THE BUDDHA
TEACHES
SPIRITUAL
EMANCIPATION
AND SUPREME
ENLIGHTENMENT:
ENDING
IGNORANCE AND SUFFERING
AND ATTAINING THE BLISS OF BUDDHAHOOD
(A)
The
Buddha’s Message: “We can all become Buddhas”
The Buddha
Shakyamuni teaches that every human being can become a Buddha – one who is
fully enlightened and blissful, totally free from ignorance and craving as well
as completely liberated from all the causes and effects of suffering.
When
Shakyamuni attained the Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, He opened His
Buddha-eye and saw all sentient beings as Buddhas in their ultimate state of
spiritual evolution – what they truly are when they return to their original
perfection and reclaim their inherent Buddha-nature.
What is Buddha-nature?
It is the intrinsic nature of self-enlightenment, the spiritual essence of
Buddhahood in every human being. Buddhahood is everyone’s immutable and
inalienable birthright: this is the Buddha’s timeless message.
However,
until we become enlightened, we will continue to live in the inescapable
condition of dukkha (suffering),
life after life, in the interminable cycle of birth-n-death, bound relentlessly
to the law of Karma (the principle
of cause and effect), in the infinite prison of Samsara (cyclic existence). According to Buddha, we chain, padlock
and straitjacket ourselves with our very own ignorance/delusion/stupidity, with
our very own craving/desire/passion/self-attachment, and with our very own
hatred/ill-will/malice/rancor. These defilements cover up and obscure our
Buddha-nature in its pristine purity and radiance. So, we must get rid of all
these karmic taints and toxins. Eradicate them all!
“When our
adventitious defilements are abandoned, we understand that a Buddha has been
there primordially,” Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay, a contemporary Nying-ma lama has
commented.
How do we get
rid of all our defilements? How do we free ourselves spiritually? Through
correct and proper cultivation. Through diligent practice.
Master Hsu
Yun (1840-1959), the Chan/Zen giant of the 20th century, has taught
us:
“If our
self-cultivation is practiced according to the (Dharma) method, without either
backsliding or regret, we are bound to attain Buddhahood.
“Therefore,
we should firmly believe that fundamentally we are Buddhas, we should also
firmly believe that self-cultivation performed according to the (appropriate)
method is bound to result in the attainment of Buddhahood…” (2)
In a classic
introductory treatise on one’s actual intrinsic awareness and self-liberation,
the great 8th century adept and guru Padmasambhava, the Master from
Uddiyana, has composed:
“… So all sentient beings, even though
they possess the actual essence of
Buddhahood,
Will not realize Buddhahood without
engaging in practice.
If he practices, then even a cowherd can
realize liberation…” (3)
(B)
The
Basics of the Buddhadharma:
The
Fundamentals of the Buddha’s Teachings
(1)
The
Four Noble Truths (FNT)
In His very first discourse (Dhammacakkappavattana
Sutta) the Buddha said to the five monks at the Deer Park in
Issipatana that only when “the absolute true intuitive knowledge” of the Four
Noble Truths “became perfectly clear” to Him, did He acknowledge that He “had
gained the Incomparable Supreme Enlightenment”… (4)
The Buddha taught His inaugural class of five disciples that the First
Noble Truth of Suffering should be perceived, the Second Noble Truth of the
Cause of Suffering (ignorance-bound
craving) should be eradicated, the Third Noble Truth of the Cessation of
Suffering should be realized, and the Fourth Noble Truth of the Path (the Noble
Eightfold Path) leading to the Cessation of Suffering should be developed. (5)
“Bhikkhus, it is through not realizing, through not penetrating the Four
Noble Truths that this long course of birth and death has been passed through
and undergone by Me as well as by you,” the Blessed One preached in His last
sermon (as recorded in the Mahaparinibbana
Sutta and posted on buddhasutra.com)
before the distinguished assembly of five hundred great monks at Kotigama.
“But now, Bhikkhus, that these (four fundamental existential truths)
have been realized and penetrated, cut off is the craving for existence,
destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming (rebirth), and there is no
fresh beginning (final release from samsaric existence, total spiritual
liberation)…”
Then the Master said, speaking in verse:
“Through not seeing the Four
Noble Truths,
Long was the weary path from
birth to birth.
When these (four truths) are
known, removed is rebirth’s cause,
The root of sorrow
(suffering) plucked: thus ends rebirth…”
The
complete cessation of suffering is Nibbana
(in Pali), Nirvana (Sanskrit), the
ultimate goal of Buddhist cultivation. “It is achieved by the total eradication
of all forms of craving,” Theravada scholar-monk Narada has commented. (6)
“This Nibbana
has to be comprehended by the mental eye by renouncing all internal attachment
to the external world.
“This Truth (the Cessation of Suffering) has to be realized by
developing the Noble Eightfold Path which is the Fourth Noble Truth. This
unique path is the only straight route that leads to Nibbana…” 13.07.2014
03:13
(2)
The
Noble Eightfold Path (NEP)
The Buddha
has called it the Middle Path “which tends to peace, higher wisdom,
enlightenment, and Nibbana…” (7)
“The very
Noble Eightfold Path – namely, Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration,” the Buddha taught. “This, O Bhikkhus, is the Middle Path which
the Tathagata (Buddha) has comprehended...”
As explained
by Narada: Right Understanding and Right Thought embrace Wisdom (panna/prajna), Right Speech, Right
Action and Right Livelihood constitute morality (sila), Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
culminate in complete and consummate Concentration (samadhi).
To
quote Narada: “According to the order of development, Morality, Concentration,
and Wisdom are the three stages in the Grand Highway that leads to Nibbana…”
(8)
Morality, Concentration and Wisdom are the three basic and indispensable
elements in the Buddhist way of cultivation and dedicated practice leading to
the ultimate attainment of total spiritual liberation, perfect enlightenment
and the supreme Buddhahood.
Says
the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 234):
“The wise are controlled in bodily action,
controlled in speech
and controlled in thought.
“They are truly well-controlled (self-disciplined)…”
On His last
journey to Kusinara, the Blessed One also often gave further counsel to the
large community of monks, on following the Noble Eightfold Path and attaining
the fruit of bodhi (omniscience and
great compassion) “when fully developed by virtuous conduct (sila),
concentration (samadhi), and wisdom (prajna)…”
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada
verses 273-275) (9):
“Of all paths
the Eightfold Path is the best;
of
all truths
the Four
Noble Truths are the best… (v 273)
“ This
is the only path;
there is no
other for the purification
of insight.
