Chapter 225 The Attainment Status of Theravada Buddhism
Regarding Gao Pragmatic's words, Liu Xin immediately expressed her disagreement. She suppressed her smile and said seriously: "I know you are very firm on atheism, and I am also an atheist, but as a confidential secretary, I must remind you: in this In this era, theocracy is still a very important ruling force. Not to mention Europe, Arabia, India, etc., do you think southern Xinjiang does not need theocracy? I even dare to say that even the Ming Dynasty did not completely abandon theocracy!"
Gao Pragmatic frowned slightly, but did not reply immediately. Liu Xin continued: "Let's just talk about Southern Xinjiang and the Ming Dynasty. In Southern Xinjiang, except for Annan, a special existence that calls itself 'Little China', almost all other kingdoms believe in Buddhism. Yes, of course there are many Annan people who believe in Buddhism, which is probably similar to our situation in the Ming Dynasty.
But we don’t care whether they believe in Theravada or something else, they should probably all belong to Theravada Buddhism..."
"Your statement is too general. I suspect you don't understand this as well as I do." Gao Pragmatic interrupted: "Theravada Buddhism is also called Southern Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. It basically refers to Buddhism spread in South Asia. They roughly refer to Buddhism spread in South Asia. It can be divided into four categories:
The first type is the southern Theravada Buddhism spread in Ceylon, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, Nanjing and other countries; the second type arises in Annan, but the Annan sect is a hybrid Buddhism mixed with Confucianism and Taoism; The third category was very popular in Cambodia in the past and was the Buddhism believed by the Jimmie people at that time; the fourth category was the South China Sea Buddhism spread in Java, Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and other places."
Liu Xin was stunned for a moment. She didn't care that she was interrupted by him, but she asked in surprise: "When did you know this?"
"Do you really think that the Ministry of Internal Affairs only supervises my servants?" Gao Pragmatic laughed: "If I don't know the public opinion in southern Xinjiang, if they rebel one day, wouldn't I not even know the reason?"
"Oh..." Liu Xin looked stunned and nodded: "In that case, you first tell me what you know about Southern Buddhism - especially the Southern Buddhism in southern Xinjiang, and then I will compare it. Let’s see if my previous thoughts are correct, and then we can continue to discuss what I just didn’t finish.”
"Okay, let me briefly explain the situation provided to me by the Ministry of Internal Affairs." Gao Pragmatic thought for a while, as if he was recalling or organizing his words, and he spoke after a while.
"Of the four categories I just mentioned, the third and fourth categories are now basically extinct, with only a few relics remaining, so there is no need to discuss them further.
The second category is Annan's Synthetic Buddhism. Strictly speaking, it actually belongs to the Chinese Buddhist system. The first category is also called Pali Buddhism. Most of this system is based on the Pali scriptures as classics, and the so-called southern Buddhism, or Southern Buddhism, mainly refers to this lineage."
Liu Xin nodded, her expression very serious, and Gao Pragmatic didn't know why she attached so much importance to it.
However, Gao pragmatically continued to introduce the information he had obtained: "About the third century BC, King Ashoka sent his son, the elder Mahadatha, to import native Indian Buddhism into the island of Ceylon. This was the beginning of Ceylon Buddhism.
In the first century B.C., Ceylon Buddhism split into the Great Temple Sect and the Wuwei Shan Temple Sect. In the third century AD, the Wuwei Shan Temple Sect split into the Nan Temple Sect. Among them, the Great Temple Sect was regarded as the orthodox Ceylonese Buddhism. In the fifth century,
, great commentators such as Buddha Buddha and Dharmapala appeared from time to time.
As for other countries, Buddhism was introduced to Myanmar probably after the fourth to fifth centuries AD, but their adoption of southern Theravada Buddhism began in 1058 during the era of King Ayuruda.
After the twelfth century, Siam also began to accept Theravada Buddhism. Around the time of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Sangha leaders of Ceylon were welcomed into Siam to teach the king of Siam. As for Cambodia, Laos, etc., they accepted Theravada Buddhism.
Buddhism began more than a hundred years ago, that is, after the conquest of the Siamese nation."
Liu Xin immediately asked: "In other words, if we want to trace the origin of these Southern Buddhism, they all originated from Ceylon - that is, Sri Lanka at that time?"
"Well, Ashoka's land has long been...well, so what you said is right, that's probably what happened." Gao Pragmatic nodded in affirmation.
Liu Xin asked again: "What about Buddhism in the Malay Peninsula, Java and other Southeast Asian regions?"
Gao pragmatic curled his lips and said: "It's been 'greened' over there, what do you think?"
"Oh, let's not mention them first." Liu Xin waved her hand, thought for a moment, and said, "What is the difference between Southern Buddhism and Northern Buddhism? I mean, are there any differences between them... uh, like Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity?
doctrinal differences between them.”
"This question is out of line, and I'm not very clear about it." Gao Pragmatic shook his head slightly, but then said: "But it is said that some of the thoughts of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in the Chinese Buddhist system, and the Vinaya sect are related to Southern Buddhism, and there are
Similarities.”
