Buddhist Questions and Answers

Q: Where are we now?

Desire realm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_realm

Question: What is the most important thing for a Buddhist believer?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

People who believe in Buddhism must remember to observe the five precepts. The five precepts are the most important; they are also the foundation of being a human being and a ladder to heaven. If you can uphold the five precepts, you will never lose your human body at any time.

Question: What does "return to Prakṛti and restore" mean?

Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

It means cultivating Bhūta, restoring the pure child body, and cultivating this stinky body into an indestructible body. Even if your body has been damaged in the past, if you can pull back from the brink, retreat quickly, turn away from the desire and delusion and join the path of awakening, then you will have the opportunity to restore your original purity in this life.

Question: How can one become enlightened?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Enlightenment is like unlocking a lock. The lock can lock the door and prohibit you from entering or exiting. You must have a key to unlock the door lock. Otherwise, you will be banned from the house forever.

So, where is this key?

Right on your own and easy to find. How to find it? When you meditate, recite Buddha's name and recite mantras, you are looking for the key.

金剛棒喝

https://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading/dharma_talks/JinGangBangHe/1181-1200.htm

Question: Can a Buddha be built?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Of course. As long as you help people become monks, you are building Buddhas. Monks will definitely become Buddhas in the future. If you help others to become monks, help each other, you also will become a monk. When you build other Buddhas, you also build your own Buddha.

Question: Why does Master exhort people chant Avalokiteshvara?

Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

Because in the Sad-dharma-vipralopa, the Māra is strong and the Dharma is weak. Avalokiteshvara has a great vow to save all sentient beings with compassion.

Q: Why are we so confused since the immeasurable kalpa?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Just because no diligence, hide in laziness and seek ease comfort.

Q: What is the Nidāna between people?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra say: Since past life immemorial, I and all sentient beings have known each other as parents, brothers, sisters, men and women…

Q: What one must do to be reborn there?

Ans: Meditate Amitābha or at least call on his name.

Q: Why should we chant Buddha's name at ordinary times?

Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

Chanting Buddha in daily life is just a preparation for the dying. If you don't have the habit of chanting Buddha's name at ordinary times, when you are about to die, you will not be able to remember to chant Buddha, or you don't even know about chanting Buddha.

Q: Practice Buddha seven, chant Buddha's name every day, what is it?

Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua responds:

This is called: Planting the Buddhaic seeds.

If you chant one Buddha sentence, you will plant one Buddha seed, and if you chant ten Buddha sentences, you will plant ten Buddha seeds. We chant millions of Buddhas every day, and we plant millions of seeds of Buddhas.

Question: Can we placate deliver the demons and monsters of the world? And how can we not be arrogant with them?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Before attaining Abhisaṃbuddha-Bodhi, no one know who is demon and who is not. If you think you are being superior to others by thinking this way, so what if you don't think so? Isn't it just as arrogant? Isn't that covering your ears and stealing the bell?

Someone tells you that the world is so bad, but you block your ears and don't want to listen, thinking, "If I listen, I'm afraid I can't even stand on my own. "

As for delivery, sentient beings have the karma of sentient beings, some of which can be delivered, some karma is so heavy that it cannot be delivered. I deliver the demons and monsters every day, but many demons and monsters are disobedient and not willing to be delivered. They don't obey, will I lose my temper? No, I just did my best.

A disciple asked for instructions:

What sutra to recite or what method to practice, can I become a Buddha the fastest?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

If you recite the sutras that don't get angry, the sutras that don't lose your temper, and the sutras that don't scold people, you will soon become a Buddha.

Question: What exactly is the " Dharma"?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Dharma is Qi, that is, our Qi, which is access to heaven and earth, and even the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and us are one(unite), just because this Qi is interflow.

Q: Why do some people want to commit suicide all day long? How can it be solved?

Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

This is caused by karma. Some people recite the "Platform Sutra", some recite the "Diamond Sutra", and some recite the "Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra" to get better, and they must repent every day.

Question: What is the Bodhisattva Way?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

In the Bodhisattva way, one will suffer losses. Do not harm others, but benefit others, harm yourself and benefit others; To benefit all sentient beings, not just one person, all sentient beings are on this path of practicing Bodhisattva Way.

Q: Why does chanting the name of Bodhisattva also let us see Svabhāva?

Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua responds:

A few days ago, I talked about the metaphor of "making a phone call." Now let me tell you a simpler metaphor!

For example, a person is blindfolded, so he feels like he is surrounded by darkness. As he walks, he runs into walls everywhere, and he is exhausted and miserable. However, he doesn't know how to remove the constraints on his eyes. Fortunately, he met a kind person. Seeing his pitiful appearance, he stepped forward and removed the restraints from his eyes. Therefore, this person who was once blind can now see, no longer suffers and no longer hits walls everywhere. This is also true for the principle that "chanting bodhisattvas is the door to seeing Svabhāva."

Question: In the past, more than 10,000 dung insects and earthworms and life were killed.

In order to eliminate so much killing karma, how many times it need to chant "the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Dhāraṇī"?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

If you cut off your desires, one sentence is enough to be effective. Otherwise, if you don't cut off your desires, even ten thousand sentences won't work.

Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Dharani

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amitabha_Pure_Land_Rebirth_Dharani

Question: What Master has just said is to persuade us to cut off the desire for lust. When we are reborn in the desire realm, we carry this thing with us. How do we cut it off?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:
You have to ask yourself this; you have to come up with a solution yourself. You won't be full even if others are eating.

