In Shaanxi Province, there is a special family, both parents are devout Buddhist believers, worshiping The Buddha for many years, the son and daughter have successively converted to Buddhism. This family is also well-known in the local area, because two generations of four people are related to the Dharma and are considered to be the "House of Blessings".
Two generations of four people, all returned to the green lantern
Many people often ask: Why did you become a monk? The answer is also strange, some people answer that life is not satisfactory, some people answer that it is a change of living environment, and some people answer that it is to escape pressure. But these answers are all speculations of others, and for true monks, joining the Buddha is a "karma" word.
There has never been a shortage of people in history. The Buddha's Six Patriarchs Huineng was originally a woodcutter who did not understand writing and did not read Buddhist scriptures.
However, under the guidance of the words of The Five Patriarchs, he fully realized the Buddhist principle that "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform", shouldered the heavy responsibility of Buddhist transmission, and founded the famous Zen Buddhism.
The Buddhist monk Sodagyi Khenpo has been compassionate since childhood and has been close to the Buddha and Bodhisattva. Whenever a neighbor slaughters a domestic animal, he feels strong sympathy and tries to prevent the killing. Over the years, he practiced Buddhism diligently, and after being admitted to university, he naturally joined buddhism and eventually became a generation of famous monks.
The same is true of Master Deming of the "House of Blessings", who joined the Buddha's door after forming a deep relationship with the Buddha since childhood, and what is surprising is that he not only entered the Buddha alone, but also acted as a guide for the lay sister, and his parents also improved their Dharma cultivation under his influence. Nowadays, the family studies Buddhism together, and it is a joy and harmony.
The young man enlightened the heart of the Buddha, and his holiness Tim Sun
Master Deming was born in an ordinary rural family in Shaanxi, and although his living conditions were average, he also had enough food and clothing, so his childhood life was still very beautiful. The local Buddhist culture is flourishing, and there are temple fairs and rituals in the eight townships of the ten miles, and the parents of the master are also loyal followers of Buddhism, and there are Buddhist seats and scriptures in the home, which have become the enlightenment readings of Master Deming.
The spring rain is silent, with the wind into the night, under the influence of his parents, Master Deming has been exposed to Buddhism since he was a child, learning to meditate and chant from the temple, and can also grasp some scriptures, and he has shown great wisdom at a young age.
However, although the Master revealed Hui Gen since childhood, his parents never thought of sending him to the Buddhist Gate, and they hoped that their children could study and work smoothly, and then start a family and have a happy and happy life.
The filial piety Deming knew what his parents meant, so he pressed his yearning for Buddhism in his heart, went to school step by step, and successfully entered the university, becoming a rare local cultural person, and his parents were also proud in front of the villagers.
But the facts show that Master Deming is ultimately related to the Buddha. During his college years, he encountered many problems, such as the conflict of ideas between classmates and friends, the complexity of course studies, and the indifference between human nature, which greatly affected the heart of Master Deming.
All along, the kind man firmly believed that everyone could get along harmoniously, but the experience of going out to study allowed him to understand the suffering of "greed and infatuation" in the world. Since the question was unavoidable, he decided to find the answer on his own. After going through the books in the library, Master Deming finally settled his mind in the Diamond Sutra.
The Buddha told Subhuti: "The bodhisattvas Mahāsāsa should surrender their minds as such: If all sentient beings are born of eggs, if they are born of birth, if they are born of wetness, if they are born of rebirth, if they are colored, if they are colorless, if they have thoughts, if they have no thoughts, if they have no thoughts, if they have no thoughts, I will let them enter into nirvana and perish."
The Diamond Sutra holds that only by breaking through the "four phases" and removing the "eight sufferings" can one attain inner purity.
When he read this passage, Deming suddenly became enlightened. He had found the answer he had been thinking about for a long time. Only by abandoning all attachments can the mind be liberated and attain supreme happiness.
In the days that followed, Master Deming often studied the Diamond Sutra carefully, and every time he read it, he had a new experience. And his heart became pure and peaceful under the baptism of scripture, and in the end, he made a decision to become a monk.
His decision was opposed by his parents.
However, Master Deming had already made up his mind, and he secretly worshipped in the name of master Shangren Xiaze, the predecessor of the Buddha's realm, without his parents, and accompanied master Feng En. It took five years before he was finally recognized, ordained, and officially became a disciple of Buddhism.
