Hsing Yun

I travel around the world to preach Dharma. Besides lecturing, I also run educational, cultural, charity and other undertakings. Often believers and friends will ask me, "Have you ever met any difficulties?"

I recall that since I left the Buddhist Academy at the age of 20, the poor monk has served the society for 70 years. He said that I had difficulties and didn't think it was a serious problem; It is said that there are no difficulties, but there are often some obstacles. However, no matter what difficulties and obstacles, it is up to people to solve them.

As for the way to solve the difficulties, if some people in the society give red envelopes, the difficulties will disappear; If someone invites guests, the difficulties will be solved; The problem disappeared when someone asked for favors. In today's world, even the law and morality help solve problems.

In my life, I never gave red envelopes to officials, nor invited guests, nor used human kindness. The way to solve the problem, first of all, I argued with reason. Therefore, I solved many problems with the government and society. If the reason cannot be solved, I will take time to solve it. In my opinion, they are officials and I am a monk. I have been a monk all my life. Time is good for me, so I slowly solved the difficulties. In short, the way to solve difficulties still depends on courage and wisdom.

Let's start with some important situations! For example, my good friend, Master Zhiyong, originally wanted to set up a monk rescue team. Suddenly, he heard that he was going to move to Taiwan for training. He said he didn't want to set up a rescue team. But you have recruited 200 fellow practitioners. Can you be irresponsible? Out of indignation, I said to him at that time, "If you don't take the team to Taiwan, I will go."

I don't mean to say how capable I was at that time, but I think that people should be honest, and they can't return tickets halfway. In retrospect, although the monk rescue team did not achieve anything due to karma, Yinian's loyalty and bravery enabled me to come to Taiwan. By virtue of Buddhist karma, I could forge good karma and let me go to the world; Because of the Buddha's blessing, I was able to promote Dharma and benefit life around the world.

After arriving in Taiwan, the difficulty of survival came. Since I do not have an entry permit, I cannot stay in Taiwan; As a good cause, I met Wu Honglin, the father of Wu Boxiong, on my way to apply for a household registration. We didn't know each other. As the president of the Police and People's Association and the provincial senator, he helped me take responsibility and let me register, which solved my difficulties in staying in Taiwan. In fact, the way to solve the difficulties is to meet good reasons and good luck.

Later, the Kuomintang government, suspecting that Buddhists worked for the mainland Communist Party, arrested more than 100 monks and sent them to prison. At that time, we had no relatives or reasons, even if we had to ask for help, we had no choice. Finally, because of good reasons and good karma, although we had been in prison for more than 20 days, many righteous people came out to call for help for us, and finally washed away the grievances for Buddhists, and restored the innocence and freedom of more than 100 of our monks. Many of these people include Wu Guozhen's father, Mr. Wu Jingming, legislator Dong Zhengzhi, supervisor Ding Junsheng, and Mrs. Sun Zhang Qingyang, wife of General Sun Liren, commander in chief of the army. If there was no help from them, I didn't know what the consequences would be.

In those troubled years, every week, at most two weeks, I would be woken up by the police once or twice in the middle of the night. They said they wanted to check the account, but in fact they wanted to investigate my words and deeds. I remember that in 1951, when I lived in Lingyin Temple in Qingcaohu, Hsinchu, I had to go to the police station to ask for leave every time I went to the city to talk about Buddhism, and I could go there only with their permission.

Fortunately, at that time, because the government promoted the people to learn to speak Mandarin, they issued a summons, and the people refused to participate. The police had no way to explain to their superiors, so they had to find me. Because I am a teacher of Taiwan Buddhist Seminar (Buddhist Academy), they asked me to teach Mandarin.

Since there were only a few people, within one month, I had increased the number of students to more than 200. They were also very moved when they saw that I had helped them, made him explain something to his superiors, and solved his difficulties. So they also lifted the rule that I had to go to the city first to ask for leave. I think that to solve the difficulties in this way, we must rely on our ability and our determination, otherwise it will be difficult to solve these many obstacles.

