Monk, mage and Zen master, what do these terms mean?

In fact, these names can be used in Buddhism. Monks are not equal to all monks at first, but refer to people with higher Buddhist level. A mage refers to a person who knows the scriptures especially, whether he is a monk or a layman's child; Zen master is a kind of honorific title, which generally refers to a Zen monk who practices.

Let's talk about monks first. The word comes from Sanskrit transliteration, which means pro-teacher, that is, a teacher who personally teaches people to solve doubts. So strictly speaking, monks do not reject Buddhism. At first, they didn't specifically point out monks. Some people who practice Buddhism at home and make great achievements can also be called monks. Like Li Bingnan, they used to be called the Great Monks of Xue Lu.

In addition, even in a temple, not all monks can be called monks, which is a respectful name for monks, so basically only the abbot and the master who presides over such a temple are qualified to be called monks. Therefore, people now think that monks are monks, which is a misunderstanding.

Again, a mage refers to a person who is proficient in Buddhism and is good at saying scriptures. Different Buddhist scriptures have slightly different definitions of mage. For example, in Hokkekyo, it is said that as long as? Practice Sanskrit often? Is a mage; In "Because of the Great Dilemma of the Ming Dynasty", it is said that the mage is a master who teaches people to learn from the scriptures; In nirvana sutra and three virtues, it is pointed out that: Proficient in Confucian classics People can be called wizards.

In addition, like monks, mages are not limited to Buddhist monks, but also refer to some laymen who study Buddhism. Moreover, besides Buddhism, mage is often used. For example, in Taoism, the word mage is often used.

Finally, Zen master. There is a sentence in the Nirvana Sutra and Shu Sande Gui Zhi. Meditate. Meditate and say "Zen master"? In other words, as long as you can meditate, you can be called a Zen master. However, after some changes, some famous Zen predecessors were called Zen masters, such as Xu Yun Zen master, Huang Berry Zen master, and Foyuan Zen master.