Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

Found this a good documentary from another forum.

It talks about the problem of modern day consumerism and how it adversely affects the quality of life and the environment. It makes a strong statement on how the number of possessions does not equate to happiness.

Affluenza documentary in 6 parts

watched some of the parts and the conclusion. 物及必反. good, at least it's a form of wake up call, like going green. hopefully works are going to be less Stressful and things are going to be more enviro-friendly. btw any mention of Gross National Happiness (GNH)? :)

regarding going green, it's good also to watch :-

Planet Green : Discovery Project Earth: Engineering The Future   SCV Channel 12 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM  Wed

a lot of going "green" ideas.

next month 3rd Dec, will start a new series on Ecopolis.

also watched Future Car. a car that caught my attention is A Car that run on AIR!

Like human breathing, it use Compress air to generate eletricity, electricity to run the car and compress air again. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztFDqcu8oJ4

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Nice, Namo Earth Store Bodhisattva !

Amituofo!

btw, anyway to download it?

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Originally posted by Soosiangong:

overcome this fault-finding habits

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol7no2e.htm

2. Since we also have Amitabha Buddha in our mind, how should we cultivate so that we can manifest our Own-nature Amitabha?

i. If somebody scolds me with unkind words, I shall respond by saying "Amitabha Buddha". By this, not only am I not accepting the abuse, in contrast the infinite brightness that illumines with the recital of "Amitabha Buddha" eliminates the darkness brought by the abuse.

ii. If somebody gives me a present, I shall say "Amitabha Buddha". By this I mean, "thank you very much". Therefore, not only do we have infinite brightness in our heart, by virtue of giving the giver shall have infinite blessings and merits as well. In this way, we are in spiritual union with Amitabha Buddha.

iii. If I see someone who is well endowed, good-looking, kind and peaceful, I shall remark "Amitabha Buddha". By this, I congratulate the person for having such attributes similar to the Amitabha Buddha. I compliment him as Amitabha Buddha to mean that he is similarly well endowed.

iv. If I see a student studying, I shall say "Amitabha Buddha". It is also acceptable if you say that he is very hardworking or very clever. However, sometimes an intelligent person may be fooled by his own intelligence. There is no guarantee that a student who does well in his studies now will definitely grow up to be good. But, when we use the name "Amitabha Buddha" to compliment him, then we evoke the brightness to illumine in him. Not only will he do well in his studies and his career, he will also be a Bodhisattva when he grows up, or even become Buddha someday.

v. If we happen to pass by an abattoir, a place where pigs, cows or other animals are slaughtered, and since we understand that the effect of the karma of killing is rebirth in the realm of hell, and we make a verbal comment to that effect, is it appropriate? While we do not know whether the person who is committing the killing will be reborn in hell, but when we speak of hell, we immediately strike a resonance with hell. Because suffering and darkness prevail in hell, at the mention of the word, we have already struck an accord with suffering and darkness. If we say "Amitabha Buddha" instead, then brightness spontaneously illumines in our mind and the image of the abattoir will not take root in our mind.

vi. If we come across two parties bickering, quarrelling or fighting with each other, we do not join in. By our participation, we plant the cause to be reborn in the realm of the Asura, which is not a desirable thing. We only need to have Amitabha Buddha in our mind and say "Amitabha Buddha" just once, and then in future we will not be in spiritual union with the beings of the Asura realm.

vii. If we chance on seeing some traders in the market cheating on the scales, we immediately say "Amitabha Buddha". Because cheating arises from greed which resonates with the realm of the ghosts, it is a cause for rebirth in such a realm in future. By saying "Amitabha Buddha" just once, then not only do we not resonate with the realm of ghosts but also we are in spiritual union with Amitabha Buddha and we become illumined with infinite brightness.

viii. People in general have a curious nature. If we stumble upon someone else's secrets, we are driven by our curiosity to peek into it to find out more. If this person is committing a crime, this may spell trouble: our life may be in danger. By saying "Amitabha Buddha" in our mind and we quickly distance from it, then we are in union with all that are virtuous and bright. We do not resonate with darkness.

ix. If we come across a drowning man, of course, we save him if we have the ability. However, if we could not be of help and in the meantime someone else is saving him, we say "Amitabha Buddha". By calling out "Amitabha Buddha" just once, it strikes resonance with the drowning person and he immediately attain the brightness and accomplishment of Amitabha Buddha. Then, our mind is also in spiritual union Amitabha Buddha.

