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　　Answer: It is impossible that completing your practice, such as reciting scriptures and practicing virtue, makes you ill. Neither does your study. We should see it just like what it says in the Diamond Sutra: it is due to past heavy negative karmas that we have to experience great, serious pain or suffer. It may be that heavy punishments have ripened in a small way.

　　Question: If someone advises me not to pay too much heed to things and be more relaxed and casual, how do I deal with it

　　Answer: No matter what others say, the most important thing for us is to follow a true path to liberation; therefore, we must preserve our motivation. With this as our basis, we can then do things according to other”s wishes.

　　(14) Question: I came across the answers you gave to the nineteen questions asked by Master Jiqun. I felt so touched after reading them, that your answers resonated with my thinking, and that all lineages of the Buddhadharma are in harmony and oneness. However, looking at history and the reality, I always see the conflicts between different lineages, including some lay groups. They argue and fight endlessly. I feel so sad and anguished by this. What is your view on this

　　Answer: Today, not only Mahayana Buddhist practitioners like us, but also many countries across the world are moving in a harmonious direction. Their relationship is no longer the same as the mutually exclusive relationship between certain countries in the past. Since these countries that haven”t been educated in the Mahayana teachings also can use “harmony” as their basis, then as Buddhists, regardless of whether we follow Chinese Buddhism or Tibetan Buddhism, there is no reason why we can”t live in harmony with each other.

　　In fact, in the Buddhist doctrine itself, there is no fighting or conflict. This didn”t exist in the past and of course does not exist today. It is only that some Buddhist inpiduals haven”t comprehended our goal of “love and compassion,” and, due to this, they create conflicts and incite various fights and arguments. If we want to transform these situations, it is impossible to rely on one or two laypeople or monastics; it is a matter that all Buddhists must care about. We must pull together, united and in harmony with each other. Only through the power of this unity can we promote the Buddhadharma and benefit many people around us.

　　Of course, if you emphasize your own lineage, this is understandable. However, with this as your basis, you still need to be in harmony with other lineages, and all other religions in the world. This kind of tolerance is quite common overseas; they have been doing very well in this regard. Also, in recent years, between Chinese Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as between various major lineages in Chinese Buddhism, they have been doing relatively well, too. Although some inpiduals may have conflicts, these are conflicts at an inpidual level. In the broader trend, things are still gradually moving in a positive direction.

　　(15) Question: Milarepa”s guru was quite strict with him and constantly gave him a hard time in order to purify his negative karma. How about you

　　 If you meet someone with great potential in the Buddhist institute, how do you tame his or her mind or guide the person

　　Answer: Neither do I possess the realization or supreme qualities of Milarepa”s guru, nor have I met any ascetic similar to Milarepa. Milarepa”s guru, Marpa, said to Milarepa: “I am a unique realized master; you are a disciple with extraordinary faith and perseverance. I could therefore employ this method to tame your mind and guide you. However, in the future, when you accept and guide your students, this harsh method mustn”t be used any more.”

　　Of course, according to Tibetan Buddhism, there are still some differences between a master and disciple. It is not like what some inpidual scholars believe, who think that master and disciple should be equal. I think this argument is extreme democracy. Although from the perspective that “sentient beings all possess Buddha nature” master and disciple are equal, from another angle there still exists the differences in their status. This difference is also a way for the disciple to show respect to the master and the teachings during the time the master expounds the Buddhadharma, and vice versa.

　　In fact, the tradition in our Buddhist institute is quite similar to the monasteries in the Han area. Each class has a Dharma teacher expounding the Dharma. After this, selected Dharma tutors with good moral discipline give tutorials to students. During this process, everyone listens to the Dharma with full respect. If students have some reasonable doubts, they can openly discuss their questions with the tutor. Everyone has freedom of speech—that is how disciples are being tamed and guided.

《Question and Answer Session at Shanghai Fudan University National Study Society》全文閱讀結束。