In the world, plum blossoms are chaste and proud of frost and snow; Orchids are fragrant, beautiful and elegant; Bamboo is tall and knotted, green and dripping; Chrysanthemums are aloof and changeable, but I Buddha love lotus flowers alone. This is because ancient India has a long tradition of loving lotus. People endure the hot climate in the countryside and feel particularly comfortable, fresh and gratified by the lotus flowers that bloom in spring and summer. Therefore, from the very beginning, Buddhism paid attention to following the folk psychology to attract believers, so lotus flowers were often quoted in Buddhist scriptures. According to Buddhist scriptures, there are not dozens of lotus petals on earth, hundreds of lotus petals in the sky and more than 1000 lotus petals in pure land. "Shurangama Sutra" says, "Sir, a hundred treasures of light gush from the bun, and the lotus in Chiba lives and sits on the lotus. The Vimalakīrti Classic of Buddhism says, "The world is not like a lotus flower, but it is better to be silent." The classic explanation says: "Therefore, all ten Buddhas were born in muddy soil and sat on the lotus platform." It can be seen that lotus means from trouble to purity. It shows that it was born in silt and bloomed on the water surface, which produced the profound connotation of silt-free. At the same time, lotus blooms in hot summer water. Heat means trouble, and water means cool, which means bringing cool to people who are troubled. Therefore, Lotus is the incarnation of a saint born in the pure land of Buddha after getting rid of troubles. The Buddha came out of the mud and proved to be conscious and comfortable. Although it is beyond the ordinary, it does not leave the world law. Lotus is in perfect harmony with the natural personality advocated by Buddhism. Buddhism believes that there are more troubles in the world than the Ganges sand, and losing yourself is like accumulating dirt in the past. People with will should practice hard, purify themselves, be free from pollution and worldly sufferings, and pursue a pure and unhindered realm. The natural beauty of lotus can be used to symbolize this ideal of Buddhism. Moreover, the lotus itself does have some attractions, that is, the lotus is expensive, good and beautiful. It stands tall, bright and fresh; Lead an honest and clean life, proudly independent; Its roots are like jade and colorless; Its stem is empty, without five aggregates; Its leaves are as green as blue and clear from the middle; Its silk is like a wisp, stretching constantly; Its flowers are solemn and fragrant and last for a long time; No branches, no vines, no hanging; More like lotus seeds, painstaking as Buddha; Teach people to die in pure land.
Li Shangyin, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, praised Lotus for writing a famous poem:
People in the world have different descriptions of flowers and leaves. They plant flowers in beautiful golden pots, but regardless of the flowers and leaves, they fall into the soil and become dust.
Only the lotus flower is matched with red flowers and green leaves. The lotus leaf has a roll of Shu, and the lotus flower has a bloom, which is so perfect and natural.
This flower and this leaf set each other off, and the green color is reduced to the red color, which makes people sad!
In addition, Buddhism believes that all sentient beings in the three realms support their lives with lust; The saints of pure land incarnate as lotus flowers, which can appear as familiar images. Because lotus represents the clean dharma body of Buddha and solemnly declares itself, it has become an important theme of Buddhist art and a mascot often seen in Buddhist temples. For example, in ancient India, Ajanta murals were painted with lotus flowers. Dunhuang, Yungang and Longmen Grottoes in China have many artistic ideas with lotus as their content. Binyang Cave, like Longmen Grottoes, is carved with lotus decorative patterns, and the lotus at the top of the Lotus Cave is unique. Even in large and small temples, the sculptures of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are inseparable from lotus flowers, or perched on lotus seats, or held lotus flowers in their hands, paying attention to meditation. Even the most familiar bodhisattva in the world, Guanyin Bodhisattva, is accompanied by lotus flowers, and many images of Guanyin are set off by lotus flowers: Guanyin in white, holding lotus flowers in her left hand and making vows in her right hand; Lying in the lotus Guanyin, lying in the lotus pond; Xerox Guanyin, holding her cheeks in her right hand and twisting lotus flowers on her left knee; A leaf of Guanyin floats on the water by lotus; Wade Guanyin, sitting by the rock, holding the lotus in his left hand; Duo Luo respects Guanyin and holds Luo Hua; Not just Guanyin, sitting on the lotus leaf; Holding the lotus Guanyin, sitting on the lotus leaf, holding the lotus in both hands ... So in the Buddha statues and Buddhist scriptures we saw, the sages who introduced the pure land Buddha countries all sat on the lotus platform, or sat or stood on it, representing their purity and solemnity. It can be seen that lotus is a symbol of pure land of Buddhism.