However, Liu Xin seemed to have little interest in the relationship between Theravada Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism. She just mused: "The spread of Theravada Buddhism is almost exactly the countries in southern Xinjiang that you currently control, so I think you should pay enough attention to it.
.
I have discovered before when I was in southern Xinjiang that although most of their countries believe in Theravada Buddhism, the interpretation of the meaning of the scriptures is still slightly different between countries. I suggest that you consider using some power to help them create a
'Jiuji' means making some corrections to the scriptures and their meanings to unify them."
"Jiuji" is a Buddhist term, which is also used as a collection of Dharma, a collection of Dharma, a collection of sutras, and a collection of sutras, which means collective recitation. That is, the monks gather to recite the Buddha's legacy.
When the Buddha was alive, the Buddha directly provided explanations, guidance, and support for his disciples. After the Buddha passed away, it was necessary to recite the Buddha's teachings together. On the one hand, it was to prevent the Buddha's teachings from being lost, and on the other hand, it was for the sake of the authority of the teachings.
It was established that the disciples of the Buddha gathered in one place and compiled the teachings passed down orally, which was called a collection.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Gao Pragmatic also knew the meaning of this word, but he was curious about why Liu Xin made this suggestion, so he asked: "What is the intention?"
Liu Xin raised her eyebrows slightly and asked: "What is the purpose of the same car and the same track and the same text?"
"Hmm...but is it necessarily a good thing for us to let them form a unified faction?"
"On your territory, we are gathered under your orders. Don't you need to confirm the final meaning of scripture?" Liu Xin spread her hands: "Since the final interpretation is in your hands, why don't you choose one for you?
Which one is most beneficial?
Moreover, in this case, if you do this, you are also showing goodwill to them. After all, Buddhism is different from 'those two families'. It interferes relatively lightly with political power and has to be softer. I guess they must
I will reciprocate the favor, and the two of you are likely to reach some tacit understanding."
Gao pragmatically asked: "The tacit understanding you mentioned, is it just like the agreement I reached with Sonam Gyatso, giving me another honorary title? I don't think this matter... is suitable for doing more."
"That's hard to say. Neither of us understands the teachings of Theravada at all. Reincarnation and the title of the Supreme Being are all popular practices in Tantric Buddhism. It's hard to say whether Theravada is interested in this." Liu Xin shook his head and said:
"But no matter what, they will definitely use their own methods to bring some legitimacy to your rule. There is no doubt about it."
At this time, Gao Mo happened to come in from outside and said with a smile: "Is Miss Liu talking to my father about Theravada Buddhism? I know a little bit about it. Compared with Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, Theravada is also considered
Quite unique.”
Gao Mo had just sent guests off on behalf of Gao Jingshi and had just come back now. Liu Xin knew his special nature in front of Gao Jingshi. Except for the matter of time travel, Gao Mo did not hide anything else from him, so he
After saying this, Liu Xin said happily: "Then I have to ask Uncle Mo for advice."
Gao Mo smiled and bowed: "I dare not take it seriously. If Miss Liu has any questions, I will tell you everything."
"Thank you, Uncle Mo." Liu Xin asked, "Is it possible for this Theravada Buddhism to give Gao...Situ a special status or title?"
"I'm afraid it's difficult." Gao Mo looked calm and explained: "Miss, you should know that Han Buddhism in the Central Plains believes in many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, King Kongs, Patriarchs, gods, ghosts, etc., such as Amitabha, Medicine Buddha, and Guanyin Bodhisattva.
, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, etc.
Tibetan tradition has a larger system of gods and Buddhas. In addition to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, there are also King Kong, Mingwang, Tara, Dakini, founders of various sects, Dharma protectors, etc., and there are countless more.
Even for the Buddha, there are theories of Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Incarnation, such as 'Pure Dharmakaya Vairocana Buddha, Perfect Sambhogakaya Vairocana Buddha, Thousands of Billions of Incarnations Sakyamuni Buddha', and it is believed that Sakyamuni is '
Incarnate Buddha'.
However, according to a detailed report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in various temples of Theravada Buddhism, only Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined. This is because Theravada Buddhism only respects and respects the historical Gotama Buddha and regards him as the
Teachers, rather than worshiping Bodhisattvas, Patriarchs, Dharma protectors, etc."
After hearing this, Liu Xin frowned immediately, thought for a while and asked: "Is there any loophole in their scriptures that can be exploited?"
Gao Mo still shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not."
Liu Xin didn't believe it, and asked doubtfully: "Isn't it true?"
Gao Mo smiled bitterly and said: "Miss Liu doesn't know that our collection of Chinese Buddhist classics is called the Tripitaka. In addition to the Hinayana Tripitaka, it also contains a large number of Mahayana classics, such as the Huayan Sutra, the Lotus Sutra
Sutra", "Diamond Sutra", "Surangama Sutra", etc. In addition, it also includes numerous treatises written by the great masters of the past dynasties.
