religion that became a mixture of Brahminism and Buddhism in ancient India, and many of its teachings are taken from Buddhism, with no explicit texts of its own. They venerated three great deities: the King of Brahma, the King of Narayana, and the King of the Great Self
In the King of Heaven, which we have read about in the Avatamsaka Sutra. They believe that Brahma is the Creator God of the universe, the Creator as Christianity would say; they believe that Narayan
is the Guardian God; and the Great Self-Realizing Heavenly King is in charge of the world's formation, residence, destruction, and emptiness, and is equivalent to the Prime Minister of the modern State Council, commonly referred to as the General Affairs. They believe that these three are
one and the truth says that not only are these three one, but all beings are one.
When I preach, I often use the analogy of a tree, and if you can look at a tree, you will become enlightened. We compare each leaf on the tree to a sentient being. A branch of a tree
has a few leaves at the top, and if you see the top of the tree, you will know that these leaves are born from the top of a branch of the tree, and are a family. If you look further down the tree, it turns out that these
trees have the same branch, and then you realize that so many tree tops (that is, so many families), are **** with the same origin in one branch. Like the Chinese family name
so many, all are the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, thousands of years down the line, passed down many branches. Then I realized that we are a family, *** the same ancestor,
This is to find the branch of the tree. Further down the line, it turns out that these branches are born on a trunk, the same root. Going further, it has a root.
From this analogy, we can realize that the Buddha said that all sentient beings in the Dharma Realm are the same root, the same body, and that this body is one's own
true nature. Only when the Buddha finds the root, finds the root, does the problem of the Dharma Realm of emptiness get solved as a whole. When the problem is truly solved, there is no more opposition and rejection of all sentient beings in the void Dharma realm
.
Not only does Shakyamuni Buddha teach us this, but all the Buddhas and Buddha's of the Dharma Realm also teach and transform beings in this way. In other words, we are taught
to recognize the truth of the universe and life; the universe is our living environment, and life is us. With a thorough understanding of the truth, one can speak the sutras and the Dharma in a way that is "in accord with
reasoning," and no matter whether one speaks long or short, horizontally or vertically, y or shallowly, one does not go against the truth.
We have also visited Hindu homes for the elderly, orphanages, and in many parts of the world we have visited these places, like the public
apartments for the elderly in the United States, which are called homes for the aged in Hong Kong, homes for the aged in Singapore, and retirement villages in Australia. Their medical facilities and material supplies for the elderly are
very good. A few of them also organize concerts to provide entertainment for the elderly, sometimes a few performances a year, and some do it once a month. In fact, when people reach old age
when, even if these entertainment in front of them, already have no interest, because the elderly are concerned about tomorrow. Tomorrow is about the next life. This life has come to an end
, what will be the situation in the next life? If someone from time to time can explain to them the karma of the three lives and tell them about the next life, he will be interested. For the spiritual education of the elderly,
even if we offer them songs, dances, and dramas, the content is about the afterlife, so that they can understand how to repent, so that they can seek happiness in the afterlife, and this is the
truly complete old age.
The six paths of reincarnation are generally recognized in ancient Indian religions, and there are many religious practitioners in India who practice meditation and have quite a deep understanding of it, and they see
this fact in the realm of meditation. We now understand that the six paths are six different spaces, but in fact there are many different spaces, not just six. Scientists now speak of the
dimensions of space-time, and we now inhabit three degrees of space, and cannot see four, five, six, or even infinite degrees of space. The Buddha said that the dimensions of space are realized from delusion, division
differentiation, and attachment, and that there is no such thing, and that the original space-time is one, that is, the "One True Dharma Realm" that the Buddhists talk about. Now scientists almost recognize that
there are at least eleven degrees of space, but it is not yet accessible.
We have seen books and heard people talk about ancient prophets who knew what was going on in society hundreds and thousands of years ago.
If you have the ability of the fourth dimension and break the boundaries, you can know the past, present and future. We can't see the past or the future, that's the obstacle.
