..续本文上一页an use. If you plant a seed of a poisonous tree, the result is a poisonous tree that causes harm.

　　(6) Question: I was previously studying National Studies and then entered Nanjing University”s Chinese Department as a PhD student in 2010. Many of my friends are studying Tibetan Buddhism. During my summer holiday last year, I went with them to visit Tar Monastery, Xiaqiong Monastery, and Labrang Monastery. I met many Tibetan Buddhist masters during that trip. May I ask: Currently, what is the situation with the exchanges between Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism

　　 Are they learning from each other or is there a certain degree of conflict

　　Answer: Currently, we can say that Tibetan Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism are learning from each other and have a mutual understanding. There are many things in Chinese Buddhism from which Tibetan Buddhism can learn. For example, since Emperor Wu”s time, Han monastics have been vegetarian; this will directly protect the life of sentient beings. Also, the Zen lineage in Chinese Buddhism has many excellent and wonderful teachings and stories, and Chinese Pure Land Buddhism also has a very dedicated practice of chanting Buddha”s names. On top of that, I personally have often made contact with eminent Chinese Buddhist masters, as well as learning their spirit of promoting Buddhism and so on.

　　There are also many Chinese Buddhist masters visiting the Tibetan area, systematically studying Pramana debate, meditation in the Madhyamaka, and even studying sadhanas and pith instructions of the Vajrayana, and so on. At present, there are many monastics and laypeople from the Han region enduring many hardships in order to study and meditate in various monasteries in the Tibetan area, which have a solid practice tradition. We hear many stories that are very touching and worthy of praise in this area.

　　I think these exchanges between Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism are very good. As of now, I haven”t heard of any situations involving rejection, conflict, or insult between the two. Even if there may be some dispute between certain inpiduals regarding specific philosophies, in the broader picture, there needn”t be any concern about this.

　　Question: Is it possible for you to share with us how you practice in your daily life

　　Answer: Personally, I have strong faith in Buddhist practice. The first ten years after I was ordained as a monk, whether it was memorization, debate, or giving teachings, I was quite zealous. There was nothing else in my mind except the Buddhadharma. I also slept sitting up, in the meditation position, and never lay down.

　　However, my practice became more loose later, mainly because there was a lot of administrative work to help practitioners from the Han region and I also needed to translate for them. Without translation, they cannot understand the teachings, as they don”t know Tibetan. Translating had a certain impact on my meditation.

　　Question: Throughout your practice, have you ever been skeptical or wavering about the Buddhadharma

　　 How did you overcome this

　　 Do you have any experience of enlightenment

　　Answer: I am indeed an ordinary man, but I do have sincere faith in Shakyamuni Buddha and an irreversible conviction in the existence of past and future lives. If someone says that past and future lives don”t exist, I will never believe that person or be skeptical about my conviction. Furthermore, I have millions of reasons to refute their view. If someone says that Buddhism is not good, he or she is free to say this, but I will not be shaken for a moment because the faith I have in Buddha is in my marrow; this will never change in my life. This is not just simply trust, but it is something that has arisen through twenty years of listening, contemplating, and meditating on the Buddhadharma. Af…

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