The most interesting folklore

Chapter 24 The Most Interesting Worship Belief (4)
A more accurate statement is that "monk" is an inaccurate transliteration of Sanskrit in ancient Western Regions (the accurate transliteration is "Wupatuoye"). It is commonly known as Khotan Shule and other places at first.Yinze is Hushe and Heshe, and the latter is converted to monk and Heshang.Especially after Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains and Han, it became a fixed name for Buddhist monks.

The word "Na" in ancient times is read as "Na" in both Mandarin and Cantonese. Check the dictionary, "Na" means patching.The material life in the old society was not as rich as it is today. In terms of clothes and shoes, ordinary people only had a few pieces. The word "Na" means sewing.

The monks are poor Buddhists, so of course they patch their own shoes and clothes. They patch up and join the pieces of cloth they got from begging for alms, and tie them into monk clothes called "hundred monk clothes". Therefore, they often call themselves "old monks" or "poor monks".

39. Is it an inherent commandment of Buddhism for monks to be vegetarian?
Monks used to be able to eat meat.The Buddhist scripture "Guidelines Guangben" clearly states that there is no requirement to be a vegetarian in Buddhism.The precept that monks are not allowed to eat meat was put forward by Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasty.

Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan was a devout Buddhist who called himself "Slave of Three Treasures".He actually fled from the Golden Luan Hall to Tongtai Temple four times successively to become a monk.Xiao Yan couldn't put down the scroll, and he was familiar with the "Mahaparinirvana Sutra" by heart.The scriptures stipulate: "Abstain from killing".Xiao Yan believes that eating meat is killing, which also violates the Buddhist precept of "no killing". He vowed to abstain from drinking and meat.He also stipulated that all the offering crystals offered to the ancestors of the gods of heaven and earth should be changed into pig's head pork made of flour.Emperor Wu of Liang strictly abided by the oath. He wore a Ge scarf on his head, clothed in commoner clothes, and straw sandals on his feet. He only ate coarse rice with bean soup every day.As soon as Jinkou opened, he called out Bainuo.Driven by Emperor Wu of Liang, the monks also strictly ate vegetarian food and entertained guests with vegetarian food.Over time, vegetarianism became the habit of the monks, and gradually became a precept that must be obeyed in the monastery.

It can be seen that monks are not allowed to eat meat, which is completely a rule evolved from Xiao Yan's point of view of "no killing".

40. What do the "Eight Precepts" of Buddhism refer to?

The full name of the eight precepts is "eight fasts", which are eight precepts formulated by Buddhism for male and female believers at home.Including not killing, not stealing, not lusting, not lying, not drinking alcohol, not sleeping on a luxurious bed, not dressing up and listening to singing and dancing, not eating after noon. "Baguan Zhai" is a precept that both monks and Buddhist disciples at home abide by.

①Do not kill.One cannot kill living things, not only humans, but also all living things such as birds, fish, and insects. Not only can one not kill oneself, one must also persuade others to enjoy life, and one cannot even arouse the intention to kill.Therefore, in "Journey to the West", Monkey King beat three goblins with a golden cudgel. Tang Seng insisted that they were human beings, so he was so angry that he drove away his apprentices.

②Do not steal.Also known as "not and take".Finances cannot be obtained by improper means.Not only can't oneself, but also can't instigate others to steal.

③No adultery.Usually interpreted as prohibiting adultery with anyone other than the married spouse.

④ Do not lie.Lies include lies, harsh words (that is, swearing), two tongues (also untruthful words, that is, double-faced, sowing dissension, etc.), and gossip (that is, obscene language, or other impolite and unscrupulous language).

⑤ Do not drink alcohol.Buddhism believes that alcohol can mess with sex.Not drinking alcohol can make people clear-headed and strong-willed, which is conducive to the practice of Buddhism.

⑥ Sit on a gorgeous bed without sleeping.The "bed" mentioned in Buddhism not only refers to the bed for sleeping, but also includes general sitting utensils, such as cushions and benches for sitting meditation, which also fall into the scope of "bed".Buddhists need to reduce material enjoyment and pursue spiritual liberation, so staying up and sitting on a tall and gorgeous bed is to hone people's will and make people work hard from "heart".

⑦Do not dress up and watch songs and dances.This is developed according to the customs of the Indians.The reason for the abstinence is that believers are afraid that after being influenced by the world, they will have other desires and disturb their normal practice.

