Let me first tell a story that happened in 1993. A master worker named Li once listened to the old monk Miaofa preaching Buddhism at my house with his nephew, and he suddenly believed in the existence of Buddha and Bodhisattva. When he came to see me again half a month later, he took out a layman’s certificate and showed it to me. He told me that he had converted and would go to the temple on Sundays to help maintain order. I happily praised him and said with shame that I had not yet gone to the temple to apply for refuge!
Half a month later, I was at home “discussing scriptures and teachings” with seven or eight people who were interested in Buddhism. Master Li brought a woman into the room, said hello and sat aside.
After the conversation between me and the others came to an end, this woman spoke: “I originally came to you to reason with you today, but after listening to what you just said to everyone, I feel that they are all learned from others. But here we are One (she pointed at Master Li, and I knew they were husband and wife) came to your place once, and when he came home he told me that he wanted to become a layman. He held a book in his hands and chattered on his back every day, which was not much. God, he really became a layman. I don’t know what a layman does, but I thought it would be a good thing for him to learn something. Who knows when he comes home from work, he will get on the kang, cross his legs, and practice some kind of meditation. . He went to the temple on Sunday, saying that he was a Dharma protector. He also said that there was no need to buy fruit sesame oil at home in the future, as it was available in the temple. I asked him where the fruit sesame oil in the temple came from? He said that there are so many Buddhists now, and they come to the temple. There was also a lot of offerings, including fruit sesame oil, cloth, cakes, etc. The monks couldn’t use them and couldn’t finish them, so the lay people who helped divided them. When I heard this, I thought, isn’t this the same as working to earn money? That’s it. I no longer object to him. Unexpectedly, he is getting more and more arrogant. Now he not only sits on the kang after work, but also wants to eat and drink. Sometimes he asks me to bring a glass of water, and sometimes he says he is a little hungry and asks me to bring some biscuits. I He said I’m busy cooking here, can’t you help yourself? He said he couldn’t put his legs down while practicing meditation. Hey, do you think it’s irritating or not? After being a layman for a long time, he is just like being a grandfather! I’ll do it tomorrow too The layman is practicing meditation to see who will serve whom. Today I came to you with a lot of anger to reason with you. I think you taught him bad things. But I just heard that is not the case. I’m really sorry for you. I’ll wait until I get home. Let’s settle accounts with him again.”
What she said shocked me quite a bit. Originally, I had heard some unfaithful legends in the monastery, but I never believed it. Now it has been verified. I even heard of fights over unfair distribution of offerings. I learned from the scriptures that no plant or tree in the temple should be touched without permission. How can a layperson take home the offerings made to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha? If you still fight for it, do you know that this is a crime? “A grain of rice from the donor is as heavy as Mount Sumeru. If you eat it and don’t practice, you will return it with hair and horns.” Monks accept offerings from the ten directions. If they don’t practice the Dharma, they will fall into the lower realms, let alone lay people. Putting aside whether you will go to hell in the future, even the blessings you have in this life will probably be lost. To use an analogy, the blessings of a bhikkhu who practices strict discipline can be compared to a rich and vast land. The coming of kind people from all over the world to make offerings is like sowing seeds. The land will definitely give generous rewards to those who work hard, and those who work hard will also be blessed. We must love the land as much as we love life. Monks with sparse moral conduct are like barren land, unable to harvest the cultivators. Even the little bit of nutrients they have will be robbed by wildly growing weeds, and they will inevitably be abandoned in the end. What’s more, as a layperson, it’s too late to plant a wide field of blessings, so how can we bring the habits of greed, anger, and ignorance into the pure land of Buddhism?
The old monk Miaofa once said: “If the monks really can’t finish the food offered, and it is not suitable for storage, it can be distributed to the lay people and taken back, but it must be approved by the abbot. The lay people can put some money in merit according to the approximate value of the offerings they have taken. Put it in the box, or help you take it to the market and sell it, and give the money to the temple. This is the way to go.”
Maintaining the temple is a layman’s duty, so how can he take this opportunity to make money? What’s more, fighting due to greed will have a very bad impact on Buddhism. Here, I urge every fellow practitioner to read “Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s Original Vow Sutra” and “Liang Huang’s Precious Confession” carefully as soon as possible. When we read it with a pious and respectful heart, we will definitely feel a great sense of shame and repentance, eliminate disasters and sins, and gain immeasurable blessings. When we study Buddhism, we originally want to gain wisdom, shed dust and enlightenment, and cleanse ourselves of the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance that have been tainted in the evil world of five turbidities since the beginning of time. Once a wise person recognizes that his past mistakes and habits are the seeds leading to hell, how can he make mistakes again and again and put himself in a situation where he will never recover? “
“Go deep into the sutras, and wisdom is like the sea.” Only by truly opening the door of wisdom can we firmly believe that “karma is not bad at all” and understand that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are like the parents of all living beings. The Buddha will not protect or condone anyone just because he or she has a “refuge certificate”, nor will he punish anyone who does not have a “refuge certificate”. The Buddha expounds the truth of life in the universe with compassion, hoping that every child can find his way back from the lost path, escape suffering and find happiness. But the path of life still has to be walked by ourselves. If we understand this truth, we will not take any chances and study Buddhism honestly.
