A life of true faith and a belief of true faith
Although some people in the society say that they have certain beliefs, they are all superstitious, and some even believe in evil. So what is true faith? How can we get the life of faith and faith?
(A) from disguised beliefs to real beliefs
Ordinary people are often superstitious about evil because they have no real faith. So people's wisdom can't be opened, so they do a lot of stupid things in a muddle. For example, watching geomantic omen, telling time, telling fortune, divining divination, burning tin foil and gold and silver paper are all superstitious behaviors, which are not allowed by Buddhism.
There is a Wanshou Park cemetery in Foguang Mountain. Because of the death of relatives and friends, people often want to bury him in the cemetery. If I meet them, I often say to them, "It's best not to bring Mr. Geography to see Feng Shui. Some people don't understand why, because if you invite Mr. Geography to see Feng Shui, you must first ask the person who manages the cemetery to give him a red envelope. If you don't give it, after seeing the cemetery, even if you are satisfied with the funeral, you will find an excuse to say, "This place is in a bad direction. If your parents are buried here, they will offend their descendants. " "I heard that, you must feel all right. In order to bury your parents, you violated your child's daughter. You must not take this land. Another example is building a house. Even if you have a good landscape, if Mr. Geography says, "The direction of the house is not good, because parents can't go in this direction." "Imagine, you can take this big taboo? Superstition is to seize the weakness of human nature in a horrible way, so that you dare not disobey his beliefs. If a person does not have the wisdom to believe, he can't get rid of superstition. The Buddha repeatedly taught us in his legacy: "Don't take advantage of each other's good and bad luck, look up at the stars. Therefore, all my life, I have followed the wise saying that "every day is a good day and everywhere is a good place". As long as we are just, we can go anywhere; As long as it is convenient for everyone, every hour is auspicious. True Buddhists are never superstitious, and superstitious people are by no means true Buddhists.
There is also an evil belief, such as the consistent way. What is a consistent way? I'm afraid few people can really understand; But why do so many people believe it? Perhaps it is its mysterious color and the oath that binds you firmly. Dare not violate, have to believe all the time. However, faith should not be so rash, because it is not true faith just because of human feelings or selfishness. Therefore, we should abandon the superstitious beliefs of disguised cults and choose the real Buddhist beliefs.
(B) from believing in fate to believing in autonomy
Generally speaking, people are willing to believe in fate, and everything belongs to the arrangement of heaven. The food is given to us by heaven; The benefits fell from the sky. Of course, there is nothing evil in this idea. It's just that we unconditionally hand over sovereignty to the gods and let them be the masters to rule us. This kind of person who doesn't know that he has sovereignty over himself is really the most stupid and pitiful person in the world. Why should a person's happiness, happy life, cheerful spirit and bright future be dominated and given by the gods? Buddhism says that "everyone has Buddha nature", which is to improve the sovereignty of each of us. Let us be alert to the fact that we can control everything about ourselves, and darkness can turn into light; Tragedy can turn into happiness; Rugged, can pave an open road to life. Believing in Buddhism, to put it more thoroughly, is to believe in yourself. Isn't it more meaningful to create everything with your own hands than to rely on the domination of the gods?
(3) From human belief to faithful belief.
People have many beliefs, often because this temple also goes to socialize and that temple also goes around. In the end, I was surrounded by many human feelings, so I couldn't choose the true faith. In fact, faith should not depend on people according to law. Buddha said that there are "four stops", that is, first, "not relying on people according to law": people who believe in Buddhism seek "faithfulness and interpretation" according to the teaching method of Buddha, and do not give up their faith because of the quality of people (people who say it); Or just be a believer in a temple or a monk, regardless of the whole Buddhism.
Second, "I don't know by wisdom": wisdom is wisdom, light is bright, and I can see its true colors; Knowledge is difference and distinction. Those who study Buddhism can only get the true meaning of Buddhism if they don't pursue Buddhism with different knowledge. People who study Buddhism should use their intelligence to prove the truth in order to be free.
Third, "follow the righteousness but not the words": people who believe in Buddhism should understand the Buddhism from the righteousness, and don't scrutinize and care about the language.
Fourth, "if you follow the righteousness, you can't follow the righteousness": Buddhism that can't follow the righteousness is just a convenient way to persuade new believers or those with shallow knowledge; If you believe in the truth, you should believe in the way of riding the dust.
"Four Persistences" is a truth that every Buddhist should know, and we should put it into practice.
(4) From temple belief to monk belief.
We believe in Buddhism, not just a temple, but the whole Buddhist monk group; Don't be a disciple of only one person, be a disciple of the whole monk group. As a Buddhist, you should protect any temple; Every monk group should do its best to love it as much as it loves its own home. There are many temples and believers all over the province. We often see some believers at home walking around temples, comparing the enthusiasm of monks for him, and some even make waves between temples, which is not the proper behavior of a real Buddhist. It is the duty of Buddha disciples to believe in the Buddhist monk protection group.
(5) From disorderly belief to pure belief.
