2020 wishes

Breath 🆚 Non-self

Achieving perfection vs Accepting imperfections

Read, Contemplate, Inspired.

Do you want to have an impressive day?

Do you read, or contemplate?

What inspiration did you get from it?

LIFE, a process of learning.

Meet our dilemmas of living by Right Views,

such as the the facts of impermanence or dependent origination,

since LIFE is a process of keep learning and transforming.

EDG PDF note about Heart Sūtra

English Dharma Group @ Texas Buddhist Association

2019/07/28

Click to Download PDF Note 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wYAYJ2UuNrudFJyTQVZgjILCJdxT9MSs/view?usp=drivesdk

Break your defective cycles

Talk @ BAUS Chuang Yen Monastery Summer Camp 2019
Date : 2019-06-30
Click here to download PDF Notes

Heart Sūtra

Talk @ Woo Ju Library
Date : 2019-06-22
Click here to download PDF Notes 

The Ancient Immortals’ Way

In verse 9, 3rd paragraph “The Ancient Immortals’ Way is mentioned in the Āgama Sūtra, the Lankāvatāra Sūtra, and elsewhere.”

Q: What is the “ancient immortals’ way” mentioned in the Agama sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, and elsewhere to attain Nirvana?

Reply: 

The phrase “Ancient Immortals’ Way” is actually translated from “古仙人道“.

“古” means ancient, old, aged, and could be also means venerable.

“仙人” normally means deity, who usually has a long duration of individual life, when compare to human, it says that these devine beings are “immortal”. In Buddhist Scripture,  it will also use to portray a sage or a practitioner who cut off the samsara and become “deathless”.

“道” means the path, the way of practice, and. here it is absolutely refer to the Noble Eightfold Path.

Hence, the “Ancient Immortal” is the Buddha(s), who had cut off the cycle of birth and death; and the “Way” that followed by the Buddha(s) is the Noble Eightfold Path.

Regarding the “Way”, the author also concluded: “It is the normal way of the ancient buddhas and therefore is called the Way of the Ancients.

The Way to Buddhahood : https://wisdomexperience.org/product/way-buddhahood/

The author Master Yin Shun : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_Shun

Beliefs

Can you slide back after enlightened ?

This is a great question.

Let’s begin with “The three general aspects of Buddhist practice (三學)” —— which are:

1. the practice of moral discipline 
2. the practice of concentration 
3. the practice of wisdom

The first two, the moral discipline and concentration will deviate depends on conditions.

In certain situation, we have to leave aside certain observation of discipline, for instance, due to health issues we have to consume certain food in certain time, then we can no more observer that discipline restrictedly.  

Regarding the achievement of the status of concentration, we may accomplish good practicing result while we are in good meditation environment, or in a long term retreat. However, the achievement may fall when we are back to our daily life, which has tons of things to distract us.

But, when we talk about the achievement of wisdom, which bring us enlightenment, there’s no backsliding. Just imagine, when someone truly understands the phenomenon of impermanence or the nature of emptiness, no matter what circumstances s/he is facing (even very ill), the nature of reality just pop straight up into her/his understanding. Hence, wisdom once attained, is no way to fade away.

Nevertheless, I have to say, there is a condition of “fake enlightenment”. Don’t get me wrong, the “fake enlightenment” I mention here, is not refer to someone who purposely self-flattering as enlightened one to get attention or to cheat for money, but the one who overestimated her/his achievement. Then, that kind of “enlightenment” may give us “a sense of backsliding”, in fact, that’s no such retrogression. Why? Those who overestimate their achievement of practice is actually never really attained enlightenment yet.

In short, if that is a authentic enlightenment, there is no backsliding.

What are effects of environment on dharma?

We, beings interrelated with environment inseparably and cooperatively. In Buddha’s teaching, we have a buddhist term which is “the karmic retribution of direct and circumstantial”, in chinese is called “依正二報”. 

“The Direct Retribution” refers to our body and personality, while “The Circumstantial Retribution” refers to the world, country, family, etc., in which we are born. In other words, the former is about oneself (the being), and the latter is the environment. 

