Which religion in the world is more exclusive and which one has more vitality?

Personally, I think Christianity is exclusive, because you can only go to heaven if you praise God, and you can go to hell if you oppose God. This is too much. . .

Buddhism and Taoism have stronger vitality.

I will give you the following examples:

First, Buddha is a human being, not a god

Looking at all the religions in the world, except Buddhism, there is no one Religious leaders do not regard themselves as superhuman 'gods'. This god can control the wind and rain, and turn stones into gold; he controls the good and bad luck of mankind, and controls the life, death, honor and disgrace of all things. Humans can only go to heaven if they prostrate themselves in front of him, praise and sing, attribute all success and glory to the Almighty God, and believe in him. Those who oppose him can only fall into hell, with no room for defense or appeal.

As for the leader of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, the first words he said when he came to the world were: "I am the only one in heaven and on earth." ’ What readers should note here is that the word ‘I’ in ‘I am the only one’ does not refer to Sakyamuni himself alone, but to everyone in the entire human race. The correct interpretation of this sentence should be: Man is upright in the universe. Everyone is his own master and determines his own destiny. He does not have to take orders from anyone or any superhuman god.

Sakyamuni attributed his enlightenment, achievements and attainments entirely to people's own efforts and talents. Sakyamuni believed that a person's good or bad fortune, success or failure, honor and disgrace, are determined by the good and evil of his actions and his efforts. No one can lift me to heaven, and no one can push me to hell. Praising and singing cannot lead to happiness away from suffering. Only by down-to-earth cultivation of mind and nature can one's personality be purified and sublimated, and one can enjoy the happiness of peace of mind.

Sakyamuni cannot turn stones into gold like a magic trick. He advocated that "what you want to reap, you must first plant." He cannot make a lotus tree grow apples. If you want to harvest apples, you must first sow apple seeds. Sakyamuni only tells you how to cultivate so that you can have a fruitful harvest in the future, but you still have to do the cultivation work yourself.

Didn’t Mr. Liang Qichao also make such a metaphor in his article "The Interest of Learning"? He said that the feeling of sunbathing in winter is very comfortable, but "although the sun is good, you still have to bask in it yourself, and others cannot bask in it for you." '

Sakyamuni has been teaching the Dharma for forty-nine years and has talked about the Sutra for more than three hundred meetings (times). He is nothing more than pointing out a 'way to become a Buddha' for us - to create the most complete and perfect wisdom and wisdom for ourselves. Personality. But this road requires one to walk it through with perseverance, wisdom, and perseverance. So the Buddha said: "You have to do the work yourself, because I only teach you the way to go." ’

There is no shortcut to becoming a Buddha. Practice is a matter of effort. ‘How can you get the fragrance of plum blossoms without going through a lot of coldness to the bones?

Second, Buddha is a true equal.

I say that Buddha is a true equal, and I am not just talking nonsense. Let us first observe the social background of India at that time: everyone We know that in India during the time of Sakyamuni, society was divided into four major classes: Brahmins, nobles, commoners, and slaves. Sakyamuni, who was the prince, saw the irrationality of social classes and resolutely raised the banner of equality and advocated the abolition of class antagonisms. Advocate for the equality of all living beings.

Please think about it carefully. All revolutions in history are the result of the humble and lowly classes demanding "improvement" and the equality of the noble and superior classes. There is absolutely no revolution like Sakyamuni. He is willing to 'lower' his status as a prince to be equal to commoners and slaves. Because of his selfless and do-nothing style, I say he is a true equalizer.

At the same time, Buddhism also advocates "unconditional compassion" and "common compassion", pushing the meaning of equality to a further level.

I would like to give a brief description of the meaning of 'Unconditional Great Compassion' and 'Unconditional Great Compassion':

(1) Unconditional Great Mercy: Buddhism advocates not only treating those with oneself, We must be kind to those we have close relationships with, such as our parents, relatives, friends, etc. We must also be kind to those we have no relatives or friends with, such as people who have never interacted with me or are strangers to me, and we must also care and love in the same way.