The Buddha said that if you break away delusion, separation, and attachment, you can break through space. There are infinite delusions, separations, and attachments, and if you can break some of them, you can break through
several levels. The sutras say that the Buddha's ability is complete because he breaks through all of it. The bodhisattva's ability is not as good as the Buddha's because there are still some levels that he cannot break through
that is, he has not yet reached the perfection of his fixation. The arahant's ability is even worse; the arahant's heavenly eye can only see one great thousand worlds.
Once upon a time we thought that a thousand worlds was a galaxy, and if we follow what Huang Nianzu Jushi said, the scope is even greater. Huang Nianzu believed that a
galaxy is a unit world according to the sutra, so there are one billion galaxies in a thousand worlds. Scientists today, using scientific instruments, cannot even reach the edges of the Saha world
. And the Buddha says there is no need to use instruments, just set your mind to eliminate the factors that produce the dimensions of space and time, and our instincts are restored.
But one should not mistake the practice of meditation for sitting cross-legged and facing the wall every day. Because in one's walking, living, sitting, and lying down, one sits
very fixed, and it is with this image that you are prompted, not taught to put on an act. Master Huineng explains sitting meditation for us in the Tanjing: "No external appearance is called
Zen, and internal immobility is called sitting." We read in the Tanjing that Master Neng daily? Rice, chopping wood, this is also sitting meditation, because there is no moving of the mind, there is no
phase.
These two words of Master Neng come from the Diamond Sutra, "Do not take the appearance, as immovable", which is the general program of Buddhist practice. No matter what sect you are practicing, no matter what Dharma school you are practicing, the Buddhists often talk about 84,000 Dharma doors, infinite Dharma doors, the general principle is these two sentences. "Not to take in the appearance" means not to be in the appearance, in the present
speaking, not to be tempted by the external realm; you don't have to leave the appearance of the external realm, as long as you don't be tempted, that is, not to be in the appearance. "The six roots of the mind are in contact with the six dusty realms outside
, and they are not greedy, angry, stupid, slow, or right and wrong, so they are "sitting". Therefore, all of the 84,000 Dharma doors are sitting meditation. Chanting is sitting meditation, keeping precepts is sitting meditation, studying sutras is sitting meditation, holding mantras is sitting meditation, these are some of the practices of Buddhism.
Expanding on this, the Avatamsaka Sutra's "Good Fortune Child's Fifty-Three Participants", men and women, young and old, from all walks of life, all walks of life are not sitting in meditation. As long as you understand
What is the truth of "no appearance outside, not moving the mind inside", is the true use of energy, is the true work. When you have achieved this, you will be able to break through the boundaries of space and time, and our
native wisdom will be restored. Cultivation has to know the principles and methods in order to go deeper, in order to improve one's realm.
And to speak for people, one must know the view of the opportunity.
The most important thing
is to help him to be born into a good place in the future, and this merit is infinite.
Nowadays, the world is in chaos, ethics and morality are gone, kindness and goodwill are gone, there is only profit and loss between people, there is no morality, so the society is insecure
and there is no peace in the world. If we want to save the people of the world, we have to grasp the key points, and we cannot talk nonsense, because there is no time left, and people don't have the true
wisdom to ponder and think. Therefore, the simpler and more concise the Dharma is spoken to you today, the better, and you must get to the point.
I teach that as long as you do the Five Precepts and Ten Virtues well, and recite the Amitabha Buddha well, you will be saved. If you give up the Five Precepts and Ten Goodnesses, if you don't say the right words, you will be determined to fall into the Three Evil Paths in the next life. Therefore, the most basic five precepts and ten goodnesses should be practiced seriously by oneself. "The Five Precepts and Ten Goodnesses are explained in detail in
The Immeasurable Life Sutra (32-37), so be sure to read more. On the other hand, we only talk about the excellence of the Pure Land and urge people to recite the Buddha's name and seek birth in the Pure Land, but nothing else
must be discussed. If you are discussing the doctrine, you can talk about it to the students of the Buddhist College, but it is not of any use to the general public. No matter how well you speak, you will not be able to fulfill the opportunity, and now that life-saving is so important, people have no time to listen to other superfluous things. We can help others, and they can be helped, and this is the perfect merit
.
(Excerpted from Venerable Master Jingkong's Narrated Breakfast Teachings 20-14-0310)
Sutras