2. Turn life into that lotus flower /bbs/viewthread.php? tid= 10754
"Let life turn into that lotus, all fame and fortune are left behind, and let the immortal celebrate the freedom of God. Our generation only needs to monopolize the chic of the world ..." This is the lyrics in the episode of the mainland TV series "The List of Gods". The list of gods is not a work expressing Buddhist thoughts, but the lyrics of this episode have won the interest of Buddhist spirit. Buddhists see through everything in the world and rarely linger, but Buddhists also love everything in the world, and lotus is their favorite. Buddha is sitting on the lotus, holding the lotus in his hand, and often verbally saying the lotus. Even in Buddhist scriptures, there are people named after lotus, such as Lotus Sutra. Someone in Buddhism revealed the secret of Buddhism's special liking for lotus flowers. This is beautiful, true and pure. How can it be polluted by foreign things? Therefore, the Buddha takes the lotus as a metaphor. Lotus peanuts are in the mud, but they are not polluted by mud; This is really wonderful, in the hearts of all beings, not confused by troubles. (Tao Luyu of Yan Tao)
Buddhists love lotus because they regard it as a symbol of truth. Truth, also known as Tathagata, refers to Buddha nature. Lotus peanuts are in the sludge, but they are bright and graceful, and the sludge does not stick. It really seems to be in people's hearts, but it is not confused by people's troubles. The Buddhist intention contained in it is the idea that all beings in Mahayana Buddhism have Buddha nature.
"Hinayana Buddhism summons all beings with nirvana, trying to preach the joy of eternal life and death, but infatuation with life is human nature after all. Therefore, it is really hard for people to believe that there is still great joy after death in the realm of uncertain life and death and unclear road. Any kind of life consciousness, any kind of life transcendence, can not deviate too far from human nature tendency and realistic requirements, otherwise the realm will inevitably be abandoned by the world and become a masterpiece. The most fundamental purpose of pursuing the transcendence of life is to be able to settle down better in real life, get spiritual comfort from it and feel the happiness of life. Therefore, when Buddhists realized that Mahayana Buddhism's life transcendence orientation was too unconventional to awaken the consciousness and enthusiasm of all sentient beings, Mahayana Buddhism transferred the realm of nirvana from the eternal world to the real world. Mahayana Buddhism believes that the seeds of nirvana or the inherited Buddha nature exist in people's minds: "All living beings have Tathagata to hide"; Tathagata in Zhongsheng county "mud is not fire, Buddha has true self;" All beings have Buddha nature "; The nature of Buddha is obscured by ignorance. As long as we can get rid of the ideological troubles of ignorance and all kinds of complex pollution, we can make the truth appear and achieve nirvana. Here, Mahayana Buddhism affirmed the essence of nirvana and planted nirvana genes in the hearts of the public, thus making the transcendence orientation of Buddhism more popular.
So, what is the beauty of achieving nirvana in reality? There are four kinds of scenic spots: Chang, Le, Me and Jing. For example, the sutra without thinking says: "-all living beings have Buddha nature, and their nature is endless." ..... Now all sentient beings have a clear understanding of the Buddha's nature, and they are always happy to see the Tathagata. " Mahayana Buddhism opposes Hinayana Buddhism and thinks that happiness and purity are the basic requirements of life. It emphasizes that Nirvana has four beautiful attributes of happiness and purity, and advocates pursuing and looking for real happiness and purity in life. If you get happiness and purity, you get nirvana: if you get nirvana, you can always keep happiness and purity in any living environment and any form of change. Buddhism is impermanent in all walks of life, and all laws have no self; Affirming the existence of eternal happiness and self-purity within the basic social and life value judgments, such as endless suffering and rolling dust, is a great adaptation to the human nature needs in the general trend of social development, and also an identification in negation. Therefore, this kind of nirvana containing eternal happiness and self-purity has realistic appeal to people, and has more realistic influence and guiding significance for enlightening people's consciousness and helping people settle down. Imagine, in the real world and life full of persecution and chaos, if you can appreciate my pure purport forever and get rid of pain and trouble, even if you can't become a Buddha, isn't Lu a rare happiness in life? Let's introduce the meaning of eternal happiness and cleanliness, so as to realize its significance to our life.
