Q : What can we do to help Buddhism prosper?
A : Cultivate by holding the Five Precepts, and practicing humaneness, a sense of fairness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. This way, little by little, Buddhism will prosper.
Q : Out of the 84,000 Dharma doors in Buddhism, which one is the best and most wonderful?
A : All of the 84,000 Dharma doors are the best. Not one of them is second place. Why do I say that? The 84,000 Dharma doors treat the 84,000 kinds of shortcomings of living beings. Every living being has his or her own particular faults. Therefore, the best practice is the one that cures one’s faults.
Q : Resolutions are easy to make at the beginning, but how do we see them through?
A : We should hang the words “birth and death” from our eyebrows in order to maintain our perseverance. If we retreat, it must be because we forgot our initial resolve.
Q : Buddhism talks about how things are “unspeakably unspeakable.” Exactly why are things unspeakable?
A : Why are you speaking now?
Q : What is the difference between false thoughts and vows? How would we know if our vows are false thoughts?
A : If our vows benefit others, then they serve a purpose even though they are false thoughts. Beyond that, you should get rid of false thoughts.
Q : Confucius had three thousand disciples, seventy-two of whom were proficient in the six arts. What abilities should one possess in our society today to be considered a paragon of virtue?
A : “To have virtue is to be truly rich. Those who have no virtue are the most impoverished.” A paragon of virtue does not kill, does not steal, does not indulge in sexual misconduct, does not lie, and does not take intoxicants.
Q : Master, what are the special features of the Weiyang School? How can we expand it?
A : The Weiyang School is very ordinary; there’s nothing special about it. The Weiyang School doesn’t have any plans to expand. We should just have strong moral characters.
Q : Which Sutra is suitable for beginners?
A : Any Sutra is suitable.
Q : What can I do to help Buddhist monasteries?
A : You help monasteries by not destroying them. You help monasteries by supporting them.
Q : How are the Schools of Weiyang, Lingji, Caodong, and others different?
A : There is no real difference. These groups are composed of practitioners who are average people who have not become Bodhisattvas yet.
Q : We hear that the merit from liberating beings is the greatest. Is that correct?
A : All the merit done for Buddhism is equal. We must liberate life out of compassion. If we were interested in merit, then we would not have much merit to speak of. It is incorrect to say that such and such a merit is the greatest, because such distinctions are bound to entice people to earn merit for the wrong reasons.
Q : A certain Dharma Master said that Buddhists do not need to attend morning and evening services. Is that correct?
A : What he advocates is his problem. Since morning and evening services are unnecessary to him, then everything else must be unnecessary too. It must be okay for him to not eat, not drink, and not sleep. Has he reached the level of non-cultivation and non-certification? He can only say such things if he were to have reached that level; otherwise, he shouldn’t say such things.
Q : Is it necessary to choose a day for putting a Bodhisattva statue in place and a direction that the statue should face?
A : It is not necessary to choose a day and a direction. It is fine as long as the Bodhisattva statue is elevated to a position above waist-level. Demons and ghosts think about checking on dates and positions for this kind of thing.
Q : How can we rescue our deceased ancestors and others?
A : Only preeminent monks who have cultivated virtue and samadhi can alter the suffering of the deceased and thereby help them to enter the heavens. When Meditation Master Lungku of the Ming Dynasty saved the mother of Emperor Wanli, for instance, he said from the podium, “I was not going to come here, but you insisted I do. Without giving rise to a thought, may you transcend the three realms.” With these lines, the emperor’s mother entered the heavens.
Q : Are we acting in accord with the Dharma when we burn fake money with the Rebirth Mantra written on them?
A : Why burn that stuff in the first place? You think about it. Is that money real or fake? What use is there in burning papers with the Rebirth Mantra on them, anyway? Once burned, the paper turns into ash. How could you think that it can be used as money?
Q : Will we be affected physically and mentally if we reveal our date of birth to those on a deviant path?
A : As long as your mind is straight, then for you, nothing will be deviant. If your mind is deviant, every path would be an evil path.
Q : I heard that the Venerable Master always sits up to rest instead of lying down? How did you learn to do it and what is the purpose?
A : Nobody told you that I always lie down to rest instead of sitting up? There is no set rule for this. If you want to sit, then you sit; if you want to lie down, then you lie down. It does not matter whether or not others say you are sitting up or lying down. Why should we be attached to something like this? Anything that we’re attached to becomes a burden to us. The important thing for us cultivators is not to be troubled at any time, whether sitting up or lying down. It is important to get rid of afflictions.
