1. What is Buddhism?
Buddha, Sanskrit is Buddha, meaning "enlightenment", and the Chinese transliteration is " Buddha ". And "teaching" can be understood as religion or education. Buddhism means a universal and inherited education of the Buddha to the public.
Buddhism attaches importance to the progress and enlightenment of the human mind. All people’s troubles (sufferings) are caused by causes and conditions. “All dharmas are born, and all dharmas are destroyed.” Like other sentient beings, people are submerged in suffering and constantly reincarnation in life and death. Only saints who eliminate greed, anger, and ignorance (Buddha, Pratyekabuddha, and Arhat) can escape from the cycle of life and death and achieve nirvana (the meaning of coolness and silence, that is, there are no worries).
The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni, became a Buddha at the age of 35 and preached the truth he discovered to everyone. The purpose of Buddhists is to see through the truth of suffering and "self" from the Buddha's education (Dharma of the Truth), and ultimately transcend life and death and eliminate all troubles, become a Buddha or an Arhat.
2. What is "Namo"?
"Namo", a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Namas, pronounced as Namo, and is also translated as "Nanmo", "Namo", etc. It means paying tribute, paying respect, and giving destiny. It is a term used by Buddhist believers to submit to the Buddha wholeheartedly. It is often used to add the name of Buddha, Bodhisattva or the title of scripture to express respect and devotion to Buddha and Dharma.
3. How did Buddhist scriptures come about?
About the emergence of scriptures, a story is circulated in Buddhism:
In 485 BC, Sakyamuni died in Kushinaga on his way from Magadha to the Kingdom of Osara. When he died, only his cousin , Ananda and other disciples were by his side. According to Buddhist scriptures, Buddhist disciples who were operating in other areas were very sad when they heard the news of Sakyamuni's death and rushed over. It is said that at that time, Shakyamuni's eldest disciple Kashyapa led a group of Buddhist disciples to move in another area. When many disciples heard the news of Sakyamuni's death, they couldn't help crying. At this time, a monk said, "What's so sad?" When Shakyamuni was alive, there were too many rules. We were not allowed to do this, nor were we allowed to do it. Now that he is dead, we are free. Kashyapa was very angry when he heard this, thinking that although Sakyamuni had passed away, his teachings during his lifetime could not be abandoned, and he had the idea of compiling Sakyamuni's teachings.
, which are now known as classics in the world, except for the " Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch " by Huineng, the rest are all written by Buddhist disciples who recorded the Buddha's words and deeds and practice methods during his lifetime, as well as words that teach the truth of the universe.
4. What is the jungle?
jungle, called Vindhyavana, is a place where monks gather and practice Taoism. Volume 3 of "H Great Wisdom Theory ": "The monks Qin said that there were many monks, and they were in harmony with each other, and they were called monks; for example, if a large bushes gathered, it was called forest." Later, the temple was generally called a jungle.
5. What is Buddhist art?
Buddhist art was born with the birth of Buddhism, and its main composition forms are temple art and grotto art . Buddhist grottoes are built imitating the form of temples. Buddhist temples and grottoes are also integrated with architecture, sculpture and painting. They are the main part of the world's Buddhist art heritage.
At the beginning of the founding of Indian Buddhism, Buddhist art is mainly expressed by stories and carvings and paintings of Buddhist teachings. No Buddha statues appeared at that time, because primitive Buddhism believes that Buddha is superhuman and cannot be depicted with specific images. Therefore, in order to express the image of the Buddha, the Bodhi tree, footprints, Dharma wheels, thrones and other forms are usually symbolically established or engraved in the places where the Buddha visited or preached before his lifetime. The pagoda is just a mound of ashes for monks to bury ashes. Ashoka is enthusiastic about Buddhism. It is said that 84,000 pagodas are built, and gradually become buildings with unique shapes and extremely exquisite shapes. Shanqi Tower is the most outstanding work in this regard. King Ashoka established a decree pillar in Deer Aoi . It has exquisite and weak stigmas, and a four-headed stone lion with its head held high and its power, and has become the national emblem of the Indian Republic today.The popularity of Buddha statues was in the 2nd century BC, during the Gandhara period, when the Buddha statues unearthed were round and full, harmonious and commensurate. At this time, since India was ruled by Greek , these statues clearly reflected Greece and influence, with obvious Greek annals.
htmlIn the 32nd century, the Yuezhi people who originally lived in northwestern China established the Kushan Kingdom in Northwest India. The popular Motula Buddhist statues during this period brought Indian Buddhist art into another new era. These statues changed the solemn and simple tranquil characteristics of the past, and appeared with a relaxed and lively and powerful appearance, reflecting the local atmosphere of India, with a spirit of advocating flesh and being close to life.
