Why can't we pray on the yellow calendar?
Orthodox Buddhism
In fact, in the essence of Buddhism, there is no difference between belief and superstition. Buddhism is Buddhism, and the basic content is the same everywhere. Buddhism emerged from the ocean of great compassion and wisdom of Sakyamuni, who was a Buddha with great awareness. It is a kind of teaching full of wisdom, kindness, brightness, calmness 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 should meet three main conditions: first, it must be permanent; Second, it must be universal; Third, it must be inevitable. In other words, it has always been like this, it is everywhere now, and it will be like this in the future.
Any belief or trust in truth or things that cannot stand the test of these three conditions is not belief but superstition. A religious doctrine can not stand the test of the times, can not stand the guidance of the environment, and can not open up a new realm. This is superstition, not belief.
However, it is undeniable that in areas where Mahayana Buddhism is popular, especially in China, orthodox Buddhism has always been exclusively owned by monks and a few gentlemen in mountainous areas. 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 in 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 it is also a primitive religious phenomenon. Since the beginning of human culture, it has generally occurred among various ethnic groups. That's to relieve mental troubles, family and social disputes and the torture of the natural environment. In the case that people can't solve it by physical strength and intelligence for a while, they can only turn to the guidance, help, relief 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 there is no distinction among gods, immortals, buddhas and bodhisattvas. Since the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there have been more so-called five religions with the same roots, namely, Jesus and Hui. Invite people who claim to be gods, immortals, saints, bodhisattvas and ancient buddhas to give advice to those who want to 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 regard the only God as the object of prayer. Folk beliefs also regard leaders of various religions as gods. The difference is that all major religions have their leaders, teaching history, teaching principles, teaching tools and teaching groups. Folk belief is polytheism. Therefore, orthodox Buddhist monasteries should not be equipped with sign tubes, altars, barns and cups in Lu 'an, nor should they worship gods and idols with various local colors, so as not to be infected with the color of folk beliefs, and be mistaken for polytheism 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 ever-present. Guanyin Bodhisattva is called inspiration, salvation and compassion. Amitabha is known as the supreme medical king, also known as infinite life and infinite light. These buddhas and bodhisattvas can make people respond to 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 magical powers, which can be absorbed in the same way anytime and anywhere, and should satisfy the reasonable prayers of all sentient beings. Then as long as everyone chooses a Buddha, a bodhisattva, or a specific method and spell, all the requirements of folk beliefs can be easily realized, not to mention the religious level of folk beliefs to the realm of self-interest, altruism and freedom.
Tantric Buddhism has different purposes and different levels of cultivation methods. Tiantai Sect and Huayan Sect in China have also compiled various rituals and ceremonies to practice the teachings declared in various scriptures, which is different from polytheism in folk beliefs; Only by tracing the source of Buddhism, there is no diversified ceremony. The Buddha said that there is no limit to Buddhism. As long as you concentrate on practicing, any Buddhism can become the master of all Buddhism. Therefore, there are 25 kinds of flexible Buddhism in the Shurangama Sutra, and any Buddhism is equal to all Buddhism and has all the functions of Buddhism. The Vimala Sutra points out 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.
On a deeper level, as a Buddhist, if he constantly changes his practice methods and worship objects in order to meet different wishes, he will lose his central goal. Those who believe in Buddhism, believing in the Three Treasures means learning Buddhism and practicing Buddhism. It is the compassion and wisdom of learning Buddha. Under the correct guidance of Buddhism, they practiced single-minded Buddhism, thus achieving the consistent goal of keeping precepts, practicing Buddhism and enlightening. As long as you 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 courses day after day, even if you don't pursue practical interests, practical interests will naturally be realized in your daily life.