Master Ji Qun's What Qualities Should A Monk Have

As a young monk who has just become a monk, he must gradually cultivate the corresponding qualities in the process of learning Buddhism. If so, you can grow into a qualified monk. Otherwise, even if you have lived in a temple for decades, you are often just bald and vulgar. Although our external image is different from that of our family, how different are our ideas and behaviors when we think about it? Monks are teachers of human beings and nature. We should not only behave demurely, but also cultivate qualities worthy of this important task from the heart. This requires a comprehensive transformation of oneself by studying Buddhism and practicing. ?

I often hear people lament that monks are not as good as the law. I told them: monks are human beings, from all walks of life, and it is impossible to become sages immediately. All of you here, including myself, entered the monk group from society. We often come to Buddhism with wrong ideas and habits formed in society. If you can't use Buddhism to transform yourself, although you shave your head and dye your clothes, the packaging is different, but the content remains the same. It can be said that he is still in the family, even more secular than some quality family members. ?

Since we have chosen the road of becoming a monk, we should realize the connotation and significance of this identity, so as to cultivate our own character. So, what qualities should a monk have? Let me say a few words to encourage you.

First of all, the heart

About initiation, you may think it's normal. In Buddhism, the word "from the heart" is mostly an empty mantra, which rarely attracts our attention. In fact, it is the core of learning Buddhism. Whether it is practice or achievement, it must be implemented in the heart. ?

In this world, we will have many pursuits and experience many things. Most people only pay attention to external fame and fortune, career and emotion, and pursue it all their lives. As monks, although the original intention is to get rid of secular life, due to the influence of social environment, many monasteries are also moving towards commercialization, which makes many monks busy with their affairs. In this process, what kind of heart we are doing is the key. ?

Everyone's mind comes from the continuation of endless life, including the accumulation in our growth and the accumulation in the infinite past. In life, what is most closely related to us is our heart, from which all pain and happiness come. We suffer because we have a closed heart; I am very happy because I have an open and peaceful heart. Greed is incited by greed; The reason of hate is that anger is attacking; The reason why I think about myself everywhere is because I am working. If we care about society, it comes from the power of love and sympathy.

Different hearts will bring different life results. The negative forces of thought, such as greed and anger, are the root of all suffering. When we are angry, the first thing that hurts us is ourselves. Only after we take action can we hurt others. When we are greedy, we will fall into endless pursuit. Even if we have more, compared with infinite desires, it is still insignificant, and we will still be depressed because of dissatisfaction. What kind of heart we have, what kind of pursuit we will have and what kind of life we will bring. The reason why we live so tired and miserable lies in the endless troubles inside, not the external environment. We can escape from the environment, but we can't escape from our hearts. With a troubled heart, I can't laugh wherever I go. On the other hand, if you are happy and peaceful inside, you can enjoy yourself even if you live in a humble room and live a poor life. Therefore, true happiness does not lie in wealth and status. Rich and powerful people also have their troubles, even more than ordinary people. Among the believers I have contacted, there are countless such examples. ?

The key to learning Buddhism is to transform our hearts. If we only transform the environment, this is not correct. Just like the dirt on your face, even if you scrub the mirror hard, the image in the mirror is still unclean. Similarly, our attachment to the outside world is also an image projected from the heart. Because we are greedy and angry, we immediately become greedy when we see what we like, and angry when we see what we hate. The so-called likes and dislikes are only personal judgments given by our hearts, not real objective results. If our hearts are unclean, the world we see cannot be perfect. The hearts of buddhas and bodhisattvas are pure, so their world is perfect, which is exactly what the Buddhist scriptures say: "A pure heart is a pure land." Because people don't understand the role of the heart in the world and blindly transform the external environment, they not only fail to create a pure land, but also bring many problems such as environmental protection. ?

In fact, the heart is the root of all problems. Only when we fully realize this, can we know how to practice from the heart. First of all, we should realize which forces in our minds are positive and have positive significance; What factors are negative and destructive? All kinds of psychological activities are described in detail in "100 Ways to Learn" and "Give Up All", which helps us to know our feelings, make choices and trade-offs, eliminate negative emotions and develop positive forces. This is "On Bodhi Tao Di", which particularly emphasizes "giving up mundane mind and developing bodhicitta". ?

