Historical and religious issues, Taoism, Buddhism, and who has higher philosophical cultivation?

Taoism is not Taoism.

Taoism aims at immortality, but Taoism does not. The Tao Te Ching does not say this.

Taoism’s inaction is actually no different from Buddhism.

The sage's inaction is not just to act in accordance with the times, but to do nothing without doing anything. Wuwei means a state of mind that is free from attachment, discrimination, and delusion, while Wuwei means doing everything in behavior.

The Tao Te Ching says: Therefore, the saint travels all day long without leaving his luggage. Although there is a view of glory, Yan is aloof. Never interpret inaction as "just moving with the times."

The Diamond Sutra says: In this way, countless and boundless sentient beings can be annihilated, but in fact no sentient being can be annihilated.

Therefore, there is no difference between the Buddha's path and the same destination through different paths. The true inaction is doing without doing, doing without doing, and the mind is not contaminated. Do it with enthusiasm on the surface but as if nothing has happened in your heart.

Understand this meaning, which is where the twelve parts of the Tripitaka of Buddhism are located. That is, there is no duality in emptiness, and there is morality in the emptiness of dependent origin.

Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are all about cultivating the mind. Mencius said: There is nothing better than cultivating the mind.

Cultivation of the mind is the fundamental method. Although Taoism adheres to Taoism, its practice focuses on self-cultivation and fails to grasp the fundamentals. Moreover, the Buddhist scriptures are vast, with 84,000 Dharma doors.

Wang Bi of the Jin Dynasty read the Buddhist scriptures deeply and sighed after reading the Buddhist scriptures: "It is perfect, but not perfect!" The Taoist theory is concise and concise, and those who are not Mahayana masters will not be able to understand the meaning of the saints. For example, in Buddhism, the 5-vehicle teachings are gradual and gradual. Even those with middle and lower abilities can gradually enter the Taoist door.

So although we have the same destination, the distance is different.

1. The Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao; the name can be named, but it is not named. The Tao Te Ching tells the truth about the universe at the beginning, it is straightforward, true and meaningful!

When Bhikshuni Wuhuizang asked the Sixth Patriarch Huineng for advice, the master said he could not read. She said you can’t even read, how can you understand the scriptures? The master replied: The wonderful principles of the Buddhas are not related to words, but the nuns are very different. The Buddha has been preaching the Dharma for many years, but he asked: Subhuti, what do you mean? Does the Tathagata have any Dharma? He also said that all dharma is Buddhist dharma. The Dharma is not the Dharma.

Buddhist teachings say that "words are cut off, and mental conduct is destroyed." , not to mention illegal." "What the Tathagata says is undesirable and unspeakable. Illegal is not illegal."

Everyone in ancient and modern times talks about the ontology of the universe, the smallest component that makes up the world. "Zhuangzi - Tianxia Chapter" also said: "One foot of a stick, half of it is taken every day, and it will be inexhaustible for eternity." This shows that matter is infinitely divisible and there is never any smallest component! The Buddhist Vasubandhu Bodhisattva stated in "Twenty Verses of Consciousness Only" that "the extremely subtle and the six are combined into six parts, and if they are together with the six, they are like the extremely subtle." The smallest ingredient - "tiny", is the reason why it does not exist at all.

Qui Ji's "Shuji" said: "The extremely subtle place in the east is unreasonable and there are more than the minimal in the five directions." In this way, a very subtle can be divided into six components. Since a Jiwei can be divided into six components, can Jiwei still be called Jiwei? A micro is a unit that is extremely small and cannot be divided. Since it can be divided into six components, it must not be the smallest unit. If it is not the smallest physical unit, then it is not a micro. This is a mistake that goes against self-teaching. What else do you have to say?

The conclusion is: the smallest component of the material world does not exist! In other words: the smallest component is not "real (objective reality)" at all!

