Chapter 15 Brief Explanation of the Ten Doubts of Buddhism

Brief Explanation of the Ten Doubts of Buddhism (1) In order to save people's hearts in today's world, everyone knows that Buddhism is highly respected, but there are also many doubts about Buddhism.Therefore, those who study Buddhism must first explain this kind of question, and then they can start to learn. Most of the ten doubts and explanations listed below are based on the theories of people close to us. They are not the creation of the speaker. One Dharma is not superstitious Recently, intellectuals have criticized Buddhism, calling it superstitious. My generation has carefully observed temples in various places, and there are indeed special habits and popular ceremonies, and gods and ghosts are mixed into Buddhism, which is called authentic Buddhism.Even with such a strange phenomenon, it is no wonder that others call Buddhism a superstition.But the original face of Buddhism is not like this, there is absolutely no such thing as worshiping gods and ghosts.Its ceremonies are solemn and well-ordered, surpassing other religions.

Moreover, Buddhism can break all superstitions in the world and give them righteous faith. How can Buddhism be superstition? !Therefore, I know that those who call Buddhism superstitious are really misunderstood.If you can examine it in detail, you won't have this criticism.2. Buddhism is non-religious Or some people doubt that Buddhism is a religion.This is not to say. The difference between Buddhism and religion is often said in recent works, so I won't go into details here.It should be known that Buddhism is not within the scope of religion. The Three Buddhas, Dharma and Non-philosophy

Or some people doubt that Buddhism is a kind of philosophy.This is not to say. The requirement of philosophy is to seek truth, and a certain condition deduced by its reason is called truth.As a result, there are various theories of monism, duality, idealism, and materialism.A thinks the reason is here, and B thinks the reason is there.But no matter how hard they try to speculate, they will not go all the way out of illusion.For example, when a blind person touches an elephant, he has never seen the shape of the image in his life. Because he touches a part of the elephant, it is said to be the whole of the image. Therefore, if he touches its tail, it is said that the image is like a rope; or if he touches its back, it is said that the image is like a bed. ; Or touch its chest, it is said that the image is like the ground.Although the feeling is different due to the different places touched, in a word, they are all confusing and upside-down views.

If Buddhism is not the case. For example, a discerning person can see the whole image very clearly, which is completely different from the so-called blind person who feels the image.Because Buddhism requires one's own experience of "True Tathagata", there is no doubt about it, and it is absolutely different from the vain speculations of philosophers. What is the meaning of "true as"? True and real, equal and the same, without false feelings, without paranoia, and free from separation of ideas, that is, the truth and noumenon of the universe that philosophers want to know.Philosophers want to invent the truth and noumenon of the universe, and their sincerity is commendable; there is no way to do it, so that they will waste their minds and efforts, and finally they cannot reach the ears.

The Buddhism mentioned above is not a religion or a philosophy, and it is only a rough outline.If you want to know more about it, there is a volume of "Buddhism Is Not Religion, Not Philosophy" published by Nanjing China Inner Academy. The four Buddhist teachings are not against science Ordinary people think that Buddhism emphasizes mysteries and science emphasizes experiments, so they say that Buddhism is contrary to science.This is not to say. Modern scientists hold experimentalism, which has two meanings: One is based on the experience in front of you, what is the other, that is, what is the other - without any speculation.

The second is to prevent insufficient experience, that is, use manpower to improve to make up for the lack of usual experience. The attitude of Buddhism is the same.His "precepts", "concentration", and "wisdom" are all without omissions, all of which are to improve the usual experience.But the improvement experience of science focuses on objective objects, and the improvement experience of Buddhism focuses on subjective mind. If a person suffers from an eye disease, which is bad for vision, science only knows how to displace the object in various ways in order to discern it; Buddhism tries to heal the eye in order to restore sight.Although the two are both experiments, they differ in treating the symptoms and root causes.

