Final Post

Six perfections is on its way out. I thank all of you for your feedback and readership. There is a brighter light in all of us that we must let shine through. There is a crystal composition that by its very nature allows all impediment to flow through and away. And at some point in an artist life, there comes the realization that in order to remain creative and free, he or she must stop trying to be understood and carry on with their good work. Completely unsubscribe, never to subscribe again.

I have changed the format of this page so that it displays every post I've ever posted. Feel free to revisit until the server goes down officially on Feb 2nd -E

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Any Old Robes, Any Old Food

Sutra Pitaka

"And how is a monk content? Just as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden, so too is he content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only his barest necessities along. This is how a monk is content" — D.2.

"This Dhamma is for one who is content, not for one who is discontent.' Thus was it said. With reference to what was it said? There is the case where a monk is content with any old robe-cloth at all, any old alms food, any old lodging, any old medicinal requisites for curing illness at all. 'This Dhamma is for one who is content, not for one who is discontent.' Thus was it said. And with reference to this was it said" — A.VII.30.

What is Meant By Meaning?

Lankavatara Sutra

"...what is meaning? The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva is said to have grasped meaning well, when, all alone in a lonely place, he walks the path leading to Nirvana, by means of his transcendental wisdom which grows from learning, thinking, and meditation, and causing a revulsion first at the source of habit-energy by his self knowledge, abides on the stages of self-realisation where he leads a life full of excellent deeds."

Then The Blessed One Said...

Lankavatara Sutra

"People of this world are dependent on two things, Mahamati, that is, they are dependent on the idea of being and of that of non-being, and they fall into nihilism or in realism. They imagine emancipation where there is no emancipation."

Atheist

"Perhaps atheist are a figment of gods imagination..."

-Unknown

Insatiable

Eight Realizations Of Great Beings

"Realize that the mind is insatiable and that it constantly strives for more, thus adding to its transgressions and mistakes. The Bodhisattva is not like this. He thinks often of being satisfied with what he has, is peaceful in poverty and upholds the Dharma. Wisdom is his only concern."

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The Deadly Sins

What is translated here as 'immediacies' can be understood as 'deadly sins'. These are indeed the equivalent of the deadly sins of Buddhism, in which the performance of any leads one directly to a hellish existence. The way the Buddha switched around the meaning of these while teaching Mahamati is deeply poetic and genius. I had to read it three of four times. -E

Lankavatara Sutra

What are the five immediacies? They are 1) the murdering of the mother, 2) the father, 3) an Arhat, 4) the breaking-up of the Brotherhood, and 5)causing the body of the Tathagata to bleed from malice.

Now what is meant by the mother of all beings? It is desire which is procreative, going together with joy and anger and upholding all with motherliness. Ignorance representing fatherhood brings about ones rebirth in the six villages of the sense-world. When there takes place a complete destruction of both roots, fatherhood and motherhood, it is said that mother and father are murdered. When there is a complete extermination of the subordinate group of passions such as anger, etc., which are like an enemy, a venomous rat, the murdering of the Arhat is said to take place. What is meant by the breaking-up of the Brotherhood? When there is a complete fundamental breaking-up of the combination of the Skandhas whose characteristic mark is a state of mutual dependence among dissimilarities, it is said that the Brotherhood is split up. Mahamati, when the body of the eight Vijnanas, which erroneously recognizes individuality and generality as being outside the Mind - which is seen by the ignorant in the form of an external world - is completely extirpated by means of faulty discriminations, that is, by means of the triple emancipation and the non-outflows, and when thus the faulty mentality of the Vijnana-Buddha is made to bleed, it is known as an immediacy-deed. These, Mahamati, are the five inner immediacies, and when they are experienced by a son or daughter of a good family, there is an immediace0deed of a realisation as regards the Dharma.

The Authoritive Teachings

Lankavatara Sutra

Thereupon the Blessed One said: In accordance with the authoritative teachings in which there are no discriminations, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva retire by himself to a quiet secluded place, where he may reflect within himself, not relying on anybody else, but by means of his own inner intelligence, in order to discard erroneous views and discrimination's, make successive advances and exert himself to finally enter upon the stage of Tathagatahood. This, Mahamati, is the characteristic feature of the inner realization to be gained by means of noble wisdom.

Four Foundations Of Mindfulness - Deer Park

Anyone interested in SOLID intro meditation should check this out. Great time for this class to take place. No reason not to go if you're in San Diego -E

Please join us for an evening introduction to the Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra (Satipatthana Sutta). This basic teaching of the Buddha is a keystone for the Plum Village tradition, and of Buddhist practice the world over. In this the eighth class we will look at the third section of the sutra, a series of practices cultivating awareness of the mind.

This evening teaching is open to all, and is offered as dana.

Link

Free Lecture, UCLA

The Yogachara is sweet. The Prasangika Madhyamika is my personal favorite. Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi is all there really is in the end, if even that could be said. -E

Huayan Buddhism, a philosophical school of Chinese Buddhism was indebted to the Dilun and Shelun schools, the early advocates of Yogacara school in China. These schools agreed that the ultimate level of consciousness, alayavijnana, tathagatagarbha, or amalavijnana is pure and untainted. This view was challenged by Xuanzang, who, in accordance with his education of classical Yogacara in India, propounded that the final reality, the alayavijnana, contains both pure and impure seeds, and consequently the pure entity behind the phenomenal world cannot be substantiated. We are going to show how Huayan masters treated the old and new schools of Yogacara philosophy, how they classified these teachings in their panjiao system, and how they established their own stance based on the tenets of these schools.

