Studying Sutra of Forty-Two sections and Ksitigarbha Sutra allow me to establish right view – one of the cause in Eight-Fold Path. From what I have learn, this is of upmost important. because only when we find the right map, can we journey in the right direction to our destiny. In another word, when we desire to have a reliable building, it is very important to lay a solid foundation . Not to mention matter related to our life’s death and rebirth. I know I am at the kindergarten level, I feel it would be harmful and even damaging to jump the gun(拔苗助长）. The elders said, you would rather not getting enlightened for one thousand days, but should not be so impatient and getting deluded/maniac in one day. 宁可千日不悟 不可一日着魔
All the great Chinese philosophy are about seeking change from inside yourself. And through the long process of cultivation, eventually accumulate enough strength and wisdom to radiant from inside out. Confucius takes up the discussion of mindfulness as the essential means of pursuing the practice of self-cultivation in first sentence of the Great Learning, “The Way (Tao) of great learning consists in making illustrious virtue manifest, renewing the people, and abiding in the highest good.” To ‘making illustrious virtue manifest’ we need to first know what is virtue in the first place. We need to know what is right and what is wrong as a start. 大学之道,在明明德,在亲民,在止于至善。”大学之道“即大学的宗旨， “明明德“就是 明了，彰显光明的德行。Buddhism echos Confucius ethos. In Chapter one of the Sutra of Forty-Two Sections, it upfront tells us that practice Buddhism is to “penetrate (the mind) to its origin, and understand the unconditioned Dharma “. 识心达本。解无为法。
It is said, a new Shramanas usually need to spent first several years to only integrate the precepts into their daily life until it became second nature before they embark on any further study. Of course we are not learning Buddhism in the monastic setting, but that gives us an idea sequence of laying foundation. The masters told us that “If you wish to become a Buddha, first learn to be a good person. ” How to be a good person? The Sutra Section 4 said “Clarifying Good and Evil” with our action, speech and thinking. More details can be found with Buddha Discourse on Ten Wholesome Way of Actions. We should first work on repentance and remove the bad habits and wrong ideas. 佛言。众生以十事为善。亦以十事为恶。何等为十。身三。我们念佛，念佛先除障碍；
Many people mistaken vegetarian, reading sutra, reciting mantra, charity work, meditation and super-nature ability as Buddhism. They are not totally wrong, But they missed the fundamental points of the teaching of eight-fold path. Cultivating the mindfulness of right action, right speech and right attitude is the essential core teaching of Buddhism. That is why people usually taking up Confucius teaching before study Buddhism. Especially for young people who are lacking real world reality check, can be easily confused by the many gateways of Buddhism and missed the essentials.