(1) Chang: Chang is the antonym of impermanence. On the one hand, Buddhists regard everything in the world as impermanent existence and persuade people not to cling to the pursuit of things outside their bodies; On the other hand, Buddhists believe that truth, as the noumenon and reality of all things in the universe, is a real and unchanging existence and the only life value worth understanding and pursuing. For example, when explaining the meaning of Mo Ru, the theory of consciousness says: "It's really not false; As usual, the table has not changed. It is said that this truth is true for all laws and will always be like its nature, so it is called truth. " It is not difficult to understand that the fundamental purpose of Buddhism to belittle everything in the real world is to ask people to go back and pursue the nirvana initiated by Buddhism. Therefore, the realm of nirvana must be constant, and only constant can be true, and it is worth sacrificing everything to pursue. Judging from the actual effect after obtaining the nirvana realm, not to mention eliminating the emptiness of the cycle of life and death, it is in real life that the nirvana washes away all inner distractions and pollution, calms his mind, becomes silent, is convinced of his own nature, is not moved by external changes and temptations, is not disturbed by troubles and worries, and maintains a natural life and normal life. Therefore, the key to finding nirvana and the normality of life lies in transcending the will of life, stopping restless desires, achieving inner emptiness and eliminating the sensitivity of body and mind to external stimuli. Although there are always thousands of incidents in Qian Qian that hit the heart, they can be open-minded and not bound to the heart, so that the Buddha's heart is not covered by mundane thoughts and troubles, and the constant heart can keep its behavior safely. On the other hand, if vulgar thoughts still exist and the mind is not empty, it is impossible to achieve nirvana. Here is a story about Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo was a famous writer in China in Song Dynasty. He was educated by Confucianism since childhood and wanted to make a difference in politics. However, due to the exclusion of political opponents and the frustration of officialdom, he became interested in the three treasures of Buddhism, and he felt that he had reached a very high Buddhist realm in belittling vulgar affairs and political and personnel disputes. One day, he thought he had learned something from studying Buddhist books, so he wrote a poem praising Buddha: "The sage is in the sky, shining brightly, and the eight winds can't blow, sitting on the purple lotus." In Buddhist language, eight styles refer to eight aspects, namely, advantages and disadvantages, ridicule, smearing and suffering. The Eight Winds cannot be blown, that is to say, in the face of real life, they will not be tempted by changes in the environment and will not change their true colors because of various material and spiritual stimuli. Su Dongpo wrote this poem ostensibly to praise the Buddha. In fact, after he repented, he felt very proud and sent someone to buddhist nun on the other side of the river to give this poem to Zen master Fo Yin for appreciation. Unexpectedly, after the Zen master finished reading it, he commented at the end of his book. Bullshit! Bullshit! . Return the manuscript. When Su Dongpo saw it, he was furious and immediately took buddhist nun across the river to talk to Zen master Fo Yin. When I got to the front of the meditation room, the door had already been closed, but I saw a note posted on the door, which read: "Eight winds can't blow, a fart has crossed the river." When Su Dongpo saw it, he felt completely ashamed, knowing that his mentality was far from the ethereal and quiet Buddhist realm.
