(a)

On that day, when the saints came to welcome the temple, Mr. Yichen said that after visiting more Japanese temples, he would find a very interesting phenomenon:

Around the 7th and 9th centuries A.D., the statues of Amitabha Buddha in ancient Japanese temples were basically sitting solemnly, immersed in deep meditation, with eyes mostly half-open and half-closed. But around www.biquge.info the 12th century, the statues of Amitabha Buddha in Japanese temples suddenly stood up. The eyes also opened, and they became more and more open, looking directly at the visitor. Not only do you stand up, but you also start to stretch out your hands to the kneeling person and make a welcoming gesture that you actively lean forward.

After discovering this phenomenon, Mr. Yichen discussed the matter with a Japanese monk. The monk said that this shows that the world is getting worse and worse, it is getting more and more unbearable, more and more people want to escape, and the desire is getting hotter and hotter, so the Buddha can't sit still.

(b)

After the main hall, there is the Pavilion of the Scriptures.

Mr. Yichen said that it enshrines a woodblock engraving and printing "Open Treasure" that was introduced to Japan in the Song Dynasty, as well as a number of scattered Bayeux Sanskrit scriptures, all of which are national treasures of Japan.

Unfortunately, these cultural relics are not open to the public because they are too precious, and if you want to read them, you need to go through special procedures and have certain professional qualifications.

We had to worship outside across the building to show our respect.

Outside the scripture pavilion, there is a place where the scriptures are bound, and there are many beautifully printed gold paper plates of Buddhist books, which can be read for free.

We looked at it for a while, and a book called "The Records of the End of the Dharma Lamp" caught my eye. I asked for a copy and took it back to my lodging to read it.

Legend has it that this book was written by the famous Japanese monk Mosumi.

In the book, the author says that it is now the era of no vows, because no one keeps the vows at all, so there is no such thing as breaking the vows at all. In such a time of non-vows, it is ridiculous to want to find people who keep vows. It's like looking for a tiger on the street, it's just self-defeating.

The author says that in times like these, there is only one way to respect Buddhism. That is, to respect a person who only formally wears a monk's robe and nominally claims to be a monk, that is, the so-called name monk.

Why is it that a monk who has no real name should be respected? Because no matter how much he doesn't take the vows, his merit is greater than ours in the family. Every day, he wears a yellow monk's robe, walks on the street with Buddhist beads in his hand, and when he appears in public, when people see his appearance, a thought will appear in their consciousness: "Oh, this is a monk", "Oh, Amitabha", "Oh, this is the Dharma". As soon as he appears, people will naturally think of the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and they will naturally remember the Three Jewels. This remembrance of the Three Jewels will be sown in people's hearts like the seeds of plants, and in the distant future, if the external conditions gather, the seeds will sprout and even grow into towering trees. This small seed will be the cause of Buddhahood for a long time to come. Because of this seed that is sown today, people will eventually become Buddhas, and after becoming Buddhas, they will benefit immeasurable sentient beings.

Master Shi Cheng said that as a monk, he will be able to attain immeasurable and boundless sentient beings after an immeasurable period of time by virtue of his appearance as a monk, and this merit is definitely not comparable to that of his family. Therefore, even if he is not able to keep the precepts strictly, even if he is only a monk in name, our merits should not be underestimated, and we should be careful to admire them.

Master Sussumi said that even though he is only a monk in form and name, he is better than someone who is not even willing to do it in form and name.

When I read this, I was ashamed. This passage of Master Suesung's words seems to be aimed at my arrogance.

It turns out that the merits of being a monk are so great.

This was the first time I learned about the great virtues of the monks.

(c)

When the saints came to the temple to pay their respects, Mr. Yichen and I talked about the ancient emperors and queens.

He said that according to the Buddhist viewpoint, the people who can come to this world to be emperors and empresses are people who have accumulated great merit in their immeasurable previous lives, and many of them are those who have attained enlightenment.

There has always been a legend in Japan that Prince Shotoku, the regent of the time of Emperor Kotoku, was the Chinese monk Nanyue Huisi, that is, the teacher of the wise master, who returned to return. Because he was a high monk in his previous life, he showed otherworldly wisdom and soft and deep compassion from an early age, and throughout his life he always admired Buddhism in Japan, and governed the country according to the Buddha's church, and was so loved by the people that for a time his portrait was printed on yen bills.

