After hearing what I said, Uncle Ma said "Huh" and then gave me a thumbs up.
"Good boy, I used to say that Pony has more eyes than you. Looking at it this way, you are actually the smartest. You chose the best shortcut."
I smiled and said, "No, no, no, there is no shortcut to practice. Entering the Tao is just the first step. The road is long and I will search high and low."
Uncle Ma nodded: "Okay, actually I originally wanted to take you to the Tianshi Mansion, why don't you think about it again? You know, if you enter Zhengyi, you can learn the Zhengyi Talisman, and you can also teach it in the future. The urn can bring troops and horses, and it can summon heavenly soldiers and generals."
He spoke in a slightly seductive tone while looking at me with a somewhat regretful look.
That seems to mean: You can learn a talisman, you can teach a talisman, you can lead soldiers and horses, you can summon heavenly soldiers and generals.
His words really made me rub my hands and feel a little moved.
In fact, it is said that Quanzhen cultivates immortality and Zhengyi catches ghosts. This is only a superficial understanding. After Zhengyi's conferment, he will have a position in the immortal world. From then on, the roster will be in the sky and will be under the control of the Three Officials.
However, the process from entering Taoism to being ordained is not easy. Many people have been Taoist priests all their lives and may not have been conferred for decades because first, there are very few places, secondly, there are certain restrictions, and thirdly, this The cost is also quite expensive...
If you don't teach the urn, you can't build a dojo, and you can't send the soldiers and generals in the urn to slay demons, eliminate evil, rescue living beings, and relieve people in distress.
Because only by being taught the Dharma can one achieve the title of Heavenly Cao and have the rank of Taoist priest.
There is a saying: The name Lu Tiancao means that he has a Taoist position.
Without teaching, he is just an ordinary Taoist.
Of course, it is more difficult to get a job in Quanzhen than in Zhengyi, and you have to live in a temple to become a monk.
However, Quanzhen is more tolerant, because as far as I know, many Zhengdao priests are still very prejudiced against the Chuma Xianjia in the Northeast, thinking that the Xianjia are all animals and are not orthodox.
So for the sake of the Immortal Family and the fact that I can continue to practice Buddhism, after much thought, I decided to enter Quanzhen first!
Seeing that I had made the final decision, Uncle Ma nodded: "Since you are considering the Immortal Family, then join Quanzhen first, and then when the time is right, join Longhu!"
I rubbed my hands together excitedly: "So, I can practice both Buddhism and Taoism?"
Uncle Ma shook his head this time: "Actually, strictly speaking, there is no such thing as dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism in Taoism. It is only people outside the circle who talk about it. Since you want to understand this, let me explain it to you. What is the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism..."
Next, Uncle Ma briefly told me about the dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism.
He said that Taoist priests from the Zhenger Ba Sutra would never say that they practiced both Buddhism and Taoism. Even Quanzhen would only talk about studying.
After all, as a Taoist priest, the ultimate goal is to follow the Tao.
However, Taoist priests who have some ability will generally not disparage Buddha, and similarly eminent monks will not disparage Taoism.
In fact, some ideas of Zen Buddhism are very close to Taoist theories, so it is normal for them to learn from each other.
Only those who are just starting out, and those who are half-dissatisfied and love to show off, will talk nonsense, step on others, and talk nonsense.
Therefore, although Taoist priests can also learn Buddhism, they cannot be said to practice both Buddhism and Taoism.
This is called respecting other people's cultures and understanding other people's thoughts.
The goal of a Taoist priest is still the Tao, and the god he worships is still his ancestor. It is impossible to worship Buddha and Bodhisattva.
Furthermore, Buddhism and Taoism are actually different paths, and the ultimate goal of learning Buddhism is also to achieve the Tao. They just take different paths, but the end point is the same path.
If you don’t believe me, you can think about it, why are those monks who have achieved enlightenment called enlightened monks?
