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February 1, 2013 Volume 1, Issue 35

Wondrous Dharma

Activities at the International Translation Institute, Burlingame, CA are free to the public:
Sixth Patriarchs Sutra lecture Fridays 7:45pm to 8:45pm Repentance ceremony Saturdays 1pm to 2pm Chan meditation Saturdays 2pm to 3pm Shurangama Sutra discussion Saturdays 3pm to 4pm

Wondrous Dharma at the premise of the International Translation Institute, 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010 Telephone (650) 692-5912 E-mail: wondrousdharma@gmail.com; www.wondrousdharma.org ANNOUNCEMENT: Shurangama Sutra discussion on Saturdays 3-4pm

Liberate living beings is to liberate ourselves from

In this world, natural and manmade disasters are caused by ourselves because we dont understand the nature of this conditioned world of existence and therefore we create the actions that eventually result in our own suffering. The cause of natural disasters can be traced to anger. (Issue 33) What about manmade disasters such as deaths resulting from senseless shooting, genocide and rail derailment. Let us look at the cause so that we can understand and avoid actions that eventually lead to our own suffering in future. Hunters are people who take pleasure in the chase. Having killed an animal they are filled with pride, strength and joy. To those who are totally given over to such activities, Bodhisattva Earth Store speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom. For example, in the hunters next life he will probably go mad and have an untimely death. This refers to accidental deaths like those in automobile collisions, airplane explosions, or falling in front of a speeding train all unexpected, violent and premature deaths. People may be led to stop hunting as a result of knowing such to killers, Bodhisattva Earth predictions. (Venerable Master) Store speaks of a short lifespanto those who enjoy When the hunter chases an hunting, he speaks of the animal, he causes fear and retribution of a frightening anxiety in the animal. When the insanity and disastrous animal is killed, there is mental doomto those who scald, anguish and grief among the burn, behead, cut or parent, child, relatives and otherwise harm animals, he friends of the animal. We do not speaks of repayment in kind. want to cause harm to others what we dont want others to Such was the cause, such is the cause harm to ourselves. For effect when conditions of time example, if we use boiling water and situation mature; when or fire to get rid of ants or an we plant an apple seed, we insect nest, or slice or club will get an apple tree not a animals to death, we will be pear tree in the future. We repaid in kind. know there is last year, this year and next year; the same But when we are able to change applies to past lives, this life, for the better, there is a chance and future lives. When we we may lessen the retribution. have shortened some beings Here is a story of an official life by shooting them, then the during the Qing Dynasty. Before retribution is a short lifespan he was appointed as an official, in future like aborted fetus. he was seriously ill. The doctor gave him the wrong prescription and he was on the verge of dying. On his sick bed, he repented of all the evil deeds and vowed to benefit people and the world. He showed concern for worldly affairs. One night he had a dream of Bodhisattva Guanyin who told him, In a past life, you were an official. You were very just but overly strict. You were not humane. Though you have rank and wealth, it has been diminished. Besides you often killed animals and that is why you will not live long. Fortunately you have resolved to benefit others. In every thought you are thinking of how to benefit others. You dont grumble or complain. Accordingly, you can prolong your life by liberating animals. Your blessings and wealth will be increased if you put in more effort. When he woke up, he realized there could be truth in his dream. Henceforth his entire family became vegetarians and he often liberates living beings. In winter, he was appointed as an Imperial official and by the next winter, he recovered fully from his illness. Being vegetarian, promoting vegetarianism, setting free animals to their natural habitat without upsetting the ecology and relieving the sick or oppressed beings are examples of liberating life.

Individual Highlights:
Interpreting the Vajra Sutra with the 6 Patriarchs Sutra.. 2
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Meditation simplified lesson 33 ..3

Buddhism made easy Lesson 33 . ....3

The Dharma to liberate life ...........4 Holding the Mantra part 18. .. .4

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Interpreting the Vajra Sutra with the Sixth Patriarchs Sutra (part 5)
Vajra Sutra extracts
S 13 The Buddha told Subhuti, The name of this Sutra is Vajra Prajna Paramita. You should uphold it by that name. Why? The Buddha said that Prajna Paramita is not Prajna Paramita. Therefore it is called Prajna Paramita.

