Buddhism: One of the three major religions in the world, it was founded by the prince of Kapilavastu (now Nepal) in ancient India in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. His name was Siddhartha ( S. Siddhārtha, P. Siddhattha), his surname is Gautama (S. Gautama, P. Gotama). Because he belongs to the Sākya clan, people also call him Sakyamuni, which means the saint of the Sākya clan. Widely spread in many countries in Asia. It was introduced into my country from west to east during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are known as the three major religions in the world. Buddhism is the education of the Buddha, not a religion of worshiping the Buddha. Buddhism is neither a religion nor a philosophy. To say that Buddhism is a religion is just a popular explanation. In fact, it uses the wisdom of Prajna to realize from within to break the troubles of ignorance and achieve Bodhi (enlightenment). Buddhism has made an indelible contribution to the spread of world culture in history, and it still deeply affects us today.

In Buddhism, there are supreme Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and gods; but the supreme Buddha in Buddhism is completely different from the gods of other religions. To explain this, I would like to first give a simple definition of ‘Buddha’. Usually we refer to Shakyamuni Buddha as Buddha. In the eyes of historians, Sakyamuni Buddha is a thinker in India more than 2,500 years ago; in the hearts of Buddhists, Sakyamuni Buddha is the founder or leader of Buddhism in this world, but In Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha is innumerable, as Anming layman Shen Baofeng pointed out incisively in "On Buddha": "Buddha is nature, and nature is Buddha. People who are in Buddha will naturally become Buddhas." "The witty dialectic proves that Buddha is nature, and nature is thousands and thousands, including flowers, plants, trees, humans, ghosts, and animals. Even demons can become Buddhas as long as they put down the butcher's knife. If people want to become a Buddha, they need to be natural. They must not rush for success. They must have a calm mind and get rid of the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance. Only in this way will you become a Buddha naturally and logically.

The following "Briefly Define Buddha" is selected from "The Spirit and Characteristics of Buddhism" written by Professor Lin Shimin.

Briefly define Buddha: What I want to introduce to you here 'Buddha' is the general meaning of countless Buddhas in a broad sense. I would like to define 'Buddha' as follows:

'Buddha' is a personality whose reason, emotion and ability have reached the most perfect state at the same time. Let me repeat it: 'Buddha' is a personality in which reason, emotion and ability have reached the most perfect state at the same time. In other words: Buddha is a person of great wisdom, great compassion (or all-wisdom and all-compassion) and great power. Please note here the difference between Buddhism and other religions: Buddha is not omnipotent, and Buddha cannot grant us liberation. He can only teach us, and we still have to rely on our own efforts to achieve liberation. Buddha cannot make us go to heaven or condemn us to hell. It is not an easy task to define "Buddha".

To put it simply, Buddha is an ‘enlightened one’, ‘an enlightened person’.

Perhaps more clearly, it should be said that Buddha is a person who has a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of the universe and life.

There is also a concise and concise definition that is generally accepted by ordinary people, that is: Buddha is a person who is consciously aware of others and has perfect awareness and conduct. In other words, a Buddha is a person who has become enlightened himself and further helps other people to become enlightened as well. This kind of self-awareness (enlightenment) and awareness of others (action) have reached the most perfect state at the same time. [Edit this paragraph] Originated in India

Buddhism originated in ancient India about 2553 years ago. The founder of Buddhism is Sakyamuni Buddha. This name is a transliteration of Indian Sanskrit. Sakyamuni means kindness, Muni means silence, and silence means purity (silence means body, The state of eternal cessation of the three afflictions of speech and mind), Buddha means enlightenment. Sakyamuni Buddha is a North Indian, which is now Nepal, which is in the north of India and the south of Tibet.

According to classic records, the Buddha’s life span was 80 years old when he passed away. [Edit this paragraph] Introduced to China

The following content of this paragraph is excerpted from "A Brief History of Buddhism" compiled by the old layman Zhao Puchu

In AD 67, the tenth year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism Officially introduced to China by the government

In the 10th year of Yongping Emperor Ming Dynasty (67 years), Emperor Ming Dynasty dreamed of a golden man flying in the palace at night, and asked the officials in the morning. Taishi Fu Yi replied: The name of the great sage in the West is Buddha; I am afraid it is him that your Majesty dreams about.