To sum up, from the perspective of religious belief, Taoist priests cannot believe in Buddhism and monks cannot practice Taoism. However, they can learn from each other and discuss each other to continuously integrate and progress. This is in line with the law of development of things.
However, a monk who lives in a temple cannot say that he practices both Buddhism and Taoism, and a Taoist priest who lives in a temple cannot say that he practices both Buddhism and Taoism, otherwise he will be kicked out...
However, for people like me who do not live in temples as Taoist priests, purely from a spiritual point of view, I can practice both Buddhism and Taoism. Because I do not live in a temple, there are no such strict religious restrictions, and no one will care about me.
As I said just now, eminent monks will not demote the Tao, nor will the Taoist demote the monks. So do you think that when you reach the state of inviting the Patriarch and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas three times, do you still care so much?
When Uncle Ma said this, I remembered something again, so I asked Uncle Ma weakly.
"I heard someone say that if a disciple becomes a Taoist or becomes a monk, he can no longer support the Immortal Family because there will be conflicts and the monk needs to be sent away. Is there such a saying?"
Uncle Ma smiled slightly: "I don't know about the monk, so I can't comment. But as far as I know, there are many people who first became a monk and then entered Taoism. They can still be offered to the priest, because the immortal family also hopes to become a Taoist, not to mention that some immortal families originally He is a Taoist Dharma protector, and your uncle has already offered sacrifices to the Three Patriarchs, so what is the conflict with this?"
But after Uncle Ma finished speaking, he changed the topic and said: "However, if you become a Taoist monk first, you can no longer make offerings to the hall. Taoism teaches that true gods do not possess the body, so many people who are related to the immortal family, in order not to make offerings There are many examples of people running away to become a monk right away from the church.”
After listening to Uncle Ma's explanation, I finally figured it out, nodded and said, "I understand, but I still haven't figured out the rules in Fujian. Since it is said that the true god does not possess the body, why is Nezha Erlang Shen there? Is everything sorted out?"
Uncle Ma smiled: "Don't worry. As the saying goes, the pronunciation is different in ten miles, and the customs are different in hundreds of miles. The rules of Taoism are not universally applicable. This is just the way we follow, just like the way of Chuma Xian, it is not the same. Are you understood by others? Therefore, where the soil and water support each other, no one needs to question anyone, no one needs to bury anyone, and no one needs to correct anyone. Three thousand paths lead to the same goal. As long as you are dedicated to kindness and practice steadfastly, you can always reach the ultimate goal. ah."
This conversation between me and Uncle Ma also benefited me a lot.
I couldn't help but praise: "Uncle Ma, I think you are like a beacon in my life, a flashlight that guides the way, a piece of sesame seed cake when I am hungry, a lighter when I smoke..."
Uncle Ma gave me a slap in the face: "Why don't you say that I am a rope when you hang yourself? Stop talking nonsense. When you want to become a Taoist, I will take you to find a master."
I thought about it seriously and said, "I'm not in a hurry about this. Let's just let nature take its course. Besides, I'm at work now, so I can't leave."
Uncle Ma said, "That's okay. It's not an urgent matter anyway. I'll tell Master Ren later and come over at a convenient time to see if there's any chance for you."
I rubbed my hands again: "Oh, can I become Master Ren?"
Uncle Ma rolled his eyes: "I didn't see you being so active when you were fucking worshiping me. To tell you the truth, you can't worship Master Ren. He has a higher seniority and he doesn't accept apprentices casually. Even if he is According to me, the most he can do is find one of his disciples to take you in, which is pretty good. Because you don’t become a monk and you don’t live in a temple, do you understand?”
I nodded suddenly: "Okay, okay, I understand. If this is the case, then I will wait for the opportunity. It would be good to have Master Ren as my master!"
Having said this, I suddenly remembered another important question and quickly continued to ask.
"Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma, do you think that if I become Quanzhen, can I still marry a wife?"
