Chapter 10 Four Things Young Buddhists Should Pay Attention to (1)

It has been more than a year since Yangzhengyuan was opened.The reputation outside is very good. This is because it is hosted by Master Ruijin and has been cared for by all the masters, so it can have such achievements. When I came to Xiamen this time, I had to visit here, and I was very happy.The arrangement in every aspect is perfect, even the ground is swept clean, so that it is not easy to see it in other places. When I was seriously ill in Quanzhou Cao'an, I asked you to write a letter—everyone signed your name, expressing condolences to my illness; I also asked you to recite the Buddha for seven days, repent on my behalf, and other things like this, which made me feel sad. I am so grateful!

In a few months, I will go to Sunlight Rock on Gulangyu Island to facilitate retreat.The period is probably quite long, and I'm afraid it won't come every now and then, so I deliberately come here to talk to you. Today I want to talk to you about four things: one is cherishing blessings, the other is hard work, the third is keeping the precepts, and the fourth is self-esteem—all young Buddhists should pay attention to. A blessing "Xi" means to cherish, and "Fu" means blessing.Even if we are blessed, we should cherish them and never waste them.Li Shutong inscribed Tang Jingyan, a calligrapher from Jinmen

You should know: In the Dharma-ending age, people's blessings are very meager!If you don't cherish it and enjoy this very thin blessing, you will suffer great pain.The ancients said that "extreme joy begets sorrow", that's what it means!I remember when I was a child, my father asked someone to write a couplet. It was a sentence written by Duke Liu Wending of the Qing Dynasty, which was hung high on the pillar in the hall. Wealth and fortune."My elder brother often taught me to read this sentence, and I read it well. From now on, I will pay great attention to dressing or eating, and I dare not spoil even a grain of rice; and my mother often teaches I, the clothes I wear are always careful not to be damaged or polluted.This is because my mother and elder brother are afraid that if I don’t cherish food and clothing, I will lose my blessings and die in a short life, so they often warn me like this.

You know: my father died when I was five years old!When I was seven years old, I practiced writing. I took a whole sheet of paper and wrote blindly. I didn’t care about it at all. When my mother saw it, she said sternly: “My child! I don’t want to waste the paper, and I don’t even want to throw away the inch-long paper!” What the mother said also meant to cherish blessings! Because I had such family education, it was deeply imprinted in my mind, and when I got older, I didn't care less about food and clothing for a while; even after I became a monk, I still keep this habit until now. Everyone, please see: The pair of yellow shoes on my feet was given to me by a monk who recited the Seven Buddhas when I was in Hangzhou in 1922.And if you are free, you can come to my room to have a look. My quilt is still used before I became a monk; I also have an umbrella, which was also bought in 1911.These things, even if there are tatters, they are still as good as new if they are stitched with needles and threads. They can be used for the best of my life!However, the little shirts and trousers I wear and the arhat sandals need to be changed every five or six years. Other than that, most of the clothes are made when I was at home or when I was just a monk.

Early fan inscriptions In the past, people often gave me good clothes or other precious things, but most of them I passed on to others.Because I know: My fortune is poor, good things are not taken by anyone with the guts.Another example is eating. I only eat some good things when I am sick. Other than that, I never dare to buy good things casually. Cherishing blessings is not my idea alone, even the great master of the Pure Land School—Master Yinguang is like this. Someone gave him white fungus and other supplements, but he himself was always unwilling to eat them, so he sent them to Guanzong Temple to make offerings to Master Dixian.

Someone asked him: "Master! Why don't you take good supplements?" He said: "My fortune is very thin, and I can't bear it." He is an old man—Master Yinguang, with a straightforward temperament. He usually only asks whether people are right or wrong, and doesn't care about human feelings.A few years ago, a convert disciple, a well-known layman in Gulangyu Island, went to visit him and had a meal with him. shouted loudly: "How lucky are you to be able to waste rice grains like this! You have to eat it up!" Everyone!Remember all the above words!You must know: Even if we are very blessed, we can only enjoy three points, and the rest can be reserved for future enjoyment.It would be even better if you could be big-hearted and willing to use my blessings to give to all sentient beings and enjoy them together.

Er Xilao "Xi" is practice, and "labor" is labor.Now let's talk about Xilao. Everyone, please look at your body. There are two hands on the top and two feet on the bottom. They were originally born for labor.If you don't use it to practice hard work, not only will you have two hands and two feet, but it will definitely be harmful to your body.In other words: If you work regularly, your body will be healthy.And we need to know: Labor is a matter of human duty, not only ordinary monks have to practice labor, even if we reach the status of Buddha, we must always work.Now let me tell you the story of Buddha's labor:

The so-called Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha.When ordinary people think about it, when the Buddha was alive, he always thought that he was the same as the abbot and the monk now. He had a robe master and a waiter who always waited on him. The Buddha himself did not have to do anything. So I picked up the broom to sweep the floor. Many disciples came to help sweep the floor when they saw it. After a while, they swept the floor very clean.The Buddha was delighted to see it, and then went to the lecture hall to preach, saying: "If a person sweeps the floor, he can get five kinds of merit..."

Another time, when the Buddha and Ananda went out for a parade, they met a drunken disciple on the road, who was already unconscious.The Buddha ordered Ananda to lift his feet, and he lifted his head up to the edge of the well. He drew water with a bucket and asked Ananda to wash him clean. One day, the Buddha saw that the wooden lintel in front of the door was broken, so he repaired it himself. Once, a disciple was sick and no one was taking care of him. The Buddha asked him, "Why is no one taking care of you when you are sick?"