

mind because he grasped much knowledge.

In view of the above, the imparting of the technique and method

said by Hui Neng to his disciples is meaningless to those who attained

enlightenment through real realization. But why did he still impart it?

This only explained that some of his disciples including Fa Hai, etc., had

not got enlightenment yet. It also explained at the same time that he the

sixth patriarch imparted to his future unenlightened generations.

So, today, are we the objects of Hui Neng who imparted his

technique and method on preaching? Or are not we?

Anyway, I think we should behave like what Great Master Hui

Neng said in Fuzhu Pin: if you really understood what I have preached

and go to propagate, exercise, practice and carry out so, you will not

violate the objective of our sect.

34. Buddhist Way of Understanding to Disease

“All dharma appear due to hetu-pratyaya, all dharma vanish due

to hetu-pratyaya. My master is a great sramana (monk), who always says

so.”

Understanding to disease should not be without of the rule of

hetu-pratyaya.

Buddhism thinks, ordinary persons, they themselves are patients.

The symptom of ordinary people’s disease appeared on two

aspects: on the thought, they have evil understanding and evil view which

deviate from the law of dharma-nature; on the mentality, they are happy,

or angry, or likes and dislikes, ever-changing, and cannot control

themselves; on the physical body, they have to suffer the birth, decaying,

sickness, and death, which is inevitably to be avoided.

The reason lead ordinary people to get sick originate from the

internal cause and external condition. Internal cause is the accumulated

karma of one individual who has experienced for kalpas; external

condition is the surrounding, such as parents, society and nature, etc.

Internal cause is essential, but it is not unchangeable. External condition

is helpful, but it is not in the fact that it has no consequence.

The way for converting the internal cause of bodily disease is

repenting and other kind of religious activities. Repenting can convert the

past mistake, and make the past become the past. The way to cure the

external condition of the bodily disease is to do good deeds etc., and

social action that will make the sick condition eventually disappear.

Repenting is to convert the internal cause, doing good action is to convert

the external condition; when the cause and condition is consistent

specially, one is able to have a sense that all kinds of disease vanish from

him.

From the way of removing the external condition of disease, we

can get to know that curing others’ disease or self-disease belongs to

doing good deed. In spite of the external condition of the disease

inherited from parents or influenced by the society and natural

environment, if one goes to cure the disease of others or self, save the life

of others or self, so that make others and self not have fear, worry, anger,

doubt, suffering, all these are great charities, and have infinite merit and

virtue.

In Buddhist sutras, there are plenty of ways for curing disease,

and each Buddhist sect still has its own wonderful method to represent

this sect. Today, in three main languages system of Buddhism, there is

still the passing down of the method for curing disease, particularly in

Tibetan Buddhism. In fact, a lot of Tibetan medicine is the medicine in

Buddhism.

The inheritor of doctor and medicine in Chinese system of

Buddhism are becoming less and less with the advancing of the time, this

should bring to a concerning, and give it rescuing, inheriting, preference

and enhancing. This is a particular convenient dharma-gate, which will

develop a rather function on saving sentient beings as well.

35. My Journey of Olympic Games

The gymnastic Olympic Games have gradually gone away. The

Buddhist Olympic Games has gradually been approaching. Thus, my

journey of Olympic Games started.

At 3:30 A.M., the dreamless night was awoken by the quiet and

beautiful sound of the bell and drum. At once I got up, the new day

started. In the new day, there should be a new “I”. And then, I brushed

my teeth, had my beard shaved, washed face, bathed body, changed

clothes, added fresh and pure blood, adjusted breath, changed a mind, I

wanted to break the old “I”.

I wanted to create a new “I”. In the early morning, I heard of birds

singing behind the room; are they joyful, or blessing me?

I know that there will not be only I who have started the journey

of Buddhist Olympic Games afterwards, but I do believe that there is also

my own Olympic Game in their journey of Buddhist Olympic Games.

I have my Olympic Game is because I have already taken the lead

in starting my journey of Olympic Game; in this journey, I have

preparation, though, it is insufficient.

In the noon, I did not have a nap, I have already had a habit of not

having a siesta for many years. At 1:30 P.M., I went to knock some doors

of some monastic staffs; I don’t know whether their pure dreams were

broken by me. In the knocking sound, I wanted to tell that our Buddhist

Olympic Game should contain the spirit of our gymnastic Olympic Game

as well; on out journey, we also need earth, sky, for we need to jump as

well.

In peacetime, I often think, the four great bodhisattvas have four

high ambitions: Avalokitesvara has the mercy, Manjsri has the great

wisdom, Ksitigarbha has the great vow, Samantabhadra has the great

action. In my journey, how can I lack of these!

Actually, running on the land, flying in the sky, except the need of

mercy, wisdom, vow and action, we also need more, such as tolerance,

tribulation, even sacrifice. Otherwise, how would we have the confidence

and how to accomplish one certain of our targets: conquer self, liberate

self, and surpass self. By these, find back self, rescue self.

At 8:30 P.M. in the night, the elegant sound of the bell and drum

was ringing. I returned to my room, sit for meditation, made my body and

mind one whole, and felt one part of invisible energy was gathering.

Tomorrow, I will again start another journey of new Buddhist

Olympic Game.

So, let us set out again!

36. When Can I Repay the Usury I Borrowed

Buddha once said: “It is a woeful affair to owe debt.”

Our common saying says: One who owes debt should return

money.

Since I have become a monk in 1985, I owed heavy debt to

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, sentient beings, I am unable to repay, and I

also don’t know when I will repay all to them.

Today is the annual birthday ceremony of Medicine Buddha. Each

Medicine Buddha birthday ceremony I have to examine my conscience,

for each year, each month, each day, what do I owe, and how much do I

owe?

Sometimes, I also think, what I have owed is for repaying; thus, I

probably can avoid repaying the debt. But I think in another manner, I

owe Mr. Lee in order to repay Mr. Chan, doesn’t that I owe Mr. Chan

though I repaid Mr. Lee?

Buddhism speaks of hetu-phala (cause and effect), since there is

owing there should be repaying, regardless of your willing or unwilling,

you should repay sooner or later. Introspect myself, because of the

Buddha, I had a converting; because of dharma (Buddhist doctrine), I

have wisdom; because of Sangha (Buddhist monks), I got purification;

because of the sentient beings in the world, I just got to know the

gratitude. What I have received from Buddhism, is it possible to measure

the height of the mountain or the containing capacity of the large ocean.

Such debt of benevolence, if I don’t repay, how could I have no burden,

how could it has no consequence, how could I get liberation, how could I

get nirvana.

Because of owing debt, I often borrow debt; because my virtue

and good fortune is less, my talent and leaning is not enough, I borrowed

debt for the first time, the second time, and the third time, now I again

want to borrow but I realized I cannot borrow again; under the situation

of no alternative, I only have to borrow usury, from now on, principle

amount adds up principle amount, interest adds up interest, I am no

longer be able to repay all debts.

It’s still fine what I owe is to the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and

sentient beings of the world; my guilt conscience is more than enough to

start the saint’s mercy and ordinary people’s sympathy. I believe, they

have already tolerated what I owed to them and though I am repaying but

not completed yet for more than twenty years. For myself, how could I

not go on struggling because of this, and struggle on insisting to repay.

I think, it’s suffering to have debt in life, it’s fortunate of having

borrowed debt in life, it’s distressed to repay debt in life, it’s happy to

have the capacity of repaying the debt.

But in life, owing debt of the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and

worldly sentient beings and unable to repay all of them, then what is it?

37. Mend People’s Mind with Buddha’s Mind, Serve the World with

Buddha’s Way

According to Buddhism, when we go to trace the origin, we can

know that the Buddha’s mind is originally the mind of humans; humans’

mind is originally the Buddha’s mind. Buddha’s mind is the enlightened

mind of humans who has already attained enlightenment; human’s mind

is the unenlightened mind of the Buddha. Mankind in the nature came

into existence due to hetu-pratyaya. Buddha-nature, human-nature, and

world’s source are originally clean. Sentient or non-sentient beings are

dirty, for they are contaminated by the ignorance and thus came into

existence through being activated. It is like a bright mirror, it can’t reflect

the light for there is dust on it. It is like a pond of quiet water, it cannot

reflect the clean shadow for there is wave. Thinking determines the

behavior, the situation of the world follows the mind of people. To purify

the world, the mind of humans should be purified. If the mind is pure then

the state is pure, if the mind is polluted the stained world appears. For

hundreds and thousands of years, the mind of mankind has been polluted.

In order to rectify the situation of the world, we should correct the mind

of people at first. This is the cause why we promote “Correct people’s

mind with Buddha’s mind”.

Buddha’s way is the way of Buddha’s mind. If the mind of man

gets contaminated, there should be the existence of evil in the world.

Buddha’s mind is pure, the way of the Buddha must be right. From ten

thousand, one thousand and one hundred years, from the ancient to the

present, from China to abroad, in order to serve the world, many sages

and the virtuous have racked their brains, some even sacrificed their lives;

their achievement and effect is going forward or backward, up and down.

We should wait for some time for the arrival of the righteousness in

human world. This is the cause why we promote “Serve the world with

Buddha’s way”.

It is fortunate to be born in China in this life. Now the country is

prosperous and the people live in safety, the politics is clear and bright,

the mind of people is longing for peace, the world is concord. The elite of

party and the pillars of country are focusing on the development of

economy; they are just like the rising sun and moon without a stopping.

May our Buddha and Buddhist patriarchs protect and bless our country

and people; this is the satisfactory tradition in our motherland for

thousands and hundreds years. During this particular time, we should

inherit the custom and tradition, develop the satisfaction; we should help

and protect the country, bless and give aid to citizens, correct people’s

mind with Buddha’s mind, serve the world with Buddha’s way.

How to correct people’s mind with Buddha’s mind, and assist the

situation of the world with Buddha’s way? I am not intelligent; here I

particularly provide four sentences:

“With a healthy body and mind, promote ethics and morals;

Inspire the mercy and wisdom, attain the freeness and non-ago.

38. Return to the Faith, Rebuild the Moral

Why should we Buddhist monks instruct and save ordinary people?

For whom should we instruct?

How to instruct?

I have been still investigating the answer to these questions without

ending since I got ordination to become a monk for more than twenty

years.

Several years ago, the temple which I am in charge published a

brochure called “Our Educational Principle”, its main content is such as:

“Bring honor to the Buddha and ancestors of the temple, help the citizen

serve the world with Buddha’s way”; “Return to the faith, rebuild the

moral”; “Our educational method should with the character of life, the

object should with the character of humans, the level should with the

character of civilians, and the scope should with the character of society”,

etc.

Why did we put forward “Bring honor to the Buddha and

ancestors of the temple, help the citizen and guard the country”, this is the

tenant of us to establish Buddhism. Buddhism has the excellent tradition:

love the country, love Buddhism. Talk about loving Buddhism, we should

bring honor to the Buddha and ancestors of the temple; talking about

loving the country, we should help the citizen and guard the country. And

helping the citizen and guarding the country is exactly “Make the

motherland majestic, benefit to sentient beings” which we are promoting.