“Tread
this path
and you will
bewilder Mara (Lord of evil forces)…“ (v 274)
“Walking upon this path
you will make an end of suffering.
“Having discovered
how to pull out the thorn of lust (craving),
I make known the path…” (v 275)
(3)
The
Law of Karma (LOK)
Karma/kamma
is the universal ethical/moral law of cause and effect. To quote the Theravada
scholar-monk Narada:
“Kamma is action, and Vipaka, fruit or
result is its reaction. Just as every object is accompanied by a shadow, even
so every volitional activity is accompanied by its due effect. Like potential
seed is Kamma. Fruit, arising from the tree, is the Vipaka, effect or result.
As Kamma may be good or bad, so may Vipaka, fruit, be good or bad… (10)
“What we think, speak or do, become our very
own. It is these thoughts, words, and deeds that assume the name of Kamma and
pass from life to life exalting and degrading us in the course of our
wanderings in Samsara…” (11)
While the physical law of gravity stops
short and loses its pulling power at the point of weightlessness in space, the
inexorable moral law of karma rules evenly, and yet keenly, throughout all the
vast domains of the infinite cosmos and countless life-n-death worlds in
Samsara.
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 127):
“Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean,
nor by entering into mountain clefts,
nowhere in the world
is there a place where one may escape
from the results of evil deeds...”
Says the
Buddha (Samyutta Nikaya/Kindred
Sayings):
“Man’s merits and the sins he here hath
wrought:
That is the thing he owns, that takes he
hence;
That dogs his steps, like shadows in
pursuit.
“Hence let him make good store for life
(next life) elsewhere…”
Says the
Buddha (Dhammapada verse 319):
“Those
who discern
the
wrong as wrong
and
the right as right –
upholding right views,
they
go to realms of bliss…”
In
His final teaching, the Buddha reminded His disciples: “You should control
yourselves!
“Hence,
wise men control themselves and do not indulge their senses but guard them like
robbers who must not be allowed freedom from restraint. If you allow them
freedom from restraint, before long Mara will destroy you. The mind is lord of
the five senses and for this reason you should well control the mind…” (12)
In
the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra,
the Buddha said to the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Lion’s Roar: “…Because the person
excises defilements. Because of this, we say result…Nirvana (the bliss of
spiritual liberation and enlightenment) is the result…Nirvana has no cause. It
is the result. Why so? Because there is no birth-and-death…” (13)
(4)
Sila:
the Moral Foundation of the Path
Says
the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 8):
“Just
as a storm
cannot prevail against a rocky mountain,
so Mara can never
overpower
the man who lives
meditating
on the impurities, who is
controlled
in his senses,
moderate in eating,
and filled with faith and earnest effort...” (14)
“You should practice morality which is unimpaired, blameless, not mixed
and unsullied – for morality is said to be the foundation of all virtues, just
as the earth is (the support of both animate and inanimate things),” Acarya
Nagarjuna (c. 150-250) wrote in a letter to his Buddhist friend and royal
patron King Gantaniputra Satakarni of Andhra. (15)
“Just as the earth is the basis of every thing in the world, so morality
is the foundation of all worldly and beyond worldly achievements.
“Morality is also essential for the subsequent development of
concentration (samadhi) and wisdom (prajna), therefore cultivate it well…”
Ch’an Patriarch Hsu Yun (1840-1959) has also taught: “…For discipline is
the fundamental of the Supreme Bodhi (Supreme Enlightenment and Buddhahood),
discipline begets immutability and immutability begets wisdom. There is no such
thing as self-cultivation without observance of the rules of discipline.
“The Surangama Sutra which
lists four kinds of purity, clearly teaches us that cultivation of Samadhi (a
mind of pure and strong concentration) without observance of the rules of
discipline (sila), will not wipe out the dusts (defilements and impurities)…”
(16)
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verse
16):
“The doer of good
rejoices here and hereafter;
he
rejoices in both the worlds…” (17)
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada
verse 118):
“Should a person
do good,
let him do it
again and again.
Let him find
pleasure therein,
For blissful is the
accumulation of good…” (18)
(5)
Pancasila:
The Five Precepts for the lay followers
On
one occasion the Lord Buddha taught the five lay precepts to Dhammika and five
hundred other lay disciples at the Anathapindaka’s monastery in the Jeta Grove
near Savatthi.
“Now I will tell
you the layman’s duty. Following it a lay disciple would be virtuous,” the Lord
said.
“He should not
kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should he incite another to
kill. Do not injure any being, either strong or weak in the world…
“He should not
steal nor incite another to steal. He should completely avoid theft.
“A wise man
should avoid un-chastity as (he would avoid falling into) a pit of glowing
charcoal. If unable to lead a celibate life, he should not go to another’s
wife…
“He should not
speak lies himself nor incite others to do so. He should completely avoid
falsehood.
“A layman who has chosen to practice this
Dhamma should not indulge in the drinking of intoxicants. He should not drink
them nor encourage others to do so. Through intoxication foolish people perform
evil deeds and cause other heedless people to do likewise. He should avoid
intoxication, this occasion for demerit, which stupefies the mind…” (19)
At one time when the Buddha was dwelling
among the Koliyans, the rivals of the Sakyans, He taught Vyagghapajja, a
Koliyan layman who sought instructions to attain “weal and happiness” in his
future life. The Buddha taught this young householder the four conditions and
accomplishments: (1) faith in the Buddha’s enlightenment, (2) virtue, (3)
charity and generosity, and (4) wisdom/insight leading to the destruction of
suffering.
On
the accomplishment of virtue, the Buddha said: “Herein a householder abstains
from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and from intoxicants that
cause infatuation and heedlessness. This is called the accomplishment of
virtue…” (20)
His
parting advice for the lay people: to go on the Noble Eightfold Path:
“Endowed with faith
and virtue too,
Generous he is and
free from avarice;
He ever works to
clear the path
That leads to weal in
future life…”
Late one morning the
Buddha met, and taught young Sigala, the son of a recently deceased wealthy
householder in the ancient city of Rajagaha in Northern India.