The emperor sent eighteen people including Zhonglang Cai Min to the Western Regions to visit Buddhism. Cai Min met Zhu Falan in the Western Regions, photographed Mo Teng and the others, obtained Buddhist statues and scriptures, and returned to Luoyang on a white horse. Emperor Te built a monastery for them to live in, which was called White Horse Temple. So Mo Teng and Zhu Falan translated the Forty-Two Chapter Sutra in the temple. This is almost a common saying that Buddhism was first introduced in Han Dynasty, and it is also adopted by Chinese history textbooks.

After Buddhism was introduced to China, in the era of Emperor Ye Huanling at the end of the Later Han Dynasty (147-189), records became increasingly detailed and historical materials became increasingly rich. At that time, Buddhist scholars from the Western Regions came to China one after another, such as An Shigao and An Xuan from Anxi, Zhilou Jiajue and Zhi Yao from Yuezhi, Zhu Foshuo from Tianzhu, and Kang Mengxiang from Kangju. From this, translation became more and more popular, and so did legal affairs.

1. The beginning of Han people becoming a monk: The Han people became monks and practiced Taoism due to their belief in Buddhism. For example, in the volume of Zan Ning's "History of Monks", under the title "Monkhood in Eastern Xia", there is "Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty listened to Liu Jun, Marquis of Yangcheng, etc. "Being a monk is the beginning of a monk; the Luoyang woman Apan and others are becoming a monk, and it is the beginning of a nun" and so on. According to the events of Liu Jun and other monks, "Hanfa Bennei Zhuan" was published. "Nei Zhuan" is a fake book and cannot be trusted. However, in "The Biography of Eminent Monks. The Biography of Buddha Pictures", there are words such as "I went to the Han Ming Dynasty to experience dreams and first preached his way. I only heard that people in the Western Regions could build temples and cities to worship their gods, and none of the Han people could leave home." It seems that at that time There were already Han people who had become monks, and then this ban came into being. The Han people who became monks and became ascetics are recorded in the records, starting from Yan Fo Diao. For example, in "The Collection of Tripitaka. An Xuan Zhuan", it is called "Sramana Yan Fo Diao", and it is also said that he "renounced home and practiced Taoism"; "The Collection of Tripitaka. An Xuan Zhuan" " also reprinted the "Preface to the Ten Wisdom Chapters of Novices", with the title "Made by Yan Ajili (i.e. Ajili)'s floating tune". However, "Shi Shi Ji Gu Lue" states that Zhu Shixing, eight or ninety years after Fo Diao, was the first ascetic in Han Dynasty; "Three Treasures of the Past" also calls Fo Diao a Qing believer. This is probably because since the Han Dynasty, although Buddhism has been popular, the Taoism has not been pure, and monks are only distinguished by cutting off their beards and hair, and there is no discipline. Luo (Fashi) came to Luoyang, established the Karma Dharma, initiated and took the precepts, and then there were formal ascetics in China. Zhu Shi was the earliest to ascend the altar and receive ordination, so he is regarded as the beginning of ascetics in the middle-earth.

2. The beginning of folk temples and statues: "Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Biography of the Western Regions" narrates that after Emperor Huan worshiped the Buddha, he said, "There were a few people who worshiped the Buddha, and then it became more prosperous." This shows that the worship among the people at that time The number of Buddhas also gradually increased from a few; but the specific situation is only found in the existing documents about the enshrinement of Buddhas. According to "Book of the Later Han·Biography of Tao Qian" and "Wu Zhi·Biography of Liu Yao": During the reign of Emperor Xian, Zuo Rong from Danyang gathered hundreds of people and went to Xuzhou to pastor Tao Qian. Qian envoy supervised the transportation of the three counties of Guangling, Xiapi and Pengcheng. canal. Rong then cut off the defeat of the three counties, and built a large pagoda temple with gold plates on top and a heavy tower on the bottom. There are also halls and pavilions that can accommodate more than 3,000 people. They made gold-painted statues and clothed them with brocade colors. Every time they bathed the Buddha, they There are many places for drinking and dining, and banquets are laid out on the road, where there are more than ten thousand people sitting and watching." According to the records of the Panzhou Samadhi Sutra recorded in the "Collection of Chu Tripitaka", it shows that there was also a Buddhist temple in Luoyang at the time of Emperor Xian. From the story of Zuo Rong described in "Wu Zhi. Liu Yao's Biography", it seems that people worshiped Buddha in the late Han Dynasty for various reasons, which was different from those in the court who only wanted to pray for longevity and blessings. [Edit this paragraph] Chinese Zen