Why did we put forward “Correct people’s mind with Buddha’s

mind, serve the world with Buddha’s way”, this is exactly our educational

principle. These words came through inheriting the tenet of establishing

Buddhism, and will start the core task for Buddhist education, namely

return to the faith and rebuild the moral. What we want to solve is about

the problem of birth and death, and the problem of surpassing the world

and live in the world, or we can say it is the problem of the religion and

society. As a religion, only the mind of people gets a correction, and

returns to the faith, they then will be able to receive the religious merit, to

have the hope of transcending the world, and to solve the problem after

death. As the society, only the situation got purified, the moral got rebuilt,

people then can get the social happiness, the hope of living, the solution

to the problem in life.

On the instructing target, why we put forward “The method

should be with the character of life, the object should be with the

character of humans, the level should be with the character of civilians,

and the scope should be with the character of society”, because, what

Buddhism needs to solve is mainly the problem for human beings. Man is

living being; it is concrete but not abstract. China is an agricultural

society and a developing country, the nobility who has the power,

position, fame, and wealth is just the minority, majorities are still

civilians; in spite of the material or the spirit even the intelligence, they

all need to give saving urgently. Different countries select different

developing methods, the situation of China demands the religion to be

spread in the religious scope, so what is the religious scope? It is just the

social scope. Therefore, the yellow wall between religion and society has

never been the boundary and will never be so.

Religion is after all the religion, it pays attention to the ultimate

converted place. In Our Educational Principle, refer to the situation of

Kaiyuan Temple in Fuzhou City, we put forward “Those who have not

been born to the heaven are the virtuous in the east; those who have been

born to the heaven are the oriental saints.”

Kaiyuan Temple is a monastery where the Medicine Buddha is

enshrined, so the dharma-gate of Medicine Buddha is being promoted; if

one individual is not born to the heaven in this life, his tendency is to

become or be transmigrated in other words a sagely person whose

disaster is prevented and life span is extended in the Eastern Hemisphere;

if he is born in the heaven, he will be born in the eastern pearl paradise

pure land of Medicine Buddha, and become a sage of this land, where he

will live with Medicine Buddha, Sun-light Bodhisattva and Moon-light

Bodhisattva etc. together.

Refer to Qingyun Temple in Taining County of Fujian Province,

we put forward “Those who have not been born to the heaven, wait for

the birth of Maitreya; those who have already been born to the heaven,

follow Maitreya Buddha to be born to this saha(world of endurance)

world again.”

Qingyun Temple is a monastery where Maitreya Buddha is

enshrined; the dharma-gate of Maitreya Buddha is practiced there.

Bodhisattva Maitreya is the religious leader who will be born to the world

in the future, he will inherit the post of Sakyamuni Buddha. If those

people who have not been born to the heaven during this life, they should

go on practicing, and wait for the birth of Maitreya Buddha who will save

them in the mundane world. If those people who have already been born

to the heaven, they would have definitely entered the pure land of

Maitreya, where they lived with Maitreya together. However, how could

we always live in the land of Maitreya Buddha, by the due time, we

should also follow Maitreya Buddha to be born to the human world, help

the Buddha propagate Buddhism to save sentient beings.

39. The Symbol of Our Temple

“Master, what meaning does this represent?”

My respectable followers ask me this question now and then.

What they asked indicate specially the symbol of our temple.

A country has its national flag, a religion has its religious flag. A

enterprise has its own sign; I think, our temple should has the symbol of

our temple as well.

For this, several years ago, we have started to design the symbol

of the temple, what you saw is the third draft, and it should be the last

version.

My idea of the temple symbol is that it should embody the core

spirit of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, our educational principle, and the

special feature of the temple which I am in charge.

There is the shape of drops of water, and also the torch, seed, lotus

petal on our temple’s symbol, inside there is the mudra (hand gesture) of

Vairocanan Buddha, who is truth body (dharmakaya) of the Buddha.

Below it is the name of the temple in Chinese- English.

Buddhism says that a drop of water will be unlikely to dry up only

after it melts into the sea, so does the nectar of Buddhist doctrine. Water

means life; it is the merciful, soft, tolerating, and tough water. Water will

never disappear; it can become ice or vapor. Water can carry boat and be

used to spray for Buddhist ceremony or festival as well.

But fire, in Buddhism, it is the symbol of luminosity, wisdom and

energy; the fire of a candle can dispel the darkness that has lasted for one

thousand years. Because of the fire, there are: the lamp of wisdom shining

forever, the torch of wisdom illuminating forever, the destruction of the

ignorant annoyance, and the emerging of hope forever.

Certainly, we should not go to challenge the water and fire, and

disobey the regulation of them. Otherwise, the flood, tsunami, volcano,

etc., will erupt. Water and fire naturally are emotionless, and also without

the idea of punishment; if we are not respectful to water and fire and

cause a bad result, this should be impelled by us.

Seed is the symbol of existence, development, blossoming,

fruiting, struggling, and hope. Because of the seed, there are green trees

in the mountain, red flowers in the field, swimming fish in the water,

flying birds in the sky. We often get reference to the phrase “carry on

Buddha seed prosperously”, so long as the Sangha grows continuously,

the Buddhist doctrine will be propagated forever.

Lotus petal comes from the lotus; it is the religious flower in

Buddhism. Buddha was born in the lotus, seven categories of lotus will

become our parents. She is clean and pure, not be contaminated though

came out of the dirty mud, she is sacred. In view of a certain angle, the

lotus’s position and its symbolic significance in Buddhism is not inferior

to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha triple gems themselves.

Vairocana Buddha is the truth body of Buddha in Buddhism.

Dharmakaya or dharma-body is the essential body of all Buddhas; it is the

truth body meaning full of light. Buddha has thousands, hundreds

millions incarnations and reward bodies, but there is just one truth body,

namely the body of Buddha’s own nature. In spite of how many worlds,

reward bodies and incarnations, the truth body and the own-nature is

oneness. From this we can get to know Vairocana Buddha’s special

position and its meaning in Buddhist world. The hand of the truth body of

Buddha is with the mudra of Vairocana Buddha.

Referring to the name of the temple, we used Chinese-English,

embodying our active view to the reality that Buddhism has been going to

the world continuously, and our expectation to Buddhism which will

bring more world-wide function into play.

The temple’s symbol is just the flag and badge, the key point is

still to manage the temple well, make its principle continuously to grow

up and its function get larger exertion.

40. My Practical Way

“Not change but follow hetu-pratyaya, follow hetu-pratyaya but

not change”, this is one of ways that I practice Buddhism.

My fixed lesson is normally divided into three main parts: sit for

meditation; recite the name of Buddha; observe the precept. About

meditation, I practice it before going to bed in the night; recite the name

of Buddha, I recite after getting up in the early morning; observe the

precept, I strictly observe it round-the-clock. During the cold weather, I

make an exchange with the time between sitting for meditation and

reciting the name of the Buddha.

Meditation, say in a broad sense, my practice is to pay attention to

samatha (calm down), pajna (wisdom) specially, and occasionally I try to

understand Gong’an (record of speechea by past Chan patriarch).

Recite the name of the Buddha, say in a broad sense, sometimes I

recite the sutra and mantra (esoteric words in Buddhism) instead of

reciting the name of the Buddha.

The fulfillment of the precept to me is mainly to introspect and

repent each day, introspect whether I offend against the precept, if so I

repent.

My interest to Chinese calligraphy began when I was a youth.

Although practice on writing calligraphy is not practicing Buddhism,

practicing calligraphy is actually equivalent to practicing Buddhism. For

this, I arranged practicing calligraphy in my process of practicing

meditation; the time is arranged after the lunch and dinner.

Recite the name of the Buddha, there is the Buddha I mainly

recite, and there is also the Buddha who assists me to recite.

Chant the sutra is also the same, there is the mainly chanted sutra,

and there is also the sutra which assist me to chant. Observe the mantra is

no exception.

Practice Buddhism is like to be a man, for example, when doing

something, there is unchangeable, there is to follow hetu-pratyaya, there

is importance, there is the center, there is primary and secondary, there is

to give consideration to two or more things.

41. There is Courage to Die, isn’t there Courage to Live

Once I remembered there is a couplet about drama:

“All are free men in the whole theater, standing by with folder

arms, listen to the drama without knowing the suffering of performing

drama; All things eventually have their final outcome, performing from

the beginning, easy to appear on stage but difficult to come off.”

This made me think of the death of a female Korean movie star

Cui Zhenshi in recent days. It is said that she committed suicide. If it is so,

from what kind of motivation caused her to end her life? According to

what I have known, there is not only one case for young actor or actress

such as her committing suicide.

Sometimes, I think, entertainers are not real radiant with

happiness like her. They have intense competition, they are ups and

downs, rising and falling rapidly, and most of them are tired on body and

mind for days and years. Human life is a large stage, stage shows great

life. Although they are young, they experienced the taste of life very early,

such as joys and sorrows of life, even all types of flavors; thus they

realized the society and understood life so early. Consequently, some of

them understood thoroughly, and then they became torpid; for

understanding thoroughly, some are cynical; for understanding

thoroughly, some are crazy; for understanding thoroughly, some are

disappointed even despair. Only a few became vigilant and awakened

because of understanding thoroughly.

In fact, our existence is as same as Cui Zhenshi. Don’t think she

was so famous but still choose to die, or not to think that she had too

much pressure to bear so how she could not go to die. Our pressure is also

heavy, or to say that we are not lack of reputation as well. She had her

surrounding, you have your environment. Though there is different

environment, luck and misery, and different style of manifestation, the

essence and the sensation is the same. Unfortunately, we don’t have

opportunity of being dizzy by the charming magic lantern of the stage of

performance, but this does mean that we will never have such a day. For

this, we should go to experience and realize the essence of society and

life first, particularly essence of live. Did Buddha say that it’s difficult to

get a human life?

Cui Zhenshi committed suicide, but everybody still live as usual.

Particularly in Korea, there are so many stars being activating as usual,

and there will be new talent standing out. After some years, people in the

world will forget Cui Zhenshi; at most she will just be event for people to

talk or amuse after meal and tea. But Cui Zhenshi, this people and her

whole life is no more in the existence indeed, and she no longer has

opportunity to dream and struggle for her wish in the life. Although I

don’t know her, I have never heard of her before, and I understood and

pitied her behavior of committing suicide, but I still really feel sorry for

and regret her.

May she be born in the pure land! My Buddha is mercy.

Then, may all stars after her be strong, don’t follow her way.

There is courage to die, is there courage to live?

42. I also get to the Internet

Some followers asked me about the situation of getting to the

internet; they thought I should give them an explanation.

