Hi AEN... thanks.
That means to say, the origins of Mahayana sutras developed when enlightened masters (or bodhisattvas) saw the Buddha through Sambhoga-kaya (报身) ?
Haha then that's easier to tell my friends. But as the article stated, wisdom in the sutras is more important than authenticity.. Thanks
As I was falling asleep last night, it occurred to me to double-check regarding this...
...the implications of this are that we really can take the Mahayana sutras literally. We really shouldn't be reading them only as analogy or "skilful means"? Yes/No?
Originally posted by realization:As I was falling asleep last night, it occurred to me to double-check regarding this...
...the implications of this are that we really can take the Mahayana sutras literally. We really shouldn't be reading them only as analogy or "skilful means"? Yes/No?
yes.
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:I recited mahayana sutras like heart sutra, diamond sutra, unlimited life sutra … ...
It is good to recite sutras as it plants good seeds and results in merits. But always keep in mind:
(Ch'an Patriarch Bodhidharma)
Buddhas of the past and future only talk about this mind. The mind is
the Buddha, and the Buddha is the mind. Beyond the mind there’s no
Buddha and beyond the Buddha there’s no mind. If you think there is a
Buddha beyond the mind’, where is he? There’s no Buddha beyond the mind,
so why envision one? You can’t know your real mind as long as you
deceive yourself. As long as you’re enthralled by a lifeless form,
you’re not free. If you don’t believe me, deceiving yourself won’t help.
It’s not the Buddha’s fault. People, though, are deluded. They’re
unaware that their own mind is the Buddha. Otherwise they wouldn’t look
for a Buddha outside the mind.
Buddhas don’t save Buddhas. If you use your mind to look for a Buddha,
you won’t see the Buddha. As long as you look for a Buddha somewhere
else, you’ll never see that your own mind is the Buddha. Don’t use a
Buddha to worship a Buddha. And don’t use the mind to invoke a Buddha."
Buddhas don’t recite sutras." Buddhas don’t keep precepts." And Buddhas
don’t break precepts. Buddhas don’t keep or break anything. Buddhas
don’t do good or evil.
To find a Buddha, you have to see your nature." Whoever sees his nature
is a Buddha. If you don’t see your nature, invoking Buddhas, reciting
sutras, making offerings, and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking
Buddhas results in good karma, reciting sutras results in a good memory; keeping precepts
results in a good rebirth, and making offerings results in future
blessings-but no buddha. If you don’t understand by yourself, you’ll
have to find a teacher to get to the bottom of life and death. But
unless he sees his nature, such a person isn’t a teacher. Even if he can
recite the Twelvefold Canon he can’t escape the Wheel of Birth and
Death. He suffers in the three realms without hope of release. Long ago,
the monk Good Star was able to recite the entire Canon. But he
didn’t escape the Wheel, because he didn’t see his nature. If this was
the case with Good Star, then people nowadays who recite a few sutras or
shastras and think it’s the Dharma are fools. Unless you see your mind,
reciting so much prose is useless.
To find a Buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is
the Buddha. And the Buddha is the person who’s free: free of plans, free
of cares. If you don’t see your nature and run around all day looking
somewhere else, you’ll never find a buddha. The truth is there’s nothing
to find. But to reach such an understanding you need a teacher and you
need to struggle to make yourself understand. Life and death are
important. Don’t suffer them in vain.
There’s no advantage in deceiving yourself. Even if you have mountains
of jewels and as many servants as there are grains of sand along the
Ganges, you see them when your eyes are open. But what about when your
eyes are shut? You should realize then that everything you see is like a
dream or illusion.
If you don’t find a teacher soon, you’ll live this life in vain. It’s
true, you have the buddha-nature. But the help of a teacher you’ll never
know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a
teacher’s help. If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone
understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn’t need a teacher.
Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But
unless you’re so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you’ll
understand.
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:I recited mahayana sutras like heart sutra, diamond sutra, unlimited life sutra … ...
unlimited life sutra is Infinity Life Sutra æ— é‡�寿ç»�
/\
Originally posted by realization:As I was falling asleep last night, it occurred to me to double-check regarding this...
...the implications of this are that we really can take the Mahayana sutras literally. We really shouldn't be reading them only as analogy or "skilful means"? Yes/No?
u mean some miraculous power or unimaginable feats that were mentioned in Mahayana sutras, like example VIMALAKIRTI NIRDESA SUTRA
As soon as all these precious parasols had been laid down, suddenly, by the miraculous power of the Lord, they were transformed into a single precious canopy so great that it formed a covering for this entire billion-world galaxy. The surface of the entire billion-world galaxy was reflected in the interior of the great precious canopy, where the total content of this galaxy could be seen: limitless mansions of suns, moons, and stellar bodies; the realms of the devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, and mahoragas, as well as the realms of the four Maharajas; the king of mountains, Mound Sumeru; Mount Himadri, Mount Mucilinda, Mount Mahamucilinda, Mount Gandhamadana, Mount Ratnaparvata, Mount Kalaparvata, Mount Cakravada, Mount Mahacakravada; all the great oceans, rivers, bays torrents, streams, brooks, and springs; finally, all the villages, suburbs, cities, capitals, provinces, and wildernesses. All this could be clearly seen by everyone. And the voices of all the Buddhas of the ten directions could be heard proclaiming their teachings of the Dharma in all the worlds, the sounds reverberating in the space beneath the great precious canopy.