Zen takes Bodhidharma as the founder of China (Master Bodhidharma is the 28th generation founder of Indian Zen and the first ancestor of China), so it is also called Bodhidharma; because he became a Buddha The Heart Seal is the orthodox dharma lineage of the Buddha, also known as the Buddha's Heart Sect. Bodhidharma was active in Luoyang at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He advocated the principle of two-step and four-step meditation and taught his disciples based on the Lankavatara Sutra. The disciple who transmitted the Dharma was the Second Patriarch Huike, the disciple of Huike was the Third Patriarch Sengcan, and the disciple who transmitted the Dharma was the Fourth Patriarch Daoxin. Daoxin's disciples are the Fifth Patriarch Hongren, who established the Dongshan Dharma Sect and are the Fifth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. His disciples went to two capitals to promote the Dharma, and became famous for a while. Among them were Shenxiu and Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch who was a disciple of the Dharma. They were divided into the Jianmen of the Northern Sect and the Dunmen of the Southern Sect. Shenxiu lived in Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou and entered Beijing in his later years. He was a master of the Three Empires. His disciples included Puji in Songshan Mountain and Yifu in Zhongnanshan Mountain. Huineng lived in Baolin Temple in Caoxi, Shaozhou and had many disciples. He was named the Sixth Patriarch. Later it became the authentic sect of Zen Buddhism. The emperor personally gave the posthumous title of Zen Master Dajian to the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. He taught the Dharma to many disciples, such as: Zen Master Nanyue Huairang, Zen Master Qingyuan Xingsi, Zen Master Yongjia Xuanjue, etc. There are more than 40 people who have achieved enlightenment, not counting those who are enlightened. Its number.

Later, Zen Master Mazu Daoyi, a disciple of Zen Master Nanyue Huairang, made great contributions to Chinese Buddhism. He established the jungle system and standardized the dojo. Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai, a disciple of Zen Master Mazu Daoyi, also formulated clear rules and regulations to regulate his disciples. Therefore, Buddhism calls it "Mazu built the jungle, and Baizhang established the clear rules." It remains largely unchanged to this day. The two lessons every day, morning and evening, also started at this time. The disciples of Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai include Zen Master Huangbo Xiyun and Zen Master Yangshan Lingyou, both of whom are great ancestors who still influence the Buddhist world! Since the Sixth Patriarch, the throne has not been passed down, that is to say, there is no seventh Patriarch, because the real lineage of Zen Buddhism is not the mantle but the Heart Seal. The Heart Seal continues to this day and has never been cut off. Generations of great patriarchs have continued to They all continue the Sixth Patriarch’s Dunjiao method!

The Sixth Patriarch Huineng was the promoter of Zen Buddhism. He advocated the original purity of mind and the inherent Buddha-nature, directly pointing to the human heart, and achieving Buddhahood by seeing one's nature. After Huineng, Zen Buddhism spread widely and reached its peak in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. Zen Buddhism brought the development of Chinese Buddhism to its peak and had a significant impact on the development of ancient Chinese culture. [Edit this paragraph] The Spirit and Characteristics of Buddhism

This paragraph is excerpted from Professor Lin Shimin’s book "The Spirit and Characteristics of Buddhism" The Characteristics of Buddhism

If we take Buddhism and Compared with other existing religions in the world, it is obvious that there are many differences between Buddhism and them. For the convenience of explanation, I have summarized it into ten points to explain. That is to say, Buddhism has at least the following ten characteristics. .