x. If a person tells you tales about someone else, those tales are not your business. The Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch states, "I see someone engaging in gossip-mongering, I do not participate. If I participate in the gossiping, then I have done wrong." That the person is wrong is his own business. Your participation means that you have also done wrong. If this person speaks a lot of ills about another person and in the end you say just once "Amitabha Buddha", that is good enough. If you participate in the gossiping, this person may go around speaking ill of you too. But, when you say "Amitabha Buddha", then you are in resonance with brightness and that person would not be able to invent gossips and speak ill of you. Therefore, "Amitabha Buddha" is indeed really very useful. Regardless of whether the situation is good, bad or neither good nor bad, when we say "Amitabha Buddha", our mind will be at ease and we attain brightness, and in this way we resonate with brightness.

Noble Eightfold Path's

8. Right Meditation

Meditation means the gradual process of training the mind to focus on a single object and to remain fixed upon the object without wavering. The constant practice of meditation helps one to develop a calm and concentrated mind and help to prepare one for the attainment of Wisdom and Enlightenment ultimately.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/5215/eight.html

single object here can be the Buddha's name or mantra.

mouth chant but mind wandering all around wouldn't work though. preferably a serious, sincere, long term, repetitive, extensive chanting than a normal, gesture, greeting, unserious, short term recitation.

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Originally posted by Soosiangong:

Why Buddhism teaches us not to find faults with others but instead recite Namo Amituofo often to overcome this fault-finding habits?Thank you.

you actually already anwser your own question by saying that it's to overcome this fault-finding Habits.

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you know when the monks say "罪过, 罪过", when they see something unwholesome. but i think 过 is something small and if one don't stop it as soon as possible, it can roll bigger and bigger like snowball.

even tearing a piece of paper cannot have angry/destructive intention/thoughts, let alone killing an insect/ant/cockcroach etc.

One instance of intention is one instance of kamma. When there is kamma there is immediate result. Even just one little thought, although not particularly important, is nevertheless not void of consequence. It will be at the least a "tiny speck" of kamma, added to the stream of conditions which shape mental activity. With repeated practice, through repeated proliferation by the mind, or through expression as external activity, the result becomes stronger in the form of character traits, physical features or repercussions from external sources.
  A destructive intention does not have to be on a gross level. It may, for example, lead to the destruction of only a very small thing, such as when we angrily tear up a piece of paper. Even though that piece of paper has no importance in itself, the action still has some effect on the quality of the mind. The effect is very different from tearing up a piece of paper with a neutral state of mind, such as when throwing away scrap paper. If there is repeated implementation of such angry intention, the effects of accumulation will become clearer and clearer, and may develop to more significant levels.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/kamma1.htm#meaning

however, Yuan Yin Lao Ren mentioned that an instance of unconditional compassion/bodhi will also on the other hand be very wholesome.

there are story where a being who was reborn in hell, but when he recall the thoughts of Amitabha Buddha, the hell simply disappear and was reborn in the higher realm or something.

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Originally posted by Isis:

Hi,

Anyone can don the robe of a monk or nun..

How do you know if he is really a real monk or not ?

Do they have a letter or a cert that indicate so ?

Thanks

if u can read  A Manual of the Dhamma.

Even if the precincts of a pagoda are littered with dust, garbage,
excrement, etc., the pagoda itself remains worthy of deep respect.

http://www.sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/183113?page=2

sometimes, it's best to reflect on oneself, a simple mind is good enough already. u wholeheartedly respect u gain, if they do wrong they lose. simple as that. it's a seperate thingy. it just boils down to one's own heart.

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indeed..真空非空, 妙有非有.
TRUE Emptiness isn't empty. Brilliant Existence isn't existing. middle way.

mind-only(ie Recognise that the objective world rises from the mind itself). it must not also reject the objective world(s).
as only thru emptiness and absolutly no form is even more dangerous, which is outside the mind path, btw.