“The destruction of life,
householder, is a vice, and so are stealing, sexual misconduct and lying,” the
Buddha taught Sigala.
The injunction
against consumption of intoxicants, the fifth precept of the moral code for the
laity, was then taught as one of the six sources of dissipating wealth,
including indulgence in gambling and association with evil companions – timely
and significant advice for the young son of a multimillionaire who had lately passed away. (21)
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verses 246-247):
“One who destroys
life,
utters lies, takes
what is not given,
goes to another man’s
wife,
and is addicted to intoxicating
drinks –
such a man digs up his own root even in this very world...” (22)
As summarized in
the Maha Mangala Sutta:
Restraint and departure from evil ways,
Abstinence from intoxicants and all drugs too,
Diligently active in the pursuit of goodness
–
These rank among the highest
success-generators… (23)
In Verses of Praise, the Original Buddha
Vairocana advises and says :
“…All beings
with resolve
Should accept
and uphold the Buddha’s precepts.
“Sentient
beings on receiving them
Join forthwith the ranks
of Buddhas.
“They are in
essence (their Buddha-nature) equal to the Buddhas.
“They are the
true offspring of the Buddhas…” (24)
In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the
Buddha says: “All beings possess the Buddha-Nature. Only by observing the
precepts can one see it. When one sees the Buddha-Nature, one attains
unsurpassed Enlightenment…” (25) 15.07.2014
06:45 3,306 words
© The fusion power of faith and
wisdom
In
Buddhist practice, faith is primarily established in the Buddha as the Supreme
Teacher of spiritual liberation and enlightenment, as the model and paradigm of
the ultimate spiritual accomplishment for human beings in this world of
temporal existence.
“The ariyan (noble)
disciple is of faith; he (she) has faith in the Awakening of the Tathagata
(Buddha),” it’s declared in the Majjhima-Nikaya
(Collection of Middle-length Discourses) 53. Such firm faith, according to the Buddha, can lead one to
spiritual liberation.
As also stated in
the Anguttara-Nikaya (Collection of
Gradual Sayings) Book of Threes, 21, “a person who is “released by faith” can
well be “on the path to arahantship” (the fourth and highest stage of sainthood
in Theravada Buddhism, culminating in complete spiritual emancipation and
enlightenment).
In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the
Buddha ascribes faith as the cause of enlightenment (its effect or fruit). He
teaches “we say that unsurpassed Awakening (Wisdom/insight/enlightenment) has
faith as its cause. The causes of Awakening are innumerable; but if stated as
faith, this covers everything…” (26)
As understood in the
Buddha’s final teachings, faith is embedded in the Buddhadharma, specifically in
the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path (which the Buddha first
taught the five monks in His very first sermon), the law of Karma, and taking
refuge in the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma (Doctrine), and Sangha
(Spiritual Community of ordained and lay disciples).
“As I have already
stated, if one believes in the Way, such a Way of faith is the root of faith.
This assists the Way of Awakening,” the Buddha said (Chapter 20: On Holy
Actions). “The Way begins with the root of faith…”
The
“Tathagatagarba” sutra entitled Anunatva-Apurnatva
Niodesa (Exposition of Non-Decrease, Non-Increase) tells of how the essence
of the Ultimate Truth, the “Tathagatagarba”, can only be perceived by means of
faith. A person with insight alone cannot “know, see or investigate” the
spiritual essence of Buddhahood. “How much less able to do so are foolish ordinary
people, except when they directly realize it by faith!” (27)
In the Nagasena Bhiksu Sutra (p. 47), the
eminent Buddhist monk and arahat Nagasena said in answer to King Menander of
Bactria: “Faith means belief without doubt…” He then told the king that those
who have attained any of the four stages of sainthood, have done so because of
“their wholesome state of mind and their perseverance.” Then he added (p.49):
“Therefore the Buddha said, ‘He who has faith can save himself. If people of
the world can control and overcome the five sense desires by themselves, and
also know that the body is suffering, they can save themselves. People all
obtain the path by wisdom’ (free from all the doubts)…” (28)
“If we want to be liberated from (the
samsaric cycle of) births and deaths, we must first have a firm believing mind.
The Buddha said that all living beings on earth had (inherent in them) the
meritorious Tathagata wisdom which they could not realize solely because of
their false thinking and grasping,” Master Hsu Yun taught.
“We should,
therefore, believe that His words are not false and that all living beings can
attain Buddhahood…”
Through a firm
faith, the great Ch’an Master emphasized. (29)
“The Buddhadharma is deeper than the great
sea, higher than Mount Sumeru. It is difficult to fathom and difficult to
penetrate, but with faith one can taste its flavor. Entry into the ocean of
Buddhadharma is impossible for the person who lacks faith,” taught Master Hsuan
Hua, Master Hsu Yun’s spiritual successor.
“However, if
one has faith, if one truly believes, then from the shallow one can enter the
deep; from the near one can reach the far; from a little one can gain a lot.
With constant investigation, little by little one penetrates the precious store
of Buddhadharma. Deep faith, firm vows (commitment/dedication), and actual
practice (diligence) are the ingredients. No matter how wonderful the great
Dharma is, without firm faith the
wonderful cannot be obtained.
“Great Dharma
refers to Prajna wisdom. One simply
need believe in his (her) own originally existent wisdom (Buddha-nature). A
passage of the Vajra Sutra (Diamond
Sutra) says: “Whoever produces a single thought of pure faith is completely known and completely seen by the Tathagata
(Buddha).” The Buddha knows if you bring forth a single thought of pure faith.
Receiving the telegram he sends the reply:
Relentlessly Cultivate Morality
Concentration Wisdom
Stop Put Greed Anger Stupidity To Rest Stop
“The person
who receives the reply should respond immediately by relentlessly cultivating
morality, concentration, and wisdom and putting greed, anger, and stupidity to
rest…” (30) 16.07.2014
06:10 12(15) pages 4,343 words
D: The Practice of Patience and Diligence
(a)
Patience
In the Diamond Sutra (chapter 14), the Buddha said to His disciple Subhuti
that “during My five hundred previous lives I had used life after life to
practice patience and to look upon My life humbly as though I were a
saint called upon to suffer humility…” (31)
The Diamond Sutra says: “All accomplishments
are attributed to patience…” (32)
The great Mahayana
exponent and scholar-monk Nagarjuna (c. 150-250) has taught: “Since there is no
penance like patience, you must give anger no opportunity to arise. The Buddha
said that by giving up anger, one will attain the irreversible stage (of the
path to enlightenment)…” (33)
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 184):
“Enduring patience
is the highest austerity...”