If you want to know more about the comparison between Buddhism and science, please refer to "A Comparative Study of Buddhism and Science" sold by Kaiming Bookstore in Shanghai.The author, Wang Xiaoxu, once studied in the UK and made many discoveries in science and engineering, which are highly regarded by scholars around the world. Recently, he used his research methods in science and engineering to create new theories and explain Buddhism, which is why he wrote this book.The original picture on page 58 was placed on page 73 as a gift from Li Shutong to Xia Zun as a wish The Five Dharmas Are Not World-weary

Ordinary people see that those who study Buddhism mostly live in the mountains and forests, and have little contact with the world, so they suspect that Buddhism is negative and world-weary.This is not to say. Those who study Buddhism should not be obsessed with the world and greedy for glory and wealth, but they are by no means indifferent and world-weary.Because those who study Buddhism must arouse the "great bodhicitta", take the suffering and happiness of ordinary people as suffering and happiness, and hold the great wish of saving the world with enthusiasm.Not only is it not negative, but it is the positive of the positive.Even though he lives in the mountains and forests, he is not greedy for the pleasures of the mountains and forests. He is diligently cultivating the three studies of "precepts", "samadhi" and "wisdom" in order to prepare for the future when he will go out of the mountains to save the world. Those who prepare for the future are very similar.

It can be seen from this that it is a misunderstanding to call Buddhism a negative world-weary person. The Six Buddha Dharma is not suitable for the prosperity of the country Recently, few patriotic young people believe in Buddhism. They say: Buddhism was passed down from India, and India declined because of it, so they suspect that Buddhism and patriotic actions will hinder it.This is not to say.Buddhism can really assist the country and make it prosperous, but it does not interfere with patriotic actions. In ancient India, there were kings who believed in Buddhism the most, such as King Ashoka and King Jieri, who unified and prospered their country because of their belief in Buddhism.Afterwards, the old religions such as Brahmans were revived, Buddhism gradually lost its influence, and the Indian country declined with it-this is also a clear proof.

The Seven Dharmas Cannot Exterminate Species Ordinary people see that monks and nuns are not married, so they suspect that if everyone believes in Buddhism, it will lead to extinction.This is not to say. Those who believe in Buddhism and become monks are monks and nuns, which are very few in fact.In addition, most lay believers in Buddhism can still get married as usual. The monks and nuns in Buddhism are similar to the priests of other religions, and all non-believers should be priests. Eight Buddha Dharma Non-waste Charity Ordinary people see that monks and nuns only know how to promote Buddhism, but fail to make efforts to establish large-scale schools, hospitals, philanthropic halls, etc., so they suspect that those who study Buddhism will abandon charity.This is not to say.

