Chapter 5 Basic Beliefs of a Buddhist Practitioner-5

According to the above theories and practices, how about studying with the Buddha, and following the vast vows and actions of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva?The so-called wish is a wish, if you really think so, then do it, you can eliminate disasters and defilements, turn your consciousness into wisdom, and give birth to immeasurable Mahayana wonderful deeds, and "be freed from all confusing karma and demons, and the worldly way", and the confusing karma will be seen Thinking and confusion are the general term for the afflictions of the three realms, the cause of life and death of ordinary people, including self-view, side view, wrong view, view and view, abstinence and view, etc.In fact, there is nothing wrong with these troubles and even demonic realms, and there is nothing to be afraid of, as long as you can get rid of them immediately, and don’t let them turn you around.When it does not turn, it is an ordinary person or a demon, and when it turns once, it is a Buddha or Bodhisattva.But the Buddhadharma is in the world, where do you think you can find it?Do you have to go to the mountains to seek purity?The mountain is already very clean, so why bother to seek it?Only when you can purify the impure place, is the Buddha way.Therefore, this paragraph specifically points out that "you can be liberated in the worldly way", and you can achieve great freedom in the world where all kinds of dharmas are scattered, and everything will not be separated from the worldly way. The same can also be liberated.

We Buddhists and Taoists, in order to get rid of the entanglement of seeing, contemplating, confusing karma and the obstacles of demons, instead make ourselves burnt out and neurotic.We must know that all dharmas are impermanent, seeing and thinking are impermanent, and demons are also impermanent. Impermanence cannot even be turned around by Buddhas. Can demons be able to?And we practitioners tend to have a problem, the so-called "leave one family, and enter another family", put aside the gains and losses of the worldly law, but care about all kinds of transcendental law, and bring the worldly greed, hatred and ignorance into Buddhism It is ridiculous to distinguish who is high and who is low, who is right and who is wrong, but pulls out a lot of troubles.Master Lianchi of the Pure Land sect said in a verse when he realized Taoism: "Burning incense and throwing halberds is nothing but nonsense, while demons and Buddhas are fighting for right and wrong." In the end, demons and Buddhas are all the same.The spirit of Buddhism lies in the fact that the lotus flower comes out of the mud and is not stained, Bodhi can appear in affliction, and it can be purified in a bad environment, "like a lotus flower that does not touch water", but is born in muddy water.The next analogy is better, "just like the sun and the moon do not live in the sky", watching the sun and the moon rise and sink every day, today follows tomorrow, tomorrow follows the day after tomorrow, lively and natural rotation, not staying in a fixed space.However, if we practitioners hold on to the emptiness and think that the realm of emptiness is the way, then we are wrong, and we are tantamount to being possessed by demons. If we learn Buddhism and hold on to one method, we will be possessed by humans, heavenly demons, arhat demons, and even Buddha demons.There is no place to live in a vacuum, free and easy, lively and natural, not only like the sun and the moon, but also like a bird flying by, leaving no trace in the air, this is the liberation of no attachment.Buddhism talks about emptiness, but actually it talks about wonderful existence. When you practice Zhunti Dharma and recite one-pointedly, your mind and heart are in the realm of Buddha, and you recite each word one by one. Recitation is like a lotus flower without water. It’s just water! It’s a pure and pure existence, not a rigid and dead non-existence; thinking about it “is like the sun and the moon can’t be empty”, it’s not that there is no sun and moon, and it doesn’t stick to a certain position. That is to say, let’s cultivate happily with this comprehension, why not? Sing the following four lines again:

(Students chant in the same way) The key conclusion of this Buddhist study is "just like the lotus flower does not touch the water, nor does the sun and the moon live in the sky", which is also the true spirit of Buddhism.Everyone should learn Buddhism with a greater style, and don't be so petty. Those who are petty can't walk the Hinayana road, let alone Mahayana?And the reason why the Buddha can become a Buddha is the key. The Mahayana way is in the world. The way of seeing is the most necessary proof.It’s not that the reasoning is good enough, it’s just thinking, and thinking is not equal to Buddhism, if you think it is, then Buddhism also becomes magic.To learn Buddhism is to put all your body and mind into the sea of ​​Samantabhadra's actions and vows to seek realization, so that you can become a Buddha and "get rid of all the sufferings of evil paths".In other words, not only will you not suffer from the sufferings of the lower realms, but you will be able to enjoy the happiness in the realm of heaven and man.The joy in the realm of heaven and man is roughly divided into three: joy-the joy of the desire realm, Ming-the joy of the form realm, and no thought-the joy of the formless realm.Here, the three Buddhas can enjoy and use without ceasing, "just like the lotus flower does not touch the water, and the sun and the moon do not live in the sky", and then can "wait and enjoy with all living beings", equality is giving, equal giving Happy everyone.

