Fellow practitioners, the ancients regarded teachers as Buddhas and treated teachers as Buddhas. That's not because the master's cultivation is good, but a manifestation of the disciple's respect for the teacher and Buddhism and his determination and willingness to cultivate. Let me ask you: Are there such disciples and students now? No, absolutely not. You can't even find one with a lantern. In modern society, disciples' status is higher than masters', and masters always need to listen to disciples. This is especially true in the United States, where it is very difficult to be a master. If you don't listen, your disciples will kill you, punish you, and make your life worse than death. I once met a monastic. He had a disciple who became a monastic later in her life. Before this disciple left home, she had achieved some success in her career. After becoming a monastic, her habits didn't change at all, and she was very eager to excel, and you could tell that she treated her master even worse than before, almost to the point of abuse. She supervised her master every day and taught her master every day. He couldn't do this and couldn't do that. She was domineering over her master and required him to listen to her in everything, and everything should be based on her. Once when I was there, I heard her talk, and I felt that this disciple would never give up if her words were not shocking. She even said that she became a monastic to educate her master. One day when she successfully trained and transformed her master, her mission in this life would be completed. It seems that her only mission in the Saha world is to reform her master. Fellow practitioners, a Buddhist disciple has learned Buddhism like this. Her arrogance is so heavy, and her ego attachment is so deep. I was really speechless after hearing this. I feel that this is the sorrow of Buddhism, and this is the misfortune of the temple. Is this the Dharma-Ending Age that Buddhism talks about? I was thinking in my heart: Since you despise your master so much and look down on him so much, and your master is so unbearable and worthless in your eyes, then why did you still rely on him to become a monastic? Could it be that you were blind in the first place? I have seen many monastics in the United States. They would rather not accept disciples, even if when they are old, no one will take care of them or arrange funerals. They would rather grow old in solitude than accept disciples to suffer. It is said that every family has a sutra that is difficult to read. In fact, you see that our monastics' sutras are not easy to read either. You only have one scripture, and you complain every day that your children treat you badly and are not filial to you. There are twelve volumes of the Tripitaka in our monastery, there are so many scriptures, there are so many lay Buddhists and monastic disciples, we still have to read them well. Beings are difficult to save! Beings are difficult to save, but I vow to save them. That I tell you this today is to remind fellow practitioners: Buddhism is sought in reverence. One share of respect gets you one share of benefits, two shares of respect get you two shares of benefits, and ten shares of respect get you ten shares of benefits. Fellow practitioners, in ancient times, Buddhist disciples in the past were respectful to their masters. Masters were uncompromising. The disciples in ancient times were very determined and dedicated. Master Huike, the second patriarch of Zen School, went to Shaolin Temple on Song Mountain to seek enlightenment from Bodhidharma before he became a monastic. In the middle of the night, he knelt in the snow to seek the Dharma by cutting his arm off, to show his determination to learn from the teacher and seek the Dharma. Examples like this can be found everywhere in the history of Buddhism. And we modern people are really too casual and too arrogant. They don't even have the minimum respect for Buddhism and masters. Studying the Dharma in this way will not truly benefit you, because the true Dharma is to be pursued in reverence, and the attitude of studying and seeking the Dharma is very important. As far as I am concerned, frankly speaking, my cultivation is a mess. I have heavy karma, few blessings, and shallow wisdom. I know myself, so I don't require my disciples to regard me as a Buddha. I can't bear it either. However, the most basic respect, respect between people, is a must. Your respect for me is not because I am better than you, or because my cultivation is better than yours, or because I am your master, but because of your cultivation. It shows that your ego is less, and your arrogance is lighter. Fellow practitioners, a real practitioner, a person who has truly practiced well, treats all sentient beings with compassion and equality and has no arrogance, let alone contempt for sentient beings. This is just like the Contempt-free Bodhisattva in "Lotus Sutra", who respectfully worships all sentient beings and regards all sentient beings as Buddhas: "I dare not despise you, you will all become Buddhas in the future." This is the attitude of a practitioner, and the attitude of a disciple studying the Dharma towards his master.