In the fickle real world, attracting all sentient beings with constant nirvana cannot but be said that Buddhism has found a beautiful place for all sentient beings who are eager to settle down through its own life consciousness. People living in contemporary society are often at a loss about the rapid changes in social life and the ups and downs of the values of the times, which leads to mental disorders and behavioral disorders and adds a lot of troubles and pains. Therefore, in the chaotic and changeable social life, although people don't have to aim at nirvana, if they can enlighten their mind and cultivate their temperament from the enlightenment of Buddhist wisdom; In order to get a calm mind, it is also of great benefit. Taking contemporary intellectuals as an example, many intellectuals feel anxious in the roar of commercialization because they lack a grasp of the real world and life in the process of social impermanence and change; His parents tried to drive his heart to catch up with the changing reality, even at the expense of his innate ambitions and hobbies, and plopped into the sea in a short time, thus sliding himself into an uncertain life with ups and downs and losing the due value of a literate person. Therefore, a literate person, if he understands the true meaning of Buddhism and keeps his inner peace, can achieve "the Eight Winds can't be blown" and treat social changes and temptations with a indifferent attitude, but he can stick to the life mission of a literate person and affirm his true value, personality and career.
(2) Happiness: The happiness of Buddhist nirvana is closely related to the normal state of nirvana. Life is impermanent, so it is painful. If you enter an unusual realm, you will be happy. However, the happiness of nirvana is different from the happiness of life in the usual sense. It is not the psychological joy or pleasure after the desire is satisfied or realized, but a pure and free spiritual realm that people achieve without thinking, difference, persistence, stumbling and stumbling after realizing the true meaning of life and experiencing the consciousness of life. For example, Duanji, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, said in "The Essentials of Heart Transmission": "This Buddha is nothing, but quiet and bright." If you think deeply, just get to the point. It's perfect and full, and you have nothing to owe. "
In fact, it is not difficult to understand that this kind of nirvana is a kind of psychological self-sufficiency and undisturbed happiness. The reason why we ordinary people often feel trouble and pain and can't keep the joy we have occasionally is because we have burning desire, restless thinking, conflict, pain and loss obstacles that want one and another. Once a person's mind reaches Zhan Ran, it transcends the general gains and losses of grievances, is not contaminated by desires, and is not tempted and troubled by chaotic and changeable secular things, then he can naturally enjoy the spiritual joy of self-sufficiency, carefree, peaceful and always unimpeded. The author has a friend named Zhang, who studies theoretical economics. Although this gentleman is not a Buddhist, his heart is peaceful. He is the only scholar I have ever met who can be firm in the tide of commercialization and secularization, concentrate on his own career and take pleasure in academic research. The reading room of the author's unit has been overcrowded in recent years. No matter what field people study, they all go outside to connect with the market economy. Although Zhang Jun studied economics, he didn't join in the fun. On the contrary, he sticks to the reading room day after day and year after year. He is called the "Standing Committee" of the reading room. Under the temptation of the materialistic world, many colleagues of the author can't stand loneliness, their thoughts are shaken, they underestimate the value of our cause, they complain about academic research and chat with each other, they are impetuous, eager to get rich, or they are full of complaints about the poor situation of students now. Zhang Jun, on the other hand, thinks that academic career is the best choice and value in his life. Reading and writing have unparalleled pleasure and fun. Usually I am afraid of not having enough time, so I dare not read more books and write more articles. Where is the time and energy to chase the excitement in society? Therefore, no matter how loud the voice of colleagues going to Shanghai is, no matter how fashionable other undertakings and streets in the society are, he can sit still alone, thus enjoying a precious scholar's pleasure that is not disturbed by the outside world, quietly inviting him to swim in the ocean of learning, concentrating on understanding and thinking without hindrance. For this reason, the author often laments that he is too impetuous and has too many distractions, so it is difficult to have fun with this gentleman. But I still hope that more friends can learn from Zhang Jun's demeanor, love their work, and don't easily shake their life aspirations and career choices. Perhaps in this way, China will be more free to contact and integrate physically and mentally in a life full of obstacles.
(3) I: I am not a person, not a law, but a Buddha in the realm of nirvana. The so-called "mud and sand are flowing, and the Buddha has the true self" refers to the real existence of the Buddha. Buddhists believe that people have Buddha nature, which is the essence of the world and the truth of human nature. Buddha nature is a real and unchanging existence. Therefore, once people understand Buddhism, they can ascend to the realm of Buddha's self-protection. In fact, I am a Buddhist nirvana, which is somewhat similar to the soul in western religions. The body is dead, the soul is still there, the thinking is silent, people and I disappear, and Buddha and I appear. But the Buddha-like self is more universal than the human soul self, and it is the epitome of the soul of the universe.