Our current situation, no matter oneself or the environment we have, is the karmic results of our past; and of course we are affecting and influencing our future. As buddhist practitioners, we do our best for a better future, in aspect of our “Direct Retribution” as well as “Circumstantial Retribution”.

The reasons are as below:

(1) Environment provides us the nutrition. Most of the elements in our body are related to environment, we need water, air, soil etc., to survive.

(2) Environment heal us physically and mentally. When you are upset, try to have a walk in the park or woods, you will definitely experience the healing process run spontaneously.

(3) Environment is part of the Dharma. Environment — the climate, the season, the ecology etc., tell / teach us impermanence, non-self (the lack of existence of an inherent self), and even the teaching of emptiness.

Maybe, there are certain people destroying the environment, never infuriated by their wrongdoings. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to turn a blind eye to that bad situation. What we have to do at first is, back to our mind and purify it.

With a clean and clear mind, the best solutions will arise, and from that moment onwards, we are actually initiating the good and wholesome influence to beings and environment, by means of physical and mental actions.

Breath with Heart Sūtra

Presentation notes at Buddhist Insight

Breath with Heart Sūtra

Download PDF note 4-1

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n1ALkYVixSY_4DUeW7VTI05PoAafCGb2/view?usp=drivesdk

Download PDF note 4-2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AhDALOIgj6nLKoyxbUomgsPoy7oxEsPH/view?usp=drivesdk

Download PDF note 4-3

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Download PDF note 4-4

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Authentic teaching

Does it matter how you come to the teachings, does it have to be authentic teaching based on lineage?

Well, the word “authentic” is tricky. My humble opinion is as long as the teaching (no matter from which lineage) not deviated from Buddha’s core teaching, e.g. the Four Noble Truths (the Cause & Effect), the Noble Eightfold Paths (the Right Practice), the Seal of the Dharma (The Three Seals / The Nature of Trueness), then it could be so-called “authentic”. However, the achievements, either profound or superficial, will highly related to how thorough one contemplate and how broad one apply to her/his daily living (to beings and to environment).

The rituals

The purposes of having ritual:

1. Inheriting culture and teaching
2. Cultivating wholesome deeds 
3. Set the body-mind to the present 

If a ritual has raised a person's attachment, fear and uncomfortable feelings, ones quality living can only be sublimated when s/he left behind the limitations of that ritual.

Mind reflecting

Fully aware

Be good to all beings

Keep your key of happiness with you

being heard

Crisp and clear,

tense and soft,

whispering in my ear.

Maybe not very 

appealing and melodious,

but still being "heard".

Thanks.

Sighted, is a gift.

The skillful means of helping

Purpose of living

The nature of reality and REALITY

The reality’s nature is some sort of nature that we can observe and perceive easily, compare to the Reality’s nature.

Through impermanence, we recognize the reality from the phenomenon of arising and ceasing. Again, from these phenomenon, we also realize that nothing can be controlled by us. What we can do is just try our best to maintain, to take care, to protect etc., by adding on certain conditions. 

For instance, we try to eat healthy, get good sleep, keep routine physical workouts etc., to maintain our physical health. However, the reality is, we can only try our best to preserve but we can’t really determine nor dictate the consequences.

Deep inside the phenomenon of changing lies a nature which we can’t really discern easily, which is the Reality’s nature —— emptiness (sanskrit : śūnyatā, śūnya). The Emptiness here is not a nihilistic concept, It definitely doesn’t mean empty, nonexistence or nothing at all etc. The nature of Emptiness, indeed, make room for all things to change momentarily.

Without the Reality —— Emptiness, how can something arise? And, without Emptiness, how can something cease? Without Emptiness, those already existed (or so-called existence), will never cease. Without Emptiness, those that have yet to appear, will never arise.

All the phenomenon of impermanence, the reality’s nature is based on the Emptiness, which is the Reality’s nature.

Mindful! Mindful!

For Habits

The very 4 keywords for habits:
Use PREVENT & OVERCOME for your unhealthy habits;
Use CULTIVATE & MAINTAIN for your wholesome habits.

Confronting Grievances