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16
Ulasan Buku, Majalah, Musik atau Film / Film Kartun : The Three Monks
« on: 13 January 2011, 08:11:35 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
17
Buddhisme dengan Agama, Kepercayaan, Tradisi dan Filsafat Lain / Perbedaan Buddhisme dan Hinduisme Apa Ya?
« on: 13 January 2011, 06:30:29 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Karena saya tidak dapat menemukan perbedaan antara Buddhisme dan Hinduisme maka saya mohon kalau ada yang tahu silahkan cantumkan disini, sebelumnya terima kasih atas bantuan saudara-saudara sekalian.
Karena saya tidak dapat menemukan perbedaan antara Buddhisme dan Hinduisme maka saya mohon kalau ada yang tahu silahkan cantumkan disini, sebelumnya terima kasih atas bantuan saudara-saudara sekalian.
18
Buddhisme dengan Agama, Kepercayaan, Tradisi dan Filsafat Lain / The Buddhist View toward Other Religions
« on: 12 January 2011, 08:58:33 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
The Buddhist View
toward Other Religions
Singapore, August 10, 1988
Revised excerpt from
Berzin, Alexander and Chodron, Thubten.
Glimpse of Reality.
Singapore: Amitabha Buddhist Centre, 1999.
Question: How does Buddhism view the existence of other religions?
Answer: Because not everyone has the same inclinations and interests, Buddha taught various methods to different people. Citing this example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that it is wonderful that so many different religions exist in the world. Just as one food will not appeal to everybody, one religion or one set of beliefs will not satisfy everyone's needs. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial that a variety of different religions is available from which to choose. He welcomes and rejoices at this.
Nowadays, there is a growing dialogue, based on mutual respect, between Buddhist masters and leaders of other religions. The Dalai Lama, for example, meets the Pope frequently. In Assisi, Italy, in October 1986, the Pope invited the leaders of all the world religions to a large assembly. About one hundred and fifty representatives were there. The Dalai Lama was seated next to the Pope and was given the honor of making the first speech. At the conference, the spiritual leaders discussed topics that are common in all religions, such as morality, love and compassion. People were very encouraged by the cooperation, harmony and mutual respect that the various religious leaders felt for each other.
Of course, if we discuss metaphysics and theology, there are differences. There is no way to get around the differences. However, that does not mean that we need to argue with the attitude of "My daddy is stronger than your daddy." That is very childish. It is more beneficial to look at the things that are in common. All the world religions are seeking to improve the situation of humanity and to make life better by teaching people to follow ethical behavior. They all teach people not to become totally caught up in the material side of life, but at least to strike a balance between seeking material progress and spiritual progress.
It is very helpful if all religions work together to improve the situation of the world. We need not only material progress, but spiritual progress as well. If we only emphasize the material aspect of life, then to make a better bomb to kill everyone would be a desirable goal. If, on the other hand, we think in a humanistic or spiritual way, we are aware of the fear and other problems that come from the further buildup of weapons of mass destruction. If we only develop spiritually and do not take care of the material side then people go hungry, and that is not very good either. We need a balance.
One aspect of the interaction between the world religions is that they are sharing with each other some of their specialties. Consider, for instance, the interaction between the Buddhists and Christians. Many Christian contemplatives are interested to learn methods for concentration and meditation from Buddhism. Numerous Catholic priests, abbots, monks and nuns have come to Dharamsala, India, to learn these skills in order to bring these back to their own traditions. Several Buddhists have taught in Catholic seminaries. I, too, have occasionally been invited to teach there on how to meditate, how to develop concentration, and how to develop love. Christianity teaches us to love everybody, but it does not explain in detail how to do it. Buddhism is rich in methods for developing love. The Christian religion on its highest level is open to learning these methods from Buddhism. It does not mean that Christians are all going to become Buddhists – nobody is converting anyone else. These methods can be adapted within their own religion to help them to be better Christians.
Likewise, many Buddhists are interested in learning social service from Christianity. Many Christian traditions emphasize that their monks and nuns be involved in teaching, in hospital work, caring for the elderly, for orphans, and so on. Although some Buddhist countries have developed these social services, not all of them have, for various social and geographical reasons. Buddhists can learn social service from the Christians. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is very open to this. It does not mean that the Buddhists are becoming Christians. Rather, there are certain aspects from the Christians' experience that Buddhists can learn from; there are also things from the Buddhists' experience that Christians can learn from. In this way, there is an open forum among the world religions, based on mutual respect.
Often the interaction among religions is at the highest level, where the people are open and do not have prejudices. It is at lower levels that people become insecure and develop a football team mentality: "This is my football team and the other religions are opposing football teams!" With such an attitude, we compete and fight. This is very sad, whether it occurs among religions or among various Buddhist traditions. Buddha taught many varied methods and they all work harmoniously to help a wide spectrum of different types of people. Therefore, it is important to respect all traditions, both within Buddhism and among the world religions.
The Buddhist View
toward Other Religions
Singapore, August 10, 1988
Revised excerpt from
Berzin, Alexander and Chodron, Thubten.
Glimpse of Reality.
Singapore: Amitabha Buddhist Centre, 1999.
Question: How does Buddhism view the existence of other religions?
Answer: Because not everyone has the same inclinations and interests, Buddha taught various methods to different people. Citing this example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said that it is wonderful that so many different religions exist in the world. Just as one food will not appeal to everybody, one religion or one set of beliefs will not satisfy everyone's needs. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial that a variety of different religions is available from which to choose. He welcomes and rejoices at this.
Nowadays, there is a growing dialogue, based on mutual respect, between Buddhist masters and leaders of other religions. The Dalai Lama, for example, meets the Pope frequently. In Assisi, Italy, in October 1986, the Pope invited the leaders of all the world religions to a large assembly. About one hundred and fifty representatives were there. The Dalai Lama was seated next to the Pope and was given the honor of making the first speech. At the conference, the spiritual leaders discussed topics that are common in all religions, such as morality, love and compassion. People were very encouraged by the cooperation, harmony and mutual respect that the various religious leaders felt for each other.
Of course, if we discuss metaphysics and theology, there are differences. There is no way to get around the differences. However, that does not mean that we need to argue with the attitude of "My daddy is stronger than your daddy." That is very childish. It is more beneficial to look at the things that are in common. All the world religions are seeking to improve the situation of humanity and to make life better by teaching people to follow ethical behavior. They all teach people not to become totally caught up in the material side of life, but at least to strike a balance between seeking material progress and spiritual progress.
It is very helpful if all religions work together to improve the situation of the world. We need not only material progress, but spiritual progress as well. If we only emphasize the material aspect of life, then to make a better bomb to kill everyone would be a desirable goal. If, on the other hand, we think in a humanistic or spiritual way, we are aware of the fear and other problems that come from the further buildup of weapons of mass destruction. If we only develop spiritually and do not take care of the material side then people go hungry, and that is not very good either. We need a balance.
One aspect of the interaction between the world religions is that they are sharing with each other some of their specialties. Consider, for instance, the interaction between the Buddhists and Christians. Many Christian contemplatives are interested to learn methods for concentration and meditation from Buddhism. Numerous Catholic priests, abbots, monks and nuns have come to Dharamsala, India, to learn these skills in order to bring these back to their own traditions. Several Buddhists have taught in Catholic seminaries. I, too, have occasionally been invited to teach there on how to meditate, how to develop concentration, and how to develop love. Christianity teaches us to love everybody, but it does not explain in detail how to do it. Buddhism is rich in methods for developing love. The Christian religion on its highest level is open to learning these methods from Buddhism. It does not mean that Christians are all going to become Buddhists – nobody is converting anyone else. These methods can be adapted within their own religion to help them to be better Christians.
Likewise, many Buddhists are interested in learning social service from Christianity. Many Christian traditions emphasize that their monks and nuns be involved in teaching, in hospital work, caring for the elderly, for orphans, and so on. Although some Buddhist countries have developed these social services, not all of them have, for various social and geographical reasons. Buddhists can learn social service from the Christians. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is very open to this. It does not mean that the Buddhists are becoming Christians. Rather, there are certain aspects from the Christians' experience that Buddhists can learn from; there are also things from the Buddhists' experience that Christians can learn from. In this way, there is an open forum among the world religions, based on mutual respect.
Often the interaction among religions is at the highest level, where the people are open and do not have prejudices. It is at lower levels that people become insecure and develop a football team mentality: "This is my football team and the other religions are opposing football teams!" With such an attitude, we compete and fight. This is very sad, whether it occurs among religions or among various Buddhist traditions. Buddha taught many varied methods and they all work harmoniously to help a wide spectrum of different types of people. Therefore, it is important to respect all traditions, both within Buddhism and among the world religions.
19
Buddhisme dengan Agama, Kepercayaan, Tradisi dan Filsafat Lain / Establishing Harmony within Religious Diversity Oleh His Holiness Dalai Lama
« on: 12 January 2011, 08:42:59 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Establishing Harmony within Religious Diversity
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nantes, France, 15 August 2008
transcribed and slighted edited by Alexander Berzin
The Dangers of Changing Religions
There are many different religions and cultures in the world and each has developed to suit its own people. Because of that, I always recommend that it’s best to keep the religion you were born into. In the West, most people are Christians, although there are also some Jews and some Muslims. For them, or for anyone, to change religions is not easy and sometimes it just creates confusion.
There’s one example that I always mention. In the early 1960’s, we Tibetans faced great difficulties. At that time, many Christian organizations came to help us. There was one Tibetan lady who had several small children and she faced a very difficult situation. Then a Christian missionary came and accepted her children to go to a Christian missionary school. One day she came to me and told me that in this life she’s going to be a Christian, but in her next life she’s going to be a Buddhist. This clearly indicates that she had some confusion about religion.
Also there was one old Polish lady, I knew her from 1956. From 1959 onwards, she took serious interest in education and gave scholarships to several Tibetan students. She became interested in Buddhism, but before that she was a Theosophist in Madras. So already she had some nonsectarian type of point of view, but she accepted Buddhism as her personal religion. At the end of her life, the concept of God seemed to be closer to her mind and this also indicates a sign of confusion. Therefore, it’s best to keep your own religion.
Among millions of people, however, some will instinctively have an interest in Eastern religions, especially Buddhism. These people need to think carefully. If they find Buddhism more suitable to their own dispositions, then okay, it’s alright. Like among Tibetans, 99% of us are Buddhists. But over the last four centuries, there have been some Ladakhi Muslims living in Tibet, who have married Tibetans and their children have become Muslim. Also there have been some Christians in the Amdo area. So, okay, with both of them, no problem.
Also, I must mention that when someone takes a new religion, they must avoid a negative view toward their original tradition, which often comes up as part of human nature. Even if you find your old tradition not very helpful to you, it doesn’t imply in general that it’s not very helpful. All religions offer help to humanity. Especially when facing difficult situations, all religions offer hope. Therefore, we must respect all religions.
Learning from Each Other’s Religions
Also, today’s reality is a little bit different from the past reality. In the past, people from different traditions remained more or less isolated. The Buddhists stayed in Asia; the Muslims in the Middle East and some in Asia; and in the West there were mostly Christians. So there was very little contact. But now the times are different. There are many new waves of immigration taking place; there’s economic globalization and also the growing tourist industry. So much information is now available, including information about Buddhism. Because of these various factors, our world community has become like one entity: a multi-cultural, multi-religious singular entity.
So here there are two possibilities of what can happen. The first one is that because of close contact between different traditions, sometimes there’s a little sense of insecurity about our own tradition. The other tradition comes into more contact with us, so we feel a little bit uncomfortable. That’s a negative possibility. The second possibility is that because of this reality of more communication, the opportunities to develop genuine harmony between traditions have grown. This is a more positive possibility and so now we must make effort to establish true harmony. If we leave aside the religions that do not have any philosophical basis, but just faith in worshipping the sun or moon or these type of things, if we leave those aside but look at the major world religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, different Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, and so on – each of these has its own specialty. Therefore, through close contact, we can learn new things from each other; we can enrich our own traditions.
We Tibetan Buddhists, for example, we remained isolated behind the Himalayan mountains; we had no idea what was taking place in the outside world. But now the situation has completely changed. Now, for almost 50 years as homeless refugees, we’ve found new homes and many opportunities to learn from other traditions in other countries. This has been extremely useful. In the past, we have established exchange programs here in India: Christian brothers and sisters came to India to learn from us and some of our Tibetan monks and nuns went to the West and had experience in Christianity, mostly in Catholic monasteries. So, with close contact in that way, if we don’t remain closed-minded but open up, then we can learn something from each other. That way, we can develop mutual understanding and respect. And anyway, a new reality is there. Therefore I think that the development of mutual harmony among different religions is very important. This is one of my commitments until my death, to promote religious harmony. This is very helpful.
