#Huineng

[mountain-sage]

[eelhound]

"Nagarjuna's self-negating conception of conception reverberates through subsequent Buddhism. The sixth Zen ancestor Huineng, revered as the greatest of all Zen masters, also refused to offer Buddhism as a transparent, mirror-like teaching about reality: 'If I tell you that I have a system of Dharma [teaching] to transmit to others, I am cheating you. What I do to my disciples is to liberate them from their own bondage with such devices as the case may need.' Suitable answers are given according to the temperament of the inquirer. Insofar as truth is a matter of grasping the categories that accurately and finally reflect some objective reality, all truth is error on the Buddhist path."

- David Loy, from The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory, 2003.

[oldblogger]

Words cannot recreate ‘just-as-it-is-right-now’…

… yet, in vain, we continue to issue words. [I have let my weblog “Being Old” lapse. No longer will anyone be able to access the articles I have placed there. I will repost some of them here to preserve access to them. This was posted July 6, 2020] Photo by Jessica Rothman in Mestia, Georgia I am rereading Nine-Headed Dragon River: Zen Journals, by Peter Matthiessen. One chapter is an account of…

[hkunlimited]

Buddhist Imperfection and the Crazy Wisdom of Zen 

The Buddha never said we’re all perfect, quite the opposite. He said that we are nothing but ‘heaps’ of causes and conditions that he called skandhas. He never even said that he’s perfect. And those imperfections can be the basis for positive change. He DID list change as one of the causes of our suffering, but significantly less than that of the First Noble Truth—craving. Maybe that’s not…

[falseandrealultravival]

"Who’s is the cat ?”: Elimination of the love triangle-“Ku-an of Nansen killing a cat" of Zen (Essay)

"The Ku-an of Nansen killed a cat" is a Zen riddle, because when Zen monks brought a cute cat and argued over who the cat belonged to, their teacher Nansen killed the cat.  When Zhao Zhouxue (趙州従諗), the head of the monks, came back and heard the event, he had put his footwear on his head. Nansen said, "If  Zhao Zhouxue was there, I shouldn't have killed the cat.

It is a public proposal (Ku-an: riddle) that said. This is extremely difficult to interpret and has been a difficult problem since ancient times. The following is a sentence posted in the comment section of a blogger. When I read "Kinkakuji"(by Yukio Mishima), I was caught in this Ku-an of Nansen killed a cat.

As one way of thinking, I will bring the legend of "Mama no Tekona：真間の手児奈" that is handed down in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. This beautiful woman was courted by two men at the same time, and she couldn't accept either love because she couldn't lean to one side, and she couldn't keep herself alive. She threw herself into the river. Of course, cats don't understand the mechanism of their minds around here, but it seems that Nansen is acting by equating the position of cats with Tekona. Is it a procedure to resolve the binary opposition over things (including humans), rather than over the truth?

 I feel the irony that the brains of those who divide into two camps and put them in cats that are unlikely to be as valuable as humans are below the ground where they can be trampled on their footwear. I don't know if it's correct. Is there anyone who can interpret it well? A similar story to this ku-an is the "Wind / Flag Controversy." While the monks were arguing whether it was the wind or the flag to move, Rokuso Huineng (六祖慧能)argued that "the heart moved," and everyone became quiet. It is a amazing story.

[aeondeug]

Reading more Jujutsu Kaisen. In volume 3 right now. Finally have something to talk about beyond “Oh boy the yuri undertones!” or how sick I think it is when Yuji loses an arm. Namely, I find it very interesting how Mahito is speaking. His philosophy sounds very like a twisted form of Zen Buddhism. The whole thing about life simply flowing and life not having any inherent weight or value stands out in this front. But that gets fucked up into “Just do what you want, how you want” and a devaluing of human life.

What stands out the most is the statement “If you’re hungry, eat. If you hate, kill”. And this stands out because this exact phrase structure gets used in Zen Buddhism a lot. Though the examples tend to be “If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re tired, sleep”. It’s a sort of simple living thing. A not wasting time doing nothing or wasting time philosophizing or wasting time panicking. But Mahito has taken that exact structure and twisted it from simply addressing needs as they come up and flowing through life like a lotus above the muck into “Well shit doesn’t matter so if you feel like it fuck it kill the bitch”.