The "minimum non-reality theory" of consciousness-only theory seems to be the content of consciousness-only theory that resonates most with modern science. Consciousness-only theory points out: "If you analyze it more deeply, it will appear empty and not called form." The basic knowledge of chemistry tells us that atoms are the smallest units that maintain the chemical properties of all substances, that is, they make all kinds of substances The smallest unit that distinguishes each other, such as the difference between hydrogen and oxygen, is that the hydrogen atom is different from the oxygen atom. All microscopic particles below the atomic level "are empty and not called color." ("Color" means matter) First of all, these microscopic particles have lost the characteristics of various types of matter and have no individuality at all. For example, all electrons are exactly the same. , all protons are exactly the same, unlike every atom that represents a kind of substance, so it can be said that microscopic particles are "not called color". Secondly, the properties of these microscopic particles are also "empty-like".

For example, the mass loss of particles will be converted into energy, the annihilation of positive and negative particles will be converted into energy, and particles can be created from energy, and even particles can be produced from zero energy (because energy can also be divided into positive and negative). The mutual conversion between particles and energy best reflects the emptiness of basic particles (that is, there is no eternal, unchangeable, indecomposable ontology).

2. Therefore, "always have no desire" to observe its wonderfulness, and "always have desire" to observe its pleasure. The state of "always having no desires" is the state of "going deep into the Prajnaparamita". "Wonderful" is actually the actual quantity, which refers to the original appearance and true existence, and refers to the original state and attributes. Buddhism talks about "pure original nature" and "permanent wonderful brightness."

"徼" is something superficial, something external. "Always have no desire to observe its wonderful things, always have desires to observe its wonders." This is about epistemology. In Buddhism, the relationship between the six roots, six consciousnesses and six objects is called the six entrances, the twelve bases and the eighteen realms. Lao Tzu only used the word "desire" to summarize it.

"Yi" There is no thought, no action, silence and no movement, so the feeling can connect to the world. Who else can compare to this, except the supreme god in the world. "No thought," "inaction," and "still stillness" are exactly the cognitive state of "always without desire." "The reason why one can understand the world through feeling" is "observation of its wonders." "The Doctrine of the Mean" says: “Only sincerity in the world is the great scripture that can manage the world, establish the foundation of the world, and understand the transformation and upbringing of heaven and earth. "The "sincerity" here also belongs to the cognitive state of "always without desire", and "knowing the transformation and education of heaven and earth" belongs to "observing its wonders".

Sakyamuni Buddha summed it up as: "All the conditions of color and mind As the mind makes it possible, all objects are manifested only by the mind. Your body and your mind are all things that appear in your wonderfully bright and truly exquisite mind. " And Laozi concluded: "The two have the same origin but different names. They are both called xuan. "This is the mental method that the great wise man has witnessed, and it is also the testimony of the realization of the true existence of the truth!

3. The reason why I have a big patient is that I have a body, and I have no body. What's wrong with me?

Confucius said: "Don't worry, don't be stubborn, don't worry about me." You don’t have to be certain about what you do, just follow the destiny, do whatever you can, change things with your power, there is no fixed law. “Don’t be so stubborn,” follow the dark path to the end. “Don’t be self-obsessed.” The innate egoistic view often draws lines with me as the center, does things with me as the center, and makes all kinds of emotional reactions with me as the center. In fact, the behavior of a gentleman or a person who can achieve success must be. To let go of the ego, you must think more about others, satisfy others' wishes more, make others happy more, and be more considerate of others' needs. This is the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's constant obedience to all living beings.

Sakyamuni. The Buddha said: "There is no sign of self, no sign of no one, no sign of living beings, and no sign of lifespan. "

And the "Dhammapada" also says: In the past, the World Honored One was in Gion Vihara, and there were four monks who discussed who was the most miserable in the world? One word was lust, two eyes were hungry and thirsty, and the other word was anger. Hate, one word is frightening, and the Buddha continues to criticize me: "What you are talking about does not understand the meaning of suffering. There is no suffering in the world more than having a body. Hunger, thirst, anger, lust, and hatred are all caused by having a body. The body is the root of all suffering and the source of disaster! "

4. The "ignorance" that "often makes people ignorant and desireless" means that there should be no "ignorance" and no "knowledge" of distinction. Because "knowing and seeing immediately means knowing without knowing". Mingben. "Ignorance" does not mean "ignorance". This is to tell people not to be ignorant! The "ignorance" mentioned by Lao Tzu here means not knowing how to see. Therefore, Lao Tzu wants people (the people) to turn their understanding into wisdom, "always "To make" (open, reveal, enlighten, enter) people "know and understand".