Both the Lankavatara and Esoteric Adornment Sutras Stated:
"It is better to be attached to Existence, though the attachment may be as big as Mount Sumeru, than to be attached to Emptiness, though the attachment may be as small as a mustard seed."

since pureland ferry the beings of the lowest capacities, thru a form of deep faith, one can be born in PL even if they attached to the form of PL while without thoroughly understand the emptiness of PL. that's still ok, skillful mean(can read Master Yin Kuang's qna for detail).
for those who attached to emptiness and Reject form, one will not be born in PL but into the formless realms.
for the advance/complete(round) level, of realising the non-dual between form and emptiness, one can be reborn in PL.

ps: form is emptiness; emptiness is form  --heart sutra

The Ultimate BuddhaDharma doesn't exclude the provisonal dharma. Excluding the provisonal dharma is not the Utlimate BuddhaDharma.

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the essence of Diamond Sutra is in this very paragraph (often the first para):-

Thus I have heard. Once, the Buddha was staying in the Jetavana Grove in Śrāvastī with a community of 1250 monks. Then, at mealtime, the World Honored One put on his robe, took his bowl, and went into the great city of Śrāvastī to seek alms food, going from house to house within the city. Finishing, he returned home and took his meal. He then put away his robe and bowl, washed his feet, arranged his seat, and sat down.

-- Diamond Sutra

this is the realisation of things as they are.

the essence of Amitabha Sutra is in this very paragraph (first para as usual) :-

At that time, the Buddha told the elder Shariputra:
"Passing from here through hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha-lands to the West, there is a land called Ultimate Bliss. In this land, at this moment, a Buddha named Amitabha teaches the Dharma.

--Amitabha Sutra

When Buddha say something like this, Buddha do not say this for any Additional meaning nor Subtract any meaning from it.
It Just Simply mean Passing from here through hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha-lands to the West, there is a land called Ultimate Bliss. In this land, at this moment, a Buddha named Amitabha teaches the Dharma.

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The Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening By Hui Hai

http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/The_Zen_Teaching_of_Instantaneous_Awakening_By_Hui_Hai

38. Q: The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra says: ‘Whosoever desires to reach the Pure
Land must first purify his mind.’ What is the meaning of this purifying of the mind?

A: It means purifying it to the point of ultimate purity.

Q: But what does that mean?

A: It is a state of beyond purity and impurity.

Q: Please explain it further.

A: Purity pertains to a mind, which dwells upon nothing whatsoever. To attain to this without so much as a thought of purity arising is called ‘absence of purity’; and to achieve that without giving it a thought is to be free from absence of purity also. <!--QuoteEnd-->

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Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

I have read all these before. Western Pure Land has 4 types.

There is:

「凡圣同居土、方便有余土、实报庄严土、常寂光土」

If you are not yet enlightened, after you die you will be reborn in the 1st type of pure land and you will still have a 中阴生 to reborn there.

If you realise your Buddha Nature, you can simply enter into 寂光净土 immediately. In fact if you realise your Buddha Nature then 寂光净土 which is equivalent to your self-nature (自性) and your Dharmakaya (法身) is available right here. This is the Pure Land that Zen Master Hui-Neng is talking about. For such a person after death there is no 中阴生 to take rebirth, there is simply the recognition of Buddha Nature, one's 法身. One immediately recognises and abides in 寂光净土.

 

yes, it's say that the 4 Abodes in the cosmo are seperated , but not in Amitabha's PL which are united and equal.

There are four kinds of Nirvana equivalent to the 4 Abodes of PL:
Nirvana of pure, clear self-nature = Pure Abode of Good people and good Saints living together 凡圣同居土.
Nirvana with residue = Pure Temporary Abode with residue of Not Knowing 方便有余土, more for Arahants.
Nirvana without residue = Pure Abode of Permanent Reward 实报无障碍土, more for Bodhisattvas.
Nirvana of no dwelling = Pure Abode of Eternal Light and Tranquillity 常寂光土, more for Buddhas.

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also By Tien Tai Patriarch Chih I

Question 2

All phenomena are by nature empty, always unborn (Non-Birth), equal and still. Are we not going against this truth when we abandon this world, seeking rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss? The (Vimalakirti) Sutra teaches that "to be reborn in the Pure Land, you should first purify your own Mind; only when the Mind is pure, will the Buddha lands be pure." Are not Pure Land followers going against this truth?

