開釋道義 AN INTRODUCTION TO DAO

開釋道義 AN INTRODUCTION TO DAO

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm grateful for the mercy of God and Holy Teachers, the great virtue of Lao Qian Ren (Grand Senior Elder) and Qian Ren (Senior Elder), so I can have this opportunity to share this topic with you. I sincerely hope that after my introduction, you'll have a better understanding about the meaning of receiving Dao.

 

 

Ⅰ. Introduction

 

You might be wondering why your friends or colleagues brought you to this Temple , since you already have your own belief or religion. Well, first of all, please understand that we are not asking you to convert to a new one. There is only one God, whether you believe in Christianity, Muslim, Catholics, Judaism, Hinduism or any other religions. So you don't have to worry.

 

 

 

Metaphorically speaking, all religions are just like ice but with different shapes, but when melted, it will turn into the same thing - water. So is the Truth, despite the various forms in terms of cultures, races, customs, ideologies, and regions. In fact, all the religions serve as tools that help us to realize the truth of life and the True-Nature, which is our conscience. Right here, we name it "Dao". It is like when I show you the moon with my finger; the finger is but a tool and not the moon itself. Anyone can also show you the

 

moon by his or her finger.

 

Speaking of the Temple , now let's look at the altar in the front. There are three lights on the table and the middle one symbolize God. We all know God is invisible. Then, why are there Buddha's statues and why do we worship them? Well, this is not idol worshipping; instead, this is to remind us to follow in their footsteps emulating their merciful deeds. We often keep the pictures of our family, our beloved ones, or our children. Why? They are to remind us how much they love us and vice versa. Chinese people are familiar with Buddhas just like western countries with Jesus Christ. So if you cultivate very well or act like Mother Teresa who has devoted all her lifetime to God until she died, then, when you pass away, people will always remember you or even worship you.

 

 

 

Ⅱ. WhotisDdo?

 

The purpose of your being here is to receive Dao. But what is Dao? In Chinese language Dao means conscience, the True-Self, the path, the way back home.

 

Before my introduction, I would like to ask you some questions. Where do our physical bodies come from? From our parents, right? We often hold our birthday parties in our our own houses. Lots of gifts are received on that day. However, is there anyone here who gives a gift to his parents on his birthday and says "thank you" to them? Good for you if you do. Our mothers suffered such

 

 

 

tremendous pains on the day we were born. We must remember that!

 

What is life? Now please follow my instructions. Use your right hand to pinch your left arm. Pinch it hard. What do you feel? Painful? You are alive! Why do I say so? Have you seen a dead person before? Will he feel pain while someone is pinching him?

 

So what is life? Have you ever thought about this question? There is no difference in appearance between the living and the dead. However, a living person can walk, talk, and think at will; he eats when he is hungry, drinks when he is thirsty, whereas a dead person cannot do all these things. Why? The answer is that a person is dead when his spirit separates from the body. The spirit to the body is like the driver to a car; both are indispensable to each other. Lack of one will make the other become useless.

 

 

 

Ⅲ. Why Should we Have to Receive Dao?

 

As mentioned, our physical body is from the parents, but where is our spirit from? Regardless of our skin color and nationality, our spirits all come from heaven, and they will have to return, no matter how long we stay in this secular world. However, do you think that everyone can return to heaven?

 

A criminal will have to face court trials; this is punishment on the physical body. But his spirit will receive

 

another trial after he dies. Without passing the trial, he cannot be admitted to heaven. The fact is that, not everyone can go up to heaven after death; unfortunately, some even have to suffer in the underworld. Here we are living in a world of temptations. We are tempted to commit sins without the slightest awareness. We have forgotten the way back home, the eternal home in heaven.

 

In ancient times, the cultivators had to cast aside their wealth and fame, some even left behind their families to cultivate in the remote mountains in order to find the way back to heaven. This lifelong ascetic cultivation eventually touched Heaven and Heaven sent the Enlightening Masters to transmit Dao to them.

