出家所為何事 (III) ~英文

What is the reason for becoming a Buddhist monk?

                                 (Fuyan chitchat?)

Dear Students!Among the students in Fuyan, there are those who have been living with me for 18 years and those who are just living with me.  Our only purpose in this place is to learn Buddhism and the construction of Fuyan Institute is to enable more young people for the same purpose.  Since we have the bondage of being together, undoubtedly there are some basic rules, credos and aims that we share.  Therefore, I think I have something to tell you for the beginning of the coming 3 years, especially for those who are here for the first time.

 

As you come to the institute, first of all, please do not consider this place too ideal.  I understand myself very well.  I know I am not a talented person, my merits are scarce and my teaching experience is not enough.  It is not very ideal for you to live with me.  But, I would like to tell you, there is also something good in a person like me who is not smart enough and who does not have good merits. This is what I understand of myself, and for this reason, I work really hard in my practice, give up everything and have never acted rashly and forfeited my own practice by socializing with people.   I have had the same aspiration for the past 20 years and led my life accordingly.  As a result, I am able to get a little knowledge of Buddhism and quite a large amount of benefits.  Nothing in the world is absolutely easy or absolutely difficult.  This implies “practice makes perfect”.  If one is willing to make efforts and work hard, despite of one’s foolishness, one will be able to have some kind of achievement gradually.  Therefore, it is my hope that among the students, those wiser would seize their excellent conditions and work hard; while for those less clever, which is not an important thing, would set their mind in their study and they will eventually achieve something in the end, too.  I have met many clever students in my study groups, all of them were young and strong, very talented, and they wrote very well and spoke very well.  However, as they were too sociable, they had little time for practice.  They were too busy as supervisors, abbots and in handling and socializing with people for the whole day and wasted their time.   Those with luck just became an administrator.  In conclusion, one should give up everything; the mind should be peaceful and perseverant in order to practice Buddhadharma and deepen in it to get the real benefits.

 

My health condition has never been good.  My luck is not very good either.  For a long time I have had a life of renunciation and studies that leads to the habit of preferring quietude and immobility.  Of course you should not be as passive as I am.  Many things await you to do in Buddhism.  When you leave this place in the future, you should do anything beneficial to Buddhism and the sentient beings.  However, in this present stage of study, I hope you could be as placid and calm as I am, and do not hurry in getting immediate success and fame.

 

As regarding to the place, if you are not looking for too much, I think this environment is not bad for practice and you would be able to calm down, but the sandstorm is just a little bit stronger.  On the contrary, if you are looking for fame, you will certainly be very frustrated, because there is nothing than study in this place. There are no ceremonies nor Buddha recitations, nor donations, and there are not many devotees that come.  It is said in the sutras: “I am here for Dharma and not for bed.”  If your only purpose is to learn Dharma in this place without mingling with the pursuit of fame, then I think you will be able to practice calmly under the support of the laity.

 

I have never considered the construction of Fuyan as my own property.  Any youth that wants to learn and shares the common goal can live in this place.  I do not recruit students or ask certain people to come.  Everybody comes to this institute out of his own will.  Now that you are here, you should study calmly.   If you feel like quitting in the halfway, then you should not force yourself to stay.  But if you quit, you don’t need to come back again.  Because unlike the temples in China in the past, this place is not a hotel for nomadic monks who come and go when they want. You should stay calmly in this place.  If you can stay calmly for 3 years, then you may leave for reasons such as propagating the Dharma, meeting other good advisors, or having a retreat on your own, or you could leave this place for your own practice or for the dissemination of the Dharma.  Until when you feel like coming back, you can still come back, this place is your home.   Right at the moment, the political situation is very critical.  Buddhism in China is also suffering unprecedented disasters. Once China starts the counterattacks, you should go back and return to those places where Buddhism is destroyed in order to replant the seeds of the True Dharma. Of course, when you have the opportunity to come back to Taiwan and to spread the Dharma, this place is still your home.

 You should not think that you come here for a quiet place to study, or because you do not have a proper place to live, so you are here for just a short stay. You should bear in mind to follow the steps of the Buddha. On the one hand, you should comprehend the profound meaning of Buddhism, its systems and practices, while on the other hand, you should foster enthusiasm in order to spread and protect the Dharma. It is said in the sutras: the bodhisattvas make vows on behalf of those sentient beings who are suffering. Our final goal here is to spread the Dharma and to benefit the sentient beings. The studies are just a process. The propagation of the Dharma is an indefinite saying, however to carry out is a manifold work. What do you intend to do in the future? In ancient time, the practitioners of Buddhism were classified into several groups owing to their different personality and their adaptation to current need. I have listed them down for your reference.