Normal mind is the primary problem we need to solve in the learning process. The so-called normal mind is greed, selfishness, anger, laziness, jealousy and other unhealthy behaviors that bring endless pain to life. In the past life, they made us toss and turn in the long cycle of robbery. In this life, it is they who continue to create pain. Aware of these mental and behavioral drawbacks, we should take precautions like disasters and never relax. Of course, prevention alone is not enough. We must gradually eradicate these hidden dangers. Otherwise, we will never be able to solve the problem of life. ?

To learn from Buddhism and become a monk, we must first send out centrifugation and free our hearts from the hearts of ordinary people. When we talk about leaving, there are two aspects: one is to leave the environment, and the other is to leave the inner persistence. Any mind is not independent, and it is built on the corresponding environment. When an insatiable person rises, he must have insatiable objects, either insatiable, playful or lustful. I am the same, either holding myself for me, clinging to me, or holding things for me. Because of this, if we want to get rid of certain emotions, we must stay away from the corresponding environment. ?

Leaving the secular home means giving up the possessiveness of secular life, including the possession of wealth, career and family. Without the environment, we can get rid of our attachment to the environment. Therefore, becoming a monk is not only leaving the environment, but also leaving our normal heart. When we remove all impurities from our hearts, we can have a clean and unpolluted heart. It is serene, calm, bright and carefree. ?

The significance of becoming a monk is to help us get rid of the shackles of external environment and internal mind. So, how to grow and strengthen your centrifugal force? The first theory of Bodhi Daoism, Body Daoism and Sergeant Daoism are all helping us to practice centrifugation. ?

The first is the impermanence of thinking about death, which is an important way to produce alienation. If we deeply feel the impermanence and rapidity of death, all the glitz in the world will be eclipsed. Although we all know that people will die, we always feel that the road ahead is still very long. We should have property, a house, all kinds of necessities and even luxuries. Our needs are so great that it seems that the more we want, the farther away we are from death. In fact, the invitation of death is often sudden. In this world, from babies to old people, people are experiencing death all the time. If you don't breathe, breathing is the afterlife Personal status is rare now. How can we give full play to the value of this position? Is to practice with it. Otherwise, even if you have achieved a brilliant career, it is a thing of the past, which is of no value for liberating and improving the quality of life. And once you lose this identity, it may be the suffering and destruction of long robbery, and it is a long night. Realizing that life and death are impermanent can inspire us to make good use of every day we have and the precious person we have in this life. ?

The second is the suffering of evil thoughts, including the suffering of hell, the suffering of hungry ghosts and the suffering of animals. In today's world, the material life of human beings has been greatly improved. But this is only determined by a period of karma. How long can we enjoy our present living environment? No one is absolutely sure. Although the students here are very young, if you don't know how to cherish time and study hard, youth will be fleeting and you will soon enter middle age and old age. When the time comes, even if you have the heart to practice, you will not be able to do it. Thinking about the suffering of the three evils is also to help us become eccentric quickly. If we know that there is a fire pit not far ahead, do we still have the mind to revel in the little pleasure in front of us? Can we still try our best to escape from the fire pit and put it into practice? ?

After centrifugation, we should further arouse bodhicitta. Learning Buddhism is not only to worship Buddha and recite scriptures, but also to live. Many people want to be free when they first become monks, but after a long time, they gradually retire, regard becoming monks as a way of life, and are busy with affairs every day, even chasing fame and fortune, which is really sighing. So we must have a clear and firm understanding of the purpose of becoming a monk. So as not to get lost in learning Buddhism. ?

The ultimate goal of learning Buddhism is to achieve the compassion and wisdom of Buddha and Bodhisattva. Only in this way can we truly transcend the suffering of reincarnation and have the ability to help all sentient beings. Although we live in a superior environment, there are still many people suffering in the world. They are either materially poor, mentally frustrated or suffering from illness. The suffering of all beings in the three evils is beyond our imagination. How many lives are brutally abused and slaughtered every day like the wild animals we see? For all these suffering beings, do we have the heart to abandon them and seek liberation? ?

Therefore, learning Buddhism is not only for self-liberation, but also for the liberation of six sentient beings. When we have this kind of motivation, we can correspond to the hearts of buddhas and bodhisattvas. All buddhas and bodhisattvas want to turn into the world just to save all sentient beings. Compassion is equal and infinite. Bodhisattva is to seek Buddha and Tao and cultivate the hearts of all beings. It's not empty, but doing everything with the interests of all beings in mind. Only in this way can our hearts be close to Buddha and Bodhisattva, and finally achieve Buddha's fruit. ?