In the words of Confucianism, "Unpredestined Great Compassion" means: "Old people are as old as others; young people are as young as others." ’ That’s what the “Datong Chapter of Rites and Yun” says, ‘not just to kiss one’s own relatives, but also to have children of their own children. ’ meaning.

(2) The Great Compassion of the Same Body: The great compassion of the same body is a spirit in which people are hungry and others are drowning, and all living beings in the universe are regarded as one and we are one, and we are connected with flesh and blood, flesh and blood.

Confucianism said: ‘There are close friends in the sea, and there are neighbors in the world. ’ He also said: ‘We are all brothers within the four seas. ’ It can express the mind of ‘the great compassion of the same body’. And Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, ‘If I don’t go to hell, who will? ’ The compassionate wish is deep in the heart, and it is the ultimate form of great compassion for one body.

Finally, what I want to explain is that what best expresses the spirit of "true equality" in Buddhism is the concept of equality in Buddhism, which is not limited to people who are the spirits of all things. Buddhism opposes "everything other than human beings" Animals were created to feed humans." The cries and cries of all animals when they are about to die are so miserable that they cannot bear to hear them. Even Mencius said with emotion: "Hearing their sounds, they cannot bear to eat their flesh." '

Buddhism further affirms that these animals, which are hunted and killed indiscriminately by humans who claim to be the spirits of all things, all have Buddha nature - a potential that can become a Buddha in the future. Humans and other animals are different in body and intelligence, but they are equal in the right to survive and in Buddha nature. Just like a vicious or stupid person, he also has "humanity". We must treat him with "humanity", educate him and influence him with "humanity". The ancients said: "Heaven has the virtue of good life." ’ He also said: ‘All things exist with me. ’ is an idea of ​​equality that regards all things as one. It’s just that Buddhism doesn’t explain it so thoroughly.

Third, Buddha is not a person who is born with knowledge

Sakyamuni was an ordinary person. His surname was Gautama and his name was Siddhartha. He lived in the sixth century BC. He was born in North India, a beautiful place about 200 kilometers away from Kadman, adjacent to the southern border of Nepal today.

At the age of twenty-nine, he gave up the throne he was about to inherit and became a monk to learn Taoism in order to find a way to relieve the troubles in life. Six years later, at the age of thirty-five, Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree beside the Nairana Chan River, and correctly and thoroughly understood the fundamental principles of the universe and life. I briefly introduce the process of Buddha's practice. The main purpose is to tell you that Sakyamuni is an ordinary person like us. He can achieve enlightenment through practice, and all thousands of human beings can follow suit. Practice the teachings he has revealed and achieve results.

Sakyamuni——He is only one of the countless prophets and foreknowledge of human beings, while we are the hindsighters. The difference between Buddha and us is not in personality or status, but in the word "enlightenment". That is what Han Yu said: "There is a sequence of hearing the Tao." '

Fourth, Buddhism does not admit the existence of stubborn and unteachable people

According to other religions, their leader or the almighty Lord, after all kinds of coercion and inducement, or with earnest words, After earnestly teaching, if you still don’t know how to wake up, take refuge under the banner of God, repent and admit that you are a lost sinner, poor lamb, then once the final judgment comes, you will all be sent to the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated. .

The ancients said: ‘The prodigal son will never be able to exchange for gold. ’ Parents in this world always keep their doors open, hoping that their prodigal son will come back, even though their son is a sinful robber. No parent has ever wanted or tolerated their children to suffer forever in the darkness and dire waters of hell.

Buddhism recognizes that human nature is kind. As long as you put down the butcher's knife, you can become a Buddha immediately. The Buddha even believed that the real "culprit" is not sin, but ignorance. All sins are caused by ignorance (called "ignorance" in Buddhism). Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the Buddha to educate and enlighten sentient beings with earnest words and heart, day and night. The Buddha cares for all living beings, "like a mother remembering her child." He not only cannot bear the suffering of all sentient beings in hell, but also declares, "Until hell is empty, I vow not to become a Buddha; only by saving all living beings can I achieve Bodhi." ’ vow. (Bodhi means ‘enlightenment’ or ‘the right path’, and realizing Bodhi means attaining the path or becoming a Buddha.