So, when I give lectures on Buddhism to audiences in the West who are mostly followers of other religions, then, the aim is to help these people to develop some understanding of Buddhism. That can be helpful for the development of tolerance. Then, perhaps like the present Pope stresses, the emphasis needs to be on both faith and reason together. That’s very important. Without reason, sometimes faith remains a little irrelevant. But with reason, faith can become a part of life that is extremely relevant. Faith in God, for example, can be extremely helpful, like when a person is going through difficult periods it gives that person great hope. And if we think in terms of anger, hatred, jealousy, the wish to cheat and bully others, then if we have faith, faith protects us against such negative emotions and actions. When we realize this, then faith becomes very important in daily life. In the Buddhist tradition, we place emphasis equally on faith and reason. So, some Buddhist explanations, particularly those based on reason, might be useful to practitioners of other traditions.
Sharing Knowledge with Science
In the variety of religious traditions present in today’s world, there are two categories: those that are theistic and those that are non-theistic. Buddhism is one of the non-theistic ones. According to non-theistic religions, the emphasis is on the law of causality. So naturally, there’s a great deal of explanation of the law of cause and effect in Buddhism, and this is something which is very useful to know. It is useful in that it helps us to know more about ourselves and about our minds.
We need to realize, for example, that destructive emotions and attitudes are the sources of our suffering and pain. To eliminate suffering and pain, we need to focus not just on their physical and verbal levels, but also on the mental. The counterforces for them are also mostly mental.
In the Buddhist tradition, the explanation of the mind is very detailed. Also, we find the same in some ancient Indian traditions. Therefore now, today, modern science is investigating deeper and deeper in this area. For instance, medical science is beginning to carry out research on emotions, since they are very important in relation to our health. A healthy body is related to emotions. So it is especially important for neurologists investigating how the brain works to look more at emotions. In other academic fields as well, there is also a big interest in the mind and emotions. Therefore, information about the mind and emotions from Buddhism and from ancient Indian religions is very useful for their research.
Usually I distinguish three parts of Buddhism: Buddhist science, Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist religion. Look at the example of Buddha himself. Buddha originally was an ordinary sentient being, a limited being. He taught how to transform our ordinary emotions and minds step by step and, by following that path himself, he finally became enlightened, and that’s a Buddha. Therefore, the Buddhist approach is to start on this level, the level of ordinary people, and then proceed on that level all the way up to Buddhahood.
Because of that, then firstly, we have to know today’s reality: that entails Buddhist science. Then, on that basis, we see the possibility of change, of transformation. We see that change is possible and that’s the Buddhist philosophy. When that becomes clear to us and we have confidence in the process of inner transformation, then we can start the practice of Buddhist religion.
So if we look back at Buddhist science, there are two areas that it deals with: internally, the mind, and externally with atoms, the universe and so on. Western science has much to offer on the external level: it seems to be extremely advanced in that area. We Buddhists can learn much from it about particles, how they function, about genetics, about the universe – these are very useful for us as Buddhists. At least, in terms of this planet, it’s quite clear that there is no Mount Meru. So, some of our classical descriptions must also be changed. Therefore, the scientific findings in the fields of cosmology, particle physics, quantum physics, and so on, are very essential for us Buddhists to learn.
Some findings of modern science and Buddhism, however, are the same. For example, originally, people believed that there was some sort of self-sufficient, independent substance on the side of objects. But now, according to the findings of quantum physics, we see that there is no such thing. We Buddhists have had this understanding for thousands of years. Buddhism teaches that nothing is self-sufficiently arising or self-sufficiently existing, but rather everything dependently arises.
Now, in terms of inner knowledge, modern science is starting to conduct some investigations, so there can be mutual benefit. Buddhists can learn about external phenomena from science and science can learn how to deal with negative emotions and such internal phenomena from the Buddhists. So, when we speak with the scientists, it’s not about future lives or nirvana. We don’t speak about religious aspects, but rather we speak about the mind and emotions. This is because we have the same method: we investigate things in order to find out about reality.
So those of you Westerners who are interested in Buddhism, it’s helpful to carry out your own scientific research. So, on that basis of offering the opportunity to investigate the Buddhist teachings with a scientific attitude, it seems alright for me to give lectures on Buddhism to non-Buddhist audiences. Because of that, then please look at my talks somewhat like academic lectures. Except for some chanting at the start, there are no rituals, no religious aspects in my talks. I just give scientific lectures. What do you think?
Establishing Harmony within Religious Diversity
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nantes, France, 15 August 2008
transcribed and slighted edited by Alexander Berzin
The Dangers of Changing Religions
There are many different religions and cultures in the world and each has developed to suit its own people. Because of that, I always recommend that it’s best to keep the religion you were born into. In the West, most people are Christians, although there are also some Jews and some Muslims. For them, or for anyone, to change religions is not easy and sometimes it just creates confusion.
There’s one example that I always mention. In the early 1960’s, we Tibetans faced great difficulties. At that time, many Christian organizations came to help us. There was one Tibetan lady who had several small children and she faced a very difficult situation. Then a Christian missionary came and accepted her children to go to a Christian missionary school. One day she came to me and told me that in this life she’s going to be a Christian, but in her next life she’s going to be a Buddhist. This clearly indicates that she had some confusion about religion.
Also there was one old Polish lady, I knew her from 1956. From 1959 onwards, she took serious interest in education and gave scholarships to several Tibetan students. She became interested in Buddhism, but before that she was a Theosophist in Madras. So already she had some nonsectarian type of point of view, but she accepted Buddhism as her personal religion. At the end of her life, the concept of God seemed to be closer to her mind and this also indicates a sign of confusion. Therefore, it’s best to keep your own religion.
Among millions of people, however, some will instinctively have an interest in Eastern religions, especially Buddhism. These people need to think carefully. If they find Buddhism more suitable to their own dispositions, then okay, it’s alright. Like among Tibetans, 99% of us are Buddhists. But over the last four centuries, there have been some Ladakhi Muslims living in Tibet, who have married Tibetans and their children have become Muslim. Also there have been some Christians in the Amdo area. So, okay, with both of them, no problem.
Also, I must mention that when someone takes a new religion, they must avoid a negative view toward their original tradition, which often comes up as part of human nature. Even if you find your old tradition not very helpful to you, it doesn’t imply in general that it’s not very helpful. All religions offer help to humanity. Especially when facing difficult situations, all religions offer hope. Therefore, we must respect all religions.
Learning from Each Other’s Religions
Also, today’s reality is a little bit different from the past reality. In the past, people from different traditions remained more or less isolated. The Buddhists stayed in Asia; the Muslims in the Middle East and some in Asia; and in the West there were mostly Christians. So there was very little contact. But now the times are different. There are many new waves of immigration taking place; there’s economic globalization and also the growing tourist industry. So much information is now available, including information about Buddhism. Because of these various factors, our world community has become like one entity: a multi-cultural, multi-religious singular entity.
So here there are two possibilities of what can happen. The first one is that because of close contact between different traditions, sometimes there’s a little sense of insecurity about our own tradition. The other tradition comes into more contact with us, so we feel a little bit uncomfortable. That’s a negative possibility. The second possibility is that because of this reality of more communication, the opportunities to develop genuine harmony between traditions have grown. This is a more positive possibility and so now we must make effort to establish true harmony. If we leave aside the religions that do not have any philosophical basis, but just faith in worshipping the sun or moon or these type of things, if we leave those aside but look at the major world religions – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, different Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism, and so on – each of these has its own specialty. Therefore, through close contact, we can learn new things from each other; we can enrich our own traditions.
We Tibetan Buddhists, for example, we remained isolated behind the Himalayan mountains; we had no idea what was taking place in the outside world. But now the situation has completely changed. Now, for almost 50 years as homeless refugees, we’ve found new homes and many opportunities to learn from other traditions in other countries. This has been extremely useful. In the past, we have established exchange programs here in India: Christian brothers and sisters came to India to learn from us and some of our Tibetan monks and nuns went to the West and had experience in Christianity, mostly in Catholic monasteries. So, with close contact in that way, if we don’t remain closed-minded but open up, then we can learn something from each other. That way, we can develop mutual understanding and respect. And anyway, a new reality is there. Therefore I think that the development of mutual harmony among different religions is very important. This is one of my commitments until my death, to promote religious harmony. This is very helpful.
So, when I give lectures on Buddhism to audiences in the West who are mostly followers of other religions, then, the aim is to help these people to develop some understanding of Buddhism. That can be helpful for the development of tolerance. Then, perhaps like the present Pope stresses, the emphasis needs to be on both faith and reason together. That’s very important. Without reason, sometimes faith remains a little irrelevant. But with reason, faith can become a part of life that is extremely relevant. Faith in God, for example, can be extremely helpful, like when a person is going through difficult periods it gives that person great hope. And if we think in terms of anger, hatred, jealousy, the wish to cheat and bully others, then if we have faith, faith protects us against such negative emotions and actions. When we realize this, then faith becomes very important in daily life. In the Buddhist tradition, we place emphasis equally on faith and reason. So, some Buddhist explanations, particularly those based on reason, might be useful to practitioners of other traditions.
Sharing Knowledge with Science
In the variety of religious traditions present in today’s world, there are two categories: those that are theistic and those that are non-theistic. Buddhism is one of the non-theistic ones. According to non-theistic religions, the emphasis is on the law of causality. So naturally, there’s a great deal of explanation of the law of cause and effect in Buddhism, and this is something which is very useful to know. It is useful in that it helps us to know more about ourselves and about our minds.
We need to realize, for example, that destructive emotions and attitudes are the sources of our suffering and pain. To eliminate suffering and pain, we need to focus not just on their physical and verbal levels, but also on the mental. The counterforces for them are also mostly mental.
In the Buddhist tradition, the explanation of the mind is very detailed. Also, we find the same in some ancient Indian traditions. Therefore now, today, modern science is investigating deeper and deeper in this area. For instance, medical science is beginning to carry out research on emotions, since they are very important in relation to our health. A healthy body is related to emotions. So it is especially important for neurologists investigating how the brain works to look more at emotions. In other academic fields as well, there is also a big interest in the mind and emotions. Therefore, information about the mind and emotions from Buddhism and from ancient Indian religions is very useful for their research.
Usually I distinguish three parts of Buddhism: Buddhist science, Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist religion. Look at the example of Buddha himself. Buddha originally was an ordinary sentient being, a limited being. He taught how to transform our ordinary emotions and minds step by step and, by following that path himself, he finally became enlightened, and that’s a Buddha. Therefore, the Buddhist approach is to start on this level, the level of ordinary people, and then proceed on that level all the way up to Buddhahood.
Because of that, then firstly, we have to know today’s reality: that entails Buddhist science. Then, on that basis, we see the possibility of change, of transformation. We see that change is possible and that’s the Buddhist philosophy. When that becomes clear to us and we have confidence in the process of inner transformation, then we can start the practice of Buddhist religion.
So if we look back at Buddhist science, there are two areas that it deals with: internally, the mind, and externally with atoms, the universe and so on. Western science has much to offer on the external level: it seems to be extremely advanced in that area. We Buddhists can learn much from it about particles, how they function, about genetics, about the universe – these are very useful for us as Buddhists. At least, in terms of this planet, it’s quite clear that there is no Mount Meru. So, some of our classical descriptions must also be changed. Therefore, the scientific findings in the fields of cosmology, particle physics, quantum physics, and so on, are very essential for us Buddhists to learn.
Some findings of modern science and Buddhism, however, are the same. For example, originally, people believed that there was some sort of self-sufficient, independent substance on the side of objects. But now, according to the findings of quantum physics, we see that there is no such thing. We Buddhists have had this understanding for thousands of years. Buddhism teaches that nothing is self-sufficiently arising or self-sufficiently existing, but rather everything dependently arises.
Now, in terms of inner knowledge, modern science is starting to conduct some investigations, so there can be mutual benefit. Buddhists can learn about external phenomena from science and science can learn how to deal with negative emotions and such internal phenomena from the Buddhists. So, when we speak with the scientists, it’s not about future lives or nirvana. We don’t speak about religious aspects, but rather we speak about the mind and emotions. This is because we have the same method: we investigate things in order to find out about reality.
