Believe in Buddhism and study Buddhism to the fullest extent.

We must have faith and understand faith. rather than blind superstition. Believing but not understanding is delusion, believing but being able to understand is belief. Our understanding of a faith does not mean that we have to have a deep understanding. Everyone has a different definition of faith for their own hearts, and the degree of understanding they require is also different. I personally think that as long as we understand its basic teachings and the meaning of faith , is already content. Of course it would be better if we could have a deeper understanding. I wish you find the ideal and wise faith in your heart soon. Find a resting place for your soul. Amitabha!

The Call of the Three Jewels

1. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels can make life more colorful, more practical and safer.

2. If you want to enrich your life, you must first take refuge in the Three Jewels.

3. Life cannot be without faith. The first step to take faith is to take refuge in the Three Jewels!

4. The turning point in life, turning confusion into enlightenment, turning evil into righteousness, turning evil into good, is to take refuge in the Three Jewels.

5. The most important life event in life is to take refuge in the Three Jewels.

6. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the support of the soul; taking refuge in the Three Jewels is an eternal treasure.

7. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the shortcut to happiness!

8. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the path to the truth and understanding oneself.

9. Take refuge in the Three Jewels. Once you enter Buddhism, you will enter the mystery of Buddhism.

10. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the basis for receiving the precepts and the foundation for becoming a Buddha.

11. If you want to avoid suffering retribution, you should take refuge in the Three Jewels, believe in the principle of cause and effect and reincarnation, and do not create bad karma.

12. Good faith should be recommended to good friends - take refuge in the Three Treasures together.

13. Recommend carefully, the ultimate refuge - the Three Jewels is the most auspicious.

14. The real hometown - comes from the Three Treasures; the real reliance - comes from the Three Treasures.

15. Toward the road of truth - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

16. Open the window of the soul - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

Seventeen. Rebuilding a happy life - taking refuge in the Three Jewels.

18. Recover your true colors - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

19. Light up an eternal heart lamp - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

20. The establishment of a pure land on earth - everyone takes refuge in the Three Jewels.

21. The beginning of spiritual rebirth - taking refuge in the Three Jewels.

22. Navigation of life - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

23. Let go of the burden of life - now is the time to take refuge in the Three Jewels.

24. How long do you have to hesitate about the Buddha’s cordial call? Quickly return to the arms of Sanbao.

Twenty-five, a beacon of light at night, a kind sailing boat on the sea of ??suffering, a field of good blessings, a wise master.

26. To protect the environment of the soul, to have a clear stream of life, and to be a good doctor for patients, we must take refuge in the Three Jewels.

27. The sincere call from the 2,500-year-old Buddha - take refuge in the Three Jewels.

28. Use compassion to replace resentment, use Prajna to influence evil, use charity to help stinginess, and take refuge in the Three Jewels to purify yourself and society.

29. If you take refuge in the Three Jewels, the Three Jewels will be with you!

Thirty. A perfect life begins with taking refuge in the Three Jewels!

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 that faith also requires choosing 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. Sakyamuni Buddha is not a god who was 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. 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 no choice but to climb down from the branches 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 various 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 when we see the Buddha statue enshrined on the desk, we mistakenly think it is the body of the Buddha, or we think that the majestic and beautiful body of the Buddha when he was alive is the true body of the Buddha. In fact, the Buddha takes the dharma as his body; the Buddha's Life span is not eighty years of human life. Buddha’s life is based on 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 life span, 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, the object of belief should be chosen carefully!

An authentic life and an authentic belief

Although some people in society say they have certain beliefs, in fact, in fact But they all have a lot of superstitions, and some even have evil beliefs. So what is true faith? How to obtain a righteous life and faith?

(1) From disguised belief to true belief

The general public tends to be superstitious and evil because they have not obtained true belief. He does a lot of stupid things in a careless manner. For example, reading Feng Shui, timing, fortune telling, horoscopes, divination, and burning tin foil, gold and silver paper are all superstitious behaviors and are not allowed by Buddhism.