Answer

This question involves two principles and can be answered on two levels.

a) On the level of generality, if you think that seeking rebirth in the Pure Land means "leaving here and seeking there", and is therefore incompatible with the Truth of Equal Thusness, are you not committing the same mistake by grasping at this Saha World and not seeking rebirth in the Pure Land, i.e., "leaving there and grasping here"? If, on the other hand, you say, "I am neither seeking rebirth there, nor do I wish to remain here," you fall into the error of nihilism.

The Diamond Sutra states in this connection:

"Subhuti, ... do not have such a thought. Why? Because one who develops the Supreme Enlightened Mind does not advocate the (total) annihilation (of the marks of the dharmas.)" (Bilingual Buddhist Series, Vol. 1. Taipei: Buddhist Cultural Service, 1962, p. 130.)

b ) On the level of Specifics, since you have brought up the truth of Non-Birth and the Pure Mind, I would like to give the following explanation.

Non-Birth is precisely the truth of No-Birth and No-Death. No-Birth means that all dharmas are false aggregates, born of causes and conditions, with no Self-Nature. Therefore, they have no real "birth nature" or "time of birth". Upon analysis, they do not really come from anywhere.
Therefore, they are said to have No-Birth.

No-Death means that, since phenomena have no Self-Nature, when they are extinguished, they cannot be considered dead. Because they have no real place to return to, they are said to be not extinct (No-Death).

For this reason, the truth of Non-Birth (or No-Birth No-Death) cannot exist outside of ordinary phenomena, which are subject to birth and death. Therefore, Non-Birth does not mean not seeking rebirth in the Pure Land.

The Treatise on the Middle Way states:

"Dharmas (phenomena) are born of causes and conditions. I say they are thus empty. They are also called false and fictitious, and that is also the truth of the Middle Way."

It also states:

"Dharmas are neither born spontaneously nor do they arise from others. They are born neither together with nor apart from causes and conditions. They are therefore said to have Non-Birth."

The Vimalakirti Sutra states:

"Although he knows that Buddha Lands / Are void like living beings / He goes on practicing the Pure Land (Dharma) / to teach and convert men." (Charles Luk, The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, p. 88.)

It also states:

"We can build mansions at will on empty land, but it is impossible to build in the middle of empty space."

When the Buddhas preach, they usually rely on the Two Truths (ultimate and conventional). They do not destroy the fictitious, provisional identities of phenomena while revealing their true characteristics.

That is why the wise, while earnestly striving for rebirth in the Pure Land, also understand that the nature of rebirth is intrinsically empty. This is true Non-Birth, and also the meaning of "only when the Mind is pure, will the Buddha Lands be pure".

The dull and ignorant, on the other hand, are caught up in the concept of birth. Upon hearing the term "Birth", they understand it as actual birth; hearing of "Non-Birth", they (cling to its literal meaning) and think that there is no rebirth anywhere. Little do they realize that "Birth is precisely Non-Birth, and Non-Birth does not hinder Birth."

Because they do not understand this principle, they provoke arguments, slandering and deprecating those who seek rebirth in the Western Pure Land. What a great mistake! They are guilty of vilifying the Dharma and belong to the ranks of deluded externalists (non-Buddhists).

Are the Mind-only Pure Land and the Self-nature Amitabha the same as or different from the Western Pure Land and Amitabha in the Pure Land ?

It is because the Mind-only Pure Land exists that we are reborn in the Pure Land of the West. If the mind is not pure, it is impossible to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land. Even when those who have committed cardinal transgressions achieve rebirth through ten recitations, such rebirth is due to their reciting the Buddha's name with a pure mind, thus eliciting a response from Amitabha Buddha. Ordinary people generally think that if the Pure Land is Mind-Only, then it does not exist. This is the understanding of demons and externalists. Such a deluded view, which appears correct but is in reality wrong, affects more than half of all people and causes practitioners to forfeit true benefits.

It is precisely because of the Self-Nature Amitabha that the practitioner must recite the name of Buddha Amitabha of the West seeking rebirth in the Pure Land - so as to achieve the Self-Nature Amitabha through gradual cultivation. If he merely grasps at the Self-Nature Amitabha but does not recite the name of Buddha Amitabha of the West, he cannot achieve immediate escape from Birth and death - not even if he is truly awakened, much less if (like most people who ask this question) he is pretentious and just indulges in empty talk without engaging in practice.