 

A.      Master of scriptures (not only explains one or two sutras):  the master of scriptures understands very well all kinds of sutras and the profound meaning of the doctrine that they explain without any problem.

B.      Master of vinaya (is not the one that transmits the precepts): It is the one that emphasizes on leading a life according to vinaya.  The master of vinaya understands the precepts set by the Buddha very well, which they uphold strictly and perfectly know the conditions allowed, the conditions prohibited and how to uphold them and how to purify themselves whenever they commit mistakes.

C.      Master of śastra: He is the teacher who studied the noumenon of Dharma and explains the essentials of Buddhism. The Sutrapitaka, the Vinayapitaka and the Śastrapitaka are the heritage of the Buddha for his disciples to practice and to propagate which were responsibilities to them as the heritage from the ancestors.  However, as the Tripitakas are very profound and vast, teachers who study and propagate them have their own inclination. Therefore, this class is subdivided into 3: master of sutra, master of vinaya and master of sastra.

D.      Master of (Zen) meditation: is also called "yogi" (瑜伽師) whose practice is primarily based on samadhi (meditation) and prajña (wisdom). They also understand the Tripitaka, however they spend more time on their own experiences of the meditative contemplations. But this does not mean they abandon the Tripitaka.  The real Zen practitioners are those who work on the meditative contemplation together with the doctrine. Such is the case of Bodhidharma, who is a well-known practitioner of Zen, and the meditation he practiced was sealed by Neunggasa.

E.       Master of Dārṣṭāntika: this kind of practitioner also comes to realization and understands the profound doctrines. However they emphasize the teaching of the Dharma to the taste and comprehension of the majority of the people in general. They illustrate the profound meaning of the Dharma with mundane examples and in simple language. From the viewpoint of the spreading of Buddhism, these teachers are very important and rare.

 

The above five types of teachers had already existed in the past. However, for the propagation of the Dharma, there is another kind of teacher who translates sutras for the dissemination of Buddhism to different countries and cultures.  Also, there is another type of master which is the master of dhārāni who practices mantras to convert people. This type of teacher also leads certain people to practice Buddhism.

The above mentioned are considered those who inherit, practice and propagate the Orthodox Dharma. Apart from these teachers, there is another class of monk called "managers" who are responsible for the management of the sangha.  After the enlightenment of the Buddha and the propagation of the Dharma, the monastic disciples grew in numbers gradually and formed the sangha which was responsible for the dissemination of the Dharma.  As the monastics form the sangha,  many things were to be done and some of them were responsible for serving, for example: the abbot of the Chinese temples, supervisors, 僧值, those in the reception and those who manage the Buddhist Association etc. These monks who are responsible for the affairs of the sangha were called "managers" in ancient India. In the past, it was not easy to be an administrator.  In addition to the basic knowledge of Buddhism, they must have enough practice and enthusiasm to protect the Order, too. In this way, when they work, their behavior will agree with Dharma.  In China, the administrators of the Zen tradition are those selected from the meditation halls and who agree with this principle. If one does not practice the Buddhadharma, and only considers the administration of the temples, the organization of the activities and social contacts with priority, this is will certainly produce chaos and cause the decline of sangha. The decline of Chinese sangha in modern time is due to this reason.

 Apart from these categories, there are two other classes of monks subordinated to Buddhism and teach the mankind, which are the esoteric and the artistic.  The esoteric goes through practices (there are some that pretended) for example the Jigong in the old time and the Jīnshān Huofo in the modern time. Their behaviors were lunatic and their lifestyle was totally abnormal, but they could predict the future, cure diseases and do amazing things.  This kind of teacher teaches the humanity in an esoteric way. We can also find their existence in Tibetan Buddhism where they are called “the crazy lamas".  These people exert great influences on people and on Buddhism, but they cannot be genuine. So, they do not assume the responsibility of spreading the True Dharma and running the temples.  If the esoterics become the center for the development of Buddhism, then superstition will prevail and the whole Buddhism will lose its honesty and purity which will lead to more and more misunderstanding of the society towards Buddhism. With regard to the artistics, they are those who become popular for their talents and skills. They are excellent painters and poets, they also know music or write good calligraphy or have good writings (which is called "literature and art”), who socialize with writers and the upper class, and occupy a prominent position in the society and also influence Buddhism. The famous Buddhist poets could have belonged to this class, but they are never considered seriously by the legitimate Buddhism.

 The monks that influence or propel the propagation of Buddhism are grouped into the above mentioned categories. Since you are here to practice, you will also have to propagate the Dharma in the future. But in which of these groups are you going to manifest for the propagation of the Dharma? In my opinion, any of these classes would do.  Either contributing to the Dharma and becoming an administrator, or propagating the Tripitakas, or illustrating the profound meanings of the Dharma by using mundane examples and in simple language or just practicing alone. The only thing I wouldn't like to see is if you opt for being an esoteric or artistic teacher.

