This year, a fellow practitioner asked me to turn the wheel of Falun on Facebook and invited me to preach the Fa at a Jingzong Society in the United States. She said that she has been studying the Fa from me on the Internet for nearly two years, and she has benefited a lot. Her confidence in rebirth in the Pure Land has been greatly improved. Because of her gratitude for being taught, when she was entrusted by the president of the society and asked her to assume the role of a deacon to invite Masters to lead the congregation to spread the Dharma, she actively invited me to teach the Dharma at the Pure Religion Society in the United States. The letter also expressed the hope that in the future, I will also be able to guide the fellow practitioners of the Institute to study the Fa and practice together for a long time through the convenience of the Internet.Originally, my itinerary for this year was completely full, and I was in charge of organizing the invitation at the end of the year.^上fruit^underFor the first time, a lawyer from Qing went to Malaysia to teach the Three Refuge and Five Precepts Bodhisattva Precepts to fellow practitioners in Southeast Asia. I am afraid that it will affect the quality of the writing. After careful consideration, in view of the sincerity of the letter to invite this layman, I hope that I can accomplish her entrustment to invite the Master to guide fellow practitioners in the United States, and also see that it is related to the wisdom and life of the public. In the past, I also made a wish that no matter what the conditions of the other party are, as long as there is a karmic relationship, I will be equal to each other, so I agreed to this trip, so I reluctantly arranged a half-month itinerary to spread the Dharma, and the karmic relationship began. I also took the opportunity to be filled with invitations from Brazilian Catholic friends a few years ago and a meeting with fellow practitioners in Japan. In total, I expect to spend a month in the United States, Brazil, and Japan to form a dharma relationship at the same time.Due to the lack of time, after agreeing to this fellow practitioner's invitation, I began to take advantage of the small gaps to quickly complete the detailed planning of the lectures, etc., and handed it over to this fellow practitioner to do all kinds of arrangement work. In the process, I soon realized that this fellow practitioner's words and deeds are not the same. Although she has tried her best to show respect on the surface, she has not yet learned true respect from the bottom of her heart. , and fake things always pretend not to be real, so in a conversation, I decided to cancel the invited trip this time, the purpose is to wake up this fellow practitioner as soon as possible, so as not to continue to recreate karma in the future, but it will hinder more The causation of people's study of the Fa.

There are many lay monks in the society. The attitude of the general monks to protect the Dharma, in addition to the old monk Jingkong, to other mages, even if they are doctors or well-known mages, are mostly respectful on the surface, but they are disciplined in their bones. The way of supervising the younger generation is protected, so if the monks who have been educated in traditional monasteries generally cannot agree, because it completely violates the spirit of Buddhist precepts.The four groups of disciples should have their own duties and obligations, the monks have the responsibility to lead the people in their practice, and the lay monks should protect the Three Jewels according to the Dharma. However, the misunderstandings of the lay people in this area are believed to be unconscious.

After I decided to take the opportunity to educate her and abruptly canceled the trip, the lay Buddhist suddenly realized that her attitude must be changed, and she could no longer interact with me in her own way. The fellow practitioners explained, and finally reluctantly put down their posture and turned to apologize to me. I also tried my best to save the situation. However, I knew that these reactions were all false for a while, so I did not shake my decision. Later, I learned that the president and others The deacons and cadres can also understand the karma afterwards. Although the trip to promote the Fa is temporarily cancelled, it is not enough to form a bad karma. I believe that after the lesson of this powerful medicine, the lay Buddhist who came to invite him will also have the opportunity to be able to do so. Seriously repented and repented. After all, as she said before, she has been studying the Fa from me for nearly two years in the video on the Internet, and she is very respectful and grateful to me. If it is as she said, I believe she will eventually come. From the perspective of Taoism, I look at this karmic change, change the habit of interacting with the monks with secular means and interests, and truly learn to cooperate with the monks with respect and respect.

In the past few years, I have also been invited to many institutes in Malaysia to teach the Fa for fellow practitioners voluntarily. Even the air ticket is a burden for the Fa protectors around me. The purpose is simply to repay the kindness of the old monks in training and lecturing. The monks benefited greatly from listening to the lectures. Everywhere they went from the south to the north, there was an unprecedented upsurge in listening to the Fa. All the presidents praised me very highly, and they were very polite. Then suddenly it turned one-sided from south to north. This situation is nothing more than because there are some people who are secretly obstructed by unrooted rumors, and they themselves have not deeply practiced the Buddhadharma. Therefore, I didn't have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong in the subtleties, so I quickly overturned my previous affirmation of me. This situation seems inevitable to me, and I am not surprised, and I have already prepared for it. Psychological preparation for grievance and sacrifice.For me, if I don’t have the karma of the Dharma, it means that my debt has been repaid, and I have not owed any sentient beings to this party, then I will just finish my life and retire, my merits and virtues are complete, and it is a matter of course to enjoy the cleanliness and be my true self. I want to do the homework of chanting Buddha, but seeing that this group of people are still trapped in these power struggles and entangled in worldly affairs, their hearts can’t really be on the Tao, only the appearance of diligence appears occasionally on the surface, and their hearts haven’t really benefited, and I feel very much inside. Sigh, the karma of sentient beings is truly inconceivable, and it is no wonder that Buddha's power is also difficult to transfer karma, and sentient beings still suffer immeasurably.

