Master Zhao Da: Three Thousand on First Reading (2)

Second, the organization of "one thought, three thousand"

As a complete ideological topic, "one thought of three thousand" is the crystallization of this wise master's life-long teaching of Dharma, and it is also an epiphany for him to prove Buddhism. It was first put forward in the fifth volume of Maha Stop View. He said:

The husband is devoted to ten dharma circles, and one dharma circle is ten dharma circles and a hundred dharma circles; There are thirty kinds in a lifetime and three thousand kinds in a hundred dharma circles, and these three thousand are in one thought. If it is unintentional, Jill has a heart, that is, there are three thousand. four

The number of "three thousand" in A Thought of Three Thousand is organized according to the Confucian classics that Taiwan Province sects attach most importance to, that is, based on the names of Huoyan Classic, Huayan Classic and Great Wisdom Theory.

First of all, the name of "Ten Dharma Boundaries" appears in Hua Yan Jing and Great Wisdom, for example, Volume 39 of Hua Yan Jing says:

This Bodhisattva sits on the lotus seat, shines on millions of monks under two feet, shines on all the hell in ten directions, and destroys the suffering of all beings. Kneel a million monks to shine, shine on all beings in ten directions, and eliminate the suffering of all beings; Put a million monks on the navel wheel to shine on the Yan Luowang boundary and eliminate the suffering of all beings; Put millions of monks in the light from left and right, shine on all beings in ten directions, and eliminate their suffering; Put a million monks in their hands and shine all over the ten heavens and all the palaces in Asura; Carry a million monks on their shoulders and shine on all the voices of the ten parties; From the back of his neck, millions of monks shine, illuminating the Buddha in ten directions; From other doors, the radiant light illuminates the initial heart of the ten parties and even the bodhisattvas in the nine places; Let millions of monks shine from the eyebrows, shine on ten bodhisattvas, and make the magic palace disappear; From its top, there are millions of monks, 3,000 realms, and a few bright dust. According to the ten worlds, all Buddhas come. five

At the same time, the fourth volume of Ten Living Classics has the same description 6, except that the above-mentioned "Yan Luowang boundary" has been changed to "all hungry ghosts" and has become the "Ten Dharma Boundaries" that we are familiar with now: hell, hungry ghosts, animals, Asura, people, heaven, newspapers, buddhas, bodhisattvas and buddhas. The name "Ten Dharma Boundaries" is also clearly expressed in Hua Yan Jing. For example, Volume 69 of Hua Yan Jing says, "Those who learn from Buddhism will enter Pu Xian Road. Knowing the ten dharma circles, everything is different. "7. The wise master also interpreted "ten" and "dharma realm" as "combination", "separation" and "combination", and thought that these ten kinds of living things and their living environment were all called "dharma realm", which had three meanings: First, these ten dharma realms already contained everything, so they could be collectively called "ten dharma realms"; Second, the categories of the ten dharma circles are different, the cause and effect are separated, and the saints are different, so the "boundary" is called the ten dharma circles (points); Three, ten dharma circles are each one, and the body is the dharma circle, ten is the dharma circle, and the dharma circle is ten, so it is called the ten dharma circles (total) 8. This third meaning lies in the idea that the wise master plays the role of "interaction of ten realms". That's why we put forward the above proposal of "one legal circle and ten legal circles".

Secondly, the name of "ten things" appeared in "Hokkeyo Convenience", such as "Hokkeyo" volume:

It is difficult for the Buddha to become the first. Only Buddha and Buddha can study the reality of all dharma. The so-called laws are such as phase, nature, body, strength, action, cause, fate, fruit, appreciation and story ending. nine

In the same way, the wise master also changed his mind about this "ten things", such as "Fahua Xuanyi", Volume 2, saying:

There are three turns in reading literary works according to the meaning: one is similar, the other is sexual, and even reported; The second cloud is like this, like this, even like this; Three clouds are like this, sex is like this, and even reports are like this. If everyone calls it that, if the names are the same, it is empty; If so, if so, it is illusory to point out that the name of emptiness is different; If you do this, if you are like the truth of the middle way, you will be just.