So those of you Westerners who are interested in Buddhism, it’s helpful to carry out your own scientific research. So, on that basis of offering the opportunity to investigate the Buddhist teachings with a scientific attitude, it seems alright for me to give lectures on Buddhism to non-Buddhist audiences. Because of that, then please look at my talks somewhat like academic lectures. Except for some chanting at the start, there are no rituals, no religious aspects in my talks. I just give scientific lectures. What do you think?
20
Diskusi Umum / Belief in One Truth or Many Truths Oleh His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
« on: 12 January 2011, 08:40:55 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Belief in One Truth or Many Truths
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Hamburg, Germany, 21 July 2007
transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
Some religions believe in one truth and some believe there are several truths. How do we resolve that difference?
For example, some people truly believe that their own religion is the ultimate, exclusively true one and that other religions are false. But religion is a personal, individual matter. So for any individual, what he or she believes and follows is in fact the only religion for him or her. But as for my friends who believe that there is only one true religion for everyone, the reality is that there are several religions in the world and several truths. We need to accept reality. Therefore, in terms of several people and communities, several religions are perfectly all right.
For those who feel there is only one truth, one religion, go ahead and keep that religion. But please respect other religions, since they bring deep benefit to my brothers and sisters. Because of that, I admire, appreciate, and respect all religions – Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu.
Some Christians describe me as a good Christian. I consider some Christians as good Buddhists. I accept all the major practices of Christianity – forgiveness, compassion, charity, and so on. I consider cause and effect as the basis of religion, while Christians consider God to be the basis. I tell them that the teachings on dependent arising and voidness are our own business, not yours. No need to concern yourselves about that. But the other teachings, like those concerning love and compassion, are held by all of us in common. These shared teachings are the basis of all harmony.
Belief in One Truth or Many Truths
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Hamburg, Germany, 21 July 2007
transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
Some religions believe in one truth and some believe there are several truths. How do we resolve that difference?
For example, some people truly believe that their own religion is the ultimate, exclusively true one and that other religions are false. But religion is a personal, individual matter. So for any individual, what he or she believes and follows is in fact the only religion for him or her. But as for my friends who believe that there is only one true religion for everyone, the reality is that there are several religions in the world and several truths. We need to accept reality. Therefore, in terms of several people and communities, several religions are perfectly all right.
For those who feel there is only one truth, one religion, go ahead and keep that religion. But please respect other religions, since they bring deep benefit to my brothers and sisters. Because of that, I admire, appreciate, and respect all religions – Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu.
Some Christians describe me as a good Christian. I consider some Christians as good Buddhists. I accept all the major practices of Christianity – forgiveness, compassion, charity, and so on. I consider cause and effect as the basis of religion, while Christians consider God to be the basis. I tell them that the teachings on dependent arising and voidness are our own business, not yours. No need to concern yourselves about that. But the other teachings, like those concerning love and compassion, are held by all of us in common. These shared teachings are the basis of all harmony.
21
Sutra Mahayana / Surangama Sutra Lengkap (Bahasa Indonesia)
« on: 12 January 2011, 07:18:56 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Langsung saja didownload : http://images.edi2179.multiply.multiplycontent.com/attachment/0/SYsLzQoKCngAAHloccg1/Surangama%20Sutra.pdf?nmid=192891841
Saya hanya bantu post-kan di Sutra Mahayana, yang pertama kali menemukan Saudara JimmyTBH.
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22
Mahayana / How to Deal with Negative Emotions Oleh His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
« on: 08 January 2011, 03:36:41 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
How to Deal with Negative Emotions
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008
Transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
With clarifications indicated in violet between square brackets
The Definitions of “Good” and “Bad” or “Positive” and “Negative”
How do we deal with negative emotions? This is an important topic – one that brings up the question of what’s positive and what’s negative. Is there anything that’s absolutely negative or absolutely positive? I don’t really know. Everything is interdependent and everything has different aspects. One observer looks at something from this angle and sees one picture, but even the same observer, when they go to the other side, sees things from a different angle.
Why, then, does each person have a different view of the world? Well, it’s because each of us looks at the world from a different angle. Even the same object looks different even to the same person. Therefore, what is the distinction and definition of good and bad? – I don’t know. Even an ant doesn’t analyze that. But, somehow, an ant knows that something that helps its life is good and so considers it good; and something that’s a danger to life it feels that is bad and so it runs around it.
So, perhaps we can say that [the issue of good or bad] is based on survival. We want comfort and happiness. And so something that’s helpful for survival, we consider that good: that’s positive. Something that attacks us and which we feel is a danger to our survival – we feel that that’s bad: [that’s negative.]
The Definition of “Negative Emotions”
According to that way [of defining positive and negative], then as for how do we deal with negative emotions, [we first need to deal with] how do we define them? First of all, these are things that disturb our inner peace, that’s why we call them “negative.” Those [emotions] that bring about inner strength and peace, those would be “positive.”
From the discussions I’ve had with scientists, especially with the great scientist Varela, a close friend of mine, we concluded that strong compassion is an emotion and an ultimately beneficial one. We agreed, then, that even Buddha’s mind has some emotion in terms of compassion; so emotion isn’t necessarily something bad or negative. The infinite compassion of the Buddha – we would have to consider that an emotion. So Buddha was infinitely emotional. If we consider compassion an emotion, then it’s very positive. Fear and hatred, on the other hand, destroy our inner peace and happiness, so we’d have to consider those negative.
Dealing with Negative Emotions on the Basis of Reason
Now how do we deal with [negative emotions such as] fear and hatred? [We need to consider how] those harmful emotions have no sound basis. They come from an unrealistic attitude; whereas positive emotions come usually from a sound basis. For example, some emotions can be increased through reason and logic; therefore they have a sound basis. A negative emotion arises automatically, but when we apply analysis and reason then they’re reduced: they have no sound basis. Therefore, a positive emotion is something that is related to reality, and a negative one is based on some distortion of reality, or ignorance.
For example, when we are angry with an enemy, at that moment anger makes it seem that their actions can harm me. Therefore, we think that this is a bad person. But, when we analyze, [we realize that] this person is not an enemy from birth. If they harm me, it must be due to different reasons, not from the person himself. If the person were truly in the category of “enemy,” they should have been an enemy from birth and they could never become a friend. But, in different circumstances, they could become our best of friends. Therefore, anger and hatred for a person is wrong.
What’s wrong is in their actions, not the person himself. But anger [based simply on someone’s wrong actions] is directed at the person. Compassion, on the other hand, is mostly aimed at the person regardless of their actions. Therefore, we can have compassion for an enemy on the basis of that enemy being a person.
So we have to differentiate a person and the person’s actions. Toward the human side, the person, we can have compassion, but toward the action we could have opposition. Therefore, negative emotion is usually with a very narrow mind. It focuses on just one aspect: [someone’s wrong actions.]
But concerning compassion, we have to make a distinction. There’s compassion based on a biological factor. [This type of compassion is biased toward someone who benefits us, like our mother.] Or do we speak about compassion based on reason, which is unbiased? The one that’s based on reason is much better, it’s unbiased – it’s based on reason. It’s focused on the person, not the action. A negative emotion based just on the action is not reasonable and, moreover, it doesn’t bring happiness.
Analyzing the Disadvantages of Negative Emotions Such As Anger
For dealing with negative emotions, then, the most important thing is analysis. For example, how much benefit from anger do I get? Anger brings a lot of very strong energy, that’s true. Even in our everyday facial and verbal expressions we can see this. When we get angry, both of them are very harsh. We become determined to choose the harshest words that can hurt the other person. Then, when anger ceases, the energy goes down that was so strong and violent, and the mind actually feels sharper. So the energy that brings on anger is a blind type of energy [because the mind isn’t sharp when we have it.] Because of that, anger never really helps; whereas if we always use an intelligent, realistic approach then that can help very much. Even in a courtroom, if a lawyer shouts in anger, this is of no help; whereas if the lawyer uses intelligence, then they can defeat the other.
Anger, then, destroys the ability of the intelligence to function clearly. Our judgment may be harmed by wrong words said in anger. So through intelligence, we can understand that anger is of no use. If, in a difficult, threatening situation, we can take appropriate counteractions through using our intelligence, that’s more helpful. In other words, while keeping compassion toward the other person, we open the possibility to become friends later on. If we have anger, it closes the door to any possibility of friendship later. Thinking like this, negative emotion can be reduced. Even if recurs, it will be weaker.
How to Deal with Negative Emotions
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008
Transcribed and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
With clarifications indicated in violet between square brackets
The Definitions of “Good” and “Bad” or “Positive” and “Negative”
How do we deal with negative emotions? This is an important topic – one that brings up the question of what’s positive and what’s negative. Is there anything that’s absolutely negative or absolutely positive? I don’t really know. Everything is interdependent and everything has different aspects. One observer looks at something from this angle and sees one picture, but even the same observer, when they go to the other side, sees things from a different angle.
Why, then, does each person have a different view of the world? Well, it’s because each of us looks at the world from a different angle. Even the same object looks different even to the same person. Therefore, what is the distinction and definition of good and bad? – I don’t know. Even an ant doesn’t analyze that. But, somehow, an ant knows that something that helps its life is good and so considers it good; and something that’s a danger to life it feels that is bad and so it runs around it.
So, perhaps we can say that [the issue of good or bad] is based on survival. We want comfort and happiness. And so something that’s helpful for survival, we consider that good: that’s positive. Something that attacks us and which we feel is a danger to our survival – we feel that that’s bad: [that’s negative.]
The Definition of “Negative Emotions”
According to that way [of defining positive and negative], then as for how do we deal with negative emotions, [we first need to deal with] how do we define them? First of all, these are things that disturb our inner peace, that’s why we call them “negative.” Those [emotions] that bring about inner strength and peace, those would be “positive.”
From the discussions I’ve had with scientists, especially with the great scientist Varela, a close friend of mine, we concluded that strong compassion is an emotion and an ultimately beneficial one. We agreed, then, that even Buddha’s mind has some emotion in terms of compassion; so emotion isn’t necessarily something bad or negative. The infinite compassion of the Buddha – we would have to consider that an emotion. So Buddha was infinitely emotional. If we consider compassion an emotion, then it’s very positive. Fear and hatred, on the other hand, destroy our inner peace and happiness, so we’d have to consider those negative.
Dealing with Negative Emotions on the Basis of Reason
Now how do we deal with [negative emotions such as] fear and hatred? [We need to consider how] those harmful emotions have no sound basis. They come from an unrealistic attitude; whereas positive emotions come usually from a sound basis. For example, some emotions can be increased through reason and logic; therefore they have a sound basis. A negative emotion arises automatically, but when we apply analysis and reason then they’re reduced: they have no sound basis. Therefore, a positive emotion is something that is related to reality, and a negative one is based on some distortion of reality, or ignorance.
For example, when we are angry with an enemy, at that moment anger makes it seem that their actions can harm me. Therefore, we think that this is a bad person. But, when we analyze, [we realize that] this person is not an enemy from birth. If they harm me, it must be due to different reasons, not from the person himself. If the person were truly in the category of “enemy,” they should have been an enemy from birth and they could never become a friend. But, in different circumstances, they could become our best of friends. Therefore, anger and hatred for a person is wrong.
What’s wrong is in their actions, not the person himself. But anger [based simply on someone’s wrong actions] is directed at the person. Compassion, on the other hand, is mostly aimed at the person regardless of their actions. Therefore, we can have compassion for an enemy on the basis of that enemy being a person.
So we have to differentiate a person and the person’s actions. Toward the human side, the person, we can have compassion, but toward the action we could have opposition. Therefore, negative emotion is usually with a very narrow mind. It focuses on just one aspect: [someone’s wrong actions.]
But concerning compassion, we have to make a distinction. There’s compassion based on a biological factor. [This type of compassion is biased toward someone who benefits us, like our mother.] Or do we speak about compassion based on reason, which is unbiased? The one that’s based on reason is much better, it’s unbiased – it’s based on reason. It’s focused on the person, not the action. A negative emotion based just on the action is not reasonable and, moreover, it doesn’t bring happiness.
Analyzing the Disadvantages of Negative Emotions Such As Anger
For dealing with negative emotions, then, the most important thing is analysis. For example, how much benefit from anger do I get? Anger brings a lot of very strong energy, that’s true. Even in our everyday facial and verbal expressions we can see this. When we get angry, both of them are very harsh. We become determined to choose the harshest words that can hurt the other person. Then, when anger ceases, the energy goes down that was so strong and violent, and the mind actually feels sharper. So the energy that brings on anger is a blind type of energy [because the mind isn’t sharp when we have it.] Because of that, anger never really helps; whereas if we always use an intelligent, realistic approach then that can help very much. Even in a courtroom, if a lawyer shouts in anger, this is of no help; whereas if the lawyer uses intelligence, then they can defeat the other.
