Spoken by Ven.

Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

Folk Buddhism
Venerable monks and nuns, and my dharma friends, Today I am going to speak about the Buddhas Dharma and Folk Buddhism! Why do I want to speak about this topic? In Taiwan, Buddhism is very flourishing and numerous people believe in Buddhism. Here the society is peaceful, the economy is developed, and the level of education is high. People are very kind and devout. Therefore there are many devout Buddhists. In Taiwan, there are many Buddhist temples, Buddhist institutes and Universities. After the Second World War, Buddhism has been thriving in Taiwan for almost half century. The development for over half century has made Buddhism very prosperous in Taiwan. The level of Buddhism is getting higher and higher. The types of Buddhism in Taiwan vary from the native Chinese Bodhisattva Path, the transmitted Tibetan Bodhisattva Path, to Theravada Buddhism that was recently spread into the Chinese world. There are in fact many sects in Buddhism as well as various methods of practice. Many Buddhists, after they studied Buddhism for a long time, have a question: which method is correct? Among various Buddhism sects, there are often conflicting beliefs or views, which form barriers within disciples in the same sect and different sects. This situation will not create any constructive development for Buddhism over all for our society or our nation in the long run. So today we will discuss the Buddhas Dharma and Folk Buddhism. The Buddhas Dharma mainly means, after the Buddha Sakyamuni achieved unexcelled Enlightenment, the Dharma that He disclosed to the world. The Dharma is, after the Buddha became Enlightened, the content of his Awakening, liberation, and unexcelled Enlightenment. It is corresponding to His Awakening, His unexcelled wisdom, and his Enlightenment without incompatibility. It is then called the Buddha Dharma. The Dharma, spoken by that The Buddha, was based on Enlightenment. This realistic Enlightenment was obtained by really observing the life, based on Enlightenment, not a philosophical thought or an academic theory. The Dharma, based on the Buddhas Enlightenment, is altruistic after all. It is closely related to peoples sufferings, and proven by cessation of sufferings. We all know that the Buddha, in order to cease aging, sickness and death, left home to practice. His goal of practice is altruistic, to let people to cut off sufferings, to cease sufferings, to be liberated, to benefit more people as well. Therefore, the Dharma takes cessation of sufferings as the proof, the application of the Dharma is altruistic and to benefit people. Therefore, the principle of the Buddhas Enlightenment and preaching is based on Enlightenment, cessation of sufferings as evidence, altruism as the application. The precious Dharma should naturally benefit people. To benefit people, it should spread within the human realm. Within this human world, the objects that surely should be faced are mediocre in the World. This human world is full with sufferings and agonies. The human world has many agonies. Buddhism spreads in the vast world with various ethnics, go through various spaces and times, and various races. There are various languages, customs, cultures, background, religions, beliefs, and various political influences. Buddhism surely becomes diverse. When the Dharma spread among people, adapted to various times, various races in various
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Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

