Don't Know Enlightenment and Liberation, What are Monks in Pagoda Practicing?
Ngày đăng: 16-04-2021
Enlightenment means understanding while money-enlightenment fills the pocket. Enlightenment can not buy you any material things, but with money-enlightenment, you can buy anything you want. Money, so tempting!
Student asked:
Buddhism is the Path to enlightenment and liberation. If monks do not know about these two concepts, what are they cultivating?
Teacher replied:
In Buddhism, there are six dharma methods, and they are divided into two types:
One: Five physical dharma methods: Theravada, Middle Way, Mahayana, Pure Land Buddhism, Mantra Buddhism. Besides, there are worship rituals (worship originated from Taoism), recitation and chanting ritual, or praying ritual (praying originated from God’s path). Overall, It is very good that many people try to find different ways to practice for a better life. However, Why do worshiping, chanting, praying … are misunderstood to be part of buddhism’s practices? Because the buddhist sangha of vietnam has declared that buddhism has 84,000 dharma methods, so monks assume whatever practice they are following are from buddhism, and no one can disagree with their wrongdoings.
Two: Zen Buddhism: learn to be enlightened and liberated.
That’s why It is extremely difficult to popularize zen buddhism. It was published only a few years ago but has been reviled badly. Not only that, Zen pagoda has been threatened to be shut down because of helping people become enlightened. In the future, this zen pagoda will be demolished. If the government enforces the constitution and the law properly, this pagoda will survive for some time. However, if the government does not enforce it well, they will put an end to zen pagoda.
Student asked:
If the monk who practices the Buddha's teachings wrongly, is there any cause and effect?
Teacher replied:
In the Sutra of the past vows of earth store Bodhisattva, the Earth Store (Ksitigarbha) Bodhisattva has a saying: All thoughts and actions create cause and effect. Whether the karmic retribution is heavy or light depends on your great or small thoughts and actions in this world. Nothing is outside the Law of cause and effect. Just a single thought triggers the cause and effect law. Who can escape from this rule. If we want to get liberation from this rule, we must escape from the pulling and swirling force of this physical world, so that our thought or action can be unbounded.
Student asked:
Buddhism is the teaching of liberation, but why no monks teach us liberation?
Teacher replied:
Now in Vietnam, there are 18,600 pagodas. Can you show me which pagoda does not have a worship service? How can a worship pagoda result in liberation? Liberation is only found in a pagoda that does not offer worshiping and its name board indicates “Teaching enlightenment - Liberation formula” officially.
A pagoda with an expertise in enlightenment and Liberation can guide you to liberation. Whereas, a pagoda specializing in worship knows nothing about this. In a word, I confirm that among over 18,600 pagodas in Vietnam, none of them knows what enlightenment is, let alone how to practice enlightenment.
Student asked:
What is the karmic retribution for a buddhist monk practicing according to their own imagination?
Teacher replied:
Imagining then taking action certainly has a karmic result. If that is a positive imagination, the person performs a good deed. If that imagination is in a negative direction, it leads to an evil deed. Briefly, when there is an action, the cause and effect law applies. The results are either good or evil, not all results are evil. We are living in a rule- based world, no matter what we practice, creating a good deed to be reincarnated to heaven, creating an evil deed to be reincarnated to hell, and deceiving others to be reincarnated to forests.
Buddhism is the teachings of Liberation. If you don't know how to get liberation but lie to others to deceive for money, you will be reincarnated into plants to pay debts.
Student asked:
Buddhism is the teaching of enlightenment and liberation. Why don't the monks open pagodas to teach these two things, but teach worshiping?
Teacher replied:
Yes, currently people cultivate to attain enlightenment. Do you know what they are enlightened about? Money enlightened! Enlightenment means understanding while money-enlightenment fills their pocket. Enlightenment can not buy you any material things, but with money-enlightenment, you can buy anything you want. Money, so tempting!
Therefore, people build pagodas to have money-enlightenment, have a more comfortable life. While enlightenment brings you knowledge, not money. How can we live without money? Even an omniscient and omnipotent person feels hungry like a commoner.
Student asked:
Buddhism is the Enlightenment Path, helping humans to understand everything. Why do monks only teach worship? How to make them follow the Buddha's teachings properly?
Teacher replied:
For people to understand, the Zen Buddhism Science Teachings has to be published. When the monks have read it, they will understand the Buddha’s teachings and stop worshiping.
Take you as an example, In the past, because you didn't understand so you also went to pagodas to bow. But now you understand, you just relax at home or go somewhere else. What is worshipping for? Why do you waste your time? Cults are superstitions of humans. We have understood that there are five species living together on earth: Asuras, Human Beings, Hungry Ghost, Animals, Hell. Please think among these 5 species, whom we should make offerings to? If we make offerings to our dead grandparents, Please think how they can come to eat because they are already reincarnated to other places? Make offerings to Buddha? Buddhas are the one getting liberation from this physical world, and don’t dare to go back - Buddhas don’t live here.
Buddha taught about ENLIGHTENMENT, but they reviled him. They tell the person imparting enlightenment teaching ‘Go to hell’. Buddha would die if he dared to come here. Buddha is darker than vietnamese, so suppose he came here, “What! This dark man should be the King of mara, can not be a buddha” people will curse him. That's why the Buddha said: Tathagata had better get out of here to have the golden body of buddha, not dare to come here, human beings are really cruel, they have 16 natures in which cruelty brings death to everything, even destroys this earth. Such is human nature!
Student asked:
Buddhist practitioners should practice the same way, why do they practice inconsistently?
Teacher replied:
Because they do not have the fundamental principles of Buddhism teachings, so they cultivate according to their own imagination.
For example: You are a civil engineer, you should qualify a construction practice certificate, so that when you build a 10- story apartment, every floor you build with the same process. Without a construction certificate, just rely on one’s own imagination, do you think the building can be completed in the right way?
Therefore, if you practice Buddhism, or practice any Path, you must have a teaching book. It is the guideline for followers to cultivate. Practicing without a guide is like going without knowing where you want to go.
Zen Rectification - Zen Questions of Zen Buddhism May 23rd, 2020
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