Now the belief is too complicated, no matter what the object of worship is, he will burn incense here and worship God there. In fact, the benefits of faith cannot be obtained by disorderly beliefs. So, let's not be confused. We also believe in this and that. We can't concentrate, and we can't get help when we are really in trouble. It is better to turn our body and mind to the Three Treasures, let them unify our beliefs, worship God instead of seeing God, burn incense in every temple, and purify our beliefs.
Does Buddhism worship ghosts and gods?
Obviously, a Buddhist who believes in Buddhism can only worship the three treasures of Buddha, dharma and monk, and never worship ghosts and gods. However, a Buddhist who believes in Buddhism does not deny the existence of ghosts and gods, because ghosts and gods are also two of the six divisions in the wheel of karma. Therefore, Buddhist believers do not worship ghosts and gods, but only maintain a certain degree of courtesy to them.
What does Buddhism mean by atheism?
This is a proper term in religion. There are two kinds of atheism in the world, one is materialistic atheism; One is what Buddhism calls atheism.
Materialist atheism denies the independent existence of all gods and does not believe in a world with ghosts and gods. Atheism in Buddhism means that all laws are born of karma, and all things in the universe are formed by karma. They admit that there are spirits and ghosts, but they don't think that there is an all-knowing and all-powerful god who dominates the creation of the universe, which is the first, the last and the only one.
According to religion, gods can be divided into polytheism, Er Shen, monotheism, pantheism and atheism. Polytheism is a common folk belief with no organization and system. It is a religious form of primitive people and also a regional religious form. For example, folk gods in China are divided into local gods and national gods. Land gods can be divided into ancestral gods and natural gods, and their names and images can vary from place to place and from time to time. The god of the country is the ancestor of the whole country, the whole nation or mountains, rivers, the sun and the moon.
As for Er Shen's belief, good and evil are divided into two forces. At first, two hostile countries regarded their protectors as good gods, while the other was evil gods. Later, after the reunification of all ethnic groups, Er Shen belief was formed, that is, the evil god is the devil and the good god is the god; However, there is only Zoroastrianism in Persia, which worships both the devil and God. Although Christianity also believes in the eternal existence of the devil and God, it only worships God, not the devil. It has the content of two religions and only takes the form of monotheism.
The so-called monotheism means that everything is created, controlled and destroyed by one God, and God has great power and authority to dominate everything, just as China calls him the creator and Christianity calls him the Lord. Although Christianity also believes in the existence of angel gods, it is the retinue of the only God, the creation of the only God, and it cannot be the heir of God, nor can it be another great god with equal status with God.
As for pantheism, it is the god of ideas that philosophers believe in. It is the noumenon of the universe, the law of nature, and the image without personality, but it is the place where everything is born and returned. God can't love others with his will, and people have the responsibility and obligation to obey and love God.
As for atheism, this article just said that there are two kinds. First, materialism has no God, and holds that all phenomena in the universe and life are produced by the operation of matter, except for the activities of matter, there is no spiritual body that exists without matter. There is no past before death and no future after death; If there is, it is the source and continuation of physical inheritance. For individuals, people die like lights, even if they admit that their spiritual strength in the world, whether academic, political or artistic, can affect future generations; But that's matter, not spirit. People can miss the ancients, but the ancients don't know that we miss him, because they don't exist; Remembering the ancients is not to comfort the soul, but to inspire the wise Si Qi.
Buddhist atheism is mainly based on the phenomenon that all laws are born of karma, which shows that all beings have karma. Every living creature has created its own karma and received individual rewards, while many living beings have created countless karma in previous lives; Similar karma, feeling similar karma, born in the same environment, is what the Buddha said that all beings have no end and the world has no end, which is what all beings deserve.
Our world belongs to the solar system, which was created by the earth, human beings and other creatures born in this world. Past karma is not created by God as monotheists say. The understanding of God and the need of God are actually out of people's needs. The omniscient God is not real, but it can't be said that he is equal to no God. According to believers, he exists. Judging from the god who is believed, he may be a powerful ghost, a god of great happiness, or a god of another world. There is more than one of them. Therefore, the followers of monotheism are themselves divided, and their image, understanding and feelings about monotheism vary from person to person, from place to place and from time to time. So monotheism is actually an upgrade of polytheism.
The godlessness of Buddhism does not deny the beliefs and functions of polytheism, Er Shen and even monotheism, but only regards them as the category of sentient beings, so Huayan Sutra, Tibetan Sutra and even Agama all talk about ghosts and gods. Buddhism is not an "atheist", but it does not believe that there is a unique god of creation who dominates the universe.
Orthodox Buddhism
In fact, there is no difference between belief and superstition in the essence of Buddhism. Buddhism is Buddhism, and the basic content is the same everywhere. Buddhism emerged from the sea of great compassion and wisdom of Buddha Sakyamuni, who was a great awakened one. It is a kind of teaching full of wisdom, kindness, brightness, coolness and comfort. The cult form established according to this belief is Buddhism.
True faith means correct belief, proper oath, correct understanding, honest belief and true trust. The content of a positive letter must meet three main conditions: first, it must be permanent; Second, it must be universal; Third, it must be inevitable. In other words, it used to be like this, now it is everywhere, and it will be like this in the future.