) What kind of compassion this is! What a sad wish! This is true fraternity! This is true pity!

Fifth, Buddha is not unique, everyone can become a Buddha.

In the third point above, it has been mentioned that Buddha and sentient beings only depend on the sequence of the time of enlightenment. Han Yu said: "There is a sequence of hearing the Tao." ’ can be used as an auxiliary explanation.

‘Buddha’ is just a general term for an enlightened person. Just like we call people who can "preach, teach, and resolve doubts" a "teacher". There is more than one teacher. Everyone can be a teacher, and there can be teachers everywhere. In the same way, Buddha does not only refer to Sakyamuni. Everyone can become a Buddha, and there can be Buddhas everywhere. Just as layman Anming pointed out in "On Buddhism": "Buddha is nature, and nature is Buddha. . People naturally become Buddhas in the Buddha. The wise dialectic shows that Buddha is nature, and nature is all kinds of things, including flowers, plants, trees, people, ghosts and animals. Even demons can become Buddhas as long as they put down the butcher knife. If a person wants to become a Buddha, he must be natural and must not rush for success. He must have a calm mind and get rid of the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance. There can be Buddhas on countless planets in the world (of course there are also sentient beings.)

This is also the fundamental difference between Buddhism and other religions. Other religions can only recognize their 'unique' gods and try their best. They criticize and deny the gods of other religions, calling them 'false gods'.

At the same time, under their teachings, no matter how hard human beings work hard, they can never keep pace with God and be on an equal footing. (It is always a master-servant relationship). Because God is the Creator, and man is just one of the "things" created by God.

Sixth, Buddhism does not admit that there is a God who created all things.

According to some religions, all things in the universe were created by the Almighty Lord, and their evidence is the 'Genesis' in the Old Testament.

In fact, people with a little bit of thought. , you can immediately understand that "god" is also the product of human thought. Human beings create gods based on their own concepts and images, and one of the purposes of human beings creating "god" is to explain "the origin of the universe and life", according to Buddhism. It is the 'first cause'. But where does 'God' itself come from? The pagans not only refuse to investigate, but also say with certainty: 'God is omnipotent and exists naturally.'

Dear friends! If God can "exist by himself", in other words, he can exist by himself without being created by others, then what is the meaning of the concept of "God created the universe and life" (because the same is true for the universe and life? It can also exist naturally.)

Here we list a mathematical formula to illustrate this problem. Although it is not very appropriate, it can help students understand to some extent:

Assume life in the universe. The origin of But where did God come from? Please look at the following formula: Answer.

Buddhism fundamentally denies the hypothesis that "God created all things" and does not admit that the universe has a first "beginning". The so-called "beginning" of one thing is only the "end" of the previous thing. 'That's all. In a series of causal relationships, the disappearance of one thing constitutes the condition for the emergence of another thing.

Dr. Zhang Chengji discusses this in his book "What is Buddhism?" The problem has been explained as follows: "The concept of 'beginning' is due to the 'limited' psychology of human beings and cannot encompass thousands of causal relationships. ”

For example, if we go to see the third show of the Gone with the Wind movie, it starts at seven o’clock and ends at ten o’clock. But if we think about it more carefully, the third show of the movie The 'beginning' is actually the 'end' of the second scene, and the 'end' of the third scene is the 'beginning' of the fourth scene, isn't it?

So the concept of 'beginning', It only makes sense for one particular thing; it doesn’t make sense for the entire intricate, causal universe.

Time is constantly flowing. Who can find the point where it stops and is called ‘now’? And then say that this is the ‘beginning’?