"To make people ignorant and without desires" is exactly what Buddhism talks about to break up the confusion of views. "Knowing" is the confusion of views. , "Desire" is the confusion of thoughts. The confusion of views brings "obstructions of knowledge" to people, and "confusion of thoughts" brings "obstructions of troubles" to people. All the sufferings of sentient beings are caused by these two obstacles.

< p>The "ignorance" that Lao Tzu talks about is not "ignorance", but the sage wisdom that realizes the ultimate truth and is the indistinguishable wisdom of ordinary people. The Tathagata calls it "the root of ignorance" and it is ours. The biggest obstacle is not to reveal the original wisdom. Only by clearing this kind of "knowledge" can we escape from the ignorance of ignorance. Therefore, the Buddha said: "Knowing and seeing are the origin of ignorance; knowing and seeing is without seeing." Nirvana, true purity without leakage. "Because we cannot understand the one phase of the Dharma Realm, we say that the mind has ignorance."

5. Ordinary people "do not know the ordinary and do evil in vain". They can't help but have dualistic opposition in their minds and have delusional thoughts. If it continues, this is the time when movement is not good.

In the situation of things, seize the opportunity, educate and enlighten students, peck and spat at the same time, and never miss the opportunity. This is the "good time" for Zen masters to teach well. The sage Confucius said, "If you are not angry, you will not be enlightened, and if you are not angry, you will not be angry. If you take one corner and don't turn it back with three, it will never come back." This is also a "good time to move."

Living in a good place and having a good heart: A person with a pure heart will find pure lands wherever he goes, that is, "living in a good place". "Xinshanyuan" is a liberated person who truly opens his wisdom. He is very open-minded and soft in body and mind. If we don't understand, we can learn from it!

6. When you welcome someone, you don’t see the head, and then you don’t see the behind. Stick to the ancient way. . There is no beginning in front and no end in behind. Buddhists say that "there is no beginning in front and no end in behind", which all mean the same thing. Tao has existed since ancient times. Confucius said: Tell without writing. Confucius said that he was just repeating what the ancient sages said, without any invention or creation. Mencius also said that all things are prepared for me. Buddhism talks about "self-nature, truth, dharma body...", Christianity talks about the ultimate truth, and Plato says the truth is in your heart. Truth comes from the heart and cannot be obtained through the development of natural science and technology.

The Great Way is the way it is and never leaves our sincerity.

9. Therefore, a saint travels all day long without leaving his luggage. Although there is a view of glory, Yan is aloof.

General wisdom thinks that Taoists are free from the world or act according to the times, but this sentence shows: Those who want to learn the way of saints should be able to shoulder all the burdens of pain for the world and all living beings. Wishful thinking, never lose sight of this sense of responsibility. This is the original meaning of "a saint walks all day long without leaving his luggage". "Walking all day long without leaving one's baggage" means that people who aspire to be saints should always be cautious of fear and have a sense of responsibility to save the world and save people anytime and anywhere. If a truly virtuous person reaches this status, even though he is in the "view of glory", he will still be indifferent and nihilistic, and will not change his original simplicity; even though he is in glory and wealth, he will still be aloof and unworthy of merit. Becoming famous, rich, and glorious, but exhausting one's heart, is the way for a virtuous person to live his life. The word "guan" in "Rongguan" here is a broken pronunciation. It should be read as the word "guan" for ancient buildings, not the word "guan" for viewing. The word "Yan", commonly known as "Yan", means quiet.

