How to love without desire

Jin Ying, a young woman in her early thirties, was crying to the old monk Miaofa about her difficulties

Encounter with Buddhism

When she was sixteen or seventeen years old, she happened to see a picture album of the biography of Sakyamuni Buddha. It caught her heart immediately, and she couldn’t put it down since then. After that, she read several Buddhist books one after another. I have always dreamed of going to Mount Wutai, the holy land of Buddhism. This wish was not realized until I started working, when I was 27 or 28 years old.

Mount Wutai is my hometown

But as soon as she arrived at Mount Wutai, she felt more at home and felt that Mount Wutai was her hometown. When she stayed in the guest room of the monastery and stayed with the nuns, she felt that they were her relatives. During this stay, she actually forgot to go home. She really forgot about home. She even forgot that the vacation had passed until the nuns came. Remind her: “Aren’t you going to work?” She suddenly remembered and hurriedly returned home. Only when I got home did I find out that the family was preparing to send someone to Wutai Mountain to look for her. Because she didn’t make a single call to her home after leaving home, and she didn’t return after the deadline, her mother was so anxious that she had a heart attack, and was scolded by her family. Her mother hugged her and said, “You can’t go anywhere from now on, but I’m almost dying!”

Dream about becoming a monk

But this trip to Mount Wutai was something she could never forget. She even dreamed several times that she was wearing monk’s clothes. Not long after, she made up her mind to become a monk, but her mother refused to allow it. She asked her mother: “You believe in Buddhism, wouldn’t it be a good thing for me to become a monk? Besides, I still have my brother and sister at home, and you also have grandchildren. You’re still afraid that I will be left alone! Do you know how painful it is for me if you don’t let me become a monk?” But my mother said: “Don’t say it, as long as I live, anyone can become a monk, but you are not allowed to become a monk. Do you know it will kill me?” With no other choice, she thought of running away from home like Sakyamuni Buddha, and quietly quit her job, cutting off her own future. Before leaving, she left a letter to her family.

Ask to become a monk

She returned to Wutai Mountain, lived in a monastery, and asked the abbot to become a monk, but the abbot asked her to lead her practice first to see if she could adapt to the life of a monk. Unexpectedly, her brother would find her here half a month later. He was sent by his mother to look for his sister the day after he saw her leaving home letter. He didn’t know which monastery she was in, so he had been looking for her in Mount Wutai for half a month. He told her that her mother had a heart attack because she ran away and was admitted to the hospital. She didn’t know whether she was alive or dead. At this time, she had to return home with her brother. Fortunately, her mother was already lying at home. She said: “It seems that I really can’t leave home, but my heart still remains in the monastery. I am already in my thirties.” I still have no personal freedom and cannot realize my wishes. I am like a walking zombie every day. It is really worse than death. Please tell me, teacher, what should I do?” Jin Ying had been wiping her tears while talking, but now she cried uncontrollably. out.

It’s no different from becoming a monk

The old monk waited for her to calm down and asked, “You haven’t stopped eating meat yet, have you?” Jin Ying replied, “No.” “I will give up eating meat from tomorrow. I will get up early every day to attend morning classes, go to bed late at night, and attend evening classes.” On the way to get off work, I keep chanting the Buddha’s name in my heart, either reciting the “Great Compassion Mantra”, or reciting the “Heart Sutra”, or reciting the “Four Pure and Clear Teachings”. After evening classes, sit on it for 40 minutes to an hour, and read “Who is chanting the Buddha’s name”, or meditate Quietly recall the sins you have committed in this life in terms of the “Ten Evil Karmas”, and repent when you think of it. If you can persist in doing this, it will be the same as becoming a monk. Read more scriptures, especially the “Surangama Sutra” several times, and grow With your own wisdom, you can do the work of spreading the Dharma and benefiting living beings at home, so you can adapt it according to the circumstances! You have not yet found the reason to become a monk, so don’t force it. The purpose of learning Buddhism is to benefit all living beings, not to mention your mother. You cannot harm your mother because of your own wishes. “You still have about three years to become a monk. If you can really let go of your current attachments, you may be able to do it earlier.” After hearing what the old monk said, Jin Ying expressed her willingness to follow the master’s instructions.

Past life karma

When I was resting with Master in the evening, I asked about Jin Ying’s past life reasons for becoming a monk.

A hundred years ago, there was a young man who was practicing Taoism in Mount Wutai. He was admired by Runxiu. One day, the young lady came to the Taoist temple accompanied by a maid. She saluted the Taoist and handed him a handkerchief with something wrapped in it. The Taoist took it. After coming over, he opened it and saw that it was some silver coins, and he immediately felt grateful. Over time, he developed feelings. The Taoist couldn’t resist the temptation of beauty, and finally married the young lady. To avoid comments from acquaintances, he took his maid and moved to a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to settle down. After marriage, the two of them respected each other as guests. The husband still liked to practice Taoism, while the wife cared for him in every possible way, and he was even more affectionate towards her. The lady’s personal maid also stayed with them throughout their lives.

Jin Ying in this life is the Taoist priest in her previous life, who turned into a woman because of her attachment to love. Her mother was Junxiu in her previous life. And Jin Ying’s father was the maid of Miss Jin Ying in the previous life. Because he was Zhou Zheng in the previous life and turned into a man in this life, he still cared deeply about the young lady in the previous life – Jin Ying’s mother in this life.

Finish

After listening to Master’s teachings, I was amazed. If a cultivator cannot break away from emotional attachment, he will never be able to escape from reincarnation.

Really:

Cultivating the Tao is as difficult as climbing to the sky on foot.

Education is difficult, as difficult as planting a lotus in the fire.

It is as difficult to cut off desire as it is to cook sand into rice.

Therefore, listening to the Dharma, believing in it, and abandoning desires and loving are the foundation of a practitioner.