Your thoughts and feelings about this verse
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I first came across the Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows when I got my hands on a comic adapted version of it. Nothing is being changed from the original sutra, after having compared it with the sutra version.
One section from the sutra saddens me greatly, when I think about myself and others who have committed or will commit in the future in our dharma-ending age. I could not stop myself from weeping silently after reading the highlighted parts of the section...
http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/ksitigarbha/chap6.html
This following section is as follows from the above link:
.."Furthermore, O Samantavipula, if, in the future, any evil people, together with evil deities or evil demons, should observe that a good man or a good woman takes refuge in worship and praises and pays obeisance to the image of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, and if they should act wrongly to ridicule and slander him or her, asserting such action to have no merit or virtue or benefit, and if these same evil people either laugh with their teeth exposed or object behind his or her back or persuade others to object together, or if there is any objection whatsoever by one person or by many people,
or if such a person or people have even just one single thought of ridicule or slander-such scorners shall, as their retribution for this ridicule and slander, fall into Avici Hell and remain there until the Nirvana of one thousand Buddhas in the Bhadrakalpa, constantly receiving extremely severe punishment.
In addition, even that kalpa will have to elapse before such scorners will be able to enter even the path of hungry ghosts. Another thousand kalpas will have to elapse before they can enter the path of animals.
Finally, still another thousand kalpas will have to elapse before they will be able to enter the path of human beings. However, even as human beings, they are bound to be poor, indigent, low and mean, deficient in some bodily organs and severely knotted mentally by evil karma so that they will surely always continue to fall onto one evil path of existence or another.
"So you see, O Samatavipula, it is bad enough to ridicule and slander others' donations and sincere worship; but it is much worse, indeed, to breed other wicked views that seek to bring about the destruction of the Buddhadharma.
After reading it, I ask myself many times the same question: In that case, should we continue to spread and propagate this sutra? I know the answer is yes, cos the Buddha already instructed all Bodhisattvas and heavenly beings to aid in widespread propagation of this sutra. But what about fellow humans to fellow humans? Should we completely avoid mentioning this sutra or this section to fellow Buddhists who have yet heard of it or to members of the public who ask specifically for clarification on this section for fear they might even flash such demeaning thoughts in their mind without both his and my knowledge?
Since the Buddha mentioned it, it should be true that such scorners exist among both members of public and Buddhists, especially in our Dharma-Ending age. It could be members of other religions, it could be free-thinkers or atheists, it could also be fellow Buddhists who out of ignorance, commit the slandering thought or deed carelessly or deliberately.
Is there no salvation or hope for them? -
When we talk about dharma, we must see the conditions of that person. I think most open minded people are OK with it -- if you tell a commoner out there to chant ksitigarbha bodhisattva, unless he has ideas against buddhism, he probably will not give rise to such unwholesome thoughts.
That said, I have also mentioned:
http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=293230&page=0I agree teachings should be open to all. However, I believe sometimes the purpose of keeping teachings restricted is not for the sake of restricting who can listen to the dharma, but rather, the teachings should be imparted under learned, experienced and qualified guidance lest one be misled. Just like the topic of meditation -- it is really advisable to learn meditation under a qualified teacher who can point out the right instructions to you and correct you so that you may practice correctly.
We should also be careful what knowledge we reveal to others. Just like the teachings of Emptiness should only be explained to those with the conditions to accept it.. I think it is somewhere in the Bodhisattva precepts or something, not to explain Emptiness to someone not ready to hear it. Not because he may not understand it yet (because if he don't understand we can still gradually explain to him), but because if the teachings are spoken and people grow aversion towards that teachings or cannot accept them, then this has a detrimental effect by preventing them from seeing the truth.
Not only I create obscuration for others, I create very bad karma for myself. I have personally experienced such things before and regretted speaking to persons without the right conditions. For this deed I was also 'abmonished' by Thusness. Sometimes it's better to stay silent and not speak the dharma. Therefore, 'Condition' is very very important.