First, Buddha is a god, not a human being

Looking at all the religions in the world, except for Buddhism, there is no religion whose leader does not regard himself as a superhuman 'god'. . This god can control the wind and rain, and turn stones into gold; he controls the good and bad luck of mankind, and controls the life, death, honor and disgrace of all things. Only by kneeling in front of Him, praising and singing, ascribing all success and glory to Almighty God, and believing in Him can human beings go to heaven. Those who oppose Him can only fall into hell, with no room for defense or appeal.

As for the leader of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, the first words he said when he came to the world were: "I am the only one in heaven and on earth." ’ What readers should note here is that the word ‘I’ in ‘I am the only one’ does not refer to Sakyamuni himself alone, but to everyone in the entire human race. The correct interpretation of this sentence should be: Man is upright in the universe. Everyone is his own master and determines his own destiny. He does not have to take orders from anyone or any superhuman god.

Sakyamuni attributed his enlightenment, achievements and attainments entirely to people's own efforts and talents. Sakyamuni believed that a person's good or bad luck, success or failure, honor and disgrace, are determined by the good and evil of his actions and his efforts. No one can lift me to heaven, and no one can push me to hell. Praising and singing cannot lead to happiness away from suffering. Only by down-to-earth cultivation of mind and nature can one's personality be purified and sublimated, and one can enjoy the happiness of peace of mind.

Sakyamuni cannot turn stones into gold like a magic trick. He advocated "what you want to reap, you must first plant." He cannot make a lotus tree grow apples. If you want to harvest apples, you must first sow apple seeds. Sakyamuni only tells you how to cultivate so that you can have a fruitful harvest in the future, but you still have to do the cultivation work yourself.

Didn’t Mr. Liang Qichao also make such a metaphor in his article "The Interest of Learning"? He said that the feeling of sunbathing in winter is very comfortable, but "although the sun is good, you still have to bask in it yourself, and others cannot bask in it for you." '

Sakyamuni has been teaching the Dharma for forty-nine years and has talked about the Sutra for more than three hundred meetings (times). He is nothing more than pointing out a 'way to become a Buddha' for us - to create the most complete and perfect wisdom and wisdom for ourselves. Personality. But this road requires one to walk it through with perseverance, wisdom, and perseverance. So the Buddha said: "You have to do the work yourself, because I only teach you the way to go." ’

There is no shortcut to becoming a Buddha. Practice is a matter of effort. ‘How can you get the fragrance of plum blossoms without going through a lot of coldness to the bones? '

Second, the Buddha is a true equal.

I say that the Buddha is a true equal, and I am not just talking nonsense. Let us first observe the social background of India at that time: Who Everyone knows that in India during the time of Gautama Buddha, society was divided into four major classes: Brahmins, nobles, commoners, and slaves. Sakyamuni, who was the prince, saw the irrationality of social classes and resolutely raised the banner of equality and advocated the abolition of class antagonisms. , advocating equality for all living beings.

Please think about it carefully. All the revolutions in history are the demands of the humble and lowly classes for "improvement" and the equality of the noble and superior classes. There is absolutely no revolution like Sakyamuni. He is willing to 'lower' his status as a prince to be equal to commoners and slaves. Because of his selfless and do-nothing style, I say he is a true equalizer.

At the same time, Buddhism also advocates "unconditional compassion" and "common compassion", pushing the meaning of equality to a further level.

I think there must be some students who are not clear about the meanings of "Unpredestined Compassion" and "Unpredestined Compassion". I should briefly describe them here:

(1) Unpredestined Compassion Great Compassion: Buddhism advocates not only being kind to people who are related to you, such as your parents, relatives, friends, etc., but also being kind to people who are not relatives or friends with you, such as those who have never interacted with me or are strangers to me. People are equally caring and loving. In Confucian terms, "Unpredestined Great Compassion" means: "I am old and I am as old as others; I am young and I am as young as others." ’ That’s what the “Datong Chapter of Rites and Yun” says, ‘not just to kiss one’s own relatives, and to have children of one’s own children. ’ means.

