As soon as Liu Xin said these words, Gao pragmatic guessed what she meant. The thought is simply that he wants to use his power in southern Xinjiang to launch a big "gathering" of Theravada Buddhism, and then in exchange, let the various Sangha groups of Theravada Buddhism jointly endorse it, so as to gain some kind of attainment status for himself.
Well, judging from Liu Xin's performance, I'm afraid she means to go directly to the highest "Arahant status".
Gao pragmatic frowned and said to Gao Mo: "Uncle Mo, what does this Arhat status mean?"
"Hmm... Master, do you remember that I just mentioned the theory of 'Four Fruit Arhats'?" Gao Mo asked.
Gao Pragmatic nodded and said: "Remember, are these four fruits four...four magical powers?"
"Haha, that's not the case." Gao Mo said with a smile: "Youdao is a small method of Shaozhile. He doesn't believe in becoming a Buddha, so he uses convenience to distinguish the fruits. Originally, practice should be completed in one go, but everyone doesn't believe it. I can become a Buddha through cultivation, so for the sake of convenience, I divide the cultivation process into several stages.
This division is, firstly, to decompose one's own big goals into small goals and achieve them step by step, and secondly, to make it easier to judge other people's cultivation levels. "
Gao Pingshi was moved in his heart and asked: "Oh, so these 'four fruits' are not four magical powers, but four stages?"
"My lord has a wise opinion." Gao Mo confirmed his guess and said: "Arahat is the highest fruit in Theravada Buddhism, and the other three fruit are Sotapanna, Situoham, Anagami fruit.”
Gao Qingshi was a little speechless, but Liu Xin didn't seem to mind these complicated and troublesome terms, and asked: "What are the differences between these four fruit positions?"
Gao Mo said: "The first fruit is Sotapanna, which means pre-streaming fruit. It means that ordinary people can cut off their 'confusion' through practice, begin to see the Buddha's way, and enter the flow of the holy path. Achieve Sotapanna. From now on, you will never fall into the three evil realms (animal realm, hungry ghost realm, and hell realm). You will only reincarnate between the three good realms (the heavenly realm, the asura realm, and the human realm).
This Sotapanna fruition is also the first fruition that must be achieved in ordinary practice. Otherwise, the subsequent three fruitions will be castles in the air and elusive. "
This last sentence made Liu Xin frown a little, but she still asked: "Then how to achieve it?"
Gao Mo said: "There are three conditions for obtaining the fruit of Sotapanna: breaking off the three knots, namely the three troubles of body view, doubt, and abstinence. The so-called body view is the wrong view that clings to the body as a real thing;
The so-called elimination of doubts means to eliminate all doubts about the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, precepts, etc., and to have firm and unchanging confidence in the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, etc., and no longer doubt, which is "pure faith", that is, the four incorruptible faith;
The so-called breaking of precepts and gaining views means that those who have entered the stream have witnessed the process of the cessation of suffering and nirvana, can distinguish between helpful and unhelpful behaviors, and no longer have superstition on unhelpful rituals, taboos, precepts, etc.
As for cutting off the view of self, it means no longer considering the five yin beings as the eternal and unchangeable 'I', 'True Self', and 'Real Self'. Do not fall into the Dharma, establish precepts, do not commit evil deeds, and will not cause bad consequences again, and will not fall into the three evil realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals.
And the concentration of right concentration is also called the determination of positive nature and the determination of positive enlightenment. In short, after achieving Sotapanna, you will never become an ordinary person again, and you will definitely reach the highest enlightenment. "
Liu Xin looked at Gao pragmatically and asked, "What does the boss have to say?"
Gao pragmatic curled his lips and said: "Well, I think it's like Zhang Wuji has mastered the Nine Yang Magic Kung Fu. With a solid foundation, he won't be beaten to death easily. As long as he learns more subtle moves, he will become a powerful person sooner or later."
Liu Xin chuckled, then thought for a moment and said, "I think you have a chance to get this fruition - I mean, as long as the Sangha is willing, it can help you find an excuse."
"Why?"
Liu Xin said: "Don't you think that the main focus of this fruition position is actually the character and wisdom? You studied hard in the cold window and finally got the top prize in six poems. It shows that the character is determined and the wisdom is outstanding - Uncle Mo, is this the truth? make sense?"
What could Gao Mo say? Of course he smiled and nodded in agreement.
Liu Xin ignored Gao Pragmatic and rolled her eyes on the spot, and continued to say to Gao Mo: "Uncle Mo, please tell me about the second fruit position."