Buddhism introduces the Buddha-like self into nirvana, the purpose of which is naturally to make people get rid of the capricious accidental self and greedy self determined by karma and harmony, and upgrade themselves to the natural self and kind self, so as to realize the transcendence of life. Nirvana without self is not easy to arouse people's yearning enthusiasm after all. It is true that contemporary people do not have to deliberately pursue a metaphysical me in real life, but it is undoubtedly enlightening and instructive for the public to save me by nirvana. Loss of sense of value, self-loss, alienation, etc. In modern society, people's psychological crisis is essentially a psychological crisis experience caused by people's will to life being hindered. Driven by the will of life, people are eager to realize themselves, express themselves and maintain themselves. However, under the interference of many desires, people often don't know their true value, true meaning and true needs, thus losing themselves in the rush of life. At the same time, people often try to contain and conquer the attractive things in the whole world and life with limited body and mind, but they always feel small and sinking because they are unable to do so. Therefore, if we understand the pursuit of nirvana here as not clinging to the idea of self, self-worth and self-realization, stabilizing our mentality, facing society and life with a indifferent attitude and coping with impermanence, we may be able to maintain a true self in a complex, changeable and alienated world.
(4) Cleanliness: Cleanliness means no desire, no dye and no worry, which is the most remarkable feature of Buddhist nirvana. Since Buddhists regard the world as a dirty and ugly place where the world is full of red dust, the hanging of nirvana as an ideal goal should naturally be the beauty of Zhan Ran's pure Ming Che. Therefore, when Buddhists describe Nirvana to the world, they say that it is a kind of "pure without drama" and "pure without purity". Buddhism believes that "secular people have Buddhist nature, but their eyes are blinded by desires and distractions, so their hearts are unclean and full of dirt and troubles." On the other hand, once you tend to nirvana, your pure Buddha nature appears, your heart is clear, and there are no miscellaneous things around you, you can calmly put it aside, no matter what environment you are in or what events you encounter. There is a story in Buddhism: One day, a monk in Tanshan went out with a fellow monk. While crossing the river, he saw a young woman hesitating by the river, afraid to get into the water. The monk Tanshan went to hold the woman across the river. After crossing the river, the woman left. The monk at the same school condemned the monk Tanshan and said, Buddhism forbids sex. How can you hold a woman? Tanshan replied, do you still hold that woman? I put her down a long time ago. This story shows that compared with the fellow monk, the monk in Tanshan Mountain is much higher in understanding and will to practice Buddhism. Although monks are obsessed with observing Buddhist rules and regulations, there are still obstacles in their hearts and they have not reached the realm of purity. So there is always a scene of Tanshan holding a woman in his heart, which is tantamount to holding that woman in his heart. The monk in Tanshan Mountain has reached the clear and ethereal realm of Zhan Ran, so although he has the behavior of holding a woman; But in the end, I didn't hold back. It can be seen that the purity of nirvana is actually a quality that reflects people's thinking and silence, and it is also a quality that reflects people's ability to resist external stimuli.
There is no doubt that the nirvana purity of Buddhism is attractive to people. In social life, purity itself is a lifestyle and value goal that people value. Take people living in big cities as an example. When we go out to work, there are always heavy traffic, crowded people and mixed sounds and noises. Home, dormitory and painting academy are not clean. The sound of TV, tape recorder and karaoke is constant all the time. Piling Gai Lou, knocking on the wall and nailing windows, and decorating houses can be seen everywhere, and the noise is harsh and inevitable. But this is only impure in the sense of physiological stimulation. The competition in business, officialdom and love is even more "the tree wants to be quiet but the wind will not stop", which makes people busy and upset. A friend once told the author that a director sitting opposite him in the office told him every day that he was bored to death and could not hide. Indeed, the world is full of red dust, noise and pollution. People want to be clean and peaceful, but where can people hide and rest? Only by calming down the ideological disturbance as required by Buddhism and achieving inner purity, calmness and carefree can we keep the external intrusion out of the heart, live in a noisy city without being disturbed, live in a dirty place without being infected, and make life stand upright like a lotus, clean and safe, and bloom at different levels.