A disciple is to gain something; a faithful person is to give something.
What does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple is to learn, whether you are a student, or an apprentice,you are learning.Then, it is not related to whether you are faithful or not.
Loyalty is not to learn, it is not to become an official, it is not to get rich, it is not to grow in culture, loyalty is loyalty.
For example, Zhuge Liang, and the Fengchu,if these two peoples become the emperors, they are better than Liu Bei. But, even though they had that ability, they did not go to be the emperors, instead, they were very loyal to Liu Bei.
Another example，the kingdom is the emperor’s,then he wants to make kingdom good, to share the worries of the emperor, that is loyalty. For example, to protect the interests of the royal family, that is loyalty, and even fighting with other people , he can not even want to live, not even home, that is loyalty.
Remember, the disciple is to get what. Those who are loyal are for what they give. Just now I talked about Crouching Dragon and Fengchu, they only have the mind, then he paid the mind.The five valiant generals, they only have kung fu, then they pay martial arts.
That is to say, he is willing to pay, pay for him, which is called loyalty, and the disciple is to get. They are not might to be thought of together.
For example, if we are loyal to the Buddha, if we practice loyalty to the Buddha, we are for the Buddha, we can be for the Buddha in everything. Just now we talked about the practitioner of the Three Vehicles,the Dharma of the Three Vehicles,the objects of the Triple Jewel, if you are defending these interests, in defending their interests, you are not trying to usurp his interests, that belongs to loyalty.
If you maintain his interests, if you always think of ways to maintain his interests and increase his interests, that is called loyalty. Then, if you find a way to resolve something, or even carry it on your own, you are loyal. That is to say, if you defend the Dharma of the Three Vehicles, the practitioner of the Three Vehicles, the objects of the Triple Jewel,that is called loyalty. If you really rescue all sentient beings, that is called giving pleasure and plucking suffering.
Another example is that you often hear why I say that everyone is a disciple of Buddha and you call me Master, that is already considered respectful. But I can’t think like that.The real teacher, the only one fundamental teacher, that is our original teacher. So why is it that for many years, whenever I had the opportunity, I emphasized this thing? Especially during the Threefold Refuge, I also emphasized these things, why?
In actuality, there is also a matter of loyalty hidden there. That is to say, are we defending the Buddha’s family? Are we defending the disciples of the Buddha? All people who study Buddhism together with me, are not my people, they are all Buddha’s people.
In actuality, I am truly, in that present moment, not only practicing loyalty, but everyone can also receive real benefits. Because I can’t represent all the Triple Jewel, even if how everyone thinks I am the Triple Jewel, everyone thinks that way, but I can’t tell everyone I am the Triple Jewel.
(To be continued)