Anger, then, destroys the ability of the intelligence to function clearly. Our judgment may be harmed by wrong words said in anger. So through intelligence, we can understand that anger is of no use. If, in a difficult, threatening situation, we can take appropriate counteractions through using our intelligence, that’s more helpful. In other words, while keeping compassion toward the other person, we open the possibility to become friends later on. If we have anger, it closes the door to any possibility of friendship later. Thinking like this, negative emotion can be reduced. Even if recurs, it will be weaker.
23
Mahayana / Finding Inner Peace and Fulfillment Oleh His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
« on: 08 January 2011, 03:17:30 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Finding Inner Peace and Fulfillment
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008
Transcribed, translated in parts,
and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
With clarifications indicated in violet between square brackets
The Importance of Investigating the Reality of a Situation
Inner peace is related to mental calmness. Physical experience doesn’t necessarily determine our mental peace. If we have mental peace, then the physical level is not so important.
Now, do we develop inner peace through prayer? No, not really. Through physical training? No. Just through gaining knowledge? No. Through deadening our feeling? No. But when facing any difficult situation, if, on the basis of full awareness of the benefits and harms of any possible action and its consequences, we face that situation, then our mind is not disturbed and that’s real inner peace.
Compassion and having a realistic approach, then, are extremely important. When unexpected consequences arise and they bring about a great deal of fear, this was due to our being unrealistic. We didn’t really look at all the consequences and so there was a lack of awareness and understanding. Our fear came from a lack of proper investigation, so we need to look from all four directions and up and down to get a full picture. There’s always a gap between reality and appearance, therefore we have to investigate from all directions.
Just looking at something, it’s not possible to see whether something is positive or negative. But, when we [investigate it thoroughly and] realize the truth about something, only then we can evaluate if it’s positive or negative. So, we need rational evaluation of our situations. If we start to investigate with desire, “I want this outcome, that outcome,” then our investigation is biased. The Nalanda tradition from India says that we need always to be skeptical and investigate objectively all fields, including religion.
The Importance of Opening Our Minds to Others
Now as for lack of peace of mind and dissatisfaction, they come about from having an extreme self-centered motivation. An individual has the right to overcome suffering and to achieve happiness. But if we think of only ourselves, the mind becomes very negative. Then a small problem appears huge and we become unbalanced. When we think of others as being as dear as ourselves, the mind is open and wider. Then, as a result, even a serious problem appears not so significant. So, there’s a big difference in emotion depending on the scope of how we look at things: from our own perspective or from the perspective of everyone.
Therefore, there are two elements that are important for peace of mind. The first is awareness of reality. If we approach things realistically, there will be no unexpected consequences. The second is compassion, which opens our so-called “inner door.” Fear and suspicion cuts us off from others.
Being Unconcerned about Our External Appearance
[Another thing that makes us lose peace of mind is worry about our external appearance.] When I first visited Beijing, for example, I had no experience. I was a bit nervous and I had some anxiety. But then I saw that some people, if they’re very concerned about their appearance, their face becomes very red when something wrong happens. But if they are open and don’t care if something goes wrong, then there is no problem.
For example, in 1954, when I was in Beijing, the Indian Ambassador came to see me in my room. The Chinese made huge preparations with flowers, fruit and so on, and they insisted that we have a Chinese interpreter. So it went from Tibetan to Chinese to English, although some of my officials knew English. At one point, the pile of fruit toppled over and then the Chinese officials, who had been very stuffy and formal before, got down on their hands and knees and crawled on the floor. If they didn’t care before about their appearance, it would have been no problem. But it was very embarrassing for them.
In Mexico City once, at an interfaith meeting, there was one Japanese priest. He had a rosary of beads in his hand and the string broke. He kept on thumbing his finger through the rosary even though the beads were all over the floor. He was too embarrassed to pick them up. He was uncomfortable because of being so concerning about his appearance.
Anyway, compassion, altruism, truthfulness, honesty – these are very important for bringing about inner calm, not concern about your external appearance. I never say that I am something special, but from my own experience I have no feeling of worry about how to behave in front of thousands of people. I talk to thousands of people at lectures such as this and for me it’s like speaking to just a few people. If some mistake happens, I’ll forget about it, no problems. If others make mistakes too, I just laugh.
Finding Inner Peace and Fulfillment
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Nottingham, England, 24 May 2008
Transcribed, translated in parts,
and lightly edited by Alexander Berzin
With clarifications indicated in violet between square brackets
The Importance of Investigating the Reality of a Situation
Inner peace is related to mental calmness. Physical experience doesn’t necessarily determine our mental peace. If we have mental peace, then the physical level is not so important.
Now, do we develop inner peace through prayer? No, not really. Through physical training? No. Just through gaining knowledge? No. Through deadening our feeling? No. But when facing any difficult situation, if, on the basis of full awareness of the benefits and harms of any possible action and its consequences, we face that situation, then our mind is not disturbed and that’s real inner peace.
Compassion and having a realistic approach, then, are extremely important. When unexpected consequences arise and they bring about a great deal of fear, this was due to our being unrealistic. We didn’t really look at all the consequences and so there was a lack of awareness and understanding. Our fear came from a lack of proper investigation, so we need to look from all four directions and up and down to get a full picture. There’s always a gap between reality and appearance, therefore we have to investigate from all directions.
Just looking at something, it’s not possible to see whether something is positive or negative. But, when we [investigate it thoroughly and] realize the truth about something, only then we can evaluate if it’s positive or negative. So, we need rational evaluation of our situations. If we start to investigate with desire, “I want this outcome, that outcome,” then our investigation is biased. The Nalanda tradition from India says that we need always to be skeptical and investigate objectively all fields, including religion.
The Importance of Opening Our Minds to Others
Now as for lack of peace of mind and dissatisfaction, they come about from having an extreme self-centered motivation. An individual has the right to overcome suffering and to achieve happiness. But if we think of only ourselves, the mind becomes very negative. Then a small problem appears huge and we become unbalanced. When we think of others as being as dear as ourselves, the mind is open and wider. Then, as a result, even a serious problem appears not so significant. So, there’s a big difference in emotion depending on the scope of how we look at things: from our own perspective or from the perspective of everyone.
Therefore, there are two elements that are important for peace of mind. The first is awareness of reality. If we approach things realistically, there will be no unexpected consequences. The second is compassion, which opens our so-called “inner door.” Fear and suspicion cuts us off from others.
Being Unconcerned about Our External Appearance
[Another thing that makes us lose peace of mind is worry about our external appearance.] When I first visited Beijing, for example, I had no experience. I was a bit nervous and I had some anxiety. But then I saw that some people, if they’re very concerned about their appearance, their face becomes very red when something wrong happens. But if they are open and don’t care if something goes wrong, then there is no problem.
For example, in 1954, when I was in Beijing, the Indian Ambassador came to see me in my room. The Chinese made huge preparations with flowers, fruit and so on, and they insisted that we have a Chinese interpreter. So it went from Tibetan to Chinese to English, although some of my officials knew English. At one point, the pile of fruit toppled over and then the Chinese officials, who had been very stuffy and formal before, got down on their hands and knees and crawled on the floor. If they didn’t care before about their appearance, it would have been no problem. But it was very embarrassing for them.
In Mexico City once, at an interfaith meeting, there was one Japanese priest. He had a rosary of beads in his hand and the string broke. He kept on thumbing his finger through the rosary even though the beads were all over the floor. He was too embarrassed to pick them up. He was uncomfortable because of being so concerning about his appearance.
Anyway, compassion, altruism, truthfulness, honesty – these are very important for bringing about inner calm, not concern about your external appearance. I never say that I am something special, but from my own experience I have no feeling of worry about how to behave in front of thousands of people. I talk to thousands of people at lectures such as this and for me it’s like speaking to just a few people. If some mistake happens, I’ll forget about it, no problems. If others make mistakes too, I just laugh.
24
Mahayana / Approaching the Dharma in a Balanced Way Oleh Dr. Alexander Berzin
« on: 08 January 2011, 03:12:57 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Balancing Intellectual, Emotional, and Devotional Approaches
Thank you very much. I’m really very delighted and happy and honored to be back with you once more.
This evening I have been asked to speak about different approaches to the Dharma as a general introduction – how we approach our Dharma practice. And what I’d like to do is speak about three different types of approaches that people have and the need for balance. Balance, I think, is very important in all of life in general, of course, but also in Dharma practice.
When we come to a Dharma center, we find in the West that people come with various interests and various motivations. Some people of course are very serious in terms of seeking some type of spiritual path, but there are others that come just to satisfy their wish for exotica, or to find some sort of miracle cure if they’re suffering from either some emotional or physical difficulty, or to be trendy, or to get high like a Dharma junkie on the charisma of an entertaining teacher.
But even if people start that way, they find that eventually they develop sincere interest in what Dharma has to offer. And when we come to a Dharma center in the beginning, the first thing that we try to do, many of us, is to learn some information, in other words, find out “What’s this all about?” We might have read a little bit, but it’s always better to get it from a live person, a teacher, or from a peer group.
Then, as people get into the Dharma, you find that there are three general types of approaches that people have: the intellectual approach, the emotional approach, and the devotional approach. A lot, of course, depends on the teacher, the way that the teacher presents the material, and also on each person’s inclination. And each of these approaches can be followed in either a mature or an immature point of view from a Dharma standpoint. So what I’d like to do is to look at these two possibilities, the immature and the mature ways of intellectually, emotionally, and devotionally approaching the Dharma and see what they look like.
The Intellectual Approach
An immature intellectual approach would be one that is just fascinated with beauty of the system. This is very true. The Dharma teachings are incredibly intricate, complex, and very beautiful in that intricacy. One can get completely fascinated by that and then just want to learn more and more facts, learn more and more ways in which the philosophy and the psychology and all these things come together. And then we don’t really integrate that. We don’t really digest that or feel anything. That is one type of extreme that tends to go to the extreme of insensitivity in terms of blockage of feelings.
The mind of course is very, very tricky, especially if you have a clever mind. A clever mind is very good at putting together information and finding all sorts of theories. In fact, one of the signs of intelligence is actually that ability to see patterns, like a scientist coming up with new theories. If we’re able to see the patterns, from a Buddhist point of view that’s called the equalizing type of deep awareness of the five types of deep awareness or “Buddha-wisdoms,” they’re sometimes called, to be able to see the equality of things and how they fit together.
But the problem with that, of course, is that you can find all sorts of patterns, many of which are fairly meaningless. The mind makes up all types of things and we can come up with all sorts of nonsense theories and beautiful ways in which the teachings fit together. And they may not at all have a benefit; they may lead us astray. And we can also get a little bit arrogant about that. As I say, you can become a little bit intoxicated almost by the beauty of these patterns or schemes that we see. So, that would be the immature intellectual approach, to just gather more and more facts and fit it together and then getting more into that.
There is of course the mature intellectual approach. The mature intellectual approach is to try to learn all the various aspects of the teachings in terms of facts, materials, systems, and so on, so that we can actually understand the teachings and integrate them and apply them. Because, as everybody always emphasizes, one needs to learn the teachings. The teachings are rather complex. That sometimes puts people off, actually, with Buddhism, particularly the Tibetan form of Buddhism, I should say, because it is so complex.
But that complexity, I like to see it in terms of a network theory – one of my pet things that I like very much are networks. When we study the Dharma, it’s very much like getting pieces of a puzzle. You get various pieces of it and it’s not so obvious how they fit together and they’re taken from like different parts of the puzzle and sometimes they’re actually taken from different puzzles, it seems to us. And this is the great challenge. The great challenge is to try to fit them together. And they always fit together in a multidimensional type of way.
It’s like when you study lam-rim, the graded stages of the path. First you go through it straight in order, in the sequence. And learning it in the sequence is very important. But that’s just the first step in the process. Then what one tries to do is to go back and try to look at how the more advanced teachings network and fit in to the basic level teachings. And the more other topics within the Dharma that we learn, we try also to fit these pieces in. And they’re fitting in in many, many different ways.
As I say, the danger, of course, is doing that just because it’s so beautiful; we get fascinated by how things fit together. But if we do that in a more mature way, then at each level as we progress, the network gets larger and larger. And that’s very important to remember is that all the disparate pieces that we receive are all part of a larger puzzle. Even though it might not seem like that to us, they all fit together in some sort of way.
Balancing Intellectual, Emotional, and Devotional Approaches
Thank you very much. I’m really very delighted and happy and honored to be back with you once more.