This is "those who can annihilate countless and boundless sentient beings in this way, and in fact no sentient beings can be annihilated." The true inaction, doing without doing, doing without doing, the mind is not contaminated. Do it with enthusiasm on the surface but as if nothing has happened in your heart. Inaction does not mean passively withdrawing from the world and not doing anything; nor does it mean simply following the laws of nature and acting accordingly. Confucius, a sage, "does what cannot be done". On the surface, it seems to be "doing something". This is really a misinterpretation of the original intention of the saints. The Diamond Sutra also mentions that "all sages regard non-action as the Dharma, and there are differences." Although saints have different degrees of sainthood, they all forget about things and themselves, and are unfazed by favors and disgrace, which is what the Diamond Sutra says. It is said that "there is no self-image, no human being, all living beings, and longevity." In my opinion, Jesus is also a Bodhisattva. Although his teachings and teachings are different from ours, he still teaches according to circumstances and preaches as the opportunity arises (according to the root causes and conditions of Westerners: at that time, the West had that level of environment and civilization, and could not accept higher and deeper teachings. (principle), that is, "follow what all sentient beings should know and understand"; finally, take the initiative to sacrifice one's life for righteousness and atone for the sins of all sentient beings. It seems that Jesus Christ is also the saint who broke the "dual opposition" because he knew that all living beings are one, otherwise how could he be willing to give up his body; if all living beings are not one, how can all living beings benefit from Jesus' atonement? Therefore, the fundamental criterion for judging the inaction of a true saint is the "heart and ground"!

"Although there is a view of glory" when glory and wealth come, it is also "detached" and treats it with a normal heart.

Mencius said: Wherever the Tao is, even if there are thousands of people, I will go there!

10 If you don’t leave home, you will know the world; if you don’t peek outside, you will see the way of heaven. Its journey is far away and its knowledge is limited. Therefore, the sage knows without doing, understands without seeing, and achieves without doing.

Tao is omnipresent, and the truth of the Dharma Realm is also omnipresent and transcends time and space. There is no need to go far away to find the Tao or the Pure Land in other worlds, because I am in the embrace of the Tao right now, so where else can I go to find it? ! I don’t have to open the windows, I don’t have to seek the truth externally. In the previous article, there is no need to go to other worlds to find it, and in the second article, there is no need to seek the Dharma externally, and there is no need to go outside to find it. You can still see the way of heaven. To achieve without doing anything is to come to a state of no cultivation, no realization, and no gain.

Lu Jiuyuan, a famous Neo-Confucian scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, said: "The internal affairs of the universe are the internal affairs of oneself; the internal affairs of oneself are the internal affairs of the universe. My heart is the universe, and the universe is my heart." This means the harmony between nature and man. 1. The state of things being the same as myself. Subject and object are different aspects of Tao, just like the front and back of a coin.

Leaving oneself to seek truth from outside is just like seeking a fish from a tree, going in the wrong direction, and it is doomed to be in vain and unavailable.

11. The more you learn, the more you lose. The more you lose, the more you lose, until you do nothing.

The more obstacles and obstacles there are, the more obstacles will cover the Tao mind. When the Bodhisattva's self-grasping and Dharma-grasping are eliminated, he will reach Wuwei (one true Dharma realm). Therefore, the Buddhists say: The Dharma should be given up, let alone the illegal one!

13. Those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know.

The "Vimalakīrti Sutra" talks about the non-dual Dharma, but Vimalakīrti is the only one who is "silent and speechless". The great wisdom Manjusri sighed: "How good! How good! Even without written language, this is the true non-dual Dharma." "The Diamond Sutra says: "If someone says that the Tathagata has a teaching, it is a slander against the Buddha." "Subhuti, the Dharma cannot be explained." "The wonderful principles of the Buddhas are not related to words." "Faith. "Inscription" says: "Too many words and many worries will not make sense; if you speak too much and worry too much, you will not understand everything."