http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln260/Vimalakirti.htm
or Amitabha Sutra:-
"Shariputra, as I now praise the inconceivable benefit from the merit and virtue of Amitabha, thus in the East are also Aksobhya Buddha, Sumeru Appearance Buddha, Great Sumeru Buddha, Sumeru Light Buddha, Wonderful Sound Buddha; all Buddhas such as these, numberless as Ganges sands. In his own country each brings forth the appearance of a vast and long tongue, everywhere covering the Three Thousand Great Thousand Worlds, and speaks the sincere and actual words: 'All you living beings should believe, praise, and hold in reverence the inconceivable merit and virtue of this Sutra of the Mindful One of whom all Buddhas are protective.'
i can only say from Diamond sutra, that Buddha never lie or say a single false/unreal word. 金刚ç»�云:如æ�¥æ˜¯çœŸè¯è€…,实è¯è€…,如è¯è€…,ä¸�诳è¯è€…,ä¸�异è¯è€…。if it's an analogy, He would say so it's an analogy. Buddha is very clear One. :)
/\
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:DIamond sutra. I like the verse in the 32 th chapter.
Also like åº”æ— æ‰€ä½�而生其心.
The mind of the past is ungraspable, the mind of the present is ungraspable, the mind of the future is ungraspable.
Yes. But don't only see the ungraspable aspect.... the luminous aspect of mind is equally important.
The Aá¹£á¹asÄ�hasrikÄ� PrajñÄ�pÄ�ramitÄ� SÅ«tra states: Thus, there is no mind in the mind, but the nature of the mind is luminous-clarity (prabhÄ�svarÄ�)
The JñÄ�nÄ�lokÄ�laṃkÄ�ra SÅ«tra states: MañjuÅ›rÄ«, enlightenment by its nature consists of luminous-clarity, because the mind's nature is luminously clear. Why is it so designated? The mind's nature is detached from any inner defilement and is like the nature of space, while encompassing space through its identical characteristics. For all these reasons it is designated as being luminous-clarity.
Ask 'Who am I' until you realize this...
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:I tried asking me who am I but the mind will keep on coming up with answer like a man, a creation, a human being, a mamal, a guy … ...
I ignore the answers my mind gives?
You see, those thoughts are doubtful imaginations of your mind. It is simply a bunch of concepts! It is not reality.
Reality is not a bunch of concepts you imagine... those names you give, they are simply fabricated concepts.
What you are, the nature of mind, must be already here before thoughts. That is why no thought is necessary to find out.
Hui-neng said, ‘Don’t think good; don’t think evil. At this very moment, what is the original face of Ming the head monk?’ In that instant Ming had a great waking up…
You see, before you are conceptualizing male and female, good or bad, this or that, you are already brightly aware and present, isn't it?
What is this? Don't think... you need to look in your direct experience.
Actually self-inquiry requires patience (but at some point it is no longer a thing of perserverance, you cannot stop inquiring at that point because a great mass of doubt has grew and taken hold of you, and this is an important condition for realization)... it took me almost two years. For some it might be faster. But it is certainly a direct path to realization.
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:yes.
sorry... how about other Bodhisattvas such as Guan Yin and Di Zang...? For example, Guan Yin often manifested in various forms (comfortable to blend into sentient beings) to spread Dharma? Isn't that considered as a form of skillful means...?
Originally posted by 2009novice:
sorry... how about other Bodhisattvas such as Guan Yin and Di Zang...? For example, Guan Yin often manifested in various forms (comfortable to blend into sentient beings) to spread Dharma? Isn't that considered as a form of skillful means...?
The fact that Bodhisattvas manifest skillful means should be taken literally.
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:The fact that Bodhisattvas manifest skillful means should be taken literally.
So can i assume... e.g. Pu men pin, Mahayana sutras- skillful means of Guan Yin spreading Dharma....?
Originally posted by 2009novice:
So can i assume... e.g. Pu men pin, Mahayana sutras- skillful means of Guan Yin spreading Dharma....?
The fact that Bodhisattvas have innumerable qualities, abilities, emanations, measureless compassion and vows should be taken literally.
Basically yes, I was trying to clarify if Mahayana sutras should
be read as analogy
vs.
be taken literally.
So now AEN has clarified that they should be read literally... including the fact that bodhisattvas can manifest among us in forms/identities we may be comfortable with.
i think i misread... my bad lol
thanks
Originally posted by 2009novice:
So can i assume... e.g. Pu men pin, Mahayana sutras- skillful means of Guan Yin spreading Dharma....?
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:I am dumb. I read the flower sermon stories abt 1000 times but I dun really understand what buddha meant by taking out the flower.
You won't realize this by reading stories. After you practice self-inquiry and realize your own essence, you will start to understand.
Originally posted by Yui Hirasawa:I read an article of master sheng yan. he say recite sutra many times one day u will realised the meaning so I keep on reciting.
Chanting plants seeds only. For the seeds to start ripening, practice self-inquiry.