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+## I. Entering the Dharma Door
+
+### Use Reason Skillfully, but Not as the Only Standard
+
+Q: I haven't taken refuge yet, because reason keeps me from fully accepting certain points of Dharma, and I feel that taking refuge hastily would be dishonest. Yet I also have confusion and afflictions, and hope for a power that can liberate me. I feel very conflicted.
+
+A: Whether in life or in learning Buddhism, rational thinking is very important, but we must use reason skillfully; otherwise it will bring trouble. Animals are fine once they have eaten and drunk their fill, but after people have their basic needs met, their delusive thoughts still fly about and their afflictions weigh heavily, and when humans turn bad, they outdo animals by far. All this is caused by reason.
+
+How do we use reason skillfully? We must accept a wisdom culture and have a correct understanding of life and the world. If our worldview is off, then rational thinking guided by it will necessarily be flawed, and the result will harm ourselves and others. Furthermore, reason cannot directly reach the truth, a point recognized even by Western philosophers. Therefore we should not become fanatical rationalists who take reason as the only standard for knowing the world and hope that reason can explain and solve every problem.
+
+Especially for faith in the Dharma: although reason is an important foundation for study, contemplation, and practice, ultimately we must transcend reason in order to realize the true nature, as the saying goes, "Words are cut off, and mental activity ceases." Otherwise it remains a level of conceptual understanding, which is not ultimate. When you cannot accept certain points of Dharma, you may first use reason to accept the parts you can accept, but keep an open mind and do not reject the rest on the basis of your present understanding. As your study deepens, your understanding will also improve.
+
+### Liberation Itself Is the Meaning
+
+Q: In the end, is learning Buddhism only about liberating ourselves and all beings? If a person is sick, after being cured they get on with their own life. Then after liberation, do we not need to pursue something more meaningful?
+
+A: What could be more meaningful? Not only is learning Buddhism for the sake of liberation; worldly people bustle about for liberation too. Earning money is for liberation from poverty, and starting a family is for liberation from singlehood. The liberation spoken of in Buddhism is liberation from samsara, liberation from birth and death—this is the ultimate liberation.
+
+Seen only from the surface, people feel that youth, love, wealth, and career are all worth pursuing; if one is liberated, how can these dreams be realized? In fact, what we truly need to liberate ourselves from is the nature of samsara: the confusion and afflictions within our minds. Confusion means failing to see the truth of life, not knowing "who am I," not knowing "where did I come from and where will I go after death," not knowing "why do I live." Afflictions are negative emotions such as loneliness, fear, restlessness, and insecurity. Once we are liberated from confusion and karma, no matter what we do or where or when we are, we can be free and at ease. Therefore, liberation is not in conflict with what we do; it is simply that our standpoint is completely different.
+
+The reason the Buddha attained great freedom is precisely that he was liberated from confusion and karma and opened up boundless compassion and wisdom. Especially in the Mahayana Dharma, we must not only liberate ourselves but also help all beings attain liberation together. Therefore liberation is not only the process of resolving problems; it is itself the meaning of life. Nothing is more meaningful than this.
+
+### How to Find a Dharma Door That Suits You
+
+Q: How should I continue my study and practice after taking refuge? How can I find a Dharma door that suits me?
+
+A: Further study and practice after taking refuge is a common concern for many practitioners. In today's information-rich age, we can encounter methods from different schools and even different language traditions, and we can hear teachings from great masters around the world. But this variety of choices is not necessarily beneficial for beginners. They do not yet have the ability to choose, so for the most part they can only judge according to personal feeling rather than understanding of the Dharma. Yet the feelings of ordinary beings are impermanent and changeable, so many people become keen on running from temple to temple looking for teachers, traveling north and south, visiting everywhere. And the teachings of each wise teacher may not be consistent, so in the end things may become chaotic. What is worse, this can even lead to slandering the Dharma and the Sangha.
+
+Therefore I suggest that you first establish a foundation in study and practice, knowing what the essentials of the Dharma are and what the stages of cultivation are, so that you will not be biased toward one extreme or miss the point. Three-Stage Practice is a popular system of study and practice designed to address these problems, similar to a general curriculum; it is compatible with any Dharma door and is an indispensable foundation for studying any method. With such a foundation, you will naturally know what suits you.
+
+### Should One Begin Learning Buddhism by Studying Confucianism?