(b)
Diligence
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 276):
“You yourselves must
strive;
the Buddhas only point the way.
“Those meditative ones who tread
the path
are released from the bonds of
Mara (mental defilements/moral taints).” (34)
“O
Bhikkhus, if you strive diligently, nothing will be difficult for you. As a
little water trickling can bore a hole through a rock, so must you strive
energetically,” the Buddha taught His disciples just before His parinibbana.
“From now on, all
My disciples must continue to practice in this way without ceasing, whereby the
body of the Tathagata’s Dharma (the Dharmakaya of omniscient wisdom) will be
everlasting and indestructible…” (35)
“Great
patience and diligence are needed day and night to continually develop our
concentration and understanding – the endeavor of self-realization,” Thich Nhat
Hanh, world-renowned Vietnamese scholar-monk, has commented.
“Our energy
must also be regulated until all the basic desires and passions – greed, anger,
narrow-mindedness, arrogance, doubt, and pre-conceived ideas – are uprooted. At
this time we will know that our bodies and minds are liberated from the
imprisonment of birth and death, the five skandas, and the three worlds…” (36)
The Blessed
One’s last words in the Parinibbana
Sutra:
“… Behold,
O disciples, I exhort you. Subject to change are all component things
(skandas). Strive on with diligence
(Vayudhamma samkhara, Appamadena sampadetha)…” (37)
(E) The
Threefold Practice of Self-Purification, Selfless Giving, and Letting Go
(1)
Self-Purification
Says the
Buddha (Dhammapada verse 165):
“By oneself
is evil done;
by oneself
is one defiled.
“ By oneself is
evil left undone;
By oneself is
one made pure.
“Purity and impurity
depend on oneself;
no one can
purify another.” (38)
Says
the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 238):
“Make
an island for yourself!
“ Strive
hard and become wise!
“Rid of impurities
and cleansed of stain,
you
shall not come again
to birth and decay.” (39)
One
late afternoon when the Blessed One was staying at the Bamboo Grove near
Rajagraha, He went over to see Venerable Rahula (His only son) at the Mango
Stone and taught him: “Thus, Rahula, you should train yourself: ‘I will purify
my bodily actions through repeated reflection (to know whether they are
unskillful with affliction and painful consequences, or skillful with pleasant
results). I will purify my verbal actions through repeated reflection (like
looking into a mirror). I will purify my mental actions through repeated
reflection.’ That’s how you should train yourself.” (40)
The
Buddha’s advice is that before doing anything or taking any action, one should look
at it (like looking at a mirror) clearly, reflect on its merit or demerit. One
should not do what’s demeritable, non-virtuous, and unpleasant.
In the
late afternoon session with Rahula, the Buddha concluded, saying: “Therefore,
Rahula, you should train thus, ‘Reflecting I will purify my bodily, verbal and
mental actions.’”
Says
the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 281):
“Let a man
be watchful of speech,
well controlled in mind,
and not
commit evil in bodily action.
“ Let him purify
these three courses of action,
and win the path
made
known by the Great Sage.” (41)
In
Pure Land faith and practice, devotees make use of their own effort and energy
(self-power) as well as the Buddha’s purifying and enlightening power (Other Power)
extended through His Great Vows to all the faithful. As explained by Pure Land
Master T’an-luan (476-542), the mindful practice of chanting/reciting the
Buddha’s Name (of immeasurable true and pure merit) is capable of eradicating
all karmic evils.
On
the Buddha’s Power, Japanese Pure Land scholar Dr. Hisao Inagaki has written:
“When it works upon us through the Name and the Light (of Buddha-Wisdom and
Great Compassion), it has the effect of emptying us of karmic defilements and
passions, along with the attachments which bind us to Samsaric existence.
“At
the same time, this Power fills us completely and changes our karmic course
towards the Land of Bliss. Birth in the Pure Land and subsequent attainment of
Enlightenment are, therefore, the natural result of the working of this Power…”
(42)
American Pure Land scholar Dr.
Roger Tashi Corless has written: “…T’an-luan tells us that reciting (Buddha)
Amita’s Name purifies our minds because its essence (i) is infinite wisdom. If this purification does not occur in the
practitioner, he explains that it is because one is not practicing in
accordance with the correspondence (hsiang-ing)
of the Name (Ming) Amitabha (Infinite Light) and its
essence (i) (infinite omniscient
wisdom).
“Effective
invocation requires that it be pure (shun),
that is, unmixed with other thoughts;
definite (chueh-ting), that is, not
half-hearted; and continuous (hsiang-hsu),
meaning without gaps between the repetitions of the phrase (NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA)…” (43)
One of
the foremost Buddhist leaders of the 20th century, Grand Master T’an
Hsu has taught that “one invocation of Buddha Amitabha’s Name represents the
supreme Dharma and covers unlimited approaches (to spiritual liberation). One
invocation to Amitabha, if uttered properly, will immediately cause the six
sense organs to become clean and clear…” (44)
Says the Buddha (Dhammapada verse 24):
“Ever grows the glory of him
who is energetic, mindful
and
pure in conduct,
discerning and self-controlled,
righteous and heedful.” (45)
E (2)
Selfless Giving
“Subhuti, in the practice of compassion and charity, a disciple should
be detached,” said the Buddha in the Diamond
Sutra. (46)
“Why? Because practicing compassion and charity without attachment is
the way to reaching the highest Perfect Wisdom, it is the way to becoming a
living Buddha…”
The
practice of detached, selfless giving is of unlimited merit, impossible to
measure – immeasurable like empty and infinite space, according to Buddha.
Master Hsuan Hua (1918-1995) has explained that one should give without
being attached, free from attachment to self as giver, to recipient and to gift
itself, and understanding that the one who gives, one who receives, and what is
given, are all empty of marks. “Your giving is devoid of attachment to the
giver, the recipient, or the gift given,” Master Hua said. (47) Everything is,
ultimately, and absolutely, empty.
Non-attachment is implicit in the nature of emptiness of all things. As
explained by the Prince of Dharma, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Manjusri, the
whole world is made of the five empty aggregates or skandas. And the five
aggregates of form, feeling, conception, impulse, and consciousness have to be
rightly understood.