The content for my getting to the internet is a little bit at will. If

you like to know how I lay particular emphasis on, I slightly pay attention

to traditional culture, modern technology, social problem, psychological

knowledge, Chinese and western philosophy, oriental art, and the latest

information etc.

In the daytime, I am occupied in educational administration. In the

evening, after my fixed religious practicing, I spend some time to write

article to accumulate my little experience and realization. The time for me

to spend on internet is most in the noon and night.

Because I am a little bit at will, I usually read whatever website or

blog I meet, unless the detail is a real obstruct to my eyes. I think surfing

internet in such a way will enable me to get an overall knowledge in case

I get partial eclipse and malnutrition.

Religion is developing and corresponding with the society

continuously. The knowledge structure of religious followers naturally

should be reorganized at anytime so that it adapts to the demanding of

new preaching method. There is no way to play piano to cattle, but if

oneself is one cattle, again how will he play the piano, and how to

communicate with the person who plays the piano. Because of this, in my

daily life, I booked several kinds of newspapers and magazines, such as

News for Reference, Fujian Literature, China Calligraphy, and China

Daily in English version, etc.

Having understood the society, people and hot problem, this can

be used for reference to the propagating of Buddhism aimed at some

targets. However, there is also some disadvantage to understand these; if

one’s ability of concentration is not enough, and comprehension is

unclear, so he will be probably be influence by these. Thus, we must

control how to surf the internet properly.

It’s inevitable for the social development, particularly the

technological progress and the changing of the method of spreading

Buddhism; this is the verification to the principle that all phenomena are

impermanent and changeable. For me, I also have to make a convenient

dharma-gate through this advanced way to propagate Buddhism, and then

to benefit sentient beings. As for, the positive and negative of such

behavior’s continuing effect will be remaining to be commented in the

future.

43. Interaction between Self-power and Other-power

Life is a boat in the wide sea. One who dreams of a distant

journey still needs to recur to the wind and hold the direction except

self-power.

The fundamental principle of Buddhism is the theory of

hetu-pratyaya. Buddhism emphasizes the fruit of achievement comes

from the interaction and combination of the self-power and other-power.

Self-power is the cause; other-power is the condition.

Self-power is the internal power; other-power is the external

power.

Self-power derives from the Buddha-nature and potentiality of the

life.

Other-power derives from the external life and nature.

Buddhism thinks everybody has the Buddha-nature, there is no

exception of any life, and all have the seed of becoming Buddha. They

contain infinite potentiality and have endless strength. It (Their

Buddha-nature) is the nature of life and the essence of cosmos, but it is

just buried by the desire, hatred and ignorance, etc., such dust. Once it

gets manifestation, it will like the bright pearl emerging in the world, or

precious mirror irradiating again, shine endlessly. And this kind of

brightness and power appears together with the birth at the same time, in

spite of your needing or not, they exist objectively. The first purpose of

our practice is just to develop this kind of potentiality with ourselves,

namely to dig, show, burst forth self-power that we have already

possessed namely the internal power.

Buddhism considers time, space, and life having no first

motivation, and they came into existence due to hetu-pratyaya. Human

being is the outcome of the combination of the cause and condition since

several ten thousand years, even several hundred millions years. In the

endless process of life, it continuously interacts with life and nature, and

gets developed constantly in opposition, combating, evolution and

orientation. The quality of the life is also promoted during the evolution.

Till today, the system faculty of our life is already very advanced. If the

meat of a dead pig is put over there without adding the ice, it will get

worse in three days, but bodies of some living men are pretty good in

condition for hundred years, and they are healthy-looking and vivacious;

this is due to the working of the advanced system faculty. Once these

potentialities with us get developed, our mercy and wisdom will be

brought into play strongly, our life’s force will get displaying and

manifestation, even bursting forth. Thus, we will no longer be an ordinary

person in the life, but a man with magic power or a superman.

We not only practice the moral teaching, we also have an

important or a key aim which is to make us to accept the sensitivity and

influence from the external power, and recur to the external power or the

other-power effectively.

The earth, solar system, man, and animal etc. are respectively a

small organism. However, all phenomena in the cosmos are again a large

organism. They are relatively independent to each other, but absolutely

connect with each other as well, and they are in an organic system which

is changing. Their destiny is the common destruction and existence.

Mankind’s existence and progress is dominated and also influence the

existence and progress of the whole large system. Therefore, when human

beings demand the existence and progress, they should obey the rule of

the large system, or the society, or the nature, or the life, and obtain the

energy from obeying the rule, again obtain the opportunity and vital

force.

Except human beings, the cosmos have evolved a huge number of

living creatures with great intelligence after its conditioned evolution for

several ten thousand years or several hundred million years. Even those

so-called creatures with inferior intelligence are really beyond the

mankind on some functions of watching, listening, smelling, tasting,

touching, etc. Human beings, these creatures of great intelligent, because

their limitation of sensibility and reaction on watching, listening, smelling,

tasting, touching, etc., it’s very difficult for them to find out and feel their

existence. Within these creatures of great intelligence, some of them have

already showed endless strength. Due to their objectively existence or

the causing of their vow, as long as we can respond with them, our

strength will be increased by their power. When the iced mountain and

stream is under the sun shining, the ice and snow will melt, and have

warm air.

Buddha, Bodhisattva, Arahat, etc., are the existing part of great

creatures, and they have the limitless strength within them. They have the

strength of vow for the salvation of sentient beings; so long as we create

the condition responding with them, we will be able to get interaction

with Buddha, Bodhisattva, Arahat, etc., and we will imperceptibly obtain

the external power---other-power’s blessing.

If one ordinary person gets self-power appear and have interaction

with the other-power, he then will have opportunity squash in the range

of the saint, even the life with the great energy.

44. Eighteen Keywords on Learning Buddhism

Many Buddhist fanciers and followers often ask me about the

main meaning of Buddhism, and sign with emotion that Buddhist

doctrine is so deep and broad that they don’t know how to start to learn.

To be aimed at this situation, and with my superficial realization on

learning Buddhism, I particularly list keywords on learning Buddhism as

the following:

1. Know hetu-pratyaya (Cause and condition).

2. Believe in hetu-phala (Cause and result) deeply.

3. Realize the suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of

suffering, the path leads to the cessation of suffering.

4. Observe that the body is unclean, the feeling is suffering, the

mind is impermanent, and there is no-ego in dharma.

5. Convert to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

6. Strictly observe the precept of constraining from killing,

stealing, adultery, lying, and drinking alcohol.

7. Practice on almsgiving, observing the precept, being patient,

making effort, concentration, and wisdom.

8. Carry out practicing on right view, right thought, right speech,

right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness,

and right concentration.

9. Not be slack on hearing, thinking, practicing.

10. Diligently practice precept, concentration, and wisdom.

11. Extinguish desire, anger, and ignorance.

12. Insist on believing, understanding, practicing, and realization.

13. Satisfy compassion, wisdom, vow, practice.

14. Hold the middle path.

15. Don’t forget to according to dharma but not individual,

according to wisdom but not consciousness, according to

meaning but not word, according to a fully explained teaching

but not a non-fully explained teaching.

16. Remember well about that all conditioned things are

impermanent, all things lack inherent identity, nirvana is

quietness, there is contaminated there is suffering.

17. Often repent own mistake.

18. Believe firmly on nirvana.

45. What Does One Believe yet without Faith

A tree without root and branch can only be called leaf. Leaf will

only float with the wind.

During my studying period in abroad, I used to pass Thailand on

my way to destination by plane. Once, I communicated with a Buddhist

laity and got to know from him that it is uneasy for one adult man who

has not become a monk for one time at least to find a job or a wife than

others who once became a monk in Thailand. Having heard of that, I got

very astonished, is that contrary to the place where Han nation live in

China? I asked the reason, he said that if a man is unwilling to become a

monk for several months, it shows he has no faith on Buddhism, and it at

least also explains that he is reluctant to bear hardship. It is said, in

Thailand, the male who believes in Buddhism will become monk once

during life time, even the king is no exception. If an adult male is

reluctant to bear the hardship or without a belief of Buddhism, then who

will be willing to permit his daughter marry him, which girl is willing to

marry him, who wants such a staff? It should be known that one who has

no faith dares to do whatever he can, as he has no faith, so what should he

sincerely believe in?

I often think, someday, a piece of gold brick broke off the wall of

my temple and fell on the ground; at that time, a man passed by there

alone, he just saw this precious thing. If this man has a faith, what will he

be thinking then? At least, he will also think about the Buddha at the

same time while he was dreaming of the gold brick; he should have

contradiction between the gold brick and Buddhist faith before he made a

choice. If this man had no faith at all, once he saw the gold brick, he

should be without hesitation and feel at ease to take away the gold brick.

In fact, it is quite to have a faith: during life time, it (faith) gives

us consolation and strength, it dispels out doubt, and it also gives us the

path; in the future, it will give us the ultimate hope.

Without faith, there will not be the ultimate hope, and as long as

such one is born, it means that he wastes life and waits for the death, and

he also has no future.

Once there was a young man whose mother suggested him going

to take exam for getting fame, do what is easy at first and then do the

difficult one. Mother: First you go to have an exam for becoming a

Xiucai (a skillful writer). Son: after becoming a Xiucai? Mother: To have

an exam for becoming a Juren (One who passed the provincial test.). Son:

after I pass the exam and become a Juren? Mother: To have exam for

becoming a Zhuangyuan (Number one scholar in the imperial

examination in ancient China). Son: after I become Zhuangyuan, what

shall I do? Mother: To become an officer, even it’s good to become the

executive of a county? Son: after I become such one? Mother: To become

a Zhifu (The Executive of one district in ancient China.). Son: After I

become Zhifu? Mother: Try to become the prime minister. Son: if I again

became the prime minister, what should I do? Mother: Get retired. Son:

what shall I do after that? Mother: Die because of the old age. Son: You

advised me go to take so many examinations and act as so many officers,

but I should again wait for the death at last, I will not do according to

your advice. Mother: Then the only way for you is to take an exam to

become the Buddha. Son: This is fine; I will choose to become the

Buddha but not the officer. This is a real allusion to the eminent master

Han Shan in Chinese Buddhism.

Someone says, I believe in wealth, power and reputation. Yes, I

believe this, but, he will not get a result or a great achievement by such

believing, because the money, wealth, fame will not bring him an

ultimate hope.

Compare to a tree, I think, the faith should be the root or branch;

if one has no faith, he will like the tree which only has the leaf.

46. The Realistic Meaning of the Nature of Emptiness

The nature of emptiness in Buddhism means the nature of the cause

and condition, the changeability, the plasticity, namely the soft nature as

well.

In Buddhism, the hard is not a certainty to be hardness, the soft is

not a certainty to be softness, the ultimate hardness is the soft, and the

ultimate softness is the hard.

One Chinese proverb goes: the steel knife can get broken easily,

drops of water can pierce the stone.

The sky is soft. It should be careful that the sky is not empty. The

soft sky, for its softness can contain the creation. The big sea is soft,

because its softness can contain the creation.