Q : All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and illusions, bubbles and shadows. So, what are Unconditioned Dharmas?
A : For a detailed description of the six Unconditioned Dharmas, you may check the Shastra on the Door to Understanding the Hundred Dharmas. The one hundred dharmas consist of: The Eleven Form Dharmas, The Eight Mind Dharmas, The 51 Dharmas Interactive with the Mind, The 24 Non-Interactive Activity Dharmas, and The Six Unconditioned Dharmas.
Q : Please talk about awakening to the views of all Buddhas.
A : To awaken to the views of Buddhas is to know how Buddhas became Buddhas and to have wisdom of the Buddhas. This is nothing too esoteric. We awaken to the views of Buddhas by being like the Buddhas and practicing the four qualities of the limitless mind: kindness, compassion, generosity, and equanimity.
Q : Is the Buddhadharma that you talk about inclusive, embodying all the various sects/schools of Buddhism?
A : That’s the way it is if that’s the way you think. If you want to exclude them, they’re excluded; if you want to include them, they’re included. This is not fixed. “The Buddha proclaimed Dharma with one sound, but different living beings understood differently.” “Wise ones tend to see wisdom occurring; humane ones tend to see humaneness occurring. Profound individuals tend to see profundity while shallow individuals tend to see shallowness.”
Q : Which is the best practice out of the 84,000 Dharma doors? Which is the most supreme?
A : The most supreme Dharma door is one that you find most suitable; the weakest Dharma door is the one you find most useless.
Q : How can I possess the ability to select the right Dharma?
A : I don’t have the ability to select the right Dharma either, so how can I tell you?
Q : How can we cultivate to escape birth and death?
A : Eat, dress, and sleep.
Q : Is it effective to have sutras and mantras printed on fake money for the deceased and also to burn them?
A : The paper money turns into ash when you burn it. How would I know whether ash is effective or not [as money in the underworld]? Let’s suppose it is effective; so does that mean all Westerner hungry ghosts are poor because they don’t believe in burning paper money?
Q : Master, what is your view on the styles of monasteries?
A : I don’t like gaudy monasteries painted red and green, like women wearing bright red lipstick. The basic rule for the construction of monasteries is that they be labor-effective and durable.
Q : Why do people worship the Monkey King instead of the Great Master Hsuan Zhuang
of the Tang Dynasty? Did the Monkey King really exist?
A : People like the Monkey King because of his golden baton, his acrobatic ability to do somersaults and travel to the heavens and hells. The characters of the Monkey King, the pig, and the novice monk really did exist, but as invisible spirits who protected the monk of the Tang Dynasty as he traveled to India for Sutras. They were not visible to ordinary people. They were spirits without physical form.
Q : By praying, we develop inner spiritual energy that could benefit all things. So do we still need to do good deeds on the outside?
A : Cultivation should be a balance between developing inner merit and outward results. When we’re doing external merit, we are not attached to the attainment of such merit. We can help ourselves by cultivating virtue within, purifying our thoughts, and lessening our desires. If we can stop being greedy, we will be helping others.
Q : Master, I would like to know what the Buddhadharma really is.
A : The fact that you are asking this question is because of your Buddha nature. You would not be asking this question if it were not for that. You deserve to be beaten a hundred times for not knowing that this is the Buddha nature.
Q : If the Buddhas were compassionate and omnipotent, why is there still suffering (earthquake, fire, war, famine, sickness, etc.) in the world?
A : According to your line of thinking, you would say that the Buddhas are not omnipotent or compassionate. I don’t dare say that.
Q : Who are the original ancestors of all sentient beings, including animals that fly and swim, flowers, grass and trees?
A : The Buddha nature is our ancestor.
Q : Is the so-called possession by spirits real? Is it evil?
A : Didn’t I mention earlier that there are all kinds of ghosts, spirits, demons, and ogres? Whether you recognize them or not depends on whether you have wisdom.
Q : Where did human beings come from?
A : Have you seen those bugs in rice containers? Those bugs appear all of a sudden and we don’t know where they came from. In the same way, people are born from true emptiness.
Q : Master, how do I deeply feel the pain caused by the wheel of life and death? How do I bring forth the resolve to cultivate?
A : How can I make you feel pain when you don’t?
Q : Human beings are so tiny in comparison to the universe, and yet we lord over the universe. What is the tiniest thing there is?
A : Human beings are not tiny and the universe is not huge.
Q : Can we offer music with Sanskrit lyrics to the Buddhas?
