Chapter 858: Mulanpen Sutra
In fact, the "Buddha Speaks of the Ullambana Sutra" is not long. If you simply recite it, it does not take a quarter of an hour. The content is also in the form of storytelling, telling the public some truths. Although the sutra is short, it is endless to savor, otherwise it would not have become a festival.
In fact, the result of this story is not a good result. From the sutra, "When the mother got the bowl of rice, she covered the bowl with her left hand and beat the food with her right hand. Before the food entered her mouth, it turned into charcoal, so she could not eat."
These sentences describe the bad fate of not being able to eat because the mother had not forgotten her bad habits.
In junior high school, the mother saw the bowl of rice. Because of her deep bad habits, she still showed her old greedy state. She was afraid that the rice would be taken away by others, so she "covered the bowl with her left hand and beat the food with her right hand." This action shows that her bad habits have not been forgotten, and it also shows that the greed of Mulian's mother has reached the extreme.
There is another place worth mentioning about the "Buddha Speaks of the Ullambana Sutra".
The six reincarnations of Buddhism are inherited from the five reincarnations of the witch tribe, but they have been carried forward and developed to the current situation.
Among them, the "Buddha's Mulan Pen Sutra" perfected the path of hungry ghosts, and creatively proposed three reasons for falling into the hungry ghost realm, which are also called three obstacles in Buddhism.
1. External obstacles, which means that these hungry ghosts are always hungry and thirsty, their skin, flesh and blood are all dry, their hair is messy, their faces are dark, their lips and mouths are dry, and they often lick their faces with their tongues. They run around in panic, looking for food everywhere. When they come to springs and pools, they see the water turn into pus and blood, and they don't want to drink it. Such ghosts are hindered from eating and drinking from the outside, which is called external obstacles.
2. Internal obstacles, which means that these hungry ghosts have a throat like a needle, a mouth like a torch, and a wide belly. Due to this reason, even if they get food, they cannot drink it. Such ghosts are hindered from eating and drinking from the inside, which is called internal obstacles.
Third, no obstacles, there are hungry ghosts named Mengyanman. Although there are no obstacles in eating and drinking, everything they drink will be burned and turned into charcoal. Due to this cause and condition, they suffer from hunger and thirst. This is called no obstacles.
According to the description of the scriptures and the three obstacles, the hungry ghost retribution felt by Mulian's mother is an internal obstacle hungry ghost. This kind of bad karma is all caused by the mind, not the external environment.
Mulian's mother was so greedy that even if her son had six supernatural powers (except for the story of the Mulan Pen Sutra, Mulian Buddha is the most famous for the six supernatural powers, namely the divine eye, divine ear, telepathy, destiny, wish-fulfilling, and leakage-free. Others can look down on others if they get one of them), and the fourth fruit of Taoism (Mulian Buddha is a Hunyuan-level Buddha, a quasi-saint), it cannot resolve his bad karma.
So his mother felt the bad result of "food turned into charcoal before entering the mouth, so she couldn't eat"!
From this sutra, we can also see that the Buddhist concept of equality of all living beings is really written into the sutra, unlike the many ancient bad habits left in Taoism.
The five paths of the Wu clan have deep racial discrimination, while the Buddhist transformation of the six paths is to remove racial discrimination and distinguish between good and evil.
For example, the three evil paths are hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. All living beings create evil karma and are born there. In the context of Buddhism, the three evil paths are terrible and confusing worlds.
First is hell, where people who create evil karma due to extreme anger and resentment will suffer extreme physical and mental pain after death;
The second hungry ghost path is for people who are greedy and use any means to obtain benefits. After death, they will suffer from hunger, poverty and pain;
Finally, the animal path is the result of ignorance caused by ungrateful and shameless behavior.
It is precisely because there are great Buddhas like Mulian Buddha in Buddhism who have continuously improved the six reincarnations that Buddhism can break the dominance of Taoism and even counterattack.
If we use two words to introduce Buddhism, the best words are "cause and effect". All the meanings of the scriptures are carried out around these two words. There is a cause before there is a result. The six reincarnations are an important support for the cause and effect system.
If no one believes that good is rewarded with good and evil is rewarded with evil, then it can be expected that without the six reincarnations, the entire cause and effect system will collapse.
The cause and effect is not included in the original three thousand great ways, but it exists all the time and affects the operation of the world. It is the supreme way like the origin, time and space, and destiny.
The cause and effect has always existed, but it is the ability of Buddhism to be truly used by people to transform the world.
From this perspective, the cause and effect is actually created by humans, just like the law, benevolence, and hegemony proposed by the hundreds of human schools. This is why Buddhism was ridiculed as a side door by Taoism.
But the final result is that this side door counterattacked the "main door". The changes in the world are nothing more than this. What you looked down on in the past may one day step on you.
After the statue of the Buddha Mulian finished preaching, it disappeared. If it weren't for the dazzling Buddha Yuan remaining in the sky, many people would probably think they had just had a dream!
It was such an honor to have the Buddha preach in person. Even if it was to his grandson's grandson, it would be a great honor for him.
When the Buddha Mulian left, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats who followed him also disappeared and dispersed, and the strange phenomena in the sky gradually dimmed.
After the Buddha left, the Sutra Pavilion was like a pot of boiling water. Everyone was discussing the content of the "Buddha's Mulan Pen Sutra", as if they would be sorry for the Buddha's preaching if they didn't say something.
A monk in yellow robe declared: "If someone carries his father on his left shoulder and his mother on his right shoulder, grinds their skin to the bone, pierces their bone to the marrow, circumambulates Mount Sumeru, and bleeds to the ankles for hundreds and thousands of kalpas, he still cannot repay his parents' kindness."
Another monk in red robe echoed: "If someone encounters a famine, and for his parents, he consumes his own body, and his flesh is cut into pieces like dust, and for hundreds and thousands of kalpas, he still cannot repay his parents' kindness."
……
These monks praised their parents' kindness to them. Wu Yi, who had regained consciousness, listened and smiled secretly. Not long ago, these people said that once you enter Buddhism, it is as deep as the sea, and your family members are just passers-by!
Now the rapid change of their faces made Wu Yi dumbfounded. If it were not for the Buddha Mulian's special preaching of the "Buddha's Mulanpen Sutra", I am afraid they would not even read this sutra.
This discussion was destined to praise the Buddha Mulian. Wu Yi did not hear any strange opinions, but he could not blame them.
This is the Buddha's disciple Mulian, a mythical figure who has survived for countless kalpas. Who dares to abuse and refute, is he not going to die?
The discussion of the "Buddha's Mulanpen Sutra" paused for a while, and many people began to ask why the Buddha Mulian came here to preach. Such a grand event is a good thing, but if the true meaning of the Buddha Mulian can be kept forever, wouldn't it be better?
As this topic came up, most people looked at Wu Yi at the same time, with disdain, doubt, surprise, and more of hatred in their eyes.
A person from another religion actually attracted the Buddha statue, what a slap in the face.