html After the 34th century, the Fudu Dynasty in India was the golden age of Indian Buddhist art. Gandhara art and Motulu art style gradually merged, and literature and art influenced each other. The artistic style of this period was more characterized, highlighting the character's character and paying attention to the vitality of the image. The Buddha became a veritable idol. The beautiful murals of Ajanta, which have been passed down for centuries, are another treasure of Indian Buddhist art. After the Tantric Buddhism became popular in India, Buddhist art turned to the trend of assimilation with Hinduism. The exquisite and exquisite bronze statue of Bodhisattva was a striking work of this period. In the 13th century, Islamic forces entered India, Buddhism gradually declined, and Buddhist art gradually disappeared. However, with the spread of Buddhism outside India, Buddhist art has also flowed to most parts of Asia, where it is combined with local ethnic art to produce lush fruits and have an important influence.
6. Buddhism’s view on animals
We will understand Buddhism’s view on animals from the following four points:
(1) Avoid killing: Animals, like humans, have flesh and blood, feel bitterness and happiness, are relatives, and understand and avoid them. Thinking about this, how can you bear to harm it? Therefore, the ancient sages and wise men have always regarded defeating the disabled and killing. is the "three-sided net" of Tang , and Confucius 's "fishing without stamina, and sword without slashing the sleep" has been passed down as a beautiful story for thousands of years; Buddhism is more thorough. Not only does Five Precepts and Ten Virtues have the lead in not killing, but also advocates vegetarianism to eliminate murderous intent.
(2) Release of animals: In the "Brahma Net Sutra", the Buddha sincerely advised the Buddhist children to practice the karma of releasing animals with compassion, because all living beings in the six realms are our parents and relatives in our past lives, so if you see people kill animals, you should save them easily and relieve them. The methods and merits of releasing animals are often seen in Buddhist scriptures. For example, the Golden Light Sutra describes that the dying fish is rescued in time because of the elder's son who is flowing water, and is born in the Cheli Heaven Palace in order to preach the Mahayana sutra; the "Miscellaneous Treasure Sutra" records that young novice was rescued from drowning ants and was rewarded with longevity. There is nothing more valuable in the world than life, so releasing animals is not only prolonging the other person's life, but also accumulating virtue for oneself; not only cherishing life, but also repaying the deep kindness of parents. Unfortunately, later generations have done improperly, which has encouraged the evil karma of killing, which has only caused all the good intentions to be lost. For example, catching birds that originally flocked in the mountains and forests into dusty cities will no longer lead to premature death: in order to release animals, some people even teach fishermen to fish and hunters to hunt. In order to release animals, they not only increase their fear, but also inevitably hurt their flesh and endanger their lives. Therefore, we should not only establish a correct concept of releasing animals, but also keep pace with the times and replace the disadvantaged forms of releasing animals with active and enterprising actions to protect the lives of the animals.
(3) Care for the life: The most important thing in protecting animals is to change oneself and others, and to change the position. Like Master Huiyi, he raised mice with food in the bowl, and Master Zhikai did not care about the filthy or felt wild dogs. He not only moved animals, but also respected people at that time. The Buddha was afraid that when he went out during the rainy season, he would kill insects and grass and trees on the ground, so he established a system for to live in the summer. Buddhist temples created a good living environment for birds and beasts, so he did not cut down trees indiscriminately or pick flowers and fruits. All of this coincided with the purpose and measures of today's life protection groups, and can be said to be a pioneer of the conservation movement. The Emperor Wu of Liang issued an edict to ban slaughter and King Ashoka erected a monument to protect animals. This was the origin of the national government's vigorous promotion of loving animals based on the spirit of "no fate to be great compassion and great compassion" in Buddhism.
(4) Equality: Buddhism advocates that all things in the world are mutually dependent and closely related to each other; all sentient beings have equal Buddha nature and no difference. In " Diamond Sutra ", the Buddha issued the declaration that "I will enter the Nirvana of No Remaining Nirvana and save all sentient beings in this way, but there is actually no one sentient beings who have died." This not only looks at the true meaning of animals with an equal mind, but also the ultimate manifestation of human civilization. In Buddhism, among the eight heavenly and dragons who vow to protect Buddhism due to the influence of the Buddha, there are the ignorant and angry dragon gods, the fierce temperament of golden-winged birds ( Garuda ), and the greedy and evil python gods, which prove that even the extremely fierce animals, if we can transform them with compassion and wisdom, we can exert the Buddha nature that we have in our hearts.
