Not superstition, but wisdom.
In modern times, especially after the 1950s, some people thought that Buddhism was superstitious, people who believed in Buddhism were fascinated, and so on, resulting in many impersonal, unfair and naive views. Now some people who don't understand Buddhism hold this kind of rash attitude. But among the true wise, no one says that Buddhism is superstitious. Although they don't believe in Buddhism themselves, in their minds, they all think that Buddhism is profound and great, but they haven't had time to conduct in-depth research, or they haven't joined the ranks of Buddhist believers. Mr. Zhang Taiyan, a famous figure in China's modern history, said: "The theory of Buddhism makes the wise believe, and the precepts of Buddhism make the fools believe. This is the most valuable." Mr. Zhang said: "I have great respect for Buddhism and think his question is right. His motivation is courage, wisdom and benevolence." Yang Zhenning received his master's degree in 1944, his doctorate in physics in 1948, and the Nobel Prize in physics in 1957. He said: "Buddhism is one of the great religions in the world. After it was introduced to China more than 2,000 years ago, it had a far-reaching impact on China culture. " 1985 September 12, at the inauguration ceremony of the Jade Buddha Pagoda in Dacheng Temple, New York, USA, Yang Zhenning said, "I am a Buddhist scientist." Li Shutong (Master Hongyi) said, "Being a monk is the noblest and greatest."
Therefore, their wise men, although not necessarily proficient in everything, have a respectful attitude towards Buddhist culture. However, it is those who have no wisdom, especially those who know nothing about the world and its laws, who will say that Buddhism is superstitious. This statement was quite popular in the sixties and seventies. At that time, people generally fell into a state of ignorance and madness, trampling on both the modern civilization of the West and the traditional culture of the East, especially the humanities of the West and the traditional culture of China, which were basically branded as "capitalism", "feudalism" and "superstition". There are not many people who continue to be so obsessed now, but I hope those who still say that Buddhism is superstitious will make some observations first. If you jump to conclusions without observing anything, then no matter what level you are, what you admire and convince yourself, such as a certain knowledge or theory. Others don't delve into it and speculate, which is called superstition. Of course, you won't agree. To say that Buddhism is superstition is actually as absurd as to say that science is superstition.
In fact, many famous scholars and scientists in human history, including today's society, also regard Buddhism as wisdom, not superstition. For example, Liang Qichao, a famous scholar in modern China, once advocated reform and political reform together with Kang Youwei, who was called "Kang Liang" by the world. He once said: "Believing in Buddhism is wisdom rather than superstition, kindness rather than loneliness, and joining the WTO rather than being world-weary." You Zhibiao, a modern scientist in China, also said: "Buddhism is not only not superstition, but also the most thorough academic theory to break superstition. Buddhism is not a shinto, nor an anesthetic for mental pain, but a truth of life in the universe and a practical learning to deal with things. Buddhism is a rational, equal, free, objective, thorough, concrete, positive and practical religion. " He also said: "The more prosperous science is, the more Buddhist teachings will be carried forward. In recent years, the growing prosperity of Buddhism around the world is directly proportional to the progress of science, that is, in recent years, many Buddhists in China are scientists and engineers. This is because the theory of Buddhism can pass the scientific test. Therefore, the deeper the scientific attainments, the more capable they are to explain the true meaning of Buddhism, and everything in Buddhism that is regarded as superstition by ordinary people has its sound and powerful theoretical basis. " Zhang Junmai, a former dean of Dali Institute of Ethnic Culture, said: "Gai Shizun's statement is based on great compassion for all beings, and Bodhisattva is based on great compassion and enlightenment. With feeling, you can't do without wisdom. The greatest feature of Buddhism is to cultivate compassion and wisdom, which is beyond the reach of other religions in the world. All the believers he taught began with superstition. If you return to the Buddha, you will be wise. "
Mr. Lu Xun, a famous thinker, revolutionist and writer in China, lamented the wisdom of the Buddha after reading Buddhist scriptures such as Virtue Sutra and Yoga Teacher's Theory of Land, and said to his good friend Xu Shoutang, "Sakyamuni is really a great saint. I usually have many problems in my life, but most of them have understood. He is really a great saint. " Needless to say, people have given Mr. Lu Xun many good names, but the works of the same size he wrote in his life are beyond the reach of ordinary people. With his wisdom, he was also amazed at Sakyamuni Buddha. Then, why do we who don't know much about world literature and philosophy say that Buddhism is superstitious? Otherwise, great writers and revolutionaries such as Mr. Lu Xun are suspected of preaching superstition, but you are insisting on believing. Therefore, people who are superstitious in Buddhism should reflect on themselves, and whether what they see, hear and think is too unsophisticated, just as Tibetans often satirize those ignorant people: "This kind of person has never seen anywhere except his own cooker, and no one has seen it except his own mother."
