..续本文上一页 men think that my view and understanding is incorrect, I will not be shaken for a moment.” This shows that he had already realized that particularly high state, and so was very confident about it.

　　Regarding “luminous clarity of mind,” there are many amazing stories in the Han”s Memoirs of Eminent Monks, so if you have time, you should read it. Nowadays, many people like to watch stars, singers, dancers, etc. In fact, this is meaningless. Instead, we should find out how the great masters achieved enlightenment. If we then follow their path, we will be able to achieve liberation, which is the most important thing in our life.

　　4. I have a problem in my practice. How can I root out arrogance and hatred, which are habitually so strong in my mind, so that I no longer express them and then feel regret and confess later

　　Answer: There are two ways to deal with hatred and anger. The first is by using the Sutrayana method, which is explained clearly in the chapter on patience in the Bodhicharyavatara, in which various processes of logical reasoning are used to analyze how to destroy hatred and anger. Many masters when visiting western countries, if they do not have time to teach the whole Bodhicharyavatara, will especially teach the chapter on patience. On the other hand, the best way in Vajrayana to destroy hatred and anger is to instantly observe the nature of the hatred when it arises. To illustrate this point, for example, when I am very angry with someone, I immediately check where the anger is. Is it inside my stomach

　　 Inside my brain

　　 Or in any part of my body

　　 By performing this kind of examination, we find that anger is only a fallacious appearance projected by the dualistic mind, and in fact has no intrinsic essence at all. Thus, the Sutrayana and Vajrayana both have their own instructions to deal with anger and hatred.

　　Regarding arrogance, a long time ago I also had this fault. I felt that my memory, intelligence, and ability were superior to others”. Later, I thought about this: “Actually, I am a servant for all sentient beings. What I feel so proud and arrogant about is nothing compared to the selfless dedication to sentient beings by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as well as the past great masters. Therefore, among sentient beings, I am the most lowly one and most pitiable one, so I shouldn”t be arrogant.” Once I compared myself to the behavior and altruism of bodhisattvas, I felt so ashamed. It was so obvious that I had a very strong ego, was very selfish, and that my mental afflictions and dualistic mind were also very strong. What could I feel proud of and arrogant about

　　 (12) Question: I am a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy, Peking University, currently studying Chinese philosophy and also researching Buddhism. I have a question. We read a lot of scriptures, and we would like to know more about the relationship between theoretical study and putting them into practice.

　　Answer: When we are studying Buddhism, it is very important for us to combine theory and practice. Some people I know, whether religious students or Dharma teachers at a Buddhist institute, are very knowledgeable from the intellectual point of view. They have read many scriptures, texts, and biographies. However, from the level of experiential understanding, which requires practice and action, they are relatively poor. To them, the Buddhadharma remains on paper and becomes a drawing board. They can talk about it clearly and logically, but, in fact, they have never taken any action to put it into practice, which makes literal understanding irrelevant to actual practice.

　　Nowadays, many Dharma lecturers or practitioners often make such a mistake. They are excellent in, debating concepts or theories, but, since they never put them into pr…

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