In fact, Buddhism is not interested in discussing this kind of issues that are not beneficial to life (philosophical metaphysics), because the universe has no beginning and no end, and people are trying their best to pursue the "universe". The first cause' will be in vain and futile. When you work hard to find the "first cause", you will inevitably find that there is another "cause" before it. This cycle continues over and over again, and you will never be able to find a fixed 'first cause'.

At the same time, life is short and impermanent. If you still want to get into trouble, you may be dead before you can pursue the answer to the 'first cause of the universe'.

In the Buddhist scriptures, there is a wonderful metaphor:

‘A man was injured by a poisonous arrow, and his relatives and friends took him to see a surgeon. If that person said at that time: "I don't want to pull out this arrow, I want to know who shot me. Is he a Kshatriya? A Brahmin? A Vaishya? Or a Sudra? His name and clan What is it? Is he tall, short, or of medium height? Is he dark, brown, or blond? What city or town is he from? What kind of arrow is it? What kind of hair are the arrow feathers made of, and what material are the arrow clusters made of? ..." Before getting these answers, this person Must be dead. ’ In fact, the real problem is to pull out the arrow first and treat the wound without dying while waiting for the answer. Therefore, Buddhism does not waste space and time on the issue of "the first cause of the universe". Because the pursuit is useless and unhelpful to life. These have nothing to do with people escaping from the pain of birth, old age, illness, and death, and cannot enable people to obtain the happiness of tranquility and liberation.

The topic has gone a little further. Now let’s talk about Buddhism’s opposition to the view that all things in the universe were created by God, and believe that all things are formed by ‘the aggregation of causes and conditions’. For example, the mountain in front of us is made of earth and rocks; the lake is made of accumulated water in a depression; and the tables and chairs in the classroom are made of wood by carpenters. If the earth and rocks are scattered, they will no longer become a "mountain"; if the water in the lake is drained, it will become a depression. Where will the shadow of the "lake" be? Then take apart the wooden boards piece by piece. Where are the ‘tables and chairs’?

We can call these tangible things 'color' for short, because they are just 'temporary aggregation of causes and conditions' and are not real and unchanging, so we say they are 'empty' - There is no permanent entity. This is the simple truth of "form is emptiness" in the Buddhist scriptures.

However, Buddhism says that "form is emptiness". The word "empty" is not "empty" as in "empty", nor is it "empty" as "nothing", but a kind of "wonderful existence". 'Vacuum'. How do you say this sentence? Let me give you an example to illustrate:

There is a glass of water in front of you. After the water continues to be heated, it turns into water vapor, and the shadow of the water is no longer visible. But this does not mean that the water really disappears into "empty". When the water vapor is cold, it will return to "water".

Furthermore, anyone who knows chemistry knows that water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. In other words, 'water' is just a temporary compound of hydrogen and oxygen. After water is electrolyzed, it will turn into hydrogen and oxygen. By analogy, there is nothing in the universe that is not caused by the temporary gathering of causes and conditions, and nothing is eternal. When causes and conditions come together, life comes into existence, and when causes and conditions dissipate, there is destruction. Where can there be a ‘god’ who creates all things? How can there be any eternal and unchangeable ‘things’ created?

Seventh, Buddhism teaches according to aptitude and local conditions

The Buddha's teachings to all living beings are all aimed at different abilities and teach according to different time and space. Because the objects of Buddha's teachings are different, he has different explanations: for example, for people with high wisdom, the Buddha tells them that they can directly point to the human heart, understand the mind and nature, and realize it immediately; for people with lower wisdom, the Buddha tells them Tell him to practice step by step and step by step.

Another example: For those who are passionate about fame and fortune, the Buddha tells them that "fame and wealth are all empty"; and for those who are negative and pessimistic, thinking that life is meaningless and that life is all emptiness and illusion, the Buddha tells them He's life is rare, life is precious, and people can achieve happiness and joy through hard work. ’ to inspire his courage and confidence.