7. What is the origin of vegetarianism and Buddhism?
vegetarian food does not equal vegetarian food , nor is it unique to Buddhism, but China's vegetarian culture is closer to Buddhism and has its roots.
Before Buddhism was introduced to in China, there was a vegetarian trend in the Han area. Medical books such as " Huangdi Neijing " record the dietary concept of "raising, helping, benefiting, and filling" of the ancients, advocate "five grains are nourishing and five fruits are helping", and regard vegetarianism as a virtue; the philosophical thought of Lao Zhuang tranquility and inaction also advocates the dietary concept of health preservation. Many literati and enshrined scholars advocate nature and believe that eating meat will make people turbid and eating vegetarian food will make people clear. Therefore, they pursue clear energy and adhere to the principle of vegetarian food. As for the vegetarian food in Buddhism, it has a particularly profound meaning. The Buddha said that compassion arises from great compassion. All sentient beings are of the same body, and all sentient beings are of the same nature and the same nature are of the same nature as the relatives of the past and the future. The great flow of life, the six realms of reincarnation, life, death, and cause and effect. All animals with fetal, egg, dampness, and transformation may be my parents, brothers, and wives in the past countless kalpas, or their relatives in the future. Understand this cause and condition, and the sentient beings you see will certainly feel compassion for your loved ones and love, and cannot bear to kill them.
Therefore, abstaining from killing is the foundation of Mahayana, and vegetarianism is a necessity for practice. In summary, the vegetarians in this life may not be all
Buddhists, and Buddhists may not be all vegetarians. For example, primitive Buddhism did not stipulate that monks eat vegetarian food, but would be transformed as they occur. Therefore, there is no precept for prohibiting eating fish and meat in the rules. Therefore, today's monks of Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism, and Japanese monks of the Northern Buddhism are allowed to eat fish and meat.
8. What is fragrance?
in "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Fragrance is fragrant." And the fragrant "sweetness" means that the fragrance is far away. The definition of incense in Buddhism is more broad, and everything smelled at the root of the nose is collectively called incense. Buddhism reinterprets this beautiful experience in human life, making fragrance transcend the original meaning, and uses fragrance to symbolize the fragrance of the purity of precepts and virtues of practitioners, and even the five-part Dharma body of the saints with liberation and wisdom. It can be said that it is the fragrance of the liberated mind.
For example, in the "Buddha's Sutra on Precepts and Fragrance", the Buddha used incense to describe the fragrance of keeping precepts, which was not affected by the influence of obedience and against the wind, and could infuse all directions. In the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch", incense is also used to describe the five parts of the saint's Dharma body, namely precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and liberation knowledge and views.
9. What is a ritual?
Buddhism uses rituals to express various things and principles in Buddhism. In layman's terms, it is like a general ritual, such as the ancient country's sacrifice to heaven, the emperor's ascension to the throne, and the current military parade, Confucius and and other rituals; folk secular worlds include sacrifice to ancestors, mountain gods, river gods, land, etc.; the etiquette of ancient Chinese people includes funerals, weddings, and adult crown rituals , etc., and the purpose of these rituals is to achieve a civilized spirit that harmonizes the minds of the people, improves morality, and expresses a high level of civilization. The spiritual meaning of Buddhist rituals is also close to these secular rituals. However, unlike secular rituals, there are also changes in the principles of life flow, correcting the mind and nature to purify the three karmas of body, speech and mind, and transforming karma through practice, or inspiring the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, Dragons and Gods to stay away from ghosts, sins and pains, and gain the lightness and freedom in life.
10. What is the truth?
mantra, ( Sanskrit Mantra.) Transliteration of Mandala, mandala . Also known as Dharani , mantra, wise, divine mantra, secret words, secret words, secret numbers. This is equivalent to the secret of the three secrets, and it is called the "truth secret". It also refers to the original virtue of Buddha, Bodhisattva, heaven, etc., or its alias; or it refers to the secret statements containing profound teachings and are not known to ordinary people.