⑧ Do not eat after noon.It is said that after practicing this precept, you can feel refreshed physically and mentally, and your miscellaneous thoughts and delusions will also be reduced.

The first five of them are the "Five Precepts" of Buddhism.Practicing the five precepts is the beginning of the road to escape from the cycle of life and death, which can prevent people from falling.Bajie is the door to escape from life and death, and you can further obtain good results.Those who observe the Eight Precepts must not only accept the precepts, but also observe fasting. "Non-eating time" is a kind of fasting.

41. Why is the gate of Yuanshou called "Shanmen"

The gate of the Buddhist temple is called "Shanmen".On both sides of the mountain gate, there are often two majestic King Kong warriors, who are the guardian gods of Buddhist temples.Why is the gate of Buddhist temple called "Shanmen"?The reason is simple. Buddhist temples are generally built in secluded places in mountains and forests.The Buddha once asked the monks to practice in a place far away from the settlement. The Japanese monk Daozhong said: "For those who are at the gate of the mountain, the mountain is what the city says, the city is customary, and the mountain forest is true. Those who are in the city also use the mountain name. Those who return to the true way should be born from this, so it is also called the mountain gate." ("Zen Lin Xiangqi Note·Diantangmen") Zen scholars also use "mountain gate" to refer to temples. Later, the gates of Taoist temples and temples other than Buddhism were also called "Shanmen".

"Shanmen" is also called "Sanmen".Many mountain gates are formed by juxtaposing a gate in the middle and a small gate on each side.However, there are also only one door.

42. Does Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva have thousands of hands and eyes?
"Dry hands and dry eyes" is also known as "dry eyes and dry arms" and "thousand hands and eyes".There are more than ten kinds of Buddhist scriptures about "dry hands and dry eyes" translated in the Tang Dynasty alone. Regarding the origin of "dry hands and dry eyes", see "Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes Great Compassion Sutra" translated by Vatican Dharma. It is said that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva made a wish in the past: "If I am able to benefit all sentient beings in the future, let me immediately have dry hands and eyes. "After the Bodhisattva made the vow, "dry hands and dry eyes" appeared on his body immediately, and the earth shook, and the Buddhas emitted light to illuminate his body. From then on, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva used "thousand eyes" to see the troubles of all living beings, and used "thousand hands" to uproot all living beings. It can be described as "boundless magic power". According to Tantra, "Dry Hands and Thousand Eyes" is the Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara, which mainly breaks the sins of hell beings.Bukong's translation of "Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes Cultivation Rites Sutra" records the method of setting up an altar and hanging the "Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Statue" to recite and practice.

Regarding the shape of the "thousand-handed-thousand-eyed" image, Zhitong translated the "Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Armed Mantra" "Portrait Method" and said: "The Bodhisattva's body is made of sandalwood gold, with three eyes on his face and a thousand arms; glance. "It is actually quite difficult to draw and shape according to this method. Therefore, there is another flexible shape of "thousand hands and dry eyes", that is, in addition to the two hands of the Bodhisattva, there are 20 hands on the left and right, and there are actually 42 arms, which is called Shi Shi. Fearless hands, sun-holding hands, moon-holding hands, precious hands, etc.There is one eye in each hand, multiplied by 1 to 25 to form the number of "thousand eyes of dry hands". "25 existence, six objects, six roots, six consciousnesses and seven elements, see the Shurangama Sutra for details.

"Thousand hands and thousand eyes" statues prevailed in the Song Dynasty.There is a "dry hands and dry eyes" bronze Avalokitesvara statue in Longxing Temple, Zhengding County, Hebei Province. The bronze statue, built in the fourth year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 22), is known as the "Four Treasures of North China" together with the Cangzhou Iron Lion, Zhaozhou Stone Bridge, and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.

44. How did Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva come about?
Avalokitesvara, also known as "Avalokitesvara" and "Xianzizai", is an important Bodhisattva of Chinese Buddhist beliefs. The folks worship her very prosperously, and the common people call her "Avalokitesvara for saving suffering and suffering".

In the Tang Dynasty, because Emperor Taizong Li Shimin had the word "Shi" in his name, in order to avoid the taboo, the word "Shi" of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was removed and the name was changed to "Guanyin Bodhisattva".