It is easy to solve the problem separately, and it is clear that it is false and false. Proud to say, empty is false, but medium. About empty as the sky, everything is empty; Points such as bright phase, a false all false; That is to say, in theory, in everything. Not 123, but 123. It's called reality. Only Buddha and Buddha are the ten ways to capture everything. If they are just, they will be divided into three meanings. If you read it, you must say based on this: "If it is a big fruit, all the natures are positive (at such a time)". 10

The concept of "ten methods to capture ten thousand methods" put forward here is the idea of "a hundred immortals are like a thousand". At the same time, it also reveals the realism of three truths and three views, which is the essence of Tiantai thought.

Thirdly, the name of "III" is inspired by the great wisdom theory. For example, the forty-seventh volume of Great Wisdom says: "Positive Samadhi can reflect three realms: the living realm, the living realm and the five realms" 1 1. And the wise master made a unique explanation here, such as "Maha Stop View", Volume 5:

The accumulation of happiness is the accumulation of righteousness, and the cover of compassion is the yin righteousness. The ten kinds of yin boundary are different, so it is named Wuyinjie. ..... The first issue is about ten o'clock short, and all the living beings in the ten realms are willing to agree, hence the name of all the living beings in the world. ..... soil is different, hence the name "the land on earth". These 30 things are all from the heart. In addition, there are ten kinds of five yin, each of which has ten methods, namely, phase, nature, body, strength, merit, cause, edge, fruit, newspaper and background. 12

Here, the theory of "ten kinds of five yin, each with ten methods" is put forward more clearly. It can be seen that these three realms also have the same internal meaning as the above-mentioned ten dharma realms and ten dharma realms, and are the necessary premise for the wise teachers to make them all inclusive and become "one mind and three thousand". It is precisely because these ten dharma realms, ten Tathagata, and three realms are all inclusive of all laws, that they finally come down to the field of "one thought", which shows that the three thousand dharmas are interlinked and endless, and cannot reflect my present, present and present thoughts.

Therefore, the number "three thousand" is not a fixed real reference, but refers to the boundless legal world. As Master Zhan Ran said, "3000 people are endless synonyms" 13. It can be seen that if all kinds of textual research are carried out on the names of "three thousand", it must be stuck on the drum. On the other hand, grasping the relationship between "one thought" and "three thousand" and even the meaning of "one thought" itself is the first meaning. We should explore the real interest of the wise master in putting forward this theory, and what role it can play in our practice. However, at present, this issue has not been paid due attention by academic circles. Here, it is reviewed and prospected.

Third, several interpretations of "one thought"

There have been some in-depth achievements in the research of roof science abroad, but it has just started in China, although some monographs on roof science have been published, which has played a very important guiding role in the research of roof science in later generations. However, we generally stay in the grasp of overall knowledge, that is, from "knowledge" to "essence", which is the direction we need to work hard at present. As mentioned in Tiantai Studies, the discussion about "one thought and three thousand" is mostly discussed in the literal sense of "realism" or "world outlook", thus "losing the original intention of Coriolus versicolor's uniqueness" 14 cannot reflect the "Taoist consciousness". So we don't discuss the study of "three thousand" here, but simply review the interpretation of "one thought" here.

First of all, let's look at the article 15 written by Liang Jing, and briefly describe the great significance of "reading three thousand sets at a time". After quoting various explanations of the wise master and even Jing Zong's records, he himself has a passage to explain "one thought":

The impermanence and continuity of life and death is the explanation of the continuity of life. The root of the continuation of life lies in constant thinking. If the heart is broken, it will be out of the world. If you can learn the Tao without thinking, that is the highest state of enlightenment. 16

It is pointed out here that the highest state of enlightenment lies in "practicing without thinking" Finally, he said:

At present, since the ten realms are connected with the heart, the heart can't be over-absorbed, and all the saints, good and evil, such as the absorption of the heart, vanish in an instant. What the heart contains-absorbing the quality of good and evil-is the dust of law, which naturally falls into one of these realms as the cause of its afterlife. ..... So when studying Buddhism, to a considerable extent, his self-cultivation efforts can be made into one piece. At any time and anywhere, there is no wanton escape, and his mind is gathered and stopped, so that he does not escape, live, sit and lie down without losing his dignity. If the species is extinct, it will continue to rest, and the turbidity will not be noted, and the evil will be extinguished. Enchantment thanks, nature blesses, and the wise reach the summit, which is the foundation. 17

