Talk about Buddha worshippers.

Yu Qiuyu: Four Charismas of Buddhism

Compared with the inherent categories of Chinese traditional culture, what special charms of Buddhism have attracted the people of China? To answer this question is academically risky and easy to offend many traditional cultural factions. But I still want to talk about some personal shallow views from the way of existence.

the first special charm of Buddhism lies in its concentrated attention and in-depth analysis of world life.

other theories will also pay attention to life, but they are often not focused and in-depth, and they "slip their teeth" without saying a few words, or move to other issues that they think are more important. They always believe that life problems are valuable only if they support other problems, and there is no significance to study them separately.

Buddhism, the only one, will never shift, always focusing on life, old age, illness and death, and exploring the way to get rid of the suffering of life.

At first glance, those problems that have been transferred are vast and grand, which are related to the kingly country, the bloody battle, the honor and disgrace of the family, and the charm of fame and honor. But when you think about it carefully, it is only one-sided history, the cross section of time and space, the floating surface of life, and it is very likely to brew the pain of others and yourself, and the ups and downs are impermanent and fleeting. Buddhism sees through all this, so it puts these problems on hold, lets them cool down slowly, and guides people's attention to life and life topics that are always related to everyone.

Because of this, even a generation of Confucian scholars will be lost in thought when they hear the chanting of the Brahma, even the foot soldiers will be heartbroken when they hear the morning bells and drums, and even the royal nobles will burn incense and salute when they meet the famous temples. Buddhism touched their * * * identical problem, and it was a * * * identical problem that none of them really solved. This is the first reason why it is attractive.

The second special charm of Buddhism lies in its quick and thorough argument.

Life and life topics are so big that I don't know how many speculative detours will be entangled and how many words will be mired if we talk about them in general. Buddhism, on the other hand, is clean and neat, like mercury pouring down the ground, refreshing and decisive, without any turbidity. As soon as I came up, I asserted that life is bitter. The cause of suffering is greed. The reason for greed is ignorance. If we want to eliminate suffering, we should realize that everything has no substance, but karma is gathering and dispersing, everything is changing, life and death are causal, and even "I" is an illusion, so we should not be persistent in falsehood. By establishing the concepts of "no self" and "impermanence" and holding the heart of "kindness, sadness, joy and abandonment", we can lead all beings to get rid of samsara, enter infinity and reach nirvana.

the third special charm of Buddhism lies in the practical rules of participation.

as soon as you hear it, I understand that I'm talking about precepts. There are many Buddhist precepts, some of which are very strict, which will deter people from participating, but on the contrary, the precepts have increased the attraction of Buddhism.

Buddhist precepts are difficult step by step, but clear step by step. On the first day, it may not correspond to the highest realm of Buddhism, but as long as we act first, we can let the practitioners slowly clean up their mood, settle down from the precepts, and then get bored and gradually sprout wisdom. By this time, the purity of the highest realm may be looming in front of us. Buddhism's "abstinence, determination and wisdom" expresses this procedure.

If most ordained believers may not be able to reach the highest level, then they are already marching in this cultivation process, and there are classmates and friends around, which will naturally produce a sense of collective belonging.

This is its superiority, but in the period of China, some sects were too dependent on understanding, not assiduous, and despised the precepts and rules, which, of course, helped many experts to complete their spiritual leaps, but also opened the door to excessive convenience for more believers who might not be truly enlightened. Correspondingly, the Pure Land Sect, which was particularly popular in the Tang Dynasty, also appeared to be "easy to do". After this momentum accumulated, the serious consequences of the vain Zen style have appeared. This also shows from the opposite side that it is still important for Buddhism to practice precepts, and we should not be too smart, too freehand and too impatient.

This reminds me of Master Hongyi. He entered Buddhism from a talented modern cultural person, and it is reasonable to choose Zen or Pure Land Sect, but he finally chose Nanshan Law Sect with strict discipline. I think this is the fault that he is too clever, too freehand and too impatient in his determination to avoid modern intellectuals. This choice made him truly become a generation of monks.

Of course, many people have always been close to Buddhism just to pursue peace of mind, freedom and relaxation. There is no self-discipline in practice, which is another matter.

The fourth special charm of Buddhism lies in its powerful and touching team.

Since Buddhism was introduced to China, people's understanding of Buddhism has often been acquired through the manners, words and deeds, and dress etiquette of monks, mages, lamas and living buddhas. From generation to generation, the names of monks' robes have become the main signal for people to perceive Buddhism. Their virtue and kindness have also become a direct model for people to understand their beliefs. Buddhism has shown obvious characteristics of personification since Sakyamuni, and it has popularized Buddhist ideas with countless personality images by monks all over the world.

Within a group like the Sangha, a series of principles of harmony have been stipulated, such as the so-called "six harmonies" of "abstaining from harmony", "seeing harmony", "benefiting harmony", "body harmony", "oral harmony" and "meaning harmony"; In addition, some self-review systems and inquiry and financing systems have effectively reduced the contradictions and conflicts between them and increased the overall synergy.

Even if this Sangha team is put into all spiritual and cultural combinations in the world, it is particularly strong and lasting, and because its main behavior is to persuade the good to save the suffering, it is deeply welcomed by the people with a touching image.

The above four special charms of Buddhism are aimed at the weakness of Chinese traditional culture in its way of existence, which has become the reason why it has finally merged into Chinese culture.