Having said that, what is the realm of Samantabhadra? "Etc. and all living beings and happiness, such as after the kalpa of the dust, the benefits of the ten directions will be endless", no matter how many kalpas it goes through, all living beings in the ten directions and three times must give it away from suffering and achieve happiness. .I have never heard of a Buddha who has fulfilled his vows or finished things. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will always have endless things to do. "The emptiness is endless, and my wishes are endless." . "The benefits of the ten directions are endless", trying every means to give all living beings in the ten directions and three times the freedom from suffering and happiness. This is the true practice of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Do you really want to follow suit and follow without regret?

Then it's the turn of "Hengshun sentient beings".You don't just listen with your ears, you have to use your brains and listen with your heart. Those who learn Buddhism and practice the Bodhisattva way should always follow the wishes of sentient beings and cultivate.Perseverance means constant, follow as you go.The eight verses I want to talk about now have a relatively easy superficial meaning. Everyone sincerely and respectfully recites them with admiration. (Students chant in the same way) For Hengshun sentient beings, this is the most difficult point.Not every kind of vow to learn Buddhism is difficult. Let us reflect on the aspect of persevering and obeying sentient beings since we learned Buddhism, have we achieved it?Parents are also one of the sentient beings. Do you have any intention of Hengshun's parents?Have you complied with many reasonable requirements and teachings from your parents? (Some students answered: no)

Isn't this unfilial? Brothers, sisters, and other relatives are also sentient beings, do you always fulfill their wishes? --No. So even though everyone recites "I repent of all the evil karma I have done in the past" every day, do you really repent?What is the use of studying Buddhism in this way? !That's why I often say: "I originally wanted to save sentient beings," but in the end "we were saved by sentient beings." It's all sentient beings who come to save us, right? (Students answer: yes) Then, are we still qualified to learn from the Buddha and practice the Bodhisattva practice?Bodhisattva behavior is "always being a friend that all living beings do not invite", as it is said in the "Vimalakirti Sutra", it is to follow others and benefit others, not to follow me and follow me.If an educator and a religionist achieve the goal of keeping all sentient beings in harmony, he will succeed if he fails to do so.

Why can't we obey all sentient beings? (Student answers: I see. I hold onto myself) ,correct!Self-seeing and self-attachment, so you can't reach the realm of no-self, how can you be able to achieve obedience to all living beings?He talks about the Mahayana every day, but he only amplifies his own Mahayana for his own benefit, and he refuses to contribute at all. Even if he makes a little sacrifice, he feels great. What about Mahayana? As soon as many people here hear that there will be seven days in winter, they will try their best to come back, because this place always obeys him!And usually when there is something to do, I will quickly slip away, haha!Is this a study of Buddhism?It's not even enough to be an ordinary person, so what else is there?Like now when everyone is in the same hall to practice Zhunti Dharma, it is necessary to generate this situation of persevering beings, and in the future, we will actually do it, and "all those who walk with me will gather together in all places, and their body, speech, mind, and karma will be the same, and all actions and wishes will be the same." Since we have the predestined relationship to work hard together in this Zhunti Haihui, we should be of one heart and one mind, and share the vows of Samantabhadra and the great compassion of Zhunti Bodhisattva, which is in line with the spirit of "six harmony and respect". Everyone cultivates.

Next, "All good friends who benefit me, show me Samantabhadra", all good friends who benefit me, such as the teachers here have their own specialties, guide you in different fields of subjects, so that you can benefit from it, this is Good friends, their behavior is a kind of Samantabhadra. If others can benefit us, this kind of behavior is equivalent to an example of Samantabhadra. How can we not use our best to benefit others?For many years, I have been emphasizing the importance of Samantabhadra's vows. If you don't learn Buddhism, you can forget about it. If you don't initiate this vow after learning Buddhism, then you can't talk about it. You are just deceiving yourself and others.Therefore, I even ask you to recite the Samantabhadra in the morning class, and remind you in your daily life and affairs.Think about what we need in our daily life. From childhood to old age, we can’t rely on others. This is because others are showing us the Samantabhadra!Introspect carefully!