Seeing Gao Pragmatic, Gao Mo didn't stop him, so he continued: "Okay, the second fruit is Si Tuohan, which means 'one comes'."
Liu Xin was stunned for a moment: "What's coming?"
Gao Mo chuckled and said: "This means that ordinary people, on the basis of cutting off the confusion of views, then cut off the confusion of the desire world. There are nine levels of confusion in the desire world. Si Tuohan only cut off the first six levels, and there are still three levels that have not been eliminated. Therefore, it still needs to be reborn in the human world and heaven again, hence the name Yi Lai.
This Situohan is originally Sanskrit. In our words, it means "one return". It is also called "one up and one return" in the Buddhist scriptures. It means that at most, you can only go back and forth between heaven and earth once more, and then you can go back and forth between heaven and earth. After attaining the four fruits, one is destined to be completely liberated - that is, to be forever free from the suffering of reincarnation in the six realms.
Compared with the Sotapanna of the First Fruition, the Second Fruition not only possesses the three characteristics of the First Fruition (abstaining doubt, abstaining from attachment, and eradicating self-view), but also has the characteristics of eradicating 'greed, anger, and delusion'.
In other words, in the process of practicing and attaining enlightenment, the two-fruited saints have developed a desire to stay away from the five worldly desires (referring to money, sex, food, fame, sleep, or sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). Fundamentally reduced. "
When Gao Mo explained this, Liu Xin felt a little confused and thought hard: "This is a bit difficult to handle..." She glanced at Gao Pingshi, sniffed her nose lightly, and said, "I see, Boss Gao, you Desire is not too small."
Gao pragmatically said helplessly: "It's you who always want to take advantage of divine power. I had no such intention."
Unexpectedly, Gao Mo said warmly on the side: "What Miss Liu just said, I think it is worthy of discussion. I think that if the monks from various countries in southern Xinjiang are willing to endorse my 'Situo Hanguo', there is actually a ready-made reason."
Liu Xin said in surprise: "Really? What's the reason?"
Gao Mo said calmly: "I have conquered the southern frontier, but I have not destroyed a country - thousands of miles of mountains and rivers are not enough for me to be greedy, so why do I have so many desires?"
"Oh, that's right!" Liu Xin's eyes lit up and she said, "This is a good reason, but...what will we do in the future?"
That's what she said, but she immediately put the trouble aside and said resolutely: "We will talk about the future in the future. In short, get the fruition status first - this is like raising your hope. You can rely on six poems to raise your hope in the Ming Dynasty. The number one scholar, even Annan can rely on it.
However, it is different in the countries of Southern Xinjiang. You must get the support of the Sangha, and your prestige among the people will be unshakable, because the Theravada Sangha in Southern Xinjiang is like the scholars of the Ming Dynasty.
Even the emperor would not dare to touch a person who was highly praised among scholars, not to mention that the kings of southern Xinjiang did not have real power in their hands. As long as you get the fruition position, the kings and the original indigenous nobles will not only be in awe of your strength, but they will not be able to compare with you in terms of people's hearts. "
Only then did Gao Pragmatic fully understand Liu Xin's intention of seeking a "fruitful position" for herself. Thinking about it, it did make some sense. This time he no longer looked indifferent, but took the initiative to ask Gao Mo: "Okay, then what is the third fruition position?"
Gao Mo bowed slightly and said: "The third fruit is Anagami, which means 'non-return'. It means that on the basis of Situagami, we can further eliminate the last three levels of confusion in the desire world and no longer return to the desire world." Birth, hence the name Non-Return. Those who achieve this fruition will no longer return to the realm of desire, but will achieve Nirvana."
Gao pragmatic neither believed nor cared about these, and just asked: "What are your requirements?"
Gao Mo said: "This position must be eradicated from the confusion of world views and the nine levels of thought confusion in the desire realm before it can be realized. When the five lower knots are eliminated, Anagami can be obtained. The 'five lower knots' are: body view, abstinence and restraint. Grasping, doubt, desire, greed, and hatred. The confusions that have been eliminated by practicing the path in the realm of desire have been eliminated by now.
In short, the saints who have realized the fruit of Anagami have cut off all the troubles and confusions in the desire realm and are no longer infected with the five desires in the desire realm. After death, one will leave the desire realm and ascend to the form realm or formless realm, where he will enter nirvana and never return to the desire realm. "
Gao pragmatically and Liu Xin didn't understand these many "realms" at all. Gao pragmatically remained silent, while Liu Xin simply asked: "Can this one be counted together with the previous one?"