regions, various languages, cultures, customs, habits, religions, political backgrounds, it formed diverse Buddhism. This diverse Buddhism is mainly based on responding to peoples, responding to their actual situations. People are diverse; thus Buddhism corresponding to people is bound to be diverse. Buddhism that adapts to people is of the people. Therefore, Folk Buddhism would become diverse. The Dharma is based on what the Buddha achieved unexcelled Enlightenment. It is based on Enlightenment, verified by ceasing sufferings, with altruism as the application. The principle and content of the enlightened Buddhas Dharma has only one realistic path. Therefore, between the Buddhas Dharma and Folk Buddhism, there must be gaps and differences. My friends! Buddhism in more than two thousand years ago was different from Buddhism in two thousand years ago. Buddhism in two thousand years ago was also different than Buddhism in one thousand years ago or modern Buddhism. Indian Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism are not the same. Modern Buddhism, Buddhism of three thousand years later, and Buddhism of five thousand years later will be different. Folk Buddhism needs to respond to various times, various regions, various races, various cultures, and various needs. To responds the needs of folks, Folk Buddhism has been continuously developed. It is an evolving situation. Folk Buddhism has been evolving and developing. An developing Buddhism does not have to match the Buddhas Dharma. A developing Buddhism does not mean progress. Instead of saying that Buddhism is being developed, we might as well say that Buddhism is evolving. I believe that many devout friends who believe in Buddhism, after listening to my speech, some people surely are not used to it in their mind. But here I want to earnestly tell you. The genuine and ultimate Dharma, while spreading among people with sufferings and agony, in order to adapt to various times and folks, cannot but evolves into Buddhism with diversity. This is a reality that no one can stop or change. It is an actual situation among people too. Any disciple of the Buddha, encountering this actual situation and reality among people, should have an ordinary mind to treat it, have an ordinary mind to face it and accept it. Because it is what the Buddha said, everything under Relevant Influencing is thus impermanent. Since everything under Relevant Influencing is thus impermanent, based on various influences, Buddhism will develop diversely. For example, there are various cultures, various languages, various customs, various habits, including various many moral criterions. Often the West and the East have differences. What can we say? We can only say that it is certain and natural for a world of Relevant Influencing. Therefore we, the Buddhas disciples, should have ordinary mind to face these things. If we have ordinary mind, we will not feel surprised how diverse Buddhism has become, after spreading among people. We will not reprimand various sects or various thoughts in Buddhism which deviate or depart from the principle. Just because they are different than us, we should not reprimand them as heretics, we should not call them as our foes, and we should not consider them as our enemies. This kind of opposition hatred does not help mutual respects, but only increase unnecessary religions conflicts.

Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

In the beginning of this century, not only sects inside Buddhism are messy, various other world religions have many religious conflicts. Religions are originally for solving problems and sufferings in the human society. But religious beliefs often cause sufferings in human society. Buddhism is not the only one with messy sects. Other religions also form various thoughts after adapting to various cultures and races. If we do not have ordinary mind to face this fact of evolution in our society, then religious conflicts will not end. Religions are initially for solving problems in human society. Instead, they increase burdens in human society. We are the Buddhas disciples. Regarding various sects in Buddhism, and there are differences and gaps between Folk Buddhism and the Buddhas Dharma, we should have ordinary mind to consider them as certain and natural. When we have this mature attitude to treat the gaps between the Buddhas Dharma and Folk Buddhism and also understand the fact that Buddhism becomes diverse by responding to the world because of peoples desires, we will be able to respect various Buddhism Sects and also respect various religions. Showing respect, we do not mean to consider their sayings to be correct, or agree that they correspond consistently to the Buddhas Dharma. Respect is just a way that we need to respect people, to respect their agony and sufferings, and to respect their needs. We need to understand that the Buddhas Dharma is realistic, correct and also full of wisdom. People have agonies and are full of delusion and sufferings. To spread the unexcelled Dharma among people with agonies, how can the majority of people receive and learn it fully? Therefore it is an inevitable fact for Folk Buddhism to miss or change. The development of Folk Buddhism among the people gradually causes large gaps with the original Dharma or even become opposite. The change out of touch of the Buddhas Dharma is absolutely not the guilt of people who want to maliciously deviate from the Dharma. It is because people have delusion and desires. This is not their guilt but rather their sufferings. Because people have delusion, agony and sufferings, therefore, even though they learn the Buddhas Dharma, they still forget, make mistakes, and do not understand. Because their bodies, speeches and minds are mostly responding to agonies and wrong view from lack of wisdom, naturally they will have deviations and changes. Therefore, regarding the changes of diverse Buddhism and the gaps between Folk Buddhism and the Dharma, we should not condemn, complain, or even become unpopularity discontent. Why cant we compassionately have ordinary mind to treat and care for peoples sufferings and the change of Buddhism. In addition, we should be alert that Buddhism we learned may not be one hundred percent corresponding to the Buddhas Dharma. Therefore, among all sorts of different Buddhism beliefs, among various Buddhism sects, the Buddhas disciples should not forget in their hearts, besides respect and support, to pursue the Buddhas unexcelled teachings. In this way, we can step by step progress toward the Buddhas Dharma. Someday we will really achieve Enlightenment and cease the sufferings in our life. We will reach the attainment of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity to benefit people, and to achieve supreme Enlightenment. This should be what needs to be emphasized by all Buddhas disciples in any Sect. It is also a common goal of the Buddhas disciples in various sects.

Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

The Buddhas Enlightenment had its origination, not occur without reason. The reason is that there are sufferings in life and people have sufferings. The Buddha saw that there was suffering in life. He understood that he had sufferings and people had sufferings. Therefore, he pursued the path of liberation to cease sufferings, till he achieved Awakening and achieved ultimate Enlightenment. After the Buddha achieved ultimate enlightenment, he disclosed and preached the Dharma in the World. The Dharma is for the purpose to cease peoples sufferings and also for Enlightenment and cessation of sufferings after all. Why is the Buddhas Dharma for Enlightenment and cessation of sufferings? Because the Buddha preached to the world after he achieved unexcelled Enlightenment. He did not begin to preach when he wanted to stop the sufferings in his life, and he wanted to let people to stop sufferings. After the Buddha went through considerable efforts to practice and achieved unexcelled Enlightenment, he began to disclose and preach. Therefore, when the Buddha was alive, the Dharma is already perfect for Enlightenment and cessation of sufferings. This perfect Dharma, when being spread in the world of people with sufferings, occurred to change. This change occurred, because that it followed various kinds of states of the realm of people, it was guided by various kinds of state of the realm of people. Therefore, people changed the Dharma, but the Buddha did not. What the Buddha preached was already the perfect Dharma. Being spread among people with sufferings, it began to change. The teachings, spreading among people and adapting to various times and cultural backgrounds, would change into Buddhism with diversity and Folk Buddhism. Folk Buddhism, during the passing down in times and places, and under blending of cultures became the Buddhism with diversity. Buddhism changed in the human realm. What kinds of changes did it occur basically? In the human realm, the changes of Buddhism basically followed four directions: 1. People's desires for infinite blessings: The first direction of the changes in Buddhism, when spreading among people, is to satisfy peoples desires for infinite blessings. People wish that the Buddha can give infinite and omnipotent blessings. Therefore, in the expectancy of people, the Buddha needs to bless everything and the Sage needs to bless everything. It is the expectancy for infinite blessings to be satisfied. However, this kind of infinite blessings deviates from the Dharma that the Buddha taught. The Buddha taught us: everything is occurring from Relevant Influencing. Everything, occurring from Relevant Influencing, is also limited by Relevant Influencing. Everything is a manifestation of Relevant Influencing. It is occurring under this Relevant Influencing, and is certainly limited by this Relevant Influencing too. Simply speaking, the situation for being circularity is not stable. Because it needs to be circularity, it is certainly unstable. The Relevant Influencing for being circularity, has less stability yet more mobility. On the contrary, the Relevant Influencing for being rectangularity is certainly more stable. It has less mobility yet more stability. If occurring in the Relevant Influencing of rectangularity, it is definitely limited by the Relevant Influencing of rectangularity. Therefore, everything from Relevant Influencing is impossible to be unlimited, omnipotent, satisfactory and perfect. Being unable to be satisfactory,
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Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

