Is wishing a bribe?

Xu Jushi: Brother, I'm sorry to bother you ... I know you are busy, so I'll make a long story short. I hope you have time to call me back ... I swore in Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou last year ... Do you want to swear? There are few opportunities to go to the temple recently. How can I make a wish?

Reply:

Hello, brother! The so-called wishing in the temple is a folk saying. For a long time, this statement has misled countless people. I often see an article forwarded by someone, which says that "China people go to temples to bribe bodhisattvas, while westerners go to churches to repent". This statement generally comes from this. When I came into contact with Buddhism more than 20 years ago, I thought it was the content of Buddhism. Later, I discovered that it was a beautiful misunderstanding between us and the Buddha and Bodhisattva.

In the folk, wishing is to pray for God and Buddha to bless you and make your wish come true. And making a wish is to realize one's promise after the wish is realized. You don't need to choose an auspicious day to make a wish. Many people bathe and fast before making a wish. Then worship three incense incense before the Buddha, bow down and pray devoutly, acquiesce in the wish, and pray for the blessing of the Buddha to realize the wish. Once my wish comes true, I will go back to the place where I made my wish to express my gratitude.

One Spring Festival, I went to Wutai Mountain and lived in Tayuan Temple.

The monk in the temple told me: I wish you would come at the age of 30.

I asked: Why?

The monk said: On New Year's Eve, a boss set off about one million fireworks here.

I asked: Why?

The monk said: It is said that he made a wish in Wu Ye Temple the year before last, and then made a lot of money last year, so he came to realize his wish on the 30th and set off fireworks all night.

I said: with this money, it would be great to hold a fast for 1000 monks. Isn't the merit of fasting monks greater than setting off fireworks?

The monk said: what I said is that many people don't understand. You should write more articles to popularize these Buddhist knowledge.

Buddhism is about making vows, that is, initiating vows. Make a wish is also called: make a big wish, make a wish heart, make an infinite wish, etc. Making a wish is a daily task for Mahayana disciples. For example, many people often make a wish to "seek the Buddha's way up and all beings down". There are also several kinds of vows, such as general wishes, parting wishes, pure land becoming Buddha wishes, filthy soil becoming Buddha wishes and so on. Desire can be roughly divided into "Kubota's wish" and "sentimental wish".

The wish of our ongoing activity of "offering a catty of rice to monks every day" is written like this:

With great enthusiasm, I made a vow to provide rice for two monks every day. Monks are mentors of human beings and nature, bearing the burden of Tathagata's family business and continuing the wisdom of Buddhism. Supporting monks means protecting Buddhism. May this monk's merits and demerits, like a drop of water melted into the sea, never be exhausted, and repay all beings with infinite benefits until he becomes a Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha, a teacher in the south

The oath of "One Yuan Good Wish" is written like this:

A new day, with a clean body, mouth and heart, begins with wishing bodhicitta and practicing bodhisattva! For the sake of the six sentient beings like the mother, get rid of the pain and happiness as soon as possible, get rid of the pain of reincarnation, and get a complete Buddha fruit without Shanghai enlightenment. May we initiate supreme bodhicitta and practice the good deeds of "one yuan and one wish".

May the world be peaceful every moment today, without natural and man-made disasters, war, plague, disease, poverty and pain; Everyone is healthy, happy, safe and happy! Our great motherland is more prosperous, strong and peaceful. May the Buddha shine in a place where Buddhism smells bad as soon as possible. May we always keep mindfulness and awareness! May we always strive to practice Buddhism! May we always correspond to Buddhism!

These two vows are the first vows I have to recite when I wake up every morning to start a new day. I hope everyone will go to temples more, make more wishes and do more merits for all beings. In this way, they will be blessed by the three treasures.

amitabha