When we learn from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we must learn how Buddhas and Bodhisattvas speak. When Buddhas and Bodhisattvas speak, they are "love language". To practice the bodhisattva way, you need to purify your body and mind, which includes "purification of oral karma". Paying attention to the way of speaking is a kind of practice.
In the Korean peninsula in the 6th century, the kings of Silla and Baekje issued orders prohibiting the slaughter of animals based on Buddhist ideas. In Silla, the slaughter of animals is prohibited during the breeding season from spring to summer, and the slaughter and consumption of animals are prohibited six days a month. After Silla, the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), which unified the Korean peninsula, had the heyday of Buddhism, and ordinary people began to stop eating animal meat and slaughtering livestock. According to the volume 23 "Miscellaneous Customs and Slaughter" of the "Korea Picture Book" written by the Chinese envoy's entourage who came to Goryeo in 1123: "The society in Goryeo is very benevolent. They believe in Buddhism and abstain from killing. Therefore, if it is not a king or minister, he does not eat mutton or pork, and he is not good at slaughter."
In Japan, in the fourth year of Tenmu (675), Emperor Tenmu enacted the original meat ban. In order to prevent overfishing, the use of nets for hunting and fishing is completely prohibited. The basic content of this decree is that during the period from April 1 to September 30, while the consumption of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, and chickens is prohibited, the use of iron cages, traps, mechanical guns, and weirs for blocking water and fishing are also prohibited. Violators will be punished.
Chicken was introduced to Japan in the Yayoi period, and it occupies an important position in mythology as the messenger of the gods, so it is speculated that it is generally a poultry with taboos. Afterwards, the Japanese kept chickens for a long time, but not for food, but as sacred birds for pets, and also for time telling and cockfighting. Before the Edo period, the Japanese basically did not eat eggs.
In 642, during the sacrifice of praying for rain in Japan, a decree prohibiting the sacrifice of cattle and horses was issued. In the famine of 702, a ceremony was held to replace live cattle with cows made of mud to pray for a good harvest.
In the Nara period, a national governance system based on Buddhist ideology was established, and Kokubunji, a government-run temple, was built in various parts of Japan. Under such circumstances, if the Buddhist spirit of compassion is popularized, the emperor's benevolence will be popularized in society, that is, the idea that royal power and religion are integrated.
From time to time, the emperors of this era issued edicts that completely prohibited the killing of animals. In the fourth year of Tenpei Shatsuho (752), when the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple in Sokokubunji Temple was completed, a national event, the Great Buddha Consecration Ceremony, was held. In Emperor Koken's imperial edict to commemorate the occasion, killing was banned throughout the country throughout the year, promising to distribute subsistence rice to fishermen who had lost their livelihoods. From then until the twelfth century, countless edicts prohibiting killing were issued.
By the 10th century, monks, nobles, and citizens had formed the custom of regarding meat-eating as a sin. After that, Buddhism permeated the people in the countryside, and the Buddhist concept of reincarnation was combined with the taboo on meat. This idea was very common in Japanese society at the time: people who ate the meat of quadrupeds would be reborn as quadrupeds after death.
According to the "Yanxishi", a collection of decrees formed in 927, nobles and high-ranking government officials who eat animal meat are unclean within three days and will be disqualified from participating in Shinto ceremonies held by the court. In the second year of Bunho (1318), the commentary "Bunhoji" on the rules for worshipers of Ise Jingu, which is dedicated to the patron saint of the imperial family, was compiled. It records that people who eat wild boar and venison are prohibited from visiting the shrine for 100 days.
At that time, ordinary people rarely had the opportunity to eat wild animals and wild birds. On the whole, the Japanese generally lived a meatless diet at that time.
Because the Japanese did not eat mammals at that time, the Japanese had social discrimination against those who engaged in animal slaughter, skinning, and leather product production. Judging from the Buddhist concept that killing is not allowed, these are bad occupations, and they are also regarded as "filthy existence" in Shinto. During the Kamakura period, the concept of prohibiting the consumption of mammals was popular among the people. These people engaged in animal slaughtering, skinning, and leather product production were discriminated against and isolated, and then the discrimination was strengthened through the hierarchy, which has become a social phenomenon that continues to this day.
Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty was proficient in calligraphy and believed in Buddhism. He was ordained under Zen master Huiming in Huzhou. In the third year of Qianyuan, Emperor Suzong set up release pools all over the country. All important ferries in counties, along the river to the outer city basin, five miles up and down, must set up release ponds. There are a total of 81 release ponds across the country. Yan Zhenqing asked the emperor to make inscriptions on these release pools, engrave stones and erect steles, so as to be immortal. Later, Yan Zhenqing's official position reached Shangshu Youcheng, and was named Duke of Ludi, becoming a famous official of a generation. [Comment] To set up the release pond, a monument must be erected according to the imperial decree, so that all fishing boats and nets are not allowed to approach, so that it can last for a long time. Although the inscription requested by Yan Zhenqing is called imperial system, it was actually written by Yan Zhenqing. It has been more than a thousand years since the Tang Dynasty. During this time, countless lives were saved and immeasurable feats were performed, all thanks to Yan Zhenqing's founding power!
A reference to ten thousand good deeds from "An Shi Quan Shu": Carving characters on stones to show compassion
In the whole world, the rich and the poor are not equal. Some people have luxury cars and horses, and are famous. Some people work hard to make a living and are lonely. Some people are rich and honorable, with a box full of gold and pearls. Some people are short of food and have no way to beg. There is a world of difference between the honor and disgrace of different lives. If you don't believe in the Buddhist theory of karma and the principle of repaying debts owed in previous lives in this life, you will think that the treatment given to people by God is too unfair.
Therefore, it is said in the Buddhist scriptures that in this life, people who can become wealthy, dignitaries, kings and elders come from respecting and worshiping the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in previous lives. A person with a lot of wealth in this life has obtained it from giving in the previous life. Health and longevity in this life is obtained from keeping precepts and protecting lives in previous lives. The good looks in this life are obtained from bearing humiliation in the previous life. What kind of cause was created in the previous life, what kind of effect will be received in this life. This is like when a musician plays music, when he strikes a bell, he gets the sound of the bell, and when he strikes the chime, he gets the sound of the chime. It is also like a gardener tending a nursery. If you plant peaches, you will surely get peaches, and if you plant tangerines, you will definitely get tangerines. This is why there is such a disparity between people's high and low, rich and poor. When ringing the bell, if the force is light, the sound will be low; if the force is high, the sound will be loud. If you plant one tree, you will get the fruit of one tree, and if you plant ten trees, you will get the fruit of ten trees. This is the reason why everyone's rich and poor have different levels of hierarchy.
Now those who are young and successful in the promotion and enjoy high officials and rich salary are those who did good deeds in their previous lives, extensively cultivated merit, and never tired of doing it. Otherwise, why does God give preferential treatment to those who are officials? However, being in a high position and having a lot of power, it is easy to do good things, and it is also easy to do evil things. For example, taking ginseng and poria cocos, if used well, is the one that cures the disease, and if used poorly, it is also the one that causes the disease. That's why Mencius said that only people with benevolence and love are suitable for high-ranking officials. What's more, the higher the official position, the wider the communication, the more guests and friends, the more banquets, cooking and frying every day, the more opportunities to kill and create karma, and the wider the range of killing. When high-ranking officials who are greedy for food and drink come to a certain area, all living beings on land and water in that area will suffer. One day of serving as an official means one more day for innocent sentient beings to suffer.
Therefore, those benevolent and virtuous officials in the past, they sympathized with the misery of all living beings, believed in fear of cause and effect, and always guarded themselves in order to maintain a benevolent heart. Wherever they took office, they built river ponds to release animals, and often posted notices prohibiting slaughter. They issued a ban on the punishment of a cattle slaughterer, and countless trembling cattle can be retrieved from the slaughterhouse. They issued a notice to punish the dog killers, and those loyal housekeeper dogs escaped from danger under the butcher's knife and chopping board. Hunting around the mountains, fishing in dry water, and other brutal acts of extermination must be repeated and strictly prohibited. Otherwise, once the power is gone, even if you have the desire to do good deeds, you will not have the ability to do good deeds.
I would like to advise benevolent people who are in power to seize the opportunity, refrain from killing and protect lives, and sow good fortune as soon as possible. We must learn the virtue of loving life from God. We must appreciate the compassionate heart of the government. Now that the power is in your hands, you should accumulate virtue. If you encounter something that can save the lives of all living beings, you must do your part and do it as soon as possible. Don't procrastinate or miss the opportunity. A person with a high official position should instruct his subordinates to prohibit slaughter. Those with small official positions should implore their superiors to issue a decree prohibiting killing. If you can change the bad customs and let the wind of kindness spread forever, you will be favored by heaven. Even if you do just a little bit of good, you can accumulate blessings for future generations. Otherwise, wouldn't it be like entering a treasure trove and returning empty-handed?
