What’s the developing direction of our Buddhism in the future? I think, to carry forward Buddhism in the future, especially referring to the monks group, we shall call for the system that a few monks engage in life tenure of spreading Buddhism, which is to cultivate a few excellent team of talented monks to spread Buddhism. I put that viewpoint forward when this time the Buddhism Association of Sichuan Province seeing about in Shanghai. We made some suggestions to the chairman of the Putuo Mountain’s Buddhism Association that, Buddhism’s future development is to adapt itself to the need of social time and conditions, and to uplift the quality of our monks. Seven or eight monks would be enough for a small temple, and ten to twenty for an average one. Furthermore, they shall be selected through strict exams, and at least have the qualification of a instructor or professor, as well as have certain achievements in practice. if having not reached this standard, you cannot be counted as a qualified monk, thus you’d better back home to be an Upasaka only. Why? To be suitable for the future development of Buddhism, if we monks don’t improve our own quality, but just increase in quantity, then in very short time, the future development and survival of Buddhism will be challenged and impacted by every aspects of the social; if we cannot endure this test, the career of Buddhism will fall back.

Firstly, I’d talk from our source of monks. Our China now advocates the ‘one-child policy’; but how many of the single son or daughter would like to leave home to be monks or nuns? The society is progressing, sciences are developing, and the living is improving; are there two or three people who’d like to spend the lifetime under a solitary light and with the sound of repeating the Buddha’s name? If having really established the confidence, and indeed generated the mind to devote the whole life to Buddhism career for the spreading of Buddha-dharma, such kind of people can really be a monk of life tenure. If you cannot do this, but be there just to make up the number; and that, among Upasakas or in the society you cannot behave as the example for teaching men and deva, well then, in establishing the troop of talented monks, the principle of ‘putting quality before quantity’ shall also be insisted.

The developing direction of Buddhism in the future is to uplift the quality of the monks group, socialize Buddhism and advocate that leaving home to be a monk in a short-term; like in Thailand, no matter you are a young person or an old man, you can choose to leave home to be a monk for 3 months or 1 year, during which you can lead the a life of monk, grasp some knowledge of monk’s learning from Buddha and some lifestyles in temple, understand some methods of practice, and then go to realize your desirability, finish your long-cherished wish, live as what you shall live, and work as what you shall work. The first is to expand the span of monks’ knowledge, uplift their quality of theory, and strengthen the nicety of monks group. I think, in this way it is more credible for the development of Chinese Buddhism in the future. On the other hand, some Buddhism temples with prepared conditions can carry through a kind of reform of the management system of monks group, like Confucianism in our country, also like nowadays school education; that is, like in school, monks shall be managed vocationally that their posts and levels shall be assessed thus realize the standardization of management. Because the three educations of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism are the base of Chinese traditional culture, the example of Oriental civilization, and the headspring of modern spiritual civilization. In over 1000 years of its spreading, Buddhism culture has been making a very important contribution to the blossom and development of the Chinese nation. In the 21st century, viz. in such social conditions of today’s world, Buddhism culture is a great contribution to the construction of people’s ideology and ethics. Especially now, people’s ideology needs stability very much, and the whole world needs peace and development. So, virtuous factors shall be increased more, thus can peace and development be sustained. To attain this aim, Buddhism’s most needed and exigent issue is about the cultivation of talented monks and reformation of system. If not doing that, Buddhism certainly will also have obstacles. So, referring to the developing direction of Buddhism in the future, if operating according to such modes of reformation, well then, in the 21st century our Buddhism will have a course of great transformation and development. Especially in the present time, Buddhism needs such course of transformation and development, thus further need our present monks and Upasakas make great efforts together to be unanimous. So, usually we do not advocate leaving home to be monks of life tenure; instead, Buddhism shall be spread by a few monks who practice earnestly, being career personnel in charge of Buddha-dharma. I believe, this wish I put forward can be realized within the future 20 years. Some people often joked with me: “Guru, I heard that you can know things of 30 years. About the first 10 years, from 1994 to now, what you’ve predicted is basically precise; while about the left 20 years, you’ve predicted that Buddhism must develop in this direction, the aim you’ve put forward is to bring monks into the standardized management and to socialize the learning from Buddha. This aim can be realized within 20 years.” Our practicers presenting today, haven’t most of you predicted the tendency of Buddhism’s future development? I’m very optimistic about the future development of Buddhism. However, within 4 to 5 years from now, especially the monks shall seize time by the forelock to learn some abilities, other wise, as in the future monks will be recruited through test of qualification, and if cannot pass, you’ll be automatically washed out. Although now a lot of people have taken oaths as a monk, once putting on the monk’s patch-robe, many of them would pretend to be Buddha Sakyamuni, and then go out to the society to trap, steal, take, kidnap, commit all manners of crimes, do not believe in the rule of karma, with good and evil people mixed up. So, you shall catch time to study in recent few year, otherwise, in the future, once the system of recruiting monks being reformed, if cannot pass the exam, or misbehave, you’ll be washed out even you really want to be a monk. If the management system of Buddhism is not reformed in this way, the career of Buddhism will be very tragic in the future. Our Upasakas to learn from Buddha shall also grasp the fundamental thing; I’m not requiring that you must learn the esoteric dharma; it is also good of you to repeat the Buddha’s name or practice meditation, only if you keep the three essentials. No matter which sect you learn, you shall never leave the three essentials; otherwise, your wish of achievement in this life would be an empty talk.

