We often see that newspapers and magazines divide the countries in the world into two halves: the free democracy half and the monopoly half. In fact, this is not only the political system, but if we look closely, everything is "half and half": "half" during the day and "half" at night; "Half" on land and "half" on river and sea; Good people are "half" and bad people are "half"; Half poor and half rich. As time goes by, the "half and half" have their ups and downs, but they can't make this "half" completely rule that "half". However, because of this, there is infinite hope in life.

I remember when I was nineteen years old, the teacher of Buddhist College recommended me to attend the National Institute of Education, and signed me up, but I had to give up because Master refused. A few years later, one of my works was approved by the doctoral class of the Institute of Literature, Taisho University, Japan. Although the admission procedures have been completed, it has not been completed due to various reasons. Although I lost my dazzling academic position in the secular world, I found a broader world in the "half" of Buddhism and became an ambassador to preach the truth on behalf of Buddha. The so-called "lost corner, harvested mulberry" was originally "half and half" in the world. We don't have to force ourselves to get ahead in a certain field, because there is another world waiting for us to explore.

It is because of this understanding that I have always been glad that I was born with poor handwriting and no fluent eloquence. Because if I am talented and good at showing off my talents, I may just continue to study hard on my own talents. At best, I am just a monk who enjoys a good reputation in calligraphy, and I can't work hard in other aspects to benefit all beings. If I am gifted and ignorant of language, I may spend my whole life speaking on the stage instead of developing the potential of administrative planning. Or I spread the Dharma around with my eloquence, ignoring my deep understanding of righteousness, so I can't tell the Dharma in simple terms and with substance in words. The so-called world of "envy of talents", "beauty is unlucky" and "half and half" seems to be imperfect. In fact, it is the most beautiful gift in the world, and we should look at it with joy, because knowing that we are only "half", we will be open-minded and strive for progress; Knowing that you are only "half" will make further progress.

I have studied Japanese four times and taught myself English, but all of them failed. Fortunately, I still have a little foundation in China literature, and I have spent a lot of time as a monk. Now I go to various countries to preach the law, and the disciples are scrambling to interpret for me, and even my works have been translated into various languages and circulated around the world. Therefore, we don't have to envy other people's "half". The most important thing is that we should cherish our own "half" strengths and use them to get the fruits of our efforts.

Father Ding Songjun of the Catholic Guangqi Society once said to me, "If you grew up in the West, you will definitely become a priest; If I grew up in the East, I would definitely become a monk. Although human beings are different in race and occupation, as long as we are willing to follow the cause and devote ourselves to our own "half" world, we can also contribute to human beings.

I grew up in the south of China, where I eat rice, but I have the character of a northerner and can get used to the northern pasta. When I was a young student in an ancient jungle temple, I often walked hundreds of miles of mountain roads and went to various places to help Buddhism. Unexpectedly, decades later, I often took various means of transportation by land, sea and air, sat for more than ten hours, and traveled around the world to lecture and preach Buddhism. Because of these "half-and-half" experiences, no matter where I go, I can feel at ease and not be detained by "half"

Even so, when two "half" worlds conflict, I must weigh the gains and losses and make a choice. For example, I like quiet and far-reaching, but I deeply cherish the desire of all. After several struggles, I decided to give up my hobby of living in seclusion and go to the society to serve the people. I used to live a simple and simple life since I was a child. In recent years, thanks to the kindness and care of my disciples, I have built a beautiful house and provided me with delicious food. However, I feel that the life I enjoy may not be perfect, so I would rather enjoy myself in the days of simple tea and rice. Although giving up "half" makes the other "half" richer, so instead of feeling sorry, I feel more fulfilled.

People often say, "You Buddhists don't pay attention to fine clothes and delicious food, and you don't know how to have fun. Isn't life too negative and boring? "Is it a positive outlook on life to eat well and have fun? As the saying goes, "I have dharma music, not secular music. Buddhists deeply understand the vanity of the five desires and six dusts, so they come back from the debauchery of dogs and horses and engage in the work of practicing Taoism, preaching dharma and benefiting students. Isn't this life more aggressive and meaningful? For the sake of fame and fortune, many people in society only know how to scramble for the "half" of the world in front of them and ignore the "half" of the wide world behind them. As a result, the farther they push forward, the narrower the doorway will be, and in the end they will get black and blue and fall to pieces. Is this happiness?

Looking back 3 years ago, I witnessed many fellow practitioners going to the metropolis to preach Dharma, so I went to the mountains to run a school alone. Unexpectedly, many monks were trained instead, which had a greater effect on the spread of Buddhism. Ten years ago, I retired from the post of abbot, but I had more time to develop international Buddhism. The engine uses the power of retreat, but it triggers more kinetic energy; The more compressed the air is, the more explosive it is. As the old saying goes, "Take a step back and think about it, and the sky is vast. It is the blind spot of human obsession.