+
+Q: As a Buddhist disciple, does studying Confucian classics violate the Three Refuges precepts? Some people now advocate taking the *Dizigui* as a foundation for learning Buddhism. What do you think of this phenomenon?
+
+A: Studying worldly knowledge such as the Four Books and Five Classics is not a violation of precepts, but you must not take these as your refuge; otherwise you violate the vow in the Three Refuges, "I take refuge in the Dharma, and will never take refuge in non-Buddhist scriptures."
+
+The integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism has existed since ancient times. Because Confucianism is the indigenous culture of China and its contents are well known, ancient masters sometimes borrowed Confucian ideas to explain the Dharma when propagating it, using this as a skillful means for people to understand Buddhism. Do people today still need this? I do not think so necessarily. Times have changed, and many people do not have a foundation in Confucian culture; it may be easier for them to study Buddhist scriptures directly.
+
+In fact, Confucian learning and the Buddhadharma have no necessary connection. Although Confucian ethics and social norms are important for establishing worldly morality, the Buddhadharma itself also has a perfect human ethics, founded on dependent origination and cause and effect, backed by a powerful philosophical system, and therefore more persuasive. So learning Buddhism does not necessarily require taking Confucian morality as a foundation, nor does it require first studying the *Dizigui* and then the Three Refuges. Of course, while you are studying the Three Refuges, it is fine to study the *Dizigui* as well, but do not make it into a necessary relationship.
+
+### Drawing on Many Strengths Requires Height
+
+Q: I deeply respect the Buddhadharma, but I also feel that Confucianism and Daoism make good sense. For someone who has not yet taken refuge, can one take the Buddhadharma as the overarching framework while using Confucian and Daoist thought as tools to guide one's conduct in society and achieve an ideal life?
+
+A: Once we have the view of the Dharma, all dharmas can become Dharma. Because this view represents a height of understanding about life. Based on this standpoint, we can absorb the strengths of Confucianism, Daoism, and even Western philosophy. Although their theories come from rational thinking, lack actual cultivation and realization, and do not ultimately penetrate the mind-nature, they are still the crystallized wisdom of wise ones ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, and can inspire and serve as reference for many people.
+
+What needs attention is that these theories are based on different systems of thought; if you do not have strong ability to assimilate them, reading too much can easily lead to indigestion, and you may even feel that they contradict one another and not know what to do. Therefore one's own position and level of understanding are very important. Moreover, human energy is very limited; you should concentrate your energy and go deeply into one door, and only later, if you truly have extra strength, is it not too late to read widely. If at the start you stretch your front too long, you may find your strength insufficient.
+
+Actually, for those who study Buddhism, whether in life or in cultivation, wisdom guidance can be found in the Dharma. The function of the Dharma is not merely as an overarching framework; it can permeate every situation. Understanding other schools of thought is mainly for the convenience of propagating the Dharma. Because beings have different capacities and inclinations, using content they are interested in as an entry point can arouse resonance.
+
+### Faith Is Free
+
+Q: My family is Catholic, and I used to consider myself Catholic too, but I never took part in a formal ceremony and do not have a saint's name. Now I have taken refuge in Buddhism, and I feel a little uneasy. How can I resolve this feeling?
+
+A: Faith is free: you can choose something, or choose not to. As we grow, our understanding improves along with the broadening of our horizons. If you make a new choice because you feel the wisdom of the Dharma is more ultimate, this is perfectly normal. Moreover, you only assumed you were Catholic because of your family; it was not an active choice, so that assumption itself has little binding force. Even if it were your own choice, you can still change it. In the Buddhist precepts, after becoming a monastic, if one no longer wishes to live the monastic life, one may return to lay life normally. So there is no need to feel uneasy.
+
+The key is that you must truly recognize the excellence of the Dharma, recognize that this wisdom can resolve the puzzles of life, and recognize that the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha can serve as a reliance for all future time. It should be a rational choice after reflection, not merely taking refuge on the basis of some feeling, which leaves one always worried about personal gains and losses. Your feeling uneasy shows that your study has not been deep enough; you should strengthen your study.
+
+### Choose by Bringing Your Questions
+
+Q: I studied in the United States for ten years and had quite a lot of contact with Christianity. After returning to China, under my mother's guidance, I watched Master Jiqun's lecture series on the *Treatise on the Gateway to Understanding the Hundred Dharmas*. Now my mother sends me Buddhist scriptures every day, and my aunt sends me the Christian Bible. I deeply know that straddling two boats is wrong, but I do not know how to choose, and I am very confused.