“Such
a right understanding of the five aggregates is called the supreme
understanding,” Manjusri said to Subhuti. (48)
“If
one attains this supreme understanding, then he is liberated…
“If
he is not attached to mundane things, he transcends the mundane world…” Why be
attached to such things which are essentially empty?
E (3)
Detaching self/Emptying ego/Letting go
The
Buddha teaches (Dhammapada verse
337):
“…Dig up the root of craving,
like one
in search of the fragrant roots
of birana
grass.
“Let not Mara crush you
again and again
as
a flood crushes a reed…” (49)
The
Buddha teaches (Dhammapada verse
348):
“Let go of the past
let go of the future,
let go of the present,
and cross over (Samsara)
to
the farther shore of existence (Nirvana).
“With mind wholly liberated,
you shall come no
more to birth and death.” (50)
The Buddha teaches (Dhammapada verse
350):
“He who delights
in
subduing evil thoughts
who meditates on the impurities
and is ever mindful –
it
is he who will make an end of craving
and render asunder Mara’s fetter (ignorance).” (51)
The Buddha teaches (Dhammapada verse369):
“Empty this boat,
O monk! Emptied, it will sail lightly.
“Rid of lust and hatred,
you shall reach Nirvana.” (52)
In
a brief discourse Mogharaja’s Question,
the Lord Buddha said: “Look upon the world as empty, Mogharaja, ever mindful;
uprooting the view of self you may thus be one who overcomes death. So
regarding the world, one is not seen by the King of Death (Mara)…” (53)
In
the Samyutta-Nikaya (Kindred
Sayings), the Lord explained to Ananda: “Because, Ananda, it is empty of a self
or what belongs to a self, therefore it is said, ‘the world is empty’…”
It’s the mundane world or the
entire macrocosm of the five empty aggregates or skandas, the entirety of one’s
subjective and objective experience. This phenomenal world is truly impermanent
and empty.
(F)
Mindfulness of the Buddha Amitabha
(a) Buddha’s
Name
Of Infinite Light and Life,
Buddha’s Power of
Omniscient Wisdom and
Great Compassion
“The reason why I believe in Amida (Amitabha)
is that Amida Buddha gives me His wisdom and compassion through His Name so
that I am able to attain birth in His Pure Land,” Master T’an-luan (476-542),
known and respected as Donran in Japan, said to Emperor Hsiao-ching-ti, who was
himself a profound Buddhist scholar.
T’an-luan played a key role in the early development of Pure Land
Buddhism in China. He was also highly influential among the Pure Land schools
in Japan. He has written that faith in Amitabha Buddha alone enables one to
attain birth in the Pure Land and reach the stage of non-retrogression in
spiritual practice (with the Buddha’s vow-powered assurance of attaining the
ultimate Buddhahood).
An eminent scholar-monk ordained at an early age of 15, T’an-luan has
also written: “Amida Buddha’s Light of Wisdom shines upon the darkness of the
world, dissipating the darkness of our ignorance and delivering us from the
endless samsara of birth and death. His Light of Mercy reaches far and wide,
carrying joy into the hearts of all and expelling the sorrows and griefs, evils
and sins of all sentient beings…” (54)
And, it may be added: joy because of the Buddha’s vow-powered offer to
everyone of sincere and deep faith, a place and a seat of honor in the Pure
Land. “They will sit in the place of Enlightenment and be born into the family
of the Buddhas,” the Buddha Shakyamuni said to Ananda towards the end of THE SUTRA ON VISUALIZATION OF THE BUDDHA OF
INFINITE LIFE (Inagaki/Stewart, THE
THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, p. 350).
19.07.2014 04.15
Professor Ryosetsu
Fujiwara of Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan, has recently written: “Only
through the Name (which embodies Amida’s infinite merits and virtues) can the
common mortal with his defilement and ignorance, come to realize His Compassion
and become one with Him. And through His Compassion, common mortals become
endowed with His Infinite Life and Light…” (55)
Contemporary Pure Land Master
Chin Kung has taught:
“For a true practitioner
who wants to have a fast, assured success in his or her practice in this
lifetime, the Buddha-name is all he
or she needs…
“Frankly, the
only method of practice that allows one to succeed in one lifetime is the
Buddha-name chanting method. In all my forty plus years of learning Buddhism,
this is what I have realized…
“Of all the
methods, the Buddha-name chanting method is the most convenient and the easiest
in which to succeed. When one mindfully
chants the Buddha-name, one’s cultivation will be enhanced by the supportive
power of Amitabha Buddha and all other Buddhas in the ten directions (of the
infinite universe). This is why all the other methods cannot compare with this
one…” (56)
AMITABHA, the Name of the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life,
opens the Dharma-door to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, Nirvana and the
Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment of Buddhahood.
Chant/recite:
NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA
19.07.2014
04:45
F (b)
MINDFULNESS in the Practice of Buddhahood
In the
vast audience with the Blessed One at the Karanda Bamboo Garden in the city of
Rajagrha, the Buddha told the Bodhisattva Bhadrapala (Worthy Protector) to
practice the samadhi (mindfulness/meditative
concentration) of “Concentrated Mind” (the powerful practice of profound
concentration to invoke the presence of all the Buddhas).
“If you can
do this dharma, you will have the answers to all your questions,” Buddha said
to Bhadrapala who had asked quite a mouthful of 25 “what to do” questions to
develop wisdom “like the immense ocean” and to acquire the merit and wisdom
required for Buddhahood, etc.
“Of all
virtuous ways, this is the foremost one…”
The Buddha
then said and taught:
“Keep only
one thought, ceasing all other thoughts.
“Stand firm in your faith, without any doubts
(even as slight as a hair).
“Progress
energetically, never negligent or indolent…
“Hold one
thought, never losing it…
“This is meditative concentration in the
Bodhisattva Way, which will unfold the fundamental wisdom and elicit myriads of
wisdom-knowledge…”
The Buddha then told Bhadrapala that “those
who want to train according to this Dharma, they should fully observe their
precepts and live alone in a place to think of Amitabha Buddha…”
The
Buddha said, “Bodhisattvas in this land can see Amitabha Buddha by thinking
intently only of Him…
“Why?