Thus the answer to your question [are the mind-Only Pure Land and the Self-Nature Amitabha the same as or different from the Western Pure Land and Amitabha in the Pure Land?] is that they are one yet two before Buddhahood is attained, two yet one after Buddhahood is attained.

(From Pure-Land Zen ,Zen Pure-Land, Letters from Patriarch Yin Kuang. Page 108 - 111)

http://www.amtbweb.org/tchet262.htm

Both the Lankavatara and Esoteric Adornment Sutras Stated:

"It is better to be attached to Existence, though the attachment may be as big as Mount Sumeru, than to be attached to Emptiness, though the attachment may be as small as a mustard seed."

 A Manual of the Dhamma

The Profundity of the Vinaya
How deep and subtle the Vinaya is can be understood from the following
examples. A lay person, even after eradicating all mental defilements and
becoming an Arahant, has to pay respect to and worship an ordinary monk
who still has all the mental defilements. This is because a monk enjoys that
status by having followed the Vinaya procedure. An ordinary monk must not
bow to an Arahant lay person as his own status is higher. The Arahant is still a
lay person, while the other is a monk. If the two are compared on the basis of
mental purity, this injunction seems unreasonable.
There is a vast difference between a lay Arahant and an ordinary monk.
The former has personally achieved nibbāna so his heart is always pure, while
the latter’s heart contains many defilements, so he is not free from the
suffering of the lower realms. Yet a lay Arahant has to pay respect to a monk
who is just an ordinary person. In the matter of status in the Buddha’s
dispensation, an ordinary monk, being a member of the Saṅgha, is nobler than
an Arahant who is just a lay person. Why does a lay Arahant have to worship an ordinary monk? It is due to the Vinaya proclaimed with the supreme
authority of the Omniscient Buddha. One can therefore realise that the power
of Vinaya is imponderable and boundless in scope and extent. The Buddha’s
supreme power, immeasurable wholesome kamma, and omniscience manifest
themselves in laying down these unique Vinaya rules. They have effects for
every monk in the Buddha’s dispensation.

 

“Ānanda, after I pass away the Dhamma and Vinaya I have proclaimed
and prescribed will be your teachers.”
These prophetic words of the Buddha are profound, and their scope is
boundless. So each of the millions of precepts undertaken by a monk during
his ordination represents the Buddha himself. The prophetic words of the
Buddha dwell in an ordained monk, whoever he may be.
A bhikkhu in this dispensation means a fully ordained monk who has
fulfilled five factors: purity of the ordination procedure, purity of the group of
monks, purity of the four formal recitations of kammavācā, purity of robes and
bowl, and being a qualified candidate for full ordination. Once the ceremonies
of taking the three refuges and formal recitations have been done, he instantly
receives and undertakes the precepts. So we can say that nine billion Buddhas
dwell in his person by the power of the Buddha and efficacy of the Vinaya. He
is like a pagoda where the Buddha’s relics are enshrined.
Everyone should know that a pagoda, even if it is made of mud or sand, is
a sacred object of worship because the Buddha’s relics are enshrined there.

Due respect must be paid to the relics enshrined therein, which represent the
Buddha, even if the pagoda is made of unworthy materials. If disrespect is
shown even to this type of pagoda, one accumulates unwholesome kamma.
Even if the precincts of a pagoda are littered with dust, garbage,
excrement, etc., the pagoda itself remains worthy of deep respect. So everyone
should bow their heads in showing due respect to the relics, which are
certainly worthy of honour. If one shows disrespect on seeing a pagoda with all
sorts of rubbish nearby, one accumulates unwholesome kamma.
Similarly, an ordinary monk possesses millions of Buddhas in his person,
though his mind is littered with thousands of mental defilements, like garbage
near a pagoda. As long as a single Vinaya precept still exists in his person, he is
entitled to be worshipped by a lay Arahant. The innumerable Vinaya precepts
that exist in his person represent countless Buddhas. Though he is not free
from Vinaya faults, he is like a pagoda. So a lay Arahant must revere him for
this reason.
If devotees consider this matter carefully, they will realise the countless
Vinaya rules observed by an ordinary monk. Moreover, they will appreciate
and revere the power of the Buddha, who is fully entitled to proclaim Vinaya
rules and regulations, and appropriate procedures for their purification. The
commanding power of the Omniscient Buddha shows its greatest effects in the
Saṅgha established by him. The power of the Vinaya is very profound, and is
hard to understand by an ordinary devotee or uneducated layman. No one can
fully fathom the significance of the Vinaya’s power.

