What would happen to the world if all the people in the world were Buddhist monks?

(Repost) People all over the world are becoming monks, but who will be the scholars, farmers, industry and merchants? Isn’t the human race extinct? (See the Master’s wonderful answer)

Excerpted from Shi Ruben’s book "The Merits and Benefits of Monkhood" Author: Shi Ruben

A benevolent man once asked me: "Master! What if People all over the world have become monks, who will be the scholars, farmers, industry and merchants? Isn’t the human race extinct?”

I answered: “First of all, let me ask you a question, do you want to become a monk? Let go and work hard to enlighten your true nature."

The benevolent man said: "How is this possible? I have never thought about becoming a monk, and I have never even dreamed of becoming a monk. How could I become a monk? The monk is going to practice! This is impossible!"

I said: "I have given you the answer! And you have answered yours on my behalf."

< p>The benevolent person said: "Master! I don't understand what you mean. Please compassionately enlighten me on the Dharma so that my disciples can understand and eliminate their confusion!"

I said: "You are the number one person. You don’t want to become a monk now, and you have never even dreamed of becoming a monk. How can anyone in the world, let alone the whole world, become a monk? Then again, everyone in the world has become a monk. You have not yet become a monk! Because you are the first person I asked, and the first person I asked does not want to become a monk. So, we can rest assured, because there is at least one person in the world who does not want to become a monk. , and I have never even dreamed of it!"

The benevolent man said: "Master! According to what you said, it is impossible for everyone in the world to become a monk?"

I Said: "There are two answers: one is that it is impossible for everyone in the world to become a monk. The other is that it is possible for everyone in the world to become a monk."

The benevolent man then asked: "Master! First The answer is that it is impossible for all people in the world to become monks. We already know that. So the second answer is that if it is possible for all people in the world to become monks, Master, who will do it for the scholars, farmers, industry and merchants? Participating in agriculture, industry and commerce, master, where does the food you eat come from?"

I said: "You asked a very good question. This is also a question that everyone in the world wants to know. Can you take my place? People in the world ask this question, which is really a great merit! Please be kind and listen carefully. If you don’t understand clearly, you will not be able to understand the truth. If you don’t understand the truth, even if the answer has been given to you, you still won’t know it. Do you understand? ? ”

Now I want to start answering this question: Even if people all over the world may become monks and practice Buddhism, isn’t this still bad? We need to know that retribution is based on positive retribution, and positive retribution can be followed by retribution. What does this mean? The righteous reward is the objective environment (this world), and the righteous reward is the subjective human being (including the nine dharma realms). Then, the righteous reward follows the righteous reward, and the righteous reward can change to the righteous reward; meaning that the objective environment (the world) is With the human factors (including the Nine Dharma Realms), there will be changes and changes; having said that, human factors (karma) can directly affect the transformation of the objective environment (the world). To put it clearly, human beings can change The environment changes with human beings; if you can understand this truth, the answer is not difficult to understand!

The quality of the environment, the beauty and ugliness of the world, every bit, every bit, every sand and dust, the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers and earth are all caused by the karma (good and evil actions) of human beings (including the Nine Dharma Realms) It is inspired; that is, without the karma of human beings (encompassing the Nine Dharma Realms), the existence of the universe and the world (the environment in which they live) will naturally not be inspired.

Benevolent man, do you understand? If you don’t understand the truth, let me use an analogy to make it easier for you to understand: the Western Paradise (Sukhavati in Sanskrit) is a very pure world, a very solemn world, a very subtle world, and a world without leakage. The world of positive retribution and retributive retribution is a very special world. The three sages of the West live there in a world of benefit, happiness and sentient beings. The Land of Ultimate Bliss is the pure world achieved by Amitabha Buddha (Amita-buddha in Sanskrit) who made great purifying vows.

The pure, solemn, subtle, flawless, sublime, and beneficial sentient beings in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. These true, good, and beautiful results are now achieved by Amitabha’s pure vows.

When the positive retribution is solemn, the retribution will be solemn; when Amitabha is solemn, the Land of Ultimate Bliss will also be solemn; this is called the principle that the positive retribution can sense the retribution, and the retribution will follow the positive retribution!

For the same reason, if the positive retribution is not solemn, the retribution will not be solemn; if Amitabha Buddha is not solemn, the Paradise will not be solemn. To put it more deeply, or to put it more seriously, Amitabha Buddha is not solemn and is a mess. , of course the Paradise will not be solemn and messy.