According to Buddhist scriptures, there are two kinds of giving: one is wealth giving, and the other is law giving. Buddhists who become monks mainly focus on giving Dharma, so they should devote themselves to promoting Buddhism and spare no effort to promote other charitable causes. A Brief Explanation of the Ten Doubts of Buddhism (2) For lay Buddhists, giving equal importance to wealth and Dharma, so lay people make more efforts to do various charities. In recent years, Buddhist schools, orphanages, hospitals, philanthropic halls, bridge repairs, gazebos, and even the donation of rice, clothing, money, and coffins initiated and established in various places have been heard from time to time, but they are not as good as others. The church draws on the financial power of foreign philanthropists, and the scale of its operators is large. Nine Buddha Dharma is not about sharing profit Modern economists say that "everyone can make profits, then human life will develop, and happiness can be shared."Those who believe in Buddhism because they are focused on making profits, only distribute profits but not make profits, which is extremely harmful to human beings.This is also a misunderstanding. If lay people believe in Buddhism, their careers are not hindered, and they can all be scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants.This principle is easy to understand, but there is no doubt about it.If the monks and nuns who become monks, ordinary people look at them, they seem to be parasites who share profits and do not generate profits.But is it true that monks and nuns have no career? !The career of monks and nuns is to spread the Dharma and benefit living beings.If it can educate the world and increase morality, there will be immeasurable benefits to the people indirectly and directly! The Ten Buddha Dharma is not to talk about emptiness in order to destroy the world Ordinary people say "the five aggregates are all empty" and "impermanence is like empty" in Buddhist scriptures, etc., and because they doubt Buddhism, they only talk about emptyness. If there are many people who believe in Buddhism, the world will be destroyed in the future because of it.This is not to say. In Mahayana Buddhism, there are two aspects of "emptiness" and "non-emptiness".Although there are times when "empty" is specifically mentioned, it actually also contains the meaning of "not empty".Therefore, it is necessary to talk about both "empty" and "non-empty", and its meaning is complete. What is "empty" and "not empty"? What is "empty" is selflessness; what is "not empty" is the cause of salvation.Although we know that there is no self, we can work hard to save the world, so we are "empty" and "not empty".If you really understand it, you will be able to do all kinds of careers without any obstacles with the great spirit of selflessness. And if you can understand this meaning, you will know that ordinary people who are clinging to self-image and doing all kinds of world-saving undertakings have weak ability, small scope, short time, and incompleteness; The meaning of "emptiness" in Buddhism is very clear.If the cause of world salvation is done in this way, it can be successfully accomplished. Therefore, we know that the so-called "emptiness" refers to destroying and eradicating the self-view that ordinary people are obsessed with, sweeping it away, and then striving to do various careers with the spirit of selflessness.It is also like doing things in the world, first overthrowing bad habits, etc. one by one, and then good construction can be realized.Believe it can be like this, if Yun sacrifices, he must really be able to sacrifice; if Yun saves the world, he must really be able to save the world.It can be said to be great, it can be said to be thorough if it is solid, brave and diligent. Therefore, the real Buddhism must first establish a foothold on "emptiness", and then work on "non-emptiness". Does it mean that blindly talking about "emptiness" will destroy the human world? ! The ten doubts and interpretations mentioned above are mostly based on the theory of people close to us, and describe their general ideas.After hearing this, you should be able to avoid all kinds of misunderstandings.If the true meaning of Buddhism is so extensive, it cannot be explained in detail today.But I hope that you, from now on, will study Buddhism with all your heart.Please buy Buddhist books and read them at any time, and you will be able to understand its meaning after a long time.It is my high hope.This article is a lecture given by Master Hongyi at the Jindun Ancestral Temple in Anhai, Fujian Province on November 27, 1938. Dharma sect probably All kinds of questions about Buddhism have been briefly explained before.Since you have no doubts, if you want to start learning, you must first understand the various sects of Buddhism. It turns out that the purpose of Buddhism is to seek enlightenment, and there are no differences.But before reaching the goal of enlightenment, there must be many paths.And on this approach, there may be various sectarian differences. In ancient India, there were various sects of Hinayana. Although Mahayana was also divided into two sects, "empty" and "existent", there were not many sects established separately. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, our country has not only fully inherited the spirit of Buddhism from India, but also melted it into the great and long-standing foundation of Chinese national culture, and developed many characteristics of Chinese Buddhism.By the time of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the separation of the Hinayana and Hinayana sects had gradually been achieved.Now let's briefly describe ten cases. Yiluzong, also known as Nanshanzong It was established by Daoxuan lawyer Zhongnanshan in the Tang Dynasty. According to the meaning of "Fahua" and "Nirvana", he explained the Hinayana precepts and established the Yuanzong precepts. It was prosperous in Tang Dynasty and declined in Southern Song Dynasty.It's getting better now. Ergushe Dzong It is established according to "Jushe Lun". The Hinayana name is very fine, and it is the ancestor of the Hinayana.Those who want to learn Mahayana Dharma, should study this theory first.That is