Elaboration in the Sixth Patriarchs Sutra

Hui Neng said, The Dharma Master has been lecturing The Nirvana Sutra which says that to understand the Buddhanature is the Buddhas Dharma that is the Dharma of nondualism. As Bodhisattva Kao Kuei Te Wang said to the Buddha, Does violating the four serious prohibitions, committing the five rebellious acts, or being an icchantika and the like cut off the good roots and the Buddha-nature? The Buddha replied, There are two kinds of good roots the first, permanent; the second impermanent. The Buddhanature is neither permanent nor impermanent. Therefore it is not cut off. That is what is meant by non-dualistic. The first is good and the second is not good. The Buddha-nature is neither good nor bad. That is what is meant by non-dualistic. Common people think of the heaps and realms as dualistic. The wise man comprehends that they are non dualistic in nature. The non dualistic nature is the Buddha-nature. Actual reality is Prajna Paramita, the principle that all appearances are empty. Common reality is not Prajna Paramita, the principle of conditioned existence that there is reality in everything is but a false principle. Therefore ultimately Prajna Paramita is just a name, so dont be attached to it; this then is the reality of the Middle Way. Why? If you areattached to Prajna Paramita, you are creating something when in actual reality it is nothing but a name to describe actual reality. This is the manner you uphold Vajra Prajna Paramita; the indestructible wisdom of the Buddha or our Buddha-nature.

S 13 Subhuti, what do you think, has the Thus Come One spoken any Dharma? Subhuti addressed the Buddha, The Thus Come One has not spoken any Dharma.

Hsing Chang suddenly achieved the great enlightenment and spoke this verse: To those who hold impermanence in mind, The Buddha speaks of the permanent nature; Not knowing expedients is like Picking up pebbles from a spring pond. But now without an effort The Buddha nature manifests; The Master did not transmit it, And I did not obtain a thing. To those who dont know about prajna principles, the Buddha or the Master spoke the Dharma. To those who already comprehend the prajna principles, the Buddha or the Master never spoke at all.

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Meditation simplified lesson 33
The method of investigating into a meditation topic Who is mindful of the Buddha? Part 7 From the previous lesson, it is clear that investigating into the meditation topic has to lead the practitioner to the mind accepting and holding the prajna principles of emptiness where he forgets about self and phenomena. What does this principle mean when we investigate? It simply means that our focus on the meditation topic is to the point where we forget about consciousness. We are not aware of external appearances and inwardly we are not confused by our false thoughts. Being attentive to the meditation topic is like an attentive cat watching the mouse hole. The mouse or the false thought does not emerge because the practitioner is attentively watching the meditation topic. As soon as the false thought emerges, the cat or the practitioner recognizes it and does not build upon the initial false thoughts. What are false thoughts? False thoughts are thoughts that distinguish between good or evil, right or wrong, love or hate, thoughts that are deluded by the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion and thoughts of being attached to appearances. The reality is all appearances are empty and false. As the Great Master Sixth Patriarch says, If you are separate from external appearances, inwardly your mind will be unconfused. When our mind is free of false thoughts because we see all appearances are empty and false, then we arrive at the Stage of Patience where it says, Their minds and the minds of the Buddhas had been separate, but now they have become one. They gain understanding of the Middle Way. They are like someone who endures something that cannot be repressed and yet cannot be expressed. This is called The Stage of Patience. At this point, Great Master Sixth Patriarch describes it as follows: Good knowing advisors, being separate from all external appearances are Chan and being inwardly unconfused is concentration. External Chan and inward concentration are Chan concentration. The Vimalakirti Sutra says, Just then suddenly return and regain the original mind. The Bodhisattva-shila Sutra says, Our basic nature is pure itself. Good knowing advisors, in every thought, see your own clear and pure original nature. At the stage of Patience it reaches a point where we forget self and forget dharma but the person remain. Why is there a person? It is the person practicing emptiness. Without thought of practicing, without thought of sagely and common, without thought of attainment, When all delineations have melted away, these good people no longer distinguish between confusion and enlightenment and the Middle Way. This is called The Stage of Preeminence in the World.

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Figure 1 Presently, the original mind is deluded by false thoughts. When false thoughts ceased, and the person is forgotten, just then suddenly return to the original mind.

