Cultivation must be based on the premise of believing in cause and effect Wen/Elder Jinghui
Over the past few days, many Dharma Masters and lay people have got a good feeling in the process of practicing Zen Seven together. This is the most important harvest of our Dharma Club. A hermit came to me to talk about some situations in the process of meditation, and felt that this Taoist temple was very wonderful and clean. Sitting in a meditation hall is significantly different from sitting at home. By practicing together in the meditation hall, the mind can immediately calm down, and each incense can enter the realm of feeling. This is the advantage of collective meditation.
It has many advantages to practice together in ancient temples. For example, for more than 100 years, Shuanglin Temple has had its own tradition, inheritance, Dharmapala God's protection, the power of the Three Treasures, and the former Fukuda Monk's acceptance. In such an environment, the progress will be great. Therefore, a temple often has joint practice activities, which is the supreme cause for our believers at home.
On the one hand, we should understand the methods and problems we should pay attention to on the way to practice, and avoid going into wrong areas; On the other hand, it is also necessary to have an overall grasp of the theoretical thinking of Buddhism and a clear general direction. I remember when I was studying at the China Buddhist Academy, we had a teacher who was an old hermit, a university scholar and an overhaul pedestrian. He was Zhou Shujia, the dean of the Buddhist Academy at that time. Old Zhou was born in a very rich family. His ancestors had been high-ranking officials in the Qing government, and he was the first national capitalist in modern China. Zhou Laoju studied Buddhism and practiced Buddhism since he was young. He has offered us a lot of courses. In his lectures, he always emphasizes that Buddhism has two major laws that cannot be shaken: the first is the law of origin, and the second is the law of cause and effect. These two laws are the cornerstone of Buddhist thought and doctrine. Because of the law of origin, the Buddhist thought of selflessness was established. There is no first reason for all kinds of laws to come into being. Therefore, Buddhism is a religion without self. Because of the law of cause and effect, it established the idea of Buddhism that the karma is not lost in practice. That is to say, on the one hand, there is no self; on the other hand, all the actions of all beings have causes and consequences, and the karma will not be lost. He has a book called "Eight Outlines", in which an introduction is dedicated to this idea, telling his experience of learning and practicing Buddhism for many years.
In history, many eminent monks and great virtues are not only great repair pedestrians, but also great scholars. Like the founders of various sects, like those great translators and commentators, their research on Buddhism goes deep into scriptures; In the practice of Buddhism, I am free to stay and leave. At the same time, in history, there were many great hermits who believed in Buddhism very devoutly and practiced very well. In modern times, there are many scholars and practitioners among them. Like the old hermit Yang Renshan, who is known as the "father of the revival of Chinese Buddhism", the old hermit Wang Enyang, who is very famous for his research on the Vipassana sect, and the old hermit Zhou Shujia I mentioned just now, they are all very famous university scholars and overhaul pedestrians, who have both good knowledge and good practice, It really needs to be done in front of the two laws of Buddhism.
In front of these two laws, it is only explained in theory, but cannot be implemented in practice, that is, learning is out of touch with practice, or learning is out of touch with life. Now we also have some famous mages and great virtues who have explained the reason and origin of cause and effect thoroughly, but there is a discount in the practice of cause and effect. The reason and law of causality are summarized from many causal facts. Without causal facts, there would be no reason for causality. Knowing the truth of cause and effect does not mean that we can admit the fact of cause and effect. This is a fatal problem for people today to study Buddhism. Many college students, whose Dharma is very harmonious, are out of touch with their own beliefs and life. They learn only for learning, not for changing themselves. Confucian thought, learning and life are unified; Taoist thought, learning and life are also unified; Buddhist thought, learning and life are more unified. This is a major feature of Chinese traditional cultural thought.
In modern times, learning is out of touch with being a man. What is the problem? The problem is that confidence cannot be really built. If confidence cannot be built, practice cannot be implemented; If confidence cannot be built, we cannot really put the problem of keeping the results of our business into practice. It is a fundamental problem in Buddhist practice to keep the fruits of the karma intact. The success of karma is extended from karma to karma. Only the theory of karma, without the implementation of results, has become a castle in the air.
On the Bodhi Road, faith is fundamental. On the way of learning Buddhism, we should first establish firm belief. What do you believe? Only when faith and karma are kept, can cultivation be based. We sit in this place and say that no hard work is fake and very hard. Why should we suffer such hard work? Not for hard work, not for sitting here and looking good, not for getting together. If you just want to get together, there are many ways. This is a kind of practice, this is a practice of life liberation, and it is a struggle that requires the sublimation of life. Practice cannot be separated from cause and effect. Practice is cause, and effect and cause coexist. One point of progress, one point of benefit, one point of result. Believe deeply in the principle of cause and effect, practice will be much smoother, and there will be no obstacles in thought. Having identified this path, there is no obstacle in mind. If we go forward bravely, we can always correspond to the Tao and communicate with all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and ancestors. All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the ten directions and the ancestors of all generations practice the law of cause and effect. We must follow the footsteps of Buddhas and ancestors in all directions and move forward on the path of Bodhi. We must keep consistent with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and ancestors in all ages in terms of thoughts, feelings and even words and deeds, without any discount. Once a discount is given, confidence will waver. Confidence wavered. Sitting in this place would be a waste of effort.
When we study Buddhism, we should attach importance to theoretical research, and the results of theoretical research should be implemented in action. Theory can be said to be concept of the origin, and practice is concept of the cause and effect. In the process of understanding, those who have the order feel that the order is completely unified. What kind of theory, what kind of practice. Practice cannot be without theory. Practice must be based on the premise of believing in cause and effect, under the blessing of the three treasures, under the protection of the Dharma Protector, and in the collective practice, practice must progress quickly. If you can't trust the Dharma Protector Longtian and the Three Treasures, you will isolate yourself. We have never found a home when wandering in the sea of suffering. Now we finally find a home. When we find Sanbao's home, we should sit steadily in Sanbao's home. We should accept Sanbao's blessing. Don't isolate ourselves. Fighting alone will result in twice the effort.
We should believe this truth. We should not isolate ourselves from many good causes and good karma. We should use all good causes and good karma to achieve our own Taoism under the protection of Dharma Protector Longtian. Make yourself have fewer obstacles and more good karma on the path of practice.
——Excerpt from Self purification Wise Elder's Second Zen Enlightenment at Shuanglin Temple in Singapore