 

Furthermore, the most important thing is you must make vows, great vows.  You should be strong and have perseverance.  You should not give up in times of difficulties and self-degrade. Before, Ven. Taixu lamented:  traditional Buddhism is too conservative and does not dare to make changes, but those who have received a new Buddhist education and lived in the institutes for a couple of years are so arrogant and do not like anything other than founding schools and publishing magazines and they ended up in having nowhere to go. Therefore, many of them lose their initiatives and self-degraded which is not correct.  Therefore, when we practice, we must have the determination to benefit all sentient beings and not to think for oneself. At the same time, you should understand the current situation in Buddhism and try to do whatever you can. You should make great vows regardless of the achievements.  If you make real efforts, you will surely achieve what you want in the end.

 In addition, now I would like to talk about what you can learn in this place. As regarding to my attitude of teaching, I have always respected freedom. The year before last year, "the collection of contemporary comments" written by Ven. Xiuming was published in Hong Kong.  I announced in the Foreword: "I give freedom to those who wish to learn and do not force others to follow my steps." This attitude has always been consistent and is not just to draw the attention of the general public. Because, I feel the Buddhism I know and teach is not perfect and ideal. Therefore, I never have the intention of making everybody to follow my steps. The intellect, interest and thought of each person are different and they cannot be forced. As long as you learn Buddhism, why should you be identical as me? You do not only have your total freedom in this respect, but also, the current lifestyle is very relaxed, too. I do not set complicated rules for you.  You just need to obey a basic principle. This principle is: do not leave without any important reason, do not to go to another dormitory for chatting, do not gossip too much, you must study seriously, and listen to the class with attention.  With respect to the preference of the type of sutra, there is a reasonable and careful stipulation: this stipulation is not to be limited to a certain tradition or to a particular school. Some people consider me as scholar of the three treaties (三論學者), however this is not true, and I dare not see myself in this way. Master Taixu said the following to the people: "I am not a descendant or a student of a particular tradition or school." We do not have the wisdom and the merits of the great teacher, but I am willing to learn from him non-sectarianism. The year before last year, Ven. Fafang died and I expressed at his funeral in HongKong: "All the students of the Great Master learn from him his vast knowledge, and Ven. Fafang is even closer.” I went to the Buddhist academy in Wuchang in 1934 to study the three treaties.  It is for this reason everyone calls me the scholar of the three treaties.  My thoughts are closer to Madhyamaka, but what I study is not limited to a specific school or tradition. Especially when I lead you in your studies and practice, it has never occurred to me to control you thoughts and that you should be the same as me. The sutras that I have selected to study during these three years, which in the first year consists of more than 300 fascicles.  This includes the sutras, the vinayas and śastras, and the different texts that represent Mahayana, Theravada, Madhyamaka and Yogâcāra which were translated from India. In the second year of the study, on the one hand, we will still study the texts transmitted from India and while on the other hand, we will expand to the works of the Chinese patriarchs. In the third year, the study will extend to the works of the different schools in Siam, Japan and Tibet. With respect to the classes, I would like to provide you  with the main points of the sutras and śastras of the three Mahayana systems, for example: Laṅkâvatāra-sūtra, Dasheng qixin lun (as Awakening of Mahayana Faith), the Middle Way and Yogacara, and also, I am planning to talk a little bit about the three disciplines: the compassionate behavior, meditation and wisdom.  In brief, Buddhism is one but with different facets. At the beginning of the learning, you must have extensive knowledge to be able to choose a method of practice and deepen according to your preference, be it Madhyamaka, Yogacara, Tientai or Xianshou. But in this present stage, you must learn from various angles so that you would not become sectarian in the future. Each of the Buddhist traditions and schools has its own advantage and one can complement another. For example some of the traditions and schools in China can merge as one and their margins are not very strict.  Consequently, you should not hold to sectarianism. Buddhism is a single one.  It is owing to the different intellect and character of the people that it was adapted to the different methods. When we practice Buddhism, first of all, we must “vow to learn the infinite methods of Dharma”, until finally we deepen in a single one depending on the intellect of each person.

