Buddha-Dharma Pure and Simple 佛法真義 6

About Venerable Master Hsing Yun
Translator’s Introduction
Preface

1. Faith or Fear
2. Formalities in Life
3. Neither Aging nor Decaying
4. Karmic Debt
5. Beauty
6. Reforming and Revitalizing Buddhism
7. Reforming the Monastic System
8. On the Vinaya
9. Substituting the Vinaya with Pure Regulations
10. Héshàng (Most Venerable)
11. The Original Journey to the West
12. Renouncing and Disrobing
13. Mutual Praise between Monastics
14. Evening, Midnight, and Late Night
15. Rains Retreat
16. Individual Practice
17. Collective Cultivation
18. Improving the Five Daily Duties OR Improving the Five Sessions of Cultivation?
19. Eradicating Calamities and Obstructions for Yasodhara
20. Dharma Service
21. Water and Land Dharma Service
22. Endeavors for Dharma Propagation
23. Devotees Assembly
24. Buddhism and Physical Activity
25. Pilgrimage
26. Itinerant Practice
27. Traveling to Learn
28. The Fifty-Three Visits
29. Building Affinities
30. Six Days of Purification
31. The Eight Precepts
32. Short-term Monastic Retreat
33. Significance of Short-Term Monastic Retreat
34. Eternal Lamp
35. Buddhist Endeavors (foshi) through Sounds and Music
36. Dharma Propagation Through Arts and Culture
37. Celebrations of the Triple Gem
38. Significance of the Buddhist Flag
39. Buddhist Anthem
40. Buddhist Architecture
41. Water Drop Teahouse
42. Foundation Laying Ceremony
43. Advancing Education in Temples
44. Buddhist Examination
45. Lay Dharma Lecturer
46. Spring Couplets
47. Buddhist Wedding
48. Fo Guang Family Gathering
49. Significance of the Million-Member Fundraising Campaign
50. Buddhism and Environmental Preservation
51. Hong Kong Was Developed by Buddhist Monastics
52. Religious Legislation
53. Between Country and Religion
54. Master and Disciple
55. The Importance of Passing Down Legacy

Notes
Index

Preface

The metaphors of three birds flying in the sky and three animals crossing the river have frequently been used in the Buddhist sutras to depict the notions of distance and depth perceived differently by different beings. Though the concept of distance within the vast sky is inherently non-existent, at the flap of their wings, an eagle, a pigeon, and a sparrow would span distances ranging from tens of miles to only a couple of miles, and merely a few yards depending on their varying abilities. As a result, the idea of distance is very different to these three birds.

In the same way, when an elephant, a horse, and a rabbit cross the river, the elephant’s enormous body enables it to tread across the riverbed and reach the far shore without difficulty, while the horse and rabbit, unable to reach the bottom of the river, will struggle as they swim across the river.

The Buddha-Dharma is like the deep ocean or the vast sky. While people may hold opinions on the differences in levels, there is no saying who is right or wrong, because different levels of faith and spiritual aptitude mean different levels of knowledge. There is no need to think highly of oneself. Which one are you when crossing the river? The elephant? The horse? Or the rabbit? Which one are you in the sky? The eagle? The pigeon? Or the sparrow? One must constantly self-evaluate.

The Buddha’s teaching is kind, compassionate, wise, and equal. However, how can we know we have truly understood the profundity of the teaching?

If one wants to know the length of a fabric or the weight of an object, one must measure or weigh it. Similarly, we need to measure and weigh the Dharma we think we have understood to know the depth of our faith. Otherwise, we are like a kindergartener who forcefully claims to be a university student, revealing our ignorance to everyone.

Is it possible for today’s Buddhists to explain the true meaning of Buddhism without going against the original intents of the Buddha? For example, the concept of heaven and hell is to encourage people to transcend and not regress in their spiritual cultivation. However, some ignorantly use the concept of hell to inflict fear upon devotees. Why not use the goodness of heaven as encouragement for the people?

There is also the issue of being grateful for the contribution and support devotees give to Buddhism. Often people say, “Amitabha Buddha will be grateful for your contributions.” Why are we asking Amitabha Buddha to help us express our gratitude? How can we push this responsibility away? Are we not the ones who should repay this kindness and contribution?

Suffering, the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, is a concept that should motivate us to endure hardships, to be hardworking, to train ourselves through austerities because adversity makes us stronger and better. Even a student needs to undergo a decade of education to achieve success and recognition. Hence, suffering makes our lives more meaningful. As the saying goes, “Out of the worst of the worst pains emerges the best of the best people.”

Buddhists today, however, often exclaim, “Suffering! Suffering! Live no more! Pass away now! Pray to pass away now!” This is not the reason why the Buddha expounded the truth of suffering. By properly understanding suffering, it pushes us to transcend and be liberated from it. Have these people not been giving the wrong interpretations?

For thousands of years, people think the Buddhist term “emptiness” or the saying “the four elements are empty” means that nothing exists, that there is nothing to possess, and that everything is empty. As Dharma propagators, how can we elevate people’s faith with this nihilistic and ignorant kind of view?