Related Reading
Detailed explanation of the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism
Development summary of major Buddhist countries and regions in the world
The Book of Changes and Taoism
Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism View of Life and Death
The popularity of Buddha statues was in the 2nd century BC, during the Gandhara period, when the Buddha statues unearthed were round and full, harmonious and commensurate. At this time, since India was ruled by Greek , these statues clearly reflected Greece and influence, with obvious Greek annals.htmlIn the 32nd century, the Yuezhi people who originally lived in northwestern China established the Kushan Kingdom in Northwest India. The popular Motula Buddhist statues during this period brought Indian Buddhist art into another new era. These statues changed the solemn and simple tranquil characteristics of the past, and appeared with a relaxed and lively and powerful appearance, reflecting the local atmosphere of India, with a spirit of advocating flesh and being close to life.
html After the 34th century, the Fudu Dynasty in India was the golden age of Indian Buddhist art. Gandhara art and Motulu art style gradually merged, and literature and art influenced each other. The artistic style of this period was more characterized, highlighting the character's character and paying attention to the vitality of the image. The Buddha became a veritable idol. The beautiful murals of Ajanta, which have been passed down for centuries, are another treasure of Indian Buddhist art. After the Tantric Buddhism became popular in India, Buddhist art turned to the trend of assimilation with Hinduism. The exquisite and exquisite bronze statue of Bodhisattva was a striking work of this period. In the 13th century, Islamic forces entered India, Buddhism gradually declined, and Buddhist art gradually disappeared. However, with the spread of Buddhism outside India, Buddhist art has also flowed to most parts of Asia, where it is combined with local ethnic art to produce lush fruits and have an important influence.
6. Buddhism’s view on animals
We will understand Buddhism’s view on animals from the following four points:
(1) Avoid killing: Animals, like humans, have flesh and blood, feel bitterness and happiness, are relatives, and understand and avoid them. Thinking about this, how can you bear to harm it? Therefore, the ancient sages and wise men have always regarded defeating the disabled and killing. is the "three-sided net" of Tang , and Confucius 's "fishing without stamina, and sword without slashing the sleep" has been passed down as a beautiful story for thousands of years; Buddhism is more thorough. Not only does Five Precepts and Ten Virtues have the lead in not killing, but also advocates vegetarianism to eliminate murderous intent.
(2) Release of animals: In the "Brahma Net Sutra", the Buddha sincerely advised the Buddhist children to practice the karma of releasing animals with compassion, because all living beings in the six realms are our parents and relatives in our past lives, so if you see people kill animals, you should save them easily and relieve them. The methods and merits of releasing animals are often seen in Buddhist scriptures. For example, the Golden Light Sutra describes that the dying fish is rescued in time because of the elder's son who is flowing water, and is born in the Cheli Heaven Palace in order to preach the Mahayana sutra; the "Miscellaneous Treasure Sutra" records that young novice was rescued from drowning ants and was rewarded with longevity. There is nothing more valuable in the world than life, so releasing animals is not only prolonging the other person's life, but also accumulating virtue for oneself; not only cherishing life, but also repaying the deep kindness of parents. Unfortunately, later generations have done improperly, which has encouraged the evil karma of killing, which has only caused all the good intentions to be lost. For example, catching birds that originally flocked in the mountains and forests into dusty cities will no longer lead to premature death: in order to release animals, some people even teach fishermen to fish and hunters to hunt. In order to release animals, they not only increase their fear, but also inevitably hurt their flesh and endanger their lives. Therefore, we should not only establish a correct concept of releasing animals, but also keep pace with the times and replace the disadvantaged forms of releasing animals with active and enterprising actions to protect the lives of the animals.
(3) Care for the life: The most important thing in protecting animals is to change oneself and others, and to change the position. Like Master Huiyi, he raised mice with food in the bowl, and Master Zhikai did not care about the filthy or felt wild dogs. He not only moved animals, but also respected people at that time. The Buddha was afraid that when he went out during the rainy season, he would kill insects and grass and trees on the ground, so he established a system for to live in the summer. Buddhist temples created a good living environment for birds and beasts, so he did not cut down trees indiscriminately or pick flowers and fruits. All of this coincided with the purpose and measures of today's life protection groups, and can be said to be a pioneer of the conservation movement. The Emperor Wu of Liang issued an edict to ban slaughter and King Ashoka erected a monument to protect animals. This was the origin of the national government's vigorous promotion of loving animals based on the spirit of "no fate to be great compassion and great compassion" in Buddhism.
(4) Equality: Buddhism advocates that all things in the world are mutually dependent and closely related to each other; all sentient beings have equal Buddha nature and no difference. In " Diamond Sutra ", the Buddha issued the declaration that "I will enter the Nirvana of No Remaining Nirvana and save all sentient beings in this way, but there is actually no one sentient beings who have died." This not only looks at the true meaning of animals with an equal mind, but also the ultimate manifestation of human civilization. In Buddhism, among the eight heavenly and dragons who vow to protect Buddhism due to the influence of the Buddha, there are the ignorant and angry dragon gods, the fierce temperament of golden-winged birds ( Garuda ), and the greedy and evil python gods, which prove that even the extremely fierce animals, if we can transform them with compassion and wisdom, we can exert the Buddha nature that we have in our hearts.
