The Buddha speaks in one voice, and all sentient beings can understand it. Some people may ask, based on this understanding, we in China should have heard the Buddha’s sermons at that time, so why do we still need to translate Buddhist scriptures?
Don't talk about China. When the Buddha was alive, there were many dialects in India. Do you want to listen to the Buddha's sermons without translating them?
Theravada classics record that many people decided to become a monk on the spot after seeing the Buddha, and their hair fell down automatically. Is it because their hair fell down automatically?
Wouldn’t that mean you’re suffering from alopecia? Even the Buddha statues have hair, right-handed hair nests. The literal meaning is that those people shaved off their beards and hair. Do not interpret the Buddhist scriptures literally.
For example, the lid of this insulated hot water kettle is loose, and it makes a hissing sound in the dead of night. Some people know that it is the kettle, and some people may think it is a ghost. "All living beings follow their own species and find their own solutions." This is the truth. So simple.
When the same teacher attends class, a thousand students will have a thousand different understandings. If you say the same thing, someone will misunderstand it. For example, the Buddha said: "Looking at a hundred years of life, and not understanding the law of birth and death, it is better to live for one day and understand it." Later, it was recited by some disciples as "Looking at a hundred years of life, and not seeing Shui Laohe, it is better to In one day of life, you can see it alone." This is the principle of "Buddha speaks the Dharma with one tone, and all living beings can understand it according to their categories."
Also, although Shakyamuni Buddha has passed away, according to Buddhist teachings, there are Buddhas teaching the Dharma in the ten directions and three generations. So, there should be a Buddha teaching the Dharma now. Where is it?
At that time, a monk asked the Zen master, "The Buddha is teaching the Dharma. Is he teaching the Dharma to all the mountains, rivers, and earth, and all the ruthless things?"
Sentient beings are sentient beings, while sentient beings are stones, trees, mountains, water, etc., because they have no intellectual feelings.
The Zen master replied, "Of course the truth is ruthless."
Who heard it?
"Please hear me."
In history, some of the founders of Zen Buddhism came to enlightenment because of the movement of grass or the bumping of tiles against bamboo. This is called ruthless teaching.
Why can’t sentient beings hear it? It was blocked by his own karma.
"Everyone says that the World Honored One speaks the same words, but the divine power is not the same." This means that all living beings, based on their own different understandings, think that what the Patriarch said is what I meant. This is the Buddha's different divine power.
There is only one voice speaking in Buddhism. The Twelve Parts of the Tripitaka speak so much, but they are all empty talk. There is only one sentence. Once you understand it, you will realize the truth. Pay special attention to it!
The Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, paused for a few seconds and then said, “Did you hear that?” If you pay too much attention, you won't hear it. There is only one method. Once you understand this method, all other methods will be accessible.
The moment before you notice, the Buddha has spoken. Therefore, the Buddha only preaches the Dharma in one tone, and sentient beings interpret the Dharma according to their own level. No matter whether their explanation is right or wrong, they will all benefit and benefit from the Dharma. This is the unique method of the Buddha's divine power.
There is only one voice speaking the Dharma, fearful and extremely happy; some people will become disgusted and hate everything in the world after listening to it.
If a person who is new to Buddhism does not have a mind of dissatisfaction, he will not be able to learn Buddhism and will not be able to escape from the three realms. There are also people who have given up their doubts and developed true faith after listening to the Dharma.
Why? For example, the eyes can only look forward. If something blocks the line of sight, it cannot be seen. Therefore, it is not perfect to cultivate with the eyes. Using the nose to practice counting breaths and stopping and observing is not satisfactory either. Among the five sense organs, only the ears are not restricted and can feel sounds from ten directions at the same time, making it easy to cultivate to perfection.
Guanyin Bodhisattva taught us the method of perfecting the ears. When practicing this method, the ears no longer listen to the outside world, but turn to listen to the voice of one's own heart and achieve enlightenment.
What to listen to?
Listen to your own thoughts. This thought is the unspoken language, and speaking is the thought that makes the sound.
Of course, if someone meditates and hears others talking to him, that is the realm of demons.
Sound is a phenomenon. You have to listen to your pure mind before you speak and before thoughts come. For example, if you are reciting Buddha's name in your heart, you can also recite Namo Amitabha Buddha. You can recite it word by word slowly, without listening to the outside world, and turn around to listen to the sound of your own recitation of Buddha's name. Keep it farther away from each other word by word, and listen to yourself and recite it.
The former word has passed and the latter word has not yet come, so it is empty. If there are any distracting thoughts, just recite one sentence. If there are no distracting thoughts, don’t recite them. Hearing and hearing one's own nature in this way is what Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva said, "In the beginning of hearing, one enters the place of exile." Then one slowly turns around to listen to one's own heart and recites the Buddha's name, and slowly, slowly enters the flow of one's own Dharma nature, and one's own nature is pure. .