Emptiness is meant to be constructive; with emptiness comes existence. For example, where would you sleep if there are no empty rooms? Where would you work if there is no empty desktop to work on? Where would you build a house if there is no empty land? Where would you put your money if your pockets are not empty? How could you survive if your stomach is not empty? Emptiness is so good, so wonderful! So why explain emptiness as nihilism? Emptiness is meant to be full of action, potential, and success.

The same goes for the concept of impermanence. Impermanence is wonderful because it means that nothing is fixed; we can thus change, improve, and transcend. Situations can become better, more wholesome, and beautiful. So why make it sound like everything in this world is coming to an end when we explain impermanence? Why make people feel so hopeless? Impermanence is a beacon of hope for Buddhists to learn about the Middle Way. We have failed to attain the true meaning of Buddhism and thereby misunderstood the intentions of the Buddha. Thus, we must research and restore the true meaning of these Buddhist teachings, and propagate them.

For over two thousand years, the Buddha has carried the indignity of those who have been propagating deviant and false views, going against his intents, teaching the Dharma through misunderstanding, superstition, and skewed perspectives, all done in his name.

Take the practice of giving as an example. Sometimes, giving others a phrase, a smile, or a service are all acts of giving. However, today’s Buddhism explains giving in terms of a monetary donation. The practice of giving does not only mean we ask others to give, but we should be the ones who are willing to let go and offer.

Upholding precepts is another cultivation on the path of learning Buddhism. However, it is usually spoken from the perspective of telling others to uphold and follow. What about our actions, minds, and speech? Are they following with the Dharma? If we do not have a painful sense of remorse, how can we improve as Buddhists?

In An Inspiration to Give Rise to the Bodhi Mind, Venerable Sheng’an said, “The main gate for entering the Path is to first give rise to aspirations.” To give rise to aspirations means to have right faith and right view. Simply put, the way to practice Buddhism is to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, the Four Means of Embracing, and the Six Paramitas. However, today, we teach devotees that the practice of the Six Paramitas consists only of offering incense and venerating in the temple, believing that the act of donation can eradicate calamities. Therefore, Huineng the Sixth Patriarch admonished in the “Gatha of Formlessness”, “Attaining buddhahood does not come from giving money.” However, how many Buddhists have ever taken in the Sixth Patriarch’s teachings?

We need to raise the issue of correcting erroneous views about Buddhism so that the true meaning of the Buddha will not be lost, and enhance deeper and proper understanding of the Buddha’s original intents. Take the practice of life-releasing as an example. To hold a life-releasing ceremony, they first must catch fish and birds, and who knows how many lives were killed in the process? So, for those who hold a life-releasing ceremony for longevity, how can they live a long life?

There are also people without the right understanding of the law of cause and effect, thinking that becoming vegetarians makes them healthy, or praying to the Buddha leads to the acquirement of wealth and fortune. This would be going against the law of cause and effect. There are relative causes and effects for the accumulation of wealth, health, and faith. How can we expect to harvest beans when we planted melons?

Some people deceive with deeds such as acquiring good fortune by being the first to strike the bell or offer incense on Chinese New Year, turning these activities into superstitions that are not in accord with the Dharma. These people do not understand that the sound of the bell is only to alert us to do good, and the burning of incense is an act of offering to the Buddha and should not be done for profit. Moreover, various practices of fortune-telling focus only on praying for wishes to be fulfilled, instead of focusing on Buddhist cultivation. How can these acts be in accord with cause and effect?

What about the geomantic principle of feng shui? Everything has its own principle. For example, there are principles for social interaction, principles for relationships, and principles of material objects. Of course, the geographical environment has its principle. However, geomancy should not only be about searching for the best feng shui for good luck. If your living environment has good air circulation, is hygienic, is balanced with an open view, then it is already in the best geomantic position. Just look at Xuankong Temple (lit. Hanging Temple) in Shanxi, Mainland China. Do you think the location can be deciphered with geomancy?

Buddhism talks about the Eight Groups of Heavenly Beings. Where is heaven? What are the eight groups? We can describe them as different ethnic groups, instead of heavenly gods and armies.

It is said that the Buddha was born from the right flank of his mother. Did anyone witness this? Why attach so many far-fetched legends to the Buddha? What about the Buddhist Councils? There are always people with ulterior motives that include apocryphal sutras and commentary into the Buddhist canon, all under the name of the Buddha.

Buddhism has always been mocked as a polytheistic religion because of the many bodhisattvas and arhats who exist. Moreover, most of these figures are only mentioned in the sutras and are not real historical figures. Those with historical references such as Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu are truly acknowledged. For those with no historical references, who were their parents? Where did they grow up? We need not deny them. Rather, we can consider them as manifestations of the Buddha.

Why not place the focus of the faith on the Buddha instead? Why the need for so many deities such as the god of wealt

Venerable Master Hsing Yun is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order. A Buddhist monk for over eighty years, he has dedicated his entire life to propagating the teachings of Humanistic Buddhism throughout the world.