With this and the fact that the other villain is running around in Buddhist priest robes and has the extended earlobes is making me wonder where Akutami is going to go with this. The way Buddhism is addressed and used in Bleach and Shaman King are a very big part of why they’re two of my favorite manga ever, or my absolute favorite in Bleach’s case. So like I am seeing small hints and bits of things that make me go “Oh we could be doing something interesting with the Buddhism in battle shonen again. And blatantly so.”

[mystacoceti]

have you all ever heard of the Buddha Huineng? he was an illiterate, impoverished dude who rapidly enlightened such that he even inherited the dharma of the Buddha before a bunch of the other monks around him. what fucks me up is his master passes on the dharma and the robe in the middle of the night and tells Huineng, "you have to get out of here before jealous others try to kill you and take the robe and the dharma." wouldn't acting on that kind of jealousy necessarily mean an immense karmic debt? like that just kills me to know that someone would treat that kind of struggle as mere social climbing. To what end would you have done all that prior work just to kill for so stupid a reason! where do you get this dust, indeed.

[the-monkey-ruler]

was subodhi teaching just taoism or some combination of taoism and buddhism?

While Puti was more known for the Taoist practices that Wukong learned about he does allude to express Buddhist allegories!

Puti is based on Subhūti one of the ten disciples of the Buddha, similar to how the Golden Cicada was as well. In Theravada Buddhism, he is considered the disciple who was foremost in being "worthy of gifts" and "living remote and in peace". In Mahayana Buddhism, he is considered foremost in understanding emptiness. Puti is a major figure in Mahayana Buddhism and is one of the central figures in Prajñāpāramitā sutras. Puti became a monk after hearing the Buddha teach at the dedication ceremony of Jetavana Monastery. After ordaining, Puti went into the forest and became an arahant.

Puti spent the first 7 years of Wukong's training with more mundane takes from writing, reading, cleaning, gardening, and meditation before teaching him more advanced arts. While Puti publicly chastised Wukong's desire to reach immorality he was secretly telling Wukong to meet him in the middle of the night to learn such secrets. And it is only after he masters these skills does he learn the 72 transformations and the somersault cloud.

Puti hits Wukong on his head three times similar to the life of Huineng who was another Buddhist monk known in early Buddism. Huineng was hit on the head three times by his master as well which lead to a quiet communication to come to his chambers and learn the Diamond Sutra. Wukong being a combination of both Taoism influences and Buddhist influences could represent Puti's own description within the story and how the story itself pushes for that connection of riding the gap between cultivation practices.

[ryin-silverfish]

Chapter 13: Of Tigers and Ghosts

"When the mind is active, all kinds of mara come into existence; when the mind is extinguished, all kinds of mara would be extinguished."

-This quote from Tripataka was an altered version of Chan Master Huineng's last words, only that the novel replaced 法(law/phenomenon) with 魔(mara/demon)——sidenote, JTTW really likes referencing stories about Huineng's life and deeds.

-Now, mara doesn't always equal to literal demons; rather, it can be anything that obstruct a practitioner from reaching enlightenment, inside or outside. Since it is through the unquiet mind/heart that stray thoughts and wicked desires and distractions arise, the only way to eliminate such obstructions is by understanding and mastering one's own heart/mind.

-About 10-12 days outta Chang'an, we have our first demon encounter. General Yin(寅将军) the tiger, Steer Hermit(特处士) the bull, and the Bear Mountain Lord(熊山君)…

-Hmm, why do these names sound familiar? Ah, it turns out two of them are from this one's favorite pass-time classics, Taiping Guangji(太平广记)! Compiled at the beginning of the Song dynasty, it was half-encyclopedia, half folk tales compendium, and the tale these two demon NPCs came out of could be found in Vol. 434.

-Unlike their later versions, the General Yin and Steer Hermit of Taiping Guangji were pretty cultured, peaceful demons, playing chess and sharing a drink with the scholar who ran into them. Though their drunken discussion did get a little heated later and the two demons angrily walked out(leaving behind paw + hoof prints that clued the scholar to their true identity), they were not man-eaters.

-Continuing from last week's readings, what Tripataka did to pacify the ghost of Boqin's dad was pretty much what a Yogacara monk of the Ming dynasty would do while on the job.

-First, chanting of mantras to clear away bad karma, then, scriptures that offer deliverance for the dead. After that is done, a prayer was written on paper for later use, followed by more scripture-chanting——Guanyin Sutra, Amita Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Mahamayuri Sutra, etc.