Becoming a Buddha is not out of reach, because what it has achieved is the quality of compassion and wisdom possessed by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Being good at coke can help all beings to get rid of their sufferings. In the endless cycle of life and death, all sentient beings were once the closest relatives of our parents. As the Sanskrit says, "Every man is my father and every woman is my mother. From the concept of samsara, all beings drift six ways with the wind and gather and disperse. Although we don't know each other today, we should know that they are all our past relatives. Recognizing this, we will not be indifferent to the suffering of all beings. ?

If we keep thinking about all beings in our hearts, our obsession will gradually decrease and the troubles caused by obsession will also decrease. In life, people with special egos are often particularly miserable people, because their hearts are too narrow to accommodate anyone but themselves. On the contrary, open-minded people are often particularly happy people, because their hearts can accommodate everything. There are two very good sentences in "On Bodhi Daoji": "I love honest people, honest people are the door to all decline, I love honest people, and honest people are the perfection of everything. The reason why buddhas and bodhisattvas can achieve it is precisely because they think about the interests of all beings everywhere. The reason why all beings are born, sick and dead is nothing more than that they only think about themselves, but they harm themselves. ?

Everyone's motivation to learn Buddhism may be different, which is normal. But since you choose to become a monk, you must practice with a good attitude, otherwise there is no way out. Although we live in a temple and are exposed to Buddhism every day, we are engaged in the cause of spreading Buddhism. However, if our intentions are deviated and mixed with greed, anger and self-persistence, then no matter how hard we work, we can only win the hearts of ordinary people in the end. Even if you do something and get a little reward, it's just a leak, not a relief. Therefore, establishing the correct motivation is the most important thing to learn Buddhism.

Second, Sanger

As a monk, the cultivation of personality is also very important. ?

The so-called sangha is the unique character and dignity of monks. Sangha is not only a symbol to measure a monk, but also related to the spread of Buddhism in the world. The world's impression of Buddhism often comes not from reading Buddhist scriptures, but from observing monks. If monks are dignified, comfortable and serene, they can convince people without preaching and have faith in Buddhism. However, if a monk lacks proper cultivation and is sloppy and vulgar, the world will often scoff at it and think that Buddhism is nothing more than that. ?

The dignity of monks is mainly manifested in two aspects, one is internal temperament, and the other is external words and deeds. The inner temperament comes from steady and wise practice, thus maintaining inner peace and freedom. A well-trained man, with a calm heart, conveys a serene and powerful atmosphere. On the other hand, an impetuous person will exude anxiety. Today is an impetuous era, and most people come to temples to find inner peace. If monks are impetuous, how can they educate the world? ?

A very typical example of the educational function of prestige is recorded in Buddhist scriptures. At that time, the venerable Sharifutsu was an accomplished heretic practitioner before becoming a monk. One day, I witnessed the majesty of Ma Sheng, deeply admired, and respectfully asked: Who is your teacher? It must have been a success, right? What does he usually say for you? Ma Sheng replied: My teacher is Sakyamuni, and there is such a eulogy in his teaching method: "All laws are born because of reason, and all laws are destroyed because of reason." Sharifutsu heard this and respected it, so he became a monk with the Buddha and became the first respected wisdom among the disciples of the Buddha. ?

It can be seen that the educational function of prestige is incredible, and the foundation of prestige is the Sangha. So where did Sanger come from? It is necessary to cultivate discipline, determination and wisdom. Before entering the temple, we were at home like ordinary people, full of secular ideas, like fame and fortune, and maybe there were many bad behavior habits, or sloppy or competitive. For families, these may not be very serious problems. But after becoming a monk, you must reform your words and deeds according to the precepts, thoroughly remould yourself and turn over a new leaf. A truly soft-hearted person must behave like Buddhism. Before we completely adjust our mind, living in strict accordance with the requirements of the precepts can help us cultivate good behavior habits and gradually melt them. In the precepts, there are certain rules in walking, living, sitting and lying, which make us change from physical softness to inner softness. ?

There is also a corresponding procedure for monasticism, that is, "learn to quit for five years and never leave." After becoming a monk, you must learn the precepts and practice the code of conduct and lifestyle as a monk within five years, including Misha precepts and monk precepts. On the basis of a disciplined life, you can further study classics. What I mean here is not only to learn the rules of commandments, but to live under the guidance of teachers and put them into practice. ?