A : Anything is fine. Anything that you like can be offered to the Buddhas.
Q : How can we avoid meeting obstacles as we study Buddhism?
A : We will encounter obstacles when studying Buddhism. The difference lies with your samadhi power. If you were to have samadhi power and wisdom, you would be able to easily resolve any potential problem that comes your way. It would not become a problem for you. If you are extremely stupid, a mosquito bite is a problem, and the buzzing of a fly is problematic too.
Q : What was the Buddha’s attitude toward life?
A : One of compassion, joy, generosity, and equanimity.
Q : Does destiny really exist? Do people have the ability to control their own fate?
A : Superior individuals realize they can mold their own destiny.
Determining my own destiny, I acquire my own blessings.
Disasters and blessings occur only because people brought them about.
Retributions and rewards follow us around like shadows.
Superior people create and change their destinies, whereas most average people think that everything is predestined. If you have faith and perseverance, you can leap from the level of an average person to the level of a Buddha. If everything were predestined, we could very well get our fortune read before we even start to study Buddhism just to see if we have a chance at becoming Buddhas. None of the fortunes and misfortunes in our lives are set in stone. If you are an extremely good person or an extremely bad person, your destiny will be different from the average person because what you have done has gone beyond the bounds of an average person.
Q : What’s the difference between saving human beings, ghosts, and demons?
A : Why would you ask if they were the same?
Q : Why are there demons?
A : The demons in our self-nature attract the ones outside. The demons of our self-nature are greed, anger and delusion. They are the poisons of our self-nature and attract external demons.
Q : 1. How do we make ourselves bold and vigorous? 2. How do I overcome the habit of eating and sleeping too much? (A beautician asked these questions.)
A : 1. By truly becoming a beautiful person. 2. By not eating, which will lead to not sleeping. The less you eat, the less you sleep.
Q : When we hear a nice song, can we offer it to the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas? How do we offer it?
A : You can sing it, but you need to be sure that it is not suggestive. It has to be proper. At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we also present Buddhist songs to the Buddhas. For example, the praises that we sing before the Buddhas are songs of offering. The Dharma Flower Sutra makes it very clear that melodic songs and incantations can be offerings for Buddhas.
Q : Many people don’t see any results from their cultivation despite having done so for a long time. Is the Buddhadharma not working? Maybe the Sutras and mantras don’t have the power to make miracles happen?
A : That’s not it. It is because you are not sincere. You cultivate in a sloppy manner and only go through the motions. You simply do what everyone else does. You haven’t been sincere.
Q : I read this line in a magazine, “If we can’t become Buddhas from studying Buddhism in this lifetime, then we have not been studying correctly.” What is the Master’s opinion with regard to this statement?
A : If you have been studying incorrectly, then learn what is correct! “We should not have any books if we believe in them entirely.” I don’t know about magazines and I can’t write articles. I’m no expert when it comes to magazines because I have no time to read them.
Q : When my parents passed away in mainland China, I wasn’t able to visit their gravesite. Am I right in thinking that they wouldn’t receive the effect of my bowing to the Buddhas here in Taiwan?
A : If you are sincere, they will receive the effect no matter how far away. If you are insincere, they will not receive anything even if they were right before your eyes.
Q : How should I cultivate every day in order to leave birth and death?
A : Cultivation is about “watching our every move; staying close to home (the mind) whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.”
Q : What should I do if I want to recite Sutras but don’t have a Buddha statue in the house?
A : You must first learn how to read if you want to recite Sutras. Once you can read, you can naturally recite Sutras.
Q : Why is it that some people use money as a measure for judging which Buddhist has cultivated well or poorly? How do we find the real path to Buddhahood?
A : The real path to Buddhahood is the poorest. Such Buddhists are not interested in money; they don’t want it.
Q : Please tell me how a beginner should study Buddhism? How do we choose wise advisors and the right place for cultivation? How do we judge whether a dharma is proper?
A : There is no one right way. You have to have the ability to choose the proper Dharma for yourself. If the Dharma is genuine, you should not treat it as if it were false; and if false, you shouldn’t treat it as if it were genuine. That would be enough.
Q : Why isn’t there a Dharma Realm for demons?
A : The demons are like bandits. They wander everywhere like a team of guerillas, having no permanent place to live or anyone to manage them. Demons are a group similar to bandits. Bandits are human beings, but since not everyone is a bandit, there is no realm for bandits.
Q : Can people be possessed by spirits?
A : Please ask someone who is possessed by a spirit this question. I am not possessed by spirits. Even if I knew the answer, I would not talk about it.