This evening I have been asked to speak about different approaches to the Dharma as a general introduction – how we approach our Dharma practice. And what I’d like to do is speak about three different types of approaches that people have and the need for balance. Balance, I think, is very important in all of life in general, of course, but also in Dharma practice.
When we come to a Dharma center, we find in the West that people come with various interests and various motivations. Some people of course are very serious in terms of seeking some type of spiritual path, but there are others that come just to satisfy their wish for exotica, or to find some sort of miracle cure if they’re suffering from either some emotional or physical difficulty, or to be trendy, or to get high like a Dharma junkie on the charisma of an entertaining teacher.
But even if people start that way, they find that eventually they develop sincere interest in what Dharma has to offer. And when we come to a Dharma center in the beginning, the first thing that we try to do, many of us, is to learn some information, in other words, find out “What’s this all about?” We might have read a little bit, but it’s always better to get it from a live person, a teacher, or from a peer group.
Then, as people get into the Dharma, you find that there are three general types of approaches that people have: the intellectual approach, the emotional approach, and the devotional approach. A lot, of course, depends on the teacher, the way that the teacher presents the material, and also on each person’s inclination. And each of these approaches can be followed in either a mature or an immature point of view from a Dharma standpoint. So what I’d like to do is to look at these two possibilities, the immature and the mature ways of intellectually, emotionally, and devotionally approaching the Dharma and see what they look like.
The Intellectual Approach
An immature intellectual approach would be one that is just fascinated with beauty of the system. This is very true. The Dharma teachings are incredibly intricate, complex, and very beautiful in that intricacy. One can get completely fascinated by that and then just want to learn more and more facts, learn more and more ways in which the philosophy and the psychology and all these things come together. And then we don’t really integrate that. We don’t really digest that or feel anything. That is one type of extreme that tends to go to the extreme of insensitivity in terms of blockage of feelings.
The mind of course is very, very tricky, especially if you have a clever mind. A clever mind is very good at putting together information and finding all sorts of theories. In fact, one of the signs of intelligence is actually that ability to see patterns, like a scientist coming up with new theories. If we’re able to see the patterns, from a Buddhist point of view that’s called the equalizing type of deep awareness of the five types of deep awareness or “Buddha-wisdoms,” they’re sometimes called, to be able to see the equality of things and how they fit together.
But the problem with that, of course, is that you can find all sorts of patterns, many of which are fairly meaningless. The mind makes up all types of things and we can come up with all sorts of nonsense theories and beautiful ways in which the teachings fit together. And they may not at all have a benefit; they may lead us astray. And we can also get a little bit arrogant about that. As I say, you can become a little bit intoxicated almost by the beauty of these patterns or schemes that we see. So, that would be the immature intellectual approach, to just gather more and more facts and fit it together and then getting more into that.
There is of course the mature intellectual approach. The mature intellectual approach is to try to learn all the various aspects of the teachings in terms of facts, materials, systems, and so on, so that we can actually understand the teachings and integrate them and apply them. Because, as everybody always emphasizes, one needs to learn the teachings. The teachings are rather complex. That sometimes puts people off, actually, with Buddhism, particularly the Tibetan form of Buddhism, I should say, because it is so complex.
But that complexity, I like to see it in terms of a network theory – one of my pet things that I like very much are networks. When we study the Dharma, it’s very much like getting pieces of a puzzle. You get various pieces of it and it’s not so obvious how they fit together and they’re taken from like different parts of the puzzle and sometimes they’re actually taken from different puzzles, it seems to us. And this is the great challenge. The great challenge is to try to fit them together. And they always fit together in a multidimensional type of way.
It’s like when you study lam-rim, the graded stages of the path. First you go through it straight in order, in the sequence. And learning it in the sequence is very important. But that’s just the first step in the process. Then what one tries to do is to go back and try to look at how the more advanced teachings network and fit in to the basic level teachings. And the more other topics within the Dharma that we learn, we try also to fit these pieces in. And they’re fitting in in many, many different ways.
As I say, the danger, of course, is doing that just because it’s so beautiful; we get fascinated by how things fit together. But if we do that in a more mature way, then at each level as we progress, the network gets larger and larger. And that’s very important to remember is that all the disparate pieces that we receive are all part of a larger puzzle. Even though it might not seem like that to us, they all fit together in some sort of way.
25
Theravada / The Life of the Buddha As Pieced Together from the Pali Canon
« on: 02 January 2011, 11:08:37 AM »
Namo Buddhaya,
The Life of the Buddha As Pieced Together from the Pali Canon
Alexander Berzin, August 2010
The life of the historical Buddha emerges in several layers from the classical Buddhist literature. The earliest version does not appear in any one text, but can only be pieced together from incidents recorded in the Pali sutta (Skt. sutra) and vinaya literature of the Theravada tradition. Later texts of the Mahasanghika, Sarvastivada, and Mahayana traditions embellish the bare outline that emerges from these earlier texts with many, sometimes superhuman features. The original picture that emerges from the Pali literature, however, reveals a very human person who, living in troubled, insecure times, faced numerous difficulties and challenges, both personally and to his monastic community. Here, we shall outline this earliest version of Buddha’s life, based on the scholarly research of Stephen Batchelor presented in his Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. All names shall be given in their Pali versions.
Buddha was born in 566 BCE in Lumbini Park (Lumbi-na’i tshal), in present-day southern Nepal. This park lay not too far from Kapilavatthu (Ser-skya’i gnas, Skt. Kapilavastu), the capital of Sakiya (Sha-kya, Skt. Shakya). Although his personal name Siddhattha (Don-grub, Skt. Siddhartha) does not appear in the Pali canon; nevertheless, for convenience sake, we shall use it here. Gotama (Gau-ta-ma, Skt. Gautama), another name often used in reference to the Buddha, was, in fact, the name of his clan.
Siddhattha’s father, Suddhodana (Zas tsang-ma, Skt. Shuddhodana), was not a king, as described in later Buddhist literature. Rather, he was a nobleman from the Gotama clan, who maybe served as a regional governor in Sakiya. The Pali canon does not record his mother’s name; but later Sanskrit sources identify her as Maya-devi (Lha-mo sGyu-‘phrul-ma). Siddattha’s mother died shortly after his birth and so he was raised by her sister Pajapati (sKye-dgu’i bdag-mo chen-mo, Skt. Mahaprajapati), whom his father married, as was the custom of the times.
Sakiya was an ancient republic, but by the time of Siddhattha’s birth, it was part of the powerful kingdom of Kosala (Ko-sa-la, Skt. Koshala). Kosala stretched from the northern bank of the Ganges River in present-day Bihar to the foothills of the Himalayas. Its capital was Savatthi (gNyan-yod, Skt. Shravasti).
Since a brief description of the geography of the major places in Buddha’s life may make his biography easier to follow, let’s outline it here. Sakiya lay in the eastern part of Kosala, with the province of Malla (Gyad-kyi yul, Skt. Malla) to Sakiya’s southeast. East of Malla was the Vajji (Skt. Vrji) republic, with its capital at Vesali (Yangs-pa-can, Skt. Vaishali). The Vajji Republic was ruled by a confederation of clans; the Licchavi (Li-ccha-bi, Skt. Licchavi) clan was the most famous of them. South of Vajji and Kosala, across the Ganges River, lay the mighty kingdom of Magadha (Yul Ma-ga-dha, Skt. Magadha), with its capital at Rajagaha (rGyal-po’i khab, Skt. Rajagrha). To the west of Kosala, in present-day Pakistani Punjab, was Gandhara (Sa-‘dzin, Skt. Ghandhara), which was a satrapy of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. In its capital, Takkasila (rDo-‘jog, Skt. Takshashila), was the most famous university of that time. There, Greek and Persian ideas and cultures mingled with their contemporary Indian counterparts.
Kapilavatthu, where Siddhattha grew up, was a major city on the North Road, the main commercial artery of the time. The North Road linked Kosala to Gandhara to the west and, passing through Sakiya, Malla, and the Vajji Republic, to Magadha to the south. Thus, although the Pali canon says very little about Siddhattha Gotama before the age of twenty-nine, he was quite likely exposed to many cultures. He might even have studied at Takkasila, although that cannot be established.
Siddhattha married Bhaddakaccana, who is known in the Sanskrit literature as Yoshodhara (Grags ‘dzin-ma). She was Siddhattha’s cousin and the sister of Devadatta (Lhas-byin, Skt. Devadatta). Devadatta later became Buddha’s main rival. They had one child, a son Rahula (sGra-gcan ‘dzin, Skt. Rahula). Shortly after the birth of his son, Buddha left Kapilavatthu at the age of twenty-nine and headed for Magadha in search of spiritual truth. Travelling along the North Road and crossing the Ganges River, he arrived in Rajagaha. At that time, Magadha was ruled by King Bimbisara (gZugs-can snying-po) and Kosala by King Pasendi (rGyal-po gSal-rgyal, Skt. Prasenajit). As part of an alliance between Kosala and Magadha, the two kings had married each other’s sisters. King Pasenadi’s sister was named Devi (Lha-mo, Skt. Devi).
In Magadha, Siddhattha studied in the communities of two teachers, Alara Kalama (Skt. Arada Kalama) and Uddaka Ramaputta (Skt. Udraka Ramaputra). Coming from the brahmanic tradition, they taught him to achieve absorbed concentration on nothingness and on neither distinguishing nor not distinguishing anything. Siddhattha was dissatisfied with these attainments, however, and so he left these teachers. He then undertook a regimen of extreme austerities, eating almost nothing. Again he felt that such practice did not lead to liberation. He then broke his fast and went to nearby Uruvela (lDeng-rgyas, Skt. Urubilva), present-day Bodh Gaya, where he attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree at the age of thirty-five. This was six years after he had arrived in Magadha.
After attaining enlightenment, he went west to Migadaya (Ri-dvags-kyi gnas, Skt. Mrgadava), the Deer Park, at Isapatana (Drang-srong lhung-ba, Skt. Rshipatana), present-day Sarnath, just outside Varanasi. Although north of the Ganges River, King Pasenadi had ceded this area to Magadha as part of the dowry when he had given his sister Devi in marriage to King Bimbisara. Buddha spent the rainy season there at the Deer Park with his five companions and soon attracted a small number of followers, who formed a celibate community that he needed to care for.
The Licchavi nobleman Mahali from Vesali heard of the Buddha and suggested to King Bimbisara that he invite him to Magadha. So after the monsoon, Buddha and his growing community returned east to the Magadha capital Rajagaha. King Bimbisara was impressed with Buddha’s teachings and offered him a disused park called “Veluvana” (‘Od-ma’i tshal, Skt. Venuvana), the “Bamboo Grove,” where he could base his community during the rainy season.
The Life of the Buddha As Pieced Together from the Pali Canon
Alexander Berzin, August 2010
The life of the historical Buddha emerges in several layers from the classical Buddhist literature. The earliest version does not appear in any one text, but can only be pieced together from incidents recorded in the Pali sutta (Skt. sutra) and vinaya literature of the Theravada tradition. Later texts of the Mahasanghika, Sarvastivada, and Mahayana traditions embellish the bare outline that emerges from these earlier texts with many, sometimes superhuman features. The original picture that emerges from the Pali literature, however, reveals a very human person who, living in troubled, insecure times, faced numerous difficulties and challenges, both personally and to his monastic community. Here, we shall outline this earliest version of Buddha’s life, based on the scholarly research of Stephen Batchelor presented in his Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. All names shall be given in their Pali versions.
Buddha was born in 566 BCE in Lumbini Park (Lumbi-na’i tshal), in present-day southern Nepal. This park lay not too far from Kapilavatthu (Ser-skya’i gnas, Skt. Kapilavastu), the capital of Sakiya (Sha-kya, Skt. Shakya). Although his personal name Siddhattha (Don-grub, Skt. Siddhartha) does not appear in the Pali canon; nevertheless, for convenience sake, we shall use it here. Gotama (Gau-ta-ma, Skt. Gautama), another name often used in reference to the Buddha, was, in fact, the name of his clan.
Siddhattha’s father, Suddhodana (Zas tsang-ma, Skt. Shuddhodana), was not a king, as described in later Buddhist literature. Rather, he was a nobleman from the Gotama clan, who maybe served as a regional governor in Sakiya. The Pali canon does not record his mother’s name; but later Sanskrit sources identify her as Maya-devi (Lha-mo sGyu-‘phrul-ma). Siddattha’s mother died shortly after his birth and so he was raised by her sister Pajapati (sKye-dgu’i bdag-mo chen-mo, Skt. Mahaprajapati), whom his father married, as was the custom of the times.