Mr. Yichen felt that the empress of Emperor Saga must also be a cultivator to re-enter the mortal world. If we hadn't laid the foundation for our practice in our previous lives, we would never have had such sober and compassionate words and deeds in this life.

He said that even Yang Guang, the tyrant of the Sui Dynasty in China, did not seem to have no origin in his words and deeds. He said that Yang Guang's biography wrote an incident: One day, Emperor Yang of Sui took a self-portrait in the mirror and said self-deprecatingly: "Good head, I don't know who will cut it off in the future?" Empress Xiao was shocked and asked, "Your Majesty, why do you say such inauspicious words?" Emperor Yang of Sui replied: "What does it matter, in this life, proud, frustrated, rich, and unlucky things can be experienced one by one, which is also a kind of fun." ”

Mr. Yichen said that based on this answer, although Yang Guang is a notorious tyrant in history, he also has his own style and artistic conception, which is not comparable to ordinary gangsters.

He also cited Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty as an example. Before Emperor Shunzhi became a monk, he wrote a poem to show his heart to the court and the opposition, explaining why he wanted to abandon the throne and become a monk.

Clouds:

"Glory is like a dream of three watches, wealth is also the same as September frost.

The jungle rice in the world is like a mountain, and the bowl is everywhere for the gentleman's meal.

Gold and white jade are not expensive, but robes and shawls are difficult!

I am the lord of the earth, mountains and rivers, worried about the country and the civil troubles,

36,000 days in a hundred years, less than half a day of leisure for monks.

When you come, you are confused, and when you are confused, you walk back in the world.

Who was I before I was born? Who was I when I was born?

I am the one who grows up, but who is the blindfolded when I close my eyes?

It's better not to come and not to go, to be happy when you come, and to be sad when you go.

Joys and sorrows are full of hard work, who knows when the day will be free?

It is difficult to compare with a monk in the world, who is at ease without worries.

The mouth is clear and delicious, and the body is often clothed with a hundred clothes.

All over the world are guests, and the Buddha Hall is at your disposal.

The Mo Dao monk is easy to do, because of the repeated Bodhi.

Although he is not a real Arhat, he also wears three clothes.

Rabbits and birds fly back and forth, don't be scheming,

A hundred years of world affairs and three more dreams, a game of chess for thousands of miles!

Yu opened Jiuzhou Zhou, Qin swallowed the six kingdoms of Han ascended the throne,

How many heroes have come from ancient times, lying on the mud on the north and south hills!

The yellow robe was replaced by a purple robe, just for the sake of a bad thought back then.

I'm a son of the West, why did I fall into the imperial family!

Eighteen years of not free, when will the conquest of the south and the north be closed?

I am now leaving my hands and returning to the west, and I will be in charge of thousands of years and thousands of years.

Breaking the void with a smile on his cheeks, the exquisite treasure suddenly opened.

Zhirao Kong's life is a matter of life, and the six-character name should be after all. ”

Mr. Yichen said: "You see, he made it clear in his words, he has recalled the origin of his previous life, he was originally a monk, but because of a thought, he retreated to the mortal world, was born in the emperor's family, and committed all kinds of killing karma for 18 years, and regretted it. Now that we have understood the past, where are we willing to continue to roll in the red dust, and of course, we must become a monk again and continue the practice of our previous life. ”

After speaking, Mr. Yichen looked at my expression and said, "Do you believe that anyone will remember the events of the previous life?" ”

I opened my mouth, hesitated, and said, "Believe." I believe. ”

How could I not believe it? I have memories of my past life! My own love experience has personally proved the existence of my previous life!

I believe in Emperor Shunzhi completely and thoroughly. I understand him!

However, I don't want to talk about these things in my previous life to anyone, even to Mr. Yichen, even to Kaohsiung, I don't want to talk about it in detail.

People in the world only believe what they can see. They don't know that beyond the naked eye, there are eyes, and beyond the world, there is another world.