Q : What is more important, to save myself or others? Which is of higher priority?
A : Neither one is more nor less important. They’re of equal importance. It is a mistake on your part to want to differentiate between them by order of importance.
Q : Can Buddhists trade stocks?
A : Some Buddhists murder, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, lie, and drink alcohol. Do you think they should be doing these things?
Q : What is the reason behind burning paper money for our ancestors?
A : If this were reasonable, all the Westerners would be poor. You should look into the truth and never be superstitious.
Q : How do we teach and transform living beings who are difficult to tame and subdue? Is there really an end to this world?
A : We should be extremely patient in teaching and transforming them. The day each person dies is the end of the world for that person.
Q : Do you believe in ghosts?
A : If you don’t believe in ghosts then you won’t believe in Buddhas. Ghosts become Buddhas through cultivation.
Q : What are the basics in cultivation?
A : We should not have so many discursive thoughts. Don’t think so much. “A hundred things occur because of the movement of a thought; ten thousand things cease with the stopping of a thought.” Everything can happen because of one thought. If not one thought appears, then the entire substance manifests and nothing will happen. The basic issue here has to do with thoughts of desire.
Q : How should people new to Buddhism cultivate and maintain themselves?
A : Eat, dress, and sleep.
Q : So, how do we cultivate?
A : You should cultivate according to your ability, doing what you can and not forcing yourself into doing what you can’t.
Q : Are mediums, channelers, etc. part of the Buddhadharma?
A : All dharmas are the Buddhadharma; none can be obtained. Or we could say that all dharmas are no Buddhadharma. Anyway, we must let go of any attachment as we study Buddhism: sweep away all dharmas and leave every mark.
Q: by the Venerable Master : What is ultimately real? Everyone try speaking up!
A Buddhist : Cultivation is real!
Venerable Master : Then why don’t you cultivate? If you’re looking for what is real in the world, you will not find it. Cultivation may be real, but it’s invisible. What you see are just the appearances. Truth is soundless and scent-free, formless and colorless. Nevertheless, we must find the true in the false. Don’t search for the real by leaving the false.
Q : Some people say that the idea of a “soul” doesn’t exist in Buddhism. Is that correct?
A : Some people may say that, but this statement can’t represent the Buddha’s teachings in their entirety. I have never heard of such a theory and I am a Buddhist.
Q : What is the biggest problem with Buddhism?
A : The biggest problem is greed, exploitation, and selfishness.
Q : How do we make the Proper Dharma live long in the world?
A : To have the Proper Dharma live long in the world, you must not fight, not be greedy, not be selfish, not pursue personal advantages, and not lie.
Q : My son asked me how many preeminent monks have converted tigers and lions and given them refuge. Also, what would polar bears eat if they were to take refuge? The North Pole is too cold for any vegetables.
A : Eat ice! Eat snow! What if they were at the South Pole? Eat ice! Eat snow!
Q : Some people say that we can believe in Buddhism without having to take refuge with the Triple Jewel. Is that right?
A : Take education, for instance. If you want to graduate from elementary school, you must finish your courses for elementary school. If you want a high school diploma, you have to finish your high school courses. If you want to obtain degrees for bachelors, masters, or doctorates, you would naturally have to complete the required curriculum for those levels, pass your tests, and receive your degree. The same principle applies to taking refuge with the Triple Jewel.
Q : Some lay people tell us that the reason they don’t advance but retreat is because their karmic obstruction has shown up. How should we respond to them if this kind of karma is fixed? Do we force them to continue to be diligent?
A : That depends on the situation at the time. Prescribe medicine according to the specific illness. Afflictions and Bodhi are like ice and water. Afflictions are Bodhi. One is born after one is put to death. It is right to bear what one really cannot bear and to go through what one really cannot go through. No need to corner yourself; there’s no dead end.
Q : Can we cross over our late ancestors by reciting Sutras?
A : Somewhat. One-seventh of the merit will accrue to the deceased; six-sevenths, to the living who create the merit.
Q : Is it in accord with the Dharma to make Buddhist songs like popular music? Will it invite criticism?
A : If you’re afraid of being criticized by others, then you might as well not do anything. Just ask yourself if anything good happens in the world without criticism. If you’re scared of criticism, then don’t do it. If you’re not afraid of criticism, then go on and forge ahead.
Q : I would like to ask the Master what kind of practice I should do to help me have more faith.
A : Faith can be likened to reacting to the five flavors. The various practices that the Buddha described can be likened to these flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. No flavor can be called the best. Everyone has a favorite flavor, that’s all.