Softness means flexibility. Water is soft, and air is soft; when it is

put into the square bottle it is square; when it is put into the circle bottle it

is circle; thus we get to know they are free on the nature of softness. If

they (water and air) are not hard, how can they become square when

following the square, and circle when following the circle?

Buddhism says, the paramount dharma follows the condition

without changing, and it does not change but follows the condition. Water

can change its shape with the square, but it does not change its nature.

Without changing the nature of the water, it also can become the circle.

The nature of softness is like a piece of blank paper, which can

have the nice picture drown on it, lacking the historical heaviness and the

past burden. The nature of softness is like the water and the air, where

people can swim and fly kite, the resistance is little, but it is sufficient to

let you go forward through the power and by the power.

Thinking of the nature of emptiness to our beginning and ending,

why should we be disappointed because of the appearing of the empty

phenomena, and we even should not be despair for this. Because, we can

discover from the essence of the empty nature that the nature of

emptiness is a kind of latent strength, or a kind of exercise form, and what

enlightens people is more opportunity rather than challenge.

47. Noise of Mosquito also Disturbs Meditation Mind

One day, I sit for meditation before going to bed in the mid-night,

suddenly I heard of mosquito noise which was roaring just like a bomb

exploded; maybe my meditation power was not strong that I came out of

mental concentration by scaring, and a little anger arose in my mind so I

wanted to kill this little mosquito at once. But it was clever and lucky, for

it successfully escaped and flew away. Actually, there will be nothing

even if it didn’t run away, because having an intention for killing is not

equivalent to killing in the view of buddhism, and I have never had any

killing action since I became a monk; to this case of mosquito, that kind

of thinking arose in my mind unconsciously, it only can show my

compassionate mind is not enough. However, it is not a way for mosquito

flying around in the bedroom. Thus, I went to the supermarket outside the

temple to buy electric mosquito coil. After returning to the room, I

thought it is not right too; if I use these coils it will probably not kill only

one or two mosquitos around me, but a large number. And, it also will

pollute the air in the room, which is good to make mind concentrate while

in meditation, and it will be harmful to the health as well. It seemed not

good, and I can’t do this. I thought about there is no mosquito at Qingyun

Temple in Taining, maybe the cold weather is one of the important

reasons; so I turned on the air-condition, adjusted to low temperature, and

felt the effect is quite good. Then I went on sitting for meditation by

wrapping a sheet on body.

Lesson: if one’s practice is not enough, the noise of mosquito also

can disturb his concentrated mind.

48. Sickness Originated within One’s Own Body

In normal days, under the blessing of the Buddha, there is little

sickness but more happiness with me. Yesterday, I climbed the mountain

so carelessly that my toe was kicked to broken, the nail broke and bleed,

this is probably because my mind is not sincere on planning something.

For preventing an infection, I went to Concord Hospital for a diagnosis.

In the register hall, the crowd moved. Seeing this scene, I

immediately thought of a great idea by the Buddha: birth, old age,

sickness and death like the shadow following man’s figure.

The Concord Hospital is not far away from Fahai Temple.

Perhaps, I have known many people because I often propagate Buddhist

doctrine in the public in recent years. Soon after I was in the queue before

the register window, one old lay Buddhist said “Hello” to me and

enthusiastically expressed his idea of standing in line instead of me. I

euphemistically rejected him, soon a doctor in white uniform met me and

called my dharma name, said he had read my book “A Monk Travels for

Ten Thousand Kilometers Alone” and “How to Set Your Mind at Rest”.

When he had not finished his words, he enthusiastically rushed into the

surveillance area to bring out a doctor in charge, again and again told the

doctor who was in charge to take care of me. Although I consequently

feel gratified, I also had a sense of deeply embarrassed. What I gratified

is because I got respect from people, what I felt embarrassed is because I

got the treatment not in accordance with the normal regulation of the

hospital, but got a special way.

There were many patients who were waiting to see the surgeon on

the chairs in the rest room outside the consulting room. Seeing them, I

thought where the sickness exactly comes from.

Saw a young fellow who looked strong in appearance, but his arm

was some different, a part was red with the blood. Did he come here

because of fighting? Or falling down? Or industrial injury? Or be framed

by anyone? No matter how, it is himself making this in the final analysis.

If one doesn’t fight with others, how is it possible to get injured; if one

becomes careful, how is it possible to fall down or have an industrial

injury; if one has no feeling of gratitude or resentment with others, how is

it possible to be framed by others? Buddhism explains that there is

existence existing. If one individual has no evil within himself, then

where will he get consequence during his life of triple world (The past,

present and future).

Having examined my toe, the doctor told me the nail should be

snipped off, so the effect of diagnosis will be better. It was more painful

while he was snipping the nail; but I thought, someone’s whole leg was

broken off and this is really painful, how about my little injury? At the

same time, I also felicitated myself, it was only my toe broken, but my

leg was not broken off; thus, it is seen that practice during the normal

time still can bring us effect. The doctor told me that it’s uneasy to get

recovered for the wounded point of the nail, it may need longer time for

taking medicine. If it happened before I became a monk, I would

definitely doubt the intention of the doctor, thinking he intentionally not

willing to cure my foot well as early as possible in order to sale more

medicine. But at the present, I will not think so, I am fill with gratitude

very much, because if I see the doctor once more I will give once more

trouble to the doctor.

When the patient is seeing the doctor, they sometimes think of

suffering and wretchedness on their own, and complain why doctors are

so cool without sympathy and not to cure their illness well at once, or not

warm to them and console them in some degree. However, when we

place ourselves in others’ position, and stand on the angle of the doctor,

we will discover that doctors are actually suffering and pitiful too. From

morning until night, they serve for the patient without daytime and night,

and each day they see the reappearance of the reality of the life’s truth

about man’s birth, old age, sickness and death, what they see is less

rejoicing but more sorrowful.

This made me think of a Buddhist kid who left these childish

words, he said: “We should not just seek help from the Bodhisattva, but

also need to go to help the Bodhisattva.” “Why?” someone asked. He

replied: “There are so many people seeking the Bodhisattva for help,

Bodhisattva is compassionate, though a Bodhisattva has a multitude of

things to do, he does not refuse them, and goes to help all of them.” It is

seen that what a great amount the work of Bodhisattva is! How hard his

work is!

Donating is better than receiving, Christianity says so.

Doctors though are not Bodhisattvas, how similar is their work to

Bodhisattva.

The doctor told me that my wounded toe should use the medicine

in a fixed time and amount, and there will be no problem for it. He

reminded that many kinds of disease are caused by own careless. In order

to prevent to get sick, he advised me to do more bodily exercise, the mind

also need exercise, the body and the living environment should be clean,

and the mental sanitation should also be clean.

Yes, what the doctor had said is right. Our Buddhist doctrine also

says, why do four great elements (earth, water, fire and wind) not

maintain in concord? Why are five aggregates (form, feeling, perception,

volition and consciousness) suffering? Because, since many life times, till

now, our desire, anger and ignorance have not been removed, and the

precept, concentration and wisdom have not been practiced. This is the

real source for us getting sick.

49. The life is such flimsy and pertinacious

Buddhism says: “Man’s life is at the moment of breath.”

Yes, the life is flimsy.

Someone lies down in the evening for sleeping, but cannot get up

the next morning; someone had the breakfast, but no longer has the

opportunity to have lunch; someone gets on the vehicle now, but cannot

get down after a while; someone speaks out front words, but no longer

continues the next words.

The life is not only flimsy, but also this flimsiness has no

regulation. At the most time, when the life is going to perish, it usually

has no any evidence for seeking, and it goes away as you say so.

This made us to have a sense of infinite disappointment and sad,

and, at the same time, we are also full of doubt.

But, the life is also pertinacious. From the birth to the death,

since the beginning of the history, there have been many people who

lived more than one hundred years old in age. Such as Master Xu Yun,

lived more than one hundred and twenty years, “Sit on reading sutra

within the period of four emperors and five dynasties without knowing

the vicissitude, suffered a plenty of hardships to know the worldly event

is impermanent”. The older monk called Miaozhi from Zhangzhou

District also lived for one hundred and six years old, and just died two

years ago.

We can imagine, a life in one hundred years should experience

much frustrations and life crisis. Walking, one may meet with danger;

taking bus, one may meet with danger; taking airplane, one may meet

with danger; taking ship, one may meet with danger; taking food, one

may meet with poison, and dies by poison; there may be the war, one may

die for joining the war or not joining it. Particularly the illness of

becoming old, the sickness always within you, and the consequence is

unfathomable. The danger which may lead to die exists in all the time and

at all the place, and the category is countless. But in such a dangerous

time and place, a person is able to survive for one hundred years

unexpectedly is really a miracle.

Talking about the pertinacious life of human beings, I thought of

the heavy earthquake happed on the 12th of May in Sichuan. Some

survivors sustained for more than 100 hours in the shambles, where there

was no water, no food, no light, less air, and what available was to have

the desire of surviving and the confidence of living. The effort merits

their wish. So they didn’t die but lived, verified the pertinacious life, and

created the miracle of the life.

The life is such pertinacious made us again to be full of the

infinite hope and esteem to the life.

However, anyway, the flimsiness of the life in the secular world is

the essence; the pertinacity of the life is just the phenomena. But, this

does not affect our cherishing, protecting and praising to the life.

Buddhism emphasizes it’s rare to get human life and abstaining from

killing. This embodies the highest respect to the life.

We have no way to control the birth and death of the life, but we

should preserve the dignity to the birth and death of the life. Because of

the dignity, the flimsiness, or the pertinacity, all is eternal.

50. Less discrimination, more equality

There is a word in Buddhism: The defilement is Bodhi (wisdom).

The dissimilitude between the defilement and the Bodhi is just at

the moment of thought. When one is enlightened for one thought, the

defilement is Bodhi; when one is ignorant for one thought, Bodhi is the

defilement. They (defilement and Bodhi) are two aspects of one unity,

dialectical and mutually related.

Shorting-comings and advantage are such. The noble and inferior

are also such.

Impurity and cleanness are not different from this. Evilness and

good ness are also not different from this.

Of course, this is the explanation on the nature.

Many people cannot experience and realize this nature, and they

ignore and attach the discrimination to the matter and form, with this

discrimination they cannot see the real matter and form which are equal

in the world.

And then, on the one hand they laud the Buddha with the most

beautiful language, on the other hand they curse people who possess the

Buddha-nature and will become the Buddha with the most malicious

language.

Nietzsche is such one. Ever, I read his article, but felt trembled

with fear. He said: man is just a kind of disease of the earth epidermis.

Calvin is also such. You could please listen to what he had said: man is a

bristletail of five chi(It is a Chinese measurement unit, one meter is

equivalent to three chi.) tall. So, these people thought man is just a

criminal machine; therefore, they disgust man.

