福 Merit － Wisdom 慧: June 2019

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Break your defective cycles

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

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Heart Sūtra

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

Friday, June 21, 2019

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

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Beliefs

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

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:

the practice of moral discipline
the practice of concentration
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.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

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.