AndrewPKYap should know -- he visit the other forum that I mentioned and should have witnessed what happened there. -
I can understand your point of view to a certain extent, but we may be caught by surprise how some open minded people can sound or behave close minded when it comes to certain sections/explanations of Buddhist teachings. This happens even among fellow Buddhists, regardless of the time they have been learning Buddhism.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:When we talk about dharma, we must see the conditions of that person. I think most open minded people are OK with it -- if you tell a commoner out there to chant ksitigarbha bodhisattva, unless he has ideas against buddhism, he probably will not give rise to such unwholesome thoughts.
That said, I have also mentioned:
http://buddhism.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=293230&page=0
For example, in this forum, anyone can read about postings on non-duality and emptiness. Likewise anybody can get hold of books or any audio-visual materials on similar topics as well. If it's difficult for some members of audience to understand buddhist concepts during a live talk, where there's time for question and answers on the spot, how much more difficult it is for those who have just started to get in touch with Buddhism, are listening to cd/vcds/dvds without knowing which master, which temple to go to as different masters seem to give different explanations of Buddhist verses or concepts?
I was a half-taoist, half Buddhist in the past. To me, ksitigarbha bodhisattva is a very compassionate being who vows to save all before he is willing to become a Buddha finally. But after coming across the highlighted section in the sutra, I can't help but wonder really, what's Buddha's purpose in telling us all that when some may have already committed the thought or deed of teasing or laughing at Ksitgarbha Bodhisattva's followers prior to or after coming into contact with Buddhism or this particular Ksitigarbha sutra.
If the karma is so heavy as mentioned by the Buddha, will wholeheartedly repenting and doing all sorts of good deeds during one single lifetime be enough to help me avoid suffering severely and/or for a countless length of time in the 3 evil realms? -
Originally posted by Spnw07:
Just because a medicine can have side effects if abused, doesn't mean it is a bad medicine.
I can understand your point of view to a certain extent, but we may be caught by surprise how some open minded people can sound or behave close minded when it comes to certain sections/explanations of Buddhist teachings. This happens even among fellow Buddhists, regardless of the time they have been learning Buddhism.
I was a half-taoist, half Buddhist in the past. To me, ksitigarbha bodhisattva is a very compassionate being who vows to save all before he is willing to become a Buddha finally. But after coming across the highlighted section in the sutra, I can't help but wonder really, what's Buddha's purpose in telling us all that when some may have already committed the thought or deed of teasing or laughing at Ksitgarbha Bodhisattva's followers prior to or after coming into contact with Buddhism or this particular Ksitigarbha sutra.If the karma is so heavy as mentioned by the Buddha, will wholeheartedly repenting and doing all sorts of good deeds during one single lifetime be enough to help me avoid suffering severely and/or for a countless length of time in the 3 evil realms?
You may take Angulimala (the one who killed 999 people but attained Arhat and Nirvana) as an example.
I think if we reach certain levels in our practice, we can overcome many (not all) of the karmic traces. Repentance is also very helpful. -
Managed to find an answer about the selected verse above from this translated sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's original vows done by the Buddhist Text Translation Society in U.S.A.
Excerpts of following answer by Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, Chairman of the Certification Board of the Buddhist Text Translation Society, U.S.A."..Are the periods of time mentioned in this passage definitely fixed: that is, will such person really have to spend a thousand aeons as hungry ghosts and as many among the animals?
But it is not stated at all or in details what one needs to do in order to know that his/her repentance has completely cleansed the tremendously long and painful karma resulting from slandering/teasing/laughing at Ksitgarbha Bodhisattva's followers.
These various retributions were made clear by Sakyamuni Buddha and are certain. There are, however, mitigating circumstances.
A hungry ghost who resolves his thoughts on compassion and acts as a protector for someone who is cultivating is an example. Ghosts may also see someone cultivating and decide to undertake the practice of bowing to the Buddhas. Because such ghosts plant good roots while they are still suffering for their offenses, they may escape some time in the realm of ghosts, and be reborn as animals or even as humans.
..People who come to realise that their poverty, low stature, and handicaps are a result of not having respected Earth Store Bodhisattva and of having slandered the Triple Jewel may change their ways. They may undertake the practice of vegetarianism and recitation of the Buddha's name, or they may even leave home to become bhikkhus. Such persons will not necessarily have to return to the states of woe.
