20 170309 Buddha's Birthday in the Yellow Calendar
Orthodox Buddhism
In fact, there is no difference between belief and superstition in the essence of Buddhism. Buddhism is Buddhism, and the basic content is the same everywhere. Buddhism emerged from the sea of great compassion and wisdom of Buddha Sakyamuni, who was a great awakened one. It is a kind of teaching full of wisdom, kindness, brightness, coolness and comfort. The cult form established according to this belief is Buddhism.
True faith means correct belief, proper oath, correct understanding, honest belief and true trust. The content of a positive letter must meet three main conditions: first, it must be permanent; Second, it must be universal; Third, it must be inevitable. In other words, it used to be like this, now it is everywhere, and it will be like this in the future.
Any belief or trust in a truth or a thing that cannot stand the test of these three conditions is not belief, but superstition. A religious doctrine can't stand the test of the times, can't be guided by the environment, and can't open a new realm. It's superstition, not faith.
However, it is undeniable that the orthodox Buddhism in Mahayana religious areas, especially in China, has always been enjoyed exclusively by monks and a few gentlemen in the mountains. As for the orthodox beliefs of the people, they have never been popularized. The general public has always lived in the concept of mixed beliefs of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, such as the worship of ghosts and gods, and the belief that people are dead or have ghosts, which are not the products of Buddhism.
How does Buddhism adapt to the requirements of folk beliefs?
The so-called folk belief is a kind of religious behavior related to folk customs and a primitive religious phenomenon. Since the beginning of human culture, it has generally occurred between ethnic groups. That's to relieve mental troubles, family and social disputes, and the torture of the natural environment. In the case that people's physical strength and intelligence can't be solved for a while, they can only turn to the guidance, help, rescue and blessing of the gods, and use the methods of praying for a sign, praying for a sign, descending the spirit, dragging the dead, helping Luan, offering sacrifices and making wishes to achieve the purpose of communicating with ghosts and gods. Buddhism does not advocate similar behavior.
Folk belief is a mixture of gods. Since the Song Dynasty, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have merged, and gods, immortals, buddhas and bodhisattvas are not divided. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the so-called homology of five religions has emerged, namely, Ye religion and Hui religion. People who claim to be gods, immortals, saints, sages, bodhisattvas and ancient buddhas are invited to give advice to those who want help through mediums, magicians, Lu 'an altars, nuns, people and props, such as spirit tablets and wooden cups. The difference is that Buddhism achieves the purpose of prayer through rational persuasion, cultivating goodness and accumulating blessings, and repenting and chanting Buddha. However, monotheistic believers pray for the only God. Folk beliefs also regard leaders of various religions as gods. The difference is that all major religions have their own leaders, teaching history, teaching principles, teaching instruments and teaching groups. Folk belief is polytheism. Therefore, orthodox Buddhist temples should not be equipped with diviners, Luan altars, granaries, cups and lamps, nor should they worship gods and idols with various local colors, so as not to be contaminated with the color of folk beliefs, and be mistaken for worshipping polytheists as Buddhism, which is the mainstream of folk beliefs.
How does Buddhism meet the needs of the public and the needs of folk beliefs? This should focus on promoting the role of Buddhism and Bodhisattva, or expounding the functions of some commonly used scriptures, such as Guanyin Bodhisattva and Earth Treasure Bodhisattva, which are meticulous, far-reaching and ancient and modern. Guanyin Bodhisattva is called inspiration, salvation and compassion. Amitabha Buddha is known as the supreme medical king, also known as infinite life and infinite light. These buddhas and bodhisattvas can make people meet their needs, live longer and seek wisdom. Sakyamuni Buddha is one of the tens of billions incarnations of Lushena Buddha. He is the leader of the women's world, the mentor of man and nature, the beacon of the night and the kind navigation of the sea of suffering. Buddhas can accept the call for help from any sentient beings at any time and anywhere, and have all the functions of liberating all sentient beings. All great bodhisattvas also have six kinds of magical powers, which can be absorbed anytime and anywhere. They are all the same and should satisfy the reasonable prayers of all sentient beings. Then everyone can easily meet all the requirements of folk beliefs by choosing a Buddha, a bodhisattva, or a specific practice and mantra, not to mention going further and reaching the realm of self-interest, altruism and freedom from the religious level of folk beliefs.
The esoteric religion has different purposes and different levels of cultivation methods. Tiantai Sect and Huayan Sect in China have also compiled various rituals and rituals to practice the teachings declared in various scriptures, which are different from the polytheism of folk beliefs; Only trace back to the source of Buddhism, there is no diversified ceremony. Buddhism says that there is no end to Buddhism, and any Buddhism can become the master of all Buddhism as long as you concentrate on practicing. Therefore, there are 25 kinds of modifications in the Shurangama Sutra, and any method is equal to all laws and has the function of all laws. "Vimalakīrti Jing" shows the only way, otherwise it will be easily confused with folk beliefs and merged with polytheistic beliefs, giving people the impression that gods and Buddhists are indistinguishable.
From a deeper level, as a Buddhist, if you constantly change your practice methods and worship objects in order to meet different wishes, you will lose your central goal. Believing in Buddhism and believing in the Three Treasures means learning Buddhism and practicing dharma. It is the compassion and wisdom of learning Buddha. Under the correct guidance of Buddhism, they practice Buddhism wholeheartedly, so as to achieve the consistent goal of keeping precepts, practicing Buddhism and developing wisdom. As long as we don't leave the three treasures principle and take reading Buddhist books, doing Buddhist deeds, observing precepts, giving alms, chanting Buddha and confessing as daily lessons day after day, even if we don't seek practical interests, practical interests will naturally be achieved in daily life.