(2) The Great Compassion of the Same Body: The Great Compassion of the Same Body is a spirit in which people are hungry and others are drowning, and all living beings in the universe are regarded as one and we are one, and we are connected with flesh and blood, flesh and blood.

As Confucianism says: ‘There are close friends in the sea, and there are neighbors in the world. ’ He also said: ‘We are all brothers within the four seas. ’ It can express the mind of ‘the great compassion of the same body’. And Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, ‘If I don’t go to hell, who will? ’ The compassionate wish is deep in the heart, and it is the ultimate form of great compassion for one body.

Finally, what I want to explain is that what best expresses the spirit of "true equality" in Buddhism is the concept of equality in Buddhism. It is not limited to people who are the spirits of all things. Buddhism opposes "everything other than human beings". The argument that animals are all created to satisfy humans. The cries and cries of all animals when they are about to die are so miserable that they cannot bear to hear them. Even Mencius said with emotion: "Hearing their sounds, they cannot bear to eat their flesh." '

Buddhism further affirms that these animals, which are hunted and killed indiscriminately by humans who claim to be the spirits of all things, all have Buddha nature - a potential that can become a Buddha in the future. Humans and other animals are different in body and intelligence, but they are equal in the right to survive and in Buddha nature. Just like a vicious or stupid person, he also has "humanity". We must treat him with "humanity", educate him and influence him with "humanity". The ancients said: "Heaven has the virtue of good life." ’ He also said: ‘All things exist with me. ’ is an idea of ??equality that regards all things as one. It’s just that Buddhism doesn’t explain it so thoroughly.

Third, Buddha is not a person who is born knowing

Sakyamuni was an ordinary man. His surname was Gautama and his name was Siddhartha. He lived in the sixth century BC. He was born in North India, a beautiful place about 200 kilometers away from Kadman, adjacent to the southern border of Nepal today.

At the age of twenty-nine, he gave up the throne he was about to inherit and became a monk to learn Taoism in order to find a way to relieve the troubles in life. Six years later, at the age of thirty-five, Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree beside the Nairana Chan River, and correctly and thoroughly understood the fundamental principles of the universe and life. I briefly introduce the practice of Buddha. The main purpose is to tell you that Sakyamuni is an ordinary person like us. He can achieve enlightenment through practice, and all thousands of human beings can follow suit. Practice the teachings he has revealed and achieve results.

Sakyamuni——He is only one of the countless prophets and foreknowledge of human beings, and we are the hindsighters. The difference between Buddha and us is not in personality or status, but in the word "enlightenment". That is what Han Yu said: 'There is a sequence of hearing the Tao. '

Fourth, Buddhism does not admit the existence of stubborn and unteachable people.

According to other religions, their leader or the almighty Lord, after all kinds of coercion and inducement, or with earnest words, After earnestly teaching, if you still don’t know how to wake up, take refuge under the banner of God, repent and admit that you are a lost sinner, poor lamb, then once the final judgment comes, you will all be sent to the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated. .

The ancients said: 'The prodigal son will never be able to exchange for gold. ’ Parents in the world always keep their doors open, hoping that their prodigal son will come back, even though their son is a sinful robber.

No parent has ever wanted or tolerated their children to suffer forever in the darkness and abyss of hell.

Buddhism recognizes that human nature is kind. As long as you put down the butcher's knife, you can become a Buddha immediately. The Buddha even believed that the real "culprit" is not sin, but ignorance. All sins are caused by ignorance (called "ignorance" in Buddhism). Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the Buddha to educate and enlighten sentient beings with earnest words and heart, day and night. The Buddha cares for all sentient beings, "like a mother remembering her child." Not only does he not bear the thought of sentient beings suffering in hell, but he also preaches, "Until hell is empty, I vow not to become a Buddha; only when all sentient beings are saved can I achieve Bodhi." ’ vow. (Bodhi means ‘enlightenment’ or ‘the right path’, and realizing Bodhi means attaining the path or becoming a Buddha.) What kind of compassion is this! What a sad wish! This is true fraternity! This is true pity!

Fifth, Buddha is not unique, everyone can become a Buddha.

