Question and Answer Session at Renmin University of China
March 17, 2011, evening
(1) Question: I am training to be a teacher in the School of Journalism. Last year, there was a controversial incident: After obtaining a full scholarship to go to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Liu Zhiyu from Peking University decided to become a monk at Longquan Temple. This matter drew the attention of our community. It was considered a tremendous waste of social resources that such a talented and lucky person would reject a promising and bright future to become a monk and that his action was extremely irresponsible toward his parents and teachers. However, some people felt that becoming a Dharma teacher was also a valid career choice. Since you have been a monastic for over twenty years, I would like to ask, what exactly is this career
What are your personal feelings about it
Answer: I don”t think it is a big deal for a talented Beijing University student to become a monk at Longquan Temple. Before Shakyamuni Buddha became a monastic, he was a prince. In Chinese history, Shunzhi Emperor also chose to become a monk. If we compare a talented student to the prince and emperor, then it is not something particularly surprising or significant for a talented student to become a monk. Becoming a monastic is a personal choice. When someone has studied and learned about Buddhism to a certain level, it is quite common for him or her to seek a new way of life.
Of course, it is normal for some people to think that his choice was a mistake. This also includes my own case. When I became a monk, many of my classmates felt that I was the most unsuccessful person. Some even cried for me in sympathy. However, when we met up together again twenty years later, those who had chosen to be laypeople had each gone through ups and downs of life. On the contrary, my monastic life has so much freedom and joy, very little desire, and is very content. Consequently, a number of them started to admire me.
As such, from the secular point of view, it is difficult for people to accept the choice to become a monastic, but from the Buddhist perspective, this is very normal. Atisha, for example, was Prince of Bangladesh. It says in the history books that his country had one hundred thousand village households and many people lived there. However, triggered by virtues in his previous life, he eventually gave up his throne and followed a monastic life.
Often, many university students and teachers come to our Buddhist institute to become a monastic. However, before anyone becomes a monk or nun, I always ask them to observe the monastic life properly first. Otherwise, it is not very good to become a monastic and then regret it.
Question: You have talked about many issues regarding cause and effect today. However, as ordinary people, we are not able to see our past and future life, nor can we see hell or heaven. Since it is so, how can we know that they truly exist
How can we establish a genuine faith in cause and effect
Answer: It is not easy to establish this kind of understanding or view. Not only things like heaven and hell, but the solar system, the Milky Way, black holes, and other profound astrological fields are also beyond what our naked eye can perceive. However, just as those hidden phenomena or mysteries of the universe that are invisible to our naked eye can be revealed through astronomical discoveries and theories, in the same way, the truths in Buddhism are supported by the teachings of Buddha. We need this kind of proof or support since the ability of our naked eye is very limited.
A while back, when Stephen Hawking came to Beijing to give his lecture, due to the profundity and complexity of his theories, many students from TsingHua University…
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