Gao Mo smiled bitterly and said: "What I know is all from the report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the research is not too deep. Whether it can be counted together, I am afraid it is not up to me."
Gao pragmatic touched his chin, waved his hand and said: "Then let's skip it for now and talk about the Arahant Fruit."
Gao Mo nodded and said: "The fruit of Arhat means to cut off all the confusions and confusions in the realm of desire, form and formless realm, leaving nothing behind, to obtain the holy fruit of no birth, and to be supported by humans and heavens.
This 'Arahant' should be pronounced as 'Arahant' in Sanskrit, which is translated as Ying, Yingsheng, Yingzhen, Killing Thieves, Unborn, Unborn, Unlearned, True Person. Killing the thief here means killing the thief who has all the troubles. Inanimation means being freed from life and death and not having to have an afterlife, realizing Nirvana, and being worthy of offerings means receiving offerings from heaven and earth. It is one of the four fruits of sound-hearing and one of the ten names of Tathagata. In other words, the Tathagata’s fruition status is also that of Arhat. "
Liu Xin exclaimed, "That's amazing."
Gao Pangshi asked: "What are the requirements for this Arahant?"
"Achieving the fruit of Arhat refers to a saint who has cut off the confusion of views and thoughts in the three realms, achieved perfect wisdom, and is worthy of receiving great offerings from the world. It is the highest fruit position in the path of liberation, that is, the person who has achieved the path and the saint. This is the meaning of Nan The highest ideal of Theravada Buddhism is also a title given to a saint who has given up all hobbies and desires, is freed from troubles, and is worshiped and respected by others."
Gao Pragmatic waved his hand and said: "Since they are the highest attainment, then they must be saints. I know this. I am asking what are the prerequisites for achieving Arahantship?"
"Master, regarding the Arahant Fruit, I have indeed seen some opinions here, but most of them are very mysterious. I am afraid that neither Master nor Miss Liu are very interested in hearing them." Gao Mo smiled bitterly and said: "To put it simply, it is probably 'Undefinable'."
"Undefinable?" Gao Pragmatic had the urge to roll his eyes.
Gao Mo thought for a while and said: "According to Theravada, after attaining the fruit of Arahant, you may not necessarily enter Nirvana immediately. The Arahant before that will still live in the world for a period of time. During this period Here, the performance of Arahants is also different, and it is impossible to simply give a definition to say what Arahants will be like."
Gao pragmatic frowned and said, "What do you mean?"
“For example, in our Ming Dynasty or previous dynasties, saints and saints were generally considered to be helpful to others, but this was not necessarily the case for those who achieved the fruit of Arahantship.
According to Theravada, after attaining the fruit of Arahant, whether you want to actively help others depends on the Arahant's own wishes. Most Arahants are very active in helping others, such as Sariputta, the Venerable Shariputra, and Maha Moggallana, the Venerable Maha Moggallana.
But there are also some Arhats who live alone in the forest and do not actively help others, such as Anya Kundanya, the Venerable Kochenru. "
Liu Xin couldn't help but laugh and said: "Ha, I understand, it turns out that the characteristic of an Arhat is that he does whatever he wants."
However, Gao Pragmatic snorted and curled his lips and said, "I think the Theravada couldn't explain why Sakyamuni's direct disciples behaved differently, so they simply used 'undefinable' to define Arhat."
Liu Xin said: "That's great! You see, as long as you can be recognized by them as 'attaining the fruit of Arhat', then from now on you can do whatever you want, and it will all be right anyway - because as long as the word 'Arhat' is undefinable ’, everything has been explained, this reason is simply invincible. With this reason, even the Pope of Rome may only envy you!"
Gao pragmatic thought along Liu Xin's words and couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head while laughing and said: "It seems you are right. Things like divine power are sometimes really invincible and completely unreasonable. "
That's natural. No matter what a person does, he is right. Isn't that too unreasonable?
In fact, the evaluations made by Gao Pragmatic and Liu Xin are not wrong. Gods and Buddhas have no physical appearance and can change their appearance according to circumstances. Therefore, in Theravada Buddhism, there is indeed no accurate description to define what an Arahant is like, what he will definitely do, and what he will definitely not do.