-Finally, incenses and food are offered, and the earlier prayer slip + "paper horses" are burnt away. My annotated Chinese edition presented two definitions for "paper horse": 1) horse drawings used in rituals (as mounts for the gods), 2) drawings of guardian gods themselves.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

[notasfilosoficas]

“Aquellos que comprenden la esencia de la mente, no importa donde se encuentren, están siempre felices y cómodos”

Hui-neng

Dajian Hui-neng fue un monje chino nacido en el año 638 en la hoy República popular china; fue uno de los monjes mas influyentes de la Escuela Zen china y Zen en general

Según su propia autobiografía, su padre era de Fanyang y fue desterrado de su cargo en el gobierno falleciendo a edad temprana, por lo que Hui-neng y su madre vivieron en la pobreza y se mudaron a Nanhai, en donde Huineng vendía leña para mantener a su familia.

Se dice que al escuchar Hui-neng recitar a uno de sus clientes el denominado Sutra del Diamante, por primera vez su mente se abrió y entendió. El cliente le recomendó visitar el monasterio de meditación oriental en el distrito de Huangmei en donde vivía e impartía enseñanzas el Quinto patriarca del Zen.

Treinta días después solicitó al Quinto patriarca alcanzar la budeidad. Hongreng, el quinto patriarca del Chang al notar que procedía de una region diferente a la de los chinos del norte locales, dudó de su capacidad llamándolo “bárbaro del sur” sin embargo al explicar Hui-neng su clara comprensión de la omnipresente naturaleza del Buda, quedó impresionado adoptándolo como uno de sus discípulos.

Con el tiempo Hui-neng logró convertirse en sucesor de Hongreng como sexto patriarca del Zen, en lugar del sucesor y discípulo mas avanzado de Hongreng Shenxiu.

Después de haberle ganado al monje principal de la comunidad, Huineng se vio obligado a huir de la persecución de los envidiosos elitistas del linaje del norte desapareciendo en las montañas, y regresando años después y surgiendo como uno de los grandes maestros Zen y de los mas populares entre todas las clases sociales.

Según la histografía moderna, Hui-neng fue una figura marginal y oscura. La erudición moderna ha cuestionado su santidad, y algunos investigadores especulan que la historia fue creada a mediados del siglo VIII en 731 por Shenhui quien supuestamente fue sucesor de Hui-neng.

Según los investigadores Schlütter y Teiser, la biografía de Hui-neng explicada en el Sutra de la plataforma, es una convincente leyenda de un laico analfabeto “bárbaro” que se convirtió en patriarca del Budismo Zen. 

La mayor parte de lo que se sabe sobre Hui-neng esta contenido en el Sutra de la Plataforma, que es un relato de una charla publica que contiene una biografía de un santo que es retratado como un héroe, que sirvió para dar autoridad a las enseñanzas de Huineng.

El sutra se convirtió en un texto muy popular y se dice fue modificado a lo largo de los siglos producto de los conflictos surgidos para reclamar la autoridad sobre el budismo Zen por parte del sucesor de Hui-neng Shenhui y por el discípulo preferido de Hongreng Shenxiu, quien por ser del linaje del norte, reclamaba para si el budismo Zen que enseñaba la iluminación gradual.

La postura fundamental de Hui-neng es que la iluminación puede darse en cualquier lugar, contexto o circunstancia pues no es nuestro ego el que alcanza algo, sino que es un descubrimiento de la naturaleza pura y perfecta que siempre ha estado ahi, por lo que la iluminación simple y llanamente ocurre, es un suceso absolutamente libre.

Según Hui_neng, Si la mente es por naturaleza pura y no posee partes o divisiones, el desarrollo gradual y sistemático preconizado por las otras corrientes budistas no es mas que una redundancia. La iluminación es un reconocimiento súbito e inmediato.

Al pronunciar esta doctrina radical de la iluminación, Hui-neng creó un gran sisma entre su escuela del sur y la escuela del norte liderada por Shenxiu quien había abogado por la iluminación gradual.

Hui-neng muere en el año 713 y su epitafio fue escrito por el poeta chino Wang Wei.

Fuente: Wikipedia.

