Textual research data dazheng newly revised tripitaka, vol. 85, No.2897, The Mantra Sutra of Eight Yang Gods in Heaven and Earth.
This is in the suspect department. You don't have to study in a suspected department. If you need reference, you can look at it yourself. Because Gu Dade put it forward to the suspected department, the contents in this book are all good and do not violate the Buddha's will. If it goes against the Buddha's wishes, he won't keep it here. But it's hard to say whether the Buddha said it, because he can't find the basis for the translator, so it's in this book. It can be said that they are all good things and can be used for reference.
Q: Is the "Doubt Department" classic of the Tripitaka credible? How can we judge whether a scripture is a false scripture? There are many tripitaka now. Which Tripitaka should we judge by?
A: That's a good question. I asked teacher Li in the past, and the teacher told me to take the ancient Tripitaka as the standard. The latest of the ancient Tripitaka is the Qianlong Tripitaka, which has been away from us for more than 200 years. Why? In ancient times, they were very cautious in compiling the Tripitaka, really, they were afraid to tell the truth. He really has practice, that is, he is learned, virtuous, learned and practiced. Only when such people come to check can he be reliable. Now the newly compiled Tibetan scriptures are unreliable, and there are even human feelings here. This man is my friend. You write a few books, I'll make you up. It's very possible. We beginners can't tell the truth from the false, so the teacher told me to use ancient standards, such as the catalogue of Tibetan scriptures, so that there would be no mistakes.
Learning Confucian classics and basic Confucian classics is to help you lay the foundation. You can choose ten, twenty or thirty. But the weight of a beginner is very small. How long is a class? Like "Prajna Heart Sutra" 260 words, it is a sutra. Many classics are no more than 300 words. This is our first time to learn classics. The teacher selected nearly 30 books for us in the Ashan Department and the Classic Collection Department. I haven't been with Mr. Li for a long time. When I was studying basic classics, I learned thirteen books in the first stage, before I became a monk. Learn one a month and make rapid progress. I learned thirteen in fifteen months. The teacher's standard is that you must be able to speak on stage, and this matter is considered a success; You didn't give a speech on stage, which doesn't count. So his standards are lowered very low, not asking you to do it, but asking you to speak well on the stage. He listened below and nodded, so you passed. So I learned thirteen before I became a monk. When I became a monk, I taught at the Buddhist College. I only taught one in one semester. I only used six in three years. I have learned thirteen, and I don't need half. Therefore, in the future, I often advise that if someone wants to become a monk, they should learn the classics first and then become a monk. It is not easy to learn after becoming a monk. When you are at home, you have time, freedom and choice. When you learn well, you will become a monk. After becoming a monk, you will teach and give lectures at the Buddhist College. This is good, unlimited.
But this is the foundation, and there is specialization in the art. Be sure to learn a big classic and specialize in one. After becoming a monk, I went to see my teacher again. I said that my foundation is not strong enough, and I hope to learn a great classic from my teacher. I chose Hokkekyo at that time, with more than a dozen annotations, and took it to Taichung to ask Mr. Li for advice. Teacher Li is talking about the Shurangama Sutra. He told me that Fahua and Shurangama Sutra are of equal weight, and they are both Mahayana teaching methods, which can be regarded as one-way teaching methods. He said I don't have time to teach you this classic, so just listen to Shurangama Sutra. So I came to Taichung temporarily to study Shurangama Sutra, but Shurangama Sutra didn't have any reference materials at hand, so I quickly collected it and got the help of Master Zhikai from Hong Kong. He also found almost 20 kinds for me in half a year, and they are all thread-bound books, all good books. This is infinite happiness.
This classic was taught by the teacher for three years, and I finished reading it in Taichung for three years, which is the basis for my lifelong study of classics. I can talk about the basis of this book when I look back at Hua, and I want to talk about it when I look at Hua Yan's classics. I'm a little scared, because the beginning of Hua Yan's classics is ideographic and difficult to understand. Eleven volumes are too long. So I listened to Hua Yan Jing, and I listened to a volume to see how those things of his old man's house were explained. After listening to one volume, I don't want to listen to the rest. I can talk. Therefore, the ancients said that once all the classics were mastered, my Shurangama Sutra was not really proficient, about half of it, and I could score 60 points, but I could try to teach many Mahayana classics and I could learn them myself. So when I first came to Hong Kong in 1977, I talked about the Shurangama Sutra for four months. I talked about a third in four months and didn't finish it. We talked for four months, two months in Kowloon and two months in Hong Kong. Because at that time, the longest time for a visa, from Taiwan Province Province to Hongkong, was four months. After the four-month visa expired, I returned to Taiwan Province Province. When I first came to Hong Kong, I also spoke very successfully.
Therefore, there is no need to study in the "suspected department". If you need reference, you can look at it yourself. Because Gu Dade put it forward to the suspected department, the contents in this book are all good and do not violate the Buddha's will. If it goes against the Buddha's wishes, he won't keep it here. But it's hard to say whether the Buddha said it, because he can't find the basis for the translator, so it's in this book. It can be said that they are all good things and can be used for reference.