为居士 - mauriceling/mauriceling.github.io GitHub Wiki
魔君乱正见，正觉泪痕面。
正法五百年，像法已过千。
金刚经五百，如今法已败。
本是禅宗庭，堕为钱宗陵。
达摩洞任在，祖师不再来。
天地本无全，人性满缺陷。
魔乱何今日，释迦住百岁。
波旬令子孙，披裟入庙宇。
钱权两足乐，地狱门前客。
今年亲目睹，比丘费食物。
一人买两盘，吃菜饭不谈。
披袍在餐厅，美食佳肴饮。
修行可入世，维摩羯居士。
五戒我不满，尽量少傲慢。
卧室为禅庭，红尘中取经。
随时佛挂口，静时参话头。
有缘自相逢，随缘指飞腾。
有人互相请，无人独自行。
念佛是我事，往生弥陀事。
— 01/08/25
Commentary: The decline of dharma was first described in Cakkavatti Sutta, then in Diamond Sutra, and in Sutra of the Total Annihilation of the Dharma (佛说法灭尽经). In the Sutra of the Total Annihilation of the Dharma, Buddha told Ānanda, “After my parinirvāṇa, as the Dharma comes to an end, the way of the māras will thrive in this world of the five turbidities. Māras will appear as śramaṇas so as to undermine and destroy my Way. They will wear lay clothes and delight in the monk’s robe dyed with a mixture of five colors. To gratify ravenous appetites, they will drink alcohol, eat flesh, and kill sentient beings. Devoid of lovingkindness, they will hate and envy others." Further in the sutra, it says that “Although there will be such good people, all māra bhiksus will be jealous of them. They will slander, malign, and banish them. Afterward, individually and as a group, the māra bhiksus will not cultivate virtue. Temples will be deserted, falling into disrepair then into ruins. Greedy for material wealth, they will accumulate things, not using them to acquire merit. They will sell slaves to work in the fields. Devoid of lovingkindness, they will burn mountain forests, harming sentient beings. Male slaves will become bhikṣus, and female slaves will become bhikṣuṇīs. Devoid of morality, they will engage in sexual debauchery and perversion, whether with men or women. Such people will cause my Way to fade away. Some of them will seek sanctuary in my Order to escape prosecution by the law. They will become śramaṇas but will not observe the precepts or regulations. Although they will, in appearance, recite the precepts on new-moon and full-moon days, they will be reluctant and indolent, not wanting to hear the recitation. They will omit some precepts, not wanting to recite all of them. They will not recite or study the sūtras. If there are readers who do not know the words [in the sūtras], they will claim that they know them. They will not consult the learned ones, but will instead seek fame for self-elevation. They will glorify themselves with fake elegant ways, expecting offerings from others."
Last month in July, there is Thai Monk Scandal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Thai_monk_scandal) resulting in 11 monks de-robed; and in China, the abbot of Shaolin Temple is under investigation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Yongxin and https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/28/china/china-shaolin-abbot-shi-yongxin-investigation-intl-hnk). Shaolin Temple is notable as that is considered the founding ground of Zen Buddhism by Bodhidharma.
500 years of Right Dharma (正法) and 1000 years of Semblance Dharma (像法) had passed. We are now at Last Age of the Dharma (末法) where the followers of 魔王波旬 (Mara Pāpīyas) will wear saffron robes and reside in temples. Early this year, I saw a monk with my own eyes who bought 2 servings of food for himself – a plate of vegetarian rice and a plate of vegetarian noodles; but only ate the dishes leaving the rice and noodles quite untouched. I was so angry to witness a monk who waste food in this way.
Cultivation is now in the society, just like Vimalakirti (维摩羯居士). I confess that I cannot even observe the five precepts well; hence, can only hope to have lesser arrogance. My residence shall be my hermitage. I chant the name of Amitabha whenever possible and that is my core practice. Like Vimalakirti, if I am fated meet someone that can discuss spiritualism with, I will do so; if not, I will continue my own practice. My vow is for rebirth into Amitabha’s pureland after my earthly existence. Abiding by Amitabha’s 18th vow; chanting the name of Amitabha is my responsibility while making sure of my rebirth into Amitabha’s pureland is Amitabha’s responsibility.