 

However, time is different now. Despite the advance in technology that brings about comfort and convenience, calamities and disasters have become widespread. Morality and values are deteriorating. These phenomena are warning signs from God that "the Last Calamity" is coming if humans do not recover their inherent conscience. By then, everyone on this globe will suffer together in the catastrophes. As there are so many noble and righteous people in the world, merciful God did send two Enlightening Masters to the world to transmit Dao to the people who have the holy affinity. They show to the world the way back to heaven. These two Masters are Ji-Gong Living Buddha and Yue-Hui Bodhisattva.

 

In the past, God sent many Buddhas and Saints to the

 

world to transmit Dao. Jesus Christ was one we are familiar with. As I said, time is different now. Ji-Gong Living Buddha and Yue-Hui Bodhisattva are carrying out the mission of the Last Salvation. This can be compared to the limited tenure of an office. For example, Mr. Smith was the president of a country, then Mr. Brown, and now it is Mr. John. They are all presidents of the country, each holding the equal position and no one is greater than another, but there must be someone in charge at a certain period of time. The government changes, so does the salvation. That is why we should all receive Dao, basking in the light of the Enlightening Masters.

 

 

 

Ⅳ. Conclusion

 

Well, you are so lucky because not everyone has the affinity to receive Dao. You must be equipped with the following conditions in order to receive Dao:

 

1. You must have cultivated well in your past lives.

 

2. Your ancestors have performed meritorious virtues.

 

3. You are a noble and righteous person.

 

That is why both your Introducer (the person who brought you here) and Guarantor are willing to bring you here to receive Dao. This affinity does not come easily, so we should treasure and cherish it!

 

Finally, may I ask if you would like to go up to heaven or down to underworld when you pass away? Of course we would like to ascend to the land of God . So please keep a

 

pious heart in the Dao Receiving Ceremony and ask for Ji-Gong Living Buddha to instruct us the way back to heaven! Thank you for your listening and I beg for Buddha's forgiveness if I made any errors in my speech, and I humbly ask the Dao Transmitting Masters and lecturers to supplement any omission I have made. Thank you!!

DAO OF VEGETARIANISM

 

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the mercy of God, the virtues of our Holy Teachers, the divine help of our Lao Qian Ren, and for the love of our Qian Ren, of course thank you to the Dao Transmitting Masters, lecturers, and YOU, wonderful audience that give me this opportunity, so that I can stand here in this solemn Dao Seminar and share with you this topic "Dao of Vegetarianism".

 

Ⅰ. What are the Real Functions of Food?

Foods are to provide energy and nutrition, make us grow up, repair the tissues of the body, and to protect us against certain diseases. But what should we eat?

 

Ⅱ. Human Beings are Created Vegetarians.

Physical Reasons:

	humans	fruit/grass eating animals	meat-eating animals
teeth	flat molars	flat molars	long, sharp, pointed canine teeth (fangs)
Saliva	Alkaline contain enzyme to digest starch	Alkaline contain enzyme to digest starch	Acid no enzyme to digest starch
Jaws	move from side to side for grinding	move from side to side for grinding	move up and down for tearing and biting
Stomach	oblong in shape complicated in structure	oblong in shape complicated in structure	simple, round sack gastric juice 20 times acid for digesting bones
Intestines	12 times the length of trunk, enough time for extracting all nutrients	10-12 times the length of trunk, enough time for xtracting all nutrients	3 times the length of trunk for fast expulsion of rotten meat
perspiration	sweat through the skin have pores	sweat through the skin have pores	not sweat through the skin have no pores

 

Ⅲ. Psychologically as Well as Ethically, Human Beings are Born Vegetarians.

Mencius, a Chinese Sage, said, "All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others. And it is the superior man that shows compassion toward animals, that having seen them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; having heard their dying cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh." Why? Because we have a heart of mercy and sympathy. Buddhas often encourage us to adopt vegetarian diets, asking us to revert to the vegetarian diets as early as we can, because the spiritual souls of men and animals came from the same origin. If you bear to kill and eat the animals, it is just like killing and eating your brothers and sisters.