There is a Wanshou Garden Cemetery in Fo Guang Shan. People often want to bury their relatives or friends in the cemetery because they have passed away. If I meet them, I often say to them: "It is best not to bring Mr. Geography to see Feng Shui." "Some people don't understand why, because when you ask Mr. Geography to check Feng Shui, the person in charge of the cemetery must first send him a red envelope. If not, after he looks at the cemetery, even if the person in charge of the bereavement is satisfied, he will make excuses. : "The direction of this land is not good. If your parents are buried here, it will offend your descendants." After hearing this, you must think that is okay. In order to bury your parents, you will offend your children. You absolutely cannot want this. piece of land. Another example is building a house. Even if you have your eye on a piece of land, if Mr. Geography says: "It is not good for the house to face this way, because facing this direction is not good for your parents." Just imagine, can you take this taboo? Superstition is to use a terrifying method to seize the weakness of human nature so that you dare not disobey his beliefs. If a person does not have the wisdom of righteous faith, he cannot be freed from superstition. The Buddha has repeatedly instructed us in the Sutra: "Don't predict good or bad luck, look up at the stars." Therefore, what I have followed throughout my life is the wise saying "Every day is a good day, and everywhere is a good place." As long as our intentions are fair, we can go anywhere; as long as everyone finds it convenient, every moment will be auspicious. True Buddhists are never superstitious, and those who are superstitious are never true Buddhists.

The other type is evil belief, such as Yiguandao. What exactly is Yiguandao? I am afraid that few people can truly understand it; but why do so many people believe in it? Perhaps it is its mysterious color and the oath that holds you firmly. You dare not violate it and have no choice but to keep believing. However, faith should not be so rash. Just because of human feelings or selfishness cannot be regarded as true faith. Therefore, we must abandon the superstitions of disguised cults and choose the true Buddhist faith.

(2) From the belief in destiny to the belief in autonomy

Most people usually believe in destiny, and everything comes under the arrangement of heaven. Food is given to us by God; benefits are obtained from God. Of course, there is nothing sinful about this kind of thinking. It’s just that you give your sovereignty to God unconditionally and let God be the master and rule us. People who don’t know that they have sovereignty and can rule over themselves, He is truly the most stupid and pitiable person in the world. Why should a person’s happiness in life, joy of life, spiritual joy, and bright future be allowed to be controlled and bestowed by gods? Buddhism teaches that "everyone has Buddha nature", which is to enhance the sovereignty of each of us. Let us be alert to the fact that we can control everything about ourselves. Dark things can be changed into light; miserable things can be turned into happiness; rough things can be paved into a broad road of life. To believe in Buddhism, to put it more clearly, is to believe in oneself.

Isn't it more meaningful to create everything with your own hands than to rely on the control of gods?

(3) From the belief in human feelings to the belief in righteous faith

There are many people who often go to this temple to socialize or go to that temple, and in the end they are finally accepted by many people. Surrounded by favors, one cannot choose true faith. In fact, faith should be based on the law and not on people. The Buddha said that there are "four reliances", namely, 1. "Relying on the Dharma and not on others": People who believe in Buddhism should seek "faith, understanding, practice and realization" based on the Buddha's teachings, and should not give up because of the merits of others (the person who teaches the Dharma). Belief; or just be a believer in a certain temple or a certain monk, while ignoring the entire Buddhist dharma.

2. "Rely on wisdom rather than knowledge": Wisdom is intelligence, like bright light, you can see the true face; consciousness is difference and distinction. Only those who study Buddhism can obtain the true essence of Buddhism by pursuing Buddhism without discriminating knowledge; those who learn Buddhism should use their wisdom to internally realize the truth in order to gain liberation.

3. "Rely on meaning rather than words": People who believe in Buddhism should understand Buddhism from the perspective of meaning and should not scrutinize or care about language.

4. "Relying on righteousness but not relying on righteousness": Buddhism without meaning is just a convenient way to persuade new believers or people with shallow foundations; if you believe in the truth, you should believe in the ultimate one-way path to liberation.

The "Four Reliances" are principles that every believer in Buddhism should know and implement them practically.

(4) From the faith of the temple to the faith of the Sangha

We believe in Buddhism. We should not just be believers in one temple, but should be believers in the entire Buddhist Sangha; To be a disciple of a certain person, you should be a disciple of the entire Sangha. As a Buddhist, you should protect any monastery; you should help the Sangha with all your heart in everything that you can do, and you should care for the Sangha as much as you care for your own home. There are many temples all over the province and there are many believers. It is often seen that some lay believers walk between each temple and compare the enthusiasm of the monks towards them. Some even go so far as to stir up trouble and cause disharmony between temples. This kind of This is not the behavior that a true Buddhist should do. Believing in the Sangha and protecting the Sangha are the responsibilities of Buddhist disciples.

(5) From messy beliefs to pure beliefs

Today’s beliefs are too complicated, and no matter what the object of worship is, they will burn incense here and worship there. In fact, you cannot obtain the benefits of faith if you have mixed beliefs. Therefore, we should not believe in miscellaneous beliefs, such as this or that. If we cannot concentrate, we will not get help when we are really in difficulty. It is better to turn our body and mind to the Three Jewels and let the Three Jewels unify our beliefs. We don’t have to bow to gods when we see them or burn incense in temples. We should purify our beliefs.