7. What is the origin of vegetarianism and Buddhism?
vegetarian food does not equal vegetarian food , nor is it unique to Buddhism, but China's vegetarian culture is closer to Buddhism and has its roots.
Before Buddhism was introduced to in China, there was a vegetarian trend in the Han area. Medical books such as " Huangdi Neijing " record the dietary concept of "raising, helping, benefiting, and filling" of the ancients, advocate "five grains are nourishing and five fruits are helping", and regard vegetarianism as a virtue; the philosophical thought of Lao Zhuang tranquility and inaction also advocates the dietary concept of health preservation. Many literati and enshrined scholars advocate nature and believe that eating meat will make people turbid and eating vegetarian food will make people clear. Therefore, they pursue clear energy and adhere to the principle of vegetarian food. As for the vegetarian food in Buddhism, it has a particularly profound meaning. The Buddha said that compassion arises from great compassion. All sentient beings are of the same body, and all sentient beings are of the same nature and the same nature are of the same nature as the relatives of the past and the future. The great flow of life, the six realms of reincarnation, life, death, and cause and effect. All animals with fetal, egg, dampness, and transformation may be my parents, brothers, and wives in the past countless kalpas, or their relatives in the future. Understand this cause and condition, and the sentient beings you see will certainly feel compassion for your loved ones and love, and cannot bear to kill them.
Therefore, abstaining from killing is the foundation of Mahayana, and vegetarianism is a necessity for practice. In summary, the vegetarians in this life may not be all
Buddhists, and Buddhists may not be all vegetarians. For example, primitive Buddhism did not stipulate that monks eat vegetarian food, but would be transformed as they occur. Therefore, there is no precept for prohibiting eating fish and meat in the rules. Therefore, today's monks of Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism, and Japanese monks of the Northern Buddhism are allowed to eat fish and meat.
8. What is fragrance?
in "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Fragrance is fragrant." And the fragrant "sweetness" means that the fragrance is far away. The definition of incense in Buddhism is more broad, and everything smelled at the root of the nose is collectively called incense. Buddhism reinterprets this beautiful experience in human life, making fragrance transcend the original meaning, and uses fragrance to symbolize the fragrance of the purity of precepts and virtues of practitioners, and even the five-part Dharma body of the saints with liberation and wisdom. It can be said that it is the fragrance of the liberated mind.
For example, in the "Buddha's Sutra on Precepts and Fragrance", the Buddha used incense to describe the fragrance of keeping precepts, which was not affected by the influence of obedience and against the wind, and could infuse all directions. In the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch", incense is also used to describe the five parts of the saint's Dharma body, namely precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and liberation knowledge and views.
9. What is a ritual?
Buddhism uses rituals to express various things and principles in Buddhism. In layman's terms, it is like a general ritual, such as the ancient country's sacrifice to heaven, the emperor's ascension to the throne, and the current military parade, Confucius and and other rituals; folk secular worlds include sacrifice to ancestors, mountain gods, river gods, land, etc.; the etiquette of ancient Chinese people includes funerals, weddings, and adult crown rituals , etc., and the purpose of these rituals is to achieve a civilized spirit that harmonizes the minds of the people, improves morality, and expresses a high level of civilization. The spiritual meaning of Buddhist rituals is also close to these secular rituals. However, unlike secular rituals, there are also changes in the principles of life flow, correcting the mind and nature to purify the three karmas of body, speech and mind, and transforming karma through practice, or inspiring the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heavenly Kings, Dragons and Gods to stay away from ghosts, sins and pains, and gain the lightness and freedom in life.
10. What is the truth?
mantra, ( Sanskrit Mantra.) Transliteration of Mandala, mandala . Also known as Dharani , mantra, wise, divine mantra, secret words, secret words, secret numbers. This is equivalent to the secret of the three secrets, and it is called the "truth secret". It also refers to the original virtue of Buddha, Bodhisattva, heaven, etc., or its alias; or it refers to the secret statements containing profound teachings and are not known to ordinary people.
Related Reading
Detailed explanation of the eight major sects of Chinese Buddhism
Development summary of major Buddhist countries and regions in the world
The Book of Changes and Taoism
Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism View of Life and Death
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