http://aimwell.org/assets/A%20Manual%20of%20the%20Dhamma.pdf

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a lot of Q&A:-

佛法修证心要问答集

（修法）

元音老人著

http://bookgb.bfnn.org/books2/1074.htm

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after hearing the teacher of Yuan Yin lao ren is 王骧陆 Wang Xiang lu, i found this :-

大方广圆觉修多罗了义经抉隐

王骧陆居士著

http://bookgb.bfnn.org/books/0948.htm

maybe can take a read,

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Originally posted by yamizi:

You're the one holding the power, you can do what you want.

Power corrupts =)

so does contempt.
actually a lot of exceptions already. if in e-sangha, already banned.

anyway, best to closed thread for unwholesome verbal action which are any one or more of the following (1) Lying, (2) Slander and tale-bearing, (3) Harsh speech, and (4) Frivolous and meaningless talk.

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Originally posted by yamizi:

Wow...then all our engineers, doctors and lawyers must have been using the wrong level of brain to analyse their work.

Anyway, I don't think I am insulting mck, that's your pov again, what I had stated can be found in his own vcd.

And why are you so persistent in learning from mck instead of the Buddha? 'cos you're really a mck-ist instead of a buddhist?

If I had slander you, I believe you have completely disregard Buddhism in its essence.

true what. anything that is to do with attachment, dualism and wandering thoughts, all wrong use of brain.

excuses. like explained, it's mistaken. anyway no solid proof, it's just "ur words". would best have solid proof or link to a decoded video to study. can be done. no proof cannot speculate or believe.

i say poor presentation is not the problem. if one need really prefect presentation skill to present, then i say can forget about propagating Dharma altogether..

moreover, if say not proper, then the whole of Buddhist community or internet, would have equal the teaching to falungong, cults... etc and rebuted it...and made known. but no. not to that extend. He's still been respected as a whole, even from the west. so such people that make problems are really one of a kind. i say this not as an actual "disciple" of Him, i'm not. but as a common buddhist and common knowing from all around. if happen to other good masters, i'll still protect the same.

i learnt from more dharma teachers than u think it's just only MCK. i seek dharma joy 法喜. MCK's teaching more traditional, i agree. but it's also about not being a 背师叛道. one that is against the way.

haha...right~. ..some anti-buddhist in disguise.

anyway, if see, any postings of insulting texts, they will be removed by moderators without any notices. i already did for some posts.

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Originally posted by yamizi:

But what I see is that you cannot accept criticism which explained your earlier actions in removing my post against my will.

Thank you for the demostration on how people react when they can't accept criticism.

However, Buddha did teach us to be critical and analyse.

How can one be taken lightly in what they is their belief? Simply 'cos a bald head says so?

Anyway, in all mck-ism's spirit, since mck can hold a dhamma talk in a catholic chruch, bow to a crucifix, why buddhists still lack the courage to attend church?

All these buddhists know the differences betweem buddhism and mck-ism?

=)

Food for thought.

like said, it's against forum rules. can or cannot accept criticism is another thing.

if i cannot accept, i won't say i don't mind saying my english poor. actual, u slander me i also don't mind. it's not about this, it's about something regarding harmony.

like said, not all are well inform, some can also be emotionally attach to him. He ever said, those that are around him are worst than those learning without actually being with him.
but i don't think MCK Himself is not well cultivated.u can go up in front of him and insult him, see if he'll be moved by insult. if so, then he's just ordinary. either u learn like "saint" or u are still like ordinary being.

analyse is one thing ...note also that most of the times, this analytical/critical mind is wrong. as it's the 6th and 7th(ego) consciousness doing the thinking.

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Originally posted by yamizi:

Eat salt too much will make one unhealthy. No wonder he has problem giving presentation.

 

And how do you define 'most people'? Are these 'most people' well-informed of Dhamma etc? Or they had already been influenced?

 

Or just mere hearsay? Or just because his talk attracts a lot of people?

Wht makes you think I have no understanding on pureland? Simply because I quote more from Lotus Sutra?