Q : This path is so arduous. Will I be able to persist to the end and not retreat?
A : You will reach your destination as long as you are bold and vigorous, strong and indefatigable.
Q : Your Buddhadharma seems different than that of Asia’s.
A : During the Dharma-ending Age, Buddhism focuses on superficialities. Corruption and deficiencies are rampant in Buddhism. If we don’t rescue it immediately by revolutionizing it, then the lifeline of the Buddhadharma will also be cut off. We need to improve many different aspects of Buddhism for this time and age.
Q : What are some guiding principles for propagating Buddhism in the United States?
A : The most fundamental are the Six Great Guiding Principles: no greed, no fighting, no seeking, no selfishness, no pursuit of self-benefit, and no lies. These six mirrors reveal monsters by reflecting them. These six pestles also tame demons. If we can base ourselves on these Six Great Guiding Principles at all times, then demons, heretics, and phonies will have nowhere to hide. They will be exposed for who they really are. Our principle will create more proper energy for the universe and shatter and eliminate the heightened violence and toxic resentment that permeate the entire globe.
Q : How do we tell the difference between good teachers and bad teachers?
A : That’s easy. Just observe to see if he is greedy for money. Is he licentious? Let these two be your standards of measurement.
Q : Will the Master predict when Buddhism will flourish in the United States?
A : It’s already flourishing. Don’t be discontent! Isn’t Buddhism flourishing since the number of Buddhists is relatively large in a country that is predominantly Christians and Catholics?
Q : How can we make the Buddhadharma flourish in the countries of the West?
A : Cultivate according to the Dharma! Keep the Five Precepts and practice the eight virtues. Do it bit by bit, and it will flourish!
Q : Why can’t Buddhism be simpler so that more people can understand it at once?
A : Why don’t we think of ways for kids to go to work as soon as they’re born?
Q : A national leader once said, “Buddhism is the humaneness that saves the world. Buddhism is the mother of philosophy. Studying Buddhism can fix the slant of science.” Why did he say this?
A : Buddhism is true science. Before science was developed, several thousand years ago, the Buddha said, “The Buddha sees 84,000 insects in a bowl of water. If one doesn’t recite this mantra, it is as if one is eating living beings’ meat.” From this, we can tell that although the Buddha didn’t have a microscope or magnifier, he knew there were numerous microorganisms in a bowl of water. It wasn’t until recently that people have proven this to be correct. So the level of people’s wisdom today is far below the level of the Buddha’s wisdom. That national leader may have said that Buddhism can fix the slant of science, but my opinion is that Buddhism not only can fix the slant of science, Buddhism contains science while science cannot contain Buddhism.”
Q : What is the Vinaya?
A : The Six Great Guiding Principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are the Vinaya. To avoid fighting is to avoid violating the precept against killing; to avoid being greedy is to avoid violating the precept against stealing; and to avoid being selfish is to avoid violating the precept against lying. Why do we lie? We go around telling lies because we want our own interests served. To avoid pursuing self-benefit is to avoid violating the precept against taking intoxicants. Drinkers think that drinking is good for their health because alcohol makes their blood circulate faster. When they’re drunk, they feel so high that they think they’ve become gods. Drinkers’ false thoughts and self-interests are troublemakers. To avoid lying is a principle already included in the above five items, but to caution everyone especially, we emphasize the liability of lying by adding the sixth principle as a precaution.
Q : What happens if we are illiterate and do not understand the words to the text?
A : This is easy, just learn! You can ask others if you don’t understand! To draw near good teachers is to find good friends!
Q : Why should I adhere to the Five Precepts if I haven’t received them?
A : The Five Precepts are the precepts of our inherent nature. You should keep them whether you have received them or not. Receiving the precepts is a phenomenon while keeping the precepts is a noumenon. You must keep the precepts purely so that the noumenon becomes perfected.
Q : How can we realize Buddhahood soon?
A : First learn to be human and deal with different situations.
Q : Some people think that Buddhism is a passive religion. Will you please expound on their perspective?
A : It would be wrong to think that Buddhism is passive. Buddhism is most pro-active. It’s just that most of us don’t understand this kind of pro-activity. In today’s world that is fragile, chaotic, and war-torn, people are in a daze all day, oblivious to the fact that their lives could end the next day. Buddhists, however, remain completely calm in this state of affairs, still cultivating and doing the work that they should be doing. Take the Sangha at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, for instance, which grounds itself in Buddhist traditions, getting up at 3:30 a.m. to participate in the 4 a.m. service. There may be universal bowing, meditation, Sutra recitation, a repentance ceremony or individual work after the morning service. Think about it, is it passive to get up so early and work hard on cultivation all day long?
