"There is no way for misfortunes and blessings, only people call it upon themselves." Misfortunes and blessings have no master, nor are they gods. It does not mean that if you eat the pig head as an offering, he will bless you. If there is no offering, ghosts will come looking for you. You, that's empty talk.
"There is no way for misfortunes and blessings". Neither ghosts nor gods can be your masters. God and Bodhisattva cannot be your masters. There are only people's own thoughts. The so-called "only people call themselves" means that you call yourself. of. Therefore, if we strictly reflect on all the experiences we encounter in life, we will find that pain, happiness, troubles, etc. are all caused by ourselves. The way of heaven is such a thing. The way of heaven is like a net, omnipresent but invisible. There is true wisdom but no master, but it is not nature or physical nature. In Chinese idioms, you can often see these two sentences: "The sky is vast, sparse and not leaking."
In fact, the biggest problem here is our concept problem, our problem. This is because we have formed this habit of complaining since time immemorial. We seek everything from the outside and don’t know how to look back and reflect. We always want to change others or the outside world, but we don’t know how to change ourselves. Because the outside world cannot be changed, or it is difficult to change, the only thing that can change is ourselves.
So, whenever we feel so unlucky, we will take corresponding "measures" to deal with the so-called "adversity" or trap we are in. We always want to make good out of this "adversity" or trap. It's about escaping from the trap. The result is just the opposite: they run further and further away, sink deeper and deeper, and cannot escape for the rest of their lives. In this way, you will naturally fall into a vicious cycle of cause and effect, trapping yourself in the quagmire of being misunderstood, framed, framed, etc. and unable to extricate yourself. When a person has bad luck, it does not depend on his or her name, zodiac sign, horoscope, or zodiac sign. But look at what this person has done.
Some people doubt that people who have not done a good thing have also done a lot of bad things, but they live so rich and happy. What is the truth about this? When Sima Qian wrote "The Biography of Boyi", he also raised a doubt: "How can it be that Heaven repays good deeds to good people?" He also said, "I am very confused. The so-called way of Heaven is evil and not evil." However, when he wrote this article, he did not provide an answer to this kind of confusion. He only raised a question and let the readers of his article think about it for themselves.
When it comes to religious philosophy, people often ask this question: Religion talks about right and wrong, good and evil; but some people who have been good people and done good deeds throughout their lives have suffered the most blows and suffered the most. Even the person who wrote "Historical Records" Sima Qian also had such doubts. In order to speak justice for Li Ling, Sima Qian was severely punished and suffered a lifetime of pain. He said in "The Biography of Boyi Shuqi", is the so-called way of heaven true? Fake? I don't know. There are many good people in society who suffer all their lives, while those bad people live a very comfortable life with everything good. The worse the people, the better their lives.
Buddhism’s answer is very simple. Someone is a bad person in this life, but the reason why he is in such a good situation is because the good rewards from his good deeds in his previous life have not yet been completed; what he has done in this life is The bad deeds you have done will be settled when your evil deeds are full. In my personal life experience, what Buddhism says is right.
Some people may say that this can only be heard, and neither the past life nor the next life can be seen! Regarding this question, as long as we study this life in reality, we will understand that "there is no way for misfortunes and blessings, only people call it upon themselves." Because if you reflect carefully, you will find that the biggest blow is the biggest blessing. If you don't suffer the biggest blow, your life may not be saved. Of course, living is not necessarily good! It is also sad to live too long, although most people think that longevity is also a blessing.
From the perspective of these many principles, we can understand the meaning of what Laozi said: "The sky is vast, sparse but not lost." It has no reason, no master, and no standard, but it does have a big principle and a standard; this truth is the most profound truth in any religious philosophy. To explain in a simple sentence, it is the law of cause and effect. If you create a cause, you will naturally get the effect. No one can escape. ——"I Said"
I have seen many people's life experiences, and retribution is very fast, as if it is faster than computer calculations. In fact, many people are retributioned in this world, but the people who receive the retribution themselves do not understand it. Therefore, there are four popular sayings in Chinese society: "Good deeds will be rewarded with good deeds, and evil deeds will be rewarded with evil deeds. It's not that you will not be rewarded, but the time has not yet come." This is what everyone likes to say. ——"Mencius and the whole heart"
Confucius said: Who can not leave the house? Why not?
Although Confucius lamented the times, he believed that it was still right to take the right path. A gentleman should not bow to reality. The final victory and final success will still come from the right path. He gave an example: "Who can't leave the house?" The door in the gate is the house. He said that whoever wants to go out can do so without going through a door? Only when you leave the door can you take the right path. People must take the right path. If they follow the wrong path and follow the wrong path, they will eventually be tortuous and difficult to achieve results.
