Buddhism As Education

Venerable Master Yinguang spoke of small size cultivation centers with no more than twenty practitioners. Small centers will be easy to maintain. There is no need to ask for donations or contributions, no need to hold Dharma assemblies or ceremonies for helping the deceased attain a better rebirth and no need to confer precepts or to give lectures on the sutras. However, it is hard to find practitioners of the same mind, Pure Land centers could not completely follow Venerable Master Yinguang's instructions, but he added one thing: a lecturing session. Why? Because if we do not understand the Pure Land teachings, we may gradually lose our enthusiasm. The more we listen to lectures on the sutras, the more we will understand the Pure Land teachings. Listening to lectures on sutras will help us to dissolve our doubts, developing confidence and strengthen our belief and vow. It will therefore guarantee our success in this lifetime. We should do nothing else but listen to lectures o...

Mr Li Bingnan often said that only two or three out of ten thousand Pure Land practitioners are able to actually attain rebirth. It is because these two or three practitioners truly believe, accept and practice, while the other do not really do that. These 9997 practitioners chant with their mouths only and are not mindful in their chanting. They have yet to eliminate their afflictions and residual habits. they are still attached to fame, prestige, gain, wealth, the 5 Desires and the 6 Dusts. When this is the case, even the Buddhas cannot do anything to help these people. Those who can accept the Pure Land method possess great roots of goodness, good fortune and good causes as well as conditions. If we did not really have the best root nature, it would be impossible for us to accept the Buddha Mindfulness Chanting method. Those who can accept it and practice earnestly can neutralize the transgressions accumulated over infinite lifetimes with the merits of their chanting. The Pur...

According to the Buddhist tradition, the subtlest workings of karma are evident only to the omniscient minds of the Buddhas; ordinary beings have no way of understanding karma as its deepest levels. Therefore, in order to be deeply convinced of the truth of the law of karma, you need to have a deep conviction in the validity and efficacy of the Three Jewels of Refuge; the basis of your spiritual practice must be strong faith in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This faith is not developed from the words of the Buddha alone but, as we have seen, on the basis of your own critical analysis. If you look at the Buddha's teachings, you can discern two basic objectives: the secondary, temporary objective is to help sentient beings gain upper rebirths, but the primary, ultimate objective is to lead them to complete liberation from samsara. When you examine the Buddha's teachings on the complex issue of negative emotions and how to counter them, you can see that these matter are evident...