92 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
92 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
## 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: In life and in learning Buddhism, rational thinking is very important—but we must use reason skillfully, otherwise it will only bring trouble. Animals are fine once they have eaten and drunk their fill, but after people have their basic needs met, delusive thoughts still run wild and afflictions weigh heavily. And when humans turn bad, they leave animals far behind. All this is caused by reason.
|
|
|
|
So 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, the 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. So we shouldn't become obsessed with rationalism, taking reason as the only standard for understanding the world and expecting it to explain and solve every problem.
|
|
|
|
This is especially true of faith in the Dharma. Although reason is an important foundation for study, contemplation, and practice, ultimately we must transcend reason to realize the true nature. As the saying goes, "Words fail, and mental activity comes to rest." Otherwise it remains at the level of conceptual understanding, which is not ultimate. When you can't accept certain points of Dharma, start by accepting what you can with reason, but keep an open mind and don't reject the rest based on your present understanding. As your study deepens, your understanding will grow.
|
|
|
|
### 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 than that? Learning Buddhism isn't the only path to liberation; worldly people are busy pursuing liberation too. Earning money is for liberation from poverty, and starting a family is for liberation from being single. The liberation Buddhism speaks of is liberation from samsara, from birth and death—this is the ultimate liberation.
|
|
|
|
At first glance, people feel that youth, love, wealth, and career are all worth pursuing. If we're 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 I am, where I came from and where I'll go after death, or why 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. So liberation doesn't conflict with what we do; it simply changes our standpoint.
|
|
|
|
The Buddha attained great freedom precisely because he was liberated from confusion and karma, and awakened boundless compassion and wisdom. In the Mahayana tradition, we must not only liberate ourselves but also help all beings attain liberation together. So liberation is not only the process of working through 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: Many practitioners wonder how to continue studying and practicing after taking refuge. In today's information-rich age, we can encounter methods from different schools and even different language traditions, and hear teachings from great masters around the world. But this variety of choices isn't necessarily good for beginners. They don't yet have the ability to choose, so they mostly go by personal feeling rather than their understanding of the Dharma. Yet the feelings of ordinary beings are impermanent and changeable, so many people end up running from temple to temple looking for teachers, traveling far and wide. And the teachings of each wise teacher may not be consistent, so in the end it can become chaotic. What's worse, this can even lead to slandering the Dharma and Sangha.
|
|
|
|
So I'd suggest 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 you won't be biased in one direction or miss the point. Three-Stage Practice is a system 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'll naturally know what suits you.
|
|
|
|
### Should One Study Confucianism Before Buddhism?
|
|
|
|
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? Not 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 Dharma are not necessarily connected. Although Confucian ethics and social norms are important for establishing worldly morality, the Dharma itself also has perfect human ethics, founded on dependent origination and cause and effect, backed by a powerful philosophical system, and is 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're studying the Three Refuges, it's fine to study the *Dizigui* as well, but don't make it a prerequisite.
|
|
|
|
### Drawing on Many Strengths Takes Depth
|
|
|
|
Q: I deeply respect the Dharma, but I also feel that Confucianism and Daoism make good sense. For someone who has not yet taken refuge, can one take the Dharma 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 deeper understanding of 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 accumulated wisdom of wise people throughout history and across cultures, and can inspire and serve as a reference for many people.
|
|
|
|
What needs attention is that these theories are based on different systems of thought; if you don't have a 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 focus on one path and go deep, and only later, if you truly have extra strength, is it not too late to read widely. If you spread yourself too thin at the start, you may find your strength insufficient.
|
|
|
|
Actually, for those who study Buddhism, whether in life or in cultivation, the Dharma offers wisdom guidance. The Dharma is not merely an overarching framework; it can permeate every situation. Understanding other schools of thought is mainly to help spread the Dharma. Because beings have different capacities and inclinations, using content they are interested in as an entry point can resonate with them.
|
|
|
|
### 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 as our horizons broaden. If you make a new choice because you feel the wisdom of the Dharma goes deeper, 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 had been your own choice, you could 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, that this wisdom can resolve the puzzles of life, and that the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha can be your refuge for all time. It should be a rational choice after reflection, not merely taking refuge on the basis of some feeling, which leaves you always worried about personal gains and losses. Your uneasiness shows that your study hasn't been deep enough; you should study more deeply.
|
|
|
|
### Choose with Your Questions in Mind
|
|
|
|
Q: I studied in the United States for ten years and had quite a lot of exposure to 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 know full well that straddling two boats is wrong, but I don't know how to choose, and I'm very confused.
|
|
|
|
A: If you're studying the Dharma on one hand and reading Christian doctrine on the other, but can't tell which teaching is more valuable or convincing, that shows you haven't yet developed 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 goes deeper can you make a choice.
|
|
|
|
But it's also possible that as the days pass, you'll sink deeper into "decision paralysis" 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 a Buddhist Visit Other Religious Sites?
|
|
|
|
Q: I'm Hui, and I should believe in Islam, but I have a deep affinity with Buddhism, 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 so few people truly take refuge now. Why is this?
|
|
|
|
A: From the perspective 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 destinations and different roads—you can't go both here and there. But if you're only going to the mosque to take part in the folk customs of your own ethnic group, this is a matter of daily life and shouldn't 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 Cultural Revolution, 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 ways to spread the Dharma suited to the contemporary era. This requires the joint effort of everyone, because we are facing the whole society; it can't rely on just a few people.
|
|
|
|
### What to Do If You Want to Ordain
|
|
|
|
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 what becoming a monastic means. 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, of birth and death, of samsara. This requires recognizing the illusory nature of worldly life and the meaning of learning and practicing Buddhism, and making the pursuit of liberation and awakening your sole goal. Such an aspiration is the right cause for becoming a monastic.
|
|
|
|
From the perspective 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 temple's perspective, 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, and can adapt to and abide by the monastery's rules, will they arrange ordination. Among these, faith and determination are the most important; they determine whether one can live the monastic life well.
|
|
|
|
### Is Building Temples and Statues for Tourism Proper?
|
|
|
|
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 a Buddhist perspective, this is obviously not in accord with the Dharma. The existence of a practice place depends on its Dharma content; only thus can it purify people's minds. Otherwise it is essentially no different from a tourist attraction. Regrettably, many temples are now also eagerly pursuing tourism development; this is related to the general social environment and also to the lack of a good environment for study and practice in the Buddhist community.
|
|
|
|
I believe that the state of the Buddhist community is closely related to the shared karma of beings. If beings' negative karma is heavy, it is not easy to attract pure practice places and great wise teachers. So we shouldn't blame the environment too much, but also examine ourselves: Why were we born in such an age? Let this encourage us 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 we can rely on, and actively cultivate our own minds and conduct. As we make effort, I believe that the external conditions we attract will also change.
|