That is to say, people must have standards for being a human being. Although many people are proud of themselves for a while by not following the right path, they still have problems in the end. However, many people still only focus on the present, regardless of their own consequences. Although we see many people who have committed many evil deeds and still enjoy a peaceful life, this debt will eventually be settled in the afterlife. ——"The Analects of Confucius"
Buddhism talks about karma. For example, if you scolded someone yesterday and they smiled at you, you already have hatred in their heart. If there is a chance, they will definitely repay you. You won't be polite. This is cause and effect, this is called karma.
So it is said, "If you have no sin, you will not be beaten, if you have no crime, you will not be scolded. When adversity comes, it is a gift to you. You must not only endure it, but also be grateful" - "Quotations from Jing Si"
If you can't bear it and still have resentment in your heart, even though this incident has passed, something bad will happen again in the future. Or the next life, and the next life, and keep reincarnating until you repent.
In ancient times, there was a man named Lin Tuizhai who had good moral cultivation. This man had great blessings and had many children and grandchildren. When he was dying, his descendants knelt in front of him and said, "You are leaving us, so leave something for us to pursue throughout our lives."
He said, "You must learn to suffer losses." This is exactly what he said. It is his greatest concern for his children and grandchildren, making them understand that suffering is a blessing.
It is often said in society: "If you are too petty, you will not be a gentleman, and if you are not poisonous, you will not be a husband." It originally meant "If you are too petty, you will not be a husband." It was mistakenly read as "If you are not poisonous, you will not be a husband," which makes people mistakenly think that you are "not a husband." "Vicious" is the husband. "Du" means measure and magnanimity. A man without measure cannot be called a husband. "A small amount is not a gentleman, and a small amount is not a husband." It is a good motto to cultivate people's capacity.
Rather than saying that things or people make you suffer, it is better to say that your own cultivation is not enough
Confucius said: "Life and death are destined, and wealth is in heaven."
Now Fate was summoned by you in the past, but your future destiny and your present destiny can be resolved by what you do now. So in order to give you a good life in the future, you must do more good deeds now and live seriously. If you give without stealing, you will become rich; if you are frugal, greedy and steal, you will become poor. If you are willing to help others, you will have noble people. If you do not do what is right, no one will help you. Wealth and honor, poverty and poverty are all your own calling. Wish yourself luck! I recommend you an article that can help your fortune. Search the Internet for "Liao Fan's Four Trainings in Vernacular"
Man is the spirit of all things, and your heart is the most spiritual! If you don’t know that people have such great spirituality, and you just complain blindly, will your life be better? It can't be good! Some people say: "My life is not good, I have been unlucky in my life." Well, the more they say it, the better it will be, and it will make you miserable. In fact, everyone has a sufficient Buddha nature, and it only listens to us. This is very effective. If you say, "Oh, this definitely won't work." The more you say it, the less likely it will be. Don't say that good intentions are not rewarded, and don't say that there are no good people around you. Some women say, "Men don't have any good things." Can any good things be arranged for you? Because what you ask for is "men don't have good things." This is your wish and your conclusion. Don't lose on the good side, and mistakenly think that worry is a good intention. Remember, worrying is the same as cursing, cursing. We must be cautious when drawing any conclusions, so the Chinese character for Zhongyong is to put a seal on your mouth, telling you not to talk nonsense, seal your mouth first. We should create benign programs: "I am surrounded by good people", "When I suffer a loss, I am blessed", "This person is not good to me, so he is going to die", "The sicker I get, the more I catch a cold, the more I detoxify", who heard that the more I catch a cold, the more I detoxify? The shorter your life span? This is not necessarily the case. If you are sick, just take medicine. So we have to have good programs. I often give myself benign programs: "If you lose money, wealth will come to you." It's not this program. I'm a "right eye jumper" and I jump on good things.
Karma and retribution are the natural laws of the universe. This is the development law of nature. However, it is relative. It does not remain unchanged at a certain time, but changes with the changes in the universe. There is no absolute law of cause and effect in the universe. What ultimately determines destiny is each person's own concept of value. Simply put, only you can decide everything about yourself and control your own destiny.
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What is arrogance
(Some people are very knowledgeable Well, especially those who study Buddhism and have studied sutras and scriptures, what have they accomplished? They have made a very serious mistake - increasing the greed of all living beings, not just humans. , anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt are all innate. Everyone has heard of greed, anger, and ignorance. What is pride? People who lose their temper on the street say "Ge Lao Tzu", which means "I am arrogant". There is no one in the world who does not feel that he is great. Even a person who has absolutely low self-esteem will feel that he is great. They are all very arrogant. Why are they arrogant? Because they value themselves very much, but they are not as good as others. Inferiority and pride are actually two sides of the same coin. A person has neither inferiority complex nor self-esteem. Arrogance is very plain and comfortable.