However, according to Buddhist point of view, even if man is an

epidermis, it is also a life, it also has the Buddha-nature, it will become

the Buddha as well, and it will be the future Buddha, so it is equally

worth of our lauding. Is it possible that there is difference on the nature of

the worm, man, and Buddha? For this, Buddha did not neglect saving

them.

In fact, many affairs that look like unequal is equal actually. Once,

the ancient city Rome caught fire; the disaster of fire produced a great

deal of smoke which misted people’s eyes, thus so many couldn’t escape

and they were burnt or smoked to death; but what was astonished was

that almost all blind people successfully fled for life by chance. Because,

they normally don’t use eyes to guide their walking, so when the smoke is

covering up eyes, what influence will it cause to their walking?

There is a story, who is the teller is unknown, and it says, when

Pope passed away, his soul flew to the heaven, the gate guard to the

heaven stopped his entering, told him that there was no such a person in

the name list after checking. Pope introduced himself and said he was

Pope from Rome. The gate guard checked again and said there was no

such a person. Pope said: I used to be a father. But the gate guard still

could not check out his name. Pope had to say in succession: I once

became an ordinary follower in a certain church. The gate guard checked

according to this and finally found his name on the name list on the book

of the heaven. Why? The gate guard taught Pope thus: when you were an

ordinary follower, you were on the life of the words by Christ; when you

were a father, you were busy for all kinds of daily business, so you no

longer worked for the faith; after you acted as the Pope, you lived for the

power, so you forgot Christ and also lost the faith. Thus, when you were

acting as the father and the Pope, there was no record about you on the

book of the heaven.

Of course, I believe, the Pope is unlikely such. But this story is

with much philosophical idea. The story told us, if we have not firmly

grasped the equal reality of the truth, we will probably lose it after getting

it. Therefore, in normal times, we should not make much discrimination

between the Pope and ordinary followers, but should go to scan them

with equal mind, treat them with ordinary mind.

51. Do three kinds of things each day

The ancients taught us: Introspect within us for three times each

day.

Why should we need three times of introspection, this is to think

about self for three aspects: today, what did you do what should be done;

what did you do what should not be done; if you did what should not be

done, how to make up.

The ancients also taught us: don’t think it’s unworthy to do

because its virtue is little, don’t do it because its evil is little.

Though the virtue is little, it can be promoted when it has been

accumulated more; though the evil is little, it call lead one to sink.

We are busy for dress, food, living, action, study, work, loving

affair, marriage, recreation, and faith everyday. During the process of

being busy, we usually make mistake intentionally or unintentionally.

To this mistake, we never mind, and don’t care it, because we

think the visible consequence is not serious. To us, the ordinary people,

the matter we feel is usually just such. It is also because the serious result

temporarily is not clear and not obvious. But, to the saint, the mistake

offended intentionally is the mistake, or it is unintentionally is also the

mistake; the heavy mistake is the mistake, the little mistake is the mistake

as well. How could a sneak thief laugh a robber; how could one who

walks for fifty steps laugh one who walks for one hundred steps.

Whatever mistake, regardless of ordinary people, or saint as we are,

whoever made it will pay a heavy and painful price.

Thus, we should care about each day of us, and we should be

vigilant on ourselves everyday.

Here, Bhikkhu Ben Xing, will provide a personal relevant way for

practicing and realization, namely do three kinds of things daily, to share

with you, and provide to you for reference:

1. Make a vow daily;

2. Do a good deed daily;

3. Repent one piece of contrition daily.

In each day, we make a good wish, this can be accomplished with

a short period, and it may also need effort for a long-term. In order to

fulfill these good wishes of you, your each day, your whole life, will be

very busy and substantial. And, there will be the upward courage and

strength continuously impelling you; because of this you will

consequently have no time to have desire, anger, ignorance, arrogance

and doubt.

In each day, we do a good deed, in spite of its bigness or

smallness. Accumulate some blessedness every day, gather some merit

every day, make a little to a big amount, and make less to more. In such a

way, the wholesome karma will occupy the absolute advantage which is

within us, making us out of the danger forever.

In addition, it is more necessary for us to repent a piece of

contrition. Don’t say you have no contrition for repenting; this is because

you are confounded. Or, you dare not to face the reality. In this world, as

an ordinary person, who has never made mistake? Even you have not

made mistake with your body, but is it possible that your mouth has not

made any mistake? Even your mouth has not made a mistake, but do you

dare to confirm that your mind has not made mistake? Even you have not

made any mistake in this life, you also don’t dare to confirm that you did

not make any mistake in the previous life. Even you ensured that you did

not make mistake yesterday or not make it today, but you also cannot

ensure your situation tomorrow, much less the day after the tomorrow. I

always think that everyone is actually a prisoner, and, still makes the

mistake everyday. There is mistake, there should be repented. After

repenting, the mistake will begin to ease. If one refuses to repent, the

mistake will truly be increased one time. If the mistake is increased to one

time, it then becomes the sin. Once became the sin, the evil karma will be

deeply heavy. If the evil karma is deeply heavy, doesn’t that person sink

down? Who wishes himself or herself to sink down, are you or I?

We want to be promoted, but not to sink down.

Therefore, we should make a vow everyday, do a good deed

everyday, and even need to repent a piece of contrition everyday.

May all people in the world also can behave so at least.

52. Happy charity

Say on a certain kind of meaning, there is human being, there is

poverty.

There is poverty, there is charity.

To me, charity is the water of mercy, the wind of offering, the

great land of repaying an obligation, the fire of repenting, so we are

happy on doing charity.

Water moistens the dry and cracked land, and the withered flower;

wind brings cool to the hot; the earth loads the mountain and river,

growing seed and fruit; fire burns the thorn, making the sprout born

newly.

Since returning to China from abroad, I have served in Fujian

Provincial Buddhist Association for ten years yet. Evaluating my ten

years’ charity way, it led to help the poor and relieve those who are

handicapped; it led to help education and relieve the disaster; it led to

repair the road and build the bridge; it led to provide free medical service

and donate medicine. The step of charity stepped into the village, strode

the city. Under the blessing of Fujian Provincial Buddhist Association,

the total donation amount through me is over five millions Chinese yuan.

As I grew up in the countryside in the childhood, I had personal

experience to the poor life. From the study in the primary school, middle

school, university till going for advanced study abroad, I had spent more

than twenty years on studying in school, thus I have a deep understanding

to the circumstance of poor students. For this, since more than ten years

ago, I have known what I should try to do what I can probably do.

A piece of rice in Buddhism is bigger than the Mount Sumeru.

People’s strength contains big and little. The little strength does not

hinder the greatness of the power of the vow. The great power of the vow

can certainly produce the great power, and I believe unreservedly to this.

Sometimes, there are also some grievances on doing charity. I felt

wronged that the charity money was not used on charity properly; I felt

wronged that my virtue is little, my strength is little, and my aid to those

who need help is too little; I felt wronged that I am not understood

because I have given too little help to others; I felt wronged that I was

considered by others as breaking away from my duty of expounding

Buddhist doctrine, setting up temples to settle down monks, practicing

meditation and chanting the name of the Buddha, but not attend to my

proper duty. When the grievance became more, I had a further experience

towards the truth of charity: it’s uneasy to carry out the charity work; it is

also because of that, the charity work needs people to do, and it even

needs me more; doing charity will have more meaning, more social value

and practical function; also because of this, I am happy in the grievance,

and my compassionate mind will never fall back to a lower level of

religious practice.

Last year, under the condition of the culture and academy, I again

had an opportunity to carry out charity for education. The important

feature of Fujian Normal University is to cultivate teachers; some

students are excellent but poor. Education is the foundation of a nation,

and also one of two great human rights which is coordinate with the

religious right emphasized intensely by the Buddha. Thus, I negotiated

with all monks residing in my temple, and they were happy for doing

charity. Hence, we established Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple Liqing

Scholarship Fund, exclusively provide pecuniary aid to the excellent but

poor students studying in Fujian Normal University, with an amount of

CNY 500,000 in advance. Quite early, we held the first time of

scholarship distributing ceremony in Fujian Normal University, fifty

young students received the benefit; among them there were students of

following bachelor degree, master degree and doctorate degree.

Buddhism emphasizes on the offering which is devoid of characteristics,

so we don’t wish the students who got the benefit remember which

religion helping them, but hope them can understand that Buddhism

helping them is in order to make them can do more contribution to their

own nation in the future, and also for making their future life will be

better.

The material aid is a narrow sense of the charity content. A broad

sense of charity should include the spiritual aid. The superior kindness is

like the water, doing goodness is the happiest. Buddhism says, spreading

Buddhist doctrine is the domestic affair, benefitting others is the

enterprise. As monks, the operation of the domestic affair should be of

great urgency deservedly, and not be slack in any time. The narrow sense

of charity is to help sentient beings. To this, I also happily determined to

continue on doing it diligently in many ways.

53. Save the old-aged monks and nuns

Since the abbot came to the post in Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple, its

infrastructure gets more rapid development, the religious activity is also

gradually held frequently, and this is the result of the combination of all

good conditions.

Buddhism says, knowing the gratitude should repay it.

In recent years, following the Buddhist tradition of “Spreading

Buddhist doctrine is the domestic affair, benefiting sentient beings is the

enterprise”, according to the tenet of standing Buddhism of “Bring honor

to the Buddha and ancestors of the temple, help the citizen serve the

world with Buddha’s way”, the educational principle of “Correct people’s

mind with Buddha’s mind, serve the world with Buddha’s way”, the

educational task of “Return to the faith, rebuild the moral”, and the

spreading target of “The educational method should with the character of

life, the object should with the character of humans, the level should with

the character of civilians, and the scope should with the character of

society”; while enhancinging to propagate Buddhist doctrine, we also

enlarged the strength to benefit people. For instance, my temple set up

Buddhist Home for Old-age People, which has supported more than forty

aged lay Buddhists freely, and provided a certain aid on their medical

expenditure for about ten years; in 2007, my temple collected the limit

income of burning incense, spent 500,000 yuan on establishing Fuzhou

Kaiyuan Liqing Scholarship in Fujian Normal University to help

university students who are excellent but poor; at the beginning of 2008,

the disaster of heavy snow attacked some areas of our country, including

the north-west part in our Fujian Province, our temple and all residing

monks with the spirit of “Other’s difficulty is my difficulty”, was actively

to donate more than 200,000 yuan in total and handed over to the relevant

department which delivered to the disaster area. We know, because our

temple is still under the extension, our strength is very limited, but we do

believe our wish of benefitting the sentient beings is infinite.

The eminent monk in the modern time, the great master Cihang

once said: “Culture, education and charity are three big circles of life

saving. To this, we deeply agree. We also think, applying us to the

development of charity work is one of the important ways of spreading

the philanthropic spirit of the Buddha, walking on the path of the religion

agreeing with the socialistic society for us, and it is also the most direct

practical way of the humanistic Buddhism. Thus, we will continuously

with different methods to do it.

