We often see newspapers and magazines dividing the countries in the world into two halves: the liberal and democratic half and the authoritarian half. In fact, not only the political system is like this, but if we observe carefully, everything in the world is "half and half": "half" during the day and "half" at night; "half" on land and "half" on rivers and seas; "half" on good people and "half" on bad people "Half" poor, "half" rich... As time goes by, although "half and half" have their own ups and downs, they cannot make one "half" completely dominate the other "half." However, because of this, there is infinite hope in life.

I remember that when I was nineteen years old, my teacher from the Buddhist College recommended me to attend the National Institute of Education and even signed me up, but because my master refused, I had to give up; a few years later, one of my books After being reviewed and approved by the doctoral program of the Graduate School of Literature of Taisho University in Japan, although the admission procedures were completed, due to various reasons, I was not able to go. Although I lost the dazzling academic status of this "half" in the secular world, I found a broader world in the "half" of Buddhism and became a messenger of truth on behalf of Buddha. As the saying goes, "What you lose is what you gain." The world is originally "half and half." We don't have to force ourselves to excel in a certain field, because there is another world waiting for us to explore.

Because of this understanding, I have always been lucky that I was born with poor handwriting and no fluent eloquence. Because if I am talented and good at writing, I may just continue to work on my talent. At best, I will be a monk famous in the calligraphy world, and I will not be able to work hard in other aspects and benefit all living beings. If I were gifted and had language samadhi, I might spend my whole life speaking on stage without developing my administrative planning potential. Or maybe I preach the Dharma everywhere with eloquent words, but neglect to have a deep understanding of its principles, so I cannot speak the Dharma in a simple and concise way, but with substance. The so-called "Heaven is jealous of talented people", "Beautiful girls have bad lives", and the "half and half" world seems imperfect, but in fact it is the most beautiful gift in the world. We should look at it with joy, because we know that we are only "half". Only then will you be open-minded and work hard; knowing that you are only "half" will make further progress.

I have studied Japanese four times, and I have also studied English by myself, but without success. Fortunately, I still have some foundation in Chinese literature. With my lectures and writing, I have saved many disciples who are monks at home. Now I go to the world When I preached the Dharma in various countries, my disciples rushed to interpret for me, and even my works were translated into various languages ??and circulated around the world. Therefore, we don’t need to envy the “half” that others have. The most important thing is that we should cherish the “half” of our own strengths, put them into use, and we will naturally get the results of our efforts.

Father Ding Songjun of the Catholic Guangqi Society once said to me: "If you grew up in the West, you would definitely become a priest; if I grew up in the East, I would definitely become a monk." Although human beings are different in race, race, and religion. There are differences in occupations, but as long as we are willing to follow the destiny and dedicate our efforts in our "half" of the world, we can all contribute to mankind.

I grew up in southern China where rice is a staple food, but I have a northern personality and am accustomed to northern pasta. When I was studying in an ancient jungle temple when I was young, I would often walk hundreds of miles of mountain roads to help with Buddhist services. Unexpectedly, decades later, I would often take all kinds of transportation by land, sea, and air for more than ten hours, traveling around the world. Lecture and spread the Dharma. Because of these "half and half" experiences, I can feel at ease no matter where I go, and I am not limited by "half".

Nonetheless, when the two "half" worlds conflict, I have to weigh the pros and cons and make a choice. For example, I like tranquility and far-reaching, but I also deeply cherish the desire to help others. After several struggles, I decided to give up my hobby of living in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and go into the society to serve the people. I have lived a simple and simple life since I was a child. In recent years, thanks to the kindness and care of my disciples, they have built me ??a beautiful house and provided me with delicious food. However, I feel that a life of enjoyment may not be perfect, so I would rather enjoy myself in the days of light tea and light meals.

Although "half" is discarded, the other "half" is enriched, so not only do I not feel regretful, but I feel more fulfilled.

I often hear people say: "You Buddhists don't pay attention to fine food, nor do you know how to enjoy and have fun. Isn't life too negative and boring?" Is it true that luxury, fine food, and enjoyment of pleasure are positive? outlook on life? The sutra says: "I have the joy of Dharma, but I don't enjoy worldly happiness." Buddhists deeply understand the illusion and confusion of the five desires and six objects, so they turn back from the sensual and sensual dogs and horses, and engage in the work of practicing Taoism, spreading the Dharma and benefiting living beings. In this way Isn't your life more positive and more meaningful? For the sake of fame and fortune, many people in society only strive to exploit the "half" of the world in front of them, but ignore the vast "half" of the world behind them. As a result, the further they push forward, the narrower the door becomes, and in the end they end up with bruises and swollen faces. , fell to pieces, is this happiness?

Thinking back to 30 years ago, I saw many colleagues going to cities to promote Buddhism, so I went to the mountains alone to run a school. Unexpectedly, I trained many monks and talents, which was more effective in spreading Buddhism. Ten years ago, I retired from my position as abbot, which gave me more time to develop international Buddhism. The engine uses the force of retreat to generate greater kinetic energy; the more the air is compressed, the more explosive it is. Gu Yun: "Take a step back and think about it, the sea and the sky are vast." This is exactly what it means to break through the blind spots of human beings' confusion and persistence.

