A Narrative of the Old Monk Meng Shen

I have been disobedient and rebellious since I was a child. I didn’t graduate from elementary school when I was thirteen. Because of a quarrel with my father, I ran away and never came home. From then on, I lost contact with my family. I pretended to be seventeen when I was thirteen, and I did everything. At first, I went to take the railway police exam and passed the exam, so I worked as a railway police officer between Qiqihar and Heshan. Later, I got into a fight with someone on the train and left. The reason why I quarreled with my father was because he refused to let me study and wanted me to learn to work. Our family was engaged in small handicraft industry at the time and was not very poor. However, my father did not study. He did not like reading and did not want me to study. I was an only child, so I just ran away, left home, and wandered around on my own.

Later he became a monk and came to Gushan. Master Cizhou is from Sui County, Hubei Province. He asked me to recite the Huayan Sutra, but I couldn't recite it. I couldn't even understand a sentence. He asked me to write an autobiography, but I couldn't write it well either. After reading it, the master I smiled and said, "Hey! We are at Huayan University." My classmates were all from the south, so I just refused to leave and stayed there for more than half a year. I was actually sixteen years old that year. Once, the old master asked me: "Can you endure hardship?" I said: "Yes. I am not afraid of any hardship, as long as it can open my wisdom."

"Then you can do it when others are sleeping. , went to kowtow and repent, and then recite the "Samantabhadra Vows". I followed his instructions.

In the college, there is a saying of burning incense and arms to make offerings to Buddha. Other students thought this was unfair, but I still did it honestly. After doing this, when I took the old monk's class again, I suddenly understood a little bit more. The more I understood, the more I understood, the deeper I understood. Later, the old master gradually trained me to teach. When I was twenty years old, he took me to Fuzhou and I taught the Amitabha Sutra. After becoming a Dharma master, you feel a little arrogant. Everyone has to go through this process. If you don't recognize yourself, you will be arrogant and accept offerings and praises from others.

So, if you ask sincerely, you will gain wisdom. However, if you think too much, you will also lose your wisdom. I later stayed in prison for more than ten years. A disciple asked me, what were you thinking about in prison? Actually, what I was thinking of were four sentences: "Even if the hot iron wheel spins on your head, I will not suffer this pain and lose my bodhicitta." They blessed me through those years.

I remember when I first arrived in Xiamen, I asked Master Hongyi to teach "Random Karma". I asked: "Random? What kind of chance?" The old master said: "You learn slowly and you will know." The chance is not certain, but the karma method is fixed. Karma is translated into Chinese as "doing things". What do you do? Do all Buddhist things. Buddha, he has a certain system, and according to this system, we do the things taught by Buddha. When doing business, the monks gather together to discuss what to do. This is random karma. The Surangama Sutra says that the mind changes with circumstances, our wonderful and true mind has been polluted, our delusional thoughts are distorted, and we cannot distinguish between right and wrong. If we want to correct it, we must do it according to the Buddha's teachings.

When I used to learn the precepts, I would memorize them first and then ask questions after I finished memorizing them. I told Mr. Ci that I couldn't keep some of the precepts. He said, "Why? I have to repent." I said, "You want me to squat down to urinate. I'm not used to it. I have to change my pants!" I have Master Hongyi was once asked: "Smoking cigarettes, does it violate the precepts?" The master replied: "The Buddha did not control the precepts in this world, but it harmed his prestige." Later when the precepts were preached in Quanzhou, some great virtues wanted to add smoking cessation to the precepts. Master Hongyi said: " This cannot be added. Only the Buddha can control it, and future generations cannot add it. "Yes, if you add it again and again, it will be endless.

In our time, there are sixteen thousand great Arhats in this world. Sakyamuni Buddha will not let them enter death, but allows you to get close to them, including Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, and Ksitigarbha. , are by your side every day, everywhere, everywhere. If you don’t get close to them, you have no morals. With your morality, you are only qualified to know a bad monk like me. If you try to understand all the Dharma taught by the Buddha from outside, you will be wrong. What is Buddhism? Buddha is enlightenment. What is sleep? To feel is to understand. If you understand, you are a Buddha; if you are enlightened, you are a Buddha. The way to understand is your mind. When our worries are heavy, we should open the sutra, recite it, and recite it carefully. See what the Buddha said. When you recite the sutra and confess your sins, you can gain some enlightenment. When you finish reciting the sutra, you can do the Buddhist service. It's over, the worries are gone and resolved.

When I first became a monk, I made a vow: I must start with myself, and only after I have done it and achieved it will it count. I don’t really believe in what others say, no matter how good they are. I want to see what they do. Many people say and do things that are completely different. I am equal to everyone. We are disciples of Buddha. I don’t care much about the seniority of master and disciple. In fact, we are all disciples of Sakyamuni Buddha. "Killing, stealing, sexual intercourse, and lying" are the fundamental precepts that cannot be violated! It's hard to repent. Regardless of national law or human relations, it must not be done.

The prerequisite for observing the precepts is to guard against the mind and start with your own thoughts. If your starting point is to follow the Bodhisattva path, you don’t need to care what others say. I still make a lot of mistakes myself, and if I confess to everyone, this is considered as providing for everyone.