In the third point above, it has been mentioned that Buddha and sentient beings only depend on the time of enlightenment. Han Yu said: "There is a sequence of hearing." ’ can be used as an auxiliary explanation.

‘Buddha’ is just a general term for an enlightened person. Just like we call people who can "preach, teach, and resolve doubts" a "teacher". There is more than one teacher. Everyone can be a teacher, and there can be teachers everywhere. In the same way, Buddha does not only refer to Sakyamuni. Everyone can become a Buddha, and there can be Buddhas everywhere. Just as Anming layman Shen Baofeng pointed out incisively in "On Buddhism": "Buddha is nature, and nature is nature." Buddha. People naturally become Buddhas in the Buddha. The wise dialectic shows that Buddha is nature, and nature is thousands and thousands, including flowers, plants, trees, people, ghosts and animals. Even demons can become Buddhas as long as they put down their butcher's knife. If a person wants to become a Buddha, he must be natural and must not rush for success. He must have a calm mind and get rid of the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance. Only in this way will he become a Buddha naturally and naturally. There can be Buddhas on countless planets in the universe (of course there are also sentient beings.)

This is also the fundamental difference between Buddhism and other religions. Other religions can only recognize their 'unique' gods. They try their best to criticize and deny the gods of other religions, calling the gods of other religions 'false gods'.

At the same time, under their teachings, no matter how hard humans work, they can never keep pace with God. A state of equality (always a master-servant relationship). Because God is the Creator, and humans are just one of the 'things' created by God.

Seventh, Buddhism is based on teaching according to aptitude and local conditions.

The Buddha’s teachings to all sentient beings are all aimed at different abilities, and they are taught according to different time and space. Because the Buddha teaches different objects, he has different explanations: for example, for people with high wisdom, the Buddha teaches. Tell him the truth that can directly point to the human heart, see the mind clearly, and realize it immediately; for those with lower wisdom, the Buddha tells them to practice step by step and step by step.

Another example: For those who are passionate about fame and fortune. For people, the Buddha told them that "fame and wealth are all empty"; for people who are negative and pessimistic, thinking that life is meaningless and that life is all vanity and illusion, the Buddha told them that "life is rare, life is precious, and people can To inspire his courage and confidence through hard work.

In the same way, the Buddha has different metaphors and explanations due to different time and space: For example, people in Taipei asked the Buddha. "How to get to Taichung?" The Buddha's answer was: "Go south." The person who answered Kaohsiung said: "Go north." And so on, because living beings are in different places, the Buddha's answer is also different.

Buddhism has 12 parts of the Tripitaka and 84,000 Dharma doors (Dharma doors are methods of practice). These methods of practice are all created to adapt to the abilities of all living beings and to deal with their troubles. . If there were no sentient beings, there would be no need for Buddhism. If sentient beings do not suffer from "diseases", there would be no need for Buddhism.

Buddhism has been handed down for more than 2,500 years. Adapting to different eras and different sentient beings is due to his ability to teach according to his aptitude and local conditions. This education method is one of the characteristics of Buddhism.

Eighth, Buddhism is worldly.

Although the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to "transcend", it does not conflict with the spirit of "entering the world" (the so-called "transcendence" does not mean to escape from the world, but to transform and rebuild the world. this world.

)

It is said in the Buddhist scriptures: ‘Buddhism is in the world and never leaves the world for enlightenment. Leaving the world to seek Bodhi is just like looking for a rabbit’s horns. ’ This means that practice must be in the human world, and enlightenment must also be in the human world. Anyone who is determined to follow the Tao cannot despise this world, escape from the human beings in this world, and achieve positive results by “taking care of himself”. Because if a person wants to become a Buddha, in addition to being smart and wise, he must also have a vast vow of compassion to save all sentient beings. It is necessary to use these two kinds of "compassion" and "wisdom" interactively and complement each other to achieve a thorough and perfect state to become a Buddha. Therefore, Buddhism uses a transcendent spirit to engage in worldly affairs. From practice to becoming a Buddha, there is neither "entering into the world" nor "transcendental", because it has always been done in this world!