Lingquan as a dojo, Puji side
Lingquan Temple is the monastery of Master Deming and an ancient temple that was once in full swing. But then there was a famine, the monks scattered and fled for their lives, and the temple gradually declined because it was unguarded. At that time, the management of Lingquan Temple was also very loose, and the monks had the right to use it as a place to rest their feet, without permanent production and no host, so their reputation was not obvious.
When Deming first came, the temple was only a few acres, the monks were not more than a dozen people, and there were few pilgrims to pay homage to the Buddha, so the monks in the temple were really "being a monk for a day and hitting the clock for a day", loose and crumbling, morning classes, evening classes or coming or not coming, Buddhist scriptures are not often read, at a glance there is no hope of revitalization.
After saying goodbye to master, Master Deming traveled around in search of his own path to the Dharma. It was not until I came to Lingquan Temple by chance that I stopped my steps, and this ancient temple was revitalized, in a sense, Lingquan Temple and Deming were mutual achievements.
Master Deming's understanding is very high, although he is a halfway monk and has not systematically studied Buddhist cultural knowledge, but with years of hearing and self-exploration, he has already accumulated a certain accumulation in Buddhism.
In the years since he entered the Lingquan Temple, he has not forgotten the blessing for a day, studied diligently day and night, studied the scriptures for many months, and raised his cultivation to a very high level.
In addition to his practice, Deming also began to rebuild the Lingquan Temple. In the past, the temple had fallen into disrepair for many years and was dilapidated, so Master Deming led the masters of the temple to flatten the earth and carry stones, repair the pavement, renovate the walls, and under the efforts of many people for several years, Lingquan Temple began to slowly restore the majesty of the ancient temple!
When Master Deming entered the Buddhist Gate, he made a grand wish to "spread the Dharma and make a wide range of people's lives." Practitioners took a heavy oath, and when the master was at Lingquan Temple, he took it step by step to fulfill his promise. In order to promote buddhism, he opened the door of convenience, recruited monks at Lingquan Temple, and instructed young people who wanted to study Buddhism; he even walked alone in the north and south of the great river, opening altars everywhere to preach the Fa and following the fate.
For a time, Master Deming became famous in the Dharma world and received the support and followers of a large number of disciples. Although the journey of propagating the Dharma is very difficult, Master Deming is as willing as a rapture, which may be the spirit of "compassion" in the Buddhist sense!
Crossing the family into the Buddhist gate, the two are not negative
Although the Buddhist teachings emphasize the six roots of purity and the practice of nothingness, this is obviously different from the "renunciation of emotions." Monastic practitioners talk about compassion and sentient rebirth, so they can also do pure filial piety to their parents.
Practice, practice, what is practice? It is to correct one's attachments and troubles and to understand one's own heart, but this is not contrary to filial piety, and the Buddhist concept is also about repaying kindness.
In order to repay his mother's kindness, the famous Void Cloud Master walked tens of thousands of miles to Mount Wutai to worship Manjushri Bodhisattva step by step, praying for his mother's blessing and accumulation of virtues, hoping that her mother would be free from the suffering of reincarnation. The same was true of Master Deming, who, after his renunciation, often prayed for the blessings of his parents and recited scriptures in the hope that their parents would be healthy and healthy.
The famous Ming Dynasty monk Lotus Pond Master classified filial piety as a third class, of which food and clothing and fame are only the middle and lower grades, while "enlightening the parents, passing on to the Buddha's kingdom, and never leaving the three ways" is the upper filial piety. Master Deming achieved the highest filial piety that Master Lotus Pond called, not only did he become a monk alone, but he also introduced his sister, Master Hui Miao.
At that time, Master Hui Miao was still teaching at the Zhiji Academy, and under the influence of her brother, she gradually developed a strong interest in Buddhism and began to understand the scriptures. Perhaps the family was very wise, and Master Hui Miao soon understood the Buddhist principles from the scriptures, and in order to better understand the Dharma, he resolutely chose to shave his head and become a monk.
The children were empty, which was a big blow to the old parents, and the two once washed their faces with tears. Seeing his parents like this, Master Deming was heartbroken and often prayed for the blessing of the prayers for the peace of his parents. Time heals all wounds, and Master Deming's parents are no exception.
With the passage of time, the mood of the old couple gradually returned to stability, and seeing that their son and daughter sincerely loved the Dharma, the two gradually accepted this reality and supported them to continue to walk. Master Hui Miao and Master Deming also often explained buddhism to their parents and studied Buddhism together, and the family also had a happy and harmonious life.
