I hope that all of you who study Buddhism will study Buddhism honestly and not learn some weird things. "An ordinary mind is the way, and a straight mind is the place of practice." If the mind is crooked, it is not the place of practice. If the mind is not ordinary, it is not the place of practice either.
So don't be too ambitious, don't try to learn "supernatural powers," and don't be greedy for "supernatural powers," because once you are greedy, you will be incompatible with "supernatural powers"; once you are too ambitious, you will also be incompatible with supernatural powers.
"Supernatural powers" are wisdom. If you want to learn wisdom, you must first learn to be honest, recite the Buddha's name honestly, study the teachings honestly, practice tantra honestly, and watch your own behavior honestly.
If one does not violate the Dharma or the Vinaya when walking, standing, sitting or lying down, then he is a true Buddhist disciple. If one says one thing and thinks another, chanting the Buddha's name while having delusions in his mind, "How great it would be to win the lottery! If I win the jackpot, I will have tens of millions of dollars," then he does not understand the Dharma.
People who understand the Dharma should not indulge in such delusions. If they indulge in such delusions, they will be sick with greed. There is still struggle, why fight? Just because it is profitable, there is competition.
Generally speaking, countries compete with each other for profit; specifically speaking, even individuals compete with each other for profit. If we can take profit lightly, all problems can be solved.
Fame is originally false, but everyone is greedy for it; no one is reluctant to give up profit. If you can see through fame and fortune and let them go, you will be at ease and have no delusions. The reason why people have delusions is because they are controlled and shaken by fame and fortune.
Why are you shaken? It is because of the lack of concentration that we are unable to recognize that fame and fortune are false.
Everyone goes to work to make money, so no one goes to work to study Buddhism, because studying Buddhism does not make money, so no one will attend such Buddhist classes; if studying Buddhism can make money, then everyone will come.
But you must know that making money is tangible and finite; whereas the wealth gained from learning Buddhism is intangible and formless. It is the nourishment for the Dharma body and wisdom life, which can make you have great wisdom, cultivate your great virtues, and help you become a Buddha in the future.
If you believe in Buddha, you should believe in Dharma, because Dharma is what Buddha said. If you only believe in Buddha but not Dharma, you cannot enter the ocean of Dharma. That is why I say that if someone can always believe in all the sacred Dharma taught by Buddha (that is, all the sutras in the Tripitaka and the Twelve Divisions), because of the power of faith, when listening to the sutras and Dharma, he will never say, "I've heard enough! I don't want to listen anymore!"
Listening to the Dharma does not mean that listening to the Dharma every day will definitely benefit me or open my wisdom. It is not like that. People who truly believe in the Buddha and the Dharma do not hope to gain any benefit or advantage. If you want to gain any benefit or advantage, you are still greedy.
To be able to listen to the Dharma frequently without greed, you must listen to the Dharma frequently without greed. Treat learning the Dharma as a normal task like eating, dressing, and sleeping. Do not ask for anything. If you ask for something, it is delusion. When delusion arises, it is not in harmony with the Tao. When you are in harmony with the Tao, all delusions will disappear. You must stop this thought and do not move it.
If you can stop having any thoughts, you are pure; if you can stop having any delusions, you are also pure; if you can stop having any thoughts, you are also pure. Therefore, you should always listen to the Dharma, and never get tired of it. Don't say, "Oh! I've heard this sutra before, I don't want to listen to it anymore! I haven't heard that sutra before, I want to listen to it again!" Everyone has his own wisdom when speaking the Dharma, and everyone speaks differently. Even if a person speaks the same sutra, the previous and next lectures will not be the same. Therefore, when listening to the Dharma, don't get tired of it, and don't say, "Oh! I've had enough! I don't want to listen to such shallow sutras!"
If you can listen to the Dharma without getting bored, this kind of thought of seeking the Dharma is never boring, never satisfied, that is, you can listen to the Dharma frequently without seeking anything, and you will never get bored. If this person can do this, he believes in all the sacred Dharmas and will also achieve an inconceivable state.
Although you can achieve an inconceivable state, do not have a hope or a desire before you achieve it; be free from thoughts and delusions. If you can achieve a state without delusions, you will become one with the Tao; when you become one with the Tao, your original wisdom will also emerge.