Although there are so-called pure lands in the Buddhist scriptures such as the 'Western Paradise World' and the 'Eastern Glazed World', which advise people to recite the Buddha's name and be reborn in those lands, anyone who knows a little bit about the true meaning of Buddhism knows that this is the purpose of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is an expedient method to save all sentient beings. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to transform the human world into a majestic pure land and hell into a paradise. ’ This is the true purpose of Buddhism, which is not to ask people to escape from this world and hide in the Western Pure Land to enjoy happiness.

Ninth Buddhism is not exclusive

Most of the world's religions only recognize that the religious teachings they believe in are the only 'truth', and reject the teachings of other religions as 'heresy'.

Buddhism believes that all religions only have deep and shallow teachings, and rarely good or bad. Any religion that can exist in the world for more than a thousand years must be more or less beneficial to the world's people and people's hearts. Otherwise, this religion would have been cast aside by human "wisdom" and washed away by the waves of time.

The problem is that some religions can only give people temporary and minority happiness; while some religions can give people eternal and majority happiness. Buddhism is one of the few in the latter category.

In the nearly 2,500 years that Buddhism has been handed down from generation to generation, Buddhism has always co-existed peacefully with other religions. There has never been a bloody conflict with other religions in the history of Buddhism for the sake of preaching. Pass.

Here I would like to invite my friends to look at the Indian King Asoka (3rd century BC). In accordance with Sakyamuni’s tolerant, compassionate and inclusive teachings, there is a passage whose original text still exists and was carved on a rock. Edict: 'You must not only respect your own religion and belittle the religions of others. Other teachings should be properly respected. Doing so will not only help the growth of your own religion, but also fulfill your obligations to other religions. If you do the opposite, you will not only dig a grave for your own religion, but also harm other religions. ’ ‘Therefore, harmony is the best. Everyone should listen and listen willingly to the teachings of other religions. ’ (To listen means to listen attentively.) Judging from this passage, this kind of tolerance and sincerity is one of the most precious legacies in Buddhist culture.

From the perspective of Buddhism, ‘truth’ has no national boundaries, and it does not need any religious ‘trademark’. It does not belong to any one religion or to any one person in any era. Therefore, the truth spoken by Buddha is not unique to him, because Buddha is just a "discoverer of truth", just like the "geocentric attraction" discovered by Newton is not unique to Newton. Therefore, Buddhism believes that everything that is reasonable and has eternal principles is "Buddha Dharma".

‘Love your enemies. ’ Although it comes from the Bible, Buddhism undoubtedly recognizes it as a virtuous truth. (Same as Buddhism’s ‘Unconditional Great Compassion’ and ‘One Body Great Compassion’.)

Buddhism is like a vast river and sea, which can accommodate all rivers, large and small, on the earth. That’s why the Buddhist scriptures say: ‘All dharma is Buddhist dharma’!

The Three Dharma Seals refer to: all actions are impermanent, all dharmas are selfless, and Nirvana is silent. Seal means recognition and verification. Through these three fundamental teachings, we can distinguish the good and evil of the Dharma, so it is called the 'Three Dharma Seals'. The outline of its content is as follows:

⊙The impermanence of all actions: It means that everything in the world is in an instant. Migration and change, no permanent residence remains unchanged. All dharmas are impermanent, and sentient beings insist on believing them to be true, mistaking the false for the true, and have delusional thoughts, such as seeking immortality, or just whitewashing the body. They do not realize that "eternal and unchanged" still inevitably "changes in an instant". Impermanence is the natural law of the world, and this is 'true permanence'. Understand that change is a characteristic of life. In all situations, be at peace with the situation. In the dual destiny of compassion and wisdom, you can see the ultimate meaning of life. If you want to be happy, you must start with the truth.

The truth must start from the heart, and the heart must start from enlightenment. Enlightenment begins with contemplating impermanence. If you can meditate, you will have great compassion, because if you can meditate on impermanence, you will have no concept of gain or loss. Once you lose something, you won't feel the pain because you know - this is impermanence.