It can be seen from this that there is a close and inseparable relationship between the positive retribution and the obedient retribution. Let us go deeper and say that there is no obedient retribution without the positive retribution, and there is no positive retribution without the obedient retribution; Retribution is retribution, and retribution is positive retribution; positive retribution and retribution are the same, neither one nor different, nor two nor different.

Now that the Buddhist teachings have come to an end, I have successfully answered all the questions asked by benevolent people. I wonder if you have good roots and can understand the truth I taught. Now I will shorten the content and answer your questions directly. Question:

If all the people in the world (Zheng Bao) take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), then all people in the world will wholeheartedly do good in their hearts, and will not create any evil karma, but only create good karma. The entire world today will change and change because of this. Why? The positive retribution at the moment can induce the retribution, and the retribution meeting is therefore extremely solemn.

Then, all people in the world (positive reward) are subject to the five precepts (panca silani) (not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to lie, and not to drink alcohol). Accepting and upholding the Five Precepts is the fundamental condition for being a human being. We will know this when we think about it! There will be no wars and killings in the world now, and there will be no homicides in society; there will be no gangsters, overt and covert fights, and robbery groups; there will be no sexual immorality or incest between men and women and loss of order and etiquette; there will be no lies or lies. , lie here and there, and pile up beautiful lies; they will not become sexually promiscuous, act recklessly, or do illegal things due to drinking.

If everyone in the world accepts the Five Precepts, what kind of world will this be? It can be said that it is a very peaceful world, a world without disputes, a peaceful world, a world that is law-abiding, a world that can reverse unhealthy trends and lead to a dignified world. At present, all over the world, police stations, police stations, police headquarters, local courts, the Supreme Court, the Judicial Yuan, the Legislative Yuan, the Supervisory Yuan, and relevant legal units can all be closed down, and the government can invest these salaries in all construction. Or how to settle the country's people? Because all the people in the world, from top to bottom, abide by their duties and fulfill their duties, and will not violate the law, doesn't the law become a puppet?

Only when people go out of line and create all kinds of bad karma, laws are needed to sanction them to protect people's living standards; since they have not done any bad karma, the law is helpless and superfluous; all over the world If a person only accepts the five precepts, adheres to the Tathagata's precepts, and would rather die by keeping the precepts than live by breaking them, the whole world will be changed and subtly influenced by the power of the vow to keep the precepts; the sense of positive retribution will be followed, and the retribution will be followed by the right. Repay and turn around, just like that.

Then, if all people in the world (positive reward) can become monks and take the full ordination of monks (two hundred and fifty precepts) and the ordination of bodhisattvas (ten heavy and forty-eight light precepts), this world will also What kind of world is it?

Benevolent one, please listen carefully. People all over the world have become monastics and practiced Buddhism. They have received novice precepts, bhikkhu precepts, monastic Bodhisattva precepts, and the three great precepts. They take the precepts as their teachers and practice the Tathagata’s true Dharma. Practice enlightenment and achieve Bodhi through enlightenment. If you can do this, the current world will be the world of nirvana (Sanskrit nirvana), a world of no birth and no death, a world of light, a world of truth (rationality), neither increasing nor decreasing. A world of purity, a world of eternal silence and light, a world far away from reincarnation, a world of freedom, a world of majesty and excellence, a world of perfection, an inconceivable world...a world of enlightenment and fruition, with words and sentences, The place where the mind conducts is destroyed, just like a person drinking water, knowing whether it is cold or warm, which cannot be represented by words. It is said: "Because of words, the Tao is revealed, and the Tao is revealed by the words; if the words are not followed, it is because of the words that block the Tao."

”

If all the people in the world become monks and practice Buddhism and can realize the supreme Bodhi, then I congratulate all the people in the world on being able to achieve liberation, because no one in the world is an ordinary sentient being. , everyone has achieved nirvana, and the six paths of reincarnation have long been gone, so why are you afraid of having no heirs? Do you still have to suffer reincarnation? Do you think it’s funny or not? A saint who realizes the fruit of enlightenment is endowed with the three luminaries (tri-vidya in Sanskrit) and the six powers (sad adhijnah). He is free, unfettered, unobstructed, has perfect blessings and wisdom, and is completely free from reincarnation, life and death, and is free from the immeasurable world of saha. Isn't it great to suffer from pain? Isn't it very comfortable and refreshing? You are still afraid that all the people in the world will become monks! You don’t have the ability (good roots, conditions, wisdom) to become a monk! Do you think so?” The benevolent man said again: “Master’s words are clear and logical, and his explanations are fearless. It’s incredible that this disciple is so ignorant! After hearing the Master's teachings, I was suddenly enlightened, and my inner confusion disappeared. I am very grateful to the Master for his compassionate teachings, which filled my disciples with the joy of the Dharma that I had never experienced before. Today, I suddenly felt the joy of the Dharma..."< /p>