Years passed in these hard times. I have been promoting law in Taiwan for more than ten years. From Kaohsiung to Yilan, I have traveled between the two places, but I have no fixed residence. Later, the Kaohsiung Buddhist Church was built in Kaohsiung, and I was only committed to helping believers build it, not taking it as my own; In Yilan, a small temple of Longhua Sect called Leiyin Temple, I have lived for more than 20 years, and I didn't want to say that I would become the abbot. In this way, I have no name, but I am obligated to help people edit magazines, write articles, and travel in the north and south.

As a result of more than ten years of friendship, believers initiated the construction of a five storey Shoushan Temple at the entrance of Kaohsiung Shoushan Park. Only then did I feel that there would be a place where I could live and practice independently in the future. However, a document came from the Kaohsiung Fortress Headquarters on Shoushan Mountain, thinking that the Shoushan Temple was too high, which would prevent them from shelling enemy ships at sea, and the fourth and fifth floors must be removed.

Believers were very nervous and wanted to ask the municipal government for help. I said that Taiwan is now the military first, and the people and the government have no influence on the military. I sighed with regret that I didn't have the karma of merit. After ten years of preaching, it was not easy. Now I have a small Shoushan Temple, but it is about to be demolished. If Buddhists knew about it, they would laugh at the poor monk and say: Xingyun has no luck.

As a last resort, I had to rely on my own courage. I said to the believers, "Don't worry, I will solve the problem." Holding my ID card, I decided to go to Shoushan to find the headquarters of the fortress and register with them to discuss business. When I arrived at the headquarters, I said loudly at the door, "Which officer gave the order to dismantle Shoushan Temple? I am the abbot of Shoushan Temple, and I have something to say."

One of the colonel's officers stood up from his seat and said, "It's my responsibility." The colonel's name can't be remembered now, I only remember that I said to him, "You instructed me to demolish the fourth and fifth floors of Shoushan Temple. I have no personal opinion. You see, I am a monk, and I have no family everywhere. If you demolish this temple, at most this temple cannot live, I will live in another temple. It doesn't matter. However, if a journalist comes to take a picture and says that Taiwan is hostile to religion, it doesn't matter."; Or you may want to demolish Shoushan Temple, which was built by Kaohsiung residents. If you demolish their temple, it is equivalent to demolishing their families. If they disagree, I can't help it. "

I went on to say, "You should know that a few days ago, Vietnamese President Diem had a dispute with the people because he discriminated against Buddhism, burned the Buddhist flag, and finally the government was overthrown and the president was killed. It seems that you should carefully consider the consequences of dismantling the fourth and fifth floors of Shoushan Temple."

After listening to my words, he was very nervous and asked me humbly, "What should I do. The sky was full of dark clouds, so a few words passed. I think wisdom and courage are the key to solving difficulties.

The difficulty of survival has been solved, and the problem of legality of the temple has come again. It took me ten years to apply for the registration certificate of Foguang Mountain Temple, because the local government responsible person misunderstood me. I thought to myself, you are the elected supervisor. There is always a time when you step down. I have been a monk for a lifetime and can wait slowly. It was not until ten years later, in 1977, when I finally got the temple registration certificate, that I was allowed by the Ministry of the Interior to teach the Three Great Commandments. That retreat was also called a model retreat by Taiwan's Buddhist community.

These ten years are nothing for me, because I know the time is good for me. Later, Wanshou Garden had to apply for a license, which was also extremely difficult. Fortunately, I met a Mr. Chen Yufen in Yilan. He is a provincial member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly, and also the secretary of the Communist Party and Youth League. In order to help us obtain a license, he sat in the town and waited at the Civil Affairs Department of the provincial government, asked the staff to treat us fairly, and legally issued a license to Wanshouyuan.

In the past, I was in Yilan, and Foguang Mountain was in Kaohsiung in the south. Forty or fifty years ago, because the expressway had not been built, it would take a day to travel frequently. In particular, we Buddhists are vegetarian, and there is no place to eat on the way. We often have to borrow a small noodle shop at the halfway station to solve the problem. Therefore, it is thought that we should have a separate courtyard and a place for people and believers to eat.

With this resolution, the disciples started from Yuanlin on the mountain line, asked about Dajia on the sea line, walked along the way, and saw if there was any land to sell nearby? Finally, in the Fushan Mountain of Dazhuwei, Changhua, there is a garbage dump. The price is cheap. We will buy it first, and then we will slowly clean up the garbage on the ground. We think that when the Fushan Temple is built, there will be no difficulty in traveling from north to south, eating and lodging.