Because they are able to see Him by virtue of three powers: the (awesome
spiritual) power of Buddhas, the power of the samadhi, and the power of their
own merit…”
Then, the
Buddha said: “I can see what I think of.
The mind forms a Buddha for itself to see; the mind is the Buddha mind. As my
mind forms a Buddha, my mind is the Buddha; my mind is the Tathagata…” (57)
NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA 19.07.2014
05:32 27.07.2014 22:50
NOTES
1.
Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay was trained
in Tibet in all four lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
Quote from his book TANTRIC
PRACTICE IN NYING-MA, translated and edited by Professor Jeffrey Hopkins of
the University of Virginia, published by Snow Lion Publications, New York,
1996, pp. 159-160.
(a)
The Tathagata Sutra (200-250 CE) states that one is already or
primordially awakened. Source: Wikipedia
(b)
In The Lion’s Roar of Queen Srimala, the point is made that when all
the defilements are totally removed through self-purification, the potentiality
of Buddhahood manifests as the Dharmakaya, the Truth Body of a Buddha’s
omniscient consciousness. – Authored by Alex and Hideko Wayman, published by
Motilal Banarsidas, New Delhi, 1990, p. 48.
(c)
This point is reiterated in the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra when the
Buddha explains to Kasyapa: “Those (beings) with faith can be cured (of
suffering) from the poisoned arrows of illusion…”
The Buddha then said to Kasyapa: “True emancipation means segregation of
one’s own self from all the bonds of illusion… True emancipation is the
Tathagata. This Tathagata is the Dharma-Body (the Dharmakaya of omniscient
wisdom)…”
Dharmakshema’s Chinese version of this Sutra was translated by Kosho
Yamamoto in 1973, edited and revised by Dr. Tony Page in 2007. Source: nirvanasutra.nct pp. 68-71
(d)
The great Jigten Sumgon (1143-1217),
founder of the Drikung Kagyu school in northeastern Tibet, once had a vision of
the Seven Taras (female deities embodying the activities of all the Buddhas),
and he sang a beautiful song containing these words (i):
“…Through not understanding oneself as Dharmakaya,
one’s mind is overpowered by the kleshas (defilements/conflicting
emotions)…”
It’s stated in the Phagpa Daka
Yeshe Sutra (ii):
“If one realizes the
nature of the mind,
This is wisdom!
“One should not look
for the Buddha outside the mind…”
Thus it is said in the Khadroma
Dorje Gur (iii):
“Oh, the highest
attainment is Buddha.
“One can attain
Buddhahood by practicing mind.
“Outside of this
precious mind
There are no buddhas
or sentient beings…”
(i)
Quoted in Prayer Flags The Life and Spiritual Teachings of Jigten Sumgon
translated
by Khenpo Rinpoche Konchog Gyaltsen, published by Snow Lion Publications, New
York, 1986, p. 66
(ii) Ibid., p. 79
(iii) Ibid., pp. 85-86 12-13.07.2014 01:48
(2) The Ch’an Training: Hsu Yun Ho Shang Fa Hui
Master Hsu Yun’s Discourse in the Ch’an
Hall: Prerequisites
Edited,
translated and explained by Lu Kuan Yu (Charles Luk), published by The
Corporate Body of The Buddha Educational Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan, and posted
on sunysb.edu
(3)Self
Liberation through Seeing with Naked Awareness, translated
by John Myrdhin Reynolds, and as posted on fodian.net
(4) Narada, THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS, p. 94
(6)
Ibid., pp. 91-93
(7)
Ibid., p. 323
13.07.2014 03:20 1,243 words
(8)
Ibid., pp. 88-89
(9)
Ibid., p. 512
(10) Dhammapada: a practical guide to
right living, translated by Venerable Sri Acharya Buddharakkhita,
30,000 copies published for free distribution by Sukhi Hotu Sdn Bhd, Petaling
Jaya, Selangor, and Ayer Itam, Penang undated pp.178-179 13.07.2014
09:05 1,590 words
(11) THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS,
p. 351
(12) Ibid.,
p. 391
(13) The Discourse Of The Teaching
Bequeathed By The Buddha Just Before His Parinibbana,
translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by Kumarajiva. Source: buddhasutra.com
(14) Chapter
Thirty-four. Source: nirvanasutra.net
(a)
In Abhidharma Study compiled by Korin of the Soto Zen tradition,
defilements are the generating cause and a supporting condition for Karma.
Karma is generated because of the defilements and without defilements, karmas
are incapable of effecting a new existence…Karma requires the defilements as a
necessary supporting condition for the process of retribution. Source: wordpress.com
(b)
“…His heart (with his mind
concentrated, purified), thus knowing, thus seeing, is released from the
fermentation of sensuality, the fermentation of becoming, the fermentation of
ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, ‘Realized’…,” the Buddha
taught in the Yodhajiva Sutta: The
Warrior (2), comparing the spiritually liberated individual with the victorious
warrior in battle. Translated by Thanissaro Bhikku. Source: buddhasutra.com
14.07.2014 09:41 2,143 words
(14)
Ven. Buddharakkhita, Dhammapada, p.
5
(15) The Wisdom of Nagarjuna, by Dr. Peter Della Santina, published for
free distribution by the
Buddhist
Research Society, Geylang, Singapore, 2002, pp. 21-22. Online buddhanet.net
Dr. Santina has
written (p. 19): “Acarya Nagarjuna’s The
Good Hearted Letter provides the
aspirant who
wishes to be acquainted with the essentials of the Buddhist path to liberation
with a
comprehensive summary of the principles of the Buddhist religion. The
foundation of
correct moral
conduct and right understanding of the truth free from the obscurations of
ignorance results in a transcendent
mode of being in which not only is freedom from
bondage and ignorance achieved, but also the
capacity to nurture and mature all living beings
that they may also attain enlightenment (the signature
vow of a bodhisattva seeking his/her
own enlightenment to benefit and enlighten all
beings)…”
(16) The Ch’an Training: Hsu Yun Ho Shang Fo Hui
Stressing the moral basis of
practice, Master Hsu Yun then said: “The practice of any
Dharma door
(opening to the path of enlightenment) must be based on Sila (morality/
moral
discipline) and if the training is undergone in this manner, there is no reason
why
it will not be
successful…”
With faith,
patience and steadfastness on the track of moral discipline, one should
continue
training until
the moment of spiritual breakthrough “when cause (training) comes to fruition,
like a ripe
melon which automatically falls, anything it may happen to touch or come into
contact with,
will suddenly cause his supreme awakening…”
(17) Dhammapada, p. 9
(18) Ibid., p. 81
14.07.2014
11:27 2,697 words
(19) buddhasutra.com
(20) Vyagghapajja Sutta:
Conditions of Welfare, translated by Narada Thera. Source:
accesstoinsight.org
(21) SIGALOVADA SUTTA: Code of Discipline for Lay Buddhists, published
for free distribution by
the Buddhist
Missionary Society, Kuala Lumpur, 1987, pp. 12-13
(22) Ven. Buddharakkhita, DHAMMAPADA, p. 162
(23) Mahamangala Sutta: The Great Collection of Success-Generators.