 

Too much assumptions already =)

'most people' can't say well-informed of Dhamma or not influenced. at least never disrespectful.

assumption in the sense, if really understand Buddha dharma, not just pureland, there shd be grow in wisdom light , patient, humbleness, and reduction in affliction/vexation and can accept criticism, can let go. if not, they are still "ordinary" buddhists.

judge people assuming, ownself also assuming.

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Originally posted by yamizi:

sanath said my English is poor, obviously yours is worse than mine.

sw: it's true. i don't mind. i never said, mine is very good. i'm working, so i need a faster style.

I'd already mentioned, if your excuse is going to be the same old "must see other vcd", please feedback to mck that he needs to learn how to improve his presentation skill in one vcd.

sw: people eat salt more than u eat rice. started presentation abt 40 years ago. so cannot like that compare. most people can accept. but guess, some people's dharma roots not enough to understand. i agree sometimes some saying can be confusing, but i respect him as a teacher. not just him, all other dharma masters as well.

Brahma claimed to be almightly, all-loving, all-knowing and creator god, however, in the end he did confess to Buddha that he didn't know how creation come about. Check your basics.

sw: yes, i know, but i don't see any relevent to the topic.

You keep insisting that 'his level', so you're 'his level'? If not how can you actually understand what he meant?

In fact, I guess I'm starting to see the confusion whether are you trying to promote the Buddha's teachings or the mck's teachings.If the imperfect stuff can be the root of false teachings, then that imperfect stuff is worth bringing up.

sw: simple, see can undertstand when the mind is pure the land is pure 心净佛土净. and given a case in Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni touch the ground to show His disciples His pureland within samsara. all Buddhas pureland are alike. maybe should read/study some other sutras to understand.

Buddhism should be presented as it is in its genuine form with sincerity, not with some nice paper wrappers which may cause others to have implied otherwise.

sw: yes, but also don't want to see similar case like Maggie.meepok happening in Buddhism. ie. lost of true Buddha's teaching. u think it's genuine, but actually not genuine at all. but guess very difficult in Dharma ending age. sigh.

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Originally posted by yamizi:

I don't find my post being offensive and/or personal attacks, this can easily fall into a subjective definition, and as you're a fervant follower of MCK, it is of no doubt that you will see me being offensive and engaging personal attack.

excuses, obviously an insulting text. otherwise, it's just Anti-ing MCK or pureland, as there was no good stuff been said, only unwholesome words. unwholesome or wholesome, only ur mind know. but ok, let's be fair, can reduce or not? please.

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Originally posted by soul2soul:

I am talking from Theravada POV, so bear with my post and poor english.

One of the hallmark of Buddha's teaching is non-attachment and also confirmation of experience by ourselves, and not to rely on hearsay or tradition. In short, when other people say something is true, we should approach it carefully and to evaluate it for ourselves.

Now, it is certainly amusing when Muslims insist on Buddha Maitreya as Muhammad by speculating on various verses in their holy book, or when some christians said Jesus is the promised Maitreya. In that regard, I feel that we should not accord them the same courtesy by insisting that their heavens is part of Amitabha's pureland because it certainly provokes irritation on their part.

it's not that extend of insisting. just clarifying. but u are right that it certainly provokes irritation on their part. so we should reduce such talk.

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Originally posted by sanath:

天親菩薩往生論云：観彼世界相　勝過三界道

Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land states:

When I contemplate the nature of that Land,
I find that it surpasses all states of existence in the three worlds.

yes, nobody are saying that the quote above is incorrect. all i'm saying is when the mind is pure the land is pure. 心净佛土. 

"When I contemplate the nature of that Land,
I find that it surpasses all states of existence in the three worlds."

imho, if "surpasses all states" mean samsara and pureland/nirvana is seperated, than i think pureland would still be quite limited or obstructed, or just a 方便土.

it's when Amitabha pureland is neither samsara non pureland/nirvana, everywhere is pureland, then it's most surpassing. 无障碍土.

anyway, very funny, this is like already believing and rebuting on a hearsay and proof-less speculation. i don't think MCK mean what he mean.

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as taught by the Buddha, the remedies for the three poisons 贪嗔痴(greed, anger and folly) are to practice 戒定慧, discipline/precept, concentration/meditation and wisdom respectively.

discipline/precept help cure greed.

concentration/meditation help cure anger.

wisdom help cure folly.

to get concentration, can start with mind/body discipline.

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