If you want to ask about the status of Master Taixu in the Buddhist world, you will know with a simple example.
Although Master Taixu had a good relationship with Liang Qichao, he did not agree with Liang Qichao's argument of using Japanese textual research for Buddhist research. He even said bluntly: "Japan is today, so there is no real Buddhist scholar!" He also accused Japanese monks of marrying Japanese monks.
My wife eats meat, she is a bunch of fake monks.
These criticisms spread to Japan. It stands to reason that the Japanese Buddhist community should hate him. But just eight years ago, Master Taixu led a Chinese delegation to Japan to participate in the East Asian Buddhist Congress. With his profound Buddhist cultivation, he
He was actually highly praised by Japanese monks and was respected as "the leader of the Buddhist community" by Japanese monks.
Of course, the alliance leaders are just words of praise. Japanese monks will never dare to keep Master Taixu. This master is playing a Buddhist revolution!
No one wants to be revolutionized, including the conservatives in the Chinese Buddhist community, so the Buddhist reforms advocated by Master Taixu often end in failure, and many times they have to make compromises with the conservative forces.
But even the most conservative monks only opposed Master Taixu's reforms and did not question his own Buddhist cultivation.
Including Master Yinguang, the most eminent monk today, although he was called the "Devil King" by Master Taixu's disciples, the personal relationship between the two was very good, otherwise Li Shutong would not respectfully call Master Taixu his senior brother.
.
After all, Li Shutong was the apprentice of Master Yinguang.
Even Lu Xun, who was always mean-tongued, commented on Master Taixu as being "easy to approach and thoughtful."
Real masters have unique charisma.
Seeing that the two of them were chatting animatedly, Lu Bicheng suddenly asked a question: "Master, when Mr. Zhou was in Europe, he once said something that puzzles me to this day. Please help me clear up my confusion."
"Say." Master Taixu smiled.
Lu Bicheng repeated what Zhou Hexuan once said, saying: "Mr. Zhou said that in his opinion, Buddha is the embodiment of great wisdom, great compassion and great power. Buddha represents a personality with perfect rationality, emotion and ability. Buddha is not omnipotent.
, Buddha cannot grant us liberation. Buddha can only teach us and lead us to liberation through our own efforts. Buddha cannot make us go to heaven or send us to hell, whether it is the heavenly Western Paradise or the terrifying Eighteen
The layers of hell are all obtained by our own actions. Master, what do you think of this?"
"Amitabha!"
Master Taixu glanced at Zhou Hexuan in surprise and said with a smile: "What Brother Zhou said is very much in line with my wishes!"
"Master also agrees with this view?" Lu Bicheng asked in surprise. She obviously had not read Master Taixu's "On True Reality".
Master Taixu pointed at Zhou Hexuan and said with a smile: "Looking up to the Buddha is all about personality. When a person perfects the Buddha, it is called true reality. Brother Zhou can say those words and have a glimpse of the true reality. I am also six
I didn’t realize this until years ago.”
Lu Bicheng was immediately dumbfounded, because the four sentences spoken by Master Taixu were very similar to Zhou Hexuan's words, and the two people's views coincided with each other.
After a moment of silence, Lu Bicheng asked again: "Master, I practice Pure Land Sect, and you practice Zen Buddhism. Mr. Zhou once asked me, since there is no difference between Buddha and Buddha, what is the difference between Zen and Pure Land Sect?"
Master Taixu smiled and pointed toward the east: "To go to Shanghai, you can take a boat or a car. What's the difference between the two?"
"Different paths lead to the same destination," Lu Bicheng understood, but was still struggling. "Although different paths lead to the same destination, the paths taken are still different. Since the Buddhas are the same, why choose different paths?"
Master Taixu shook his head and said: "You are confused!"
Lu Bicheng was stunned for a moment, then clasped his hands and smiled bitterly: "Amitabha, thank you so much, Master, for enlightening me. Manzhi is indeed in the right state."
Although Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism have different ways of practice, both schools focus on "cultivation of the mind."
Zen Buddhism talks about calming the mind, which requires the mind to be in one place and not to have any false thoughts. From calmness, wisdom arises, and from wisdom, one can gain enlightenment and achieve liberation; Pure Land Buddhism talks about being single-minded and not distracted, chanting the name of the Buddha with one mind, and
The Buddha responds and is guided by the Buddha to rebirth.
The fact that Lu Bicheng could ask that kind of question shows that her devotion to the Buddha has become confused, completely contrary to the purpose of the Pure Land Sect, and the results of her practice in the past two years have been wiped out.
Seeing that Lu Bicheng was confused, Master Taixu said, "Why don't you listen to what Junior Brother Hongyi has to say?"