Although Buddha dharma contains principles, it is totally alive, not fixed and dead; therefore it is necessary to look at each particular case to see what special conditions there may be. If someone guilty of offenses repents and reforms his conduct, it is not certain that he will have to fall into the states of woe."
I suppose that still means there is not no hope at all for such people except to wait for the complete pay-off of their heavy karma. -
Wait! There might be still hope for those scorners or future scorners:
This excerpt is from the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 20: Never-Slighting Bodhisattva
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BTTStexts/Lotus20.htm
By inference from the above excerpt in Lotus sutra, all those who slandered/laughed/teased, be it through their expressions, behaviour or thoughts at those who worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will EVENTUALLY be delivered by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself.
Sutra
"Great Strength, what do you think? At that time, could the Bodhisattva Never-Slighting have been anyone else? He was none other than myself! Had I not in former lives received, upheld, read, and recited this Sutra and explained it to others, I would not have been able to gain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi so quickly. Because in the presence of former Buddhas I received, upheld, read, and recited this Sutra and explained it to others, I quickly gained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
Commentary:
Shakyamuni Buddha calls out, "Great Strength, what do you think? At that time, could the Bodhisattva Never-Slighting have been anyone else? He was none other than myself, when I was practicing the Bodhisattva Path as a Bodhisattva. Had I not in former lives received, upheld, read, and recited this Sutra and explained it to others, I would not have been able to gain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi-the utmost, proper and equal, right enlightenment-so quickly. Because in the presence of former Buddhas I received, upheld, read, and recited this Sutra and explained it to others, I quickly gained Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
Sutra
"Great Strength, because at that time the four assemblies of Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas, and Upasikas hatefully reviled me, for two hundred kotis of eons they did not encounter a Buddha or hear the Dharma or meet the Sangha.
For a thousand eons they suffered great torment in the Avici Hell. Having received their punishment, they once again encountered Never-Slighting Bodhisattva, who taught and transformed them to Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
Sutra
"Great Strength, what do you think? At that time could the four assemblies who constantly slighted this Bodhisattva have been anyone else? They were just Bhadrapala Bodhisattva and the five hundred Bodhisattvas in this assembly, Lion Moon and the five hundred Bhikshus, and Ni Sz Buddha and the five hundred Upasakas, all of whom are irreversible from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi."
Commentary:
Great Strength, what do you think? At that time could the four assemblies who constantly slighted this Bodhisattva have been anyone else?
They were just Bhadrapala Bodhisattva and the five hundred Bodhisattvas in this assembly. "Bhadrapala" means "good protection."
In the past he slighted the Bodhisattva, but having been taught and transformed by him, he is now one of his good protectors, and he conscientiously follows the rules as well.
That assembly in the past also included Lion Moon and the five hundred Bhikshus-he spoke the Dharma like a lion and his wisdom was as bright as the moon. And Ni Sz Buddha and the five hundred Upasakas, all of whom are irreversible from Anuttarasamyaksambodhi were there. They have cultivated the Way to the level of nonretreat. They won't fall back again.
But the thing is, are you sure you are willing to suffer so long in 3 evil realms?
There is also light of hope, wisdom and compassion even in the darkest and deepest of all hells. If not, Amitabha Buddha would never have attained Buddhahood in the first place.
Amituofo! -
Interesting . a strong buddhist in disguise .perhaps thats my post is just to revive this topicOriginally posted by Spnw07:Wait! There might be still hope for those scorners or future scorners:
This excerpt is from the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 20: Never-Slighting Bodhisattva
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BTTStexts/Lotus20.htm
By inference from the above excerpt in Lotus sutra, all those who slandered/laughed/teased, be it through their expressions, behaviour or thoughts at those who worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will EVENTUALLY be delivered by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself.
But the thing is, are you sure you are willing to suffer so long in 3 evil realms?
There is also light of hope, wisdom and compassion even in the darkest and deepest of all hells. If not, Amitabha Buddha would never have attained Buddhahood in the first place.
Amituofo!