It is also clearly emphasized here that grasping the mind of "one thought" means "gathering thoughts, stopping all thoughts and actions, and not letting them escape". It is the same as the so-called "practice without thinking" above. Then, does his understanding of this illusion belong to the rooftop circulation teaching thought? Most practitioners pay attention to this concept, but how to grasp this concept is that each sect has its own explanation and corresponding practice methods. Liang Jing believes that Tiantai Sect's practice method is to "stop all thoughts and actions".

Secondly, let's take a look at the explanation of this "one thought" by the feast master. In the article "One thought is three thousand in Tiantai", he quoted the composition of "One thought is three thousand" in the view of Maha, a wise master, and explained:

In other words, observing our thoughts day and night must belong to one of the ten dharma circles. If it corresponds to the resentment of killing, it is for the underworld; If it corresponds to greed, it is the world of hungry ghosts; If it corresponds to stupidity, it is for the animal world; If it is for me to defeat him slowly, it is for the Asura world; If it corresponds to the moral law of human relations, it is for the sake of the world; If it corresponds to the meditation of the world of desire, color and colorless, it is the world of heaven; If it corresponds to the principle of four noble truths, it is an audio-visual world; If it corresponds to the concept of twelve karma, it is the boundary of karma; If it corresponds to the wish of pure land Sect to achieve all beings, it is the world of bodhisattvas; If it corresponds to the real dharma realm, it is the Buddha realm. So whether you are evil or not, as long as one thought corresponds to a certain realm, the heart is in a certain realm. Although the sage of Buddha fruit is free from evil, he can still be evil for his own sad wish. Although all beings in evil ways are in a bad situation because they have not cultivated good, they continue to do good. If an idea corresponds to Buddhism and Taoism, it is the realm of Buddhism and Taoism. 18

The "one thought" here refers to the delusion in our daily life, which means that we practitioners should not fight against the "bad" delusion, and point out one of the ten realms corresponding to various "thoughts", so it tells us to think selectively and choose "good" thoughts as the place of practice among many thoughts. This is the spiritual guidance of the feast master to "one thought and three thousand".

Let's take a look at Master Pei's explanation. In the article "On Three Thousand Thoughts of Tiantai Zhi Zhi", he thinks: "The mind of one thought has three thousand worlds, which is the structure of subtle reality" 19. Starting with the "Ten Views" in Volume 9 of Fahua Xuanyi, a wise master, he explained the incredible viewpoint of "the difference between one thought and three thousand differences" and theoretically expounded the ideological characteristics of "the difference between one thought and three thousand differences", but he did not make any further analysis on how to practice this "difference between one thought" or the "difference between one thought" itself. However, he pointed out that the wise master said in Volume II of Fahua Xuanyi: "Which way should pedestrians choose?" 20. Unfortunately, he did not give further guidance on how to "choose".

There is also the article "A World Outlook of Three Thousand with One Mind" written by Li Shijie. Although the concept of "one thought and three thousand" is expounded from the perspective of world outlook, the connotation of this concept is also mentioned. The difference between him and the above-mentioned people is that he explains the "difference between one thought and another" from the aspect of "sex", which is worth pondering. For example, he said, "There are many things in our real world." After describing which one of the ten dharma circles corresponds to what thought, he explained the specific "one thought", as he said:

If we are full of bad feelings because of ignorance, although there was a hell world at that time, there are of course other good and evil hearts in that hell, such as compassion, kindness, learning Tao, solitude, heavenly heart, human heart, shura heart, animal heart and hungry ghost heart, so there are of course nine other world hearts in the hell heart. 22

This is a very important point of view, pointing out that "one thought" has the "nature" of the ten dharma circles, not just one thought has the nature of goodness, but any thought has the nature of ten. But he didn't specify further: What are the other nine spiritual realms in Heart of Hell? Therefore, there is still no way to get an "incredible view" from this mind, and the practice rule of "one thought is three thousand" is still an unsolved problem.