The dialogue between Duke Huan and Lun Bian in "Zhuangzi: The Way of Heaven" makes it very clear. "Gong Huan was reading in the hall. He flattened the wheel and cut it at the bottom of the hall. He came up and chiseled the vertebrae. He asked Duke Huan, "May I ask what the reader said?" The Duke said, "These are the words of a sage." He said, "A sage." "You care?" The Duke said, "You are already dead." He said, "But the readers of the king are the worst of the ancients." Duke Huan said, "If you have something to say, you can discuss it if you don't." Then he will die. "Lun Bian said: "I also look at it as a minister. If it is slow, it will be sweet but not solid, and if it is not slow, it will be painful. It cannot be said that there are countless things in it. I can't use it as a metaphor for my son, and my son can't accept it from me. Therefore, when he is seventy years old, he will die because he can't pass it on. Reader, the ancients have done a terrible job! '" Indeed, the subtleties of "what you get in your hands are in your heart, but what you can't tell in words" are only known to those who have witnessed it. Lun Bian’s ability to realize and comprehend the things that he is able to do with ease shows that the heart and hands are connected to each other without hindrance, but the language of the two elements is feeble to express the ease of the one element. This just shows that the polarity of the two phases can only be "observed" (bad) if you have a desire to know it, while you can "observe its beauty" (excellent but unable to express it) of one phase if you have no desire to know it.

14. Those who were good in ancient times would not be able to enlighten the people, but would be ignorant (simple and honest). The people are difficult to govern because of their wisdom. Therefore, if you govern a country with wisdom, you will be a traitor to the country; if you do not govern a country with wisdom, you will be a blessing to the country.

Confucius said: "The people can follow it, but they cannot understand it." This is the same reason as Laozi's "Those who were good in ancient times would not understand the people, but they would be ignorant." "To make it possible" means to get rid of the shackles of the people's dualistic concepts, to educate the people to understand that the method of "knowing with desire" is wrong, to indulge in sensory pleasure is wrong, not to polarize people's instinct of "desire", "to make the people's hearts Not messy”. Therefore, the sage transforms the people and rescues them from desires and enters the freedom of desire-free freedom. Zhuangzi calls this "happy wandering".

Since ancient times, if a person who truly understands and understands the Tao wants to educate or inspire all living beings, he or she must not show off his worldly wisdom and eloquence, and show that he is, I am, and I am slow, but he must become smarter and smarter. , the more powerful it is, because this is the more inflated human ego. With the stupidity of ignorance, don't think that the liberated person is pursuing a policy of obscuring the people, but that you can return to your original nature and return to your honest, simple, loyal and honest nature.

"The people are difficult to govern" Why are the people difficult to govern? "It is because of its wisdom." Because of cleverness, fraud, and worldly wisdom, the more wrong education methods are used, the more cunning the people will become, and the more they will exploit legal loopholes or commit smart crimes. These are all wrong education and teachings. come out. "Therefore, if you govern a country with wisdom, you are a thief of the country." If you govern a country with worldly thinking and worldly wisdom, you are a thief of the country, and the more you govern, the more chaos you will get. Such popularization of education is not necessarily a good thing. On the contrary, the people will lose their sincerity and go further away from the Tao.

15. I have three treasures, keep them and protect them. The first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world.

Compassion means saving all sentient beings; frugality means being indifferent to desires and having a pure heart; not daring to do anything for the world is first because you realize that the entire Dharma Realm is a selfless and selfless spirit. After enlightenment, it means "not fighting with all living beings" , and will be willing to be second to everyone.

Lao Tzu's Three Jewels are exactly what the Buddhists call benefiting sentient beings ("compassion"), decorating the Buddha's land ("frugality"), and not seeking happiness for oneself, but wishing all living beings to be freed from suffering (" Don’t dare to be the first for the world”).

16. Know, don’t know, superior; don’t know, know, sick.

You know "you don't know", that is the true knowing! If you can know and say "Oh! I really don't know", know "ignorance".