Source: buddhasutra.com
Intoxicants and
drugs have recently become serious global problems. Alcohol has a long
history of use, abuse
and misuse.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
According to a
recent estimate of the World Health
Organization (WHO),
about 140 million people (more than the present total population of
Japan) throughout
the world suffer from alcohol dependence, and in the United States of
America about 12%
of the adults have had this problem at some time in their life. Alcoholism
has the potential
to damage almost every organ in the human body including the brain.
Abused substances
including alcohol, tobacco and other drugs from cocaine to heroin can
produce
intoxication. A 2010 survey estimates over 22 million users of illicit drugs in
the U.S.
In China where
there are some 300 million smokers (about the whole population in the U.S.),
700 million
people are harmed regularly by second-hand smoke, and over one million die
annually due to
diseases from smoking.
According to a
recent American report, excessive drinking accounted for one-tenth of global
deaths. The
intoxicants, stimulants, opiates and toxic smoke pose serious health, social
and
economic problems
in many countries throughout the world.
(24) Brahma
Net Sutra, translated by the Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS), USA.
Source: fodian.net
15.07.2014
07:30 3,565 words
(25) The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Chapter Nine: On Wrong and
Right, p. 97.
Source: nirvanasutra.nct
(26) Source: nirvanasutra.nct
(27) Source: nirvanasutra.nct
(28) Source: woodenfish.org
King Meander, also
known as King Milanda, ruled Bactria in Northwestern India around
150 B.C. The kingdom
of Bactria was established by Alexander the Great when he invaded
India in 326 B.C.
at the age of 30.
(a)
“Faith is the heart and mind without
doubt; it is shinjin (true trusting faith),
which is true
and real,” Shinran (1173-1262) taught. Founder of the Jodoshin (True
Pure Land School) in Kyoto, Japan, Shinran also believed that faith is a gift
from the Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life.
“True faith is endowed by Amitabha,” Japanese Pure Land scholar Dr.
Hisao Inagaki has written in his book THE
THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS (Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto, 1995, p. 196).
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
“It
is Amitabha’s Mind and Heart received by the aspirant, and is itself Bodhi-mind
(Mind of Enlightenment), so it is the cause of birth in the Pure Land (of
Ultimate Bliss) and subsequent attainment of Enlightenment…” 17.07.2014
05:34
(29) Hsu Yun Ho Shang Fa Hui Source: sunysb.edu
(30) The
Diamond Sutra: A General Explanation by Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua
translated by
the Buddhist Text Translation Society, Sino-American Buddhist Association,
San Francisco,
CA September 1974
In 1948 Master Hsuan Hua
(1918-1995) succeeded Elder Master Hsu Yun (1840-1959) as the
Ninth Patriarch
of the Wei Yang Sect of the Chan School. In 1962 Master Hua brought the
Dharma Proper to
the USA and the West. 16.07.2014
06:36 16 pages 4,488 words
(31) Translated by Alex Johnson, 2005, 2011
Source: diamondsutra.com
(32) As quoted by Venerable
Master Chin Kung, Commentary on the
Infinite Life Sutra,
Excerpt 16,
translated by the Pure Land College Translation team. Source: amtweb.org
(33) The
Wisdom of Nagarjuna, by Dr. Peter Della Santina, published for free
distribution by the
Buddhist Research
Society, Geylang, Singapore, 2002, p. 24
(34)
Venerable Buddharakkhita, Dhammapada,
p. 179
(35) The Discourse Of The Teaching Bequeathed By The Buddha Just Before His
Parinibbana,
translated from
Sanskrit into Chinese by Kumarajiva. Source: buddhasutra.com
(36) Eight
Great Realizations Sutra, translated from Vietnamese by Truong Giam Tan and
Melkoniam, with
commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh. Source: buddhasutra.com
(a)
In Manjusri Spoke The Inconceivable State of Buddhahood Sutra, the
Bodhisattva-
Mahasattva Manjusri, the Dharma Prince, said that Buddhahood “should be
sought
right in the defilements of sentient beings”. The defilements are
craving/desire, hatred,
and ignorance.
“The basic nature of the defilements is the basic nature of the state of
Buddhahood,”
Manjusri said, in answer to the Buddha. Both the defilements and
Buddhahood “abide in
equality.”
Speaking to Subhuti, Manjusri said liberation would result from right
understanding of the
five skandas (aggregates/components) constituting the whole mundane
world of all things
and all beings. The five skandas are form, feeling, conceptions,
impulse, and consciousness. They are all empty, in their essence and very
nature. – Source: fodian.net
(b)
The three worlds refer to the three
levels of existence in Samsara: (1) the world of desire, which comprises the
various hells, the realms of hungry spirits, animals, humans and some of the
heavens; (2) the world of form, which comprises some higher heavens; and (3)
the non-form (formless) world of supernal heavens. Source: THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS, by Hisao Inagaki and Harold Stewart,
Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto, 1995, p. 420.
17.07.2014 18 pages 5,239 words
(37) Narada, THE BUDDHA AND HIS TEACHINGS, p. 268
(38) Sri Achrya Buddharakkhita,
DHAMMAPADA p. 110
(39) Ibid., p. 157
(40) Ambalatthikaraahulovada Sutra, translated by Thanissaro
Bhikkhu.
