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With an open mind, doubts and beliefs about Buddhism promote each other

Tibetan Master 2018-01-16

Regarding the relationship between doubt and belief, taking natural science as an example, modern people should believe in science and receive science education since childhood, but in the process of learning science, you will inevitably ask many questions in your heart.If you have any questions, it does not mean that you think science is unreliable, and believing in science does not mean that you are fully versatile in all categories of science, without any understanding, or you no longer have doubts about various phenomena in nature.Asking questions and working hard to find answers is an important part of learning. This search process will enhance your belief in science, and your belief in science will also inspire you to constantly ask questions, verify and discover.

Here, doubt and trust not only do not constitute a contradiction, but instead promote each other.Of course, the prerequisite is that you believe in science. If you reject science at all and think that science is a deceptive trick, you will not study science, and you will not raise questions to gain knowledge. You may only question and criticize out of prejudice, not to clarify the problem, but only to prove that your closure and exclusion are right.

Belief and doubt about Buddhism are similar to this.Trust is first and foremost an open attitude.Only by being willing to let go of prejudice and look at the problem from a different perspective can you have new insights and understanding.Buddhism says that only faith can enter.In fact, it is not only true that you believe in Buddhism, but also that is true for everything you learn.If the cup lid is not opened or the cup is full, it will not be filled with water.Only by having an open and accepting attitude can you learn something.

If you believe that the Buddha's Dharma teachings reveal the truth of the universe and life, it does not mean that you can understand and see this truth immediately. You need to inspire your own wisdom through repeated listening, thinking, asking questions, analyzing and verification, and make it reveal it.

It is said that the matter that humans can see at present is less than 10% of the total mass of the universe, and more than 90% of the material content in the universe is dark matter and dark energy that humans have not yet recognized.I'm not saying that the heavens are some kind of dark matter or dark energy.I just want to say that humans' understanding of the world and the universe after having spacecraft is still very limited, so we must maintain humility and enthusiasm for exploring unknown fields, without rushing to use limited knowledge to deny the infinite unknown.

I am not very clear about what the so-called "supercreation" means. Here I can only talk about what faith in the Three Jewels is.As for the difference between it and superstition, please judge for yourself.

Faith in the Three Jewels can generally be divided into three levels: pure faith, desire and pleasure faith, superior understanding faith, or in other words, the three levels of faith.

Some people are born with a good impression of Buddhism and have a sense of intimacy. When they see Buddha statues, scriptures, temples, monks, monk robes, etc., or hear the life stories of Buddhas and great masters, or listen to people explaining Buddhism, they will be happy, moved, and admire them, and naturally believe in the merits and blessings of the Three Jewels.They may still know very little about Buddhism, but they have a heartfelt love and respect for the Three Jewels.This kind of faith is based on a simple and pure emotion, so it is called pure faith.

Desire and faith means that one also wants to be a Buddha, Bodhisattva or admired master with various merits and solemnity, or is willing to follow the teachings when hearing the Dharma, so as to obtain the merits of the Dharma. For example, after hearing the pain of the evil realms of reincarnation, one develops a desire to get rid of the distant mind; when hearing the happiness of good and liberatedness, one develops a desire to seek; after hearing the principles of good and evil choices, one develops a desire to practice good deeds and eliminate evil karma, etc.At this time, your faith in the Three Jewels is not only joy, love and respect, but also further hopes that you can also have the merits like the Three Jewels.

The supreme understanding faith is to have arisen from the deepest understanding of the uncommon merits and blessings of the Three Jewels, and to be sure that the Three Jewels are the only refuge for you to walk out of the three realms.This confidence cannot be shaken and will not regress due to changes in emotions, time, place, or experience.At this time, the Three Jewels no longer exist outside and are objects of admiration, but are increasingly integrated with our own hearts, becoming the source of happiness and power in our hearts, and will ultimately be no different from our hearts.

From pure faith to superior faith, our faith in the Three Jewels is becoming more and more rational.The hearts of ordinary people are so changeable. Although the faith based on pure sensibility is also good, it is not tenacious and profound enough, and is not enough to continuously inspire us to take action to practice Buddhism and strive to practice for liberation from reincarnation.The Buddha also taught that we should not let our emotions and preferences lead our faith in Buddhism, but should test the Buddha's teachings through listening, thinking and practicing, understand the teachings through listening, thinking and practicing, and gain the merit of realizing the Dharma, and establish firm faith in the Three Jewels on the basis of listening, thinking and practicing.

Faith is the key to opening the door to practice, and practice is also the process of continuously increasing faith.Most people will be more emotional at the beginning of their faith in the Three Jewels. It doesn’t matter. In fact, being able to naturally develop a joyful heart for the Three Jewels is the result of the accumulation of huge good roots in the past.If we or others have this pure faith, we should sincerely rejoice.In the future, as you deepen your study, thinking and practice, you will continue to consolidate your faith and increase your pure faith into a superior understanding of faith.Just as the condenser gathers the sunlight at a point to make the straw burn, untrue faith can focus the ubiquitous blessing of the Three Jewels in our hearts and ignite the light of our inner wisdom and compassion.

《The Huayan Sutra says: "Faith is the mother of the Tao's merits and virtues, and it nourishes all good roots."Faith makes the complete cessation of pain and the complete manifestation of wisdom possible.

2024-02-05 18:07
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