Sakiya was an ancient republic, but by the time of Siddhattha’s birth, it was part of the powerful kingdom of Kosala (Ko-sa-la, Skt. Koshala). Kosala stretched from the northern bank of the Ganges River in present-day Bihar to the foothills of the Himalayas. Its capital was Savatthi (gNyan-yod, Skt. Shravasti).
Since a brief description of the geography of the major places in Buddha’s life may make his biography easier to follow, let’s outline it here. Sakiya lay in the eastern part of Kosala, with the province of Malla (Gyad-kyi yul, Skt. Malla) to Sakiya’s southeast. East of Malla was the Vajji (Skt. Vrji) republic, with its capital at Vesali (Yangs-pa-can, Skt. Vaishali). The Vajji Republic was ruled by a confederation of clans; the Licchavi (Li-ccha-bi, Skt. Licchavi) clan was the most famous of them. South of Vajji and Kosala, across the Ganges River, lay the mighty kingdom of Magadha (Yul Ma-ga-dha, Skt. Magadha), with its capital at Rajagaha (rGyal-po’i khab, Skt. Rajagrha). To the west of Kosala, in present-day Pakistani Punjab, was Gandhara (Sa-‘dzin, Skt. Ghandhara), which was a satrapy of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. In its capital, Takkasila (rDo-‘jog, Skt. Takshashila), was the most famous university of that time. There, Greek and Persian ideas and cultures mingled with their contemporary Indian counterparts.
Kapilavatthu, where Siddhattha grew up, was a major city on the North Road, the main commercial artery of the time. The North Road linked Kosala to Gandhara to the west and, passing through Sakiya, Malla, and the Vajji Republic, to Magadha to the south. Thus, although the Pali canon says very little about Siddhattha Gotama before the age of twenty-nine, he was quite likely exposed to many cultures. He might even have studied at Takkasila, although that cannot be established.
Siddhattha married Bhaddakaccana, who is known in the Sanskrit literature as Yoshodhara (Grags ‘dzin-ma). She was Siddhattha’s cousin and the sister of Devadatta (Lhas-byin, Skt. Devadatta). Devadatta later became Buddha’s main rival. They had one child, a son Rahula (sGra-gcan ‘dzin, Skt. Rahula). Shortly after the birth of his son, Buddha left Kapilavatthu at the age of twenty-nine and headed for Magadha in search of spiritual truth. Travelling along the North Road and crossing the Ganges River, he arrived in Rajagaha. At that time, Magadha was ruled by King Bimbisara (gZugs-can snying-po) and Kosala by King Pasendi (rGyal-po gSal-rgyal, Skt. Prasenajit). As part of an alliance between Kosala and Magadha, the two kings had married each other’s sisters. King Pasenadi’s sister was named Devi (Lha-mo, Skt. Devi).
In Magadha, Siddhattha studied in the communities of two teachers, Alara Kalama (Skt. Arada Kalama) and Uddaka Ramaputta (Skt. Udraka Ramaputra). Coming from the brahmanic tradition, they taught him to achieve absorbed concentration on nothingness and on neither distinguishing nor not distinguishing anything. Siddhattha was dissatisfied with these attainments, however, and so he left these teachers. He then undertook a regimen of extreme austerities, eating almost nothing. Again he felt that such practice did not lead to liberation. He then broke his fast and went to nearby Uruvela (lDeng-rgyas, Skt. Urubilva), present-day Bodh Gaya, where he attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree at the age of thirty-five. This was six years after he had arrived in Magadha.
After attaining enlightenment, he went west to Migadaya (Ri-dvags-kyi gnas, Skt. Mrgadava), the Deer Park, at Isapatana (Drang-srong lhung-ba, Skt. Rshipatana), present-day Sarnath, just outside Varanasi. Although north of the Ganges River, King Pasenadi had ceded this area to Magadha as part of the dowry when he had given his sister Devi in marriage to King Bimbisara. Buddha spent the rainy season there at the Deer Park with his five companions and soon attracted a small number of followers, who formed a celibate community that he needed to care for.
The Licchavi nobleman Mahali from Vesali heard of the Buddha and suggested to King Bimbisara that he invite him to Magadha. So after the monsoon, Buddha and his growing community returned east to the Magadha capital Rajagaha. King Bimbisara was impressed with Buddha’s teachings and offered him a disused park called “Veluvana” (‘Od-ma’i tshal, Skt. Venuvana), the “Bamboo Grove,” where he could base his community during the rainy season.
26
Mahayana / The Meaning of Rigpa Being Permanent
« on: 02 January 2011, 09:10:10 AM »
Namo Buddhaya,
The Meaning of Rigpa Being Permanent
When the dzogchen texts assert that rigpa is an unaffected (‘ dus-ma-byed, unconditioned, uncollected) permanent (rtag-pa) phenomenon, we must understand the meaning carefully. Unaffected, here, means that it is not created anew each moment and does not organically grow from something, as a sprout does from a seed. Thus, it is uncontrived (bcos-med) – not made up or fabricated, under the influence of causes and conditions, as something temporary and new. Moreover, its having good qualities does not depend on causes and conditions. It is permanent, not in the sense of being static and not performing a function, but rather in the sense of lasting forever, as do its qualities.
In each moment, however, rigpa spontaneously gives rise to and is aware of different objects. In this sense, it is fresh and clean (so-ma). Although its nature never changes, these aspects change. Focusing on this feature, Gelug would assert that rigpa is nonstatic (mi-rtag-pa, impermanent). There is no contradiction, however, because dzogchen and Gelug are defining and using the terms permanent and impermanent differently.
Sumber : http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/advanced/dzogchen/basic_points/introduction_dzogchen.html
The Meaning of Rigpa Being Permanent
When the dzogchen texts assert that rigpa is an unaffected (‘ dus-ma-byed, unconditioned, uncollected) permanent (rtag-pa) phenomenon, we must understand the meaning carefully. Unaffected, here, means that it is not created anew each moment and does not organically grow from something, as a sprout does from a seed. Thus, it is uncontrived (bcos-med) – not made up or fabricated, under the influence of causes and conditions, as something temporary and new. Moreover, its having good qualities does not depend on causes and conditions. It is permanent, not in the sense of being static and not performing a function, but rather in the sense of lasting forever, as do its qualities.
In each moment, however, rigpa spontaneously gives rise to and is aware of different objects. In this sense, it is fresh and clean (so-ma). Although its nature never changes, these aspects change. Focusing on this feature, Gelug would assert that rigpa is nonstatic (mi-rtag-pa, impermanent). There is no contradiction, however, because dzogchen and Gelug are defining and using the terms permanent and impermanent differently.
Sumber : http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/advanced/dzogchen/basic_points/introduction_dzogchen.html
27
Bantuan Teknis, kritik dan saran. / Siapakah Moderator di bagian Mahayana ?
« on: 07 November 2010, 09:01:11 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Siapakah Moderator di bagian Mahayana ? Terima kasih.
Siapakah Moderator di bagian Mahayana ? Terima kasih.
28
Mahayana / Guanyin, Guanyin, Guanshiyin
« on: 04 November 2010, 09:25:49 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
Guanyin, Guanyin, Guanshiyin
Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Edited and Translated by the Editorial Committee of the
Buddhist Text Translation Society
In Memory of the First Anniversary of the Nirvana of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
and the Twentieth Anniversary of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Burlingame, CA: Buddhist Text Translation Society, Dharma Realm Buddhist University,
Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, 1996.
How Lucky We Are to Hear Guanyin's Name in the Saha World !
Guanshiyin (Avalokiteshvara) Bodhisattva has a great affinity with living beings in the Saha world. There is a saying in China, "Guanshiyin in every household, Amitabha in every place." This shows that everyone knows Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and Amitabha (the name means "Limitless Light" and "Limitless Life") Buddha, that their compassion has deeply entered people's hearts. Guan means "Contemplate"; shi means "world"; yin means "sounds." Thus the name means "Contemplating the World's Sounds."
Within Buddhism, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva holds a very important position. Some people say that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is Chinese and some say he is a Westerner; some say the Bodhisattva is male and some say female. But now I am informing all of you that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is neither Chinese nor Western, neither male nor female. Well, then, where does he come from? He fills empty space and pervades the Dharma Realm; he is in every place and yet not in any place. He appears according to what kind of body is needed to save each particular category of beings. He manifests in whatever physical form is appropriate to speak Dharma for beings; thus his identity is flexible. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva appears in the form of a Buddha to save those who are ready to become Buddhas. He appears as a Bodhisattva to save those who should become Bodhisattvas. He appears as a heavenly king to speak Dharma for beings in the heavens.
Within Buddhism, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is one who goes about everywhere teaching and transforming living beings, inspiring them to bring forth the Bodhi mind. He first sees what a particular being likes and then makes them happy with what they like. Once they are happy, they will like to listen to the Dharma he speaks and gradually he will be able to rescue them. That's why I say that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is not necessarily male or female; he could be male or he could be female. In any case those are just transformations. As to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's own body, he is in a state of unmoving Suchness ¡X he is just like the Buddhas. Anyway, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva already became a Buddha a long time ago, by the name of Right Dharma Brightness. He simply appears as a Bodhisattva in order to teach and transform living beings.
In Buddhism, he appears as a Bodhisattva; in other religions he often appears clad in white robes. In Christianity, he is the Holy Mother; he appears as the Holy Mother to teach and transform a certain category of beings. He appears in white robes and Christians call her Mother Mary, but actually she is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva manifesting in that form to inspire beings to bring forth a resolve that will lead them sooner or later to understand the Buddhadharma. Once they understand the Buddhadharma, they will bring forth the resolve for Bodhi. These are the endless miraculous functions and inconceivable states of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva uses kindness, compassion, joy, and giving to save all living beings. He saves beings from the seven difficulties, responds to two kinds of seeking, has fourteen kinds of fearlessness, speaks Dharma in nineteen ways, and has thirty-two response bodies. If childless people seek sons or daughters, their wishes will be granted. These are the two kinds of seeking. Therefore, in a Guanyin recitation session, any vow can be fulfilled and any result can be obtained, because Guanyin Bodhisattva responds to all requests. You may seek to leave the home-life, to remain a layperson, or to become a Buddha. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has great kindness and compassion, and will not disappoint you no matter what you ask for. He'll definitely fulfill your wishes. Therefore, during the Guanyin session, you may seek whatever you like. Whether you seek a son, a daughter, wealth, or long life, you will be able to obtain them. But these are forms of happiness subject to "outflows"; you ought to seek the nonoutflow happiness of Buddhahood. Worldly riches, honor, and glory all come to an end, but nonoutflow happiness is endless and infinite. Let's recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name more in order to realize an everlasting fruition.
With Vigor and Courage, Recite with One Heart.
Our recitation of Guanyin Bodhisattva's name should continue nonstop, like an ever flowing stream, until everything becomes one. Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, we recite the name of Guanyin. We must pay close attention and not forget Guanyin's name in thought after thought. Each recitation must be clear and distinct; and we certainly shouldn't fall asleep or have idle thoughts while reciting. We must recite single-mindedly, thinking of nothing but the words "Namo Bodhisattva Guanshiyin," not leaving the name whether we are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.
If you are mindful of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, he will be mindful of you. You recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name hoping that he will compassionately save all beings; he recites your name hoping that you can leave suffering and attain bliss, be free from disasters and sickness, cancel offenses and create blessings. He hopes you will increase in Bodhi and perfect your mind for the Way. We shouldn't let Guanshiyin Bodhisattva down. He is so compassionate and mindful of us, we ought to set everything else aside and concentrate on reciting his name. If we can do that, he will definitely be with us whether we are moving or still, awake or asleep. He will aid us, destroy our karmic obstacles, and make our good roots grow. Having received Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's aid, we should strengthen our resolve for Bodhi and advance vigorously without slacking off for a moment. We shouldn't chatter so much. If you decide not to talk, eat, or sleep, that's fine; but don't fail to cultivate. Everyone has to cultivate. We should regard every moment and every day as a Guanyin session. In fact, we should wish to cultivate the inconceivable Dharma door of reciting Guanyin Bodhisattva's name every month, every year, and every great eon. Don't think that you're free once the session is over, because you are not truly free unless you become enlightened. So don't entertain the thought of retreating. We should all be wishing for another Guanyin session so we can continue to develop our skill.
The function of reciting Guanyin's name can be compared to using our hands in getting dressed and when eating. The name "Guanshiyin Bodhisattva" is equivalent to your hands, which you use to put on clothes. When you eat, you must use chopsticks or a fork to bring the food to your mouth; likewise, you must recite Guanyin Bodhisattva's name in order to feed your Dharma body.
Reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name is also analogous unlocking a door. We are locked up in the prison of our ignorance, and Guanyin's name is the key to the prison's door. Each time we recite it, the lock of ignorance opens up a little. The more we recite, the more the lock opens. We use Guanyin Bodhisattva's key of wisdom to open our lock of ignorance. The moment it opens, we gain sudden enlightenment. Confucianism speaks of a state of sudden comprehension, but that is only a partial, not a total, enlightenment. With sudden enlightenment, one breaks through ignorance and cuts off the very source of births and deaths without beginning.
Guanyin Bodhisattva listens to the sounds of living beings and rescues them from suffering. He has particularly deep affinities with the living beings in our Saha world. There are many cases in which Guanyin Bodhisattva has protected people and shined his light upon them. Why haven't we obtained such a response? Our minds are not sincere. We have too many scattered thoughts. On the one hand we recite his name, but on the other hand our mind chases after external states and strikes up all kinds of impure thoughts, so we waste all our time. We should realize that life is short. If we don't cultivate seriously right now, we might not have another chance.
Cherish the time and don't let it go by in vain. Don't just mindlessly follow the crowd. You ought to take advantage of this opportunity to cultivate at a monastery by sincerely reciting Guanyin's name. You will have completed your work only when you attain the Guanyin Recitation Samadhi, the state of proper concentration which cannot be disturbed by the gusty winds or the driving rain. Don't overlook that point.
A Thousand Hands and A Thousand Eyes Bestow Great Compassion.
Let us get to know Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, the most venerated of sages, as we pay homage to him. The Bodhisattva's image shows a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, but actually, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's hands and eyes are infinite. With his infinite hands, he pulls living beings out of the sea of suffering and sets them on the blissful other shore. With his infinite eyes, he beholds all living beings and rescues those who are in difficulty or danger. He will not ignore any living being with whom he has an affinity.
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is a most diligent Bodhisattva. He is extremely vigorous and doesn't ever rest. He rescues living beings all day long. No matter how much trouble living beings get into, he doesn't mind the work of saving them. He is a tremendously busy and energetic Bodhisattva, not a lazy one who likes to rest. One or two hands can't save very many people, so he has a thousand hands to rescue living beings from disasters and a thousand eyes to take care of suffering living beings in the great thousand world system.
When living beings are in trouble, they think of their greatly compassionate father and mother, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. Then they start reciting, "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva." When living beings who are in difficulty recite "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva," the Bodhisattva sees them with his thousand eyes. He beholds them with his wisdom eyes, hears them with his wisdom ears, and uses his wisdom hands to save them. Even if millions of living beings who are in difficulty call out to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva at the same time, the Bodhisattva can rescue them and make them all happy.
Today some refugees brought a photograph which they say was taken when they were on the refugee boat. In this shot of the sky, taken by the boat captain, a distinct image of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva appears at the fringe of the clouds. From this, we know that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva responds to prayers everywhere, sailing the sea of suffering and crossing people over. However, if we have not yet deeply recognized Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and produced a deep and sincere faith in him, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva may not be aware of us when we are in trouble. If we bring forth true faith, then Guanshiyin Bodhisattva certainly won't ignore us when we are in trouble.
Guanyin, Guanyin, Guanshiyin
Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Edited and Translated by the Editorial Committee of the
Buddhist Text Translation Society
In Memory of the First Anniversary of the Nirvana of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
and the Twentieth Anniversary of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
Burlingame, CA: Buddhist Text Translation Society, Dharma Realm Buddhist University,
Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, 1996.
How Lucky We Are to Hear Guanyin's Name in the Saha World !
Guanshiyin (Avalokiteshvara) Bodhisattva has a great affinity with living beings in the Saha world. There is a saying in China, "Guanshiyin in every household, Amitabha in every place." This shows that everyone knows Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and Amitabha (the name means "Limitless Light" and "Limitless Life") Buddha, that their compassion has deeply entered people's hearts. Guan means "Contemplate"; shi means "world"; yin means "sounds." Thus the name means "Contemplating the World's Sounds."
Within Buddhism, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva holds a very important position. Some people say that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is Chinese and some say he is a Westerner; some say the Bodhisattva is male and some say female. But now I am informing all of you that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is neither Chinese nor Western, neither male nor female. Well, then, where does he come from? He fills empty space and pervades the Dharma Realm; he is in every place and yet not in any place. He appears according to what kind of body is needed to save each particular category of beings. He manifests in whatever physical form is appropriate to speak Dharma for beings; thus his identity is flexible. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva appears in the form of a Buddha to save those who are ready to become Buddhas. He appears as a Bodhisattva to save those who should become Bodhisattvas. He appears as a heavenly king to speak Dharma for beings in the heavens.
Within Buddhism, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is one who goes about everywhere teaching and transforming living beings, inspiring them to bring forth the Bodhi mind. He first sees what a particular being likes and then makes them happy with what they like. Once they are happy, they will like to listen to the Dharma he speaks and gradually he will be able to rescue them. That's why I say that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is not necessarily male or female; he could be male or he could be female. In any case those are just transformations. As to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's own body, he is in a state of unmoving Suchness ¡X he is just like the Buddhas. Anyway, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva already became a Buddha a long time ago, by the name of Right Dharma Brightness. He simply appears as a Bodhisattva in order to teach and transform living beings.
In Buddhism, he appears as a Bodhisattva; in other religions he often appears clad in white robes. In Christianity, he is the Holy Mother; he appears as the Holy Mother to teach and transform a certain category of beings. He appears in white robes and Christians call her Mother Mary, but actually she is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva manifesting in that form to inspire beings to bring forth a resolve that will lead them sooner or later to understand the Buddhadharma. Once they understand the Buddhadharma, they will bring forth the resolve for Bodhi. These are the endless miraculous functions and inconceivable states of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva.
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva uses kindness, compassion, joy, and giving to save all living beings. He saves beings from the seven difficulties, responds to two kinds of seeking, has fourteen kinds of fearlessness, speaks Dharma in nineteen ways, and has thirty-two response bodies. If childless people seek sons or daughters, their wishes will be granted. These are the two kinds of seeking. Therefore, in a Guanyin recitation session, any vow can be fulfilled and any result can be obtained, because Guanyin Bodhisattva responds to all requests. You may seek to leave the home-life, to remain a layperson, or to become a Buddha. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva has great kindness and compassion, and will not disappoint you no matter what you ask for. He'll definitely fulfill your wishes. Therefore, during the Guanyin session, you may seek whatever you like. Whether you seek a son, a daughter, wealth, or long life, you will be able to obtain them. But these are forms of happiness subject to "outflows"; you ought to seek the nonoutflow happiness of Buddhahood. Worldly riches, honor, and glory all come to an end, but nonoutflow happiness is endless and infinite. Let's recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name more in order to realize an everlasting fruition.
With Vigor and Courage, Recite with One Heart.
Our recitation of Guanyin Bodhisattva's name should continue nonstop, like an ever flowing stream, until everything becomes one. Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, we recite the name of Guanyin. We must pay close attention and not forget Guanyin's name in thought after thought. Each recitation must be clear and distinct; and we certainly shouldn't fall asleep or have idle thoughts while reciting. We must recite single-mindedly, thinking of nothing but the words "Namo Bodhisattva Guanshiyin," not leaving the name whether we are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down.
If you are mindful of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, he will be mindful of you. You recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name hoping that he will compassionately save all beings; he recites your name hoping that you can leave suffering and attain bliss, be free from disasters and sickness, cancel offenses and create blessings. He hopes you will increase in Bodhi and perfect your mind for the Way. We shouldn't let Guanshiyin Bodhisattva down. He is so compassionate and mindful of us, we ought to set everything else aside and concentrate on reciting his name. If we can do that, he will definitely be with us whether we are moving or still, awake or asleep. He will aid us, destroy our karmic obstacles, and make our good roots grow. Having received Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's aid, we should strengthen our resolve for Bodhi and advance vigorously without slacking off for a moment. We shouldn't chatter so much. If you decide not to talk, eat, or sleep, that's fine; but don't fail to cultivate. Everyone has to cultivate. We should regard every moment and every day as a Guanyin session. In fact, we should wish to cultivate the inconceivable Dharma door of reciting Guanyin Bodhisattva's name every month, every year, and every great eon. Don't think that you're free once the session is over, because you are not truly free unless you become enlightened. So don't entertain the thought of retreating. We should all be wishing for another Guanyin session so we can continue to develop our skill.
The function of reciting Guanyin's name can be compared to using our hands in getting dressed and when eating. The name "Guanshiyin Bodhisattva" is equivalent to your hands, which you use to put on clothes. When you eat, you must use chopsticks or a fork to bring the food to your mouth; likewise, you must recite Guanyin Bodhisattva's name in order to feed your Dharma body.
Reciting Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name is also analogous unlocking a door. We are locked up in the prison of our ignorance, and Guanyin's name is the key to the prison's door. Each time we recite it, the lock of ignorance opens up a little. The more we recite, the more the lock opens. We use Guanyin Bodhisattva's key of wisdom to open our lock of ignorance. The moment it opens, we gain sudden enlightenment. Confucianism speaks of a state of sudden comprehension, but that is only a partial, not a total, enlightenment. With sudden enlightenment, one breaks through ignorance and cuts off the very source of births and deaths without beginning.
Guanyin Bodhisattva listens to the sounds of living beings and rescues them from suffering. He has particularly deep affinities with the living beings in our Saha world. There are many cases in which Guanyin Bodhisattva has protected people and shined his light upon them. Why haven't we obtained such a response? Our minds are not sincere. We have too many scattered thoughts. On the one hand we recite his name, but on the other hand our mind chases after external states and strikes up all kinds of impure thoughts, so we waste all our time. We should realize that life is short. If we don't cultivate seriously right now, we might not have another chance.
Cherish the time and don't let it go by in vain. Don't just mindlessly follow the crowd. You ought to take advantage of this opportunity to cultivate at a monastery by sincerely reciting Guanyin's name. You will have completed your work only when you attain the Guanyin Recitation Samadhi, the state of proper concentration which cannot be disturbed by the gusty winds or the driving rain. Don't overlook that point.
A Thousand Hands and A Thousand Eyes Bestow Great Compassion.
Let us get to know Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, the most venerated of sages, as we pay homage to him. The Bodhisattva's image shows a thousand hands and a thousand eyes, but actually, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's hands and eyes are infinite. With his infinite hands, he pulls living beings out of the sea of suffering and sets them on the blissful other shore. With his infinite eyes, he beholds all living beings and rescues those who are in difficulty or danger. He will not ignore any living being with whom he has an affinity.
Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is a most diligent Bodhisattva. He is extremely vigorous and doesn't ever rest. He rescues living beings all day long. No matter how much trouble living beings get into, he doesn't mind the work of saving them. He is a tremendously busy and energetic Bodhisattva, not a lazy one who likes to rest. One or two hands can't save very many people, so he has a thousand hands to rescue living beings from disasters and a thousand eyes to take care of suffering living beings in the great thousand world system.
When living beings are in trouble, they think of their greatly compassionate father and mother, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. Then they start reciting, "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva." When living beings who are in difficulty recite "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva," the Bodhisattva sees them with his thousand eyes. He beholds them with his wisdom eyes, hears them with his wisdom ears, and uses his wisdom hands to save them. Even if millions of living beings who are in difficulty call out to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva at the same time, the Bodhisattva can rescue them and make them all happy.
Today some refugees brought a photograph which they say was taken when they were on the refugee boat. In this shot of the sky, taken by the boat captain, a distinct image of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva appears at the fringe of the clouds. From this, we know that Guanshiyin Bodhisattva responds to prayers everywhere, sailing the sea of suffering and crossing people over. However, if we have not yet deeply recognized Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and produced a deep and sincere faith in him, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva may not be aware of us when we are in trouble. If we bring forth true faith, then Guanshiyin Bodhisattva certainly won't ignore us when we are in trouble.
29
Mahayana / The Modern Significance of the Lotus Sutra
« on: 04 November 2010, 09:06:50 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
The Modern Significance of the Lotus Sūtra
Hiroshi Kanno
The Journal of Oriental Studies Vol. 14 October, 2004
THE PROBLEM STATED
IF we ask the modern significance of the Lotus Sūtra — orany other religious classics — we should remember that the meaning of a scripture cannot be limited to a specific age, but should possess a vitality that transcends historical time. For example, both the Bible and the Lotus Sūtra have histories of about 2000 years. Obviously, both texts have played major historical roles in their respective regions over the ages.