[onemindzen]

Zen has had its share of iconoclastic teachers through the ages. Among the earlier ones from the Tang Dynasty in China was Mazu Daoyi (709–788). His direct teacher was Nanyue Huairang, Dharma heir of Huineng. (Note—Let’s assume that years, lineages, quotations, etc. may all be apocryphal, but we’ll go with whatever history is says is true, because we have no reason to doubt or swear to the accuracy of any of it). When Mazu Wass a young monk, he was feverishly sitting in meditation. You can almost imagine the sweat on his brow, he’s sitting with such fervor. 

Nanyue Huairang comes up to him and says, “Whatcha up to, young monk?” (We can apply the doubt/no doubt model to quotes I’m obviously paraphrasing…or am I?). Mazu says, “I’m meditating to become a buddha.” Upon hearing this, Nanyue picks up a brick, and starts rubbing it. “What are you doing there, Master?” asks a quizzical Mazu. “I’m polishing this brick to make it a mirror,” says Nanyue. “But trying to polish a brick won’t make it a mirror!” exclaims Mazu, even more confused. Nanyue then gives him the teaching—“So why do you think sitting in meditation will make you a Buddha?”

On the surface, it might appear that Nanyue is saying not to bother meditating, it won’t turn you into a Buddha. It might appear that he is being dismissive of Mazu, that he shouldn’t bother practicing. Both of these ideas would be incorrect, however. Nanyue, Mazu, all the Chan monks before and after meditated in one form or another, at one time or another. It might have been daily, it might have been for three month extended retreats. It was part of their job description as Chan (meditation) monks. But that’s not all they did in order to awaken. Bodhidharma said all that was required was for someone to to see their own True Nature. 

The idea is that we all have this True Buddha Nature, we just haven’t realized it or cultivated it. No need to go looking for it outside oneself, it’s already there. It may however be covered over by the Three Poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, conceptual thinking, or any number of hindrances. But it’s there, just as the sun is there even if it’s a cloudy day. 

One of these hindrances can be to think the world exists only in reference to us. A flock of ducks flies overhead, and Mazu asks his student, “What’s happened with the ducks?” His student replies, “They have flown away.” The ever-iconoclastic Mazu gives his nose a serious tweaking. “Why’d you do that, Master Ma?” Mazu points out that “away” only exists in reference to the student, not the ducks. The ducks are right where they are, the student is grasping at the location of the ducks in reference to himself, not the nature of reality. Ducks fly, ducks float. Ducks do duck things, without the need for my validation. They’re doing duck things even when I don’t notice them. Our Buddha Nature is there, being the nature of a Buddha. We may not notice it, we may assume it’s flown away when we do something less-than-wholesome. It doesn’t need my validation to be right there, never coming, never going. No matter how much I sit, no matter how many kongans I work on with my teacher, how much I chant or bow, it’s not more or less there. All these things can be helpful tools in sweeping away the delusions, but as Bodhidharma said, and Mazu and his Dharma heirs have taught even since, all that is required is to see your True Nature. And that nature is to help all sentient beings realize their True Nature also. Can’t do it for them, but you can teach them how to use a broom.

Min’Ui Maitri gave the Dharma talk July 31, 2024

[zerogate]

The struggle between Buddhism and Confucianism came to a head several times in history, leading to several harsh crackdowns on the Buddhist establishment, with the consequences that thousands of monasteries were destroyed and hundreds and thousands of monks and nuns forced to return to secular life. During the reign of the Emperor Wu of the Tang, the Buddhist establishment was dealt a devastating blow. According to historical accounts, however, the school of Chan escaped from the destructive suppression because Chan practitioners did not follow the conventional Buddhist practice of a parasitic life in magnificent monasteries in or near the cities but established their temples in deep mountains far from the madding crowd and engaged in farming and producing food and daily necessities for their own consumption, thus substantially changing the parasitic nature of Buddhist existence.

[...]

After Buddhism was introduced into China, it was considerably helped by Daoism, but it has some irreconcilable differences from Confucianism. At the heart of the differences is the conflict between the Confucian worldliness and Buddhist otherworldliness.

Confucianism stresses the social being of a person in society, who is obliged to play his or her social roles in various capacities and makes contributions to society’s well-being. By contrast, Buddhist monks and nuns are persons who leave home, sever family ties, cut off social relations, and disentangle themselves from social life. They do not produce material things or reproduce human beings, actually leading a parasitic existence. Because of this, Buddhism came into direct conflict with Confucianism and went through several large-scale persecutions.