perfect, omnipotent, and unlimited, it is certain and natural for anything from Relevant Influencing. People do not know that everything is occurring from Relevant Influencing. Therefore, under the sufferings in the life, they will pray for blessings that can unlimitedly satisfy their needs in the life. For people, this is certainly their wish. But this kind of wish is unsuited to the reality and the fact in the world. Therefore, this direction to satisfy peoples expectancy for infinite blessings will deify Buddha. The viewpoint and explanation of people about the Buddha will gradually become similar to God in Monotheism, or change toward the direction of a deified Buddha in Polytheistic Buddhism. The Buddhas image in Buddhism with diversity or Folk Buddhism shifts gradually toward the direction of an omnipotent, omniscient, totipotent God. A deified Buddha is the image in the belief in Buddhism of diversity and Folk Buddhism. 2. Peoples desires to have minimal exertion in exchange for a maximum gain The second direction in Folk Buddhism is to satisfy peoples desires to have minimal exertion in exchange for a maximum gain. In real life, people make every effort continuously to get away from sufferings and attain joys in their life and actual life. We need exertion to get away from sufferings and also exertion to attain joy. Everything is occurring from Relevant Influencing. It becomes a state with such Relevant Influencing. To cease such Relevant Influencing, a problem from such Relevant Influencing can then be solved. It is said: with such Relevant Influencing for this, this becomes. To make joy arise, we need to cultivate such Relevant Influencing for joy; also it is said: without such Relevant Influencing for this, this does not become. To cease sufferings and solve problems, we surely need to eliminate the origination for causing problems, then we can solve problems and we can get away from suffering. It is a common need of people to attain joy and cease sufferings. It cannot depart from the principle with such Relevant Influencing for this, this becomes; without such Relevant Influencing for this, this does not become. People have experience that exertion is necessary to achieve anything. To get away from certain sufferings, equivalent exertion and cost is needed to remove the origination for causing sufferings. However, people always wish that there is an easiest method to reach their goal. Therefore, people continuously make effort toward nothing more than a direction: a wish that they can minimize exertion to maximize gain. It is so called: Peoples desires to have minimal exertion in exchange for a maximum gain. Regardless in a capitalist society or agricultural society, it is always a goal that people pursue. When Folk Buddhism changed toward this direction, it would gradually shift away from the right view everything is occurring from Relevant Influencing, and shift away from the reality of Relevant Influencing. Therefore, the method to practice Buddhism will shift toward utilitarian. 3. Expectancy for immortality, pleasure, self, and purity The common desires of people for life are wishes that they can be immortal, be affluent, have no disaster, have pleasure, and also obtain holiness in social statue. Peoples desires in the present life are immortality,
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Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011

affluence, without disaster, pleasure and holiness. These are not just peoples desires in the present life, but also their expectancy for religions. People wish that Buddhism can satisfy their expectancy. But life is occurring from Relevant Influencing, it is also limited by Relevant Influencing. Anything occurring from Relevant Influencing causes changes in Relevant Influencing. Therefore, it is completely impossible for these wishes to occur that to live without mortality, to have surplus without depletion, to have blessings without disaster, to have joy without suffering and to be sublime without being vile. Along this direction, peoples desires will cause Buddhism to change toward paradise. Similar to an ideal paradise and an ideal beautiful world, Folk Buddhism will change toward paradise and idealization. It gradually becomes out of touch with the reality. 4. Wishfully thinking of the noble attainment without detaching from lustful pleasures People with delusion, agony and desire mostly wish that, without detaching from various profits of lustful pleasures in real life, at the same time they can still attain the noble path of cessation of sufferings. However, lustful pleasures are causes that will definitely initiate sufferings of binding and lose. How can they lead toward noble attainment to detach from desires and to attain liberation? For this kind of desire that is beyond the reality of Relevant Influencing, it is impossible to happen. Due to the pursuit for various lustful pleasures, people will dispute with people. It will only bring about sufferings. When there are sufferings, people will act to detach from sufferings. Yet they do not want to detach from lustful pleasures. It will cause them to commit various crimes. How can they achieve noble path? Without detaching from lustful pleasures and wishing to achieve noble attainment of liberation, it is the wishful thinking and desire of vulgar people. Folk Buddhism among people gradually shifts toward this direction. Therefore, it gradually becomes vulgarization and for laity. Folk Buddhism and Buddhism with diversity, during the history of changing, shift toward directions of deification, utilitarian, paradise and vulgarization. Modern Buddhism sects among people, based on their historical timing and their degrees of changes, can be divided into three sects: Theravada Buddhism, Chinese Bodhisattva Path and Tibetan Bodhisattva Path. This is modern Folk Buddhism. Besides, the Buddhas Dharma is called the original Dharma or Original Buddhism. Regarding Folk Buddhism, so far it is what I want to say.

Spoken by Ven. Bhikkhu Vupasama in 2011 http://www.arahant.org/blog/2012/04/02/video2011_01/

Translated by Bhikkhu Aticca