The Difference Between Monastics and Lay Practitioners

First, let us discuss what a "home" is—what is the concept of a home? A home, first, requires a house in which the whole family lives together. Second, it requires family members—parents, a spouse, or children—who accompany one another and depend on each other. Third, there is a shared worldly life, such as eating and drinking, daily living, entertainment, and so on. Fourth, there is common property and material resources as the foundation of shared living, with channels of economic income. Fifth, there are common life goals and rules.

When these conditions combine, they form a family. This applies only to the human realm of the desire realm in the Sahā world, because the desires of beings in the human realm are heavy and strong, so they need houses to cover their sexual activities between men and women, to prevent others from peeping and being ridiculed. In the beginning, the human realm of the Sahā world came about when second-dhyāna devas descended to the earth. Because they greedily ate the "fat of the earth," their bodies became heavy, and they could not fly back to their heavenly palaces, so they had to remain on earth and live there, becoming human beings. The first humans were second-dhyāna devas, without the marks of male and female. Later, as humans multiplied, emotions arose among them, and they coveted and loved one another; thus humanity became divided into male and female forms. When these men and women engaged in sexual activities together, at first they avoided others, and later they built houses, gradually forming families and having children. From this point on, the family came into being, and the "home" appeared.

It is evident that a home cannot be separated from men and women, and cannot be separated from sexual relations between them. Without sexual relations, people would not form families, and there would be no children. The devas of the desire realm, whose sensual desire is slight, have no families; even the humans of Uttarakuru in the north have no families. All the devas of the form realm have no marks of male and female, no sexual desire, and are all in meditative concentration (samādhi); they have even less in the way of families, nor do they need to rush about everywhere to support a household, nor need sources of income. Therefore, the home applies only to the human realm of the Sahā world, and the matter of "leaving home" (going forth) exists only in the human realm of the Sahā world. Where there is no family, the question of leaving home or not does not arise; moreover, without the need for economic income and without rushing about to support a household, one does not count as a layperson either.

As for the Buddha-lands where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas abide, these are all celestial environments—even more sublime than celestial realms. There are no marks of male and female, no worldly life, no rushing about for a living, no worldly occupations; everything done is for the benefit and happiness of sentient beings—all is Buddha-work. Therefore, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have no need to manifest a so-called "gone-forth" appearance like that of the human realm of the Sahā world; there is no need to shave their heads and remove the "threads of affliction"—He has no afflictions—and no need to wear the gone-forth robes of the human realm of the Sahā world. Their physical bodies themselves have no bondage; Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sentient beings alike do not cling to the appearance of a physical body. Whatever appearance He manifests is a gone-forth appearance, not a lay appearance, because there are no lay affairs whatsoever.

We sentient beings of the human realm in the Sahā world cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Buddhas of the ten directions, nor with all the bodhisattvas of equal enlightenment and wondrous enlightenment, nor with the bodhisattvas of the ten bhūmis, thinking that beings in this evil world of the five turbidities need not manifest a gone-forth appearance and need not leave home, and are thus the same as those who have gone forth.

In fact, for everyone living in this world, the difference between having left home and being a layperson is enormous. Laypeople are all burdened by worldly life and cannot free themselves; the limitations they face on the path of cultivation are very great. Many people are distressed by the burdens of worldly life and cannot devote themselves single-mindedly to cultivation. Even if they wish to leave home, they are restrained by karmic conditions and cannot do so; some have attempted to go forth several times, only to be pulled back by karmic conditions. This is the true situation of the human realm in the Sahā world. We cannot ignore this reality and insist that being a layperson is the same as having gone forth, with no difference—in truth, the difference is very great. Everyone should ask themselves honestly, and should not put a tall hat on themselves, claiming to be the same as those who have gone forth.