Although the two mages did not provide for the family like ordinary people, their filial piety was impeccable. As Master Deming said, "I hope that both parents will be able to have their own results in their practice and find a kind of peace and liberation in life.", which should be the "great" filial piety that Master Deming pursues!
What is the rest of your life? Ancient Buddha Green Lantern
The mountains are cold and hard to see. Cultivating Buddhism is not an easy task, and only those who have great perseverance can achieve success in cultivation.
Master Deming has been taking the full ordination for more than ten years, and during this time he has been practicing Buddhism with peace of mind and has achieved great success.
Today, Master Deming, who holds both the positions of abbot of Lingquan Temple and president of the Qufu Buddhist Studies Association, has been devoting himself to Buddhist studies and propagating the Dharma for many years, in addition to attending the Zen ritual Buddha, and has been a guest lecturer in the Yiming Pure Land Pulpit column founded by Master Shangren Xiaze.
In 2019, the production team of the famous Buddhist large-scale documentary "Empty Door" filmed a long series of miniature documentaries "Dialogue", in which the episode "Monastic Masters and Parents at Home" specially went to Shaanxi to interview Master Deming, Master Hui Miao and their parents.
The documentary filmed the real life of studying Buddhism and the daily practice of Master Deming, during which the production team interviewed the parents of the master on the matter of "renunciation", and the two old couples talked about the old things several times to wipe their tears, but the words were all support for their children.
In 2021, Master Deming said goodbye to heavy mundane things and devoted himself to practicing. In addition to the regular festivals and lectures, the Master meditated and practiced at Lingquan Temple all day, listening to the scriptures, and explaining the mysteries of Buddhism to the disciples in the morning and evening.
There are often disciples who consult the Master on the issues between monasticism and relatives, and the Master enlightens the disciples: Renunciation is not to give up one's own family, nor is it to completely cut off contact with one's parents, but the original intention of monasticism is to cultivate one's heart and make oneself open-minded.
This is both the master's words of revelation to his disciples and his personal feelings. The Master did not abandon filial piety after his ordination. On the contrary, he chose to become a monk precisely because he cared about his parents. Every month, the Master spends three days chanting the sutra for his parents to pray for the blessing of disaster relief and to bless their parents with a long life. This is the unique way of filial piety of the Buddha, although it is impossible to bear the joy of kneeling, often accompanied by left and right, but filial piety is undiminished.
And the two old parents? They still lived in their hometown in Shaanxi, in good health, taking care of farming and worshiping The Buddha, and their sister Master Hui Miao then moved to Lingquan Temple to study Buddhism day and night. In their spare time, the two elderly people would visit a pair of children at Lingquan Temple and stay for a few days.
In September 2021, the media also captured a fragment of the life of Master Deming's family studying Buddhism together, and the family of four was full of happiness and satisfaction.
Because of his great popularity, believers and tourists from all over the country often came to see him, and whenever this happened, Master Deming would be summoned by his disciples from the ashram to come and meet him.
Master Deming will lead the tourists to visit Lingquan Temple, explain the basic Buddhist principles, provide fasting meals, and of course, many times will be invited to take photos with the tourists. Although visiting the Buddhist chanting can be disturbed, Master Deming says that this is also a way of practicing!
epilogue
Taoism and Buddhism are long-standing sects on the mainland, and although they have long been rooted in Chinese land, they still have a mysterious veil for the general public. Buddhism has the idea of "monasticism," which is a means of practicing Buddhism's disciples, hoping to find Zen in the ultimate "silence."
Leaving aside the precepts of ordination and marriage, Buddhist disciples have also fulfilled filial piety in other aspects, such as praying for their parents and chanting Buddhist prayers, which are the ways they express filial piety. There are thousands of paths in the world, and the form of filial piety does not have to be stuck to one, as long as the heart is a filial piety.
Practitioners have the life mode and moral code of practitioners, ordinary people also have their own ethical and emotional pursuits, and they will see different landscapes when they think from different angles.
bibliography
[1] Daniel Zhang. Research on the Culture of Liuzhu Huineng[J], Social Sciences Academic Press, 2019(09); 78
LI Hanming. Fifteen Years of Master Shangren Shimozawa[J], Story Club, 2012(08): 102-107