In the same way, due to differences in time and space, the Buddha has different metaphors and explanations: For example: people in Taipei asked the Buddha: 'How to get rid of the Dharma in Taichung? ’ The Buddha’s answer was: ‘Go south.’ As for the person who answered Kaohsiung, he said: ‘Go north. ’ By analogy, because sentient beings are in different places, the Buddha’s answers are also different.

Buddhism has twelve parts of the Tripitaka and 84,000 Dharma doors (Dharma doors are methods of practice). These methods of practice are all created to adapt to the abilities of all living beings and to deal with their troubles. If there were no sentient beings, there would be no need for Buddha Dharma. Buddhism is like medicine. If all sentient beings do not suffer from "diseases", there is no need for medicine.

Buddhism has been handed down for more than 2,500 years and can adapt to different eras and different sentient beings. This is due to his ability to teach students in accordance with their aptitude and local conditions. This educational method is one of the characteristics of Buddhism.

Eighth, Buddhism is about entering the world

Although the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to be "transcendental", it does not conflict with the spirit of "entering the world". (The so-called "transcendence" does not mean to break away or escape from the world, but to transform and rebuild the world.)

The Buddhist scriptures say: "Buddhism is in the world, and it does not leave the world to realize enlightenment. It is just like leaving the world to seek Bodhi." Look for rabbit horns. ’ This means that practice must be in the human world, and enlightenment must also be in the human world. Anyone who is determined to follow the Tao cannot abandon this world, escape from the human beings in this world, and achieve positive results by ‘taking care of himself’. Because if a person wants to become a Buddha, in addition to being smart and wise, he must also have a vast vow of compassion to save all sentient beings. It is necessary to use these two kinds of "compassion" and "wisdom" interactively and complement each other to achieve a thorough and perfect state to become a Buddha. Therefore, Buddhism uses a transcendent spirit to engage in worldly affairs. From practice to becoming a Buddha, there is neither "entering into the world" nor "transcendental", because it has always been done in this world!

Although there are so-called pure lands in the Buddhist scriptures such as the 'Western Paradise' and the 'Eastern Glazed World', which advise people to recite the Buddha's name and be reborn in those lands, anyone who understands the true meaning of Buddhism knows that this is the purpose of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It is an expedient method to save all sentient beings. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to transform the human world into a solemn pure land and hell into a paradise. ’ This is the true purpose of Buddhism, which is not to ask people to escape from this world and hide in the Western Pure Land to enjoy happiness.

Ninth Buddhism is not exclusive

Most religions in the world only admit that the religious teachings they believe in are the only 'truth', and reject other teachings as 'heresy'.

Buddhism believes that all religions only have deep and shallow doctrines, and rarely good or bad. Any religion that can exist in the world for more than a thousand years must be more or less beneficial to the world's people and people's hearts. Otherwise, this religion would have been cast aside by human "wisdom" and washed away by the waves of time.

The problem is that some religions can only give people short-term, minority happiness; while some religions can give people eternal, majority happiness. Buddhism is one of the few in the latter category.

During the nearly 2,500 years that Buddhism has been handed down from generation to generation, Buddhism has always co-existed peacefully with other religions. There has never been a bloody conflict with other religions in the history of Buddhism for the sake of preaching. Pass.

Here I would like to invite my friends to look at the Indian King Ashoka (3rd century BC). In accordance with the tolerant, compassionate and inclusive teachings of Sakyamuni, there is a passage whose original text still exists and was carved on a rock. Edict: 'Don't just respect your own religion and belittle the religion of others. Other teachings should be properly respected. Doing so will not only help the growth of your own religion, but also fulfill your obligations to other religions. If you do the opposite, you will not only dig a grave for your own religion, but also harm other religions. ’ ‘Therefore, harmony is the best. Everyone should listen and listen willingly to the teachings of other religions. ’ (To listen carefully means to listen carefully.

) Judging from this passage, this kind of tolerance and sincerity is one of the most precious legacies in Buddhist culture.