From the Gamorrah Sutra in Bali, the Buddha showed the Gamorrah people ten principles of not being superstitious, which can be used for you and me to check whether we are superstitious or not, and also as a warning. "Add moros! Your doubts and confusion are justified; Because for a suspicious thing, you should doubt. Gamolos. Be careful, don't be influenced by rumors, legends and hearsay, don't rely on religious classics, don't rely solely on reasoning or speculation, don't look at the superficial phenomena of things, don't indulge in speculation, don't believe something just because it seems possible, and don't think like this: "He is our mentor. "Add moros! Only when you know that something is bad, wrong or evil can you get rid of it ... and when you know that something is beautiful, then you will believe it. " (The Book of Gamorrah)
From this perspective, we must have correct knowledge and complete wisdom in order to completely avoid superstition. Buddha is a man full of wealth and wisdom. The Buddha's greatest wish is that all sentient beings become Buddhas and fully intelligent people.
The Buddha allowed his disciples to think freely, which is unheard of in the history of religion. This freedom is necessary, because according to the Buddha, the liberation of mankind depends entirely on the individual's consciousness of truth.
The Buddha taught more than that. He told his monks that disciples should even check the Tathagata (Buddha) itself. In this way, he can fully believe the true value of the Buddha he follows.
According to the Buddha's teaching, doubt is one of the five covers, which can cover people's hearts, prevent them from seeing the truth truthfully and hinder all progress. Doubt is not a sin because there is no such thing as blind faith in Buddhism. In fact, all the evil laws in Buddhism are rooted in ignorance and Jaken. It is undeniable that as long as there is doubt, confusion and weak will, there can be no progress. But it is also undeniable that doubt must exist in order to be clearly understood. But if you want to make progress, you must get rid of doubts; To solve the problem, we must be clear.
It is unreasonable for people not to doubt but to believe. Just saying "I believe" doesn't mean you really believe. Students do a math problem, and at some stage, they don't know how to calculate it. At this point, he has doubts and fears. As long as this doubt is not eliminated, he can't make progress. If he wants to make further calculations, he must dispel his doubts. There are many ways to solve the puzzle, and just saying "I believe" or "I don't doubt" can't solve the problem. Forcing yourself to believe and accept the unknown is superstition, not Buddhism, nor wisdom.
Buddha is eager to dispel doubts and doubts. Just a few minutes before he died, he asked his disciples to ask him questions several times. If they still have questions about his teaching, don't regret not clarifying these questions later. But none of his disciples made a sound. What he said at that time was extremely touching. He said: If you refuse to ask questions because you respect the teacher, even a person will tell his friends. This means that he can tell his friends what he suspects, and the latter will ask the Buddha questions instead of him. )
In a word, Buddhism is an ideological belief system based on experience, which requires people to Xiu De, develop true wisdom, choose right and wrong with their own wisdom, distinguish right from wrong and oppose blind superstition. The Buddha once said to his disciples, "Many monks are good at knowledge. You should identify my words and teachings like beating, cutting, grinding and testing gold, and identify their authenticity. You can't blindly believe them just because you respect me. "
Superstition can't stand research and investigation. Therefore, people are not allowed to doubt all superstitions and are required to believe absolutely. Don't let people learn science, but learn teachings in a scientific way; Require believers to be as stupid as possible. Because superstition can't tell a logical and objective teaching principle, it is necessary to win the belief of some simple-minded people by playing tricks. Some statements in Buddhist scriptures have been confirmed in the process of human understanding and development, such as Zi Yuan's theory, the theory of relativity, the theory of the origin of all things, and the theory of impermanence. Although some principles can't be solved by perceptual experimental methods, they can be proved reasonably and logically by reasoning. So some people say that "Buddhism is a scientific religion" is not a groundless compliment.
In Buddhism, it has always been wisdom that leads to correct views and beliefs, rather than blind beliefs that lead to beliefs. Superstition is superstition! If I tell you that there is a gem in my clenched palm, it will cause the question of whether to believe it or not, because you can't see it. But if I open my palm to show you this gem, after you see it with your own eyes, the question of whether you believe it or not will not arise. Therefore, there is a saying in the Buddhist scriptures: "When you are enlightened, you can see the treasure in your hand."
Enlightenment is the opening of wisdom! An enlightened person is a person who is fully blessed and benefits all sentient beings.
In the brilliant sunshine of wisdom, there is no shadow of superstition!