Since I converted to Sambo, in the field of knowledge, I feel like a poor man has found a treasure. In the vast ocean of Buddhist scriptures, I explore day and night. Although the time is not long and the harvest is limited, you can know the taste of the sea by tasting a spoonful. In the process of excavation, I feel the profound harmony of Buddhism, which is broad and implicit. Can break my confusion and save my wisdom. Therefore, on the journey of further study, I dare not slack off. Apart from studying by myself, I don't want to keep secrets about the benefits of Buddhism, and I always tell my friends and relatives, hoping that they can also initiate faith and convert to Buddhism. All this, as far as I am concerned, I feel that I am on the right path of life from ecstasy. But in the eyes of some friends, I thought I was obsessed with enlightenment-obsessed with Buddhism and embarked on the road of passive escape. I don't want to defend myself at this point. Originally, anyone in this society was self-righteous about his behavior. I think it's right for me to believe in Buddhism, and others think it's right to laugh at me for believing in Buddhism. In that case, it can only be said that fans are obsessed with themselves, and those who have been enlightened since the enlightenment seem to have nothing to say. But what worries me is that I am afraid that these people will think I am fascinated and then misunderstand that Buddhism is a superstitious religion. Therefore, I would like to introduce what I know about Buddhism for the reference of these friends. This is my initial motivation for writing this article.
On the other hand, before I converted to Sambo, I didn't have any religious beliefs myself, and I didn't care much about other people's religious beliefs. At the same time, I seldom talk about such problems with others. After I converted to Sambo, I always wanted to introduce the benefits of Buddhism to others, so I often preached the great harmony of Buddhism to my friends and colleagues to save all beings. I hope to attract people to believe. Because of these opportunities, I found that many people discriminate against Buddhism, misunderstand Buddhism, are extremely unfamiliar with Buddhism, and are called Buddhists who don't understand Buddhism. People who don't want to know about Buddhism but have no chance are everywhere. Because there are so many such people, they put all the nouns such as backwardness, superstition, passivity and escapism on Buddhism. However, Buddhism is a religion based on sympathy and humiliation. Buddhists neither refute nor explain what the outside world says. This has deepened the misunderstanding of Buddhism in society. According to my analysis, the public's intentional or unintentional misunderstandings about Buddhism are as follows:
1. People who discriminate against Buddhism;
There are two kinds of such people: one is intentional and the other is blind obedience. The former is biased and deliberately slandered. The latter is a parrot, echoing the sound. The former, like foreign missionaries, in order to raise their status, did not hesitate to reverse black and white, labeling Buddhism as backward, superstitious, passive and escapist to show their religious progress and science. The latter is that some followers of foreign teachers think that "the moon is an excircle". Since foreign Taoists and priests say that Buddhism is outdated and superstitious, it is probably outdated and superstitious to think of Buddhism. But when you ask him how backward Buddhism is and how superstitious it is, he can't say a word. Because he knows nothing about Buddhism! A prestigious person in the medical field asked me, "How can you believe in Buddhism that burns incense and recites scriptures?" Needless to say, he is a Jesuit, and he regrets that I, a newly educated man, don't believe in Jesus. I asked him, "What's wrong with believing in Buddhism?" He said: "According to the trend of human evolution, religion should belong to one god among many gods." I explained to him that God is God and Buddha is Buddha, which are two different things. After all, from polytheism to monotheism, I still believe in other people's religions. Buddhism requires people to believe in Buddhism and stand on their own feet. All beings have Buddhist nature, and anyone can practice Buddhism. He listens left and right, but he is deaf. It's no use just saying that you want a chance to spread Buddhism, but you have to do it.
Second, people who misunderstand Buddhism:
This kind of people may not be against Buddhism, but because they don't understand the true face of Buddhism and mistakenly think that Shinto is Buddhism and worship, which leads to many misunderstandings. What's more, some people accuse Buddhism of using magic sticks to collect money, and even Zhang Yugu has such a boring thing. This is really a misunderstanding that cannot be explained clearly.
A few weeks ago, a newspaper published a lace story with the title: "A thousand catties of pigs, blessed is the bodhisattva." The content describes the birthday of a great emperor in a certain township and palace. The villagers slaughtered a pig weighing more than 1000 Jin, so the reporter added the title "Fu Bodhisattva". I think this reporter made two common-sense mistakes. First of all, he mistook the Shinto emperor for a Buddhist bodhisattva. Second, he doesn't understand that the basic spirit of Buddhism is that all beings are equal and vegetarianism is forbidden. Bodhisattva doesn't eat meat. So I missed a mile, so I did the above report. Since there are such misunderstood reports in the news, it is no wonder that many people in society confuse Shinto with Buddhism.
