Q: The development and future trend of Buddhism in China is undoubtedly the road of "Buddhism on earth". Master has always advocated the concept of "Buddhism on earth". What is the internal relationship between this thought and Master Taixu's thought of "Buddhism on life"?
A: The idea of "earthly Buddhism" was put forward on the basis of the idea of "earthly Buddhism" by Master Taixu. Master Taixu's judgment on Buddhism is as follows: First, Buddhism teaches classics, with three phases and three series: "teaching" refers to the heritage of Buddhism and is the basis for the whole Buddhism to follow. "Three periods": the first 500 years after the demise of Buddhism was the period when Hinayana Buddhism prevailed, which was called the period of "small travel and great seclusion"; The second 500 years is the popular stage of Mahayana Buddhism, which is called the period of "being slaves"; The third 500 years is the popular stage of Mahayana tantra, which is called "the period when the secret master shows obedience". "Three schools": Pali, Chinese and Tibetan.
Second, the reality of truth, three levels and three situations: it refers to three levels and three situations according to the contents of Buddhist teachings. "Three levels": the first level is the most common essence of Buddhism-the principle of karma, that is, the principle of causality; The second layer is Buddhism, which is the three seals of impermanence, self-denial and nirvana silence. Although the so-called * * * Buddhist practitioner is different from the Samadhika, this Samadhika seal is the result of the trouble of life and death caused by the Samadhika. The third layer is the Mahayana special method, which is unique to Bodhisattva, not * * * taking advantage of man and nature. This is Mahayana Buddhism, great compassion and bodhicitta, the wisdom of the universe, learning all Buddhist methods, being strict and pure, and seeking supreme Buddha fruit as the only vow and the only cause. Mahayana has various teaching methods, that is, Mahayana "prints a real picture". The "three schools" are Kong Zhi School of Law, Knowledge-only School of Law and Yuanyi School of Law.
Third, when the line collapses, we should look at three interests: "line" focuses on the practice of the collapsed person. When the Buddha was alive, he said when he stopped, explained by smell and proved by solution. According to different interests, people who crash are infinitely different. Therefore, when the method is expensive, the machine is wonderful. "Three Reliances and Three Interests": First, Mahayana's mind is based on sound (this is mainly based on Mahayana, which belongs to the secular and Buddhist era of Buddhism); Secondly, according to the day, the fruit is interesting and fruitful (this is the image law era dominated by the secret law and the pure land Sect. For example, tantra first became the illusion of heaven, the incarnation of Buddha, and Pure Land Sect is like a pure land, which is one of the heavenly countries. The pure land of ordinary people in the west is also equal to heaven. According to heaven, heaven and earth, I am interested in the Mahayana Buddha fruit I want. Third, according to people's interests, you can ride to the front of the Buddha. It is neither the initial sound nor the second stage, but it is determined that people ride fruits to implement the principles of life Buddhism. To rely on people to follow the right path, we must first cultivate a perfect personality, maintain the karma of people who follow the right path, and promote them upward. This is the great Buddha dharma of Bodhisattva. Therefore, in the last French period, people were interested in using fruits.
What is Master Taixu's "Life Buddhism" spirit? It is to give priority to people and practice bodhisattva. He said in Buddhism of Life: We should be a perfect person, be a superman after being a perfect person, and be a superman after being a superman. From man to Buddha, it is necessary to complete such a process. People must keep the five commandments and ten good deeds, and know the results according to the cause; Superman, to be quiet and indifferent, to be physically and mentally liberated; If you are a superman, you must have great compassion, great wisdom and fearlessness, and practice bodhisattva according to the four phases and six paramita before you can become a Buddha. So his theory is to be a perfect person, a superman, and a superman. Buddha and bodhisattva are superhuman, that is, the greatest people. This is not a general mystery, but a personification. He has two poems, one of which is: "Buddha is unique and complete in personality;" It is a real reality that people become Buddhas. "The second song is:" If you want to learn Buddhism, you must first be determined to be a man; "30% conversion to the four-dimensional Shu family, eight virtues and ten virtues."