First ,let me say something.
you havent finished reading the whole Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vows sutra
the last part DID mentioned whoever made the wish to save all sentient beings will TAKE over His Place as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
so Ksitigarbha bodhisattva is not one ,but many many many
have i solved your mystery ,you are looking for
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You have to see which viewpoint u looking at .
There is also light of hope, wisdom and compassion even in the darkest and deepest of all hells. If not, Amitabha Buddha would never have attained Buddhahood in the first place.
Amituofo!
[/b]
Amitabha is not the first Buddha to attain Buddhahood . there are many Buddhas before him and many others after Him
Ksitigarbha bodhisattva did not "live " in Hell .He is still ard us , if you recall the Sutra that Buddha Sakyamuni entrusted future sentient beings to Ksitigarbha care
i read the Ksitigarbha Sutra when I was 15 yrs old ,so i think i read more than 5 times since then till my present age in 31
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Hi,
karma is not fixed. It is forever changing.
If you have done something wrong, repent sincerely.
Like what AEN, you have to see the conditions for preaching the dharma.
Don't create suffering for yourself by wanting to help others.
My two cents. -
Also known as Bodhisattva Never Dispranging.Originally posted by Spnw07:Wait! There might be still hope for those scorners or future scorners:
This excerpt is from the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 20: Never-Slighting Bodhisattva
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BTTStexts/Lotus20.htm
By inference from the above excerpt in Lotus sutra, all those who slandered/laughed/teased, be it through their expressions, behaviour or thoughts at those who worship Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva will EVENTUALLY be delivered by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself.
But the thing is, are you sure you are willing to suffer so long in 3 evil realms?
There is also light of hope, wisdom and compassion even in the darkest and deepest of all hells. If not, Amitabha Buddha would never have attained Buddhahood in the first place.
Amituofo! -
oh, is it? Do you mind posting that part of the sutra here?Originally posted by bohiruci:Interesting . a strong buddhist in disguise .perhaps thats my post is just to revive this topic
First ,let me say something.
you havent finished reading the whole Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vows sutra
the last part DID mentioned whoever made the wish to save all sentient beings will TAKE over His Place as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
so Ksitigarbha bodhisattva is not one ,but many many many
have i solved your mystery ,you are looking for
P.S: a strong buddhist in disguise? You must be joking, haha. I posted the above so as to half-encourage and half-admonish myself. -
Yup, indeed Amitabha is not the first Buddha. In fact, in Buddhist teachings, who's the first and last is not really of much importance. All Buddhas share the same dharma body and time is spoken by Buddhas so that sentient beings like humans can have a reference point when reading and trying to understand sutras.Originally posted by bohiruci:You have to see which viewpoint u looking at .
Amitabha is not the first Buddha to attain Buddhahood . there are many Buddhas before him and many others after Him
Ksitigarbha bodhisattva did not "live " in Hell .He is still ard us , if you recall the Sutra that Buddha Sakyamuni entrusted future sentient beings to Ksitigarbha care
i read the Ksitigarbha Sutra when I was 15 yrs old ,so i think i read more than 5 times since then till my present age in 31
It's true that Ksitigarbha bodhisattva did not "live" in hell. All Bodhisattvas, Buddhas to be and Buddhas appear in countless forms to help all sentient beings. They can allow themselves to 'split' into countless manifestations to help any sentient being in suffering. SO there is no fixed place for them to be or not to be. But Ksitigarbha bodhisattva has great compassion for beings who are suffering the most in Hell, the worst realm among the 3 evil realms.
I mentioned Amitabha Buddha cos his name happens to represent 'infinite light and inexhaustible lifespan'.
One of Amitabha Buddha's vows is: "If I become a Buddha, the light from my body shall reach all corners of the countless Buddha-worlds of the Ten Directions. There will not be a place that my light cannot reach. If there is a corner or place where my light cannot shine into, I shall not attain Buddhahood."