At that time, we just wanted to give people convenience, but we didn't expect difficulties, but it was also difficult to apply for the building license of Fushan Temple. At the beginning, I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register. He said, how can you register a temple with the Civil Affairs Bureau if you don't have a temple building license? I thought he was right, so I went to the Construction Bureau to apply for a construction license. When he arrived at the Construction Bureau, he said that you had not registered with the Civil Affairs Bureau to build a temple. Why did you ask the Construction Bureau to issue a construction license?

Under the condition of playing football with each other, I have been communicating with the Construction Bureau and the Civil Affairs Bureau for many times, and it has also taken several years, but it has never been successful. Finally, with the help of Mr. Chen Zhifen, Changhua County Government had to obey the instructions of the provincial government and allow us to build.

In this way, the officials of the county government were very unwilling to attend our preparatory meeting for the establishment of the temple. They first asked all 27 representatives of believers to be present, and then asked us to sing the national anthem. It is not difficult to represent the 27 believers. They are all early Taoist friends of Foguang Mountain, highly educated and very young. The problem lies in the attitude of officials, who despise and domineer.

Fortunately, we can also stand the exam. I remember that time, 27 people sang the national anthem with special charm; They were shocked when they heard that a monk who had looked down upon before could sing the national anthem so well. They immediately changed their attitude and asked why the singing was so sweet. I think it is not easy for them to hear such a beautiful voice at the government flag raising ceremony!

The original Buddhists were discriminated against and excluded from the society and had no status at all. They did not expect that the current monks would not only sing the national anthem, but also sing it so well. Because of this relationship, the situation has turned worse. We have a good impression on us, so we are allowed to build temples. So many difficulties can be solved not only by money, but also by luck, depending on your basic energy and strength.

The poor monk first opened the mountain in Foguang Mountain, which is a barren hill with ditches everywhere. In order to build it, the cost is more than many times of the investment on flat land. However, fortunately, it is located in the wild and mountainous area, and I don't need a license. I'm not eager to succeed in one day, but I will develop slowly depending on my own strength.

However, when we had a little scale and were ready to apply for a license, the relevant personnel asked me: "You must have two fire engines and fifty firefighters to register." If people did not understand the laws and regulations, they would probably be intimidated. But I'm not worried at all. How can I solve your unreasonable request?

So I asked him, "How many fire engines are there in many large-scale buildings that surpass our Foguang Mountain, such as the Presidential Palace? How many fire engines are there in the county government? Why do I have to raise two fire engines and fifty firefighters in a small mountain temple?" I knew that he was deliberately making trouble for me, so I slowly worked with him, and the problem would always be solved.

But my disaster is not so simple. Later, someone secretly reported that I had 200 long guns in my possession and ordered me to come to Foguang Mountain to investigate. I said, I don't have 200 sticks here. What do you want to investigate?

I was also asked by the relevant units to write a slogan: "Anti Communist, anti Russian, killing Zhu and pulling Mao." I think, in a religious place, why do you want to be so murderous? I can't make it. I firmly told him: "The temple stresses harmony, peace and harmony. I dare not write or do anything against or kill." Later, it ended.

In addition to the difficulties in building, there are also difficulties in running a Buddhist college. People often say that if a person wants to perish, they will let him run an education. At that time, while opening the mountain, I wanted to educate the young people who followed me, so I decided to set up a Buddhist college. When the disciple heard this, he immediately said, "You can't do it. If you do it, you can't even eat." I don't believe it. When there is no way out, I can go to the funeral home to recite scriptures for people all night. In order to train students, they can eat after reading it. What's the difficulty?

"Poor Monk" has 26 things to say: the second is my way to solve difficulties

If a Buddhist college is established, it is necessary to have good teachers to educate students. At that time, Foguang Mountain was remote and the transportation was very inconvenient. Others say, where is it possible for you to invite a famous teacher to teach in this mountain area? But I don't believe that I will invite famous teachers with my enthusiasm and sincerity. Professors and experts from Taiwan University, Chenggong University, Zhongxing University, and even military, naval, and national defense medical schools, such as Yang Guoshu, Wei Zhengtong, Chen Guying, Li Rizhang, Lin Zhenghong, Fang Lun, Tang Yixuan, Wang Huai, Tang Yinan, and so on. In addition to Buddhism, experts and linguists in natural science were invited all the way.