‘Truth’ has no national boundaries in Buddhism, and it does not need any religious ‘trademark’. It does not belong to any one religion or to any one person in any era. Therefore, the truth spoken by Buddha is not unique to him, because Buddha is just a "discoverer of truth", just like the "geocentric attraction" discovered by Newton is not unique to Newton. Therefore, Buddhism believes that everything that is reasonable and has eternal principles is "Buddha Dharma".

‘Love your enemies. ’ Although it comes from the Bible, Buddhism undoubtedly recognizes it as a virtuous truth. (Same as Buddhism’s ‘Unconditional Great Compassion’ and ‘Unibody Great Compassion’.)

Buddha Dharma is like a vast river and sea, which can accommodate all large and small rivers on the earth. That’s why the Buddhist scriptures say: ‘All dharma is Buddhist dharma’!

Tenth, Buddhism is democratic and free

In other religions, what the leader says is an irresistible 'command' and a 'truth' that cannot be doubted. Anyone who disobeys or expresses the slightest doubt will be punished by the gods.

It is clearly recorded in the pagan classics that the ancestors of mankind were driven out of the Garden of Eden forever because they disobeyed God's command; and their descendants - that is, millions of human beings , including those in the past, present and future, are also suffering inexplicably because of this.

According to the explanation of foreign teachers, this is called the inheritance of ‘original sin’. To put it simply, "original sin" means giving up the connection with God's wisdom, having your own wisdom, and looking at problems from your own perspective. Human beings have been like this from generation to generation, and naturally "sin" has been inherited.

Buddhism believes that if one person does something, one person is responsible. If the father kills someone, the son will not go to hell. A son cannot suffer in his father's place. The "crime" here only refers to the "crime" that violates national laws and is tried and convicted. It is not the same concept as "original sin", it is just a small extreme phenomenon of "original sin" in reality.

I have a close friend who is a devout Christian. We used to argue with each other over the story of Adam and Eve who stole the forbidden fruit and were expelled.

The following is our conversation at that time:

‘Why were Adam and others kicked out of paradise? 'I asked.

‘Because Eve disobeyed God and was tempted by the poisonous snake to eat the forbidden fruit. She disobeyed God’s command. ’

‘Is God omniscient and omnipotent? ’

‘Yes, it is omniscient and omnipotent. ’

‘Well, since the omniscient and omnipotent Lord knew in advance that Eve could not stand the temptation of poisonous snakes, he still let the poisonous snakes tempt her without stopping them, and punished them afterwards. Isn’t this a bad intention, deliberately bringing people into sin? ’

‘Huh? ’ My friend was finally speechless.

Adam and Eve were kicked out in this way. We are also suffering in this way.

In Buddhist scriptures, there may be no record of the Buddha getting angry. During the Buddha's forty-nine years of teaching, the disciples saw their teacher as always kind, compassionate and peaceful. He was like this to both good people and bad people.

The Buddha never forced his disciples to accept the truth he said. He also encouraged them to doubt and ask questions. Until he was about to die among the Sal trees at the age of eighty, he still taught earnestly and repeatedly asked his disciples if they had any questions.

Buddha said: 'Only with great doubt can there be great enlightenment; with small doubt can there be only small enlightenment; without doubt, there can never be enlightenment. '

The Buddha also said in his final teaching: 'I never thought that you disciples are mine, and all living beings are mine... I am just one of you, and I often talk to you all. together. ...I never oppress others, nor do I ask people to obey me.

’ This is such a kind and touching legacy!

I think Buddhism’s spirit of allowing and encouraging believers to freely doubt and question the truths spoken by the leader, and then explore in depth, is unique in the world, right?

Friends, it is not allowed to force others to accept the truth. Forcing people to accept what they don’t understand or what they don’t like is politics, not religion. Only when truth is repeatedly speculated on the premise of democracy and freedom can its spirit and value be more clearly demonstrated.

Among the world's religions, only the leaders and classics of Buddhism are allowed to be doubted, discussed and investigated.