'Light' in Buddhism represent wisdom and to me, it represents hope, warmth and complete deliverance from all suffering. -
Well, actually I don't intend to preach dharma to anyone. Cos I'm just a beginner. But was worried about the severe karmic consequences of certain people, who might despise/tease/laugh at those who worship the image of Ksitigarbha Buddha, or practise what is being taught in the sutra. Even if the teasing is done in one's thoughts, one will still end up for a long, long time in the 3 evil realms.Originally posted by Isis:Hi,
karma is not fixed. It is forever changing.
If you have done something wrong, repent sincerely.
Like what AEN, you have to see the conditions for preaching the dharma.
Don't create suffering for yourself by wanting to help others.
My two cents.
Repentance is a must, but the concern is, how does one know that the karmic consequences for the above sin has been reduced or perhaps even transformed into good karma as a result of repentance? -
spwn ,let me share with you one storyOriginally posted by Spnw07:Well, actually I don't intend to preach dharma to anyone. Cos I'm just a beginner. But was worried about the severe karmic consequences of certain people, who might despise/tease/laugh at those who worship the image of Ksitigarbha Buddha, or practise what is being taught in the sutra. Even if the teasing is done in one's thoughts, one will still end up for a long, long time in the 3 evil realms.
Repentance is a must, but the concern is, how does one know that the karmic consequences for the above sin has been reduced or perhaps even transformed into good karma as a result of repentance?
fa zhao the 5th Patriach of Pureland once saw the Pureland in his meditation on Mt Wutai .He was afraid people will slander the dharma if He told the folks of Mt Wutai Buddha Recitation Scenes .One day ,Manjusri the bodhisattva ,appear in his dream .
"The state of all Buddha is inconceivable ,you should have faith in spreading the teachings .Those who ridicule it , theres nothing much u can do about it ."
And so Patriach wrote abt the 5 sessionary of Buddha Recitation on Mt Wutai
which of course there are people who ridicule him .
Same as the Buddhadharma sharing we doing nowadays .There are bound to be people who ridicule and laugh at us .But we cant stop them .Our task is sharing is complete and we should not attached to how many or much they have faith after listening or read it -
I can't help but to think there is actually some ingredient of dictatorship in it.Originally posted by Spnw07:But was worried about the severe karmic consequences of certain people, who might despise/tease/laugh at those who worship the image of Ksitigarbha Buddha, or practise what is being taught in the sutra. Even if the teasing is done in one's thoughts, one will still end up for a long, long time in the 3 evil realms.
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Sorry , I got confused ,its by one of the famous venerable who based on this part to explain the fact .I never have any realisation ,they are all from master's word .I dun have the wisdom to realise anyone yetOriginally posted by Spnw07:oh, is it? Do you mind posting that part of the sutra here?
P.S: a strong buddhist in disguise? You must be joking, haha. I posted the above so as to half-encourage and half-admonish myself.
At that time, all the incarnated forms of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha from many worlds gathered into a single form and said to Buddha tearfully, "I have been instructed by Buddha for long aeons. I have gained inconceivable divine power and wisdom. The boundless worlds are filled with my incarnations. In order to make them take refuge in and respect the Three Treasures, to escape from life and death forever, and achieve Nirvana's bliss, I have incarnated billions of bodies in every world. Every one I have incarnated has taught hundreds, thousands or billions of people. Even if their good deeds within the Buddhadharma are as little as a hair, a drop, a grain of sand, or a speck of dust, I will gradually save them and make them gain great benefits. Please World-Honored One, do not be concerned for those beings in the future." Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha said to Buddha three times, "Please World-Honored One, do not be concerned for future beings with bad karma." -
I agree with you that we should not be attached to the reactions of others after listening or reading about the dharma. However, we should not be indifferent to their reactions either.Originally posted by bohiruci:spwn ,let me share with you one story
fa zhao the 5th Patriach of Pureland once saw the Pureland in his meditation on Mt Wutai .He was afraid people will slander the dharma if He told the folks of Mt Wutai Buddha Recitation Scenes .One day ,Manjusri the bodhisattva ,appear in his dream .
"The state of all Buddha is inconceivable ,you should have faith in spreading the teachings .Those who ridicule it , theres nothing much u can do about it ."
And so Patriach wrote abt the 5 sessionary of Buddha Recitation on Mt Wutai
which of course there are people who ridicule him .
