One question below.
Some Lay Buddhist said that he was Maitreya Buddha in his previous life.
He created a series of portraits based on the concepts and contents related to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in China, such as All Gods Painting. He believed that it helped him achieve Buddhahood faster and more convenient than just chanting the name of buddha. It was able to put all of your foes and karmic creditors in the past and current life on the All Gods Painting and made them buddha or gods. They would never give you a hard time in the future.
My mother started to follow the Lay Buddhist from last year
and has never doubted him.
It was always in vain no matter how many times I tried to advise her.
She asked me to talk to the elder dharma master and
Inquired disclosure from the master.
Master Chin Kung：The elder dharma master had nothing to say after hearing it.
We have to believe the preaches from the Buddha; that is, “following law but not person”. This is delivered by Shakyamuni Buddha when he was liberated from karmic rebirth, and it is an important will for us students in the future generations. We must not fall for it and shall not be cheated by people.
Law is the scripture. If we are chanting for rebirth, you definitely have to rely on five pure-land sutras. It is the most important accordance.
If argument or statement from any patriarch or bhadanta violates the five pure-land sutras, you must not believe it because it will be false. Only the theories and preaching corresponded to the content of five pure-land sutras can be trusted.
Therefore, we shall make our choice based on wisdom but not emotion. Decision based on emotional attachment might lead us to the wrong direction.
You will be able to distinguish if you can insist on the teaching from Buddha. One of the big taboos that he especially committed here is he said that he, himself, was the Buddha in the previous life. It is the taboo.
Was there any similar situation in the old time? Yes, but the example was once he spoke out the truth, he had to leave. He shall not stay in the world; otherwise, it would be casting spells on people.
When he said that he was the Buddha in his previous life, he left immediately after saying it. In that case, it was true but not false.
It is just like the Budai Buddha that we worship now. Budai Buddha appeared in Song Dynasty in the same era of Yue Fei at Fenghua, Zhengjiang.
It was recorded in “Memoirs of Eminent Monks” without the name. No one knew his name, where he was from, and how old he was. They only knew that was a person who carried a big sack and begging everywhere.
Before he left, he told everyone that he was Maitreya Buddha in his previous life. After saying it, he left.
Therefore, we worship his image as Maitreya Buddha in China after that. It is different from the Maitreya Buddha from India. We worship his image. When he told the truth, he left immediately. If he said it but still stayed, it would not be reliable.
When I lived in the USA, a lot of people were asking this kind of question. There were a lot of people like that in the states saying that they are Buddha, something rebirth.
I usually responded to this kind of people with what I mentioned above. I told him if he was still here after telling the truth, then it would not be true.
If he left after telling the truth, it would be true. We will worship him. We would not worship him if he stayed after telling the truth because it would be false.
Deep rivers move in silence, and he shall leave once his real identity is found.
When God and Buddha incarnate to the world, they will never disclose the identity. If his identity is disclosed and known by everyone, he will definitely leave. Then it will be true not false.
It will be cheating if the identity is disclosed but still stays in the world. That must be false but not true fact.
It is an informal regulation in Buddhism.
If your identity is disclosed by anyone, you must leave. It will not be true if you stay.
When your identity is disclosed by anyone, you leave. It must be true but not false.
The identity of Master Yongming Yanshou was disclosed by someone else.
The King at that moment was trying to cultivate blessings and decided to host an event to give alms to monks. Alms for a thousand monks to provide food to monks. The number of participants were more than 1,000, and all the monks nearby all attended for food.
This kind of activity and event was usually hosted by the King and officials for blessings. It might happen to have Buddha among the monks at the event, and that will generate great blessings.
When giving alms to monks, there was of course the chief seat among all the seats. All the monks were all very modest, and they gave seat around. No one wanted to sit on the chief seat.
At that moment, a monk came in and no one knew him. He saw everyone giving the seat to each other, and he went over and sat on the middle.
The King was not very happy about it because the senior monk who he respected the most did not sit one the chief seat. Instead, someone from outside came in and sat on it. All the monks didn’t feel like they shall say anything, and everyone let it go.
After someone sat on the chief seat, everyone found a seat and sat down respectively.
After the meal, the King asked and tried to find out who the monk was on the chief seat, but no one had any idea.
The King consulted with Master Yongming, and Master Yongming Yanshou said that there was a saint visiting the event. Congratulations, King.
Who was that? Dīpankara Buddha.
Who? The monk who sat on the chief seat with very big ears. No one knew his name and called him Big Ear Monk. That was him.
The emperor sent someone to chase the monk immediately. They asked for information all the way to find out the direction the monk moved.
When they found him, he was sitting in meditation in a cave.
The identity was disclosed, the Dīpankara Buddha. It was a big thing! Everyone kneed down for worship.
He said, “Buddha was too talkative”, meaning that Amitabha spoke out of turn and disclosed his identity. After that, he passed away. In other words, he died.
They thought about Buddha was too talkative and realized that Master Yongming Yanshou was Amitābha in his previous life.
They went back to report it to the emperor that Dīpankara Buddha passed away, but there was another Buddha at home, Amitābha.
The emperor was very surprised to know that Master Yongming Yanshou was Amitābha in his previous life, and he was rush to worship Amitābha. Before he went out of the door, someone outside to deliver a message by the entrance of the hall and nearly bumped into him. The emperor asked him why in a hurry and what happened. He said Master Yongming passed away!
With the disclosure of identity, Master Yongming died.
Therefore, everyone knew that Master Yongming Yanshou was Amitābha in his previous life.
We heard a lot of rumors nowadays about someone is the rebirth of a Buddha while another one is the rebirth of a God. After being disclosed, they are still there.
You shall all remember it is false in that kind of situation and it is not true.
This is the regulation left by ancient people. Okay! Is there anyone here is the rebirth from Buddha or from Arhat? If yes, you will never know his identity.
Some people disclose the identity, like Maitreya Buddha while some will not disclose the identity, and you will never know the truth no matter which is the situation.
Hanshan and Shide at Guoqing Temple, Tiantai Mountain were left when the identity was disclosed. No one could find them.
Fenggan Monk disappeared and was missing after the identity was disclosed.
Fenggan Monk was Amitabha in his previous life.
When all beings are suffered, there will be a lot of rebirth from Buddha.
Where will they be? No idea, and they might be among male, female, elderly, and young people in all sorts of industries.
If we do not have them hidden in the world with us, the karma from all beings will destroy the earth.
With so many saints and Buddha hidden among the public, their blessing and good will are able to eliminate big disaster and suffering. However, the small suffering is not able to be avoided.
Therefore, there are still 9000 years of Buddha's Dharma.
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