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going to go Hell. One may say: God gives mankind free will
God likes mankind to obey Him with free will. But mankind
is ignorant. Humans are like children. Isn t it cruel to send
masses of ignorant children into unusual danger hoping that
one or two of them might be able to rush through? How cruel
is this? Does God like this?
If there is a God, and God knows clearly that thousands
and millions of people have fallen into misery yet still
continues with His creation, He must be either crazy or cruel!
Therefore, more and more human beings do not believe in the
Two Birth Theory. Their inner-hearts are in a void. They have
no spiritual support and become trapped in the One Birth
Theory and the materialism of Satans realm. This is an
important cause contributing to the decline of world
civilisation in this century.
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3. The Three Birth Theory
The Three Birth Theory is a speciality of the religions of
India. Among the Indic religions, Buddhism gives the most
thorough explanation of this theory. Human beings and all
other living beings exist continuously through boundless lives.
They are not created by God, nor are they there by chance
with meaningless death ending everything. The process is
described as being similar to a stream that gives rise to
patterns of waves; birth and death being the rise and fall of a
certain period, or activity.
In accordance with Three Birth Theory, there is no God
seen to be dispensing rewards and punishments. In this view
life is seen to be the natural result of ones own deeds. This
affirms the real purpose of life. If our thought and conduct in
past lives tended towards benefitting oneself and others, that is
if our lives were lived positively, then we will be able to enjoy
the good fruits of those lives as fortune and happiness in this
life. On the other hand, if one does not live this life in a
wholesome manner, then, once dead, miseries and darkness
will easily befall one.
With faith in the Three Birth Theory and in the Theory of
Cause and Effect that is its consort, one will remind oneself of
the past and be satisfied that the present life is just. One will
not grumble against Heaven nor lay blame upon others. The
Three Birth Theory leads one to strive diligently and never to
be lazy or extravagant. It enables us to be at peace in our present
life and at the same time strive for a better future. This is the
supreme excellence of this theory. Furthermore, from the
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continuum of endless lives we can see that suffering and enjoy-
ment are in fact the ongoing effects of our good and evil deeds.
The causal force of good and evil action is not boundless.
Thus suffering or enjoyment cannot be everlasting. Pains and
pleasures are but passing phases on the journey of our life. No
matter what miserable situation one encounters, even if it is in
Hell, one should not be disheartened. This is because once the
force of the evil deed is exhausted the being in Hell will be
released, that evil then being finished and done with.
Conversely, any situation of fortune and happiness that one
enjoys, even if one is in the Kingdom of Heaven, should not
be a source of self-satisfaction because once the forces of
good are exhausted one will descend. Thus, a true follower of
the Three Birth Theory is always full of hope and striving
diligently in order to progress.
The theory may be extended from receiving the reward of
ones, own deeds to receiving together the rewards from
deeds done by people together . Throughout history the rise
and fall of every family and every country always acts in
accordance with the Law of Cause and Effect.
The defects of the Two Birth Theory are clearly
highlighted by the Three Birth Theory. Therefore, we should
accept the Three Birth and Cause and Effect Theories and
invest in them our firm and common belief. In this way we
may find refuge from the calamities of materialism and the
One Birth Theory.
Translated by Neng Rong, edited by Mick Kiddle, proofread
by Neng Rong. (2-6-1995)
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Common Buddhist Misunderstandings
It has been more than one thousand and nine hundred years
since Buddhism spread to China. Thus, the relationship
between Buddhism and China is very close. The development
of Buddhism influenced, and was influenced by Chinese
culture. In fact Buddhism became a religion of the Chinese.
Buddhism originated from India, and the special
characteristics of the Indian culture were sometimes not easy
for the Chinese to understand. The Chinese traditions
influenced and modified some of the practices, and these
deviated from the teaching of the Buddha. As a result, there
are unfortunately many misunderstandings about Buddhism in
China among the Buddhists and non-Buddhists.
It is very easy to misunderstand Buddhism if one knows
nothing about its origins. Some followers may practice the
cultural rituals without ever knowing Buddha s teachings. As
a consequence, those who believe in Buddhism may not
really be following the Buddha s teachings, and those who
criticise Buddhism may not actually be criticising what the
Buddha taught. So I hope this talk may help everyone gain a
better understanding!
1. Misunderstanding that arises from the teachings.
The theory of the Buddha s teaching is very profound.
Some people do not understand its meanings and may only
know it superficially. After listening to a few phrases, they
may start to explain to the others in their own way. As a result,
some explanations people tell, may not be accurate teachings
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of the Buddha. The most common misunderstandings are about
the teachings: life is suffering , out-worldly and empti-
ness . So now lets discuss these terminologies separately:
a) Life is suffering
The Buddha told us that Life is Suffering . One who does
not understand the Truth of this may think that life is mean-
ingless and become negative and pessimistic. Actually, this
theory is commonly misunderstood. People in society and even
some Buddhists are trapped in this wrong and gloomy view.
When we encounter phenomena, and have a feeling of
dislike, worry or pain, we say that there is suffering . This
should not be generalised to all life is suffering , because
there is also a lot of happiness in life! Noises are disturbing
but nice melodies bring happiness. When one is sick, poor,
separated from loved ones, one has suffering. But when one is
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