Old Monk Xuyun: It is dangerous to ignore the precepts!

December 17, 1952

Talked at the Shanghai Buddhist Association for Wishing World Peace

The Pure Land and Zen Buddhism are more popular nowadays. But the general monks ignore the precepts, which is unreasonable. Because the fundamental essence of Buddhism is the three words "precept, concentration, and wisdom", like the three feet of a tripod, and none of them are indispensable. This is something that every one of us who study Buddhism should pay special attention to.

Zen Buddhism is when the Buddha picked up flowers at the Lingshan Conference, showing the public the only smile of the Buddha Kashyapa, which is called the Secret of Heart and Heart, and is passed on separately from the teachings, which is the lifeblood of Buddhism. The Pure Land of chanting Buddha's name and reading sutras and chanting mantras are all Buddhist teachings to escape from birth and death. Some people say that Zen Buddhism is sudden and chanting Buddha's name and mantras is gradual. Yes, this is just a difference in name and appearance, and it is actually the same. The Sixth Patriarch said: "There is no sudden and gradual state of Dharma, and there is slowness and disease. ”I think every method of Buddhism can be practiced. Which method you are suitable for, what method you practice. Don’t praise one and destroy the other, and you will be deluded and attached. The most important thing is to observe the precepts. Recently, there are monks who not only do not strictly observe the precepts themselves, but also say that keeping the precepts is attachment. How dangerous that kind of high profile is!

The Zen Buddhism of the Heart-District Dharma has been passed down from Venerable Kashyapa to spread from India to Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of China, and is called the spread of the Dharma and its prosperity was at its peak. The Vinaya School was headed by Venerable Upali. He received the instructions of the Buddha to let us sentient beings in the last days take precepts as their teachers, and after Venerable Venerables, they would carry forward the Five Vinaya. The old man Daoxuan of Nanshan, our country, followed the Tanwude Department and followed the memorials, and was called Zhongxing Law Ancestor. An old man from Qi from Tiantai, who observed Nagarjuna's "Madhyamaka" and invented the mind. Mr. Du Shun established the Xianshou School based on the "Avatamsaka Sutra". Yuan Gong advocated Pure Land, and the Nine Patriarchs inherited it. After Yongming, most of the ancestors of all dynasties promoted the Pure Land with Zen Buddhism, and the water and milk were integrated. Although the various sects are emerging, they are inseparable from the lifeblood of the flower. This shows that the relationship between Zen and Pure Land is closer, and it also shows that the ancients' sincere intention of promoting Buddhism. As for Tantric Buddhism, it was introduced to China by Venerable Bukong, Vajra Wisdom, etc., and was carried forward through the efforts of Zen Master Yixing and others. But these are all Buddhist teachings, and they should be promoted and transformed, and they should not be separated from each other and destroyed by each other. If the two stand and attack each other, they will not understand the Buddha's intentions.