Same as the Buddhadharma sharing we doing nowadays .There are bound to be people who ridicule and laugh at us .But we cant stop them .Our task is sharing is complete and we should not attached to how many or much they have faith after listening or read it
It is mentioned in the Lotus sutra, that the Buddha quietly allowed some 5 thousand disciples to leave the assembly when he relented after Shariputra's repeated requests to discuss about lotus sutra in detail.
When Buddhas do not want to mention certain teachings in detail to their disciples or layman, it is out of their deep spiritual insight and compassion that they do this. If the Buddha knows certain groups of people cannot accept a particular teaching, he will not mention it so that those people will not form thoughts of deep suspicion and even slander in their minds and receive severe negative karma later on. In this case, can we say the Buddha is attached to the reactions of these people?
I'm not the Buddha, of course. But if I clearly know that a particular person cannot accept a certain teaching, I will choose not to say out of concern for his karmic consequences. -
Hi,Originally posted by Spnw07:Well, actually I don't intend to preach dharma to anyone. Cos I'm just a beginner. But was worried about the severe karmic consequences of certain people, who might despise/tease/laugh at those who worship the image of Ksitigarbha Buddha, or practise what is being taught in the sutra. Even if the teasing is done in one's thoughts, one will still end up for a long, long time in the 3 evil realms.
Repentance is a must, but the concern is, how does one know that the karmic consequences for the above sin has been reduced or perhaps even transformed into good karma as a result of repentance?
Firstly, i'm sure u are awared that you can't and in no way possess any control of what other people are thinking about. Secondly, you can't read their minds to know if they are indeed teasing/despite/laughing the sutra.
What i think what we can do best is to dedicate merits to them, wishing them to sever ignorance and to have the wisdom and affinity with the Dharma in present or future lifetime.
We can also try talking to them about the Dharma and bringing them to the temple. However, there is condition: Do we possess the skillful means and do they have the yuan with dharma, are they open-minded in what we are talking about? etc conditions.
Repentence is a good way to purify the mind itself. There are 84000 dharma doors that one can use to purify their karma. How do i know whether it can transform pure or good karma? I think it is best that you walk the path and experience it yourself. When you are being mindful, you will be awared of the changes.
It is good to jie yuan with venerables, to attend Dharma talks and for any enquires, we can seek advices from them. They are really much more wiser than most of us here.
My one cent.
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btw i can see you have compassionate for fellow human being here which is goodOriginally posted by Spnw07:Well, actually I don't intend to preach dharma to anyone. Cos I'm just a beginner. But was worried about the severe karmic consequences of certain people, who might despise/tease/laugh at those who worship the image of Ksitigarbha Buddha, or practise what is being taught in the sutra. Even if the teasing is done in one's thoughts, one will still end up for a long, long time in the 3 evil realms.
Repentance is a must, but the concern is, how does one know that the karmic consequences for the above sin has been reduced or perhaps even transformed into good karma as a result of repentance? but i think you should seek teachings from enlightened teachers who can clear your understanding in dharma so that you can develop the wisdom to save yourself out of samsara and the ability to help others.
Compassionate + wisdom goes together.
My one cent. -
agreeOriginally posted by Spnw07:I agree with you that we should not be attached to the reactions of others after listening or reading about the dharma. However, we should not be indifferent to their reactions either.
It is mentioned in the Lotus sutra, that the Buddha quietly allowed some 5 thousand disciples to leave the assembly when he relented after Shariputra's repeated requests to discuss about lotus sutra in detail.
When Buddhas do not want to mention certain teachings in detail to their disciples or layman, it is out of their deep spiritual insight and compassion that they do this. If the Buddha knows certain groups of people cannot accept a particular teaching, he will not mention it so that those people will not form thoughts of deep suspicion and even slander in their minds and receive severe negative karma later on. In this case, can we say the Buddha is attached to the reactions of these people?
I'm not the Buddha, of course. But if I clearly know that a particular person cannot accept a certain teaching, I will choose not to say out of concern for his karmic consequences.
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Any religion must have a cult of personality or dictatorship to it, else it would fail.