Desire realm

Question: Master, I want to know what exactly the Dharma is?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Now you can ask, it is Buddha-nature, and without Buddha-nature you won't ask. You don't know that this is Buddha-nature, you should be punished with a hundred Keisaku sticks.

Question: Can we placate deliver the demons and monsters of the world? And how can we not be arrogant with them?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Before attaining Abhisaṃbuddha-Bodhi, no one know who is demon and who is not. If you think you are being superior to others by thinking this way, so what if you don't think so? Isn't it just as arrogant? Isn't that covering your ears and stealing the bell?

Someone tells you that the world is so bad, but you block your ears and don't want to listen, thinking, "If I listen, I'm afraid I can't even stand on my own. "

As for delivery, sentient beings have the karma of sentient beings, some of which can be delivered, some karma is so heavy that it cannot be delivered. I deliver the demons and monsters every day, but many demons and monsters are disobedient and not willing to be delivered. They don't obey, will I lose my temper? No, I just did my best.

Question: Now the earth is facing a big catastrophe, as if we have polluted the environment, corruption and bribery of officials, etc., this is a very desperate state. As a Buddhist, is there any hope, and what can be done to save this situation?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Cut off lust! That's it, and without this, everything is ok. I don't care which of you object, I have to say it. Believe it or not.

Question: There are big mosquitoes and big spiders in house, because there are children at home, in the fear of being bitten and life-threatening, can I kill them?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Why are there big mosquitoes and big spiders? It may be that you have been associated with them before, and it wants to beg you to cover it up and let it live, or it had injustice with you, and it wants to take revenge. Each of us may have been mosquitoes and spiders in the past. Now we are human beings. The debts we owe before, they will ask for pay back, so you better not kill them.

Question: What exactly is the " Dharma"?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Dharma is Qi, that is, our Qi, which is access to heaven and earth, and even the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and us are one(unite), just because this Qi is interflow.

Question: If someone already belongs to another sect tradition, can they take refuge to strengthen their good roots?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

If I say strengthening, there is a temptation to do so. I will not answer this question.

Question: Why don't you watch TV in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

You think watching TV, listening to the phone, listening to the radio, and playing on the computer is fun, but you don't know that this will damage your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, and in the future, people will no longer look like humans, and ghosts will no longer look like ghosts.

Question: The children I teach are disobedient, there is no way to teach, I try my best is in vain, what method can I use to make them obedient, what kind of Mantra should I chant?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Patience, patience, sa po ho.

A disciple asked for instructions:

What sutra to recite or what method to practice, can I become a Buddha the fastest?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

If you recite the sutras that don't get angry, the sutras that don't lose your temper, and the sutras that don't scold people, you will soon become a Buddha.

Question: If a monk wants to make meritorious deeds, how should he do it?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Just abide by the precepts. If you practice in accordance with the precepts at all times, keep the precepts and do not violate them, do not kill, steal, engage in sexual misconduct, lie, drink alcohol, or do anything that violates the precepts, you will be able to generate all kinds of merit, and all kinds of merit will be generated.

Question: What will people do if people lose human bodies?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Just be ghosts, is this even necessary to ask? Therefore, there are more ghosts than people, and even a computer cannot calculate the number of ghosts, unless you use the divine brain, which is the brain in heaven.

Question: How to be a good monk?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

Just don't violate the precepts! Why put a head on your head?

Question: Can I eat vegetables from mixed meat and vegetable dishes when socializing out?

The Venerable Master Hsuan-Hua replied:

If you are willing to take poison, no one will care about you.

Q: When I chant the sutra, should I concentrate on chanting Amitabha Buddha, or chanting Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, or chanting both?

Master: If you like to chant Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, then Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has a connection with you. If you like to chant Amitabha Buddha, then Amitabha Buddha will take you there. Chanting either one is better than not chanting at all. I am afraid that after chanting a few times, you will forget Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Amitabha Buddha will not be remembered. To me, Bodhisattvas have nothing to do, so they find some work for sentient beings. He has no money to give you, but he asks you to chant the Buddha's name. It doesn't cost him money, and it doesn't cost you any effort. This is the way Bodhisattvas teach sentient beings.

金剛棒喝643

https://www.drbachinese.org/....../JinGangBangHe/641-660.htm

Bow to the Buddha

Question: What kind of physical condition is not suitable for bowing to Buddha?

Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

All animals and hungry ghosts are suitable for bowing to Buddha. What kind of situation you are in, I don't know.

Question: I sincerely ask Master to be compassionate and please save my daughter Lin Wanrong. She was born at 10:13 am on January 29, 1963 in the lunar calendar. She suffers from "hereditary mucopolysaccharide metabolism", so that the muscles, bones and heart are affected.

Master Hsuan-Hua answers:

When I was in Hong Kong, there was a five-year-old child who couldn't walk. His mother took him to my temple on the mountain to bow to Buddha every day. After worshiping for half a year, he was cured without taking any medicine. You have to ask the person who bows to Buddha about this, and he will know about it, I don't understand.

Vajra sharp advice - Buddhist Terms

https://www.cttbusa.org/vajrastrikes/buddhist_terms.asp.html

Vajra sharp advice - Disciples

https://www.cttbusa.org/vajrastrikes/disciples.asp.html