- "Advice to officials. Reference collection of various good deeds"
contented first rich
Those who are not satisfied are rich but poor; those who are content are rich even though they are poor. - "Buddhist Sutra"
1. Too many desires
All living beings are reincarnated in the three realms and six realms, undergoing life and death, and suffering endless suffering. This is all caused by greed, so desire is the root of life and death. Su Dongpo said: "Man's desires are endless, but things that can satisfy my desires are endless." "Chuyao Sutra" said: "When it rains from the sky and drops the seven treasures, people still have endless desires. There is less joy and more suffering. Enlightenment People with this principle are sages.” Technological advances and material civilization cannot make people less contented, and more desires will naturally lead to more suffering. Therefore, the "The Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching" said: "People with many desires seek more benefits and suffer more; people with few desires have no desires and no desires, so they don't have this trouble."
2. Contentment
Contentment means not dissatisfied with what has been obtained, and not regretting it. This is the foundation of observing morality. The evils in the world and the disasters in life are all caused by the insatiable mind. "The Sutra" said: "A greedy person accumulates a lot, but he is not satisfied when he gets it. The ignorant and perverted heart often invades him. He has a lot of resentment in his heart when he is alive, and he falls into the evil way after death. Therefore, A wise person should be content." Therefore, Buddhism believes that the greatest happiness in life is not how much you get, but how much you can cherish what you already have. It is said in the "Chu Yao Jing": "Contentment is the wealthiest." Those who can be content and grateful are the richest people in the world. Being able to be content without asking for anything is the supreme happiness. "Don't envy other people's wealth, don't feel sorry for your own poverty, a contented heart is always happy. People who don't ask for it are naturally noble." This is the truth.
3. The world of the contented
A contented person can "take nothing as existence, retreat as progress, everyone as self, and emptiness as joy", without comparing, calculating, not sad or annoyed, mountains and rivers, the universe and stars, flowers bloom and wither, birds and insects Calling, ... all of this belongs to him, and this is a truly happy and rich person. Just like Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, "living in a back alley, with a basket of food and a ladle of drink, the sorrow that others can't bear, but Yan Hui does not change his attitude of happiness." Another example is the Buddha's disciple, Kasyapa, who lived a life of asceticism in the mountains, forests and rivers, but he never tired of it and did not feel bitter. What's more, although the Japanese Zen Master Ryokan has "three liters of rice in his bag and a bundle of firewood by the hearth", he is still leisurely and content!
These moral ancient saints, the main reason why they have such indifferent, lofty and self-satisfied minds is that they are rich in spirit, and they no longer need material hypocritical enjoyment. Contentment is the place where they are happy and peaceful, so the "The Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching" says: "Those who are contented, even if they lie on the ground, are still happy; those who are not contented, even if they are in heaven, they are not satisfied."
4. The pain of dissatisfaction
In people's hearts, when they are never satisfied with this dusty world, when they have a hundred money, they think a thousand, and if they have a thousand, they think ten thousand. For those who are not satisfied, when his official position reaches the county magistrate, he wants to be the governor, and when he becomes the governor, he wants to be a minister. There is a "song of dissatisfaction", which is very appropriate to describe a person who is "never satisfied". The lyrics are:
Busy all day just for hunger. I just had enough to eat and wanted to get dressed. When I have enough food and clothing, I feel that there is a lack of a beautiful wife in the house.
When I married a beautiful wife and beautiful concubine, I felt that there were no sedan chairs and no horses to ride. When the mules, horses and carts were ready, I felt that I didn't have enough land.
When I had ten thousand hectares of fertile land, I felt that I was being bullied without an official position. When I reached the fifth rank as an official, I felt that the official position was small. Even the fourth-rank and third-rank official positions I still think are low.
When I reached the first rank and became the prime minister, I wanted to be the emperor again. When I become emperor, I want to live forever and never die.
My delusions never end, and once I die, I will have nothing.
Unsatisfied people live like this in the insatiable desire for fame, wealth and honor, and have spent a lifetime in distress. "The Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching" said: "Those who are not satisfied will be rich but poor, and those who are content will be rich even though they are poor." Indeed!