Q : We can only cultivate the Buddhadharma by having no desires, but this world would make no progress unless there were desires. How do ordinary people balance the two?
A : When you say there’s progress only because of desires, what kind of progress might that be? So what if there is progress? How is that beneficial?
Q : What kind of status and role do women have in Buddhism? If they were to learn the Buddhadharma from you, how should they apply themselves?
A : There’s no difference between men and women in Buddhism. There are only rules in Buddhism. Women have more rules to follow than men do because women have the habit of being picky over the smallest things. Men are unrefined and more imprecise. So Buddhism is about equality, but each gender has its set of rules that they have to follow.
Q : How can we tell who is truly a teacher who understands?
A : To tell, just check to see if he contends and if he is greedy. Check to see if he pursues only personal advantages. See if he always lies but claims that he is being expedient. If you still consider people like that to be good advisors, then you can’t tell right from wrong.
Q : The Vajra Sutra says, “Thoughts of the past cannot be gotten at, thoughts of the present cannot be gotten at, and thoughts of the future cannot be gotten at.” Could the text be explained by using the line, “give rise to the mind that is nowhere produced”?
A : Thoughts of the past have already gone, where will one find those thoughts? Thoughts of the present do not stop either, so where are those present thoughts? Thoughts of the future have not yet come! Therefore, thoughts of the past, present, and future cannot be gotten at means that we should not entertain any false thinking.
By a student : Will the Venerable Master please tell me how I can strengthen my determination?
Venerable Master : How do you obtain determination? Why do you want determination?
Student : I’m not strong enough.
Venerable Master : Who took it away?
Student : It’s right here in me.
Venerable Master : If it’s right there inside you, why are you asking me?
Student : Well, should I just practice on my own?
Venerable Master : Since you have it, just turn around, find it, and use it! You’re asking me, but how can I teach you to be strong? Your determination belongs to you while my determination belongs to me. By asking me this question, are you going outside yourself for answers? Aren’t you asking a blind man for directions?
Student : Maybe I have not lost it, but I just want to strengthen it.
Venerable Master : When did you lose it? And why are you so determined when you’re chasing after women?
Student : I understand.
(The crowd laughs.)
Venerable Master : If you’ve got determination in that area, why don’t you have determination in this area?
Student : Now I’ve got it.
Q : What does “the mutual unknowing of dharmas” mean?
A : Do you need to ask? They don’t know one another! Do you think dharmas can be cognizant of one another? Do dharmas have awareness?
By a student : You say each religion has its strengths and weaknesses. What are the weaknesses of Buddhism?
A : There are many weaknesses. Cheating people! Claiming others’ money for themselves! These are all weaknesses. Buddhists should not exploit relationships and try to get people to make offerings to them. These types of Buddhists let their blessings slip away. Buddhist monastics should not touch money, but why do some monastics have so much money in their pockets? They’re suppose to be eating one meal at midday, staying under a tree at any given location for a limited time only, remaining uninterested in valuables, owning no possessions, and just going on their alms rounds barefoot and eating whatever they receive. That ought to be enough. So why do they live in high risers? Why do they live in such luxurious housing facilities? Eat such delicious food? Dress so nicely? What does this mean? Are these weaknesses?
Q : Why doesn’t Buddhism build more monasteries and give more Sutra lectures? Would more people learn about Buddhism that way?
A : Buddhism has odious aspects, too, sometimes. How is it odious? In China, Buddhists want to rule their individual turfs. They’re in chaos, like sand that has been strewn about.
Q : Some people say that it seems like there are more Buddhas than human beings.
A : Buddhas do not have conflicts. They are all one. However many Buddhas there are, there are just as many human beings. Human beings, however, fight with each other.
Q : How do people who believe in and accept the Buddhadharma protect their Bodhi resolve?
A : Who told you not to protect it?
Q : Buddhism says “All beings have the Buddha nature.” Why are beings so lost that they need to continue to suffer now?
A : All beings have the Buddha nature; all beings also have the ghost nature; beings also have the animal nature; beings also have the nature of gods and of Bodhisattvas. Beings come complete with such potential. But most only know to go downhill and not to move up. It is said, “The superior person understands what is lofty while the petty person understands what is base.” Beings are greedy for visible and tangible objects in the world. They think that eating, drinking, and making merry are real. They don’t recognize the happiness that is in their true and inherent nature. Therefore, there are actually “two paths are one of good and one of evil. Some cultivate goodness. Others commit evil.” You say that living beings are all lost, but there are those who are not lost. There are those who seriously cultivate, taking one step at a time and working as hard as they possibly can. So you can’t say that all beings are lost.