The name Avalokitesvara was given by Sakyamuni.Because Sakyamuni asked her to watch and listen to the voices of the world at any time.Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva of great mercy and great compassion, who can manifest 33 incarnations and save 12 kinds of catastrophes.All beings in distress can be rescued and rescued by her as long as they recite her name, and they can be taken to the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.On the plaque of the Guanyin Hall, there are so-called characters such as "Pursue all living beings", "Cihang Purdue", "Great Mercy and Great Compassion", "Rescue the Suffering and Rescue the Difficult", which means this.

In Chinese folklore, it is said that Avalokitesvara is the third daughter of King Chu Zhuang in the Spring and Autumn Period, named Miao Shan, who was a vegetarian. Later, King Chu Zhuang became seriously ill and could only be cured by using the meat of his own daughter as medicine. .The eldest daughter and the second daughter of King Zhuang of Chu refused, but Miaoshan sacrificed her life to save her father. Her filial piety moved all the gods in the sky and finally convinced the Bodhisattva.Most of the statues of Xianshiyin in temples are ladies in white cloaks, called Baiyida, and some have many arms and eyes, called Avalokiteshvara with Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes.

44. What are the eighteen layers of hell?
According to the legend of the Han nationality and some other nationalities, those who have committed crimes in the yang world will go to eighteen hells after death.The eighteen levels of hell and their functions are as follows:

The first floor is tongue-cutting hell: cutting off the tongues of those who instigate, injure or litigate.

The second floor is the hell of scissors: cut off the fingers of the person who instigates the wife to remarry.

The third floor is the iron tree hell: those who separate the flesh and blood, and instigate discord between father and son, brothers, are hanged from a branch of the iron tree.

The fourth floor is Hell of Evil Mirrors: Prisoners who do not tell the truth will show their sins according to this mirror.

The fifth floor is the steamer hell: Put the gossip woman or the person who framed others into the steamer to steam.

The sixth floor is the Hell of Copper Pillars: Those who set fire to their deaths are ordered to hug the copper pillars naked, and burn charcoal fire in the copper pillars.

The seventh floor is Jianshan Hell: Blasphemy sacrifices are made to climb up Jianshan naked.

The eighth floor is the Iceberg Hell: murdering husbands, instigating adultery, abortion, tempting people to gamble, not raising parents, unrighteous people, making them go to the iceberg naked.

The ninth floor is the oil pan hell: thieves, deceitful, abducted, false accusers, treacherous parties, conspiring to occupy, and plundering people are thrown into the oil pan to be fried.

The tenth floor is the Hell of the Cow Pit: Those who hurt people and livestock will be thrown into the pit to make the cattle touch and kill them.

The eleventh floor is the hell of crushing stones: those who hang people and harm children will be crushed to death between big stones.

The twelfth floor is Mortal Mortar Hell: Those who spoil the five grains and eat foul language will be put into the mortar and killed in spring.

The thirteenth floor is the hell of the blood pool: people who have dystocia, vomiting blood, and die of blood in the stool (die when they see red), and those who are disrespectful and unrighteous, throw themselves into the blood pool to suffer.

The fourteenth floor is the hell of death in vain: people who die by biting their tongues, hang to death, commit suicide, etc., will be locked up in the prison of vain city.

The fifteenth floor is the punishment hell: those who dig graves will be sentenced to punishment.

The sixteenth floor is the Volcano Hell: those who violate the precepts of monks and Taoism, those who harm the public and private interests, and those who set fire to the mountain will be driven into the volcano.

The seventeenth floor is the stone mill hell: people who spoil the grain, who are thieves, eat meat and monks, and let people be ground into meat sauce by stone mills.

The eighteenth floor is sawing hell: people who abduct other people's children and women, and those who trade unfairly will be sawed to death with a knife.

It can be seen from this that the taboo of ghosts is actually the precept of human beings.If people do not commit crimes, ghosts will not be punished.Therefore, in the final analysis, the taboos of ghosts are still taboos of humans, which are only reflected in the way of refraction and deformation.

45. What is endless hell

"Infernal Hell" is the lowest and most bitter layer in hell.Regarding the meaning of "inexhaustible", Volume [-] of "Kisha Lun" "There is constant suffering and suffering, and there is no room for joy, so it is called inexhaustible." The five meanings of "inexhaustible" in the volume of "Ksitigarbha Sutra" (five career senses) yes:
①Turning to the fruit is "uninterrupted".Immediately after the end of life, one will feel the karmic fruit of "Infernal Hell".

② suffering "uninterrupted".Continuous suffering, no momentary pleasure.

③ There is no time.