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Agree.Originally posted by Isis:Hi,
Firstly, i'm sure u are awared that you can't and in no way possess any control of what other people are thinking about. Secondly, you can't read their minds to know if they are indeed teasing/despite/laughing the sutra.
What i think what we can do best is to dedicate merits to them, wishing them to sever ignorance and to have the wisdom and affinity with the Dharma in present or future lifetime.
We can also try talking to them about the Dharma and bringing them to the temple. However, there is condition: Do we possess the skillful means and do they have the yuan with dharma, are they open-minded in what we are talking about? etc conditions.
Repentence is a good way to purify the mind itself. There are 84000 dharma doors that one can use to purify their karma. How do i know whether it can transform pure or good karma? I think it is best that you walk the path and experience it yourself. When you are being mindful, you will be awared of the changes.
It is good to jie yuan with venerables, to attend Dharma talks and for any enquires, we can seek advices from them. They are really much more wiser than most of us here.
My one cent.
/\ . By the way, although I seldom attend dharma talks physically, I do constantly stay in touch with the dharma through vcds, dvds and books available at buddhist temples and related organisations.
I agree also with you that we as buddhists should interact with the venerables and attend dharma talks. However, the thing that causes me to think and ask so much is, different venerables have different views and interpretations of certain verses, certain terminologies or concepts of Buddhist sutras or teachings. Hence, it is not easy for someone of average intelligence like me to understand what exactly is the proper way to comprehend a particular concept. -
Well, shamefully I have to admit that I'm far from compassionate. Actually I worry more for myself, cos I think my thoughts about certain Buddhist sutras are rather, you know, blasphemous or slanderous. Furthermore, my personal life experiences tells me that if I cannot tahan the so-called challenges in my life, I don't think I can' tahan punishment in hell after death.Originally posted by Isis:btw i can see you have compassionate for fellow human being here which is good but i think you should seek teachings from enlightened teachers who can clear your understanding in dharma so that you can develop the wisdom to save yourself out of samsara and the ability to help others.
Compassionate + wisdom goes together.
My one cent.
But thanks for your encouragement, isis. I really appreciate your concern and advice. -
hmm you shouldn't be worrying too much about different venerables having different views in certain versesand concepts of buddhist. I feel you are creating unnecessary stress created by yourself.Originally posted by Spnw07:Agree. . By the way, although I seldom attend dharma talks physically, I do constantly stay in touch with the dharma through vcds, dvds and books available at buddhist temples and related organisations.
I agree also with you that we as buddhists should interact with the venerables and attend dharma talks. However, the thing that causes me to think and ask so much is, different venerables have different views and interpretations of certain verses, certain terminologies or concepts of Buddhist sutras or teachings. Hence, it is not easy for someone of average intelligence like me to understand what exactly is the proper way to comprehend a particular concept.
Just be more open-minded and use your own wisdom to investigate and to discern the teaching. As you go deeper into it, your understanding will improve as time goes by.
Anyway, it is really good to ask questions to clear any doubts cos enlightened beings have a clearer understanding in the essence of the teaching. In addition, It is not easy to encounter a good teacher, so grab the chance to ask the question that has been buggin u.
Perhaps it is ourselves who do not clearly comprehend/perceive the concept of what the venerable is talking about and not because the venerable did not give a clear explaination. Therefore, it is always good to ask to clear the doubts propping in your head. -
Hi,Originally posted by Spnw07:Well, shamefully I have to admit that I'm far from compassionate. Actually I worry more for myself, cos I think my thoughts about certain Buddhist sutras are rather, you know, blasphemous or slanderous. Furthermore, my personal life experiences tells me that if I cannot tahan the so-called challenges in my life, I don't think I can' tahan punishment in hell after death.
But thanks for your encouragement, isis. I really appreciate your concern and advice.
Karma is not fixed and it is too early to say that you will go to hell.
Don't think too much which can lead to ceaseless worry and unnecessarily speculation. Don't create stress for yourself.
Why not go into the four noble truth and the eightfold path, the very basic of buddhism? Personally the four noble truth really convince me why i should be a buddhist.
If you are not comfortable with these thought, can try repentance.