(27-5-5 22: 44: )

Reprinted ▼

Classification: Original

The custom of release in China Han Dynasty did not begin with Buddhism. "Liezi Shuo Fu Pian" contains: "When Zhengdan is released, it shows kindness." It can be seen that every festival is released, which has existed since ancient times. Moreover, "Shuo Fu Pian" said: "The guest said:' The people know that you want to let go, and they will be arrested by competition, and the dead will be numerous. If you want to live, don't arrest the people if you don't ban them, but let them go if you catch them. " Jianzi said,' Good!' "Visible, at that time, there have been people who specialize in fishing birds for release. After Buddhism was introduced into China, it also strongly advocated release, and merged with the original custom of release in China, and evolved into a unique dharma meeting-release meeting. The so-called release, that is, to redeem the arrested fish, birds and other animals, and then put them in ponds and Shan Ye; Buddhism calls the ceremony of this ceremony the release ceremony (referred to as the release ceremony).

Buddhism advocates release, which originates from the twentieth "Don't release the rescue precept" among the 48 kinds of light precepts listed in the Brahma Sutra. "If the Buddha is compassionate, he will be released", "Therefore, he will always be released, and he will live and live forever". That is to say, the Buddha should be kind-hearted in his career, because all men are my father, all women are my mother, and I am born by them all my life, so all six sentient beings know that they are my parents; If you see the world killing animals, you should facilitate rescue and relieve their suffering. There are many records about the method of releasing and rescuing people. For example, The Golden Light Classic, The Old Man's Products in Running Water, said that the old man in running water rescued the dying fish, shared water and food with them, and explained the Mahayana classic for them. After all the fish heard the classics, they all gave birth to a profitable day. It is also said in Volume 5 of Miscellaneous Treasure Classic that a novice monk got a long life because he saved the ants in the drifting water, and this view that releasing them can prolong their lives still has great influence.

The release of Buddhism in China is closely related to the practice of abstaining from killing and chanting Buddha. Abstinence from killing is the first of the Five Commandments and Ten Commandments, which has always been strictly observed by Buddhists. During the Qi and Liang Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, Buddhists broke meat according to the words "Don't eat meat" in Volume IV of the Lengga Abaddoro Treasure Sutra. Liang Wudi once wrote a letter forbidding killing, and abolished the system of offering sacrifices in ancestral temples. China's large-scale release began with the Tiantai wise master. When the wise man lived in Tiantai Mountain, in order to make the residents in the coastal area stop fishing and killing, he gave up his clothes, and persuaded everyone to buy a release pond, and then taught them the "Three-conversion precepts", saying "Golden Light Classic" and "Hokkekyo" for them, so as to form a legal relationship, thus opening the Tiantai release meeting. Later, in the second year of Ganyuan (759), Tang Suzong issued a decree to set up 81 release ponds in Shannan Road, Jiannan Road, Jingnan Road and Zhejiang Road. In the first year of Tianxi in Song Zhenzong (117), the release pond was rebuilt. In the third year of Tianxi, Tiantai Sect invited the West Lake in Hangzhou to be used as the release pool, and made a self-made "Release Tzu Chi Method", and held a release meeting on the Buddha's birthday on April 8 every year to celebrate the son of heaven. In the third year of Tiansheng (125), Si Ming-li also invited the Buddha's birthday release party in Nanhu Release Pool to be established permanently, and wrote "Release Articles" to define its etiquette. Since then, the custom of releasing animals has been thoroughly Buddhist, and has been enduring for a long time. The current release etiquette is compiled according to the general idea of "Golden Light Classic, Running Water for the Elderly".

generally speaking, according to the current release ceremony, the whole process of release can be divided into three procedures: sprinkling the hymns, saying three conversions, and releasing the vows.

