Introduction to Modern Cause and Effect Record (3)
Since the publication of “Record of Modern Causes and Effects” 1 and 2 and “On Compassion and Confessions of Emperor Liang” one after another, they have become quite popular among some readers, and there are still many reprinters in various places. Many people persuaded me to write “Record of Modern Cause and Effect III”, but I didn’t want to write any more. Because no matter how many books I write, it will still be about cause and effect. Readers with good roots of wisdom and good roots can suddenly or gradually understand the Buddhist principles in it after reading a book, and can immediately stop evil and do good. People without good roots and wisdom roots will not take it seriously after reading several books, or they may believe it but not accept it, or they may just think it is Other people’s anecdotes have nothing to do with you. However, there are too many people who are superstitious about supernatural powers and seek outwardly. Now many people are looking for “Miaofa Lao Monk” and myself everywhere. As a result, there are people pretending to be Miaofa Lao Monk in Jiangsu, Hebei, Shijiazhuang, Wutai Mountain and other places. Some monks even printed their photos on the cause and effect book to invite people to meet them, thereby defrauding them of a large amount of money. If you read a book without knowing it, repent suddenly, and follow the teachings, you will not benefit even if you find “Guanyin” or “Maitreya”. Because he doesn’t know how to pull back from the brink and turn around and do good, just like a drug addict who doesn’t know how to quit drugs. What’s the point of seeking medical treatment? In order to prevent fewer people from being deceived, I asked Lay Practitioner Guo Hong to compile many stories she saw and heard in her practice into a book. The purpose is to advise people to firmly believe in cause and effect, refrain from doing evil, and practice good deeds. At the same time, I also want to tell people Everyone has supernatural powers and wisdom, and does not need to seek it from outside. Like the layman Guohong, who has cultivated the precepts, concentration and wisdom and gained the wisdom to save himself and others, there are many people all over the country. As long as you can firmly uphold the precepts and practice good deeds, and practice Zen and Purity, you will eventually be able to open the door of your own inherent wisdom, “See that the five aggregates are empty, and survive all hardships.”
Ashamed disciple of the Three Jewels: Guo Qing
July 20, 2008
Self introduction
When I was a child, I often looked in the mirror and thought about a question: “Who is the person in this mirror? Is it myself? Yes, it seems not, because she changes from birth to death, so where is the real me? ?” This question has made me ponder hard for many years. It was not until I came into contact with Buddhism that I truly understood: I am just a shell in the mirror, just like a house, and the owner of the house is the real me – originally full of of Buddha nature. From then on, deep in my heart, I longed to find the eternal truth of the universe and life from Buddhism.
The craze for practicing Qigong
When I was 18 years old, there was an upsurge in practicing qigong across the country. With the idea of strengthening my body, I also started to learn qigong. The silent exercise happened to be chanting the name of “Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva”. Perhaps it was due to my past life, but when I heard this name, I immediately felt happy and refreshed. Recite the Buddha’s name and practice meditation every morning and evening. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s blessings are incredible, and my prayers are answered in thousands of places. It has helped me overcome difficulties in life several times. This has strengthened my confidence in chanting and reciting the Buddha’s name. From then on, I recited the Buddha’s name (either aloud or silently) anytime and anywhere, whether walking or riding a bicycle. At the same time, I also secretly made up my mind to learn from Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’s spirit of great mercy and compassion, practice diligently, and benefit all sentient beings.
The mentor who led me from Qigong practice to the true path of learning Buddhism was Lay Buddhist Guoqing.
Guoqing layman
It was the first time I read and recited the Buddhist scripture “Diamond Sutra”. When I read the words in the sutra: “… all conditioned dharmas are like bubbles in dreams, like dew or lightning, and should be viewed as such.” I could no longer suppress the excitement in my heart and all kinds of emotions. Intersection howled. I cried bitterly that I had lost myself in the six realms of reincarnation for many years, like a lost and helpless child who could not find the way home no matter how hard I tried. Now that I have the chance to come into contact with Buddhism, I have a sudden enlightenment and truly find the direction I am striving for in life. I warn myself that I should seize the opportunity, practice well, awaken as soon as possible, and set foot on the road home as soon as possible.
Disciple of Master Xuanhua
Under the guidance of Teacher Guoqing, I began to read and recite the “Four Determinants of Purity and Purity” of the Surangama Sutra, read the “Surangama Mantra”, and knelt down to worship Master Xuanhua, the eminent monk of the generation. Although the Master Xuanhua has passed away, the Master once said: Anyone who has not seen his face but desires to become his disciple can become his disciple if he sincerely bows ten thousand times to his photo. I worshiped devoutly, and after fulfilling my wish, I became a disciple of Master Xuanhua.