To us, the most urgent charity work we must to do is to find a

solution to the outstanding problem of seeing the doctor by our whole

provincial Buddhist monks and nuns, especially the aged monks and

nuns.

There are almost 20,000 monks and nuns in our province; among

them, there are over 8,000 aged monks and nuns, the majority of them

centralizedly reside in temples locate in the poor mountain area; because

the transportation and so on is inconvenient, the economy and so on is

undeveloped, in addition that the monk and nun have no social and

medical insurance and various guarantee, once becoming sick or getting

injured they have to depend on practice for self-treating or local curing

method for wishing an early recovery. Due to the economic problem,

most of them lack of medical care and medicine, and are not cured on

time, which lead to serious disease or injury, make people sobbed and

signed with emotion deeply.

Monks and nuns are practitioners, as the person involved,

practitioners have never complained the fact that they are being ignored,

or will not even go to shout. Besides, monks and nuns though consider

the life very seriously, they also treat it rather literately. For they have a

profound realization on theory and reality to tribulation quite early.

Therefore, few monks and nuns particularly the aged ones seek aid from

others or show others or public because they have no money to have

medical treatment for their disease, they just bear silently and wait for a

result.

In the prosperous China today, this kind of situation in Buddhist

circle should arouse people to pay attention to it, give them caring, and

try to find a solution.

Some years ago, because of getting economic support from a

merciful and old Singaporean master Tanchan, Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple

set up a Monk and Nun Medicine Help Fund in Fuzhou City Chinese

Medical Hospital by spending two million yuan; because there were quite

many sick monks and nuns in the province, so the fund dried up within

several years.

The wisdom of sentient beings depends on you only. If you don’t

fulfill of your duty, you will be the sinner.

Fuzhou Kaiyuan Temple is the monastery where the Medicine

Buddha is enshrined. During the Republic China period (1901-1949), the

abbot of the temple, Monk Baosong set up the Hospital which could be

said to be the largest Buddhist Hospital in China at that time, namely the

precursor of Fuzhou City Chinese Medicine Hospital today, invited the

admiral in naval by the time Sa Zhenbing as the chairman of the board.

During eighties in 20th century, after the temple resumed opening to the

public, for carrying forward relique of Monk Baosong, we set up Fujian

Provincial Buddhist Chinese Herbal Medicine Clinic. Till today, the

clinic is still saving the life of people, bringing slender function of mercy

into play.

Due to the reason of holding the daily work of Fujian Provincial

Buddhist Association, I often go to the countryside, so I have more

opportunities to visit many temples in poor areas, contact with many poor

and aged monks and nuns who are lack of medical care and medicine; I

have the same sense within my body, like their predicament on facing the

medicine aid; as the abbot of the monastery of Medicine Buddha, and a

monk, I think I should report this kind of situation of them to the public,

especially to four types of Buddhists (monks, nuns, male lay Buddhists,

and female lay Buddhists) in China and oversea Chinese Buddhist circle,

and strongly shout: “ Come to save these brothers and sisters who have

the same master (Buddha) as we do; save them, save these aged monks

and nuns.”

Out of the above consideration, we have already formally

proposed to start to establish “Fujian Provincial Kaiyuan Buddhist Aged

Monk and Nun Medicine Aid Fund”, my temple contributed 500,000

yuan for the starting fund firstly, praying charitarians, four types of

Buddhist followers, and people from all circles to give your suggestions

and care, come to help to appeal, support strongly, and cooperate for a

great project. We also pray the chief enshrined Buddha in our

temple---Medicine Buddha to bless all old aged monks and nuns in our

province for eliminating disasters and extend the life.

54. Reality and Illusion of Life

There is one sentence in the Heart Sutra: the form is not different

from the emptiness, the emptiness is not different from the form. The

meaning is: the nature of the form is not different from the nature of the

emptiness, the nature of the emptiness is not different from the nature of

the form.

The reason is: the form means the matter. The matter is the cause

and condition. The cause and condition is an impermanent changing. The

result of the impermanent changing is the perishing. The ultimate

perishing of the matter means the matter has no self-nature, its essence is

empty.

The life is not the matter and also not non-matter. Buddhism says

the body is the combination of the four great elements namely, earth,

water, fire and wind. According to it, we can regard the body as the

matter. Buddhism again says, the body is the combination of the five

aggregates namely, form, sensation, perception, volition and

consciousness. According to it, we again can know the body is the

combination of the matter and the spirit.

The four great elements are illusory because of its nature of

emptiness.

The five aggregates, though it is the combination of the matter

and the spirit, the Buddhist sutra explains that the five aggregates are all

empty. Thus, they are illusory.

So, where is the real nature of the life? From where can it get

manifestation? I have always not got the answer.

A bit early, the carved holy statue of the flesh bodhisattva Master

Cihang returned to the ancestral temple—Qingyun Temple in Taining

County; as the organizer of that dharma event, I felt an intelligent light

suddenly flashing in my mind at the moment I saw the holy statue, then I

got the answer to the question of the real nature of the life. Yes, the four

great elements are illusory, but through practicing, the flesh body can be

immortal, much less the five aggregates are not real, but there are

spiritual element containing in it after all; once one individual practices,

how is it possible there is no unimaginable miracle occurring. It is thus

clear that there is reality existing in the illusion.

Bidhisattva Cihang’s immortal flesh body strongly proved to us

the factuality of the life.

Monk Baosong from Kaiyuna Temple of Fuzhou City once for the

sake of praying the peace of the world, resolutely gave up his body for

self-burning, ruined the flesh body in a moment, proved the life is illusory;

but did not his heroic action and the spirit he left show us the factuality of

the life?

55. Rational Four Kinds of Dependence on Learning Buddhism

Buddhism is really a rational or reasonable and believable

religion.

During my process of delivering dharma, I often signed with

emotion on this point of view. This is not a mere verbal statement without

guarantee, but with factual proof indeed.

Let’s take the four kinds of dependence on learning Buddhism for

an example. These four kinds of dependence are with much sense and

wisdom.

Four kinds of reliance are: depend on dharma not the man, depend

on meaning not word, depend on wisdom not consciousness, and depend

on the ultimate teaching not the non-ultimate teaching.

Ever, due to some reasons, the sixth patriarch Huineng left the fifth

patriarch by carrying his robe and bowl went towards Nanhua Temple,

but Bhikkhu (monk) Huiming chased after him, Huineng found that he

had no way to escape, so he put the robe on a rock, sit for meditation, and

asked Huiming whether he came for getting the dharma or the robe.

Huiming answered: “Venerable one, I come for dharma but not for the

robe.” Thus, Huineng spoke dharma to him.

In the past, Sariputra20visited Wimalakirti who was sick, finding

there was no pedestal for his bed, worried very much. Wimalakirti asked

Sariputra while lying on the bed: “Venerable one, do you come for the

bed pedestal or the dharma?” Sariputra ashamedly said: “For the dharma

but not for the bed pedestal I came here.”

Right! We are learning Buddhism is for the sake of getting the

real flavor of dharma, the real flavor of the meaning, the real flavor of

wisdom, the real flavor of the ultimate teaching, but not for such an

individual, such a word, the consciousness, and the non-ultimate

teaching.

It is said in Avatamsaka Sutra: take dharma for dependence, take

dharma for help, take dharma for conversion, and take dharma for giving

up.

Once, one of Buddha’s pupils praised highly that Buddha was the

greatest teacher in the world, Buddha asked a question in reply: “Have

you ever seen all the great teachers in the world? Have you seen all the

great masters in the past, present and future?” The pupil said: “No.”

Buddha asked him a question in reply: “If you have not seen then

what you depended on to conclude that I am the greatest teacher in the

world?”

Buddha instructed him: “Follow and practice my teaching is more

important than praising me.”

This is depending on dharma but not man.

How many kinds of letters and languages are there in the world?

No matter how many they are, all are just instruments not the purpose,

even not the truth itself. The truth exists in the expression of the letters

and languages. There are Pali, Chinese, Tibetan, even English scriptures

etc. With the retailing and translation by Buddha’s disciples, Buddhist

truth and its original meaning cannot convey the ideas intended more and

more. Therefore, we should not just read the exterior letters and words,

but to know the real meaning of its own. Otherwise, what you read is

really like the word said by the patriarch Wenyan: “Take the Buddhist

Canon and its twelve divisions to be used as dishcloth.”

This is depending on meaning but not words.

What is depending on wisdom but not consciousness? There is a

story about the Buddha. One day, a female dustman was cleaning the road.

20 Sariputra is one of the ten eminent disciples of Sakyamuni Buddhia. He is said to be with the greatest wisdom.

Because there was bad smell on her body, passengers walked by averting

her, even some ridiculed her “smelly woman”. Seeing it, the Buddha

assembled people and said: “This female sweeps the city, makes the city

clean, but you dislike her smell. However, the cleanness of exterior

appearance is actually not cleanness, only the inner cleanness can just be

said to be the cleanness. You just have the flamboyant appearance, dislike

the woman’s smell; so your inner sense is not clean, what’s noble of you?

We, the ordinary people are just such, consider the sensation of eye,

ear, nose, tongue and body as the feeling, think this kind of feeling is real,

but they don’t know that consciousness and their objects are all illusory

or unreal.

For this, we cannot depend on the consciousness, but only to

depend on the wisdom. Because the wisdom is pajna (sankrit word for

wisdom) responding to the reality.

What is depending on the ultimate teaching and not depending on

the non-ultimate teaching? The ultimate teaching is the ultimate truth, and

the utmost dharma. Non-ultimate teaching is the convenient dharma.

Buddha said so was for the sake of making us to see the real meaning of

dharma and to realize the original Buddhist meaning through the

convenient dharma. It is also said in the Diamond Sutra: “Those who

understand the dharma I have taught is like one who has the boat; dharma

can be given up, this is to say nothing of non-dharma.” Buddha advised

sentient beings not to insist on the convenient dharma, which is exactly

like one person who crossed the river with a boat, he should not walk on

by carrying the boat with him; like one person who watches the moon by

the help of a finger’s pointing, he should no longer see the finger which

pointed to the moon.

Base on these four kinds of dependence, if you are willing to

know “Four seals of the dharma” and “Ten non-blind believing”, you will

be as same as me to sign with emotion: Buddhism is real a reasonable and

believable or rational religion.

56. Repay evil with morals

Buddhism speaks about the cause and condition. The cause and

condition is the dharma of connection including the connection between

matter and matter, person and person, person and matter. All dharma is a

common unity of destiny, co-exist and co-flourish, if one is damaged all

others get damaged too. If this theory applies to a real life, it demands us

to be comity, tolerating, helping and co-operation mutually. Granting

favor to friends is necessary, granting favor to enemies is rather more

necessary. Originally, the sheep which is lost or the sheep which missed

the way needs our more searching; the sick child, the infant who is unable

to walk needs our more care. Granting favor to enemy made you at least

cultivated the mind of mercy, reconciled the hatred, and converted the

enemy into friend. Because you repaid the evil with the morals, spread

the kindness with the kindness, which improved your life quality and

religious life; this not only saved yourself, but also saved your personal

enemy at the same time, and created a beautiful hope in the future for the

both.