The precepts of monks include two parts: stop and do. Stop, that is, 250 commandments to be observed by monks. Held, including chanting, summing up summer, peaceful life, etc. The characteristic of abstinence is to tell us what we can't do, such as not killing, stealing, doing evil, talking nonsense at home and drinking at home. These are also abstinence. To stop is to stop, so as to stop inner greed, anger and delusion. From the beginning, we formed many bad habits because of ignorance. How to overcome them? First of all, stay away from these wrong behaviors. Just like drug addicts, they must stay away from drugs during detoxification, otherwise it will be difficult to have an effect. ?

Monks' life, on the one hand, is to limit their behavior through precepts and cure evil deeds through the power of abstinence. On the one hand, it is to maintain a state of life without desire or desire. Being a monk is simple, the living environment is simple, and it is easy to feel at ease. The environment is too complicated, and there are naturally many fantasies. People with great desires must constantly strive to satisfy their desires and consume their time, energy and heart. Although modern people live a good life, they are generally tired. They are always busy in the cycle of making money and spending, and have little leisure. ?

In contrast, becoming a monk is the real blessing. We don't have to run for survival. Our life is to seek truth and practice for enlightenment. Because of this, the lifestyle should be as simple as possible, which can not only reduce the inner greed, but also cherish the existing blessings. In the early monk group, the Buddha stipulated that monks should follow a very simple life rule, sit under a tree, beg for food, travel around the world, one bottle and one bowl, and have nothing. The life of ancient Zen monks in China was also indifferent and detached. "A bowl of rice, a solitary monk walking Wan Li Road" is a true portrayal of this carefree monastic life. Although their material life is scarce, their hearts are full and comfortable. ?

Living in modern times, the material life of monks is richer than before, but the monastic environment is very severe. Modern people are indeed more difficult to practice than the ancients, because there are too many temptations from outside. Practice requires a relatively clean environment, especially before it has the corresponding strength. Whether the environment is as clean as the law stipulates is more important. In the past, a wall in the temple separated us from the world of mortals. But now, newspapers, TV and the Internet have broken through this wall. Even if we are inside the fence, we may still be disturbed by the outside world. Therefore, in addition to keeping the precepts, we must cultivate our own concentration, otherwise it will be difficult to resist all kinds of temptations. ?

In addition to regular morning and evening classes, a certain amount of meditation time should be arranged every day. Meditation can help us live in mindfulness and cultivate the inner autonomy of life. Only when this power is strong can we resist the external environment. Otherwise, it is difficult to keep your heart in the five desires and six dusts. Even if you can persist, it is often difficult to persist. And with concentration, the heart will naturally settle down. In addition, we should have enough wisdom to see through the world. Learning to teach is to help us gain the wisdom to look at the world and life correctly. If we can't see the truth of the world, the mystery of life and the impermanence of our own hearts, what is the difference between our understanding and the understanding of the world? It can be said that we have not really benefited from Buddhism. ?

For monks, the cultivation of external dignity and inner nature is indispensable, which are the two major factors that make a monk's personality. Among them, it is more important to develop wisdom through modification. If we can look down on the world with the wisdom of Buddhism, we can really maintain the freedom outside things and help fans not to be infected by dust and labor.

Third, the correct view.

The right view, that is, the Buddha and the Great Virtue, the founders of past dynasties, have left us the Three Zangs and Twelve Classics, and we have the responsibility to inherit these most precious spiritual wealth of mankind. Not only for ourselves, but also for all beings. ?

In the endless life, we are always at a loss, not knowing where we came from and where we will die. We can't see the truth of the world and the truth of life. Although the whole world is pursuing happiness, we don't know how to get happiness and happiness. What's the reason for it? It's precisely because we don't know the root of the pain, we just keep chasing it out in ignorance. We have already lost ourselves in the pursuit and lost the direction of life. So we need to re-understand life under the guidance of wisdom, which is what everyone in the world needs. ?

Without this wisdom, even if we study Buddhism, practice and even become monks, we can only plant some good roots in Buddhism. Because you can't accomplish anything at all without the guidance of wisdom. Without a correct view, not only can we not promote Buddhism, but we may not even be qualified to be human. Because the right view of Buddhism is also the right view of life, all this wisdom is contained in the teachings of the Buddha, and it is included in the Three Zangs and Twelve Classics, which requires us to learn, think and practice. ?