Although good things are going to be hard, and the dharma relationship with the fellow practitioners has gone up and down like this, I can still feel pity for them, because from their standpoint, everyone is really motivated, and they know that the world is suffering, and they really want to desire Retired, but the practice is wrong, the concept is wrong, they are all blindly cultivating, a group of people watch the old monk's DVD by themselves, and they do not really get rid of their worldly fame, wealth and selfishness, so they always misinterpret the old monk's teachings again and again. Really grasp the wisdom of the old monk, and because there is no real respect, so there is no retribution to get the guidance of the good teacher face to face, at most can only be cultivated in the Buddhist school, and the dharma is formed. There is still a big question as to whether one can truly achieve one's life as he wishes. It is a pity that he has finally met this extraordinary method of cultivating and cultivating thousands of people. Therefore, it is a big problem for laymen who have not yet enlightened and realized the fruition to lead the group. If they are not handled properly, they will not only delay the part that they should learn, but also may lose the Dao heart and cause boundless sin karma.

According to the Buddhist scriptures, there are two Buddhas born in the virtuous kalpa, one is Shakyamuni Buddha, who shows that he has become a monk and cultivated, and he has achieved the Tao with eight characteristics.The first is a lay Buddha, the elder Vimalakirti. He is the golden seed Tathagata in the past. He is not an ordinary lay person. If his realm is like that of the elders, he will definitely lead the people without fault. The wine family saves sentient beings and corresponds to compassion and purity. When Shariputra and other Arahants visit, they have to pay respect to him and ask the Dharma!But there is one thing that the lay monks may not have understood. At that time, the elder Vimalakirti would pay homage to the monks before giving a lecture to the monks, and then ascend to the throne. This distinction is like the teacher of the prince. But at the same time, it is not a matter of proportion as a courtier.This incident is clearly recorded in the "Said No Judgment Sutra".It's just that Venerable Kumarajiva's translation of "Vimalakirti Says Sutras" did not mention the matter of paying homage, so ordinary people can't see how Vimalakirti showed respect to ordained arahants at that time.

Now, five or five hundred years after the end of the Dharma, we are in a period of strong struggle, only teaching and no certification. It is not easy to achieve the certification through painstaking practice according to the ordination precepts, not to mention the fact that the lay people are chaotic and have limited holdings of the Dharma and precepts. Heng, although walking around the neighborhood all day long and reciting Buddha's heart can be busy, but in reality, how many people can already have this root of courage and wisdom?Since there is no precepts, teachings, and practice certificates, the salvage body has poor roots, and the five desires are difficult to let go of, even though good intentions lead people to practice, it is inevitable that many mistakes will be avoided.However, even so, can laymen still be able to lead the crowd and achieve all the achievements?As long as the method is correct and the intention is correct, of course it is possible.So how does a layman become qualified to lead the people?In terms of the standard of precepts, first of all, the lay people who lead the public to promote the Huahua must take the lay bodhisattva precepts. This precept does not mean to participate in the three or five-day precepts ceremony, but to truly achieve the realm standard in the Bodhisattva precepts.The so-called "housekeeper" is a seclusion, and a person refers to a person with virtue, talent, and learning. Therefore, a lay Buddhist disciple should first go through the three stages of refuge, the five precepts, and even the Bodhisattva precepts. To truly take refuge in the Three Jewels in the heart, it takes at least another ten or twenty years of practice before one can hope to be able to live up to the name and look like a true lay Buddhist.Nowadays, there are many kind-hearted people in Buddhism who are motivated to organize Buddhist recitation meetings or learn to lead fellow practitioners to recite Buddhism together. It must be all good intentions, and they all want to benefit themselves and others, and practice the Bodhisattva Way, but in fact, it is not the ability of ordinary people to lead people to practice in Buddhism, even if you are a person who manages thousands of employees, the same is true. As the so-called interlaced line is like a mountain, this is completely impossible to arbitrarily transcend.The minimum standard for leading a congregation is that, first of all, you must have a certain level of personal cultivation, and secondly, you must practice and uphold the teachings of Buddhism and even the precepts. At the same time, you must also obtain the approval of the elders, monks, or dharma teachers. They have the final say. Some people haven’t even read through a single scripture, and they don’t understand the precepts at all, so they just donate some money to set up a dojo, and learn while leading others. How can they not make mistakes?These standards are clearly set in the Bodhisattva Precepts, so that we can have the qualifications for lay people to lead people to practice. Otherwise, if we make mistakes on this fundamental standpoint, the road in the future will inevitably go farther and farther. This is From a moral point of view.