+
+A: If on the one hand you are studying the Dharma while on the other hand you are reading Christian doctrine, yet you cannot tell which teaching is more valuable or more convincing to you, this shows you do not yet have the ability to judge—where the excellence of the Dharma actually lies. In such a situation, both kinds of study may be important for you; you just have to continue studying. Only when one day you determine which is more ultimate can you make a choice.
+
+But it is also possible that as the days pass, you will sink deeper and deeper into "choice difficulty" and find it harder and harder to choose. So you still need a method: determine what you are seeking and what you need to resolve. Then examine with these questions in mind which teaching is more helpful to you and offers a more complete interpretation of life and the world.
+
+### Can One Go to Other Religious Sites After Believing in Buddhism?
+
+Q: I am Hui, and I should believe in Islam, but my karmic affinity with Buddhism is deep, and I deeply appreciate the wisdom of the Dharma and have taken refuge. But because of my ethnic identity, I sometimes need to attend activities at the mosque. Will there be a conflict? Another question is, Buddhism is so good, yet the total number of people who truly take refuge is rather small now. Why is this?
+
+A: From the standpoint of faith, one cannot take refuge in multiple religions at the same time. If you take refuge in the Three Jewels and choose Buddhism, this means giving up faith in Islam or other religions. Likewise, if you choose another faith, it means giving up the identity of a Buddhist disciple. Faith is the destination of life; it is like wanting to go to two places with different goals and different roads—you cannot go both here and there. But if you are only going to the mosque to participate in the folk customs of your own ethnic group, this belongs to the level of daily life and should not be a big problem.
+
+As for the second question, the present is an age of loss of faith; there are many reasons. It is related to the decade of catastrophe, to long-standing education, and also to weakness in the propagation of the Dharma by the religious community. The government is now beginning to value traditional culture to serve the building of spiritual civilization. We are also continuously exploring, hoping to find forms of propagation suited to the contemporary era. This requires the joint effort of everyone, because we are facing the whole society; it cannot rely on just a few people.
+
+### What to Do If You Want to Become a Monastic
+
+Q: What conditions are needed to become a monastic? Can you become a monastic as soon as you arrive at a temple?
+
+A: For yourself, you must have a correct understanding of becoming a monastic. Becoming a monastic is not only a change of identity; the key is inner change. It is not only leaving the worldly household, but even more leaving the household of the five aggregates, leaving the household of birth and death, leaving the household of samsara. This requires recognizing the illusory nature of worldly life and the meaning of learning and practicing Buddhism, and taking the pursuit of liberation and the path to awakening as the sole goal. Such an aspiration is the right cause for becoming a monastic.
+
+From the standpoint of precepts, before becoming a monastic you should settle various worldly responsibilities so as not to be disturbed later or bring various problems to the Sangha. From the standpoint of the temple, there must be an evaluation of at least half a year for those who aspire to become monastics; only when they feel you truly wish to cultivate, can adapt to, and will abide by the rules of the monastery will they arrange ordination. Among these, faith and determination are the most important; they are the guarantee of whether one can live the monastic life well.
+
+### Is Building Temples and Statues for Tourism Development in Accordance with the Dharma?
+
+Q: Nowadays many places treat building temples and making statues as tourism development projects. Is this in accordance with the Dharma? How should we view these phenomena?
+
+A: It is true that some regions now build temples and make statues in order to develop the economy and promote tourism. From the Buddhist standpoint, this is obviously not in accordance with the Dharma. The existence of a practice place depends on its content of Dharma; only thus can it serve to purify the minds of people in society. Otherwise it is essentially no different from a tourist attraction. Regrettably, many temples are now also keen on tourism development; this is related to the general social environment and also to the lack of a good atmosphere of study and practice in the Buddhist community.
+
+I believe that the state presented by the Buddhist community is closely related to the collective karma of beings. If beings' negative karma is heavy, it is not easy to attract the appearance of pure practice places and great wise teachers. Therefore we should not blame the environment too much, but also examine ourselves: Why were we born in such an age? From this we can encourage ourselves to study and practice diligently.
+
+As learners of Buddhism, while adapting to the environment, we should also actively choose pure practice places, choose wise teachers who are worthy of reliance, and actively adjust the state of our own minds and conduct. In the process of making effort, I believe that the external conditions we attract will also change.