No matter what he does or what he doesn’t do, there are no persistent thoughts or delusions in the heart of an Arhat. like
If you want to describe, then all behaviors must use a sentence pattern of negation and negation. For example, to eliminate the greed of the formless realm in the five higher knots: Not meditating? Not attached to meditation, nor attached to non-meditation.
Theravada believes that the behavior of Arhats is difficult for the world to understand and figure out. He has no pure motive, what must he do or accomplish? He doesn't have pure disgust, he definitely doesn't want anything.
He could become interested in anything at any time and drop it at any time. I have my own thoughts that are changing all the time, and I also have the spirit of "not moving".
You say he is compassionate, because he has let go of all sentient beings and has no signs of sentient beings; you say he is not compassionate, but he occasionally lectures on Buddhism to save people in the world.
Will he definitely do good deeds? No, because there is no good or bad in his heart. He may not break the precepts, but he is not obsessed with keeping them either. He may be obsessed with sex, but he always has a clear mind. He has no worries, but enjoys the beauty of the world. He has no attachment, but he still does everything happily. He doesn't care what others say, but he doesn't necessarily avoid arguing or quarreling with others.
There are too many to mention, but in short, everything about being an Arhat is so natural. Gao Pragmatic and Liu Xin can describe this state as "ordinary people", aren't they just doing whatever they want?
At this time, Liu Xin was a little proud. She glanced sideways at Gao Pragmatic and said, "Now are you willing to admit that my idea is good?" "Three Kingdoms" says: The way to use troops is to attack the heart first, and attack the city below. The battle with the heart is the top, and the battle with the troops is the bottom. Next. If you can get the Sangha groups from all over the world to jointly endorse your Arahantship, from now on, this southern Xinjiang will really be yours to spread."
Gao pragmatically smiled, seemingly acquiescing. However, he paid more attention to details in his actions. After thinking about it, he added: "Since the Theravada's fruition status is divided into four levels, and they do not recognize the enlightenment of Zen, it must not be obtained by leapfrogging through levels. Then I think, if I really If you want to obtain divine power and blessing by obtaining the fruition status, I'm afraid you can't just rely on one 'assembly', it's best to divide it into four steps..."
"Master Ruijin, this old slave also thinks so." Gao Mo rarely took the initiative to interject, saying: "Old slave thinks that we might as well divide it into four steps:
In the first step, as the master of Jinghua, the master made extensive donations to various Sangha groups in southern Xinjiang; in the second step, he continued to donate at least one large temple in each country in this capacity; in the third step, he ordered the Sangha groups in various countries to count the scriptures and Jinghua funded it. Print and spread widely; the fourth step is to convene senior monks from various countries and invite famous monks from Ceylon to gather in Dingnancheng to correct and unify the most authoritative annotations of the Pali Tripitaka.
When taking this fourth step, I may even consider promising to promote the Pali Tripitaka and even Theravada Buddhism to Southeast Asia, the East, and even the Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty. In this way, it will be of immeasurable merit to the Theravada Sangha, and it will not be a problem to change to 'Arahantship'. "
Gao Pragmatic frowned and said: "It's easy to promote it to Nanyang, but how to promote it in the Central Plains? Does it need to be translated into Chinese first?"
"Why not?" Gao Mo said with a smile: "We only need to translate it and get it to the Central Plains and distribute it. As for whether the people of the Ming Dynasty believe it or not, what does that have to do with you? Remember that Master Xuanzang took back so many According to the scriptures, the Central Plains formed the Consciousness-Only Sect, but the most popular among those practicing it in the Central Plains today is Zen."
Gao Pragmatic thought this explanation was okay, nodded, but smiled bitterly and said: "The Beiyang Expeditionary Fleet made me a windfall, but now it seems that this money will not fall into my pocket, but it actually wants to Use it to build temples."
He shook his head and said to Liu Xin: "To tell you the truth, I never thought that one day I would donate to the Sangha, donate to build temples, translate and print Buddhist scriptures, and call for gatherings. Alas, I thought I would go to the temple back then, or even never I didn’t put any incense on it, just to see the scenery—because I think the incense in those places is really too expensive.”
Liu Xin listened very seriously at first, and even planned to offer words of comfort, but when she heard the last sentence, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Only Gao Mo was confused and thought to himself: Why don’t I remember that Master has been to the temple? Could it be that he was talking about the time when he was in Tumut? That shouldn't be the case. The master is the third generation king of Ming Dynasty in Tumut. If he doesn't ask others for incense and money, it's fine. Who dares to ask him for it?
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