All Buddhist patriarchs also practiced so. For instance, one-eyed

Deva, who was eminent on explaining the emptiness, had about one

million pupils. One person who harbored an unpredictable idea, disguised

like a follower, pretended to be an adorer to Deva, went to convert to

Deva. Once, seeing Deva was meditating deeply in the forest, this man

pulled out a knife and stabbed to Deva on his belly. Deva covered the

wound with his hand while enduring the pain, repaid the evil with the

virtue, spoke dharma to the killer at last. After admonishing, he still

reminded the killer to descend the mountain to flee for life quickly, in

case other pupils catching of him while coming back. When some pupils

climbed the mountain and saw what happened, they wanted to chase the

killer to capture him. Deva persuaded them: “What he harmed is only the

karma, not Deva, didn’t it? Never go to chase the crazy with the crazy,

and be sad with sad.” After speaking, he leisurely passed away.

Yes, though it is in the time of the Buddha, after all, we still can

hear of Buddha’s doctrine, so why should we chase the crazy with the

crazy, be sad with sad.

Repay the evil with the morals is just the right path in human’s life,

and it’s also the ultimate truth in Buddhism.

57. There is ashamed, there is no complaining

The ancients said: “Having a sense of humiliation one person then

becomes brave.”

In Buddhism, the good dharma derived from the emerging of the

ashamed mind.

Be fond of comparing is one of the habits for mankind, so now

let’s compare the mankind with the other things:

We are not taller than the tree; we are not stronger than the

mountain; we don’t have a longer life span than the stone; a little germ

can make us painful and even die. Many people are very busy in the

whole life just for own clothes and eating, came to the world and left

silently. Sometimes, we watched the T.V., saw the athlete jumping so

high, breaking the world record, the whole stadium audience acclaiming

for him, but, if we have a think of the little bird, how high it flies. It is

clear what a wretchedness mankind is.

For this, I felt ashamed deeply for not only the reasons mentioned

above, but also because I am a monk, propagating dharma instead of the

Buddha, however, my power of acceptance is so small and my power of

saving is so weak that so many sentient beings are outside of buddhism,

they need salvation, but I am unable to do anything. Sometimes, I also

felt discouraged, and wanted to free myself only. But as soon as I thought

of my initial intention of becoming a monk, the master’s instruction, the

teaching left by Buddha, I again became strong, determined to practice

for myself that is also for the sake of others, for the sake of others that is

also for the sake of myself. I should go to spread dharma; I should go to

save sentient beings. For this, I often pray in front of the Buddha image in

the night, may the Buddha give me wisdom. I also do believe the precept,

concentration and wisdom three kinds of practices, and for this, I observe

the precept and practice concentration for the emerging of wisdom which

is regarded as the acquired necessary quality of spreading Buddhism.

Due to the fact that my capacity is shallow, though I have already

done and I am still preparing to do, but my wisdom is insufficient, I am

too foolish to deliver good sermon or give a nice speech; my words often

fail to express what is meant, and my language cannot convey my

intended ideas, so I am always anxious but unable to do anything; I made

the predecessors disappointed, I am ashamed to the Buddha, Bodhisattvas

and patriarchs, and I also caused funny stories in front of followers.

It’s ashamed to me indeed. Nevertheless, but I have no

complaining.

58. One line separates the life and the death

The life and the death are pulled by one line, and the life and the

death is separated by one line.

What is the eternal main topic for mankind even for all sentient

beings, I think, this is the life and the death.

Some people depreciate the life but value the death, some people

depreciate the death but value the life.

Some people are happy of the life but afraid of the death, some

people are happy of the death but afraid of the life.

Some people are afraid of the death but go to die bravely.

Some people cravenly cling to life but fail to live.

There is just one path of the life and the death, from beginning to

end like a boundless ocean. Many ordinary people, unparalleled heroes,

have been playing one and one happy and sad songs about the life and the

death.

The life and the death rely on me, and it couldn’t be common and

simple, just like the dust penetrating the rift, or the light in the cloud. Let

the passed thing pass, the penetrated thing penetrate. The human life is no

more than a drama, when it finishes then it finished. An enjoyable dharma,

probably some people wish to extend the time of performance; a dull

drama, people are very anxious to end early. There are some words in

Chinese Buddhist tradition namely, Guadan (Monks find lodgings in

temple during traveling.), Zhidan (There is no room for visiting monks to

lodge in temple.), Liudan (shirk the duty), Qiandan (Order a monk who

lives in the temple permanently to leave as he breaks the monastic

regulation.). I realized it as: the birth is Guadan, one who cannot become

a man in the process of samsara is Zhidan, one who doesn’t like to live is

Liudan, don’t let you live is Qiandan.

Does the saying in such a way mean we depreciate the life, ignore

the dignity of the life? In fact, it is not so.

I have always been cherishing the life, for it is the combination of

the special cause and condition, the succession of the life and the

intelligence of several hundred million or several ten thousand years, thus,

I have no reason not to cherish it, and love it, but cherishing and loving is

not equivalent to the attachment, not equivalent to the case that we attach

to the life, cling to the life. The life comes naturally, and it goes naturally

too. We need not be extreme, or beg to live for death, or beg to death for

living.

I admire the Great Master Yinguang very much, for he wrote a

large letter “death” and kept it on the desk, every morning and evening

stood in front of it by saying of “study! Study! Study!” He did not want to

die inexplicably, but lived for eighty years, and became the patriarch of

the Pure Land School. Great Master Yinguang did not study about the life

but studied the death which is full of limitless arcane truth indeed.

59. The fatal mistake area of birthday celebration

Yesterday, one follower came to visit me with his friends. Except

visiting and greeting me, his intention of seeing me is to invite me to

participate the birthday celebration of one of his close friend’s father who

is seventy years old.

According to his introduction, the celebration will be arranged in

one certain five stars hotel; by the time, the guest who will go for

congratulation will be over three hundred, and a sumptuous banquet will

be held. The follower said: “My friend expects you could write word

“longevity” with brush pen and present to him for congratulation by the

time.

To congratulate for one’s longevity is a good action, much less it

helps him fulfill a wish, so I consented to him happily. For this, they were

very happy.

After they left, I thought of a question. The main purpose of

holding birthday celebration is for congratulating one to live healthily in

nowadays and to prolong his life afterward. Having invited so many

guests and held sumptuous banquet, the birthday celebration was

completed satisfactorily; but, it will be difficult to say whether this kind

of celebration can prolong one’s life. Why? Please try to have a think,

there is a party with more than three hundred people having meal, how

many animals should be slaughtered? It is said for the sake of stressing

the level, many animals are still kept on killing, cooking, steaming,

boiling alive. Originally, guests came for congratulation and prolonging

the life, but, now, for the sake of congratulation the old man who is

seventy-year-old, created such heavy karma of brutal killing, so many

living sentient beings died unclearly of a false charge. Then, to whom

does the sin belong? According to my point of view, celebrate the

birthday in such a way, not only has no opportunity for congratulation

and prolonging the life, on the contrary, the life-span sadly got reduced.

Is it be worthy of sorrow that so many lives died? In order to have a meal,

so many animals were killed, we owe so many lives, could it be said that

our life-span will be reduced?

Therefore, for bearing in mind the interest of respecting the life,

and the life-span of the old man, I want appealing cordially: if you have

already determined to celebrate the birthday, will you go to congratulate

for getting happiness by slaughtering animals? to satisfy the desire of the

mouth and stomach by slaughtering animals? to accumulate the merit by

releasing animals? to have vegetable food to extend the life-span? This,

you must think it carefully. By the same time, many people are in good

condition during peacetime, but they have problems once hold birthday

celebration, why? You also must think carefully.

The adults hold birthday celebration in such a way, and the

celebration is held for the birthday of child is also such, isn’t it?

60. Buddhism teaches you to speculate in stocks easily

First, Buddhist does not approve even oppose speculating in

stocks, monks even should not do so. Because, speculating in stocks

contain the character of gambling.

But Buddhism has no way to advise everybody not to do so. After

all, the cause and condition determines everything. The cause and

condition determines the existence of the stock market in society today.

Since it exists, Buddhism instructs people in accordance with the

opportunity. This kind of instruction is not to block people to do, but to

give them advice, guiding people to face the stock market properly, and

keeping a right mood of speculating in stocks.

According to Buddhist point of view, when one person impones

money in the stock market or the gambling place, if he lost he should pay

for money; if he won he would pay for a content and peaceful mood. To

earn money in the stock market is just like to pull somebody’s chestnuts

out of the fire, or to count the money in a firing house, the money has not

been counted to the end but it again gets burned. On the stock market,

many people are in such situation: the gold goes in, the silver comes out;

the silver goes in, the copper comes out; the copper goes into, the steel

comes out; the steel goes in, the stone comes out. If you really had

connection with the gambling place during your previous life, you

definitely insist on speculating in the stock, here, I’d like to give you

several devices, instruct you do it easily.

1. Be satisfied. Buddhism says that happiness consists in

contentment. Just have fun on buying stock, once get profit then is

enough to stop. Pray for safe and well, it can bring you happiness all the

time.

2. Know the impermanence. The world is impermanent, the

human life is impermanent, and the stock market is definitely

impermanent as well. When it falls, don’t be anxious; when it rises, don’t

be pleased; follow the market and correspond with the market.

3. Don’t care about the gain and loss. Buddhism says that

gaining sometimes is losing, losing is unlikely non-gaining. While

speculating in stocks, one person should have a mind of less gaining and

losing. Today, you gained and earned, you are happy. Today, you lost,

you are also happy. Because you did not loss yesterday, till today you lost,

it is very good. Furthermore, if you insist on speculating in the stock, you

are probably not on losing today, but you will loss tomorrow, and this

will be true early or later. When you need money to spend or want to

undersell, you just undersell; when you don’t want money to spend or

don’t want to undersell, then you don’t undersell it.

4. The key importance is the possessing of compassion. When the

stock price is likely to rise, everyone rushes to buy, and then you please

show your mind of compassion, render up the profit for them, help them,

and undersell the stock. To your surprise, after a period, the stock market

fell miserably, you will have no idea of buying it but you have already

earned the profit. As the stock market fell miserably, everyone is

dismayed, they are busy on underselling. At this time you can think of the

spirit of Krisitigarbha “Who will go to server in the hell if I don’t go

there.”, you will make you mind of compassion arise, and you probably

think this “Just give hard time to me only, benefit all shareholders, I will

buy and so you bought more.” To your surprise, the price you paid for

buying is the lowest, you earned gain unintentionally.