Furthermore, one must have a sincere and humble reverence for the Three Jewels in the heart, be able to truly be the same on the outside, and lead the usual common practice from the standpoint of assisting the Three Jewels, rather than relying on the theory of the equality of the Buddha nature of all living beings, which can be expected to replace the position of the Sangha. It is very problematic to lead the public or think that the Buddhist business can be run well just like starting a company and society.In fact, from the point of view of today's dojos that are co-cultivating at home, most of them do not have monks to live and guide. It is very dangerous to follow the direction of the president's instructions. This is still like a blind man touching an elephant, which is very dangerous, especially if the president himself has more social status and richer life experience, but he has not actually passed the above-mentioned precepts. After the transformation of practice at various stages, it will be easier to lead the masses with the experience of successful business in the world, and the understanding and practice will be very different from those of monks who are truly qualified to lead the masses. After all, the Buddhadharma is The transcendental Dharma is the defilement Dharma that comes from the world and then enters the world. It is not a state of being equal to the secular world. Ordinary people cannot distinguish the difference between the Buddhadharma and the worldly Dharma on the surface. From the standpoint of assisting the monks, if we truly rely on the teachings of a certain monk's great virtue, and let the monks have the real power to lead the people to practice together, then there will inevitably be many incompatibility points under the cooperation, which eventually evolves into The confrontation between monks and laymen.For example, when asking the Master to teach the Fa, when faced with questions from fellow practitioners, if the Master's answer is different from the usual guidance given by the president, who should the fellow practitioners listen to?Generally speaking, the guildmaster will definitely say that he is listening to the Master on the stage, but is it really possible to do this?That part can only be left to those with discerning eyes to observe, so in the end, many guild leaders who lead the congregation alone will simply find many reasons not to invite the Master to spread the Dharma. On the contrary, if he intentionally or unintentionally used the Three Treasures to run a private Buddhist business for him, such a crime is unimaginable.

Of course, we do not deny that there are many lay Buddhist disciples who are indeed very capable and have high attainments in Buddhism. Followers and supporters have no choice but to bear the decline of the holy religion and the suffering of sentient beings, so they have no choice but to do their part and take the position and responsibility of leading the monks and monks by themselves.This approach seems reasonable and reasonable, but in fact it is still very problematic. First of all, why can't you meet the Sang Bao Ming Master?Is there really no sangha with qualified leaders in this world?Or is your ability to see blocked by my slowness?Or is it that you have insufficient karma?If there really is no Sang Bao Mingshi in the world, then at least there must be a great Dharma master who can clearly and clearly explain the Dharma to follow!As long as he can point out the right path for you, and speak the correct Dharma corresponding to the scriptures, especially the Pure Land Dharma door that relies entirely on the power of the Buddha, it has nothing to do with the quality of personal cultivation. Everyone can speak on behalf of the Buddha. Family business, how can you not see a sangha who is enough to lead people?

If these causes and conditions are not sufficient, and you cannot follow the moral standards of the lay monks and leaders, then there is another way. You can follow the standards of worldly lecturers and obtain the academic qualifications of being a teacher, then you can. As a teacher of the world, he guides the masses to study Buddhism.In this world, teachers and teachers must also have certain standards. What’s more, the supernatural law is the standard of liberation that leads people to life. How can you easily take on this heavy responsibility?This is a very dangerous thing. If you are not careful, you will surely have a share in the retribution, so why should you be brave for a while?I personally have great respect and admiration for many of the great virtues of the lay people today, such as the professors and teachers who I happily introduce in this book. They are not necessarily Buddhist laymen, but they are all like Bodhisattvas in their actions and accomplishments. Therefore, I can also ask them for advice with humility. Fill your own shortcomings, because everyone in the world has their own strengths and weaknesses, no one is absolutely perfect, and no one is completely without merits, as Confucius said: "Three people must have my teacher." Even the wicked can do it. It is a good teacher for reflection, not to mention that there are too many good teachers worth learning in various professional fields.I want to talk about this issue here, just because as a monk, seeing the chaos in Buddhism, we are obliged to point out a right path for the public, so that the benevolent can distinguish right from wrong, so as not to see a lay Buddhist with good intentions to lead the people. However, time and energy and various internal and external financial contributions were wasted in vain, but in the end they felt bad results, such as Yu Jingyi Gong is a typical example of failure.If a lay person truly wishes to protect the Three Jewels, the most Dharma-like method is to cultivate the Sangha’s treasures sincerely, to give offerings to the Dharma Sangha with internal and external wealth, so that the Sangha has no worries, and the Sangha can do the Dao with all their heart. As for the method and attitude, the best example is the lonely elders mentioned in the "Amitabha Sutra". They must be truly respectful and selfless, and they must have true faith in the Three Jewels to protect the Dharma. .