谈到修行，很多人以为修行就是吃斋，念佛，参禅打坐，诵经拜佛，做慈善工作，甚至是修一些神通，特异功能等等。其实所谓的修行并不玄妙神秘。 简单的说，修行就是修正自己的身体，语言，行为，心念的偏差之处。无论通过任何方法，只要能达到这个最终目的，都是修行。 修行是一个正行正受，即行即受的过程。 南怀瑾先生一再强调通读儒学的重要性，他说：“我一听到你们年轻人学佛，我头就大了，先学做人，能把儒家‘四书五经’做人之理通达了，成功了，学佛一定成功。”儒学是做人的底子，先正己身，像建筑的地基，扎稳地基才是学佛的根本。年轻人学佛学道，除了极个别的具有大根器的高人外，多数人的结果不外乎：学了十几年佛，念了几部经，非但没有证道，没有求得福报，最后还有可能把自己搞的神经兮兮，两手空空，一事无成，落落寡欢。或者只是学会了吃素，放生，收藏念珠，手串，念几句阿弥陀佛，大悲咒，满口随缘随缘，一切有为法，如梦幻泡影。。。然后继续满身习气的去贪嗔痴慢疑，去我行我素，以及之后的忏悔。然而即便如此，又不能完全融入世俗，因此其工作，生活，事业，家庭，都一团糟。。。
For the same reason, Master Jing Kong emphasize the heritage of classical learning. 净空法师说他牺牲生命都要把中国传统文化传下去。他说，“世出世法能不能成就，都是建立在孝亲尊师的基础上。我们从小得力于父母和老师的教导，所以对于传统文化的根沾了一点边，这对于我们日后求学能够得遇明师，从明师受教，而且终生奉持老师的教诫，承传老师的道学，奠定了基础。“
有学生问，“問：第七個問題，法師說過佛學與學佛、儒學與學儒不同的問題，希望進一步的來加以說明。“ 净空法师是这样回答的： ”儒教我們學習的次第，博學、審問、慎思、明辨、篤行，如果你對於儒只有博學、審問、慎思、明辨，沒有篤行，這就叫儒學，做學問，你自己沒有做到。你自己縱然是儒家的學者、儒家的博士，甚至於博士班的導師，你家不和，父子不和、兄弟不和、鄰里不和，你是搞儒學；如果你真的學儒，你一定是篤行，你做到了。從哪裡做起？格物、致知，你從這裡下手，然後再進一步，誠意、正心、修身、齊家，你一家和睦，你的鄰里鄉黨看到你們這一家人羨慕，那叫學儒，所以這個不一樣。佛也是如此，佛家講的信、解、行、證，講四個，如果你只有信解沒有行證，這是佛學，如果信解行證統統具足，這叫學佛。再簡單具體的來說，學儒從哪裡學起？從禮學起，從弟子規，弟子規是屬於禮，基本的禮節。基本做人的規矩你統統都能做到了，是學儒；如果連弟子規都沒有做到，你是儒學。在佛法裡面，十善業道，十善業道完全做到了，你是學佛；十善業道沒有做到，你是佛學。這就很清楚、很明白。”
Buddha’s 49 years of teaching and the millions of disciples’ study of the last two thousand years have left us immeasurable amount of material to study Buddhism. For a beginner can be easily overwhelmed by the depth and vastness of Buddhism teaching. We can also easily fall into the trap of following what is popular and misled into something not quite suite for our level of study. The consequence of the mistake sometimes can be very costly. The elders said, without the mastery on THE SEVENTEEN MAIN STAGES OF YOGĀCĀRABHŪMI-ŚĀSTRA ( 《瑜伽师地论》), without the mastery on The Avataṃsaka Sūtra,(华严经) without the mastery on The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra (楞伽经), the mastery on Lotus Sutra, anyone should NOT talk lightly about Chan Buddhism or Vajrayāna。 梦参老和尚谈过西藏人正宗的佛学院学习二十几年后才可能学习密宗，还只是一小部分人够格。
南怀瑾《唯识与中观》：现在我们关于这个课程的研究，再次采用固定的课本就是《楞伽经》与《成唯识论》。为什么这样的用这两本经典来研究呢？第一，也是针对现在世界各地所流行两个东西——禅宗与密宗的道理(而)来。现在很少有真密宗，很少有真的密宗。假定有真的密宗，没有不通唯识的教理(的)。你们大家充满了神秘的思想，这也是密宗那也是密宗，现在密宗特别多。反正我不跟你讲，我要骗你一下我这个是密宗，嘿，就变成这样了(注：老师可能此时做了个动作)——笑话了。一个真正修密宗的人没有不通唯识教理的。就是说，《瑜伽师地论》一百卷如果没有通，没有办法学密宗。华严经一百卷同法相中观的理论、这个理论配合不起来，你没有办法学密宗，那换句话说你学的就是外道，这我可以大胆地负责地说这个话。
此外你说你是学禅、禅宗，(如果)唯识中观《瑜伽师地论》一百卷没有通，楞伽、法华经等等没有通，你不要随便谈禅宗。我们知道禅宗的初祖达摩祖师到中国来传禅宗的时候，他是以《楞伽经》印心哪！《楞伽经》就是唯识宗的五经中重点的经典，第一部经。所以研究法相唯识不能不通《楞伽经》，换句话说研究密宗不能不通《楞伽经》，那么研究唯识的人更不能不通《楞伽经》了。因为现在我们这里有现成的印的《楞伽经》，又加上我自己曾经简单明了地用白话把它翻译了一下，前面又放上玄奘法师的八字律《八识规矩颂》，也使你们看起来方便，研究起来方便。