Buddhism made easy lesson 33

4. Food, one of the 5 desires Food is required to sustain our body so that we can cultivate our minds. When we eat, we are reminded also of the burden of having a false body because every day we have to eat and when we dont we feel hungry. The stomach is like a bottomless pit. If we were to indulge in the enjoyment of eating food, then we can easily become slaves to this bottomless pit. We eat to live; we should avoid living just to eat. Whatever the taste of food it is, it always comes out as the same stinking product. The more we consume, the more stinking it is. It takes time and effort to purchase, cook, eat, and wash just to have a meal. It costs money also. The more meals we have in a day, the faster is the depletion of our blessings of time and wealth. Time can be well spent in creating merit rather than pursuing the desire for food. It is for this reason that the tradition and practice among monastics of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association is to eat one meal a day. Indulging in the pleasure of food is just plain confusion and time wasting. The reason why people indulge in food is because they allow themselves to indulge in it. And once they become hooked to this indulgence, they find difficulty to get out of it; besides risking themselves to obesity, sickness such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The best way to control the desire for food begins with our own mind, our own determination not to give in to the desire for food. The self discipline in the mind is the belief in moderation in all activities in life. The teaching of the Buddha is the teaching of the Middle Way- neither to overindulge in food nor to starve your own self to look slim.

Wondrous Dharma
The Dharma to liberate life
He should reflect that All male beings have been my father and all females have been my motherTherefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents The Brahma Net Sutra says: A disciple of the Buddha must maintain the mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating living beings. He should reflect that All male beings have been my father and all females have been my motherTherefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating living beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally abiding Dharma and teach others to liberate living beings as well. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua says, Bodhisattva Guanyin did not kill living beings; she always liberate them, and so she has a greatly compassionate mind. We should imitate the kindness and compassion of Bodhisattva Guanyin and liberate living beings. The principle is very logical. If you liberate life, you increase your compassion. Wars are the painful results of killing karma created in our past lives. Therefore, we liberate living beings to diminish our killing karma. The more people engage in liberating the living, the less killing they will do. Wars will proportionately decrease. We who cultivate these compassionate practices do not oppose war; we just dont go to war. We dont kill but instead we set living creatures free. This is the true and ultimate way to eliminate war. It is also a gateway to long life and health and to the eradication of disasters and illness. The merit and virtue that one accumulates from liberating living beings is boundless. It enables you to cause living beings to live out the full extent of their natural life span. In addition, you benefit personally because illnesses are averted. As a result, you enjoy good health and are able to peacefully cultivate the Way, The Dharma to liberate life begins with the Praise for Purifying the Water with the wish that using the willow branch, the pure water benefits and causes those who receive it to increase blessings and life span and eradicate karmic offenses and get rid of faults. The praise acknowledges that this world is fundamentally empty. Then, the great assembly will invoke the

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Greatly Compassionate Bodhisatva Guanyin to preside over it. Reciting the Great Compassion Dharani Mantra wipes away the evil karma of heavy offenses, separate themselves from obstacles and hardship and become a cause for realization of bodhi (awakening) The Heart Sutra, and the Rebirth Mantra are recited to plant the principle of emptiness and rebirth in pure land in the eighth conscious mind of the animals. The great assembly repents and takes the Three Refuges and the related Dharmas on behalf of the ransomed animals. Through the power of the vows of the seven Buddhas whose names are being recited three times, one can avoid suffering for a thousand lives and certify to the Supreme Way. Will the animals benefit and received all these Dharmas? Yes, they will because the entire Dharma is being received by the animals in their eighth conscious mind which will bear fruition later. Moreover the great assembly also receives the Dharma whilst nurturing their compassionate nature. The teaching of the Buddha is the teaching of the mind.

We dont kill but instead we set living creatures free. This is the true and ultimate way to eliminate war. It is also a gateway to long life and health and to the eradication of disasters and illness. Will the animals benefit and received all these Dharmas? Yes, they will because the entire Dharma is being received by the animals in their eighth conscious mind which will bear fruition later.

How to hold the Great Compassion Mantra part 18

The ten vows mentioned in Part 11 are vows to cultivate from first knowing what everything is about to finally become the Buddha. The paths to cultivate included saving all living beings. The six vows mentioned in Part 12 are vows of compassion on how we can lessen the suffering of living beings because we essentially know that we are one with everything.. Vows are integral part of cultivation as it comes from our minds to enlighten ourselves and enlighten others. The six vows are vows we make today despite our not having the ability to perform them because we have returned to our true mind. Now that we know about these six vows, we can also add to the six vows and make our own unique individual vows based upon our own perception of suffering of living beings.

Recognizing the initial false thought without adding more leads to recognizing the original mind and eventually see our original nature