Amitofo
頂禮 上性下仁法師
感恩 法師開示教導
南無 阿彌陀佛
敬師，如敬佛，佛法僧三宝是世間稀有，殊勝的法宝，眾生學佛一定要如理如法才对，一定要尊敬三宝，娑婆世界的眾生福薄，罪業深重。🙏🙏🙏
谢谢法师的讲解！🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
師過秋毫夜分明，己過如山晝不見，法不相應斯由此，勤加懺悔常憶念。
Fellow practitioners, the ancients regarded teachers as Buddhas and treated teachers as Buddhas. That's not because the master's cultivation is good, but a manifestation of the disciple's respect for the teacher and Buddhism and his determination and willingness to cultivate. Let me ask you: Are there such disciples and students now? No, absolutely not. You can't even find one with a lantern. In modern society, disciples' status is higher than masters', and masters always need to listen to disciples. This is especially true in the United States, where it is very difficult to be a master. If you don't listen, your disciples will kill you, punish you, and make your life worse than death. I once met a monastic. He had a disciple who became a monastic later in her life. Before this disciple left home, she had achieved some success in her career. After becoming a monastic, her habits didn't change at all, and she was very eager to excel, and you could tell that she treated her master even worse than before, almost to the point of abuse. She supervised her master every day and taught her master every day. He couldn't do this and couldn't do that. She was domineering over her master and required him to listen to her in everything, and everything should be based on her. Once when I was there, I heard her talk, and I felt that this disciple would never give up if her words were not shocking. She even said that she became a monastic to educate her master. One day when she successfully trained and transformed her master, her mission in this life would be completed. It seems that her only mission in the Saha world is to reform her master. Fellow practitioners, a Buddhist disciple has learned Buddhism like this. Her arrogance is so heavy, and her ego attachment is so deep. I was really speechless after hearing this. I feel that this is the sorrow of Buddhism, and this is the misfortune of the temple. Is this the Dharma-Ending Age that Buddhism talks about? I was thinking in my heart: Since you despise your master so much and look down on him so much, and your master is so unbearable and worthless in your eyes, then why did you still rely on him to become a monastic? Could it be that you were blind in the first place? I have seen many monastics in the United States. They would rather not accept disciples, even if when they are old, no one will take care of them or arrange funerals. They would rather grow old in solitude than accept disciples to suffer. It is said that every family has a sutra that is difficult to read. In fact, you see that our monastics' sutras are not easy to read either. You only have one scripture, and you complain every day that your children treat you badly and are not filial to you. There are twelve volumes of the Tripitaka in our monastery, there are so many scriptures, there are so many lay Buddhists and monastic disciples, we still have to read them well. Beings are difficult to save! Beings are difficult to save, but I vow to save them. That I tell you this today is to remind fellow practitioners: Buddhism is sought in reverence. One share of respect gets you one share of benefits, two shares of respect get you two shares of benefits, and ten shares of respect get you ten shares of benefits. Fellow practitioners, in ancient times, Buddhist disciples in the past were respectful to their masters. Masters were uncompromising. The disciples in ancient times were very determined and dedicated. Master Huike, the second patriarch of Zen School, went to Shaolin Temple on Song Mountain to seek enlightenment from Bodhidharma before he became a monastic. In the middle of the night, he knelt in the snow to seek the Dharma by cutting his arm off, to show his determination to learn from the teacher and seek the Dharma. Examples like this can be found everywhere in the history of Buddhism. And we modern people are really too casual and too arrogant. They don't even have the minimum respect for Buddhism and masters. Studying the Dharma in this way will not truly benefit you, because the true Dharma is to be pursued in reverence, and the attitude of studying and seeking the Dharma is very important. As far as I am concerned, frankly speaking, my cultivation is a mess. I have heavy karma, few blessings, and shallow wisdom. I know myself, so I don't require my disciples to regard me as a Buddha. I can't bear it either. However, the most basic respect, respect between people, is a must. Your respect for me is not because I am better than you, or because my cultivation is better than yours, or because I am your master, but because of your cultivation. It shows that your ego is less, and your arrogance is lighter. Fellow practitioners, a real practitioner, a person who has truly practiced well, treats all sentient beings with compassion and equality and has no arrogance, let alone contempt for sentient beings. This is just like the Contempt-free Bodhisattva in "Lotus Sutra", who respectfully worships all sentient beings and regards all sentient beings as Buddhas: "I dare not despise you, you will all become Buddhas in the future." This is the attitude of a practitioner, and the attitude of a disciple studying the Dharma towards his master.