Q : The Buddhadharma is new to me. I would like to know to which school you belong.
A : Gold Mountain Monastery belongs to Buddhism. It doesn’t belong to a particular school or sect of Buddhism. It is Buddhism that has no schools or sects.
Q : “The monkey king” was born from a rock. Why did a rock give birth to that monkey?
A : “The monkey king” is a demon; plenty of similar cases exist. The monkey king was probably experiencing some problems with his thinking skandha during his cultivation, so he became a monkey that could bore his way through to the heavens and dig his way into the earth. He symbolizes demons described in the Shurangama Sutra.
Q : The Venerable Master says that the Buddha’s teachings are about wisdom. What is a Buddha? What is great wisdom? Great kindness and compassion? Great humaneness?
A : These questions cannot be answered in a few words. The word Buddha is half of a transliterated Sanskrit word. “Buddhaya” is the entire word. It’s “Buddha” in English, which sounds like “Not Big” in Chinese, so I’ve called it that too. Buddhas are not big, but are they small? They are not small either. Buddhas are like people, they are not any bigger, they just have superior wisdom. Buddhas successfully cultivate the Three Bodies, the Four Wisdoms, the Five Eyes, and the Six Penetrations successfully. Buddhas are absolutely capable. Buddhas have terrific wisdom, which is why they are immensely compassionate. They always have the greatest energy and resources; they are never lacking. No one can compare to Buddhas in terms of abilities. Most people are limited in their capabilities; but Buddhas’ capabilities are unlimited, which is also why they have boundless kindness and compassion, boundless joy, and boundless equanimity. Kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity are the four qualities of the Buddhas’ Boundless Mind. Most people have limited kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. They are not like Buddhas. Buddhas can give up what other people cannot give up. They are “greatly kind to those with whom they have no affinities; and greatly compassionate because they consider everyone the same.” What is kindness? What is compassion? Kindness makes others happy. Compassion ends others’ suffering.
Q : Why can the wealth of Dharma be damaged? Why will merit and virtue end?
A : That’s because you use your consciousness, in particular, to calculate, guess, and discriminate. You only expend effort on your consciousness, therefore you will harm your wealth of Dharma and end your merit and virtue.
Q : Does a Buddhist disciple who has received the Five Precepts and the Bodhisattva Precepts have to uphold them with care and be a lifelong vegetarian?
A : Of course! What’s the use of receiving the precepts if you are not going to keep them?
Disciple : We should organize non-religious activities more often so that more people will come to believe in the Buddha.
A : Anyone who is my disciple should cultivate well. I am more concerned about quality than quantity in order to avoid violating the law of cause and effect.
Q : What kind of Buddha is a Japanese Buddha?
A : A Japanese Buddha!
Reporter: Is the Buddhism in Nepal, India, China, Japan, and other countries different? Will Buddhism in America be different from Buddhism in Asia?
A : Yes, Buddhism in America will be different. To propagate the Buddhaharma in America, we, of course, have to consider the habits and uniqueness of Americans. For instance, Americans will recite Sutras in English because they don’t necessarily know Chinese. So we have to translate Buddhist scriptures into English. Also, Buddhism requires monastics to be vegetarians and celibate. Some Americans left the householder’s life on impulse, and yet couldn’t tolerate the lonely monastic life. They may return to laylife, but they shouldn’t ruin the rules laid down by Buddhism.
Q : Besides cultivating our own minds while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, and to correct our bad habits, what Sutras should we recite?
A : Start with the Shurangama Sutra.
Q : The Shurangama Sutra is so profound that I only know how to read it, but I don’t quite understand it.
A : Read it every day and you will eventually understand it one day.
Q : The Earth Store Sutra has many ghosts and spirits. I don’t dare to recite it.
A : Ghosts and spirits are Bodhisattvas manifested. What is there to be afraid of? Do you have ghosts in your heart?
Q : In which destiny was I, in my last incarnation?
A : The Vajra Sutra says, “What is in the past cannot be attained.” As long as you do more good deeds, recite the Buddha’s name more, everything will naturally be peaceful. Major disasters will turn into minor disasters; minor disasters will turn into no disasters.
Q : Who do the Buddha images have to be adorned?