(1) Before the release ceremony, set up an incense table at the release place to prepare the purified poplar branches for the Buddha statue of Guanyin. At the beginning of the release ceremony, all the people regarded all sentient beings with kind eyes, remembered their downfall, and were deeply saddened. Re-reading the Three Treasures has great power and can save them. The mage held the water bowl in his hand and meditated on the cloud: I wholeheartedly invited ten loving fathers and bodhisattvas who were inspired by avalokitesvara to come to the Dojo and bless this water, which was a great feat. Sprinkle with different kinds of people, think about their physical and mental purity, and you can smell the wonderful method. The mage sang "Xiangzan" while sprinkling clean water: "Yang Zhi's clean water is sprinkled all over 3,, which is empty and empty, and the longevity is extended. Eliminate sin and eliminate guilt, and turn red-violet into flame. There is no Guanyin Bodhisattva in the south, no Guanyin Bodhisattva in the south, and no Guanyin Bodhisattva in the south. " Then he was called "Guanyin Bodhisattva without great compassion in South China". After the ode, the mage recited the Great Compassion Mantra several times with the public, and sprinkled clean water around the spiritual place of all beings. Then, recite the Heart Sutra again, and the Death Mantra three times, which is called "South No Manna King Bodhisattva".

(2) It is said that after three conversions, the Master lit incense, and he invited all the people in the Dharma world to live in the Three Treasures of Buddhists and Buddhists. Then, the mage flies on behalf of these land and water, catches the net for him, repents all sentient beings who enter the death gate, and holds the spell after repentance. Next, the mage taught conversion to all sentient beings. At the beginning, the mage said: "Buddhists, you don't smell the three treasures and don't understand conversion, so there are three reincarnation, and today you are a beast. I will teach you three conversion methods today, so listen carefully. " Then the mage said it once, and the public answered it once, so it was three times. The core contents of the "three conversion laws" are: conversion to Buddhism, conversion to law and conversion to monks. After the mage granted the "three conversion methods", he said "twelve karma" again, in order to make all beings "know the law of birth and death, and realize the law of not birth and death"; Then, we will call all sentient beings "Sihong vows" and hope that they will "make vows according to Buddha and practice according to wishes". The vows are as follows: First, recite "all beings have boundless vows, troubles are endless vows, dharma is infinite vows, Buddhism and Taoism are supreme vows" three times, and then recite "all beings have their own vows, troubles are self-destructive, self-cultivation is self-cultivation, and self-cultivation is self-cultivation." Then, the mage praised the auspicious name of the Tathagata for all living beings, making it "forever away from the suffering of three roads and eight difficulties, and often for the Tathagata to be a true and pure Buddha."

(3) Before the release, the release vows mage exhorted all sentient beings: "I only hope that after you are released, you will never be swallowed up by demons and caught in the net, and you will be able to live forever. After the end of my life, I will inherit the three treasures, live with the fate, and practice the precepts. " He also said: "I would rather let go, and Bodhi will do it. Think about it and save all beings. ..... I hope that the strangers will return to their hearts and be good, and they will be free together. * * * is really common. " Finally, the mage lit incense and recited Buddha's words, and gently released the spirits of all beings. The public immediately read back to Dai: "I would like to use this merit to honor the pure land of Buddha, report four kinds of kindness, and help the three hardships. If you have knowledge, you will learn bodhicitta, do your best to report yourself and live together in a blissful country."

As the release of animals originated from ancient Chinese folk customs and was based on Buddhist classics, it had a far-reaching influence in both Chinese folk and Buddhist circles, leaving many well-known poems about release of animals. In the Song Dynasty, Lu You said: "The flesh and blood are dripping and delicious, but the general pain and resentment are hard to stretch. Put yourself in the shoes and ask yourself, who will cut himself with a knife? " Zhao Mengfu's poem in Yuan Dynasty: "We share the same fate in this life, and share the vicissitudes of life in a dream. The past is unbearable, and the release pool recalls the past. " These poems are profound and thought-provoking. Generally speaking, release is very solemn because of its profound Buddhist meaning, but there are also some abuses that are inconsistent with the original purpose of release in the process of its dissemination. For example, there is a phenomenon of emphasizing empty words rather than substance in release; For example, some people specialize in catching animals, birds and fish for release. Based on this, some precautions have always been put forward, which are as follows: first, there is no fixed thing to release, that is, no matter whether the birds walk on land, they should buy and release according to their abilities; Second, there is no fixed date for the release. Although some regulations stipulate that it should be held once a month or on the Buddha's birthday, the time must not be limited, lest someone catch a large number of creatures before this date; Third, there is no fixed place for release, that is, don't be bound by rituals. In case of special circumstances, you can release them everywhere, just call the chanting number to receive them, and you don't have to hold a complete ceremony.