Any belief or trust in a truth or a thing that cannot stand the test of these three conditions is not belief, but superstition. A religious doctrine can't stand the test of the times, can't be guided by the environment, and can't open a new realm. It's superstition, not faith.
However, it is undeniable that the orthodox Buddhism in Mahayana religious areas, especially in China, has always been enjoyed exclusively by monks and a few gentlemen in the mountains. As for the orthodox beliefs of the people, they have never been popularized. The general public has always lived in the concept of mixed beliefs of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, such as the worship of ghosts and gods, and the belief that people are dead or have ghosts, which are not the products of Buddhism.
How does Buddhism adapt to the requirements of folk beliefs?
The so-called folk belief is a kind of religious behavior related to folk customs and a primitive religious phenomenon. Since the beginning of human culture, it has generally occurred between ethnic groups. That's to relieve mental troubles, family and social disputes, and the torture of the natural environment. In the case that people's physical strength and intelligence can't be solved for a while, they can only turn to the guidance, help, rescue and blessing of the gods, and use the methods of praying for a sign, praying for a sign, descending the spirit, dragging the dead, helping Luan, offering sacrifices and making wishes to achieve the purpose of communicating with ghosts and gods. Buddhism does not advocate similar behavior.
Folk belief is a mixture of gods. Since the Song Dynasty, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have merged, and gods, immortals, buddhas and bodhisattvas are not divided. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the so-called homology of five religions has emerged, namely, Ye religion and Hui religion. People who claim to be gods, immortals, saints, sages, bodhisattvas and ancient buddhas are invited to give advice to those who want help through mediums, magicians, Lu 'an altars, nuns, people and props, such as spirit tablets and wooden cups. The difference is that Buddhism achieves the purpose of prayer through rational persuasion, cultivating goodness and accumulating blessings, and repenting and chanting Buddha. However, monotheistic believers pray for the only God. Folk beliefs also regard leaders of various religions as gods. The difference is that all major religions have their own leaders, teaching history, teaching principles, teaching instruments and teaching groups. Folk belief is polytheism. Therefore, orthodox Buddhist temples should not be equipped with diviners, Luan altars, granaries, cups and lamps, nor should they worship gods and idols with various local colors, so as not to be contaminated with the color of folk beliefs, and be mistaken for worshipping polytheists as Buddhism, which is the mainstream of folk beliefs.
How does Buddhism meet the needs of the public and the needs of folk beliefs? This should focus on promoting the role of Buddhism and Bodhisattva, or expounding the functions of some commonly used scriptures, such as Guanyin Bodhisattva and Earth Treasure Bodhisattva, which are meticulous, far-reaching and ancient and modern. Guanyin Bodhisattva is called inspiration, salvation and compassion. Amitabha Buddha is known as the supreme medical king, also known as infinite life and infinite light. These buddhas and bodhisattvas can make people meet their needs, live longer and seek wisdom. Sakyamuni Buddha is one of the tens of billions incarnations of Lushena Buddha. He is the leader of the women's world, the mentor of man and nature, the beacon of the night and the kind navigation of the sea of suffering. Buddhas can accept the call for help from any sentient beings at any time and anywhere, and have all the functions of liberating all sentient beings. All great bodhisattvas also have six kinds of magical powers, which can be absorbed anytime and anywhere. They are all the same and should satisfy the reasonable prayers of all sentient beings. Then everyone can easily meet all the requirements of folk beliefs by choosing a Buddha, a bodhisattva, or a specific practice and mantra, not to mention going further and reaching the realm of self-interest, altruism and freedom from the religious level of folk beliefs.
The esoteric religion has different purposes and different levels of cultivation methods. Tiantai Sect and Huayan Sect in China have also compiled various rituals and rituals to practice the teachings declared in various scriptures, which are different from the polytheism of folk beliefs; Only trace back to the source of Buddhism, there is no diversified ceremony. Buddhism says that there is no end to Buddhism, and any Buddhism can become the master of all Buddhism as long as you concentrate on practicing. Therefore, there are 25 kinds of modifications in the Shurangama Sutra, and any method is equal to all laws and has the function of all laws. "Vimalakīrti Jing" shows the only way, otherwise it will be easily confused with folk beliefs and merged with polytheistic beliefs, giving people the impression that God and Buddhism are indistinguishable.
From a deeper level, as a Buddhist, if you constantly change your practice methods and worship objects in order to meet different wishes, you will lose your central goal. Believing in Buddhism and believing in the Three Treasures means learning Buddhism and practicing dharma. It is the compassion and wisdom of learning Buddha. Under the correct guidance of Buddhism, they practice Buddhism wholeheartedly, so as to achieve the consistent goal of keeping precepts, practicing Buddhism and developing wisdom. As long as we don't leave the three treasures principle and take reading Buddhist books, doing Buddhist deeds, observing precepts, giving alms, chanting Buddha and confessing as daily lessons day after day, even if we don't seek practical interests, practical interests will naturally be achieved in daily life.
Excerpt from-Master's Feast
If you want to know about true Buddhism, please read "True Buddhism", "Learning from Buddhism" and "Introduction to Buddhism" by the feast master.
Amitabha!