The question is, why were these religious scriptures able to have such lasting vitality? In the life of any human being, there is both a part that differs according to the age, such as material living standards and culturally shared knowledge, and a part that does not differ, such as the problems of suffering (birth, aging, sickness, and death), sin, and evil. In our quest for the best way to live as human beings, it is important to know how we consider this unchanging aspect of our identities. I think the primary contribution of religious scriptures is that they illuminate this unchanging part of human beings. However, at the same time it is clear that religious scriptures do not automatically give answers to all the problems and demands of any particular age. Without human beings to explore and draw meaning from the Bible or the Lotus Sūtra , for example, neither could not played a role in any specific age, let alone any continuous role throughout history.
Our present age is one in which there are serious problems, such as bioethical controversies, food supply issues, and global environmental destruction. These problems have been brought about by the development of science and technology, plus the attendant rapid increase in world population and the globalization of economic activity. The human race is experiencing problems such as have never occurred before in human society. Moreover, after the end of the cold war, the peace we all expected has not been achieved. Local military conflicts are smouldering everywhere, so that slaughter and retaliation are occurring all over the world.
[p96] We must recognize that the Lotus Sūtra will not provide direct answers to these modem problems, even when we seek its religious significance. Religious scriptures do not offer concrete recipes to solve specific problems, for the simple reason that the problems were unknown when the scriptures were written. However, we can expect religious scriptures to provide fundamental messages that will lead to the discovery of solutions to our problems. However, in any age there must be human beings to struggle to solve those problems-by themselves, religious scriptures are silent. Effectively, what is important is whether people who seriously work on the Lotus Sūtra can capture its spirit and apply it to the situations they confront. In the following pages, I want to consider what messages we can draw from the Lotus Sūtra to address the present world situation.
The Modern Significance of the Lotus Sūtra
Hiroshi Kanno
The Journal of Oriental Studies Vol. 14 October, 2004
THE PROBLEM STATED
IF we ask the modern significance of the Lotus Sūtra — orany other religious classics — we should remember that the meaning of a scripture cannot be limited to a specific age, but should possess a vitality that transcends historical time. For example, both the Bible and the Lotus Sūtra have histories of about 2000 years. Obviously, both texts have played major historical roles in their respective regions over the ages.
The question is, why were these religious scriptures able to have such lasting vitality? In the life of any human being, there is both a part that differs according to the age, such as material living standards and culturally shared knowledge, and a part that does not differ, such as the problems of suffering (birth, aging, sickness, and death), sin, and evil. In our quest for the best way to live as human beings, it is important to know how we consider this unchanging aspect of our identities. I think the primary contribution of religious scriptures is that they illuminate this unchanging part of human beings. However, at the same time it is clear that religious scriptures do not automatically give answers to all the problems and demands of any particular age. Without human beings to explore and draw meaning from the Bible or the Lotus Sūtra , for example, neither could not played a role in any specific age, let alone any continuous role throughout history.
Our present age is one in which there are serious problems, such as bioethical controversies, food supply issues, and global environmental destruction. These problems have been brought about by the development of science and technology, plus the attendant rapid increase in world population and the globalization of economic activity. The human race is experiencing problems such as have never occurred before in human society. Moreover, after the end of the cold war, the peace we all expected has not been achieved. Local military conflicts are smouldering everywhere, so that slaughter and retaliation are occurring all over the world.
[p96] We must recognize that the Lotus Sūtra will not provide direct answers to these modem problems, even when we seek its religious significance. Religious scriptures do not offer concrete recipes to solve specific problems, for the simple reason that the problems were unknown when the scriptures were written. However, we can expect religious scriptures to provide fundamental messages that will lead to the discovery of solutions to our problems. However, in any age there must be human beings to struggle to solve those problems-by themselves, religious scriptures are silent. Effectively, what is important is whether people who seriously work on the Lotus Sūtra can capture its spirit and apply it to the situations they confront. In the following pages, I want to consider what messages we can draw from the Lotus Sūtra to address the present world situation.
30
Mahayana / HASTASILA MAHAYANA Metode untuk Menghapuskan Sebab-sebab Penderitaan
« on: 04 November 2010, 07:44:14 PM »
Namo Buddhaya,
HASTASILA MAHAYANA
Metode untuk Menghapuskan Sebab-sebab Penderitaan dan Mencapai Kebahagiaan untuk Semua Makhluk
Hastasila Mahayana merupakan bagian dari sila-sila Pratimoksha. Hastasila (delapan sila) Mahayana seharusnya dijalankan dengan motivasi untuk mencapai Kebuddhaan agar dapat membantu makhluk-makhluk lain secara maksimal.
Pada dasarnya menjalankan sila berarti bertekad untuk tidak menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, dan sebaliknya memberi manfaat kepada mereka. Menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, berarti menyakiti diri sendiri, dengan demikian kebahagiaan tidak akan dialami.
Menjalankan Hastasila Mahayana adalah salah satu cara terbaik untuk melatih diri agar tidak menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, tetapi sebaliknya memberikan kebahagiaan dan manfaat.
Kedelapan sila yang dimaksud adalah:
Tidak melakukan pembunuhan.
Tidak mengambil sesuatu yang tidak diberikan.
Tidak berbohong (memberi kesan lain dari yang sesungguhnya).
Tidak mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman yang memabukkan (yang melemahkan kesadaran).
Tidak menggunakan tempat tidur dan kursi yang besar, tinggi atau mahal.
Tidak mengonsumsi makanan pada waktu yang tidak tepat (setelah jam 12 siang).
Tidak menyanyi, menari dan memainkan musik.
Tidak menggunakan parfum, untaian bunga-bunga atau perhiasan.
Banyak sekali manfaat yang bisa diperoleh dari menjalankan Hastasila Mahayana, baik manfaat yang sifatnya sementara maupun manfaat yang tertinggi.
Dalam Sutra Atas Permintaan Kundu Sanring, Buddha yang penuh cinta kasih dan welas-asih ditanya, "Karma apa yang telah Engkau, Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha kumpulkan untuk mencapai tubuh suci Vajra, tubuh Buddha yang memiliki semua kualitas hingga mahkota ushnisha yang tak terbayangkan?"
Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha menjawab, "Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tindakan membunuh, dengan menghilangkan klesha-klesha yang menyebabkan saya memperpendek usia makhluk lain."
"Mengapa pada tangan Buddha terdapat cakra emas berjeruji seribu dan berjari panjang dengan jaringan cahaya?"
"Ini adalah manfaat dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tindakan mengambil sesuatu yang tidak diberikan."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai indera yang lengkap dan tubuh yang berkembang sempurna?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan kegiatan seksual yang keliru, yang disebabkan oleh klesha-klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha memiliki lidah yang dapat menutupi seluruh wajah mandala dan ucapan suci yang sangat indah dan mempesona, menyenangkan seperti suara merdu Brahma?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan tidak mengonsumsi makanan atau minuman yang memabukkan seperti alkohol, yang dapat menyebabkan tindakan ceroboh."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai 40 gigi lengkap, rata dan putih, dan mengapa beliau mengalami rasa makanan yang paling sedap dan lezat?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan tidak mengonsumsi makanan pada waktu yang tidak tepat, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha-klesha."
"Mengapa tubuh Buddha seluruhnya menebarkan wangi sila moralitas?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan penggunaan parfum dan tata-rias wajah, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha."
"Mengapa tubuh Buddha dihiasi dengan tanda-tanda suci Kebuddhaan?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan aktivitas menyanyi, menari dan mengenakan perhiasan, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha menikmati tiga tempat duduk Dharma (teratai, bantalan matahari dan bantalan bulan)?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tempat duduk dan ranjang yang tinggi dan besar, yang disebabkan oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai indera yang lengkap dan tajam dan mengapa tubuh suci Buddha selalu terlihat menyenangkan tanpa jemu?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan kebohongan yang disebabkan oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai ushnisha yang tingginya tak terbayangkan?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari bernamaskara di masa lalu dengan lima bagian tubuh menyentuh bumi (empat anggota tubuh dan kepala) dan memberikan persembahan kepada Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Guru, Upadhyaya (Pemberi Sila) dan kepala vihara."
*Artikel selengkapnya silakan download*
http://www.potowa.org/index.php/download/dwld/3/28
HASTASILA MAHAYANA
Metode untuk Menghapuskan Sebab-sebab Penderitaan dan Mencapai Kebahagiaan untuk Semua Makhluk
Hastasila Mahayana merupakan bagian dari sila-sila Pratimoksha. Hastasila (delapan sila) Mahayana seharusnya dijalankan dengan motivasi untuk mencapai Kebuddhaan agar dapat membantu makhluk-makhluk lain secara maksimal.
Pada dasarnya menjalankan sila berarti bertekad untuk tidak menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, dan sebaliknya memberi manfaat kepada mereka. Menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, berarti menyakiti diri sendiri, dengan demikian kebahagiaan tidak akan dialami.
Menjalankan Hastasila Mahayana adalah salah satu cara terbaik untuk melatih diri agar tidak menyakiti orang/makhluk lain, tetapi sebaliknya memberikan kebahagiaan dan manfaat.
Kedelapan sila yang dimaksud adalah:
Tidak melakukan pembunuhan.
Tidak mengambil sesuatu yang tidak diberikan.
Tidak berbohong (memberi kesan lain dari yang sesungguhnya).
Tidak mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman yang memabukkan (yang melemahkan kesadaran).
Tidak menggunakan tempat tidur dan kursi yang besar, tinggi atau mahal.
Tidak mengonsumsi makanan pada waktu yang tidak tepat (setelah jam 12 siang).
Tidak menyanyi, menari dan memainkan musik.
Tidak menggunakan parfum, untaian bunga-bunga atau perhiasan.
Banyak sekali manfaat yang bisa diperoleh dari menjalankan Hastasila Mahayana, baik manfaat yang sifatnya sementara maupun manfaat yang tertinggi.
Dalam Sutra Atas Permintaan Kundu Sanring, Buddha yang penuh cinta kasih dan welas-asih ditanya, "Karma apa yang telah Engkau, Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha kumpulkan untuk mencapai tubuh suci Vajra, tubuh Buddha yang memiliki semua kualitas hingga mahkota ushnisha yang tak terbayangkan?"
Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha menjawab, "Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tindakan membunuh, dengan menghilangkan klesha-klesha yang menyebabkan saya memperpendek usia makhluk lain."
"Mengapa pada tangan Buddha terdapat cakra emas berjeruji seribu dan berjari panjang dengan jaringan cahaya?"
"Ini adalah manfaat dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tindakan mengambil sesuatu yang tidak diberikan."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai indera yang lengkap dan tubuh yang berkembang sempurna?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan kegiatan seksual yang keliru, yang disebabkan oleh klesha-klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha memiliki lidah yang dapat menutupi seluruh wajah mandala dan ucapan suci yang sangat indah dan mempesona, menyenangkan seperti suara merdu Brahma?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan tidak mengonsumsi makanan atau minuman yang memabukkan seperti alkohol, yang dapat menyebabkan tindakan ceroboh."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai 40 gigi lengkap, rata dan putih, dan mengapa beliau mengalami rasa makanan yang paling sedap dan lezat?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan tidak mengonsumsi makanan pada waktu yang tidak tepat, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha-klesha."
"Mengapa tubuh Buddha seluruhnya menebarkan wangi sila moralitas?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan penggunaan parfum dan tata-rias wajah, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha."
"Mengapa tubuh Buddha dihiasi dengan tanda-tanda suci Kebuddhaan?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan aktivitas menyanyi, menari dan mengenakan perhiasan, yang dimotivasi oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha menikmati tiga tempat duduk Dharma (teratai, bantalan matahari dan bantalan bulan)?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan tempat duduk dan ranjang yang tinggi dan besar, yang disebabkan oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai indera yang lengkap dan tajam dan mengapa tubuh suci Buddha selalu terlihat menyenangkan tanpa jemu?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari menjalankan sila moralitas di masa lalu dengan meninggalkan kebohongan yang disebabkan oleh klesha."
"Mengapa Buddha mempunyai ushnisha yang tingginya tak terbayangkan?"
"Ini adalah hasil dari bernamaskara di masa lalu dengan lima bagian tubuh menyentuh bumi (empat anggota tubuh dan kepala) dan memberikan persembahan kepada Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Guru, Upadhyaya (Pemberi Sila) dan kepala vihara."
*Artikel selengkapnya silakan download*
http://www.potowa.org/index.php/download/dwld/3/28