Why did li lian jie study dharma?

Li Lian Jie was born at April 26th,1963, an actor, a businessman, a martial art man and a famous philanthropist in the world.

From 1997, he started to learn Buddhism. Why does a famous and successful man decide to search for Buddhism? The answer will be come from the interview between Li Lian Jie and Phuong Hoang Television.

MC: Could you let the audience know why did you learn Buddhism?

LLJ: Because of an awareness of living. Since a child until an adult I always have a friendly feeling to religion without reason. In 1997, I was 34 years old. At that time suddenly arose the thinking of the real meaning of life. Concerning with material living; basically, I am in certain guarantee, working for surviving, I had no more worry of it. However, people around me, they even possess billions of dollars but still in suffering and worry. What are they worrying about?

Among my friends, some try to get money in thousands, some thousands, hundred thousands, millions, billions, ect. They still have same anxiety. Looking at them I begin to think of life. I realize that when people come into this world, sentiment is the first thing which they hope for. It means we all wish to be happy. The second thing is the feeling of safeness. Many people are in happiness but no feeling of safety.

When being born, we need only love and always crying loudly in the feeling of unsafety. Hearing our sounds, parents will come and take us in their arms. Then we realize that crying has its own power. We only call “daddy, mummy”, our protectors will come. And sentiment comes from such very simple thing. But when we are three or four years old (before may be seven or eight but now is just three or four), we leave sentiment to follow fame.

 

We must be studied in the famous kindergarten, must be at the top of class; everything is at the head. Since a child, the idea of important fame was put into our mind by adult people and it follows us until growing up. They are major high-school, renowned university, large company, high position, noted branded- goods, and so on We enter in society in the certain age and find that life has not only fame but wealth, too. Then we think about something like the benefit of money. However, the feeling of having fame and wealth still can’t make us satisfy in the middle age when we have no power. Power will be the advantageous means for wealth. And the more fame, the more wealth and the more power we desire.

But if we spend the whole life for chasing such kinds of desire and take them for ensuring the internal joy and happiness, it can be said that until the end of life we still feel unsatisfactory for those things. Therefore I had thought to find out who can answer this problem.

 

THE MOST VEN. THICH THANH NGHIEM AND LI LIAN JIE

 

I found that 2500 years before, there was a prince who possessed all those things which were desired by all people. He had power, the power of a prince in present and of king later; he had wealth, the all wealth in his country and what kind of fame does he desire to have when he is a prince and later will be a king? He has everything, whatever he desires he will be satisfied, but he is still in suffering. Why? Because he could not solve the problem of birth, old age, sickness and death. There are many things can’t be solved by him. Therefore, he had left and renounced everything behind.

 

We all think that the desire of fame, wealth, power, beauty can ensure us in happiness, joy and safety, but these things are abandoned by him. He had practiced self-mortification for six years and finally had found the way leading to everlasting happiness. During over 2000 years of human history, the path which had been found by him effected on many people. Among them are a lot of writers, thinkers, physicists, chemists, ect. Therefore, they are not such a kind of superstitious group. In the West I met a lot of people who were practicing  Zen Buddhism, including doctors, engineers, students. It is impossible to say that they are all superstitious people. They probably are seeking something.

MC: Precisely!

LLJ: Therefore I said that if you really know how to get the real happiness I surely will come to learn.

MC: Starting from 1997?

LLJ: In 1997 with such kind of thinking I began to follow Buddhist learning, the more learning the more joy I can get and I also can see the life in different aspects. The truth is, in 2004 I had met many masters and received many teachings of them, including Theravada, Mahayana as well as Tantric Buddhism… At now I am always in happy feeling and I wish to share this feeling to others. I saw many people with full of anxiety and tiredness on their faces…Can I share to them? To be honest, I had intension to do some things and I am not deficient of fame or money but to do these works I need some courage. Then this year I met tsunami.

MC: I knew that.

LLJ: After that I visited Tibet and spent two times of escaping from death because of lacking of oxygen. And facing to death three time in a year had provided enough courage for me. I have no reason to wait more. The world is impermanent and everything can be happened.

MC: Yes, indeed!

LLJ: Although you are good at kung fu and have strong health but you need breathing for survive, without breath your life will be ended. Nothing can ensure that you will live until 80 or 70 or only 30 years old… Therefore I have no more feeling of death. Anyhow I had experienced of death already including immediately death as dipped by tsunami and also slowly death as lacking of oxygen on plateau.

After these experiences I have nothing to be afraid of. I think of how to repay society and sharing my own experiences. I have no intention to teach you anything and have no right to teach anyone but I wish to share to everyone no matter who are they. If you find that it is useful, take it for free and if useless, just let it out. I totally don’t mind with any behavior, just hope everyone will be happy.