Master Chin Kung has often spoken about how he began learning from his teacher, Mr.
Li Bingnan, who was a student of Great Master Yin Guang, the Thirteenth Patriarch
of the Pure Land school. “Years ago, when I wanted to study Buddhism with Mr. Li
Bingnan and to formally become his student, he put forward three conditions: ‘First,
from today on, you can only listen to my lectures. You are not allowed to listen
to any other Dharma masters or lay practitioners. Second, from today on, you are
not allowed to read any book, be it a sutra or any kind of book, without my permission.’
The first condition blocked my ears, and the second covered my eyes. ‘Third, what
you have learned from others does not count with me. You are to forget it all. From
today on, you start anew with me.’
“These three conditions were very harsh. When I first heard them, I thought that
this teacher was very autocratic and unreasonable. Nevertheless, after consideration,
I accepted his conditions and became his student. I did not know then that these
conditions were precepts meant to help me cut off my afflictions. The more one sees
and listens, the more afflictions one has; the less one sees and listens, the less
afflictions one will have. When one does not see or listen, one will have no afflictions.
“After I followed his teaching for six months, my wandering thoughts indeed became
fewer, my mind became purer, and I acquired more wisdom. I gained true benefits.
Therefore, I am very grateful to Mr. Li. Although he had asked me to follow his rules
for only five years, I voluntarily followed them for yet another five. I abided by
these three rules for ten years and thus laid a solid foundation for learning Buddhism.”
Master Chin Kung has further explained that these three rules are traditional in
Chinese Buddhism. Thus, they are also the foundation for study and cultivation at
the PLLCA. So whether the students are coming to cultivate or to learn to be a teacher,
they learn by listening only to Master Chin Kung and the teachers he recommends.
If students are invited to learn to lecture, they begin by giving the teacher’s talks.
Again, this is the traditional way of learning to lecture in Buddhism. Giving the
teacher’s talks ensures that the student does not make any mistakes. Mistakes will
have very serious consequences for both the listeners and the lecturer. The listeners
would be told something wrong and the lecturer would incur serious karmic consequences
for having told something wrong. So to protect both listener and lecturer, the student
lecturer follows the traditional method of giving the teacher’s talks, which were
based in turn on his teacher’s talk. This procedure can be traced back to the time
of the Buddha, when the Buddha’s students repeated his lectures.
It is this essential tradition that makes listening to the teacher’s talks vitally
important. The student absorbs the teachings to the extent that the teachings become
second nature to the student. Over the years, as the student’s understanding and
cultivation deepen, he or she will gradually add their own understanding to their
teacher’s lectures.
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