In the Dhammapada, there is a record: Giving the lonely elder is a donor of a tree to the lonely garden. He is not only charitable and charitable, but also a devout follower of the Buddha.He went to Zhishujia Lonely Garden three times a day to pay homage to the Buddha.In the morning, he would go with rice porridge, proper food during the day, and medicine and flowers at night.Later, due to his long-term practice of making great offerings, his family declined for a while, but because he had faith in the Dharma and was not affected by poverty, he continued to make offerings every day.One night, the guardian spirit who lived in his house appeared in front of him and advised him: "I am your guardian spirit. You have been making offerings to the Buddha for a long time, never thinking about your future, and now you are so poor. Please. Don't make offerings to the Buddha from now on! Take good care of your career and go back and be a rich man!"

After hearing the words of the guardian spirit to the lonely elder, not only was he unmoved, but he was able to distinguish right from wrong and asked the person who said right and wrong to leave his house immediately.Because his practice was very good, it did not affect his determination to protect the Dharma. The guardian spirit could not resist his request, so he had to leave, but there was nowhere to go.He had to go to Emperor Shi and cry, and Emperor Shi suggested that he do a good deed, return it to the lonely elder, and then ask him to forgive.The emperor continued: "In the past, some merchants borrowed money from lonely elders, but they still haven't paid it back. His ancestors also buried a lot of wealth, but they were washed into the bottom of the sea, and some unowned wealth was hidden in such and such places. Go ahead. Get all these treasures back and fill the homes of the lonely elders." The guardian spirit did as Di Shi said, and then went back to atone for his sins. As a result, the lonely elders became prosperous all of a sudden. .After the guardian spirit told the Lonely Elder what he had done, the Lonely Elder allowed him to come back and took him to see the Buddha, who told them both: "One may not be able to enjoy the goodness of good karma for a long time. I did not receive the retribution of bad karma, but the retribution of good and bad karma will mature sooner or later.”

Therefore, as a Dharma protector, the first and most important thing is to understand the cause and effect of the three worlds. If there is a cause, there will be an effect. It is not that there is no retribution. The time has not yet come. We just need to cultivate the cause honestly, examine our own thoughts from time to time, and take good care of them. , so that he will not deviate from the right path at all times, and he will surely feel the extraordinary karmic fruit in the future. This is a model of Dharma protectors, and it is very worthwhile for lay Buddhist protectors to study hard.In addition, if you really want to spread the Dharma and benefit the students, there is another way to fulfill your aspirations, and that is to become a monk in your own heart and mind. Starting from the basics, you have been practicing with real guns and live ammunition for decades, and then you will lead the congregation when you have the status of moral and wisdom. Then the monks and monks will definitely have nothing to say. This is also a down-to-earth right path. After all these trainings, there is no real precepts and virtues, just saying that I can't bear the decline of the holy religion and the suffering of all living beings, and I have to take the position of the monks and treasures in a grand manner. This is not for fame and fortune or being a good teacher. Who would believe it Woolen cloth?I'm afraid I can't even believe it myself!Teaching sutras and teachings to lead people to practice together This is not like a teacher in the world who only needs to explain the course clearly and be considered fulfilling his duty, because the Buddhadharma is not knowledge, it is the study of life, and the realm taught is that you must personally experience it in depth on precepts, concentration, and wisdom. The only way is to explain the meaning of the name and the meaning of the name with the delusional mind of an ordinary person, then you do not have the qualifications to be a teacher and lead others to practice.It is a very difficult thing to preach the Dharma and benefit students in the high seat. If you don't have profound education and virtue, you may be unable to resist the swarm of fame and fortune in the future. This is an even more terrifying thing. Learning is the most important thing, everything in the outside world is an illusion, the Dharma should be abandoned, not to mention illegal, practice is nothing more than a word of abandonment, so if you want to spread the Dharma and benefit your life, you must be able to follow the conditions and not cling to them. correct.