Some people do not understand a belief and blindly draw conclusions, thinking that Buddhism is "empty", so they are very negative. This is a huge misunderstanding of Buddhism.

Earth, water, fire, wind, origin and rebirth - the earth of mankind

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§How to say that the four elements are all empty?

‘The four elements are all empty’, what about the four elements if they are empty?

Those who don’t understand Buddhism will tell you out loud: ‘Empty of wine, sex, wealth and energy means that all four elements are empty! ’

In fact, this is completely inconsistent with what Buddhism says about the four elements being empty. Because the four elements mentioned in Buddhism refer to the four material factors of "earth, water, fire and wind".

The four concepts were not invented by Buddhism. They were the result of mankind’s initial exploration of the ontology of the universe. In the history of Eastern and Western philosophical thought, there is almost the same trend. For example, the five elements of "water, fire, metal, wood, and earth" recorded in Chinese scriptures; the formation of the world mentioned in the ancient Indian Vedas is based on the five natural factors of "earth, water, wind, fire, and space" The ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles also proposed that 'air, water, earth, and fire' are the four unchanging elements in the universe.

In short, whether it is the five elements, the five elements, or the four elements, they all refer to the basic elements of the physical world. If we limit ourselves to this and stick to this, then the result of development will be He is a materialist, so these ideas are also the precursors of materialism.

Buddhism teaches that the four elements are empty. It follows the inherent Indian thought and then deepens and Buddhistizes it. This is because the four elements of earth, water, fire and wind are cosmic physics. For example, mountains and land belong to The earth is the element, oceans and rivers belong to the water element, the heat of the sun belongs to the fire element, and the airflow in space belongs to the wind element. If we transform them into human body physiology, for example, hair, bones and flesh belong to the earth element, blood secretion belongs to the water element, body temperature belongs to the fire element, and breathing belongs to the wind element. From the physical properties of the four elements, hardness belongs to the earth element, and moisture belongs to the water element. , warmth belongs to the fire element, and flow belongs to the wind element. However, no matter how you analyze the four elements, they ultimately belong to the material world and cannot summarize the spiritual world. Therefore, materialists regard the four elements as the origin of the universe, but Buddhism never agrees with this statement.

The four elements discussed in Buddhism are also different between Hinayana and Mahayana. Generally speaking, the four elements mentioned in Hinayana Buddhism refer to the basic causes and conditions that cause material phenomena, which are called the four elements. It means that earth, water, fire, and wind are the seeds that form all material phenomena. Objects are all due to the harmony and distribution of the four elements; if the four elements are in harmony, they will thrive, and if the four elements are in contradiction, they will perish. This is true for physical phenomena, and it is also true for physiological phenomena. Therefore, Buddhists call the illness of a patient the 'four elements'. Big violation of peace'. The purpose of Theravada Buddhism's observation of the four major types is to make people see nothing of our physical body, which is made up of the four major falsehoods, and not to regard the physical body as the real self, and not to create all kinds of life and death due to clinging to the physical body. Karma, once you lose sight of me, you will enter the nirvana state of Hinayana and no longer reincarnate in life and death.

The four elements mentioned in Mahayana Buddhism do not refer to the fundamental elements, but to the physical phenomena, which are false but not real, illusory but not real. For the formation of physical images, they are only additions. The upper condition is not the fundamental law. Although the four elements are recognized as the seeds of objects, they do not consider the four elements to be the true appearance of objects. Theravada Buddhism only empties the self and not the dharma. Therefore, although it regards the objects as empty, it still considers the four elements to be the true appearance of objects. The most subtle substance - 'Dharma' is real. However, Theravada Buddhism is not materialism, but pluralism, because the emptiness of Buddhism not only empties away the four elements, but also empties away the five aggregates; the four elements are only one of the five aggregates.

What are the five aggregates called? That is: form, feeling, thought, action, and consciousness. The first one belongs to the material world, and the last four belong to the spiritual world. The four elements are the form aggregate.

The content of the five aggregates is beyond the scope of this article. Because the five aggregates are a big topic, we can only say one thing here: the five aggregates are the laws of life and death within the three realms. Aggregate can transcend the life and death of the three realms. At the same time, because of the introduction of the five aggregates, we have proved that Buddhism does not only teach that the four elements are empty, but also goes a step further to say that the five aggregates are empty. What is particularly important is that the focus of Buddhism is not based on the four major elements, but on the consciousness aggregate. As for the three aggregates of feeling, thinking, and action, they are also the foil of the consciousness aggregate and are used to display the functions of the spiritual world. Broad and big. Therefore, Buddhism is not only not a materialist, but a consciousness-only one.