The sound of reciting the Buddha's name and distracting thoughts will be emptied, and the pure nature will appear, eliminating all thoughts. This is the first step.
"What you enter is stillness" is the second step. Your voice of chanting slowly becomes empty. Silence is the cessation of silence. Now, you can do your own research.
Do you think there is any secret method in Buddhism that requires you to find a teacher to kowtow and be initiated? The true empowerment is the wisdom empowerment. When you gain wisdom and understand in your heart, it is the true empowerment. All sentient beings of the Buddhas in the ten directions can receive the empowerment.
You should hurry up and study this section of the Shurangama Sutra. The Vimalakīrti Sutra says that the Buddha spoke the Dharma in one tone. How can you hear it? That is, relying on Guanyin Bodhisattva's pure mind to listen and contemplate yourself, you will reach that state, "first in hearing, and then enter the place of exile". At that time you will be truly pure. This is Buddhism. Does it require me to kowtow before it can be taught to you?
Who is the most diligent person in the world? There is only Buddha. No matter what environment or place a person who practices Buddhism is in, whether he is happy or troubled, there is only one way to move forward day and night, and this is great diligence.
Do you still practice cultivation after becoming a Buddha? I can tell you that I am always cultivating. As long as the emptiness is exhausted, I hope it will be endless! People who study Buddhism must not be tolerant or careless towards themselves, only then they can learn Buddhism and be diligent.
As long as you become a Buddha, it doesn't matter. You are not tired of life or death. What else is scary in the world? Life and death are the biggest obstacles. Check why you are afraid of ghosts. You are just afraid of being killed by ghosts!
If you are not afraid of life and death, will you still be afraid of ghosts? In fact, the most terrifying thing in the world is humans. Even devils are afraid of humans. What is scary is the human heart, and your own heart is the scariest thing, because you cannot control your own heart at all.
All methods in the world that are shared by heretics and Buddhism are called common methods. For example, sitting meditation is a common practice, even among Catholics, it just doesn’t cross the legs. The unique method of Buddhism is wisdom and prajna.
Only when you become a Buddha can you truly reach the other shore and escape from this world.
If you think you are afraid of this world and have thought about life and death, you will not come here. This is a heretical view, not to mention that you are not able to control life and death. If you have this intention, you will never be able to live or die, because your view is not correct, and you cannot even talk about the Hinayana path.
When we study Buddhism, we must first learn the ten great vows of the "Samantabhadra Action Vows", save all sentient beings in every life, and go to the places with the most suffering. This is the spirit of Buddhism. If we are trying to escape this world, how can we learn Buddhism?
Where is the Dharma? Buddhism is in the world, and the true pure land is in your heart. Don’t ask for it outside.
The symbol of Buddhism is the lotus, which blooms only when it grows in the dirtiest mud. If it is in clean soil, no lotus will grow. This is the spirit of learning Buddhism.
The more you practice in a more miserable place, the more successful you will be. If you want to escape from the world and go to a pure place to practice alone, you will not succeed. This is orthodox Buddhism.
Therefore, the Buddha is good at entering the realm of emptiness, and deeply realizes that all dharmas and all appearances are without hindrance, so emptiness has nothing to rely on. If you say you are empty, you will not come. This is empty and inflexible. Emptiness can contain all dharmas, including good and evil dharmas. If you think in your heart that being empty is right and not being empty is wrong, then you are still worried that it is not really empty. The most important thing is that Kong still has nothing to rely on. When meditating, you should not rely on the body, not on the mind, neither dependent on the body, just sit back and watch. I felt hot while sitting and wanted to blow some air. I already had something to rely on. Even if you say there is nothing and you are empty, you still rely on emptiness. The state of emptiness comes from the heart.
The first thing you need to do when learning Buddhism is to have this intention. If it is just to escape reality and seek purity for yourself, that is called Anuttara's selfishness.
Next, let’s talk about the journey to the Pure Land.
When everyone sees the Pure Land, it is easy to think of the popular Pure Land Sect and the method of chanting the Buddha's name. The principles are the same, but the principles are different.
All Buddhism is cultivating the Pure Land, but do not regard the Pure Land as a land or a world or a country. The concept of the Pure Land in Mahayana Buddhism must be understood clearly.
What is pure land? What is a Buddhist country? Don't be led by the words "tu" and "guo" in the text to the concept of images, which will bury the spirit of Buddhism.
Buddha said: Treasure accumulation! All living beings are the Bodhisattva's land. So what? Bodhisattvas take the Buddha's land according to the living beings they transform.
All Buddhas in the ten directions and three times have a Buddha Land. We can easily imagine it as the concept of an emperor ruling the land.
To put it another way, Buddha Land and Pure Land are the realm of becoming a Buddha.
The Buddha said that all living beings are the Buddha land of Bodhisattva. Living beings are opposite to Bodhisattvas. Living beings have not yet enlightened themselves, have not yet found the source of their own lives, and have not yet understood their true nature. This is because of the Bodhisattvas on earth.