In Chinese culture, Zhuangzi has an allusion to metaphorical arrogance: "A mantis acts as a cart." He said that the mantis got angry and raised its two slender arms to block the cart. , not letting the car pass, the result can be imagined, not only was it crushed, but even the pulp was crushed out. Zhuangzi's sentence is a metaphor for people "overestimating their own abilities" and having to do things that are beyond their ability and wisdom. Mantis. How could I have the courage to block the car with my two arms? It was just because I was slow.
Most people often say: "I don't care, Mr. Ge!" If you don't care, you will become meat sauce!
All living beings are born with arrogance. If a person can get rid of his arrogance, he will soon achieve "selflessness"! From a psychological point of view, it can be seen that people with extremely high egos do weird things, and their abnormal psychology of arrogance manifests itself in a certain aspect. Is it cowardly for a shy child to hide away from people when he sees it? Not at all, he is shy on the outside but very arrogant on the inside.
I still have doubts and doubts about anything and anyone, especially my practice. Greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and doubt are the bad nature of all living beings, and they are not easy to get rid of. Arrogance and doubt are included in greed, anger, and delusion, which means there is no wisdom. In practice, pride and doubt are easier to see and understand. Therefore, only greed, anger, and ignorance are usually mentioned, and pride and doubt are rarely mentioned.
Slowness in growth
Now that we understand self-slowness, let’s look at what is slowness in growth? Increasing conceit means that people originally only had a contemplative mind, but for some reason, the role of condescending mind is brought into full play. For example, people who are knowledgeable and well-informed are most likely to suffer from slow growth. Not only knowledge, but also all people who have achieved some achievements in any aspect will inevitably increase their arrogance towards higher things. For example, smart people already think they are great. If a smart person adds knowledge and experience, if he takes a bad path, it is what the ancients said: "Learning is enough to help the traitor." It is better not to learn, but having knowledge will help others. Do evil.
The treacherous ministers in Chinese history are all talented people with first-class knowledge. Like Qin Hui, whom everyone knows, his knowledge is good and his mind is smart. He is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. One can imagine how capable he is of covering the sky with one hand and deceiving those above him. It is definitely not something ordinary people can do for a subordinate to hide his clever boss from seeing what is happening below. These people are often "well-informed people" and are prone to make this mistake when studying Buddhism.
I often publicly warn everyone that the Bodhisattva Way is not easy to achieve. Taking myself as an example, if someone asked me for an arm today, I would be reluctant to part with it. I would still use it and I would still write. Woolen cloth! I can't do it. I can't give away my head, eyes, and brain. So I dare not easily say that I am studying Buddhism. But I have seen that many people, after learning Buddhism, do not care whether they stay at home or become a monk. They often make the mistake of "I am the only one who is the one in heaven and the world". I also often remind them that the one who is the only one in the world who is the one in heaven and the world is the leader, our teacher Sakyamuni Buddha. Unfortunately, it is neither you nor me! There is even a fallacy. I often hear some people say: "It doesn't matter if you are illiterate or do not study Buddhist scriptures. The Sixth Patriarch is still enlightened. The Sixth Patriarch did not become enlightened by reading." I said: "That is the Sixth Patriarch, you are not The Sixth Patriarch and a half, let alone the Seventh Patriarch, right? "The Sixth Patriarch did not study, but he met the Fifth Patriarch and had a good teacher. For example, Buddha Sakyamuni did not rely on his ancestors to achieve enlightenment. He did not say that he would not study. Sakyamuni Buddha achieved all knowledge in the world before he was eighteen years old. Why don't you want to study? Are you unwilling to learn from the Buddha?
When studying Buddhism, we talk about taking refuge, taking refuge in the Buddha, taking refuge in the Dharma, and taking refuge in the Sangha. We talk about the Four Immeasurable Hearts, morning classes and evening classes. I don’t know how many times I have recited them. I am willing to learn the countless Dharma methods, and the infinite Dharma methods also include evil demons and heretics! Wuliang, how many quantities have you learned? All of them violated the precept of being slow and slow. Being conceited is a warning, and the opposite of being conceited is humility. Absolute humility is what Lao Tzu calls "an open mind." Therefore, everyone must learn not to be slow to increase and advance. What we are talking about here is just to abstain. More importantly, we must abstain from the attachment of being slow to increase, so that we can increase our knowledge.
I often meet people who are very knowledgeable in academia. When they come and talk about a problem, they start with the sentence: "I want to ask you a question", and I look at him with my eyes. No matter what he said, I said I didn’t understand. He said I asked you and I said I didn’t understand. Using this attitude and tone to ask others questions will slow down your growth! I don't even want to use the word "please" to ask or ask for advice.