Although the world behind "half" is vast and boundless, as long as we hold lofty ideals and make unremitting efforts, the world in front of "half" is of extraordinary significance even if it is full of difficulties. For example, scientists spent countless efforts to launch a spaceship and send Armstrong to the moon in 1969. Although it was a small step, it made human beings on earth take a big step in the universe. From this, it can be seen that whether we leap into the front half of the world or step into the back half of the world, it will have a great impact, so we have to use our intelligence and be cautious about the choice of the half.

I remember that thirty or forty years ago, when my works "The Biography of Buddha of Sakyamuni" and "The Buddhist Master of Yulin" were adapted into movies and radio dramas, they once aroused people in the teaching circle. They thought that writing Buddhist stories into scripts was undoubtedly blaspheming the sacred Buddhism, and I was never moved. But later, it was discovered that more and more people in the society were exposed to Buddhism, so they gradually followed suit, which invisibly promoted the Buddhist art in Taiwan and then improved the cultural level. Many people say, "A good beginning is half the battle. However, from this point of view, as long as we are willing to stand firm, a poor start can also create a good "half" in the future.

I was deeply moved by a case of Zen Buddhism: a Zen master accepted a bad disciple and did evil deeds in the temple, but repeated persuasion failed. One day, the other disciples couldn't bear it anymore. They came to the abbot's room together and petitioned the Zen master: If he was not moved, everyone had to leave the Dojo. The Zen master replied, "If even Buddhism can't tolerate him, wouldn't it have a greater impact if he was exiled to the society to harm all beings?" The disciples felt very ashamed when they heard this, so they gave up the original idea. Under the influence of compassion, the bad disciple gradually changed to good. Looking around at my disciples, there are many people who are hard to train. Under the guidance, they have now become the elite of Buddhism. The Mahayana Theory of Faith divides one heart into two parts: the false heart of thinking about birth and death will gradually turn into the true heart of emptiness, quietness and lucidity. Therefore, although there are "half" good people and "half" evil people in the world, good and evil are not absolute as long as good people are willing to guide and persuade with great patience.

Last year (1994), when the drama "Emperor Taizong" was staged on TV, Ms. Zhou You, the producer, and a team of photographers came to Taipei Dojo, hoping that I would say a few words of recommendation for the drama at the beginning. At that time, I knew that I would be ridiculed, but in order to make more people in the entertainment industry tend to Buddhism and Taoism, I still reluctantly agreed to do it and praised the wise and decisive decision of Emperor Taizong. Sure enough, I received phone calls and letters later, accusing the mage of not making commercial advertisements. In fact, I didn't receive any money and didn't engage in commercial activities. Moreover, Emperor Taizong was indeed a generation of famous emperors, but it was already a hundred words apart. However, it turns out that my sacrifice has paid off. Ms. Zhou You's future films do pay attention to the Buddhist concept of cause and effect, advocate the cultivation of good and the breaking of evil, and have a subtle influence on the purification of the public's hearts.

tuas Vimalakīrti went to restaurants and casinos to attract all living beings skillfully and conveniently; When the Buddha practiced in the land, he also committed a killing in order to save 5 businessmen from thieves. In the world, "half" is Buddha's and "half" is demon's; "Half" is positive and "half" is evil. However, the so-called "righteous people practice evil methods, and evil methods also become right; Evil people practice the right dharma, and the right dharma becomes evil. "We must have an insight into this" half-half "world with intelligence. If we can't tolerate the evil half and purify the evil half, we must choose good and stubborn, stick to the" half "of Buddha and the" half "of righteousness, and don't be confused by the other half of evil spirits.

The "half" of bread is hard crust, and the "half" of bread is soft heart. Some people like to eat the inside first, and then eat the outside. Some people like to eat outside first, and then eat inside. I belong to the latter. Sometimes, when I think about it, it is nothing more than a reflection of my outlook on life. In life, there is a bitter "half" and a happy "half". I like to be bitter first and then happy.

Looking back 4 years ago, I insisted on carrying forward the ideal of Buddhism through culture and education. Although I had no food to eat all day, isn't the prosperity of Buddhism in Taiwan today the fruit of hard work in those years? On the other hand, at that time, because they couldn't stand the suffering of life, they flowed into the common people. Although they didn't worry about food and clothing, most of them have accomplished nothing and regretted it. Now I'm nearly old, and I've just had a heart operation. Although many disciples knelt down and begged me to rest, I still came from south to north with the scar of operation, because I knew that the temporary hard work of individuals would bring eternal happiness to all beings.