Unexpectedly, Ye Ayue and Fang Dongmei from Taiwan University later criticized me and said, "Foguang Mountain is the headquarters of the Communist Party. Fortunately, I was lucky. Unlike Master Zheng Guang, the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Tainan, I was shot just to invite Master Juzan from mainland China to have a meal. Fortunately, unlike my students, Xiu and Dharma Master of Haishan Temple in Taitung, they were put in prison and sentenced to life imprisonment for the Wu Tai'an incident, and finally died wrongly in prison.

At this time, I had to stand up bravely and prove with my actions. Fortunately, believers also know my life, and I have videos to prove what I said everywhere. After a period of time, this rumor also broke down. I believe that as long as you do it right, religion belongs to religion and politics belongs to politics. If you want to frame it with false lies, it will no longer be useful for Foguang Mountain.

A few years later, I was at a meeting with the general Chang Zhixiu, the commander of the police, who said to me, "The letters and documents you were secretly told about are at least one meter high." I was really surprised that in Taiwan at that time, a dollar stamp, a letter or a letter could kill people or ruin your life.

In that kind of danger and hardship, only one can bear it bravely and not be a cowardly monk. Sometimes we can lower our eyebrows like a Bodhisattva, but when Buddhism is framed, I should also be as angry as a diamond and would not hesitate to fight against him. Anyway, I am in the mainland. I was born in the war when I was young. I came to Taiwan from the dead in the rain of guns and bullets. I don't care about danger, even life and death.

Of course, it takes a lot of courage and determination to meet these difficulties. In addition to thanking Buddha for his blessing and thousands of believers for their protection, I can blame anyone, can't I?

The great ship of the times has rolled forward, and Taiwan's political parties have also developed slowly. Many of these dissidents are against the Kuomintang, but I am really wronged because the Kuomintang said in the newspaper that I was a party adviser and a member of the deliberation committee. But I was innocent and accused of unjustifiable accusations by them without being informed in advance or seeing a letter of appointment. Of course, I don't have to deny that I am a Kuomintang member, but many dissidents believe that "Foguang Mountain is the base of the Kuomintang in the south".

At the beginning, they were not strong enough to oppose the government. However, they were brave enough to oppose religion and the weak. Some people gathered to block the gate of Foguang Mountain and prevent the masses on the mountain from getting in and out. I reported to the police station that a lot of policemen came, but they just refused to deal with it. I said, "They stopped my mountain gate. I can't get in and out. Why didn't you deal with it?" The police said, "They didn't act!" Action? Do you want us to fight and push him on the mountain? Still want us to do something? I can't understand.

However, I also know that many cowardly and incompetent security personnel who came at that time are bullies and afraid of evil, and they are powerless to deal with them. In fact, their superiors often take a walk in Foguang Mountain, and even the highest director is also a disciple of Foguang Mountain, but we don't use relations to solve difficulties, why? In fact, the reality of Taiwan makes the police very poor, forcing them to do so. Therefore, we don't care with them.

These people stopped my front door, so I found a new way to come out from the mountain gate behind. My door is very wide, and the southeast and northwest are my directions. You can stop this mountain gate, but how long can you stay together? Don't eat during the day and don't sleep at night? Of course, it won't last. I know they will return without success.

Finally, they found Ms. Yu Chen Yueying, the then Kaohsiung County Chief, to coordinate with us on the mountain. Yu Chen, the county magistrate, helped solve the problem of people surrounding the mountain. Later, she also became a follower and representative of Foguang Mountain. Therefore, if you are willing to solve difficulties, you can also turn enemies into friends. Later, Yu Jiaban of the Democratic Progressive Party has always been the protector of Foguang Mountain.

In the process of opening a mountain and building a temple, personnel problems should also be one of the difficulties. For example, some men go to the mountain to become monks, and some parents even send their young children to the mountain to become monks; Over time, they have grown up and must serve in the military. But once he went to the army, he never came back.

