Amitabha! Get to know the Buddha and fulfill your life.

What is Buddha?

Buddha, this is the transliteration of ancient Sanskrit in India.

Buddha means to be aware of oneself, to be aware of others, to be aware of everything, and to be omniscient and unaware at all times. Therefore, he is also called the All-Wise Man or the Right and All-Pervasive Consciousness.

Buddha, simply translated as Buddha, was Prince Sakyamuni who was born in Kapilavastu City, India, 2589 years ago (623 BC) in our world. After attaining enlightenment, he was called Sakyamuni. Sakya is the family name, which means benevolence, and Muni is a common honorific title for saints in ancient India, which means silence. This is the leader of Buddhism.

Is Buddha the Creator?

No. True Buddhism does not have the concept of a creator. The Buddha is the enlightened person in the world. Although the Buddha can awaken all the principles of the world, he cannot change the existing state of the world. Although the Buddha can save all sentient beings, whether sentient beings can be saved, It still depends on whether sentient beings can work hard on their own. The Buddha is the best doctor who can diagnose and prescribe the suffering of all sentient beings. If you take his medicine, you will be saved. If you refuse to take the medicine, the Buddha will be helpless. The Buddha is the best guide who can guide all sentient beings out of the sea of ??suffering in this world. If you follow the Buddha's guidance, you will be saved. If you don't follow the guidance, you will be helpless. Therefore, the Buddha does not regard himself as the Creator of the world and can practice the Buddha's teachings, which is equivalent to seeing the Buddha and respecting the Buddha. Therefore, the Buddha is neither the creator of the world nor the dominating god. He can only teach all living beings how to escape suffering and achieve happiness. Although the Buddha himself has achieved freedom from suffering and achieved happiness, he cannot replace all living beings to escape suffering and achieve happiness. Buddha is a great educator and teacher of humans and gods.

Excerpted from Master Shengyan

Life and Faith

Every religion advises people to have faith, but what exactly should they believe in? The ancients said: There is a way and it is right. Good birds also know how to choose trees to roost on, and loyal ministers also know how to serve with a clear ruler. Not to mention faith, you must also choose good objects. So, what conditions should the object of our faith meet? This issue cannot but be discussed.

(1) Faith does exist

When we choose an object of faith, we should examine whether it really exists. For example, if we choose to believe in Buddhism, the leader of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, does exist. The Buddha has the country where he was born, the date of his birth, the parents who raised him, and he has brothers and relatives. He also has records of his journey as a monk, practice, and enlightenment. The Buddha's deeds are clearly recorded in history. Shakyamuni Buddha is not a god who is made up out of thin air; nor is he a god who comes and goes without a trace. In other words, the objects we Buddhists believe in can stand the test of time in history. So, what are we to believe in? We must believe in objects that actually exist.

(2) Believe in those with high moral standards

When we make friends, we must make friends with people with high moral character and holy personality, because they can guide us to be good. The ancients said: "There is no friend." Not as good as oneself." He also said: "When water flows down, people climb up." If the object of our faith requires us to kill and harm others, then belief in him will not only be unhelpful, but also harmful. We must understand, does the person I believe in have pure moral character? Is his mercy sufficient? Is his personality perfect? If he has it, then such an object is worthy of our faith and conversion. Sakyamuni Buddha is an awakened person with perfect merits and deeds. He possesses the three virtues of wisdom, judgment, and kindness. His morality is perfect and pure. Following this human and heavenly teacher can make our morality nobler and improve our personality. More perfect.