Master Xuanhua has always been an eminent monk that I admire very much. In the spirit of sacrificing himself for others and leading by example, Master strictly adheres to the precepts. His six major purposes of practice are: no fighting, no greed, no seeking, no selfishness, no self-interest, no lying. The principles for my practice are also the standards for supervising my thoughts.
Mahayana classics such as the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Buddha’s Prajna Samadhi Sutra have always told us that we should treat our teachers as Buddhas. During the process of paying 10,000 bows to the Master, I felt the light and blessing of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in my dreams many times, just as described in “Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s Universal Door Edition”. It made me feel very pure inside, so I always Consider Master Xuanhua as the incarnation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.
Follow the precepts as a teacher
Master Xuanhua’s “A Brief Interpretation of the Four Pure and Clear Teachings of the Surangama Sutra” made me truly understand the fundamentals of spiritual practice: giving up sexual intercourse, giving up killing, giving up stealing, and giving up delusion. If you want to cultivate beyond the three realms, you must start with your thoughts and strictly abide by the precepts.
The importance of precepts is often recorded in Buddhist scriptures. More than 2,500 years ago, before our master, Sakyamuni Buddha, entered nirvana, his disciple Ananda asked: “When the Buddha was alive in the world, we all took him as our teacher. After the Buddha’s nirvana, who do we take as our teacher?” The Buddha replied kindly. : “After I reach nirvana, I should follow the ‘Balotimusha’ as my teacher.” “Balotimusha” translated into Chinese means “precepts”. Before the Buddha’s nirvana, he asked his disciples to follow the precepts as their teachers. It can be seen that The importance of discipline.
Therefore, if we can practice according to the four clear instructions of the Surangama Sutra and strictly demand ourselves, we will have the right knowledge and right views, get rid of all kinds of confusion, and finally restore our pure original face and realize the supreme righteousness. Enlightenment of Buddhahood.
Causes in past lives and effects in next lives
Shimen said: “If you want to know the cause of the past life, the recipient of this life is. If you want to know the result of the next life, the author of this life is.” Nowadays, the world is deteriorating and people’s hearts are not as old as before. In this era of materialistic desires, people are doing it for their own selfish interests and appetite. , having committed all kinds of evil deeds such as killing, committing sexual misconduct, stealing, and lying, the consequences of which have already begun to manifest themselves in this life. The raging SARS, tsunamis and snowstorms that have not happened in a century, and even more devastating earthquakes have shocked and chilled people. Human beings are so vulnerable in the face of huge disasters. After learning from this painful experience, we should reflect on who destroyed the balance of nature. Why, in an era of increasingly advanced technology, are we powerless to punish nature? It’s time for us to wake up. This is nature’s warning to us. If humans continue to behave like this, we will eventually bury ourselves. How to build a harmonious home so that we humans can live happily, how to avoid natural and man-made disasters so that we humans can live and work in peace and contentment, these questions can all be answered in Buddhism. Buddhism reminds us: we must abandon evil and practice good (not killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking), correct our wrong behaviors and habits, get rid of selfish thoughts, and do what is beneficial to the country and the people. At the same time, it is self-interest, so that we can be happy and contented, people will naturally get along with each other in harmony, and the entire society will develop healthily and harmoniously.
Since I have obtained the real benefits of Buddhism in the process of studying Buddhism in recent years, I and the Buddhist lay practitioners around me deeply feel that Buddhism is incredible and that the consequences of karma are not bad at all. Therefore, I simply summarized and compiled what I saw and heard in the book, hoping that more people would firmly believe in cause and effect and abandon evil and follow good. The purpose of writing this book is to hope that all Buddhist friends will be determined to learn Buddhism after reading it, reflect inwardly, go deep into the scriptures, follow the teachings, and use their own true practice and experience to change their destiny, escape suffering, gain happiness, and achieve Buddhism. Instead of seeking the Dharma externally and insisting on looking for people with supernatural powers to observe cause and effect. We should keep in mind the Buddha’s teachings in the Diamond Sutra: “All appearances are false.” We should understand that various Buddhist methods are designed to deal with the various troubles of sentient beings. In the ultimate sense: “The Dharma should be Not to mention illegal.” Because personal privacy is involved, the names of people and places in the article are mostly pseudonyms. In addition, due to my limited personal ability, this book has many shortcomings in language and writing. I sincerely hope that all good teachers and fellow practitioners will provide criticism and correction.
Postgraduate: Guo Hong