④ Fate is endless.In one calamity, there is no interruption in life span.

⑤ Inseparable body shape.His body is as wide as hell, and he suffers everywhere.In view of the horror of this hell, people often use "Avici Hell" or "Infernal Hell" as a metaphor for extreme hardship.

"Incessant Hell" is caused by great evil karma.This kind of great evil karma is also called "infernal karma" or "five rebellions": "What are the five? It means killing one's father, one's mother, harming an arhat, fighting against monks, and creating ill will against the Tathagata." The World King Asks the Five Negative Sutras) Among them, slander and destruction of Buddhism are the most serious evil karma.

46. ​​How did the word abbot come from?
"Abbot" is a small room with a square of one foot, also known as "Zhang's room".It is said that it originated from Wu of the Three Kingdoms?"Zhu Dharma Words" and "Inconceivable Crystals" in the "Vimalakirti Sutra" translated by Zhi Qian.Regarding the origin of "Abbot", Don?Dao Shi also recorded in the volume 200 of "Fayuan Zhulin": "In the year of Xianqing in the Tang Dynasty, the imperial emissary Wei Changshi Wang Xuance went to India to pass the house of Jingming (that is, Vimalakirti), and measured the base with a wat. Shihu, so it is called Abbot's Room." However, in the Southern Dynasty Liang?In Wang Zhong's "Toutuo Temple Stele", the word "abbot" has already appeared: "In the fifth year of Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, the abbot Maoci was erected, and the image of the scriptures was built." This is about [-] years earlier than Wang Xuance's "Yihu Liangji".

Later generations use "abbot" to refer to the main bedroom in the temple, that is, the room where the abbot lives.Ru Tang?Yuan Zhen's poem "Guan Xin Chu" said: "The audience is full of noise and laughter, and I only pity the abbot who is clean and dustless." , the room with the same name as Jing, not a private sleeping room." Also because the place refers to the person, it is called the abbot (also known as the master of the temple, the head monk).

47. Buddha and Bodhisattva, who is higher and who is lower

The statues in Buddhist temples are collectively referred to as "Buddha statues".In fact, in Buddhism, these images are different, some are Buddhas, some are Bodhisattvas, and some are Arhats.

In a narrow sense, Buddha refers to the meaning of Sakyamuni, and in a broad sense, it refers to an enlightened person who has reached the highest level of wisdom and understanding.He not only realizes himself, but also helps others to realize, so that his own and others' enlightenment can be completed together.

Bodhisattvas are second only to Buddhas because although Bodhisattvas are able to realize self-awareness and wish to seek the highest enlightenment method and principles for all living beings, they fail to make themselves and all sentient beings complete their own enlightenment and behavior together.Therefore, what they have achieved is only the superior realm of Mahayana Buddhism.

48. What kinds of Buddha statues are there?

Buddha statue refers to the statue of Buddha.The images, materials, and types of Buddha statues have changed a lot over time, resulting in various Buddha statues.In the early days of Buddhism, there was no production of Buddha statues, and it was believed that making Buddha statues would be a blasphemy to Buddha.Around AD, Buddha statues began to appear. Some Buddhists and ordinary people believe that making Buddha statues is an act of accumulating goodness and virtue.Among the many kinds of Buddha statues, according to their different identities, they can be divided into Buddha, Bodhisattva, King Ming, Heaven, Arhat and so on.

① Buddha.The names of the Buddhas are recorded in the scriptures, including Lusana Buddha, Dari Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Medicine Buddha, etc., as well as Baosheng Buddha, Kaifu Huawang Buddha, Tiangu Leiyin Buddha, Ashan Buddha , Bukong Achievement Buddha, Duobao Buddha, Dingguang Buddha, etc. are rarely heard.The Buddha is sometimes called Tathagata, which is the meaning of the Sanskrit Dotuo Agadu.

② Bodhisattva.There are Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Maitreya, Sunlight, Moonlight, Kongkongzang, Dizang, and the 25 Bodhisattvas and Avalokitesvara who accompanied Amitabha Buddha, etc., too numerous to enumerate.

③ King Ming.Fudo Mingwang, Jiang III, Jundali, Daweide, and Vajra Yasha are collectively referred to as the "Five Great Mingwangs".King Ming supported the Three Jewels, protected the country, and protected the people.Sometimes the wrathful body of the Buddha appears, subduing all demons and obstacles with bright wisdom, which seems to have a terrifying majesty.