Unlike other schools of Buddhism which encourage people to reject families and social relations, the Chan school adopts the Confucian idea of worldliness and encourages people to stay at home, engage in social affairs, and treat daily routines as a way of cultivation, thus changing the nature of Buddhist existence. This helped Chan Buddhism survive the religious persecutions and gain popularity.

[...]

Huineng is the first to advocate the worldliness of Chan. In the Platform Sutra, he declares:

“From the outset the Dharma has been in the world; Being in the world, it transcends the world. Hence do not seek the transcendental world outside, By discarding the present world itself.”

[...]

With this worldly view of the Dharma, he dissuades people from taking religious orders as monks and nuns and instead advocates Chan practice as laymen at home:

Good friends, if you wish to practice, it is all right to do so as laymen; you don’t have to be in a temple. If you are in a temple but do not practice, you are like the evil-minded people of the West. If you are a layman but do practice, you are practicing the good of the people of the East.

As a result of assimilating the Confucian worldliness, Chan and life converged to such an extent that Chan becomes a form of life and life a form of Chan. There are many anecdotes and stories about life as Chan. Here, one example suffices. In his sermons to his disciples, Linji admonished them:

Followers of the Way, Buddhism requires no special efforts. You have only to lead your everyday life without seeking anything more – piss and shit, get dressed, eat your rice, and lie down when you are tired. Fools may laugh at me, but the wise understand.

-- Ming Dong Gu, The Nature and Rationale of Zen

[journeytothewestresearch]

Buddhist Dragon Balls

I first became interested in Journey to the West thanks to the manga/anime Dragon Ball Z. The series is named after a set of seven glass-like orbs (fig. 1) that were created by the Namekian-turned-protector deity Kami for the benefit of mankind. When all seven are collected, they summon the dragon god Shenron, who grants a single wish. One common wish is to resurrect a beloved fighter who had previously been killed in battle.

The seven dragon balls.

But what would the Dragon Balls be like if they appeared in the Journey to the West universe? There are two possibilities. The first is the most obvious, the Cintāmaṇi (Sk: "wish-fulfilling jewel"; Ch: ruyi baozhu, 如意寶珠, lit: "as-you-will treasure jewel"). Also known as "dragon jewels" (longzhu, 龍珠), these luminous orbs are commonly held by Bodhisattvas in Buddhist art (fig. 2), thereby signifying their ability to grant any wish that a believer may have. They are also mentioned in Buddhist scripture. For instance, the Treatise of the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Sk: Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra; Ch: Da zhidu lun, 大智度論, c. 2nd-century) reveals that the Cintāmaṇi is a bodily relic found in the brains of dragon kings (longzhu chu longnao zhong, 龍珠出龍腦中) (Buswell & Lopez, 2014, p. 193). Therefore, we would be able to maintain the connection to dragons in Journey to the West.

A 14th-century Korean painting of the Earth Store Bodhisattva holding a Cintāmaṇi.

In East Asia, the Cintāmaṇi is closely associated with our second possibility, the Śarīra (Sk: "body"; Ch: Sushe/zi, 舍利/子) (fig. 3). These pearl-like beads figure among the bodily relics left over from the historical Buddha's cremation. [1] Strong (2004) explains: "[They are the result] of a process of metamorphosis brought on not only by the fire of cremation but also by the perfections of the saint (in this case the Buddha) whose body they re-present" (p. 12).

They are said to come in different colors and sizes depending on the country and religious tradition (Strong, 2004, p. 11).

Photo of Śarīra relics.

Journey to the West could have one or even both of these bodily relics. For example, the Cintāmaṇi would allow demon kings or lesser spirits to wish for powerful heavenly weapons, thereby helping them fight stronger opponents; or, the Śarīra could grant the devils more spiritual power, thereby allowing them to bypass centuries of spiritual cultivation.

But neither of these items could help evil beings achieve immortality. I've previously noted that Journey to the West was heavily influenced by the Buddho-Daoist philosophy of the Southern Quanzhen School Patriarch Zhang Boduan (張伯端, mid to late-980s-1082). He believed that in order to become a true transcendent (xian, 仙), one had to achieve both the Daoist elixir of immortality and Buddha-nature (Shao, 1997; 2006). The first extends your life, while the second frees you from the endless rounds of rebirth. While the aforementioned spiritual objects may grant them divine longevity, it won't make them unkillable. And if they are killed, they would still be subject to the wheel of reincarnation. It would be up to them to achieve the last step in this two-step process. But that would require these spirits to mend their evil ways and “return to the right path” (gui zheng, 歸正)⁠—i.e. convert to Buddhism. 