What are the consequences of slow growth? Look down.
"Covering the heart", increasing conceit has covered one's true heart, thinking that one is great, thinking that one's ideas are right and others are wrong. Maybe I am older now. , relatively rare; many people saw slow growth in mainland China when they were young! Their prestige and fame are frightening to death, and the slowness of their growth is truly incredible. Having said that, we also grew very slowly when we were young.
In the past, I saw the older generation of great lay people, whose knowledge and reputation were first-rate. When they were sick or dying, they were in a hurry, in great pain, and had no solution at all. At this time, all the knowledge and Buddhism is useless. In the end, a large number of people gathered around him, and the great layman warned the younger generation: "You should just recite the Buddha's name honestly from now on!" I won't mention the name, but when I mention the name, it violates the precept of being conceited, as you can probably imagine. The reason is that there is no real practice. Because I am good at learning and can write better articles than others, I have violated the precept of being slow to increase.
There is no way to overcome this slow growth, unless you are even slower than him, so how do you do it? You have to learn more, be better educated than him, have correct views, and have true practice, otherwise there is nothing you can do.
The Buddha told us in the classics that the better the knowledge, the more obstacles one knows, and the more difficult it is to practice and attain enlightenment. His retribution in the next life will always be that of a thinker and a scholar, unable to attain enlightenment. Not only is it impossible to achieve the Mahayana Bodhisattva status, but the Hinayana status is also impossible.
The "heretics, heretics" that you often talk about are not other religions as you imagine, or evil evil ways. Where can they go? Anyone who seeks the Dharma outside the heart is a heretic. He is knowledgeable, thoughtful, able to speak well, and his reasoning is clear-cut. If he is asked to use his body and mind to prove that there is nothing he can do, because his thoughts and ideas cannot be calm, he cannot be focused, and he cannot be calm. Therefore, the better your knowledge, the more likely it is that you will be slow to improve. You will cover up your own true nature, and think that your own ideas are right and others are wrong.
Therefore, the first great precept of the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path is "to praise oneself and destroy others." The first thing to learn in the Mahayana Bodhisattva Path is true humility.
I often tell my classmates that I am afraid when I see scholars, I am afraid when I see literati, I am afraid when I see artists, I am afraid when I see capable people, I am afraid when I see many people, what are I afraid of? ? Since ancient times, literati, scholars, and artists have all made the same mistake: "literati look down on each other" and look down on others. Articles are one's own good, sons are one's own, but wives are other people's good. Isn't that true?
We read a famous poem when we were young:
The articles in the world are in Sanjiang
The articles in Sanjiang belong to my hometown
The articles in my hometown count My brother-in-law
My brother-in-law learned articles from me
Three rivers are Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi. After talking for a long time, I still came first. Literary men are all like this, everyone is the same. Fortune tellers, fortune tellers, and art practitioners have all "eternally despised" each other, become jealous of each other, and even fight. He is jealous when others are doing well in business, and he is not convinced when someone is good at calculating horoscopes.
Those who engage in religion, Christianity, Buddhism, and Catholicism are all "eternally jealous of each other." Your temple is prosperous, but mine is not. I hate you so much that I wish I could set your temple on fire at night, or recite a curse and destroy your temple.
"Literati have always looked down on each other, which has been the case since ancient times" is what the ancients said, and I added two sentences: "Jianghu has been at odds with each other for eternity, and religions have been jealous of each other for eternity." I have encountered all three. It is really pitiful. where! Sometimes when I close my eyes and think about it, I find it very strange that under the pressure of "eternal mutual contempt", "eternal jealousy" and "eternal hatred", I can still be alive, and live to be dozens of years old. That’s almost it!
Talking about these facts and truths shows that the fundamental mistake people make is that they are too arrogant, praise themselves and criticize others, and think that they are right. I often say that no one in the world admits that they have made mistakes, it is others who are wrong. I have a habit of taking a taxi. As soon as I get in the taxi, I will first say: "I'm sorry! Please help me drive to such and such a place." The driver looked back at me with a puzzled expression on his face. He thought it was strange for you, an old man, how to say sorry. ? Say to me: I have never seen anyone like you. I said yes! Please! Excuse me, please. Finally, I got off the car and said to the driver: "Thank you!"
As soon as anyone makes a mistake, he will understand in his heart and his face will immediately turn red. After a while, he will think about it again and immediately find another I gave a lot of reasons to support myself, thinking that I was right, but it was you who was wrong. Do you think each of us is like this? Including me of course.
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——Mr. Nan Huaijin talks about "arrogance"