Is the monk at Zunsheng Temple real?

Brother, you cannot ask whether the monk is real or fake. Even if you have been to Zunsheng Temple, you may not be able to judge in this way. However, we can judge based on the following phenomena whether the monks are orthodox monks and whether the temples are orthodox Buddhist temples rather than commercially controlled temples:

1. Does the temple charge entrance fees? All temples that charge admission fees will have to give a discount. The discount does not mean to deny it. It does not necessarily mean that it is controlled by business. Because such an old temple, taking into account the Cultural Relics Administration Bureau, the Religious Affairs Bureau, the Tourism Bureau and even the Garden Bureau Jurisdiction, charging a certain maintenance fee is reasonable.

2. Does the temple emphasize the use of high-quality incense? The use of high-quality incense itself is a bad habit in commercial temples. To worship Buddha, only three sticks of incense are enough. The emphasis on high-quality incense deviates from the purpose of Buddhism.

3. Are there Feng Shui masters and fortune tellers all over the temple? Even monks are involved. Instead of talking to you about Buddhism, they talk to you about good or bad luck and tell you how much it costs to burn this incense and how much it costs to burn that incense. ? ——If this phenomenon occurs, then you can leave after worshiping the Buddha. The Buddha is a true Buddha, but there may be a big problem with his permanent presence. If this phenomenon is serious, it means that temples that are not orthodox believers can be avoided.

4. Have any monks or laymen in the monastery ever reached out to you and asked for money or property? If so, you can finish praying to the Buddha and leave. This deviates far from the purpose of Buddhism. It is certain that this is a commercial temple.

5. Are monks in monasteries professional? Wear monk robes to work during the day and take off monk robes to go home at night? If so, leave decisively. The so-called monks must at least be celibate (this celibacy does not mean not getting married or falling in love, but that even the lust between men and women must be avoided), vegetarian, living in a temple, not accumulating money, property, or stocks, and devoting one's life to Buddhism. What about the five major characteristics such as career, not to mention abiding by the precepts (male monks, if given bhikkhu precepts, should have 250; female monks, should have 348)?

——The above five points are the touchstones, which can be observed as believers, but we lay disciples have even more powerful ones, because the Buddha specially left them behind in order to prevent the false monks who appeared after his nirvana from harming Buddhism. We use the Three Dharma Seals, the Four Reliances, and the Ten Non-Blind Faiths as our identification tools. No matter who it is, anyone who violates these identification tools is an evil master and evil method. Therefore, it is easier for us to judge the truth from the false.

Small link: - Zunsheng Temple is one of the ancient temples. It is located in Xixia Village Mountain Valley, 20 kilometers north of Wutai County, Shanxi Province. It is a giant temple on the south gate of Mount Wutai. According to legend, the Indian monk Buddha Boli in the Tang Dynasty met Manjushri Bodhisattva here and built the temple accordingly. It was first built in the Tang Dynasty, rebuilt in the Song Dynasty, and renovated in the early years of the Republic of China. The temple area has towering ancient trees and magnificent buildings. The screen wall in front of the temple has exquisite brick carvings, and the halls and pavilions in the temple are all equipped. There are five courtyards in a row, one level at a time, and there are sutra towers and Zen houses on the left and right. They are grand in scale and rigorous in layout. Main Hall has a towering platform and magnificent architecture. The Wuliang Hall is entirely constructed of bricks with exquisite carvings.