Some young people, who had to work hard on the slope because of mountain construction, could not bear the strain and left without saying goodbye. Some young people protested with their parents that they wanted to go home and were unwilling to live a life of pure tea and simple meals and stick to Buddhist rules. Although such a small number of people, there are several such elements in a religious group, which will always affect some people and make the group uneasy. In my opinion, the so-called "Iron Beating Water Monks" are free in their beliefs. They can go and stay if they want, which is not a big deal.

Later, even if someone wanted to go home, I sent someone to help them carry their luggage, buy a train ticket for him, and ask someone to help him get on the train and let them go home. Some people want to go home, but their parents are not allowed. I help them to intercede with their parents. Because becoming a monk must have the character of becoming a monk. Without the character of becoming a monk, making him in this religious group is just like making up for the number, which is also bad for the religious group.

Therefore, when I solve personnel problems, I mostly respect his freedom, let go of the situation and adapt to his own situation, so that everyone will be safe. If we have nothing to do with each other, won't we solve the difficulties? At least when they return to the society, they have a little foundation of Buddhism and learn a little energy to make a living. Although they have not achieved his career in life, I planted a basic moral concept of being a man for him. Am I also contributing to the society?

In 2002, I received a phone call from Taiwan at the newly established Benchi Temple in Japan, saying that the Jade Buddha Tower Gaozhai Hall I built was on fire. Of course, on the phone, I told them to ask the fire brigade to help put out the fire. After a while, another call came from Taiwan, saying that the fire brigade had instructed not to put out the fire. I was afraid that the fire would spread even more if the windows were opened and the door opened. Let it close and smolder, and it would be OK.

It doesn't matter. It's just that the storeroom where the magic scriptures are stored is burned down. If the Buddhist scriptures are burned, I can print them again; If the house burns down, I can rebuild it again. But now I recall, why did you not save the fire when you saw it? I have donated fire engines and fire brigades, but when I need fire fighters, they stay out of the way? I still can't understand. Although it has increased my economic losses, we are not less enthusiastic about promoting Buddhism and promoting the development of Buddhism. This fire will not burn our confidence.

Later, the disciples of Foguang Mountain carelessly built a temporary iron house on a piece of agricultural land outside the road at the foot of the mountain, in which some tables, chairs, books and sundries were stacked. For unknown reasons, the house suddenly caught fire. This was originally a small matter. It was an idle warehouse, and soon put out the fire. It did not affect the land next door or others. But on the newspaper the next day, Dou Da's headline "Foguang Mountain is on fire" was shocking. Are you happy when Foguang Mountain is burned? Are you happy? We have been unfairly stigmatized and trampled by society. The society's wrong perception of Buddhism is probably our biggest difficulty.

Although there are grievances in our hearts, we are not discouraged or discouraged, and we also serve the public. It is equal to the early days of the mountain. Because of inexperience, it rained heavily and washed away the sand and stone that we had already filled. It doesn't matter. I can fill it after washing away; The bank of the release pool, which is about to be completed, was also destroyed by the flood. It doesn't matter. I can strengthen the reconstruction. All difficulties, as long as you persevere, as long as you persevere, any difficulty is not difficult. Moreover, the so-called Bodhisattva "sends out Bodhicitta and makes firm vows". Seeking the Buddha's way up and transforming all living beings down is just a difficulty. He also regards it as an opportunity to temper us, and is our cause of ascension.

Taiwan is a place with simple folk customs and popular folk religions. Buddhism is also recognized by folk religions in Taiwan, but the history of Buddhism in Taiwan is not very long. At the earliest, Zheng Chenggong's mother built Kaiyuan Temple in Tainan, which can be said to be the earliest temple; A Buddhist monk in Fujian, Shubi, brought a statue of Meizhou Mazu across the sea to Taiwan and created the Chaotian Palace in Beigang; The Monga Longshan Temple in Taipei worships Guanyin Bodhisattva, the founder of Qingshui, etc. It can be said that the origin of Taiwan's Shintoism is related to Buddhism. Therefore, they are also very courteous to Buddhist temples. The Buddhist Association often fights with the government in religious law to protect the interests of the Shinto Temple, so that everyone can live in harmony with each other. However, there are several important events that have historical significance in Taiwan's Buddhist history, and also bring Taiwan into line with the international community. We should let everyone know.

