Understand your own heart, reach the source, and understand that Buddhism is a practice without causes and conditions.
When craving and desire are cut off, it is like cutting off a limb and no longer using it.
Give up desire and craving, and realize the origin of the mind.
There is nothing to gain internally and nothing to seek externally. The mind is not attached to the Dharma and does not create karma.
What makes people stupid is greed and desire.
If you listen to and pursue the Dharma extensively, the Dharma will be difficult to learn; if you keep your mind and follow the path, the path will be great.
It is difficult for the poor to give alms, it is difficult for the rich and powerful to learn the Dharma, it is difficult to die and abandon your life for Dharma, it is difficult to have the fate to see Buddhist scriptures, it is difficult to be born in the Buddha's time, it is difficult to endure all forms and desires, it is difficult not to ask for good things when you see them, it is difficult not to be angry when being humiliated, it is difficult to have power but not rely on it. It is difficult to approach things without intention, it is difficult to study extensively, it is difficult to eliminate self-conceit, it is difficult not to underestimate those who have not learned, it is difficult to be equal in mind and conduct, it is difficult not to talk about the good and bad of others, and it is difficult to have the fate to meet someone who can teach the Dharma. It is difficult to learn Buddhism by seeing one's nature, it is difficult to help people according to their fate, it is difficult to see situations without moving, it is difficult to be good at understanding and giving convenience to others.
What is good? Which one is the greatest? Those who follow the path and keep the truth are good. Those whose aspirations are consistent with the Dharma are great.
Which one has more power? Which is the most enlightened state? He who endures humiliation has much strength. When all the dirt in the mind is gone, it is pure and flawless. This is the most enlightened state.
Remember that the four elements in the body each have a name, but none of them has a self. Since there is no self, it is like an illusion.
People are tied to their wives, children, homes, and houses more than prisons. Prisons have a period of release, but people have no desire to stay away from their wives and children. Who dares to drive away emotion and beauty? Although it is as dangerous as a tiger biting someone, people are willing to give in and throw themselves into the quagmire and cannot extricate themselves, so they are called ordinary people. If you can see through this, you will be an Arhat who has left the world.
People who follow Buddhism are like a piece of wood drifting in the water. If it does not touch the two banks, is not picked up by others, is not obscured by ghosts and gods, is not blocked by countercurrents, and does not become corrupted, I guarantee that this piece of wood will drift into the sea. If a person who studies Buddhism is not tempted by lust, is not hindered by various incorrect ideas, studies Buddhism diligently, and does not engage in behaviors that depend on external conditions for existence, I guarantee that this person will be able to understand the Dharma.
Be careful not to believe your will, your will cannot be trusted; be careful not to associate with forms, for the association of forms will bring disaster; when you have become an Arhat, you can trust your will.
From greed and desire arises sorrow, and from sorrow arises fear. If you are separated from love, why worry? What's so scary?
Remove the dirt and defilements of the mind, and your actions will become pure.
When a person leaves the evil path, it is difficult to become a human being; once he is born into a human being, it is difficult to shed the female form and become a male; once he is born into a male, it is difficult to fully possess the six sense organs; when the six sense organs are present, it is difficult to be born in the center of the world; when he is born in the center of the world, it is difficult to be in the time when the Buddha is in the world. When the Buddha is in the world, it is difficult to encounter the Buddha's Dharma; once a person has encountered the Buddha's Dharma, it is difficult for him to have faith; once the person has faith, it is difficult for him to develop bodhicitta; once he has developed bodhicitta, it is difficult for him to achieve it without practice or attainment.