It is rare for temples to create such conditions for everyone to learn. But we should also know that learning Confucian classics is not just for reading a few classics. The fundamental purpose of listening, thinking and teaching is to help us acquire the wisdom of understanding life. The Eight Righteousness Path is the usual way to practice Buddhism, in which the right view comes first. Only with a correct outlook can we know how to practice and become a Buddha. ?

Although the Buddhist classics are vast, there are not many basic viewpoints, so we must grasp them carefully. For example, the causal view holds that there are good and evil in the world and there is karma. All the karma we have created will be rewarded sooner or later. We also believe that there are past lives and afterlife, and life is not endless, with endless past and endless future. In addition, we also believe that there are sages and ordinary people in the world, and anyone can become a sage through practice, otherwise life will continue to degenerate. People's identity is full of uncertainty, and the so-called uncertainty depends on everyone's behavior. From the Buddhist point of view, everything depends on our karma, and there is no god or creator who dominates everything. ?

There are three kinds of karma, one is the behavior of thought, the other is the behavior of language, and the third is the behavior of body. Thought and behavior is a cause, including our intentions. Maybe we think that ideas are invisible, and they have disappeared in the past and will not hurt ourselves or others. In fact, after the idea is born, it will sow a seed in life. If you often start this idea, the seeds will grow gradually and become more and more powerful. Each of our psychological forces is the result of a long-term intention. People who are often greedy will develop a greedy character; People who are often angry will form an irritable character. In our personality, what kind of power of mind and behavior prevails is precisely due to repeated intentions and a little accumulation and growth. ?

To learn from Buddhism and practice, you should look at your heart with wisdom and observe what you are thinking every day. If you live in mindfulness, you are cultivating positive psychological strength in life. If you fantasize every day, you will cultivate negative psychological power in your life. And these positive or negative thoughts will have a great impact on our future, which is the law of causality. Causality is not only an external result and retribution, but also an internal influence. Every intention will have an impact on later life. Compared with this kind of influence, external retribution is actually not important, because the influence of internal spiritual power will be longer and deeper. ?

Besides believing in cause and effect, we should always observe impermanence. Seeing impermanence can keep us away from greed for the world. If we always remember impermanence, it is easier to let go of our greed for ourselves and the world, and it is easier to practice accordingly. Without the idea of impermanence, it is bound to lust after the world in various ways, thus causing endless troubles. ?

In addition, the right view without self is also very important for practicing Buddhism. People who study Buddhism are familiar with the concept of selflessness, but the key is whether it can be implemented in their hearts, otherwise it is useless to know more. Only through the physical evidence of mind and behavior can we truly realize that the "I" we feel is just an additional illusion. Just like this microphone, it is just an original thing, in which there is neither me nor him. If we think it's "mine", that's the feeling we attach to the microphone, and it won't change itself because of our feelings. Our understanding of the body is the same. Chromosomes come from parents' genes. As early as Araille knew how to reincarnate, we took this genetic gene as "I". With the growth of this genetic gene, we reluctantly regard it as "I". In fact, this color body only represents the birth and death of karma, in which there is neither "I" nor "what am I". But because we regard it as "I", when this body is normal, we will think that "I" is healthy; When this body fails, we will think that I am ill; When this body is dying, we think it is "I" who is dying. In fact, these are not true selves, and they are all caused by our illusions. Recognizing these can reduce a lot of unnecessary persistence and trouble. ?

All the troubles in the world stem from this false self. Greedy for what we cling to, greedy for me; Be angry with us that we don't like, be angry with me; I think you are above others and slow to me … and so on. It can be seen that all troubles are self-centered. If we can realize the truth of non-ego, many troubles will be solved. Therefore, the key to learning Buddhism is to gain a positive view. Help us to understand the truth of life and the truth of the world from a correct point of view. I believe in cause and effect. I know that everything is impermanent and there is no self. This is the illusion of karma. Fate comes and goes, and fate gathers and departs. As the Diamond Sutra said: "Everything is like a dream bubble, such as dew, such as electricity, so look at it this way. If we can observe the world with such wisdom, then all kinds of phenomena in the world can never hurt us again. ?

Above, I discussed with you the three elements that a monk must have: first, initiation, including alienation and bodhicitta; The second is the sangha, that is, the inner temperament and external dignity that monks must possess; Third, the correct vision. Only by having a correct vision can we know the truth of life and the world, and also have the ability to practice law, and finally get rid of troubles, develop wisdom and prove the truth.