With the progress of the times, women's consciousness has risen, and "gender equality" has become one of the hot topics of public discussion. Many people ask me, how do parents who are "half" male and "half" female in Foguang Mountain make the two groups of people live in peace? I think: Generally speaking, women are patient and careful, men are tolerant and open-minded, and each has its own advantages. Since the beginning, I have only tried to create an equal monastic environment and give them half different jobs according to their different personalities, because there are differences in equality and equality in differences, and everyone respects and cooperates with each other, which is natural. In addition, I plan monastic areas for men and women in the East and West Mountains respectively, so that they can have half of their leisure space after work. Keep a distance from each other psychologically and essentially, and it is not easy to breed troubles.

on the highway, draw a line in the middle, so that the vehicles on the left and right sides will not collide; Draw a yellow line and you won't overtake; It would be safer if a safety island was set up. In the parking lot, if the gap between cars is not enough, cars can't get in and out freely. Similarly, if people get along with each other, if they can leave half space for each other, not only will there be no conflicts and frictions, but they can also maintain appropriate exchanges and have complementary effects, thus creating a harmonious society.

Buddhism, in terms of spreading places, is "half" in Southern Buddhism and "half" in Buddhism in the north; There are two ways to spread the Dharma: the "half" of obvious religion and the "half" of esoteric religion. There are "half" Buddhists at home and "half" Buddhists at home. Someone once questioned me: Will these differences cause troubles for Buddhism? In fact, if our mind and vision are broad enough, these "half and half" can make Buddhism more colorful. Just like the five senses on our faces, with the nose as the center line, they are divided into the left eye and the right eye. Half in the left ear and half in the right ear. If we make good use of the "half and half" on both sides, we can achieve the effect of macro-listening; However, we have only one mouth and no other half, so it is the easiest to build a business.

I advocate paying equal attention to spreading from the south to the north, and combining Buddhism with esotericism; I set up a well-organized monk group for monks and nuns, and also a well-organized religious group for disciples at home.

when having a meal, I often only carry half of the food in front of me, and leave the half of the food behind me for the people at the same table to eat. I always cut a melon and a fruit offered by a believer into two halves, eating "half" myself and sharing the other half with others. Set up a Dojo, and when I have finished the first half of the building work, I will hand over the second half of the development task to my disciples. Jesuits set up a "House of Kindness" in Yilan, which I took over in 1962 and continued to develop. In Zhonghe Zhiguang Middle School, Master Nan Ting and Master Wu Yi and I made a little effort to establish it, and the remaining "half" of the school affairs were expanded by later generations. We don't have to do all the things, and leave "half" for future generations to play, so that everyone can share the process of hard work. Isn't it better?

I have faced death many times in my life, and I have been hospitalized twice in the past five years. From the pain of life and death, I have a different understanding of life. For example, some of my friends and believers have always been strong, but they are incurable; Some people are weak and sick, and their lives are like hanging silk, but they live a long life. Some people, although some parts of their bodies are disabled, other parts of their organs are particularly developed; Although some people have big ears, big eyes and all limbs, they turn a blind eye, listen but don't smell, act in excess and have poor manners. In this world, although there are "half" healthy people and "half" unhealthy people, they all have their unique advantages and disadvantages. The same is true of things in the world, which can't be perfect, so we don't have to be perfect, just let go of it and we will be happy.

Li Mi 'an once wrote a poem "Half and Half Poetry" in Qing Dynasty, which can best express the carefree state of "half and half":

He who sees through the floating life is half a hundred, half a life is infinitely useful, and half a year is full of leisure, and half a year is full of enthusiasm.

Half country, half country, half mountain, half water, half pastoral, half farming, half reading, half cold, half scholar and half people married.

semi-elegant, semi-coarse, semi-elegant, semi-practical, semi-elegant, semi-vegetarian, semi-light and fresh, and semi-rich and semi-frugal.

A boy servant is half capable and half clumsy, his wife is half simple and half virtuous, and his mood is half Buddhist and half immortal. His surname is Shimada Hanzo.

Half of it is returned to heaven and earth, half to the world, half to future generations and mulberry fields, and half to what Yamaraja thinks.

half-drunk, half-blooming, half-fanned sail, and half-rein horse.

if you have less, you will enjoy the taste; if you have more, you will be tired of pestering; if you have your own joys and sorrows, you will take advantage of only half.

In the past, Zen master Yaoshan once pointed to two trees in the courtyard and asked his disciples, "Is Rong good? It's better to be dry. As a result, there are three answers:

Daowu said, "Glory is good.

Yunyan said, "It's good to dry up.

Finally, Gao Shami said, "Let it be glorious for those who are proud, and let it be withered for those who are withered.

what a "glorious one, glorious one, withered one"!

In spring, red flowers and green leaves complement each other. In the midnight sky, the stars and the moon meet, and the vastness and greatness of the universe are even more felt. As long as we know how to respect, tolerate, reconcile and balance each other, we will find a "half-half" world.