Master Taixu advocated "Bodhisattva". He said: "Six degrees is a procedure. From the specific performance, becoming a monk can be used for culture, education, charity, education and other undertakings; At home-at home, bodhisattva, agriculture, industry, commerce, education, military and political departments should all do it. Lead the society with interests and do the cause of the people. " He also said in From Pali to Bodhisattva: "In the future, Buddhists in China will actually experience practice from the theory of Mahayana Buddhism to the nation and the world. Based on Mahayana bodhisattva's bodhi mind and compassion, it is convenient to practice and give play to the fearless spirit of saving the world. In short, if we want to revive Buddhism in China and establish modern Buddhism in China, we must realize the current bodhisattva line of revitalizing Buddhist temples and serving the people. " Master Taixu's thought of "life Buddhism" always pays attention to life as the foundation, develops bodhicitta on the basis of life, and is not divorced from the masses and society. So as to contribute to "solemn territory, happy family" and realize the pure land on earth. This is the great significance of "living Buddhism".
Q: What is the biggest difference between Master Yin Shun's idea of "Buddhism on earth" and that advocated by the late Dean Zhao Puchu?
A: On the one hand, Master Yin Shun's idea of "Buddhism on earth" is based on Master Tai Xu's idea of "Buddhism on life", on the other hand, he also has some ideas of his own, which are not exactly the same. This can be seen from the two critical articles "On Indian Buddhism" and "Re-discussion on Indian Buddhism" written by Master Taixu after reading Yin Shun's article, and their respective Buddhist positions can be seen. Master Tai Xu thinks that it is an advantage that Master Yin Shun can explain the evolution of Indian Buddhism and the relationship between politics and society. However, it is also trapped in Ceylon's view that Mahayana is not a Buddha or that Mahayana is derived from Hinayana Sanzang. It is precisely because of this difference in views on the history of Buddhist thought that Master Taixu criticized Master Yin Shun on the issue of "Buddhism on earth": "Buddhism should attach importance to life among all sentient beings, which is advocated in order to spare no effort, such as life Buddhism and Buddhism on earth, establishing a pure land on earth, taking a direct Mahayana and gradually becoming a complete Buddha from a developed life. However, in the study of Buddhism, the first level should be the world of' all beings in the ten dharma circles have karma', and people in this world are second-class in extraordinary achievements, so that they can get rid of karma and achieve universal love. " Therefore, in the object of liberation, "people" cannot be simply separated. "
In the original work, "All Buddhas were born in the world, but they will never become Buddhas in heaven", saying that Buddhism has a tendency to be divorced from all beings and take the world as the foundation, which will lead to people's narrowness. Master Yin Shun later described the reasons why his Buddhism on Earth is different from Master Tai Xu's Buddhism on Life. Among them, it is mentioned that Master Taixu advocated "Buddhism on life", which is "opposition to governance" to correct China's traditional Buddhism, which has always attached importance to ghosts and gods after death; The second is "positive". In order to adapt to the times, we should pay attention to real life. On the positive side, the two are similar; In terms of governance, there are significant differences. Master Yin Shun believes that the special mention of the word "man" is not only for death and ghosts, but also for God and eternal life. Therefore, whether "deification" is correct or not is the dividing line between "secular Buddhism" and "life Buddhism"
Master Yin Shun listed four differences between himself and Master Tai Xu in the book "Idiots Sow on the Snow and Ice Land":
1, the greatness of the master is that there are countless peaks, but he can only be independent.
2, the master is good at integration, don't be too clear about some problems. But I tend to distinguish differences, and I always feel that it is better to make it clear.
3. The master said that "life Buddhism" is generally dominated by death and ghosts, especially suggesting that life Buddhism is the Dharma; And when I say "Buddhism on earth", Buddhism is people-oriented and should not be deified or deified. It is not a ghost religion, not a (heavenly) religion, but a non-ghost, non-deified human Buddhism, which can clarify the true meaning of Buddhism.