Bodhisattvas are sentient beings who have understood the mind and nature and are practicing but have not yet fully attained enlightenment. For example, we are in good spirits today, have no physical pain, our emotions and thoughts are very pure, and we feel safe and happy. But peace and happiness are relative to days when the body and mind are not healthy, peaceful and unhappy.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of transforming sentient beings lies in all sentient beings.
If there were no sentient beings, there would be no such thing as becoming a Buddha, and there would be no need to become a Buddha.
If there are no worries, there is no need to ask for liberation. All sentient beings are greedy, angry, foolish, conceited and doubtful, some are smart and some are stupid, and all have different faculties. However, all Bodhisattvas establish their Buddhaland according to the different faculties of sentient beings. For example, all sentient beings have similar aspiration, form, and function to Amitabha Buddha, and they are in harmony with each other and are reborn in the Western Paradise. However, there are also sentient beings who are not close to the vows held by Amitabha Buddha and whose karma and karma are not compatible, so they may choose the Oriental Glazed Light Buddha Land.
All sentient beings have different natures, the teaching methods of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are also different, and the realm of Buddhaland is also different.
The state achieved by all Bodhisattvas is one of no attachment, no independent opinions, no prejudices, and absolutely no self.
As the abilities of sentient beings are different, the methods of subduing their delusional minds are different, and the realm of Buddhaland established is also different. Taming means training and subduing. It is an educational method of Buddhism. It can be used in various ways, such as joy, laughter, anger, scolding, etc.
"According to which state all sentient beings should enter the Buddha's wisdom and take the Buddha's land." See which state of the Buddha's state all living beings should enter, and guide them and teach them to enter the Buddha's wisdom and achievement.
Entering the Buddha's wisdom is a practical skill. The Lotus Sutra talks about the four methods of opening, revealing, enlightening and entering, which are four different methods of practice to "open up the knowledge and view of the Buddha, reveal the knowledge and view of the Buddha, realize the knowledge and view of the Buddha, and enter into the knowledge and view of the Buddha". However, are there any Which one comes first? I don’t think it’s a problem, but Buddhist scholars have always argued about the order of things, turning Buddhist practice into a knowledge of thinking.
This verse is equivalent to what the Surangama Sutra says: "Follow the minds of sentient beings and you should know and measure them." Our pure and original nature is everywhere in the Dharma Realm and has no place.
All sentient beings have different karma and different knowledge and views, resulting in different thoughts, emotions, personalities, and faculties of all sentient beings. However, the ontology is the same, and all differences are differences between the sentient beings themselves.
It is equal to a bucket of water, wine, and vinegar, but the water properties are the same. Because living beings have these differences, the teachings of Buddhism must "according to how all living beings should enter the Buddha's wisdom", and the Buddha "takes the Buddha's land" according to his convenience. Therefore, the Western Paradise is a Buddha land where Amitabha, Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva and others have achieved the perfection of expedients. It is a Buddha land established not for themselves but for the sentient beings who are destined to be reborn there.
The Eastern World is a Buddhist land established for the sake of sentient beings with corresponding abilities and "according to the minds of sentient beings, they should know and understand".
In the same way, when Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach sentient beings in this world, they also "follow the minds of sentient beings", based on the amount you know.
Some people consider a small root to be as small as a small grass. If it rains heavily, not only will the grass not survive, but the roots will also drift away, making it unbearable. The roots of big trees are so big that they remain motionless under strong winds and heavy rains. On the contrary, after being moistened, the branches and leaves become more luxuriant.
Therefore, all sentient beings have different abilities. How can they be in the realm of Buddha Land? Education and cultivation of their good roots, the roots of Bodhisattvas, and the attainment of Buddha Land.
Educating sentient beings is very difficult. Some sentient beings are endowed with exoteric teachings, so they are limited to exoteric teachings and cannot accept esoteric teachings; some are endowed with esoteric teachings, and they are unwilling to listen to exoteric teachings; those with the Hinayana endowment cannot accept esoteric teachings. Mahayana; those with heretical roots cannot believe in Buddhism and must be tempted by heretics.
Education is induction, allowing him to develop good roots and convert him back to the outside world. This is the convenience of Bodhisattva's teachings. No wonder all the Buddhas greet each other when they meet: "Are you less sick and less troubled? Is it easy for all living beings to be saved?"
Where should we start when we learn Buddhism and practice? Where to establish roots? Where can I find the Pure Land?
If you want to become a Buddha, you cannot do without all sentient beings, so you must first learn to be a human being.
You don’t get along well with others, but you still want to save sentient beings? If you want to become a Buddha, but you see that everyone is your enemy and you are jealous of others, is this a good root? It’s simply a magical way.
You say that you are an Asura with a strong hatred. Do you have the abilities and merits of an Asura? Can you bring peace to the world with anger?