When we talked about the Twelve Dependent Originations, we talked about the most profound ones, but when I talked about these, I was attacked again! Said: "That's not what other classics say!" Okay! Whatever! The Twelve Dependent Originations taught by the Buddha explore the first cause, and finally arrive at "ignorance." I mentioned in the Agama Sutra course that the final answer to all questions is "no answer." The final answer to the question is "no answer". If you think you are good, I am very knowledgeable and knowledgeable. I know everything and understand everything. On the one hand, it is because you are in the world of ignorance, but you don't know ; On the one hand, you are showing that I am, I am capable, and I am slow, but you don’t know it; on the other hand, you are in a sea of ??suffering, but you don’t know it yet, and you are still in a state of paralysis. Therefore, knowing "not knowing" is the real "knowing".

Buddhists say: Knowledge and seeing establishes knowledge, which is the origin of ignorance; knowing and seeing without seeing is the root of nirvana. Same reason.

17. If there is a big grievance, there will always be residual grievances. How can we do good? Therefore, the sage holds the left contract and does not blame others. There is Desiqi, but there is no Desiche. Heaven has no relatives and always associates with good people.

Resolving grievances through reconciliation, but there will still be grievances left after reconciliation. This is not the best way, so it cannot be called a good thing. Because reconciliation is the harmony of two phases, not the fusion of one phase. Only when there is no two and one phase, and the same body without distinction, can there be no resentment, let alone residual resentment. Lao Tzu wants people to understand each other and be harmonious without any grudges. This is the only way to do good. Lao Tzu advocates "repaying grievances with virtue", Buddha advocates "if someone beats someone, it is the same as praise", and the absence of resentment should be regarded as "harmony" in harmony with grievances, "if someone beats someone" (beating or scolding), it should be regarded as praise, naturally Not far from the road. "Therefore, the sage holds the deed and does not bear any responsibility to others." He has a deed (contract) from the creditor but has no intention to repay the creditor's rights. Buddhism calls the three-wheeled body empty (claims, debts and debts are all empty and have no inherent nature), and there is nothing to do. Don’t give without expecting anything in return, and don’t have the intention to seek repayment. The Tao has one phase, how can one phase be able to do what it needs to do? ! Therefore, those who have the Tao understand the Tao, the three-wheeled body is empty, there is no one and nothing, how can there be any blame for others? One of the characteristics of a virtuous human body ("a virtuous person is a virtuous person") is that he has no demands, no demands, no one and no self. He is devoted to giving and giving in life, "doing things without fighting", "benefiting without harming". An unvirtuous person is obsessed with two things and has a different mind, so he clings to it like asking for taxes, polarity is polarized, people and I are in opposition, joy and anger are in harmony, selfish desires are endless, closeness and distance are fierce, discrimination is clear, and violation is The Tao of Heaven is equal, which is different from the selflessness, desirelessness, inaction and nature of "Tao".

The Diamond Sutra says: Subhuti! The Paramita of Patience is not the Paramita of Patience. Why? Subhuti! Just like when I cut off my body for King Kali, at that time, I had no appearance of myself, no appearance of anyone, no appearance of living beings, and no appearance of a life-span. Why? When I was dismembering each other in the past, if I had the appearance of myself, the appearance of people, the appearance of sentient beings, or the appearance of living beings, I should have resentment.

If you are not attached to others, you will naturally not be harsh on others.

Although there have been ups and downs in history, in general, because Buddhism has strict doctrines and the strongest logic, the number of classics preached by the Buddha personally is as many as twelve, which is vast. . Wang Bi of the Jin Dynasty said after reading Laozi's Tao Te Ching: It is perfect but not perfect. That is to say, although the Tao Te Ching is of a very high level, there are too few words after all, and the principles of the Tao cannot be fully and thoroughly explained. Only saints can truly understand it. According to the Buddhist scriptures, even people with moderate abilities can gradually gain enlightenment and enter the Tao.

Therefore, there are countless Chinese literati since ancient times who either came from Confucianism to Buddhism or from Taoism to Buddhism. Wang Yangming of the Ming Dynasty studied Buddhism and used Buddhism to understand the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, only to discover that the realms of saints were roughly the same. He developed Chinese Confucianism to its highest peak, and also pushed Confucius and Mencius' theory of mind to its extreme, preserving the true flesh and blood of Chinese culture.

Therefore, it is natural that the Tao cannot defeat the Buddha.