This benevolent man, before he finished speaking, could not go on. He benefited from listening to the Dharma, was happy and grateful, and couldn't help but shed tears of bodhicitta. The tears dripped down, and he choked and cried for three minutes. Situations like this are worthy of crying. Cry well, cry well, cry at the right time and in the right place. This is not something you can cry casually. If you ask me to cry, I will cry right now. If you don’t come out, there must be a time and reason for crying. Just like today, you will benefit from hearing the Dharma. This benevolent person will benefit from hearing the Dharma. He will be filled with joy and cry with tears. This is exactly what Buddhism says: the good roots of immeasurable kalpas will be fully displayed. reveal.

Then I added: "If you are certain of the Tathagata's righteous teachings, you will not be afraid to speak. If you are afraid, you will not dare to speak. Since you want to speak the Dharma, you must speak it based on the Tathagata's righteous Dharma. This is called a preacher. He is a right-view speaker.

People all over the world have become monks. We don’t have to worry about the lack of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, and we don’t have to worry about the extinction of human beings. The answer has been given to us before, and now I will outline it! Therefore, it is said directly: Heaven, humans, asuras, hells, hungry ghosts, and animals are called the six realms, and the six realms are also called the six mortals. They are reincarnated forever and suffer endless sufferings of life and death. , Buddhism calls it the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and human beings are also one of the six ordinary beings. They are no exception, and they are also bound by karma and fall into the Six Paths.

It has been a habit of human beings since ancient times to marry men and women. Etiquette is an unavoidable fact. From a human standpoint, it is a matter of course. It is beyond debate. Both China and foreign countries, ancient and modern, have a pure perception. There is no refutation. This is purely based on the standpoint of humanity and talking about humanity. Of course, compared with the Buddhist way of liberation from life and death, there is a huge difference, far away, and there is still a long way to go.

People in the world are ignorant of Buddhism and are afraid of it. If everyone in the world becomes a monk, the human race will be extinct! This is a very normal question. Once people in the world have a chance to have doubts, they have already begun to start. I am afraid that people in the world will not have this question and should not have doubts. , it will be difficult to enter Buddhism, and the roots of good will never mature, so they will always wander outside Buddhism, becoming a wanderer in the six realms and a miserable person in the three realms!

There is a famous saying in Buddhism: "Great doubts and great enlightenment, little enlightenment." If you doubt, you will be enlightened; if you don’t doubt, you will not be enlightened. "That's exactly what it means.

So, people all over the world are becoming monks and practicing Buddhism. Through practice, they have enlightened their true nature. Because of their enlightened nature, they have escaped from the six paths of reincarnation. Therefore, they can transform into the mundane world and become saints. They can stay away from life and death and avoid death. If you undergo reincarnation and achieve Bodhi, then is there anything in the world that is more sublime than the realization of Bodhi? Indeed, there is nothing more sublime than the realization of Bodhi. Therefore, are you still afraid of the death of human beings? Is it the suffering of reincarnation? I, the monk, have long broken through this kind of thinking and have transcended the concept of humanistic inheritance. Therefore, what a sacred and great undertaking it is to become a monk. How many people in the world can see the true Dharma of the Tathagata? It is so rare that it is so rare and rare.

Humane marriage between man and woman, having children, and continuing the family line are necessary for humane needs, and the humane stance is only within the scope of humaneness. If you break through the ideological concepts of human nature and cannot surpass the needs of human nature (marrying men and women, carrying on the family line, and holding grudges), you will forever sink into the six realms and cannot be liberated.

If we cannot break through the concept of humanity and cannot transcend the needs of humanity, we will always be bound by the concepts and needs of humanity. We will always be stuck in the concept of humanity. We can only continue to follow the concept of humanity. But if you leave, you will never get out of the shackles of reincarnation, life and death, which is very pitiful!

There are thousands of words, the old monk often talks about it, just one sentence! Human beings are also one of the six realms, that is, they have not yet escaped from the circle of six realms of reincarnation. They should be brave and diligent and strive to break through the six realms of reincarnation.

People all over the world are becoming monks and practicing Buddhism. Scholars, farmers, industry and merchants don’t have to worry about no one doing it! If people all over the world become monks and practice Buddhism, the whole world will be transformed and become a very pure world, a very special world, because the positive retribution can feel the retribution, and the retribution will follow the positive retribution.