The classics inherited by Theravada Buddhism are the Pali Tripitaka scriptures that were finalized in the time of King Ashoka of India more than 2,000 years ago, as well as the commentaries and commentaries that explain these scriptures. They are much larger in number.
It is much rarer than the Han classics.
This "Pali Tripitaka" is an authoritative holy text that is jointly respected in all Theravada Buddhist countries and regions and has no dispute.
In addition, Theravada Buddhism has been spread for more than two thousand years, and there has never been a single founder, nor has there been any separate sect established because of the promotion of special teachings.
If a Buddhist eminent monk wants to write a book like the so-called "History of the Development of Theravada Buddhist Thought", he may find that the relevant information will be extremely scarce, and he will have to go back to study the Pali Tipitaka and its commentaries.
Of course, there are also some sects in the Theravada Sangha, but those are only differences in minor aspects such as the tightness of the precepts. They are still consistent in terms of scriptures and teachings.
And precisely because there are so few classics, what is emphasized is that Buddhism should maintain its original teachings, practice methods and its own characteristics, pay attention to personal practice, require monks to strictly abide by the precepts established by the Buddha, and maintain the tradition of original Buddhism.
The biggest feature of Theravada Buddhism may be the precepts. They insist on abiding by the original precepts established by the Buddha and do not arbitrarily abolish, tamper with or delete the precepts of the Buddha. They believe that the precepts established by the Buddha and the Dharma taught by the Buddha should be followed unconditionally."
"Oh, this is not going to be easy." Liu Xin turned to Gao Pingshi and shrugged, helplessly saying, "I guess the Buddha never said that you, Gao Situ, would become the Mingwang Bodhisattva in the future."
Gao pragmatically smiled and didn't take it seriously.
But Gao Mo said formally: "Yes, that's right. They don't believe in Bodhisattva, thinking that Bodhisattva is just an ordinary person and should not be respected as a saint; they don't believe in the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism such as that one can continue reincarnation by relying on Dharma after eliminating troubles;
They do not recognize Buddha as a fruition status, and believe that Buddha is a professional title.
In their view, the Buddha is the first Arhat who founded Buddhism, and the one with the highest status is not the Buddha, but the Arhat. They do not recognize Guanyin, Samantabhadra and other Bodhisattvas, but only recognize Maitreya as the Bodhisattva, because Maitreya is the Bodhisattva.
He is the next Buddha, and there shouldn't be many of them.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Only one Bodhisattva, Maitreya, appears in the original Buddhist scriptures, so they do not recognize other Bodhisattvas, and Maitreya Bodhisattva is also an ordinary person and should not be worshiped; they do not even recognize the Western Paradise.
And Pure Land belief does not recognize the method of Zen enlightenment, does not recognize the self-nature of neither birth nor death, etc."
Gao pragmatic stretched out his hand to stop, interrupted and concluded: "Okay, Uncle Mo, I understand what you mean. In short, it's just one sentence: only the Buddha said it. Other than that, they don't believe it or follow it.
"
Gao Mo bowed and said, "Master Rui Duan."
Gao pragmatically spread his hands towards Liu Xin and said with a smile: "It seems there is no way out now."
Liu Xin did not come to a conclusion immediately, but continued to ask Gao Mo: "Uncle Mo, I don't quite understand the 'fruit status' thing, what does it mean? It seems... it sounds like they think the 'arhat' is the highest status
, even Buddha was only the first Arahant?”
Gao Mo nodded and said: "When he talks about 'result status', he means that he has attained the right fruition through practice. It is the opposite term to 'cause status', and it probably refers to the state reached by cultivating Buddhism."
"Oh...it's not much different from what I guessed." Liu Xin nodded.
Gao Mo then added: "The highest attainment status of Theravada Buddhism is the Four Fruition Arhats, and there is no such attainment status as Bodhisattva or Buddha. However, Theravada Buddhism does not deny the existence of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, but believes that after the Buddha passes away,
, the highest attainment that a mortal can realize is only an Arhat, not a Buddha or a Bodhisattva."
Liu Xin seemed to have a headache and said with a wry smile: "Is there any difference...?"
"Yes, of course there is." Gao Mo said sternly: "Because the Southern Buddhism believes that even the Buddha needs the 'Four Great Asamkhya Kalpas' of Bodhisattva conduct before he can awaken and become a Buddha.
, let alone us ordinary beings."
Liu Xin asked again: "What are the four great... Bodhisattva practices? What is the explanation? I mean, is it possible to admit that someone has achieved a certain fruition?"
"That's true." Gao Mo said: "According to the report of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the past history of Theravada Buddhism, there were indeed many practitioners who could realize the status of Arahant."
Liu Xin suddenly slapped the table next to her: "That's great! As long as there is one, it will be easy to handle!"
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: It’s almost summer. In order to avoid running out of clothes, I plan to go out for exercise after dinner, so I will update in advance today.