to say, those who learn from other sects should also use this as their foundation.It cannot be ignored as Hinayana. During the Chen, Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was prosperous and then declined. Samseong Shijong According to "Chengshi Lun", it is the empty sect of Hinayana, which is slightly similar to Mahayana. During the Six Dynasties, it flourished and then declined.After the Tang Dynasty, there were almost no scholars. The above two sects were formed according to the two canons, and were passed down from India to China.Although it is known as the sect, it is really nothing more than the transmission, maintenance, teaching, and acceptance of the two commentaries. The above two schools belong to Hinayana, and the following seven schools belong to Mahayana.Vinaya is between Hinayana and Hinayana. The picture on page 162 of the original page is shown on page 79. The horizontal drape of Master Hongyi’s book as a gift from Japanese friend Uchiyama Kanzo Si San Lun Zong, also known as Xing Zong, also known as Kong Zong Three commentators, namely "Zhong Lun", "Hundred Lun" and "Twelve Gate Lun".The three parts are all based on the "Prajna Sutra".During the reign of Yao Qin, Master Kumarajiva Sanzang of the Kucha Kingdom came here to preach. It was still prosperous in the early Tang Dynasty, but it declined later. Ink blots of Li Shutong in 1916 before the picture on page 9 on page 82 Wufa Xiangzong, also known as Ci Enzong, also known as Youzong The scriptures and theories on which this sect is based are "Unraveling the Deep Secret Sutra", "Yogi's Land Theory" and so on. Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty flourished this sect.It also compiled ten volumes of "Consciousness-Only Theory" by combining the "Explanation of Thirty Verses on Consciousness-Only" written by ten Indian theorists, which is a famous classic of this school. This sect is the most important!No matter what school you study, you should learn this first, thinking it is the foundation. It declined in the middle of Tang Dynasty.Nearly revived, scholars are very prosperous. The above two cases existed in ancient India.That is, the so-called "empty" and "existent" schools. Liutiantai Sect, also known as Fahua Sect During the Six Dynasties, the establishment of this land was based on the "Lotus Sutra".It was at its peak in the time of Sui Zhizhi Master.Its teachings are more mysterious than the previous two. It was prosperous in Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it has not declined up to now. Qihua Yanzong, also known as Xianshouzong In the early Tang Dynasty, this land was established, based on the Huayan Sutra. In Tang Xianshou, the national teacher was sometimes prosperous, and in Qingliang, the national teacher was always in full swing. This sect is the most extensive, and it is called the teaching sea in all scriptures. After the Song Dynasty, it declined.It is a pity that there are almost few scholars today. Eight Zen During the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang, it was passed down to this land by the Venerable Bodhidharma of India. Although Si Zong did not establish words, he directly clarified the principles of reality.But sometimes they pretend to use the convenience of teaching in writing to spread the teaching method, such as the two sutras of the "Langa", which are often used by this sect. It was very prosperous in Tang and Song Dynasties, but it is declining today. Nine Secrets, also known as Shingon During Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Sanzang of Shanwuwei and Sanzang of Vajra Wisdom from India successively passed on to this land.Si Zong regards the "Da Nika", "Diamond Sutra" and "Su Xidi Sutra" as his orthodox sources. After the Yuan Dynasty, it will decline.In recent years, it has been revived and flourished. Among the Mahayana sects, the teachings of this sect are the most profound and the practice is the most authentic.Ordinary people have never studied poorly, and they slander lightly, which is extremely deplorable. More than ten years ago, I only read the "Esoteric Rituals", which also slightly aroused doubts; after reading "The Great Sun Jing Shu", I knew the profound meaning of the Tantric religion, and I repented because of the pain. I hope that you should not read the "Rituals" first, but study the scriptures first, so that there will be no doubts! Ten Pure Lands It began with Master Jin Huiyuan and was established according to the "Sutra of Infinite Life", "Sutra of Viewing the Buddha of Infinite Life", and "Sutra of Amitabha".The three common quilts are very simple and very suitable for the timing of the end of the law.In the Ming Dynasty, this sect flourished.As for modern times, it is particularly prosperous, surpassing all sects. The ten cases mentioned above are probably completed, and most of them are based on the theories of people close to us. Among the ten sects, there is a difference between Hinayana and Mahayana.In the Mahayana, there are various differences. Here, we must not be stubborn and prejudiced, and make false distinctions.Because Buddhism is inherently equal, there is nothing to say.Even the name of the Buddhadharma is not available, and those who establish different kinds of Buddhadharma in the midst of being unobtainable are established according to the convenience of all living beings in the world.Because all living beings have different levels of learning and depth, and there are different levels of enlightenment, and Buddhism also depends on various differences in order to adapt to it.For example, the diseases of the sick in the world vary greatly, and many kinds of medicines are required to adapt to them, and the prices are also low.It is not allowed to only respect the expensive ones and discard other cheap ones.The so-called medicine has no high or low, and the healer is good.Buddhism is also Er.No matter how big or small, how powerful, how gradual, or how secret, those who can make an opportunity are the most wonderful methods.Therefore, although there are many methods, each of us should choose the one that fits with our own roots and study it. This is good!This article was written by Master Hongyi on November 28, 1938 at the Jindun Ancestral Temple in Anhai, Fujian