 

Ⅳ. The Disadvantages of Eating Meat

For your health, you'd better not eat meat, at least not too much meat. The reasons are as follows:

1. There are chemical additives in meat.

2. There are toxic substances in meat.

3. Meat is easy to get infected.

4. Too much meat results in high cholesterol.

5. Eating meat makes you more vulnerable to diseases.

6. Eating meat can worsen your temper and habits.

7. With a large demand of meat, the livestock raising industry causes a lot of ecological problems.

(1) Overwhelming topsoil depletion is due to the livestock raising industry.

(2) 260 million acres of forests in U.S. are cleared;

rain forests are also destroyed.

(3) Water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat is 25 gallons, but water needed to produce 1 pound of meat is 2500 gallons. The waste of water is serious.

(4) Pollutions. What if there is a bullpen or pigpen to be your next-door neighbor, how do you feel? (noise, air, water pollutions)

 

Ⅴ. The Advantages of Vegetarian Food

1. Vegetarian foods are easier to be digested and absorbed.

2. Vegetarian foods contain lower cholesterol.

3. Eating vegetarian foods gains enduring stamina.

4. Vegetarian foods help recover from fatigue more easily.

5. Eating vegetarian foods often promises longevity.

6. Vegetarian foods lessen the chance of having cancers.

7. Eating vegetarian foods means showing compassion to animals.

Ⅵ. Dao Cultivation and Vegetarianism

1. Being a vegetarian can help nurture one's mercy and compassion.

2. Being a vegetarian can help quench one's material desires.

3. Being a vegetarian can help eliminate one's bad karma.

4. Being a vegetarian can purify one's heart and mind.

 

Ⅶ.The Ways of Practicing Vegetarianism

1. What NOT to eat? Anything that flies in the air, walks on the ground, and swims in the water, including fish and seafood. Also, according to the Chinese medical theory, there are five kinds of vegetation that are harmful to our five organs:

Onions are harmful to our kidneys; garlic to heart;

leeks to liver; chives to spleen; tobaccos to lungs.

2. Then what should we eat? A balanced diet for enough nutrition: proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, minerals, vitamins, and water. According to the Chinese medical theory, there are five different colors of food that provide all necessities for us to stay healthy; they are: black, white, yellow, green, and red.

3. Now if you have an aversion to eating meat, then I suggest you practice vegetarianism, doing step by step. You may start by choosing one day each week for vegetarian diet. You can also try to eat vegetarian breakfast, or practicing "convenient vegetarian", especially when you are traveling, taking vegetarian diet will be inconvenient. When provided with a dish mixed with meat and vegetables, you can choose the vegetables and avoid eating the meat, which is also called"convenient vegetarian".

4. There are three types of vegetarians. First, lacto-ova vegetarian; they are vegetarians who do drink milk and eat eggs. Second, lacto vegetarian; they are vegetarians who drink milk. And strict vegetarian refers to the pure vegetarians who go without milk and eggs.

 

Ⅷ. Conclusion

Actually, it's not difficult to keep vegetarian diet, but it

takes time and perseverance. Nowadays, you'll see an increasing number of people adopting vegetarian diets. Indeed, from physical perspective, we are born with vegetarian structures. For environmental awareness, we should conserve natural resources and create a better, cleaner world. From spiritual perspective, we all have a heart of mercy and compassion, so we shouldn't kill or encourage killing by consuming meat. We should follow God's original plan, and based on mercy, love, and compassion, we are working for the eternal harmony of the world, where the lions can lie down with the lambs, and where violence, bloodshed will cease to exist.

The above is a brief explanation of the Dao of vegetarianism. I wish to help you further understand the true meaning of it. I wish you good health in your journey of Dao cultivation, not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually. I beg to apologize to our Heavenly Mother and Buddhas if I should make any mistakes in the speech. Thank you very much for your listening.