Sources: accesstoinsight.org buddhasutra.com
(41) DHAMMAPADA,
p.183
(42) Hisao Inagaki and Harold
Stewart, THE THREE PURE LAND SUTRAS,
Nagata Bunshodo,
Kyoto, 1995,
p. 37
(43) Buddhist Hermeneutics, edited by Donald S. Lopez, Jr, published by
Motilal Banarsidas,
Delhi, 1993,
p. 278
(44) On
Amidism: A Short Discourse: Buddha As Mind by Grand Master T’an Hsu
Source: AmitabhaSutra Online
English version
introduced on 30 July 1973 to commemorate the centennial of the Grand
Master’s
birthday in the Temple of Enlightenment, Bronx, New York
(45) Dhammapada, p. 15
(46)
As translated by Alex Johnson, 2005,
2011. Source: diamondsutra.com
(47) The Diamond Sutra: A General Explanation by Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua,
p. 131
Source: buddhanet.net
(48)Manjusri Spoke The Inconceivable State
of Buddhahood Sutra
Source: fodian.net
Towards the end of
the Surangama Sutra, the Buddha said
to Ananda, one of His major
disciples and the
closest: “…The five aggregates (created by false thinking) arise by piling
themselves upon one
another. They originate from consciousness (mind) and should be
eliminated beginning
with form (matter).
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
“In principle, they
all vanish the moment one is
instantaneously awakened, but in practice,
they are wiped out gradually due to the force of
habit (caused and
conditioned by false thinking)…”
as translated by Upasaka Lu K’uan Yu (Charles
Luk), p. 235
(49) Dhammapada, p. 217
(50) Ibid., p. 224
(51) Ibid., p. 225
(52) Ibid., p. 236
(53) Source: buddhasutra.com
In
The Enlightenment Sutra, the Buddha
teaches us to develop compassion and
wisdom
together as well as to follow the
eight precepts:
(1)
To practice not-self, to free oneself
from attachments that lead to wrongdoing
(2)
Excessive desire brings suffering: to
cut off greedy attachment to things of this world
(3)
Let go of craving which increases
motivation for sin and wrongdoing
(4)
Laziness degrades oneself; diligence
and hard work to free oneself and escape to
Infinite Light
(5)
Ignorance is the root of unhappiness,
develop one’s knowledge to gain release from
suffering and awaken oneself to the bliss of Enlightenment
(6)
Ill feeling leads to discord and
further unhappiness, so to treat every being with love
and respect and with malice towards none, to dwell in contentment and
help all beings
to Peace
(7)
Passions lead one to sin and sorrow,
firmly resolve to attain to Enlightenment, and
(8)
Resolve to awake from one’s slumber
(in life-after-life ignorance), with concern for all sentient beings, arouse in
oneself an intense dedication and forbearance, avoid taking on one’s neighbors
but help them to attain Perfect Peace (“leaving behind the world of birth and
death, dwelling forever in peace” to quote the final line in the Eight Great Realizations Sutra).
Source: buddhasutra.com 18.07.2014
09:10 24 pages 6,825 words
(54) As quoted
by Shoji Matsumoto in his article “The Modern Relevance of Donran’s Pure Land
Buddhist Thought,”
published in Pacific World Journal,
New Series 2, 1986. Source: archive.org
“Through his inner experience and his meditation upon the Buddha-Dharma,
he (Donran) came
to the conclusion that
the power of Amida Buddha alone could assure him of attaining his goal
(of spiritual non-retrogression),” Shinshu
authority Matsumoto has written.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
“Amida Buddha had made the vows (48 of them) and established the Pure
Land in order to attain
access to the human
mind—to endow such a one as Donran saw himself to be with this very
power (of attaining
non-retrogression in his spiritual practice). This, Donran realized, was
Amida’s universal gift
to all: His eko…”
This is the Buddha
Amitabha’s universal gift of wisdom and compassion, as emphasized by
Matsumoto, and His
salvific offer of the Pure Land to all faithful beings for them to reach the
level of non-retrogression in
their development of Buddhahood.
(55) A Standard of Shinshu Faith, transcribed by Ryosetsu Fujiwara,
prepared for the Buddhist
Churches of America,
and published 1963. Source: nembutsu.info
(56) Infinite Life Sutra: Commentary by Venerable Master Chin Kung
Source: amtbweb.org
(57) Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of the Pratyutpanna Buddha Sammukhovasthika
Samadhi (Sutra
of the Samadhi of being in the Presence of all
Buddhas). Also known as the Pratyutpanna
Samadhi Sutra (Banshou Sanmei Jing in pinyin), one of
the earliest Mahayana texts, it was first
translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by the Kushan Buddhist monk
Lokaksema in 179 CE at the
Han capital of Luoyang. Source: sutrasmantras.info
In
the Sutta Nipata (Collected
Discourses) is the narrative of Gotama’s contention with the eight
(or ten) armies of Namuci (“He who does not let go”) AKA Mara, the Dark
One’s striking forces
(ranging from sensual desire, hunger and thirst, to craving, fear,
doubts/indecision and
stubbornness).
The Lord addressed the Evil One: “…I have faith and energy and wisdom…
“It is better for me to die in battle than to live defeated…
“This army of yours which the world together with the devas (gods and
heavenly beings)
is unable to subdue, that I will destroy with wisdom, like an unbaked
clay-bowl with a stone.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
“Having mastered the mind
and firmly established mindfulness,
I shall wander from country to
country guiding many disciples. And they will be diligent and energetic
in practicing my teaching,
the teaching of one without sensual desire, and they will go where,
having gone, one does not
grieve (sorrow or
suffer)…”
The
then Bodhisattva Gotama used the power of mindfulness
to subdue Mara, who then left him
alone to continue his spiritual practice near the banks of the river
Neranjara. Gotama shortly after
made the final spiritual breakthrough and attained the Supreme, Perfect
Enlightenment of
Buddhahood. – The Buddha’s Great
Struggle, translated by John D. Ireland. Source:
buddhasutra.com
It was when Gotama came close to death after long and arduous practices
of extreme austerity
that Mara came to tempt and break him down completely, but failed
miserably to do so. Instead,
Gotama became more determined, but he changed his extreme methods to the
Middle Way of
Cultivation. Through unshakable faith and unceasing diligence, through
ever-strong and
unconquerable mindfulness and meditative concentration, the Bodhisattva
Gotama became the
Buddha. The first human being to do so in recorded history, and the supreme
model for others
to follow in the timeless Noble Eightfold Path par excellence.
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