In addition, Master Hui Yue also explained this idea, but his explanation is basically the same as that of the feast master. For example, the History of Tiantai Education, edited by him, said:

Because we have an idea in our hearts, acting arbitrarily in resentment, and instantly showing the boundary of hell; The appearance of greed is the hungry ghost world; Ignorance belongs to the animal world. On the other hand, being able to observe the four truths is world-famous; Viewing the twelve karma methods, that is, the sense of karma; Make four great wishes, that is, the world of bodhisattvas; If it can correspond to the truth, it is the Buddhist world. Therefore, in our daily thoughts, there will be ten realms, or even a hundred realms of the overall Buddhism. 23

Next, he pointed out the importance of this "one thought" to practice. He said:

Based on the master of the wise, the practitioner who emphasizes the cultivation of monasticism must take his daily "behavior, language and thoughts" seriously, and must not be moved by his own illusory heart, which will lead to his strict body and mind! Therefore, the wise master set up the exclusive teaching of "three thousand in one thought". 24

As can be seen from this, Master Hui Yue believes that "one mind is three thousand" is a universal concept and delusion, and if you want to practice, you must turn this greedy and ignorant delusion into a correspondence with the truth or any realm of the Four Saints. In short, he believes that we should be "serious in body and mind" and "never be moved by delusion". But is this the interest of the wise master "thinking three thousand at a time"? It needs further consideration.

In addition, for example, the book General History of Tiantai Sect in China written by Mr. Zhu Fengao also gives a brief explanation of "one thought and three thousand", but his so-called "connotation and significance" does not mention the significance of "one thought" in practice.

The book "Tiantai Studies" seriously puts forward the viewpoint of examining "one thought and three thousand" from a practical point of view. However, Mr. Ando Lixiong's explanation of this "one thought" is still not a breakthrough analysis, which is the same as the above-mentioned feast master and Hui Yue master. After explaining the meaning of "one thought", he emphasized:

If we can see it this way, it is the key to practice, especially taking this idea as the basis of sincere Buddhist and Taoist practice. 27

The so-called "if we can look at it this way" here means "if it conforms to the truth, then the Buddhist world is ahead now", which shows that we have good and evil thoughts in our daily life, and we should choose good and pure thoughts, so as to grasp our life state and make ourselves correspond to the Dharma world among the top ten Dharma circles.

Looking at the above views on "one thought", from a practical point of view, it can be summarized into three points:

First, we should "concentrate our thoughts, let them stop, don't let them run away, and don't practice if you want to." Because if you have thoughts, you will fall into any one of the ten dharma circles, so just don't get excited. This is Liang Jing's point of view.

Second, be "serious physically and mentally" and "never be moved by delusion". Because every day's thoughts correspond to one of the top ten dharma circles, we should carefully choose the upper dharma circle and make our hearts correspond to it. This is not to ban delusions, but to think selectively. This is the view of most people.

Third, we must "choose to go to the dharma world with one heart." Because every "thought" has ten realms of "sex", when every thought is born, whether it is good or evil, you can choose one of the ten realms you want. This is what Li Shijie mentioned.

Which of these three explanations about "one thought and three thousand" is more in line with the original intention of the master, or all three are the practice methods of Tiantai Sect, or none of them belong to the true practice of Tiantai Sect? This is what we should know. Otherwise, the myth of "thinking three thousand at a time" has become a mantra and a tool for people to play with words. Isn't it a disgrace to Taizong's ancestors? !

Fourth, the practice rule of "one thought and three thousand"

Although the fifth volume (1) of the Maha Wisdom View formally puts forward the topic of "one mind and three thousand", it is almost the same in the second volume (1) of Fahua Xuanyi, and points out the key practice ideas. With regard to the practice rules of "thinking about three thousand" by the wise master, we try to explore the practice essentials of "thinking about three thousand" from the standpoint of the master among these two essentials.