Third, for strangers in Buddhism,
There are still some people in the society who are either running for food and clothing or busy with their careers, leaving money, sex and fame to sleep all day, and five desires and six dusts occupy all the time. There is no religious impression in their minds. I once talked to a business friend about Buddhism-he is really a busy man, dealing with the affairs of the company, entertaining people from all walks of life, eating during the day and playing cards at night, and rarely has leisure to accompany me to talk about Buddhism. I spent a long time talking. In order to show that he was not too unfamiliar with Buddhism, he asked me, "Is the Tathagata of Buddhism the biggest?" Fortunately, he has seen The Journey to the West, otherwise, I'm afraid he is unfamiliar with the word Tathagata.
The Buddhist scriptures say, "Personal life is rare, life in China is difficult, Buddhism smells bad, and confidence is hard to rise." Buddhism has been circulating in China for more than two thousand years. Buddhism has influenced and enriched our culture since the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. However, in today's society, most people are so unfamiliar with Buddhism that they know nothing about it, which makes people sad not only for Buddhism, but also for our culture.
Fourth, people who are called Buddhists and don't understand Buddhism:
This kind of person, wearing a Buddhist coat, calls himself a Buddhist disciple. They also burn incense, recite scriptures, draw lots and help others. They took advantage of rural women's ignorance and superstition of lending money to couples and took the opportunity to collect money. In their court, there are real fairies and bodhisattvas standing side by side; In practice, they are guided by luck and go hand in hand with chanting. It doesn't matter if they don't mention the word Buddhism. But they have Buddhist cards hanging on their mouths, which makes people cry foul for Buddhism.
5. Non-Buddhists want to know Buddhism and have no chance:
There are many such people, and they are also the most worthy of sympathy. Most of these people are intellectuals, and they know that the teachings of Buddhism are very profound in concept, which is closely related to our culture. I really want to know a little about Buddhism, but I feel bitter and have no chance-it is difficult to meet the guidance of good knowledge of Buddhism; Secondly, I can't find a suitable book to read. Even if you find Buddhist scriptures or books on Buddhism, you can't see the clue at the moment. As a result, because there is no opportunity to understand Buddhism, faith cannot happen.
I have a friend who came back from America. When it comes to religious issues, I feel this way. He said: "In foreign countries, some western friends often ask me about my religious beliefs, and I tell them that I believe in Buddhism-my family has worshipped Guanyin for generations, and of course I am a Buddhist. But they asked me about the teachings of Buddhism and the internal situation of Buddhism, and I couldn't answer a word. I want to find some Buddhist books to read after returning home. But I can't buy it after running a lot of bookstores. " Then he asked: "Christian propaganda materials and letter materials can be seen everywhere, why not Buddhism?"
This friend is going abroad recently because of his position, and I also sent him some books on Buddhism. I hope he is abroad this time, and if someone talks to him about religion again, he can tell a story plausibly.
I talked to another friend who works in the education field about Buddhism. He said, "No, I can't help it. Earlier, I really wanted to know about Buddhism and the contents of Buddhist scriptures. I once asked an elder relative who was fasting and chanting Buddha. The old lady couldn't say anything but gave me some books. I remember there was a book "Zen Day Recitation" and several volumes of classics. It seems that the more I look at it, the more confused I am, which dispels my idea of believing in Buddhism. "
Examples like the above are too numerous to mention. This makes me feel that there are too many strangers who misunderstand Buddhism in today's society. How can people in society have a preliminary and correct understanding of Buddhism? This is a question that I have been thinking about.
The profound harmony of Buddhism. Broad and profound, it is recognized by scholars all over the world. Even intellectuals who don't believe in Buddhism admit the correctness and greatness of Buddhist theory. However, Buddhism is subtle and difficult to understand; Only profound, it is not easy to understand. Twelve parts of Sanzang are vast. Moreover, there are many names and words are difficult. It is really difficult for a person who has little knowledge of Chinese studies and has never been exposed to Buddhism to suddenly find some clues in the Buddhist scriptures that contain everything. It's like a mani pearl, shining. However, it is dazzling and eye-catching, making it difficult to identify the true face of the sphere.
What methods can make the public have a preliminary and correct understanding of Buddhism? I think the easiest way is to write a pamphlet introducing the general contents of Buddhism for the public to read. There were many books about Buddhism. Some focus on pure land, while others focus on Zen. Some only talk about cause and effect, while others abstain from killing and persuade good. But most of these books are written in classical Chinese, which has a deep meaning. It is rare to find a book that introduces the origin and spread of Buddhism and the general content of Buddhism in modern language. So I made a vow to compile the above contents into this booklet for the reference of people who don't understand Buddhism in society. That's why I wrote this book.
All I know in the ocean of Buddhism is a drop of water. It's really overreaching for a simple and superficial person like me to write this big topic. But I think it may be easier to introduce Buddhism to people who know nothing about Buddhism in society, if it is introduced by a Buddhist kindergarten student like me. So I boldly wrote this book.
No matter how difficult the country is, the Buddha will decline. Heresy pervades society. Therefore, it is everyone's responsibility to promote Buddhism and save the world. The author's works aim at attracting jade. I'd better pray for Buddha and virtue, and I will give you advice without hesitation. May all sentient beings * * * ascend to Buddhism and Taoism.