4. The teacher takes the "true and unchanging idealism system" as the Mahayana root, so it is earlier than the dragon tree, and there is nothing; On the other hand, I think the "true idealism" in the history of Buddhism is a little later, and I have more cosmopolitan tendencies, so I don't respect China's traditional Buddhism, and I was influenced by Indian Buddhism in the later period, such as "Machamp's fascination with God" and "seclusion".
Master Wei Xian said, I want to make it clear that if you want to learn Buddhism, the highest state of becoming a Buddha is to prove it perfectly and truly, and to achieve emptiness and harmony. In this respect, it can be said that Master Yin Shun is careless. Therefore, some people criticized him for being divorced from the reality of Buddhism, forgetting the essence of Buddhism, and focusing on the humanistic side, unlike Master Taixu's "life Buddhism" and Pu Zhao's old "human Buddhism". The so-called "Buddhism should be in harmony with Buddhism and confidential should be in harmony with people" and failed to establish religion according to the root mechanism of the times, society and people. I think this is the biggest difference between Master Yin Shun's "secular Buddhism" and Master Tai Xu's "life Buddhism" and Pu Zhao's old "secular Buddhism".
Pu Zhao's old idea of "Buddhism on earth" mainly inherited Master Taixu's idea of "Buddhism on life". Master Taixu died in Shanghai on 1947. A few days before his death, he gave the book Buddhism in Life to Lao. Pu Zhao later learned that Master Taixu wanted him to inherit his inheritance. This sentence was said by Pu Zhao himself. Pu Zhao has always advocated "Buddhism on earth", that is, he inherited the legacy of Master Taixu.
"Human Buddhism" in Pu Zhao's Old Concept. Mainly embodied in "one thought, three traditions".
"One thought" is the human Buddhist thought, that is, Buddhism should adapt to the times, adapt to the era of socialist society, and cannot be divorced from society. Its basic contents include five precepts, ten virtues, four images and six degrees of self-interest and altruism.
The "three traditions", first of all, is to carry forward the tradition of "paying equal attention to agriculture and Zen". On the one hand, we should practice, meditate and recite Buddhism, and maintain the fine tradition of Buddhism. On the other hand, we should be self-reliant, work and combine work. In the Tang Dynasty, Zen master Baizhang put forward that "if you don't work for a day, you won't eat for a day". As a model, Zen master Baizhang has been working all his life. Then we have to work now. In modern society, we should be self-reliant and self-reliant. While working, don't forget to practice, which is called "integration of agriculture and Zen". The second is to inherit the tradition of "academic research". Specifically, it is to spread the truth of Buddhism. We don't just put the Tibetan scriptures on display in the Tibetan Scripture Building. We should read, study and study them. The key is to carry forward after learning. It is very important for us to carry forward the truth of Buddhism as our only cause. The third is to enhance the tradition of "international friendly exchanges". We should learn from the great virtues of eminent monks of past dynasties, such as Faxian in Jin Dynasty, Xuanzang, Yijing and Jian Zhen in Tang Dynasty. These people spread China culture abroad and brought foreign Buddhist culture back to China to spread, thus enhancing mutual friendship and maintaining international peace. We should learn from the great thoughts and lofty spirit of these eminent monks, which is a fine tradition of Buddhism in China. Internally, we should strengthen national unity. China is a multi-ethnic country, so we should do a good job in reception, enhance the friendship between ethnic groups, and promote national unity and cultural exchanges. Internationally, efforts should be made to spread Buddhist truth and make contributions to enhancing international friendship and safeguarding world peace.
Pu Zhao's "One Thought, Three Fine Traditions" closely combined with the spirit of the times, which is great, lofty and practical. This is the basic content of the idea of "Buddhism on earth".
In addition, regarding the construction of Buddhism itself, Park Lao put forward five basic contents: first, the construction of faith, second, the construction of Taoism, third, the construction of teaching system, fourth, the construction of talents, and fifth, the construction of organization. These are all very important and valuable, and deserve our serious study and hard practice.