 Among the different Buddhist traditions and schools, there are the explicit and implicit teachings, which are classified by the different standpoint of each school. For example, in India, Madhyamaka considered Yogacara implicit, and Yogacara considered Madhyamaka limited. The classification of the teachings made by the different traditions was like that.  Each school has its own classification, Tientai has its own, Xianshou also has its own. All the schools considered themselves as explicit, absolute and perfect and looked upon others as implicit, limited and incomplete. The distinction between the explicit and the implicit is due to the different viewpoints of the scholars; it could also be for the intellect of the people.  It does mean that by judging a certain school implicit and limited can defeat or deny it with hostility.  This only implies: the Buddhism taught and explained by some school is not good enough and is just limited for some people.  Such is the case of Madhyamaka and Yogacara, who have been reproaching each other as implicit and limited for thousands of years. However, Madhyamaka still remains Madhyamaka, Yogacara still remains Yogacara. Madhyamaka was not defeated by Yogacara for considering it implicit; nor was Yogacara denied by Madhyamaka by naming it limited. This is the historical evidence presented before our eyes. When the traditional Chinese Buddhism considers Madhyamaka or Yogacara implicit, nothing would happen. But when Madhyamaka and Yogacara comment on traditional Buddhist sutras as implicit (eg Yogacara thinks that the three vehicles are the ultimate truth, while the only vehicle mentioned in the Lotus Sutra is implicit.  This was the case of Xuanzang ‘s disciple─ ─ Kuiji who says Daśabhūmikasūtra-sastra schools in China are "the other alternatives for this place"), this would surely bring big surprises! In fact, such impression is owing to ignorance. My preference was considered implicit because that was the interpretation of a certain group of people.  You may say: their intellect is different from mine, so their viewpoints do not agree with me.  Under no circumstance, am I defeated by them for being considered implicit.  Coming up to this understanding, not only should we learn all the schools of Buddhism, but also must we understand all the religious philosophies and doctrines from India and China. Therefore, I advocate the freedom to learn and do not limit your interest and the correct thought of Buddhism to any person. But for the time being, you still do not have enough ability to discern between what is explicit and what is implicit. So, you must obtain this knowledge from the assigned subjects little by little in order to make correct judgments and choice. Each school has its own complete doctrine and the way of practice. The judgments are made according to these terms, and cannot be argued without foundation.  Victory and defeat of the arguments is due to the art of speaking. The truth is clarified through arguments.  A Buddhist practitioner can carry forward the integrity of Buddhism by challenging and discussing the schools that he considers absolute and explicit. Those that practice and study Buddhism have different inclinations and thoughts, which is the reason why one cannot agree with another completely. For example, although Ven. Taixu promoted equality of schools, however he also had his own mentality. Therefore, if you study the sutras according to what I assign to you, you will eventually have an extensive knowledge and integral view of Buddhism. Then you may teach, study and propagate the doctrine of the school that you think explicit or best for the modern time based on your understanding. We should be clear in mind not to be sectarian and obliterate others, since this will destroy the integrity of Buddhism and abandon its immensity. I am completely respectful to your freedom of thinking. I hope you can understand it.

 Finally, I would like to talk about this specific point: generally, when you read and study, your will have your reflections or feelings, and sometimes you need to write them down. I do not know and have no right to interfere in the type of articles you had written in the past, and in which journals they had been published. But from now onwards, if you are going to write, you must take into account: 1) please do not make your own propaganda and, 2) when you write reviews, please do not you omit your name. You must have the responsibility for what you say. If you have any suggestion for contemporary Buddhism, you should only discuss the topic and not the person.  The worst of all is to omit your name, and to write things abusively and severely to defeat another. Since you are insulting someone without the courage to face the challenge, this is the least ambitious. Among the students, if there is someone who writes to insult, then your character is not suitable for the discipline of the place. I wonder if you have written these types of articles before, if so, you should correct yourself, if not, then, you should not write anything. A Buddhist should be liberal and tolerant.  He should not act as ordinary people who fights, becomes jealous and seeks revenge. This is the behavior of the asuras not that of the buddhists. You should know:  it is easy to criticize others but hard to self- accomplish.   Usually one is not aware of their own shortcomings and searches the defects of another person to attack and criticize thinking that their advantages would be revealed in this way. However they do not know that to defeat other is not equal to your own success. Therefore, the sutras discuss the topic of "destroying the malignant in order to show the good". There are people who think if the evil is not destroyed, how will the good be revealed? There are people who refute by saying: "your own success does not come by defeating others." Taking the examples of the worldly phenomena, we will find that any existence is due to their integrity and consolidation.  If they are destroyed, then it must be due to their own shortcomings. The existence and the decline of the Buddhist traditions and schools happen in the same way as the things in the world. The decline of a school or a tradition is not because its doctrine but because of the defects of the people who propagate it. If this had not been the case, there would not be any problem. Although it is temporarily dominated, it will still develop even faster. Therefore, even each of the schools has different position or viewpoints, they should not attack and humiliate verbally and reciprocally.  Instead, they should reflect and expand their horizons. Those who write from now onwards should write positively and stop making destructive criticisms.