For those who are destined to read: get to know the people around you. A long time ago, Buddha Śākyamuni was a god in the thirty-third heaven because of his accumulated merit. At that time, as a god, he still did not forget his original intention and often reminded himself to maintain the correct thoughts. Moreover, he sympathized with all living beings and could not bear to abandon them, and constantly helped all living beings to increase their wisdom. He saw a friend from his past who was reborn as a woman. As the wife of a wealthy businessman, she was obsessed with material pursuits and did not understand the impermanence of the world. She did business in the busy city to gain honor and status in the world. So, the god turned into a merchant and came to the rich merchant's home. The wealthy businessman's wife entertained the merchant as usual and invited him to take a seat. The merchant looked at the wealthy businessman's wife and smiled slightly. The wealthy businessman's wife noticed this and was very surprised. But the merchant did not have a frivolous attitude. He just smiled and said nothing, with a meaningful expression on his face. At this time, the child of the rich businessman next to the rich businessman's wife was playing by himself with a small leather drum in his hand. The merchant looked at the wealthy businessman's child and smiled. At this time, the wealthy businessman's neighbor's father was sick. The neighbor planned to kill a cow to sacrifice to the gods, and he just took the cow and walked over. The merchant looked at the man holding the cow again and laughed silently. Not long after, a neighbor woman came over, holding a child in her arms. The child was playing with a knife in her mother's arms, and accidentally cut her mother's cheek. The mother holding her child was bleeding. The people around were horrified when they saw this scene, but the merchants sat there and sneered. The wealthy businessman's wife secretly paid attention and observed the merchant's behavior. The more she looked at it, the more strange she felt. So, the wealthy businessman's wife came to ask the merchant: "You sit in front of me and can't stop smiling; then you look at my children and my neighbors, and you can't stop smiling. Why?" The merchant replied: " You were my good friend, how could you forget it?" After hearing this, the wealthy businessman's wife changed her face and was very unhappy. She thought the merchant was funny and rude. The merchant continued: "The child playing with the drum was originally your father. After your father passed away, he was reborn as a cow because of the debt. After the cow was slaughtered, the cowhide was made into a drum. His sins were fully paid for. He was reincarnated as a human again. He had no place to go when he was reincarnated, just in time for you to become pregnant, so he became your son in this life. After two lifetimes, he was once a father and now is a son. You no longer know each other. Look the drum your child is playing with, the skin on the drum is part of his own body in previous life. This child is still playing the drum. He has forgotten the pain of being a cow in the past, he has wiped out his past heart, and now only knows how to find happiness. Yours that neighbor, because his father was ill, he killed a cow to flatter the gods and pray for increased blessings. In fact, he forged enmity and hatred and sowed the seeds of disaster. The cow was about to be reincarnated as a human, and his father was about to be reincarnated as a cow. They will exchange karma with each other, and the pain and joy follow the karma. That neighbor really doesn't understand the truth and uses stupid ways to be filial to his father, which in turn hurts his own father. The woman next door was someone else's first wife in her past life. She is holding a child in her arms. Acturally, the child was originally that person's concubine at that time. At that time, because the first wife was very jealous of the concubine, she often abused her, and the concubine was hurt miserably. After the death of the first wife, she was still reincarnated as someone else's wife, the woman next door now. After the death of the concubine, she became the child of this woman. Now, he used a knife to cut the woman's cheek to end the past. The reason why the woman next door has no resentment is because it is driven by past karma. She cannot have resentment. What a shame. What is eternal in the world? Power and influence will not last long, only karma will follow oneself, like a shadow. Temporarily separated for a lifetime, we have no knowledge of each other, let alone the time of countless kalpas? The long night will stop only when the sins are full. The Buddha of the past once said: Existing in external forms , but do not understand the truth, people's mind are full of incorrect perceptions, but they refuse to listen to the Buddha's teachings. I couldn't stop laughing just now, that's why. You should know: the glory and wealth in the world are like lightning, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Yes, everything in the world is impermanent. Don’t follow foolish and dark perceptions. You should strictly abide by the five precepts, practice the ṣaḍ-pāramitā and strive to extricate yourself. I will leave. If we can meet again in the future, I will come to your home again. "After that, the merchant disappeared. After hearing these words, the wealthy businessman's wife gradually became enlightened, got rid of greed and Moha, no longer pursued luxury, returned to simplicity, corrected her mind, and hoped to see the merchant again one day. After a while, the god came to the wealthy businessman's home again. This time, the god transformed into a man, ugly in appearance and wearing shabby clothes. He came to the door and said to the gatekeeper, "My friend is inside, please call her out for me." The gatekeeper went in to report the wealthy businessman's wife. The wealthy businessman's wife came out and took a look and said, "You are not my friend!" The god smiled again and said, "It's only been a few days since we last met. I just changed my appearance and clothes, but you don't recognize me anymore, let alone another life!" The god once again told the wealthy businessman's wife: "You should study Buddhism hard, stop your thoughts, and practice according to Buddhism. It is easy to lose the human body, but it is not easy to encounter Buddhism, and it is not easy to meet a eminent monk. Human life is as short as the moment of a breath. Don't fall into the temptation of the world." After saying that, he disappeared. The wife of the wealthy businessman is the predecessor of Maitreya Bodhisattva. -From "The Buddha Tells Maitreya as a Female Body Sutra", also known as "Change appearance to save a friend"
Once upon a time, the Buddha told the monks in Rajagaha: "There are two kinds of bad karma that go against the right path, just like shooting a ball, which will lead to a quick fall into hell. One is not providing for parents, and the other is doing all kinds of unkind things to parents. . There are two correct behaviors that quickly rise to heaven like shooting a ball. One is to provide for parents, and the other is to do various good deeds to parents."
All the bhikkhus said: "It is rare that the Tathagata perfectly praises one who is filial to his parents!"