④ days.There are more types of heavens, and those with more powerful images include the Four Heavenly Kings, Brahma King, and Indra, etc.; the gentler ones include the Heavens of Discernment, Heaven of Auspiciousness, and Heaven of Skills.There are also the so-called eight divisions of Tianlong, 12 heavens, 12 generals of pharmacists, 16 good gods of Prajna, 28 divisions of Guanyin, etc. Among them, the males are all holding swords and halberds and wearing armor, and they are extremely brave; the females are all beautiful and elegant, like fairies. down to earth.

49. What does Namo Amitabha mean?

We often see the term "Namo Amitabha", so what kind of "Buddha" is "Namo Amitabha"?

"Nanwu" is a transliteration of Sanskrit Namas.Pronounced as Namo, translated as "Nanmo", "Nammo", etc., meaning tribute, return to respect, and refuge. It is a term used by Buddhist believers to surrender to the Buddha. It is often used before the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas or classic titles to indicate Respect and devotion to Buddha and Dharma, such as Namo Hara, Namo Three Jewels, etc.

"Amitabha Buddha" is originally a sentence in Sanskrit (a language in ancient India), which is the Buddha name of the savior of the Western "Elysium". "A" means "nothing", "Amitabha" means "quantity", and "Buddha" refers to the Lord Buddha. "Amitabha" is translated as "Infinite Life Buddha" or "Infinite Light Buddha".When monks or Buddhists pray or thank the gods or ask the Lord Buddha for forgiveness, they chant "Amitabha Buddha" orally. "Namo Amitabha Buddha" together is a Buddhist term, which means "to take refuge in Amitabha Buddha." Reciting this phrase means "chanting Buddha".

50. Is there really Jigong in history?

Jigong is a Buddhist deity with great influence among the Chinese people. Like Maitreya, Jigong is also a real person.According to some records, Jigong was a native of Jidian in the Song Dynasty. He lived in Tiantai Mountain, Zhejiang Province. He became a monk in Hangzhou Lingyin Temple and later lived in Jingci Temple.

In Buddhism, Jigong was originally a monk who was not ranked high, and he was not even included in the 500 Arhats, but because of his enthusiasm for doing good things for the people in the legend, he is more famous among the people than some Bodhisattvas.Jigong believes in Buddhism, but he is not a vegetarian, does not recite scriptures, and likes to meddle in other people's affairs.Jigong is the savior of the weak. He often uses some ingenious methods to tease and punish bad people and help the poor.

To commemorate this living Buddha, people also built a "Jidian Pagoda Courtyard" in the "Hupao" spring of West Lake, Hangzhou, and a semi-three-dimensional Jigong stone carving.There are also four reliefs on the left and right of the statue, "Jigong Fighting Crickets", "Carrying Wood in the Ancient Well", "Legend of Feilai Peak", and "Pretending to be Crazy and Sweeping Qin".The Xiyuan Temple in Suzhou also has a statue of Ji Dian.

51. Why do monks have different clothing colors?
Monk clothes are a symbol of a monk's identity, but different monks have different colors of clothing. Why is this?

Buddhism has two main regulations on the color of monk clothes: one is that colored or pure colors are not allowed; "Bad color" or "point clean".

Although the color of the monk's robe avoids colored and solid colors, it still has a large choice of colors.When Buddhism was first introduced to China, red was often used as the color of clothing, and monks at that time "dressed in red".In the Three Kingdoms period, the color of monks' clothes was influenced by the color of Taoist priests' clothes and gradually tended to be black (that is, there is a slight redness in the black), so monks began to be called "Black Clothes" or "Zi Liu" at that time.

During the Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu gave purple cassocks to nine people including Samana Farang in accordance with the regulations of the Tang Dynasty on wearing purple cassocks.On the other hand, because of his obsession with red, the scarlet cassock is the most respected.After the Tang and Song Dynasties, the color freedom of monk clothing was greater.In the early years of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, a complete color system for monks was formulated.At that time, Buddhism was divided into three categories: Zen (Zen), Lecture (Tiantai, Huayan, Faxiangzong), Jiao (also known as Law, funeral ceremonies, and legal ceremonies). Monks wear five-color uniforms, green ribbons and light red cassocks; religious monks wear soap uniforms, black ribbons and light red cassocks. Most monks’ garments today are brown, yellow, black, gray and other colors, and there are also Hunan colors (that is, yellow-green). There are no certain regulations.

52. What color is the cassock?
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