As mentioned above, "three thousand" is approximate, not real. Therefore, the focus here is on "one thought" and the subtle organization of the three thousand laws is put aside. We only take the "ten dharma realms" in the three thousand dharmas and the "one thought" before that as the research object of this paper. In fact, it is to discuss the practice rule of "three thousand differences in one thought" within the scope of "ten realms are born together" Because all sentient beings have never left or surpassed the Ten Dharma Boundaries, and the ultimate goal of our practice is to become a perfect Dharma Boundaries. How to inspire ourselves within the boundaries of ordinary beings with the subtle function of the boundaries of Buddhism and Dharma is the real intention of us to learn the concept of Tiantai Sect and even understand "the difference between one thought and three thousand years".

Judging from the exposition of the theory of "one thought and three thousand" by the wise master, the practice of "one thought" before now is stipulated from two aspects. First of all, from the perspective of "unattainable", the reality of various laws is expounded. If pedestrians can understand the words, it is the best way. The method and guidance of this kind of exercise are clearly shown in the fifth volume of Maha Stop View, and we still explain it paragraph by paragraph:

Jieer has a heart, that is, there are three thousand. It does not mean that all laws are backward, nor does it mean that all laws are backward. ..... If all laws are born of one heart, it is vertical; If the heart contains all dharma at once, it is horizontal; Not vertical or horizontal, idealism is all methods, and all methods are the heart. Therefore, it is not vertical and horizontal, it is not different, it is profound, it is not what you know, it is not what you say. So it is called an incredible place. 28

Here, the two meanings of "namely" and "being" are clearly expressed, which means that "the heart is all laws, and all laws are the heart"; "There are various methods in the heart, and all methods have a heart", and harmony is mutual and the same. If this still stays at the theoretical level, then the following is a more clear way to tell us how to get started and how to continue practicing after getting started. For example, the Maha Stop View, Volume 5 (1) says:

When you know that you can't get four sentences, you can't get three thousand ways. If you can't get three thousand dharmas in four sentences, you must devote yourself to destroying three thousand dharmas. The heart can't give birth to a dharma, so how can the cloud give birth to three thousand dharmas? If you eliminate the person who gave birth to the Three Thousand Dharmas from your heart, you will also eliminate the violation of your nature, just as fire and water do not stand together. How does the cloud give birth to three thousand dharmas? If the heart is immortal, it is immortal and impossible. Why did Yun Hesheng have 3,000 dharmas? It is impossible to do three thousand laws vertically and horizontally, and it is impossible to do three thousand laws vertically and horizontally. The word is broken and the heart is destroyed, so it is incredible. 29

The meaning of this passage is: both mind and law are incredible, four sentences apart, absolutely wrong. We can use the method of "four sentences" to infer that this mind and method are actually unattainable and can be inferred in four sentences: vertical, horizontal, vertical and horizontal, and non-vertical.

Therefore, the way to get started here is: if you can't get the heart, you can't get the three thousand dharmas. When you can't get it, you just have an incredible view. If we can't immediately understand the current "seeking for the heart can't be obtained", then we will make a four-sentence deduction on this "heart" and "law" and observe the false heart of the previous person, whether this heart is alive or dead, alive or dead, not alive or dead, and "no income" is in place. To say incredible, in fact, does not mean to get rid of the present delusion, but to keep thinking and observing. This delusion itself is "unattainable", and the unattainable delusion has all the methods in it. Although all methods are natural, no one gets them and no one gets them. This is the "incredible realm". The words quoted in the last paragraph let us understand that "there are various methods in the heart, and all methods are the heart"; And this passage is to let us know that "the heart cannot be obtained, and the law cannot be obtained." In the heart that can't be obtained, there are various methods. In the heart that has various methods, there is no method that can be obtained wholeheartedly. Therefore, this is not a problem that can be solved simply by removing delusions. On the other hand, we should observe and check in the mind born of delusion, let ourselves think constantly, and realize that there is no way to get it in the process of thinking. This is the real practice method of Tiantai Jiao Yuan Thought, which is very important! None of the three methods mentioned above about the practical interpretation of "one thought and three thousand" can be consistent with the introduction and practice mentioned here, which deserves our deep thought!