(3) Those with strong faith

We need a crutch as a support when climbing mountains, and we also need a strong crutch as our support in life. Only when we receive the guidance of our knowledgeable and capable teachers from an early age can we gradually avoid childishness; the object of our faith must also be a great and virtuous teacher who can save and enlighten others to guide us to the right path. "Buddha's Legacy Sutra" says: "I am like a good guide, leading people on a good path; I am like a good doctor, responding to illnesses and giving medicine." If you believe in the guidance of a good guide, you can walk on a bright road and reach your destination; believe in a good doctor For diagnosis and treatment, Agata medicine can be obtained to treat troublesome diseases. Why are the benevolent sages, heroes and ordinary people of all ages willing to accept his leadership? Mainly because of his strong ability. The lion can be the king of beasts, and the roc can be the strongest among birds, both because they have special abilities. The same is true for people. If the object of faith has strong power and seems to have a backing in life, we can only be happy because of it.

(4) Those who believe in pure precepts and conduct pure conduct

All actions of people who believe in pure precepts and conduct are in line with the precepts and regulations. If we obey them, our words and deeds will naturally be in line with the right path and will not be derailed. If the person we believe in behaves impurely, it is like a car that violates traffic rules. An accident may occur at any time, and it would be too dangerous for us to follow him. The object of our faith, the great Buddha, is an enlightened being with the most stringent and pure precepts. He not only maintains strict self-discipline, but also formulates many precepts to guide the body and mind of his disciples.

It is recorded in the scriptures: One of the disciples of the Buddha begged the owner of the orchard to beg fruits, and the owner asked him to pick them himself. The venerable replied: "The Buddha's precepts say that trees taller than a person cannot be climbed." The owner of the garden asked him to pick them himself. Asking him to shake the fruit down with his hands, he added, "Buddha's precepts say you are not allowed to shake the tree to get the fruit." In order to show his sincerity, the owner of the garden had to climb down from the branch and ask him to pick it. Knowing that, he still insisted: "Buddha's precepts say you are not allowed to take the fruit by yourself." The owner of the garden had no choice but to hold the fruit in both hands and offer it to him and said, "I will support you!" This story illustrates "taking without giving". As for violating the precepts, the disciples of the Buddha would rather not bear the fruit in order to adhere to the precepts. In modern terms, it is illegal to take anything from others without their consent, even a needle or thread. If everyone could abide by it, there would be no robbery or theft in society. If we can abide by the Buddha's teachings, the precepts we practice can be pure and flawless!

(5) Belief in the Perfect Dharma

The object of our faith must have perfect Dharma. The principles of Buddhism are impartial and unbiased, so they are called Dharma. The principles of Buddhism are universal and applicable to any time, space, person, or event. It is not suitable for this person but not for that person. Or it may be appropriate to use it at this time, but inappropriate to use it in another matter. Because Buddhism transcends time and space and is not subject to any limitations, it is perfect. There are many kinds of knowledge in society, and we must choose the most correct and comprehensive one as our guide. The famous saying of the wife of Guizhou Lou during the Spring and Autumn Period: "It is better to be straight and not enough, than to be skewed and have more than enough." It has been praised and used by the world for thousands of years. By believing in the perfect Dharma, we can not only get many correct instructions on our journey of life, but we can also build a perfect life.

(6) Full of Faith and Wisdom

There are two sentences in the book "The Way to Become a Buddha": "Righteous Dharma is the body, pure wisdom is the life." Usually we see They mistakenly think that the Buddha statue enshrined on the table is the Buddha's body, or that the majestic and beautiful body that the Buddha had when he was alive is the Buddha's true body. In fact, the Buddha is based on the righteous Dharma; the Buddha's life span does not last eight years. During the ten years of human life, the Buddha lived with infinite wisdom. Worldly knowledge has leaks, and human lifespan is limited. And the Dharma is the body, the Dharma is present in all times and places, and is endless; wisdom is the lifespan, and wisdom is pure and eternal, immeasurable and limitless. The object of our faith has perfect intelligence. If we follow him and learn from him, we can gain a life full of intelligence in the future and contribute to the public in this way.

As the saying goes: "Make careless friends" and "Meet unkind people." If a person makes the wrong friends, his life's future will be ruined. How can we not be careful when choosing a partner? What's more, it is the object of faith, so you should choose carefully!