Buddhist scriptures record the situation of a pure land on earth; after 5.67 billion years, Maitreya Bodhisattva (Maitreya in Sanskrit) descended to the human world and saved countless sentient beings. At that time, the earth was All sentient beings, everyone can accept and uphold the ten good deeds (not killing, not stealing, not committing sexual misconduct, not lying, not using harsh words, not being divisive, not gossiping, not being greedy, not being angry, and not being delusional), and the pure land of the world is here At that time, the whole earth was transformed, and there was a plain, with no cliffs and mountains. The streams flowed smoothly and slowly. The water in the sea was reduced by more than half, becoming a plain land. No one cultivated the earth, and the grain harvest was naturally abundant. Vegetables and fruits have no one to plant them, they grow naturally, bloom and bear fruit; it can be said that there is no need to worry about food and clothing; this is the solemnity of retribution, but the solemnity of retribution is inspired by the solemnity of righteous retribution.

At the same time, human beings have a life span of 80,000 years, are 16 feet tall, and men and women do not get married until they are 500 years old; animals, including cows, horses, pigs, and dogs, can all talk; Maitreya Bodhisattva has a life span of 80,000 years. At that time, he appeared in the human world and achieved the supreme Buddhahood. At that time, he was called Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Bodhisattva has not yet become a Buddha, and his status is at the stage of the Enlightenment Bodhisattva. He is currently in Tusita Heaven on the fourth day, preaching the Dharma to heaven and humans in the inner courtyard of Maitreya. Only when he appears in the human world in the future will he achieve the supreme achievement. Only when you have reached the state of enlightenment, that is, achieved the Buddha's path, can you be called Maitreya Buddha. This Buddha preached the Dharma of three major conferences in the human world, saving countless sentient beings. The first conference saved 9.6 billion living beings, the second conference saved 9.4 billion living beings, and the third conference saved 9.2 billion living beings. These three conferences are the three conferences of Longhua that we are very familiar with. Of course, there are countless speeches on Buddhism below the average level. They are too numerous to describe. All of them are the solemnity of rectification.

From the above examples of the Pure Land on earth, we can know that if everyone abides by the ten good deeds, we can inspire such extraordinary results in the world, not to mention people all over the world. If everyone can become a monk and practice, the whole world will be transformed and changed immediately, because the whole world has become a monk and there are no lay people. If you think about it, being able to become a monk will bring great blessings. The blessings of becoming a monk will be accumulated for everyone. Retribution, this blessing is so great and boundless that the whole world will be transformed in an instant. It will be more extraordinary and incredible than the pure land where Maitreya Bodhisattva came to the human world. How can I say this? Because at that time, the world only kept the ten good deeds. Of course, the retribution on the earth was only the result of the ten good deeds! The situation here is different. Nowadays, people all over the world are practicing monkhood. There are many precepts for monks, not just the ten good deeds, which are more than twenty-five times. Of course, the earthly rewards they get are far less than those of the ten good deeds. The results of good deeds are extraordinary and even more majestic.

So, if we understand this truth, people all over the world are becoming monks and practicing spiritual practice. Are we still afraid that no one will do it, including scholars, farmers, industry and merchants? No need to worry, no need to be afraid! Buddhas are the sages among the sages, and the sages among the saints are all Buddhas. The Buddha will not lie to us, and the Buddha does not need to lie to us. The Buddha is a person who has experienced it. If we firmly believe in what the Buddha said, we can enter the Tao.

The Huayan Sutra says: "Faith is the mother of merit and virtue, and it nourishes all good roots." This is exactly what it means.

The Buddha has said all the good things in the world. The Buddha is a saint. But we don’t believe what the Buddha tells us. Let me ask ourselves, whose words can we believe?

Buddhist scriptures say: "Practitioners who can firmly believe and affirm the truths spoken by the Buddha without doubts, remain unshakable, and whose hearts can abide in the Buddha's righteous teachings have already accumulated many lives. For many kalpas, I have been close to countless Buddhas, and I have paid respect to and made offerings to all Buddhas. Therefore, my faith will not turn back in this life (avinivartaniya in Sanskrit). Therefore, this person will soon achieve supreme Bodhi.

"The above has been briefly stated. Do you understand it in your heart, the benevolent person?"

After listening to the Dharma in this session, the benevolent person understood it in his heart. From the beginning of the Dharma talk, his head He kept nodding his head until I finished explaining the Dharma. He listened to the Dharma attentively and devoutly. He was really a very down-to-earth layman. Soon after, this diligent layman became a monk and became a monk. Off to practice!