"For New Practitioners - A Beginner's Guide"
"The Great Collection of Sutras": Hundreds of millions of people practice the Dharma, but they rarely achieve enlightenment; they can only save life and death by reciting the Buddha's name.
"Ksitigarbha Sutra": All living beings now and in the future, whether gods or humans, men or women, can have immeasurable merit by reciting the name of one Buddha, let alone multiple names.
"Diamond Sutra": All dharma are equal and there is no superiority or inferiority.
Actually, the difference is not in the Dharma, but in which Dharma is suitable for our own aptitudes to learn. The meaning of the above sentence in the Great Collection of Sutras is that modern living beings are generally more suitable for common situations. Practice the method of chanting Buddha's name, so if you believe in this scripture, you can learn about Jingzong.
First of all, you can read "The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha" /other/shijiafo/ebook1-000.htm to understand the life of the Buddha, and then start to study Buddhism systematically.
Q: I don’t know anything about Buddhism, how should I start?
Answer: Please first watch Master Jingkong's lectures on "Understanding Buddhism" and "The Teaching of Three Refuges" on the website. This can help you have a correct understanding of Buddhism and understand the purpose of learning Buddhism. and meaning, in order to increase interest and confidence in learning Buddhism, and then enable in-depth study.
"Understanding Buddhism" http://www.amtb.tw/baen/jiangtang.asp?web_choice=17&web_rel_index=207
"Three Refuges" http://www. amtb.tw/baen/jiangtang.asp?web_choice=17&web_rel_index=204
Question: How should a beginner learn?
Answer: Jingzong practice is based on the "Three Blessings of Purifying Karma" ("Avalokitesvara Sutra").
How to implement the first blessing, "filial piety to parents and serving teachers"? We adopt the Confucian "Disciple Rules". The content of the "Disciple Rules" is to be a filial son or daughter at home and a good student at school, and truly implement these two sentences into life. "Be compassionate and do not kill, practice the ten good deeds" is implemented in the "Ten Good Deeds", and you must study it seriously and diligently.
The second blessing is, "accept and uphold the three refuges, fulfill all the precepts, and do not violate the dignity." Students at home must at least study the "Five Precepts and the Essential Sutras" and the teachings of the Three Refuges. There are video tapes and written textbooks on the teachings of the Three Refuges. Students who become monks must learn "The Essentials of the Rituals of Novices". The lowest level is the Ten Precepts and the Twenty-Four Precepts of Novices. "Having all the precepts" means that the ten precepts are complete and complete. "Do not violate dignity" refers to the implementation of the twenty-four principles of dignity in daily life and dealing with others.
The third blessing, "those who have bodhicitta, firmly believe in cause and effect, read and recite the Mahayana, and encourage people to practice" is implemented in the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Original Vow Sutra". "Earth" refers to the heart, and "hidden" refers to the treasure of the heart. This is the purpose of the Ksitigarbha Sutra. We should develop the treasures of the heart by studying the Ksitigarbha Sutra. This is the basic course for the first two years.
The Buddha said: "The three blessings of pure karma are the positive causes of the pure karma of all Buddhas in the three generations." How profound is this sentence! How important! The three times are the past, present and future. We practice from ordinary people to become Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas in the future. The real and fundamental causes are these three. Eighty-four thousand Dharma-doors and countless Dharma-doors are all based on these three principles. Without this foundation, nothing can be achieved; just like building a house and laying a foundation, no matter what kind of house you build, the foundation must be solid. Only with a solid foundation can you learn the Dharma.
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Before learning Mahayana, you must first lay a good foundation, otherwise you will definitely spend time and energy, and then you will feel that the effort If you don't have the strength, it will be bad if you doubt the Buddha and slander the Buddha.
In fact, Buddha has made it very clear to us.
There is a story in "The Book of One Hundred Parables". There was a fool who saw that the third floor of a rich man's house was very beautiful, so he called a carpenter to build the third floor. The carpenter said that he would not build the first floor. If we don’t build a second floor, where can we build a third floor? The fool said, I don’t need to build the first and second floors, I only want the third floor. When everyone heard this, they all laughed at the fool.
The same goes for our four disciples. If we do not follow the order of the Three Vehicles, lay a solid foundation first, and practice step by step, we will be no different from that fool.
Mahayana is about building tall buildings. To build a tall building, you must have a foundation. Only when the foundation is solid can the tall building be stable. The foundation is Hinayana Buddhism.
Without a Hinayana foundation, tall buildings are held up by a few bamboo poles. They may look good at first, but are in danger of collapsing at any time.
