(a)

One day, Kaohsiung called me from India. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

"You can't guess where I am right now and what I'm doing," he said. ”

I thought about it for a moment and said, "You're on some woman." ”

Kaohsiung sighed and said, "In your heart, I'm so unbearable? ”

I said, "Aren't you like that?" ”

Kaohsiung did not argue any further.

He said, "Tell you, I'm attending Mr. Larry's ordination ceremony. ”

I thought I misheard: "Huh? Monk? ”

Kaohsiung said, "Yes." He's having his hair pulled out right now. ”

Kaohsiung said: "He quit business and washed his hands. ”

(b)

I later learned that Mr. Larry had always been a very devout Jain.

While engaging in commercial activities, he has been a layman for 20 years. He has been strictly following the rules of the doctrine in his daily life. For example, eat only two meals a day, for example, drink water only twice a day.

He has ups and downs in the business world, but he can be called a strict precept in this point, and he has never wavered.

The day Mr. Larry became a monk was his 60th birthday. Kaohsiung originally received his invitation and went to his 60th birthday party in a well-dressed manner.

Mr. Larry said in an email to Kaohsiung: "Come on, we've been friends for 10 years, and I'm only 60 years old. ”

Mr. Larry said, "If you come, you're sure to see something you'll never forget." ”

Kaohsiung was starting to fall in love with Su during that time, and there were many business affairs, he didn't want to go, but after reading this email, he finally decided to go.

As a result, he really saw something that he would never forget: Mr. Larry announced in public at this celebratory banquet that he would become a monk today. He would henceforth become a true "empty cloak" Jain monk.

Here's what he said at the time: "I've lived for 60 years, and I've tried a lot of things that everyone thinks you have to do in life, having children, running a business, enjoying life, and I've done it all." Now, I have no interest in the worldly life. ”

He said: "From my own life, I have truly realized that the so-called life is 24 hours of restlessness, no matter what you pursue, your heart will never be quiet. ”

He said: "Looking back on the 60 years I have spent, I have fulfilled all my life obligations and responsibilities. Now, the children have grown up and are ready to take on the burdens of life. Therefore, I gave my business and family property to my son and our extended family. ”

He said: "Originally, this matter did not need to be made with such fanfare, but I want to tell everyone that I did not withdraw from the worldly life to escape difficulties and problems. I did this to heed the call of my heart. ”

"Today, my company is very healthy and doesn't have any operational problems or scandals," he said. I am also very healthy and do not have any terrible diseases that cause me to be disheartened. I'm not confused, my mind is still clear. The family is also very harmonious, there are no quarrels and accidents. ”

"I don't want the decision to become a monk to lead to a lot of speculation," he said. ”

"It's the final decision a person makes for his life," he said. It's all a matter of my personal pursuits. ”

When he had finished speaking, he motioned to his servants to burn his business card and suit in public. Then he calmly sat down beside his religious teacher and began to receive the ritual. After more than an hour, his hair was all pulled out. (Note: When Jain monks become monks, their hair is plucked out one by one, without a razor.) ）

Afterwards, his mentor gave a speech to the guests welcoming Mr. Larry to the ranks of the monks. He exhorted people to exercise faith and self-control in the face of any difficulty, for this is the only way to spiritual freedom.

"We can't change the world, but we can change our attitude towards life," he said. Peace can only be attained by letting go, and this peace cannot be obtained from reading the scriptures alone. It needs to be practiced. ”

(c)

In this way, the Indian businessman who used to be named Larry disappeared from my sight.

He withdrew. He didn't quit because he was afraid of difficulties and problems.

Just like I am retreating at this moment, it is not because of setbacks and difficulties.

Kaohsiung brought back the last card that Mr. Larry wrote for me from New Delhi. He sent it to me from the airport in Istanbul when he was flying back to Canada via Turkey.

There is only one sentence written on the card. It is a quote from the Jain Otarahayana Sutra: "The hardest thing is to give up on yourself." ”

It was because of Mr. Larry that I learned about Jainism.

(iv)

Like you, I've believed in science. All along, whether it's the humanities or the natural sciences, I've been hungry for learning.

However, I didn't find the answer I was looking for. None of them can explain where we come from in life, where we go after death, why we are here, why we have shared memories of past lives, and they cannot guide me on how to overcome the crushing of birth, old age, sickness and death, and how to save you from the unfortunate fate of a short life and painful suffering. How can we change the consequences of our previous actions, how can we improve our destiny, and how can we save the vast and boundless helplessness and involuntary self-help.

All those sciences, so far, have not provided credible, verifiable answers.

Later, I pinned my hopes on a religion that transcended worldly knowledge.

In the past, like you, I thought that religion was superstition, a spiritual tool to paralyze the people, and an anti-science, and that only a fool and a foolish woman would believe it, and it was impossible for a highly educated person to believe in these baseless fantasies and babblings.

However, I later found out that this view was not born to me. It was an acquired education that was instilled in my mind. It's not the result of my own exploration and discovery.

In the years since I graduated from high school, I have dabbled in many kinds of religions, from those you have heard of to those you have never heard of, so that many people around me think that I would like to be a religious researcher in the future. For example, Wegg, who is himself a researcher of comparative religion, gave me a lot of help and showed me the way to get started, and he thought that I, like him, wanted to pursue a career in the humanities of religion. He really wanted to develop me as his graduate student, inherit his mantle, and continue to deepen my research with him. Just like Mr. Ji Xianlin, a leader in Chinese academia.

However, my interest in religion was not motivated by a desire to pursue academic research. I want to find the answer to save you, to save us, to save all life from life and death. I had no interest in academic research and the fame and fortune that came with it. What is the benefit of knowing the fire-spitting script, being able to interpret the fire-spitting scriptures, and knowing the conversion of Zoroastrianism? All this knowledge cannot stop the truck from knocking you away, neither can it stop you from paying the debt of life, can not eliminate all the pain you have suffered, and cannot change our helplessness and unfreedom in the ups and downs of life and death.

So, I knew very well in my heart that although we were introduced with Mr. Wig, in the end, we would go our separate ways.

For me, religion is a prescription. Being able to memorize the prescriptions backwards and explain the properties, sources, origins, and treatment cases of all the medicines will not cure my disease. Only by finding the right prescription and taking it, so that the medicine in the prescription can penetrate into the interior of life and become one with life, can we cure the disease. For me, religion is like a recipe, looking at the recipe and knowing the allusions, production processes, and family history of all the dishes, you can't let the hungry people have enough to eat. Only by making the dishes according to the recipe and eating them can the pain of hunger be solved.

The uselessness of academic research lies in looking at menus and prescriptions, but not eating them yourself.

I'm not going down that path.

(5)

Originally, in the chapter "Seeking the Dao", there are many chapters that record my religious explorations after your death.

However, due to the sensitive mechanism unique to our country, it is really impossible to mention more exploration and trekking in this regard in the Chinese Simplified Chinese version.

In this volume, I will mention only a few of the less sensitive religions. Let's take a peek at the whole leopard.

Many people have misconceptions about religion.

What is religion? Zong, is the most important, the main meaning. Teaching means to educate and educate (to achieve the transformation of behavior through education).

The meaning of religion is the education and transformation of the worldview, outlook on life, and values, which are the most important aspects of life.

The education of world outlook, outlook on life, and values is the most fundamental and basic education that is indispensable for life.

Without a correct world view, outlook on life, and values, we will not be able to live every life.

At the age of 60, Mr. Larry realized this, stopped all useless physical and mental toil in time, and embarked on the road of seeking the correct three views.

His decisive decision was, for me, an encouragement and a revelation.