The Buddha said: "Not only now, but also in the past life, there was a parrot in the snowy mountains. Both parents were blind. The parrot often picked the best flowers and fruits and provided them to his parents. At that time, there was a landowner who made a wish when he was planting rice. Said: "The grains sown must be shared with all living beings." Because the landowner had a charity heart, the parrot often went to the fields to pick rice to support his parents. Later, when the landowner inspected the crops, he saw insects and birds pecking the ears of grain. The owner of the field became angry and annoyed, so he set a trap and caught the parrot.
"The parrot said: 'Owner, you made a kind wish before and were not stingy in donating grains. It is for this reason that I dare to come and collect the rice. Why are you using a snare to catch me now? The fields are like mothers, the seeds are like fathers, and the rice is like a child, the landowner is like a king, with the right to control." After the parrot said these words, the landowner was very happy and asked the parrot: "Who are you taking these rice for?" The parrot replied: "In my nest I have blind parents, and I hope to support them by collecting rice.’ The farmer replied: ‘From now on, you can always collect rice here without any worries.’”
The Buddha said: "Parrots are happy to get more fruits, and so are farmers. The parrot at that time was me, the landowner at that time was Shariputra, the blind father at that time was King Suddhodana, and the blind mother at that time was Lady Maya.” -Sam!yukta -ratna-pit!aka-su^tra-Parrot feeds blind parents
Buddhism attaches great importance to ethics and has many advices on being filial and caring for your parents. For example, "Sam!yukta -ratna-pit!aka-su^tra " records: The story of a parrot filial piety and raising his blind parents. "The Heart Earth Contemplation Sutra - Repaying Kindness" praises the ten maternal virtues. "Luo Yun's Patience Sutra" praises filial piety as the best of all virtues. "The Mara King Sutra" says: The merit of supporting parents exceeds all donations. "Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra" praises: The behavior of being kind and filial to parents is the behavior of serving the Buddha. "Dīrgha Āgama" solemnly states that five things need to be done to support one's parents. "The Six Directions of Rites of Sikyakara" also solemnly states: There are five things that need to be done to serve parents as filial piety. As a respected teacher of the world, the enlightened Buddha not only advised people to be filial to their parents, but he also practiced it himself. According to the Mahā ratnakūṭa sūtra, the Tathagata taught his father, Śuddhodana, the three doors to liberation, and his father immediately realized the anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti. "The Mahamaya Sutra" records that the Tathagata ascended to the Trayastriṃśa Heaven and taught the Holy Mother Lady Maya how to escape suffering and gain happiness. His mother immediately got rid of the knot in her heart. Therefore, the important thing in Buddhism is to extend a person's filial piety and support to his parents to every life; when a person thinks of the suffering his parents have suffered in many reincarnations, he will use this compassionate heart to love and care for all living beings. When a person realizes Buddhism, his ancestors for nine generations will be blessed, and he will praise staying away from desire. If he breaks away from attachment to "I", he will realize Bodhi, and he will be generous and sacrifice his life. Those who say that children are equal to their parents turn the highest morality into a stupid thing and commit the sin which will result in pulling out tongues. How sad!
Look at the position of a prince like dust floating through the cracks; look at the gold and jade treasures like rubble; look at the gorgeous clothes like a torn cotton jacket; look at the universe like a seed; look at the water of Anuttara Pond like foot oil. See helping sentient beings, like a collection of transformed treasures; see the Supreme Vehicle, like a dream of gold and silk; see the Buddha's way, like flowers before your eyes; see meditation, like the Sumeru Pillar; see Nirvana, like being awake day and night; see inversion and uprightness, like the six dragons dance;see equality like one true ground; see the promotion of Buddhism and enlightenment to all living beings as the four-season tree.
The Buddha asked a Samana: How short is human life? The Samana replied: Within a few days. Buddha said: You don’t understand Buddhism yet.
The Buddha asked another Samana: How short is human life? The Samana replied: It takes as long as one meal. Buddha said: You don’t understand Buddhism yet.
The Buddha asked another Samana: How short is human life? The Samana replied: Within a breath. Buddha said: Okay, you understand Buddhism!
What are the four mindfulness? The four mindfulness are the four types of visualization: body, feeling, mind, and phase. The body is our body; feeling is the way our body feels about various external contact stimuli; the mind is the reaction and attachment to feeling; the phase is everything produced by the body, feeling, and mind. As to one person, the body the feeling and the mind are phases in themselves, and there is no phase outside of body feeling and mind. Apart from this, everything that arises from causes and conditions is phase.
Using these four methods of contemplation, contemplating the impurity of the body, contemplating the suffering of feelings, contemplating the impermanence of the mind, and contemplating the selflessness of phases, is to counteract the four inverted misunderstandings and attachments.