For example, the World Buddhist Friendship Association and the World Buddhist Outstanding Women's Conference were held in Foguang Mountain for several consecutive times; The conversation between Buddhism and the Cardinal of the Vatican was also held in Foguang Mountain; In addition, the Buddhist finger relics of Famen Temple in Xi'an were welcomed to Taiwan, and millions of people paid homage to them, which promoted the religious and cultural exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits; India Gonggadojie Rinpoche led twelve Rinpoche who had both virtue and conduct to Taiwan and presented Buddhist tooth relics to Foguang Mountain... It can be said that these are Taiwan's great glory and history.

When the Buddhist tooth relics came to Taiwan, the very enlightened chief executive Xiao Wanchang also helped us find places everywhere and hoped to build a Buddha Memorial Hall for worship. I think it will be difficult to find a plain for construction in Taiwan's mountainous areas. After several surveys, thousands of temples and millions of people from all over the world finally decided to build a Buddha Memorial Hall on the original site of Altair Company, which is close to Foguang Mountain.

After completion, the Buddha Memorial Hall has become the most internationally recognized religious shrine for sightseeing and worship in Taiwan, with more than 13 million tourists from all over the world every year. The Tourism Administration said that the Buddhist Museum has driven the economic development of Kaohsiung and added glory to Taiwan in the world. Just a few people's representatives often slander us and fabricate some untrue statements when the parliament is interrogating us. For example, we didn't have a license, accused Foguang Mountain of not having a parking lot, and could only park 40 cars... All kinds of voices that vilified Foguang Mountain made the public have a bad impression on us, and Buddhism suffered losses.

However, "we know the horse power from afar, and we can see the people's heart through time". In fact, Foguang Mountain rents land from farmers, so that visitors can park more than 1000 cars. Foguang Mountain does not occupy an inch of the country's land, nor does Foguang Mountain have an inch of dispute with nearby land. All buildings in Foguang Mountain are legal, and even if a small number of so-called violations, they are only procedural violations, not substantive violations. Even though we are going through formalities, we have no choice but to waste the days when soil and water conservation in mountainous areas is required.

Of course, the Water Conservancy Bureau and some officials later fined us again and again for the sake of our main building, as there were some sporadic building licenses attached to it, because it was still in the process of delivering documents for processing, or it was opened for use before the license was obtained. In Australia, in the United States, and in the mainland, we also build temples. Religion is helped and respected by the local government. In Taiwan, we often receive fines from the government. By contrast, is it our government's problem or our own mistake?

There are also some difficulties that are not difficult, such as disasters that have occurred in recent years, such as the September 21 earthquake, the Morakot August 8 storm, the Indonesian tsunami, the Wenchuan earthquake, the earthquake in northeastern Japan, the Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, the floods on the east coast of Malaysia, and the recent earthquake in Nepal. We went to disaster relief and medical care, donated schools and libraries; In addition, we provide warmth in the cold winter, deliver meals for the elderly living alone, donate ambulances and wheelchairs to people and units in need, buy books for Yunshui bookstores, collect books and tour remote schools and regions, promote reading for the whole people, and even we invite priests and nuns to preach for them, respect their beliefs, and let them rely on their hearts Soothing and so on, these, can be done, also not difficult.

It is often said that Foguang Mountain is commercialized; In fact, Foguang Mountain has the principle of "not doing without Buddha". It has never made money. To run a Buddhist college, students should dress and eat; Activities such as short-term monastic activities and summer camps must cost a lot of money; Even public service television stations, and even books, newspapers, periodicals and magazines, are units with huge expenditure and no income; Fortunately, there are so many kind-hearted believers to help, as long as it is beneficial to purify the hearts and minds of the society, we are willing to continue to serve even though "every day is hard".

As the saying goes, "Let what goes go, and what comes will come naturally", Buddhism stresses cause and effect. Whatever happens, we will be treated fairly in karma. You asked me how to solve my difficulties? My handling principle: I will never fight with you, nor abuse or hate you, but be reasonable. In this way, there will be no right or wrong, and no loss. I believe that "where there is Buddhism, there will be solutions", and there will be no difficulties.

To sum up, the difficulties of Foguang Mountain are all solved by the Buddha, and the believers are eager to help solve them; We feel ashamed and temporarily enjoy the peace in the world. Except for thanksgiving, how dare we talk about difficulties?

If someone asks me what difficulties I have in the future, I will ask you to help me solve them!