Link

Nothing To Set Aside

The term 'skillful means' or 'upaya' is horribly misused by a lot of Buddhist organizations to situate and fancy their practice however they deem convenient. Although the Bodhisattvas are known for their 'bait and switch' tactics, what the Buddha did could probably be better described as 'spiral learning'. Bare in mind however, that there are no bounds to an enlightened mind. -E

Lankavatara Sutra

Mahamati, the Tathagatas, Arhats, Fully-Enlightened Ones teach the Dharma to all beings by means of the four forms of questioning and answering. As to the propositions that are set aside as inexplicable, Mahamati, they are made use of by me on some other occasion for those whose senses are not yet fully matured; but for those of matured senses there is nothing to set aside.

Back From Vacation

Here we go again... -E

Lankavatara Sutra

"...Mahamati, the philosophers who are the gathering of the deluded, foster the notion of deriving the birth of all things from that of being and non-being, and fail to regard it as caused by the attachment to the multidinousness which arises from the discrimination of the mind itself. Mahamati, no fear arises in me by making this statement. In this light, Mahamati, the term "unborn" is to be understood."

Ever Youthful Manjusri

FYI - Manjusri is a 16 year old in most of the sutras -E

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Universal Sight

Sutra On Manjusri's Attainment Of Buddhahood

Then, Bodhisattva Lion of Thundering Voice asked the Buddha, "World Honored One, what will be Manjusri's name when he becomes a Buddha?"

The Buddha answered, "Good man, when Manjusri becomes a Buddha, he will be named Universal Sight. Why? Because that Tathagata will make himself visible to all sentient beings in innumerable hundreds of thousands of billions of myriads of Buddha-lands in the ten directions. The sentient beings who see that Buddha will certainly attain supreme enlightenment."

What Is Attainment...

Sutra On Manjusri's Attainment Of Buddhahood

Bodhisattva Lion of Thundering Voice asked, "What is 'attainment'?"

Manjusri answered,"'Attainment' is a conventional expression. In fact, what saints attain is inexpressible. Why? Because the Dharma rests upon nothing and is beyond speech. Furthermore, good man, to regard non-attainment as attainment, and as neither attainment nor non-attainment, is called [the true] attainment."

Sacrifice...

King Henry The 8th

"My lord, if it were not to satisfy the world and my Realm, I would not do that I must do this day for none earthly thing."

Alternate Version

Watch this buy blow at the end...

Does Anyone Have A E-Harmonica

My favorite tune, in typical fashion...

The Wu Way

RINO!!

Link
http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/chinese-characters-mysterious-enlightenment-wu-8636.html

I Wish I could Say The Same..

Sutra On Manjusri's Attainment Of Buddhahood

He has practiced with supreme vigor
For millions of kalpas:
Out of vast concern for suffering sentient beings,
He forgets all weariness.
He has perfected immeasurable, peerless meditation;
The one with the pure voice will enter the city.

It's All My Fault

Time to get back to work. -E

The Inexhaustible Stores Of Wisdom

When a Bodhisattva sees lustful beings, he should think, 'It is my fault that they are so inflamed with desire.' When he sees sentient beings inflamed with anger or foolish delusions, he should also think 'This is my fault. Why? It is my duty to find medicine and ways to heal sick sentient beings when I see them. I vowed to relieve them from their diseases, but now [they are still sick]. I must have forsaken them, so I am to blame.'

Yamantaka Mandala And More...

Meaning, step by step, the story, preservation and video. Check it out -E

http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/buddhism/yamantaka-mandala.cfm

Seventy Six Avalokiteshvara Statue With Interview

http://www.artsmia.org/viewer/detail.php?v=2&id=131

Japanese Kannon

We've all gotten so use to thinking of Avalokiteshvara as a woman that seeing him in man form is almost awkward. An example of how art influences history and vice-versa. -E

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Furthermore, Lightning Attainment

I love the name 'Lightning Attainment" -E

The Inexhaustible Stores Of Wisdom

"Now, Lightning Attainment, what is meant by a a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva's store of wisdom for the deluded? Lightning Attainment, it is a very difficult task for Bodhisattvas to cope with the deluded, because such people pursue deluded actions, feel malice toward others, are wrapped up in the shell of ignorance like silk worms wrapped in their own cocoons, are unable to adapt themselves wisely to dharmas, are not keen in observing a proper course of action, cling to the view of a self, follow wrong paths, are slow to progress, and are unable to extricate themselves from samsara.

For the sake of such deluded beings, the Bodhisattva, soon after he engenders bodhichitta, makes great, intensified efforts untiringly and ceaselessly. He considers how he should teach the Dharma, under what circumstances, and how best to interpret it, all in order to cause deluded persons to follow the Bodhisattvas practices and achieve liberation."

Lightning Attainment

The Inexhaustible Stores Of Wisdom

"...to illustrate further: the sun, emerging from behind a mountain, sheds its light all over the world and causes the various colors, such as blue, yellow, red and white to appear where it shines, while the sun itself remains one undifferentiated, single-colored light. Similarly, the Bodhisattva, the sun of wisdom, illuminates the entire dharmadhatu in the same manner by rising above the mountains of attachment of sentient beings and teaching them the Dharma according to their needs, while he himself sees no duality in the dharmadatu."