A : Because when sentient beings see adorned Buddha images, they will feel respectful and will be inspired to make the resolve to attain Bodhi.
Q : Why do we need so many monasteries?
A : There will be many Buddhists in the future. We will not have enough monasteries to serve them.
Q : Can anyone make the resolution to save the deceased in the ten Dharma Realms or will this be effective only if done by enlightened, virtuous Sanghans?
A : Of course virtuous Sanghans who are enlightened can do this, but everyone can save the deceased in the Ten Dharma Realms too. By being a good person, you are saving the deceased.
Q : Of what use is it to bow to Buddha statues made of wood?
A : Buddha statues are not the Buddhas; the Buddhas are everyone. There’s not one spot that the Dharma body of Buddhas fails to reach. Wooden statues are figures representing the significance of Buddhas in the same way that citizens salute their national flag though it is a piece of fabric or canvas. What is the use of saluting them?
Q : How can a mote of dust contain a three-fold great-thousand world system?
A : You should know why a three-fold great-thousand world system cannot be contained in a mote of dust. If you understand that principle, you would understand how they can be contained therein. The Avatamsaka is just this inconceivable!
Q : How do the results different for those who practice asceticism, scholarship, and the propagation of Dharma?
A : By sowing melons, we reap melons; by sowing beans, we reap beans. as is the cause, so is the effect.
Q : What are the advantages to reciting Sutras?
A : There’s not much advantage to reciting Sutras. It takes a lot of energy, time and effort. Your question is foolish, so my first answer is chiding. In fact, the advantages that you can see are not real. Anything that has a characteristic is illusory and false. Any tangible advantage cannot be a plus. What are intangible advantages? Every time you recite a Sutra, you cleanse your self-nature and enhance your wisdom. What is invisible to the eye is honest advantage. Superficialities are visible. This is an explanation for the importance of Sutra recitations.
Q : Chinese monasteries do a ritual for feeding ghosts and spirits, called “Releases at Mt. Meng.” What is it?
A : Great Master the Sixth Patriarch told Hui Ming to go and stay at Mt. Meng in Yuan Province. Instead of going immediately, Hui Ming went three years later. There, he met a ghost who used to be a scholar in the ranks of today’s Ph.D. Despite having become a ghost, he continued to create poems. He wrote a poem after seeing Great Master Hui Ming, which says:
Dreams are long here in this wild and forlorn desolation.
I have become too languid to care about success or failure, about past and present,
Or how many bunches of grass I have pulled and bouquets of flowers I have picked.
The bitter rain and the biting wind almost break my heart.
I flit in and out with the fireflies during the dark of the night.
My shadow of a form I hide when cocks crow at first light.
My only regret is not having cultivated the mind-ground from the start.
Hence my fall into the realm of phantoms.
Oh, the tears roll down my face.
Great Master Hui Ming heard the ghost sing this poem and explained Dharma for him. The former scholar was saved as a result and became reborn in a higher incarnation. This is how “Releases at Mt. Meng” came about. Releases at Mt. Meng are about saving ghosts.
Q : The Saha World is a polluted land; a world in the Flower Treasury is a pure land. The Buddha spoke the Avatamsaka Sutra in a Flower Treasury world. Does this mean that the Buddha left the Saha World and went to a Flower Treasury world?
A : He didn’t leave; he’s still in the Saha World. Saha is Flower Treasury, and Flower Treasury is Saha. This is a mixture of impurity and purity, a state that is neither pure nor impure.
Q : What are the Flower Treasury Worlds?
A : They are called worlds of the Flower Treasury because they arose from the great lotus in the Sea of Perfume. The flower contains worlds as many as motes of dust. There are twenty layers to each world. Each layer has infinite worlds. The Saha World on which we live is on the thirteenth layer.
Q : Can insentient beings restore their spiritual nature?
A : Yes, if they were to meet the right people who speak Dharma for them. Just as “When the Honorable Shen spoke Dharma, obdurate rocks nodded, too.” They could restore their spiritual sense only if they were to meet a sage or an arhat.
Q : By Venerable Master: What heirloom do we own?
A : We own an heirloom that is the true mind. It is the wondrous and enlightened nature of understanding that always dwells in the Tathagatha’s Treasury. It’s not the visible and tangible world of gold, silver, and gems.
Q : Master, what should I do? My grandson died.
A : Why do you still react this way despite having studied Buddhism? Birth and death are the same!
“All the Buddhas of the past attained Buddhahood by sitting in the vajra position”
Ven. Master Hsuan Hua