Not matter it is a contented method, or the method of knowing the

impermanence, even the method of not care about the gaining and losing,

whatever method possesses the method of compassion, then it is Buddhist

dharma. Except teaching you to speculate in stocks easily, Buddhist

dharma is just to demand you that since you have already speculated in

stocks, you should consider the process, career and experience of

speculating in stocks as Buddhist dharma to practice.

To get promoted but not sink into depravity during the process of

self-discipline.

61. Treat the blessing and the disaster by common mind

There is one word: the negation pluses negation equal to the

affirmation.

This is the so-called: things will develop in the opposite direction

when they become extreme.

Yes, if yin21 is prosperous yang should be declining; if yang is

declining yin should be prosperous; if yang is prosperous yin should be

declining; if yin is declining yang should be prosperous.

In the Chinese phrase of Sai Weng Shi Ma22, isn’t there a story of

the blessing and disaster are connected? It is said in the story: there was

one old man among residents who lived in a border region, was good at

speculating on good and bad. Once, his horse got lost and ran to the place

of the minority living in other country next to them. Thus people came to

comfort him, but he said: “Who knows this may not be a blessing in

disguise?” After several months, this horse brought a group of horses

returned. For this people came to congratulate him, but this old man said:

“Who knows this may not be a disaster?” Soon, his son who loved to ride

horse got one of his legs broken after falling from the horse. At this time,

21 In ancient Chinese philosophy, there are two opposites existing in all things under the heaven, they are

yin and yang. Yin is feminine or negative principle, it indicates the moon; yang is the masculine cosmic principle, it indicates the sun.

22 According to the book Huainanzi (Lessons of Human World), an old man living in a border region lost his horse and people came to comfort thim. But he said:, “This may be a blessing in disguise, who knows?” indeed, the horse later returned to the man and brought him a better horse.

people came one by one to condole with him on the matter, that old man

again said: “Who knows this will become a blessing matter?” Afterwards,

the minority invaded the country; the strong men living in the border

were forced to take weapons to fight the foreign invasion, and most of

them were either died or injured. But his son was free to be recruited for

army as his one leg was lame, thus the father and the son saved their own

lives together.

It is also the same reason in Buddhist view. Therefore, to the

blessing and the disaster, we should treat with the common mind.

We should not be complacent for our momentary success.

We should also not be frustrated for our momentary failure.

The mutual conversion of the failure and success is usually just

within one night, even, just for an instant.

Buddhism thinks that the world is the cause and condition,

connected, interacted, and mutual effected and influenced by various

strength, and it cannot be predicted and controlled by us. In the reality,

we have no way to hold ourselves, oneself also has no way to hold

oneself, unless, you have looked for and grasped the movement

regulation of the world. The world has the regular pattern, which is equal

to everybody; the regular pattern will not cause you be unlucky forever,

or it also will not cause you be lucky forever, unless you are beyond the

concept of mankind.

There is one story in Buddhism, which is very interesting, for it

demonstrates the reason that the blessing and disaster are mutually relied.

The king and the prime minister went out together for hunting

once, one of king’s finger was bit by the leopard and half got lost, the

prime minister comforted the king and said it was worthy of having a life

than losing a piece of meat, this may be the good thing. The king heard it

and became very angry, he thought the prime minister had spoken

irresponsible and sarcastic remarks, so he ordered the prime minister be

put into the jail. One day, the king in plain clothes visited a tribe privately;

unfortunately he was bound by a group of barbarians and taken to the

front of their head, who ordered to make the king as item for sacrificing

to the Full Moon Goddess, so those barbarians prepared to cook the king

as his plump and smooth skin made the head satisfied. When those men

strictly checked the whole body of the king again, they found that one of

king’s fingers lacking half; if the body is not in the integrity it cannot be

used as the item to offer sacrifice to the god, thus the head felt very sorry

and asked people to release the king. Having returned to the imperial

palace, the king thought of the prime minister’s words and became not

much angry with him, then he released the prime minister, but at the same

time, the king who did not forget to revenge returned one word to the

prime minister: “I lacked half finger, it is really a good thing; but you

were in the jail for such a long time, what is the good thing for it?” The

prime minister replied: “Yes, I was kept in the jail was really a good thing,

otherwise, I would follow you to go out for visiting in plain clothes, then

I would also be caught; when you could not become the item for offering

sacrifice, the item would be me definitely.” The king had no words to say

by hearing so once, he admired the prime minister secretly, and he trusted

the prime minister more by appointing more important positions.

One kid opened the back window, and saw some people were

burying a puppy; the scene was very miserable, her tears flew out without

stopping. Some people advised her to open the front window; she did and

saw some other puppies playing actively, so she was very happy.

Similarly opened the window and similarly saw the puppy, but the result

was different; the key is: don’t open the wrong window, don’t see the

wrong puppy. However, it should be your own choice. Right, let’s think it

again, the front window will have the scene of the back window, the back

window also had the scene of the front window. See it with common

mind.

62. Why should we become angry with a small matter

Buddhism calls desire, anger and ignorance as three poisons, and

these three poisons are three evils to mankind even to the life.

Among them, anger means becoming angry and hatred easily.

The angry even the hatred is very harmful to the health of the

body, mind and to the cultivation of the intelligence, and also useless to

work, study and life.

We often say: When the angry mind rose following a thought, a

million methods of obstacle opened. The fire in the so-called “The fire

burn the accumulated merit” means anger.

Buddhism cures anger with the method of “compassion”,

“emptiness”, and “tolerance”. If one’s mind of compassion is vast, then

he can’t get angry. If one realized the empty nature of the honor and

disgrace, people’s affair, and the universe, the he will not be angry. The

way of “compassion” and “emptiness” is self-conscious. If one can

tolerate he also can endure, so he will be calm, and not be angry either.

But the way of “tolerance” is passive. Someone loves beauty, if you tell

her that becoming angry can make people become ugly, she will not get

angry; but she is not one who does not get angry really, she dare not to

get angry, she endures not to be angry. This way of not becoming angry

though is not the best plan, at least it is not a bad plan either.

Most time, people’s anger is not for a great event, but for some

minor matter, or for a harmful word, or for an unintentional impact, or for

several dollars. But the consequence of the anger is to fight with each

other, kill people, even the war. Think about these, it’s really unworthy.

Someone will say, that was for the sake of the dignity, the work, or

something else. In fact, it is exactly so. The dignity and work need not or

has no way to be defended and guaranteed by anger, is it possible that

non-anger cannot defend the dignity and guarantee the work?

There was a scholar named Zhang Dianying who was an officer in

the capital during Qing Dynasty. One day, he received a family letter

saying that the neighbor extended the yard wall towards his house for

three chi(One measurement unit for length in China, one meter equals to

three chi.), both families disputed for this without a result, so they

requested Zhang Dianying for a decision. Zhang sent back a letter saying:

“Sent me a letter for one thousand li (The traditional unit for distance in

China, one kilometer equals to two.) just for a wall, what’s the matter to

give them three chi. The Great Wall still exists today, but we cannot see

Qin Shihuang in those early years.”

One monk called Fayan in Song Dynasty, who was in charge of a

mill by the order, and all the income should be handed over to the temple.

Some monks were dissatisfied with him and went to the abbot, brought a

false allegation by saying Fayan drinking wine and eating meat whole

day and spent all the money belonging to the temple. Having known that,

Fayan was not angry, but he really bought meat and wine and

intentionally hung these on a conspicuous place. One day, the abbot could

not help to ask him what the matter is, Fayan did not argue as well. The

abbot got angry, asked him to leave. He gently said: “Good! Wait till I

settle accounts well.” In a few days, when he went to the abbot for

“Goodbye”, he handed over the income of the mill with an amount of

thirty thousand guan (One measurement unit for money during Song

Dynasty), without losing a penny. The abbot at that time realized the

mistake; Fayan was framed by the mean person, so he persuaded Fayan to

stay, and promoted him to the first seat monk in the temple.

Liu Kuang from Han Dynasty was famous for generosity, his

madam in order to sound him out and see whether he was worthy of the

name, so one day while he was holding meeting with his subordinates,

she intentionally asked the maidservant who was carrying the broth

carelessly pour it on his clothes. Liu Kuan not only did get angry to this,

on the contrary, he cared about the maidservant and said: “Have you

burnt by the broth?”

The host went out, the dog and the kid were at home. When he

returned, he found the blood was full of the body of the dog and the kid,

he thought the dog hurt the kid. By the anger, he killed the dog. When he

got into a room, he saw a dead wolf, he then understood everything: the

dog saved the kid, but it has already been killed. Be angry for little matter,

even the animal suffered such disaster, for man will be more serious.

Buddhism compares people who easily get angry to asura23. The

fury and hardly self-control of asura is famous in Buddhism. Who is

willing to become asura?

63. Shall we gamble for tomorrow

Someone says, the religion exists when you believe it; it will not

exist if you don’t believe it. To this idea, I don’t agree. The fact is that the

religion exists no matter you believe it or not. The only problem is that

believing or not is your personal matter, believing or not depends on

yourselves.

Someone says, I don’t believe. Because, he has not yet seen

people who has gone to the Buddha-land and came back. Is this so? But,

have you ever seen people who unfortunately fell into the toilet wanted to

fall into it once again? If you haven’t seen, then, who wants to be born as

23 Asura is a peculiar path in the Six Paths. In terms of material enjoyment and psychic power, it is similar to

Deva. However, in some aspects, it is even worse than Human Path. The male Asura is extremely ugly and furious, and always fight with each other. The female Asura is as beautiful as an angel. They are proud of themselves, thus reluctant to learn and practice Buddhism.

a human being again among those people who have already broken away

from this saha (endurance suffering) world? If some came back to

become human beings, you will be unable to recognize them, and are not

all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas the people who went and returned?

I always think we should never go to speculate the faith with logic.

Never go to forejudge the state of Buddha and Bodhisattva, for one is the

heaven, one is the earth; one is infinite, one is finite; one is transcended,

one is in transmigration. If you don’t have a faith, how can you cross?

Faith should be considered as a kind of voluntary choice of the life and

the death.

While I was delivering the sermon, I often think I will gamble

for my whole life with the faith. Even I am cheated by the Buddha, I am

also willing, without repenting. In other words, how can the Buddha cheat

people?

In fact, for the future, we can have a gambling on the faith. Could

you think, will you not become old and sick? Will you live eternally?

Will you take away the fame, power, wealth, wife, and children? If you

can’t, this explained that the despair is within you, and you have no

choice, but only to have a gambling. Could you have a look, you have

such a gambling does not need you to spend too much, but just need you

to spend a little time and a little mood, or need your faith and some

property. Once you loss, it’s not a big problem, and it will not affect you

much; if you win, what you can gain will be too much, you will get all

because of that, you will change everything, and your future will be

bright forever, your prospects will be immeasurable.

For this, I who have never advised people to gamble now suggest

you to have a gambling once. Please be ready to risk everything for a

gambling, for tomorrow, for future; otherwise, you will also not own a

thing after all in the world, including the stake which you still can take

for gambling today.