《Buddhism as an Education》

Venerable Master Chin Kung (淨空法師)

 

CHAPTER SIX:THE BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS ARE FOR EVERYONE

Recently a student came to me and asked how  to practice Buddhism. The answer is the Four Universal Vows of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas(四宏誓願或四弘誓願):

Sentient beings are innumerable,

I vow to help them all;眾生無邊誓願度)

Afflictions are inexhaustible,

I vow to end them all;煩惱無盡誓願斷)

Ways to practice are boundless,

I vow to master them all;法門無量誓願學)

Enlightenment is unsurpassable,

I vow to attain it.佛道無上誓願成)

To help others is to do our best in assisting them   to break through delusion and become awakened,   then they will be able to attain true happiness and   leave suffering behind. In order to help all beings   escape from suffering, one should be a good cultivator, excelling in moral and academic achievements.   A cultivator can learn by upholding the precepts to   guard against harmful consequences created by   speech, body and mind, i.e. words, deeds and   thoughts. Before comprehensive learning, however, it is necessary to cultivate good virtue by ending our   afflictions including greed(貪), anger(嗔), ignorance(癡) and   arrogance(傲慢), as they are the sources of all desires and   delusions.

True wisdom arises from cultivation of high   moral character, from a pure, non-discriminatory   and compassionate mind, and not from knowledge   gained from books. Without a pure mind, the knowledge gained leads to deviated views. Therefore, the   first priority in practicing Buddhism is to purify our   mind and cut off all attachments to erroneous ways.   With the pure mind we can then reflect everything   clearly and know all, thus attaining true wisdom and   enlightenment.

Buddhism is for everyone, regardless of gender,   age, occupation, nationality or religion. Everyone   can learn and practice Buddhism, for it is the teach  ing of ultimate, perfect wisdom. There is a need for   Buddha's teaching in all parts of the world. However,   it is not easy to nurture Buddhist teachers. The difficulty lies with the fact that most people cannot renounce their worldly fame and wealth, which are the   major obstacles in learning and practicing Buddhism.

Without a pure mind, there is no way to truly under stand Buddha's teachings and to realize the causes   of all the problems in this world. Meanwhile, without   virtue of merits and good causes and conditions, practitioners cannot find good teachers. Therefore, I   always encourage young practitioners to resolve to   save our country and the world.

 

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