Note:

There are three main types of Buddha relics: 1) those of the body left over from his cremation (hair, teeth, nails, bones, and Śarīra beads); 2) those that he used (walking staff, alms bowl, robes, etc.); and 3) those that he taught (i.e. lessons from scripture) (Strong, 2004, p. 8).

Sources:

Buswell, R. E., & Lopez, D. S. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Shao, P. (1997). Monkey and Chinese Scriptural Tradition: A Rereading of the Novel Xiyouji (UMI No. 9818173) [Doctoral dissertation, Washington University]. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

Shao, P. (2006). Huineng, Subhūti, and Monkey’s Religion in “Xiyou ji”. The Journal of Asian Studies, 65(4), 713-740. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/25076127.

Strong, J. S. (2004). Relics of the Buddha. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

[lingshanhermit]

Lingshan Hermit: This Isn't Cultivation

Over the past two decades, the world has undergone tremendous changes. During these years, I often see all kinds of people who have their own jobs and families, spending everyday posting photos of their kids, meals, and vacations on social media, yet at the same time claiming themselves to be spiritual cultivators. They are my idols. I deeply admire how they can work, go on vacation, raise children, and cultivate spirituality all at once, without missing out on anything - something even great sages like Longqinba and Huineng could not achieve. I also often see people who, after a trip to Tibet, taking some photos, meeting a few teachers, return and declare themselves spiritual cultivators, embarking on their endless Buddhist-style journey of self-satisfaction.

Many believe this to be a cultivation phenomenon unique to our era, but I'm quite skeptical about it. The cultivation I know has never been like this. The cultivators I know have never been like this either. Those who have truly cultivated know that it is an extremely arduous and risky endeavor - even if you devote your entire being, success is not guaranteed, let alone half-hearted efforts. If you believe you can live a happy secular life while achieving spiritual accomplishments, it shows you have no idea what real cultivation is. The traditional cultivators of the past were very prudent when they started their spiritual paths, received empowerments, and established teacher-student relationships. The teachers of the past were very meticulous in choosing disciples. They did not accept just anyone - they assessed the character of disciples and demanded a lot from them. If they saw some teachers today with tens of thousands of disciples, they would be astonished. Nowadays, people can impulsively decide to become Buddhists during a car trip to a temple. They don't need to understand Buddhist rules, assess their own capabilities, go through trials, or contemplate Buddhist teachings seriously. To them, becoming a Buddhist is no different than becoming a gym member. This rampant and indiscriminate taking of disciples has lowered the bar for true cultivators, letting many poseurs believe they are genuinely cultivating.

Why has this happened? There are many reasons, and I believe greed has played a significant role. For some, if anyone wishes to become a disciple, they accept readily (often justified as an act of Bodhicitta). And many who wish to become disciples want to obtain something to show off when they return. So they easily come to an agreement, with both sides getting what they want and feeling satisfied. The only one that suffers is Buddhism. The plethora of terrible "cultivators" we see today is the consequence of this rampant and indiscriminate initiation.

Some people think establishing karmic connections is also important, but I see this kind of indiscriminate initiation more like irresponsible flirting everywhere without commitment. Besides, you already have ample karmic connections - being born in a place like China, you can see Guanyin Bodhisattva on TV anytime. So you certainly don't lack connections. With the current glut of Buddhists, you see all kinds of people everywhere claiming to practice tantra yet without even basic human decency. You need to understand that becoming a Buddhist practitioner is not as simple as brewing a cup of hand-drip coffee for yourself. This is an extremely serious decision that will affect your future lifetimes, whether you can still be reborn as a human in the next life, and the well-being of your children. You must assess your capabilities before making the decision. Nowadays many are trying to convince the masses that anyone can become a practitioner, so few would think receiving empowerment is a more dreadful thing than going hiking in the suburbs. This is truly a tragedy. Buddhism does not need sheer numbers, it needs genuine practitioners. It doesn't need a bunch of posers filling the ranks. If a teacher has tens of thousands of disciples, I wonder how he can teach them properly. One consequence of not being able to teach them well is they will go and find their own ways, reading books and speculating randomly, thus developing all kinds of peculiar understandings.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche once said among his thousands of students at Buddhist academies in India, it would be very good if just one could become someone who truly benefits sentient beings. So if anyone tells you that becoming a practitioner is easy and anyone can do it, don't trust them.