Lu Bicheng looked at Li Shutong in confusion, only to hear Li Shutong say: "Concentration arises from precepts, wisdom develops from concentration, and liberation comes from wisdom."
After hearing what Li Shutong said, Lu Bicheng became even more confused, because what Li Shutong was talking about was the basic method of the Vinaya Sect, which had nothing to do with the questions she raised.
As the saying goes, bystanders can understand clearly. Zhou Hexuan was sitting next to him.
Master Taixu, Li Shutong and Lu Bicheng belong to the three major sects of Buddhism: Zen, Vinaya and Pure Land. Li Shutong deliberately mentioned the basic methods of the Vinaya sect. In fact, he wanted to say that he should stick to his own practice and not be bothered by other people's opinions.
Lu Bicheng, don't be too pretentious.
Obviously, Lu Bicheng has not practiced enough, and she has already gone too far. If she cannot understand this truth, she will never be able to make progress in her life.
Zhou Hexuan no longer paid attention to Lu Bicheng, but asked: "Master Taixu and Master Hongyi, what do you think of the relationship between Buddha and people, the nation, and the country?"
Li Shutong replied: "Buddhas are awakened and aware of the truth. They are able to sacrifice their lives and sacrifice everything, and work bravely and diligently to save the country. Therefore, to save the country, we must recite the Buddha's name, and to recite the Buddha's name, we must save the country."
A patriot is a patriot after all. Even if he becomes a monk, he is still a patriot.
Li Shutong participated in many national salvation movements and was a staunch believer in boycotting foreign goods. When he was a teacher, his students saw that the clothes he wore were of poor quality, so they gave him a new one. Li Shutong said: "I don't
Wear foreign cloth." The student said: "This cloth is a domestic product, and we in China can also make this kind of good cloth." Li Shutong was overjoyed when he heard this and couldn't put it down, and he couldn't bear to throw it away until it was worn out.
Even after Li Shutong became a monk, he once said to his disciples: "There are three great difficulties in life. One is that it is rare in China, the other is that Buddhism is hard to hear, and the third is that a good teacher is hard to find."
It can be seen from this sentence that in Li Shutong's heart, the country came before Buddha.
Zhou Hexuan turned around and asked, "What do you think, Master Taixu?"
Master Taixu's answer was completely unexpected by Zhou Hexuan. He said: "Buddha is a realist who pursues freedom. The rise of Buddhism originated from the liberal movement in Indian society to liberate caste oppression at that time. Today's China
The reality is to pursue the freedom and liberation of the country and the nation. This is what people who study Buddhism must understand. At that time, if you want to succeed in Buddhism, you must devote yourself to China's national liberation movement. This is consistent with the idea of Sakyamuni's founding of Buddhism.
of."
"What does this have to do with realism?" Zhou Hexuan asked doubtfully.
Master Taixu said: "The origins of paranoia and subjectivism of each individual's private views and desires are materialism, solipsism and divine wheel. To be imprisoned in the subjectivity of inanimate objects and to explore the essence of inanimate objects is to break away from reality.
The purely subjective state, such as atoms, etc. Paranoia is the origin of reality, and it evolves into all things based on it, which is the philosophy of materialism and the scientific theory of evolution..."
Zhou Hexuan was stunned when he heard this.
Damn, I'm just asking about the relationship between Buddhism and the nation, and how Buddhism relates to realism. Do you need to talk about it in such a long way?
Master Taixu spoke for five or six minutes, ranging from materialism and evolution theory to idealism, Taoism, and Confucianism. He also said that the Buddhist theory of reincarnation and liberation belongs to Indian paganism.
That's amazing, my master. The liberation from reincarnation has become a heretic in your mouth. Are you really a monk?
Li Shutong was noncommittal after hearing this, neither refuting nor agreeing.
Lu Bicheng was completely confused. What Master Taixu said at this time completely shattered her view of Buddhism.
In fact, Master Taixu has said so much, and it is very simple to summarize. He believes that human selfish desires bring subjectivity and imprison human beings in a complicated subjective world. Buddhist practitioners should jump out and look at problems from a realistic subjective perspective. In this way
Only then can we gain insight into the truth of reality, and only then can we transcend the prison and gain freedom.
Therefore, he said that Buddha is a realist who pursues freedom. And this freedom also includes the freedom of the country and the nation. Once Japan invades all of China, Chinese Buddhists will be imprisoned forever and will never be able to achieve freedom and transcendence. Therefore,
, if Chinese Buddhists want to achieve enlightenment, they must drive out the Japanese invaders before they can truly achieve the state of Dzogchen.
This is a subversive Buddhist thought. I am afraid that in the eyes of traditional Buddhist practitioners, Master Taixu has fallen into the devil's path.