Besides, if someone opposes the practice of Samantabhadra, he is an evil knowledger who does not understand Buddhism.Today, "Buddhism is hard to hear and now you have heard it, China is hard to live and now you have been born, human life is rare and you have it now, good teachers are hard to meet and now you have met", you should work hard and pray for good teachers "Always willing to gather with me, Always have a joyful heart", often learn with good teachers, and make good teachers always have joyful hearts, this is the practice of the law. He was so happy, how could he do it?You must really practice Samantabhadra by yourself.Sing this verse once, and then sing the next verse:

(Students chant in the same way) "May I often meet the Tathagata", can we do it? (Students are silent) Do we really see the Buddha now? All sentient beings are Buddhas, and there are Buddhas in the ten directions and three times, but have you seen them?No.Only those who see the Tao can be called people.Therefore, the Zen master told us a sentence: "Sun-faced Buddha, moon-faced Buddha." Do you have sun-faced Buddhas and moon-faced Buddhas?How should we explain the sun-faced Buddha and the moon-faced Buddha? (Students answer: Face the Buddha anytime and anywhere) Every day, every hour, anytime, anywhere, face the Buddha and be with the Buddha.As for saying that all sentient beings are Buddhas, this is still a theoretical matter, and it must be proved.Therefore, you should first visualize in the artistic conception, and practice sooner or later, which can be regarded as facing the Buddha all the time.For example, if you practice the Zhunti method now, you can concentrate on reciting the mantra and imagine that the Zhunti Buddha mother is in front of you, facing him with no other distractions. In terms of this artistic conception, you must first visualize it. Don’t think that the artistic conception is an illusion. Knowing is false and true, and true is false. Don't say it is false because you can't observe it. You don't need to observe it.Waiting for you to really watch it before you say I don’t watch it is the skill.Just like being a vegetarian, there is no meat dish to eat, so bragging that I don’t eat it is a self-deception. The table is full of delicacies from mountains and seas in front of you, and the aroma is overflowing, but you are hungry, but you can’t eat it. This is the real vegetarian .

"May I often see the Tathagata come face to face, and be surrounded by all the disciples of the Buddha", we must live in this state of mind every day. The form is right in front of me, and all sentient beings and all practitioners, I prostrate and take refuge with one heart, and my body and mind are one with the Buddha Mother, without any difference.Don’t talk about your heart but you don’t have this realm of visualization. You can also reach the realm of consciousness when you speak. Just put your palms together and bow to the Buddha. The scene surrounded by all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all Buddhas is vivid. It should be brought, if you can really visualize like this, you will have a little entry into practice!Next, "make great offerings to everyone, and never get tired in the future kalpas", try it, can you do it?If you light a stick of incense to offer to the Buddha, this stick of incense is actually not only for the face of the Buddha in front, but for all the Buddhas and all the venerables in the ten directions and three times. That's it, everything will appear in one thought!It is even more important to stay still on this visualization.In addition, this offering is to "end up the future kalpa without getting tired", to serve all good teachers and all Buddhas, and never have the intention to quit tired or tired. Do you sometimes feel tired when you practice Zhunti Dharma and make offerings to the Buddha? (Students answer: Yes) .The answer is very honest, must be very tired!When I didn't come up, everyone read weakly. As soon as I entered the door, everyone seemed to have supernatural powers, and they read very hard.Who are you studying Buddhism for?When the sense of burnout arises, is the Buddha Mother present in the artistic conception?Practice should be "endless in the future kalpas without getting tired", if you can stop at any time after visualization, then there is hope!Therefore, the Zen master drew a circle for you and added a point in the middle to form a phase. If there is such a point in the circle, you will be right in this Buddha state once you think about it!This is meditation. Like some students, a few days ago, while reciting mantras, while shaking their bodies, I thought they had kung fu, and they shook their bodies very well. I also asked them to shake it. Yes, you should know the time and know the amount to stop.When shaking, your thoughts and concepts follow the aggregates, and you are drawn by the feeling of the energy channels. Here you feel uncomfortable, and there is something wrong. At this time, you need to have courage, and you will be liberated in the next thought!It should be thought that I feel uncomfortable here, because my mind and consciousness are trapped here, why should I be trapped awkwardly?If a man wants to be liberated, at best he will die, let go of one thought, and see if it still moves or hurts?So seeing you shaking there, you can know that the visualization of your mind-moon wheel has not been stopped, and if it is really stopped, it will not shake.If you say it will shake and I can't be the master, then why do you need to practice?Practitioners should be able to be the master, and the realm can be stopped once they are contemplated, so what is the feeling of receiving aggregates?Shouyun is gone!When you stop, you observe, and when you observe, you decide.Say the next verse: (Students chant in the same way)