Written by Lingshan Hermit on August 24, 2023.

灵山居士：这不是修行

[dimensional-tourist]

In the Platform Sutra, a text attributed to the sixth lineage master of the Chan school, Huineng (638-713) says:

Calming is the essence of wisdom. And wisdom is the natural function of calming. At the time of prajna, samadhi exists in that. At the time of samadhi, prajna exists in that. How is it that samadhi and prajna are equivalent?

It is like the light of the lamp. When the lamp exists, there is light. When there is no lamp, there is darkness. The lamp is the essence of light. The light is the natural function of the lamp. Although their names are different, in essence, they are fundamentally identical. The teaching of samadhi and prajna is just like this.

[mahayanapilgrim]

Cultivating Virtue and Compassion: A Lesson from Garchen Rinpoche

“Someone with a truly virtuous mind does not look at worldly faults. Seeing faults in others is your own fault, and therefore it is you who are mistaken.” From the Altar Sutra by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng I always tell you not to look at the faults of others, don’t I? According to the view of Secret Mantra, when you see a fault in others you should understand that you see this fault due to your own afflictions. Afflictions see afflictions. Looking at the affliction itself, you recognize, “The fault I see in this person is just an affliction. Where is this affliction? I can find it in my own mind.” So you look at your own afflictions and not at those of others. Lord Jigten Sumgon said, “Not looking at the faults of beings’ body, speech, and mind, but seeing the good qualities in them, is the perfect liberation of the bodhisattvas.” When I see the good qualities in all the disciples my mind is pure. This pure mind can cause their mind to become pure. When I see others in an impure way, it is due to my own impure mind. It is like being obscured by darkness, like a dark cloud making a white cloud look dark. Sakya Pandita said, “A noble being, like a jewel, never changes. By looking at the goodness in others they increase their own well water. An inferior being, like a sieve, is holding the bad, but losing what is good.” A noble being embraces goodness, they see the good qualities in others. An inferior being who sees the faults in others is like a sieve that collects just debris while the pure water is lost. Seeing the faults in others is a sign of one’s own wicked nature. Therefore, do not look at the faults of others but look at their good qualities! Garchen Rinpoche, October 17, 2019, Taiwan

Drawing inspiration from the Altar Sutra by the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, Rinpoche emphasizes the transformative power of focusing on one's own faults rather than dwelling on the perceived faults of others.Body:The Virtuous Mind:Explore the concept of a truly virtuous mind, as described in the Altar Sutra.Emphasize the idea that a virtuous mind refrains from fixating on worldly faults, promoting a compassionate perspective.Understanding the Source of Criticism:Examine Rinpoche's insight that seeing faults in others is a reflection of one's own afflictions.Discuss the idea that afflictions themselves perceive faults, leading to a deeper understanding of the nature of criticism.The View of Secret Mantra:Introduce the Secret Mantra perspective on recognizing faults in others as a manifestation of personal afflictions.Highlight the practice of looking inward to identify and address one's own afflictions rather than blaming external circumstances.Lord Jigten Sumgon's Teaching:Explore Lord Jigten Sumgon's wisdom on perfect liberation, emphasizing not focusing on the faults of others but recognizing their good qualities.Discuss the transformative impact of adopting this approach on one's mindset and relationships.The Power of Pure Perception:Examine Rinpoche's personal reflection on maintaining a pure mind by seeing the good qualities in disciples.Discuss how this pure perception can contribute to the purity of others' minds, creating a positive and uplifting environment.Sakya Pandita's Analogy:Introduce Sakya Pandita's analogy of a noble being as a jewel that remains unchanged and embraces goodness.Contrast this with the inferior being depicted as a sieve that focuses on faults, losing sight of the inherent goodness in others.The Wicked Nature of Fault-Finding:Emphasize Rinpoche's perspective that seeing faults in others is a reflection of one's own wicked nature.Encourage readers to refrain from looking at the faults of others and instead cultivate an appreciation for their good qualities.Conclusion:Garchen Rinpoche's teachings serve as a profound guide for cultivating virtue, compassion, and a positive mindset. By understanding the interconnectedness of one's own afflictions and the perception of faults in others, individuals can embark on a transformative journey toward personal growth and genuine compassion. The wisdom shared encourages a shift from fault-finding to recognizing the inherent goodness in oneself and others, fostering a more harmonious and compassionate world.