⊙All dharmas have no self: It means that all dharmas in the world, whether conditioned or unactioned, are all illusory existences of dependent origin, and have no permanent, independent entity or master. The World-Honored One diligently instructs: You should meditate on "no self, no self" for twenty-six hours. This physical body is the illusory body of the four false combinations. Everything I have is for my use and not mine. If there really is me, why can't I control my mood, life and death? This shows that ‘I’ have no way to dominate ‘what I have’. The presence of ‘I’ creates opposition, and self-grasping is a common problem for all living beings. Only by letting go of self-grasping can we find the true self. Only by knowing that there is no self can we live in peace with the world.

⊙Nirvana and silence: This is the central idea of ??Buddhism, which means the state of liberation in which there is no birth and no death, and the body and mind are silent. Without the thought of Nirvana, Buddhism will be the same as the worldly law of birth and death. It can only be called admonishing good deeds, and it cannot understand the profound meaning of the original emptiness of cause and effect, which is neither cause nor effect. Those who have not entered into the true faith always regard Nirvana as death. This is a serious misunderstanding. If what he said is true, then death is the beginning of another life. Isn't it the end of life and death? The suffering of sentient beings in reincarnation is due to the influence of karma and their inability to control it. Only the Buddha is the ultimate nirvana. After death, there will be no rebirth, and if there is no birth, there will be no death. He has broken the beginningless ignorance and sees the true face. This is called the most valuable thing about Buddhism.

Everyone is greedy for life and afraid of death, because everything in the world has a solution, but death is non-negotiable. The sage transcends things, and in real life, he has the wonderful mind of Nirvana that is neither born nor destroyed. It is said: "The name of the Dharma protector is not stained by the six objects; the name of Nirvana is the absence of delusions." ’ Seeing the Dharma outside the mind is called the heretic; if one realizes one’s own mind, that is nirvana. There is no distance between life and death and Nirvana, only in the moment of thought. If you realize your true nature, neither life nor death nor nirvana can be achieved. As long as we do not create the karma of life and death, we will achieve great nirvana; if we seek great nirvana, we will create the karma of life and death.

⊙The one that is consistent with one reality refers to the Mahayana philosophy of being true and undivided and free from all illusions. That is what we call truth and dharma nature. If you can stay away from all kinds of knowledge and views in the Dharma of Dependent Origination, and be empty inside and outside, and live in the world of phenomena, you will have a pure mind of cessation. When you realize that all phenomena are like bubbles in a dream, you will see the emptiness of your true nature. Although everything is like an illusion, it is also reality everywhere. As long as you can see through the illusion, the reality will reveal itself.

The twelve Tripitakas are as vast as the sea; the eighty-four thousand gates are as numerous as the sands of Hengsha. If you want to use your limited life to open up the eternal life of wisdom, you should use the four foundations of the Dharma as the basis to enter the Tao.

⊙According to the Dharma rather than relying on people: There are two kinds of Dharma, one is the secular Dharma, which refers to the Tripitaka in words and events, and the other is the ultimate Dharma, which refers to the principle of realizing no leakage (no creation in a vacuum) . Practitioners should rely on teachings and truth, and should not blindly rely on the stinky skin of illusory dependent origination. The Dharma can help you get rid of all the suffering and guide you on the path to Bodhi. It is inevitable for people to have subjective views. If they do not agree with the Buddha's teachings, they should abandon it.

⊙Relying on the meaning of the Sutra but not relying on the meaning: In the Tripitaka, there are the meaning of the sutra and the incomprehensible meaning of the sutra. The former refers to the truth of the truth of the middle way, and the latter is a skillful and expedient statement for the purpose of propagating the Dharma. The two powers are in conflict, and only by following the Sutra can we achieve ultimate liberation.

⊙Rely on meaning rather than words: language is a tool to convey meaning. Its function is to interpret the truth, but it is not the truth after all. You must not abandon the original text and follow the superficial words, take the meaning out of context, and ignore the inner meaning that is intended to be conveyed.

⊙Relying on wisdom rather than knowledge: A wise person is not the wisdom of the world, but the true and complete Prajna wisdom. Those who know are the illusory cognitions and feelings generated by the deluded mind and clinging to the worldly realm. Practitioners should rely on Prajna and should not rely on human emotions as a guide, in order to achieve ultimate nirvana.