Although the "half" of the world behind is vast and boundless, as long as we hold lofty ideals and make unremitting efforts, the "half" of the world ahead will have extraordinary significance even if it is full of difficulties. For example, scientists spent countless efforts to launch the spacecraft in 1969 to send Armstrong to the moon. Although it was a small step, it made humans on earth take a giant step forward in the universe. It can be seen from this that whether we are leaping forward to the "half" of the world in the front, or stepping towards the "half" of the world behind, it will have a huge impact, so we must use intelligence and be cautious about the choice of the "half".

I remember that thirty or forty years ago, when my books "The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha" and "The Master Yulin" were adapted into movies and radio dramas, it caused an uproar among the religious circles** *, they believe that writing Buddhist stories into scripts is undoubtedly a blasphemy against the sacred Buddhism. I have always remained unmoved. But later everyone discovered that more and more people in society were exposed to Buddhism, so they gradually followed suit, which invisibly promoted Taiwanese Buddhist art and further improved the cultural level. Many people say: "A good beginning is half the battle." However, as long as we stick to our guns, a flawed start can also create "half" of the future.

There is an anecdote in Zen Buddhism that moved me deeply: A Zen master accepted a bad disciple and committed evil acts in the monastery, but repeated persuasion failed. One day, the other disciples couldn't bear it anymore and came to the abbot's room together to petition the Zen master: If he was not allowed to move, everyone would have to leave the monastery. The Zen master replied: "If even Buddhism cannot tolerate him and let him live in society and harm all living beings, wouldn't the impact be even greater?" The disciples felt very ashamed after hearing this, so they gave up their original idea. Under the influence, he gradually changed for the better. Looking at my disciples, there are many smart and recalcitrant people. With good guidance, they have now become elites in Buddhism. "The Theory of Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana" divides one mind into two gates: the delusional mind that thinks about the birth and death of thoughts will gradually transform into the true mind that is empty, quiet and bright. Therefore, even though there are "half" good people and "half" evil people in the world, as long as good people are willing to guide and persuade with incomparable patience, good and evil are not absolute.

Last year (1994), when the drama "Tang Taizong" was on TV, the producer Ms. Zhou You and the camera team came to Taipei Dojo and asked me to say a few words about the drama at the beginning of the film. Recommended words. I knew at the time that this would be ridiculed, but in order to convert some people in the entertainment industry to Buddhism, I still reluctantly agreed and praised Emperor Taizong's wise and decisive approach. Sure enough, I later received phone calls and letters, all of them accusing the Master of doing commercial advertisements. In fact, I did not receive any money, and there was no commercial activity. Moreover, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was indeed a famous emperor of his generation, but he could no longer tell the difference.

I would always cut the melon and fruit offered by believers in half, eat "half" myself, and share the other "half" with others. When building a dojo, after I have completed the first half of the construction work, I will hand over the development tasks of the second half to my disciples. The Jesuits established the "House of Charity" in Yilan. I took over it "halfway" in 1962 and continued to develop it. Zhiguang Middle School in Zhonghe was founded by masters Nan Ting, Wu Yi and I, and the remaining "half" of the school was expanded and promoted by future generations. We don't necessarily have to do everything. Wouldn't it be better to leave "half" for future generations to use and let everyone share the process of hard work?

I have faced death many times in my life. In the past five years, I have been hospitalized twice for surgery. From the pain of life and death, I have gained a different understanding of life. For example: Some of my friends and believers have always been physically strong. However, the disease is out of control; some people are weak and sick, and their lives are like a thread, but they live a long and blessed life. Although some people are disabled in one part of their body, the functions of other parts of their organs are particularly developed; some people, although they have square ears, big eyes, and all four limbs, turn a blind eye, hear but not hear, behave without restraint, and lack dignity. In this world, although there are "half" healthy people and "half" unhealthy people, they all have their unique strengths and weaknesses. The same is true for things in the world. They cannot be perfect, so we don't have to seek perfection. We just need to see through and let go. You can be happy and at ease.

Li Mi'an of the Qing Dynasty once wrote a "half-and-half poem", which best expresses the leisurely state of "half-and-half":

Seeing through the floating life for half a hundred, half a life is of endless benefit, and half a lifetime is spent. Leisurely, half a mile of the world unfolds.

Half Guo and half country house, half mountain and half water garden, half farming, half studying, half living in poverty, half scholar and half married couple of the people.

The utensils are half elegant and half crude, the pavilion is half luxurious and half solid, the quilt is half plain and half light and fresh, and the food is half rich and half frugal.

The boy servant is half capable and half clumsy, the wife is half simple and half virtuous, the mood is half Buddha and half fairy, the surname is half hidden and half revealed.

Half of it is to return heaven and earth, half of it is to surrender to the world, half of it is thinking about future generations and mulberry fields, and half of it is thinking about how Yama will meet.

It is good to drink half a hearty drink, half the flowers are in full bloom, the sails are half-open to avoid tipping, and the horses are half-reined for stability.

Half young people are happy, half young people are tired of entanglement, and half the pain and joy are mixed, so they will only take half the advantage.

In the past, Zen Master Yaoshan once pointed to two trees in the courtyard and asked his disciples: "Which one is better, the prosperous one or the withered one?" There were three answers:

Daowu said: "The glorious ones are good."

Yunyan said: "The dry ones are good."

Finally, Gao Shami said: "Let the glorious ones flourish, and the dry ones let them flourish." "Let it wither."

What a "glorious thing, let it wither"!

In spring, red flowers and green leaves complement each other; in the middle of the night sky, the stars and moon shine together, making you feel the vastness and greatness of the universe. As long as we know how to respect, tolerate, and reconcile each other and balance each other, we will find that the "half and half" world is really beautiful!