Throughout history, Theravada Buddhism in China has declined. Is the Buddha right?
Buddhism emphasizes substance rather than form. In fact, the eminent monks and virtuous men of all ages in China were all based on Confucianism and Taoism, replacing Hinayana Buddhism. Therefore, there have been very brilliant achievements in practice, which are worth learning from.
There are many teaching materials for learning Hinayana, and "Disciple Rules" is a very good choice among them.
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Master Ou Yi said: There is nothing special about the method of chanting Buddha’s name, only the deep belief that force and action are important.
The Buddha said: If a person just recites Amitabha Buddha, this is called supreme and profound Zen.
Tiantai Cloud: The four kinds of samadhi have the same name as the samadhi of reciting the name of the Buddha. The samadhi of reciting the Buddha's name is the king of samadhi.
The name of Amitabha can actually contain the names of countless Buddhas. In fact, it is enough to recite the name of the Buddha honestly without any doubts. From the place of cause to the place of Tathagata, it is enough to generate bodhicitta and concentrate on it.
The merits of reciting the Buddha’s name honestly are incredible, but it is indeed an unbelievable method.
What I said above is for those who cannot recite the Buddha’s name honestly and are still confused and doubtful. After all, it is normal for most people to have doubts when they first learn, so they need to learn step by step and solve their doubts. Only by generating true and firm confidence can we be down-to-earth and honest.
"The Benefits of Reciting Amitabha Buddha"
Master Lianchi said:
Absolutely upholding the name of Amitabha is better than upholding the Rebirth Mantra; it is also better than upholding the remaining mantras. It surpasses all other merits. Those who master the Rebirth Mantra: if you recite the mantra 300,000 times, you will see Amitabha Buddha; if you recite the name one day and one night, the Buddha will appear before you. The mantra goes: Recite it three or seven times at six o'clock in the day and night, and you can eliminate the five negative sins; if you hold the name and recite the Buddha with your heart, you can eliminate the serious crimes of life and death for eight billion kalpas.
Absolutely uphold other mantras: only hold the name, that is, the Great God Mantra, the Great Ming Mantra, the Supreme Mantra, the Incomparable Mantra, and so on. With ten thoughts, you will be born, and you will not retreat after birth. Your power is unpredictable, and it is also a great divine curse. A single mind that is not distracted, cuts off ignorance, and sees one's own nature is the Great Ming Mantra. To be reborn in bliss and eventually become a Buddha is the supreme mantra. After realizing the endurance of no birth, returning to Saha and saving all sentient beings, there is no other mantra.
Those who recite the name of Buddha have more merits and virtues: the Six Perfections and Ten Thousand Practices, the Dharma Door is immeasurable; the name of the Buddha is dedicated to capture everything; and it is because of not having one mind. Disciples who wish to have a pure karma should focus on their faith and vows and never change their minds. There are many good people who originally practiced Yu Meng, but they should change to practice chanting Buddha's name. Kuang Yuan, a person who practices recitation of the Buddha's name, how dare he change what he has been doing and return to what he has done!
Namo Amitabha.
Someone once asked the Sixth Patriarch, "What are the benefits of reciting the Buddha's name?" The Sixth Patriarch replied: Reciting this sentence of Namo Amitabha is the wonderful way to be born in all the worlds, the true cause of becoming a Buddha and the ancestor, the eyes of humans and gods in the three realms, the lamp of wisdom that understands the mind and nature, and the fierce general who destroys hell. The sword that cuts off all kinds of evil, the bone marrow of the five thousand treasures, the key door that holds the eighty thousand treasures, the boundless space in the ten directions, the perfect light of one nature, the lamp that opens the darkness, the cure for escaping from life and death, the boat that sails through the sea of ??suffering, this is The path of the three realms. This is the original nature of Amitabha, the pure land of mind-only, the master, the transformed Buddha, the most noble and supreme wonderful door, with immeasurable and boundless merits.
Recite Buddha’s name wholeheartedly, put aside all circumstances and give alms.
If you recite the Buddha’s name single-mindedly, you will overcome all troubles and uphold the precepts.
Recite the Buddha's name wholeheartedly, endure humiliation without any criticism or seeking.
Recite the Buddha's name wholeheartedly, and be diligent without any distractions.
Recite the Buddha’s name with all your heart, and become meditative when you can’t stop thinking.
Reciting Buddha’s name wholeheartedly and believing in your wish to be reborn is wisdom.
Sincerity, purity, equality, enlightenment and compassion, see through and let go of freedom and recite the Buddha’s name according to circumstances.