So, I’ve explained the two issues to everybody: one is that nowadays people to learn and practice Buddha-dharma must grasp the three essentials, the other is that what’s the direction of Buddhism’s future development? Now you’ve understood this argument, then you should know what to do in your future’s practice, and you can command your own way and method of practice. From now on, I hope you won’t ask me again: “Can I go to the Pure Land after death by reciting this mantra? Before, I repeated the name of Amitabha, now I repeated the name of Avalokiteshvara, can I still go there after death?” such questions, etc. Both Avalokiteshvara and Amitabha are western Buddha, if only you correctly generated the mind, why can’t you go to the Pure Land? You can go there after death by repeating the name of either Avalokiteshvara or Amitabha. Besides, in this age, there are not only the western Pure Land, but also the Maitreya’s Pure Land. I suggest you earnestly read “the Lecture on ‘the Sutra about Maitreya in the Pure Land’” written by Ji Wen, which has two forms: disc and book. Only if you make a wish in front of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, generate the mind of respecting the Bodhisattva, and sincerely make three obeisances to the Bodhisattva, you will have certainty of achievements; if you further practice earnestly, you will have greater certainty of achievements in this life. You everybody knows the great master Tsong-Kha-Pa (who was in the Kumbum Monastery), didn’t he go to the Pure Land of Maitreya after death? You everybody read about the “Pilgrimage to the West”, described in which the great master Xuan Zang of Tang also went to the Pure Land of Maitreya. So did the neoteric Rabbi Zhen Chan and Master Yin Guang. You can achieve the Pure Land of Maitreya either by repeating the name of Amitabha or reciting the heart mantra of Avalokiteshvara. Why do I advocate this? I also advocate repeating the name of Amitabha, but I’m inclined to everybody’s achievement of Maitreya’s Pure Land, together and in this life. But I hope all of you to say what you think, and do what you say. Otherwise it cannot work. So, to grasp the essentials, what do you prefer? As long as you command well of the method, that is to wholeheartedly insist on repeating the Buddha’s name, you can seek for going to the Pure Land. I require everybody to achieve the Buddha-hood in this life; I don’t advocate everybody’s achievements in the next life. We have certainty of going to the Maitreya’s Pure Land even if we cannot achieve the Buddha-hood. When generating the mind, you shall not worry and hesitate; learning from Buddha is for becoming Buddha. If not for becoming Buddha, for what do you learn from Buddha? Learning from Buddha is for no other than becoming Buddha. What is Buddha? It is that we are going to be enlightened and to attain the perfect consciousness in this life, not to be deceived by delusions, and to free ourselves in this life. Not being deceived by delusions, our heart is free from worries, thus we can come and go freely without death and rebirth. Amitabha!