WHAT IS A BUDDHA?

A Buddha is a person who has developed all positive qualities and eliminated all negative qualities.

Buddha was an "ordinary" human like you and me before he became enlightened.

Enlightenment is compared to awakening, as a person suddenly experiences a complete transformation of body and mind from sleeping to waking up.

One could say that a Buddha represents the very peak of evolution, as he/she is omniscient or all-knowing.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes in 'The Buddhism of Tibet':

"Our teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha, is one among the thousand Buddhas of this aeon. These Buddhas were not Buddhas from the beginning, but were once sentient beings like ourselves. How they came to be Buddhas is this.

Of body and mind, mind is predominant, for body and speech are under the influence of the mind.

Afflictions such as desire do not contaminate the nature of the mind, for the nature of the mind is pure, uncontaminated by any taint.

Afflictions are peripheral factors of a mind, and through gradually transforming all types of defects, such as these afflictions, the adventitious taints can be completely removed. This state of complete purification is Buddhahood; therefore, Buddhists do not assert that there is any Buddha who has been enlightened from the beginning."

The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni or Gautama Buddha, lived about 2,500 years ago in India.

  However, he was not the first Buddha, and will not be the last either. 

He taught that during this eon (very long time period, maybe comparable to the life-time of the universe as we know it), there would be 1,000 fully enlightened Buddhas who would introduce Buddhism (after it has been totally forgotten). 

The numbers one to three in this eon are Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kashyapa, then comes Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha some 2,500 years ago), and the next Buddha will be called Maitreya.

Heavenly Thoughts

On a cold winter morning, with mist all around, in quiet solitude, thoughts turn to heavenly things.
I would like to share with you a small extract of the evening recitations practised in the Mahayana Buddhist Temples, called the 'Pure Land Sutra'

In this way did the Buddha speak to the Venerable Sariputra:

"O Sariputra, if you go from here to the West and pass beyond Ten Ten Thousands of Hundreds of Thousands Buddhas Lands there exists a region called the Land of Ultimate Joy where there exists a Buddha called Amitabha. He is there now, expounding the Dharma, this Arhat.
"Now, Sariputra, why do you think that this land is called the Land of Ultimate Joy? Because in that realm for all living beings there is neither physical pain nor mental pain and the sources of blessings are without number. For this reason is it called the Land of Ultimate Joy.
"Furthermore Sariputra, the Land of Ultimate Joy is adorned with seven terraces and seven rows of wind chimes together with seven avenues of trees. The above are enclosed on all sides by the four precious substances. With such excellent things unique to Buddha Lands is this excellent Buddha Land adorned.
"Furthermore, O Sariputra, in that world called Ultimate Joy there are Lotus Ponds, ornamented with the seven precious stones. The water that fills them has the eight good qualities and the bottoms of these ponds are covered with pure golden sands that extend to their banks. On the four sides of these Lotus Ponds are flights of stairs--golden and silver, with beryl and crystal in splendid perfection. And at the top of these stairs are raised pavilions majestically adorned with gold and silver, beryl, crystal and coral, red pearls and agate. And in the ponds grow Lotus Flowers that are as large as the wheels of a cart blue colored, as if emitting blue radiance; yellow colored, as if emitting yellow light; red colored, radiating redness; white colored of pure white radiating light and their subtle and mysterious fragrances cleanse the air. O Sariputra for this reason is the Ultimate Joy Land perfect in its meritorious adornments.

[to be continued]

The Greatest things

The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.
--Atisha Dipankara

Conquer

These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood.

Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings,

How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!

You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself,
and you will not find that person anywhere.

Conquer the angry man by love.

Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.

Conquer the miser with generosity.

Conquer the liar with truth.

The Dhammapada

Legacy

My legacy -

What will it be?

Flowers in spring,

The cuckoo in summer,

And the crimson maples

Of autumn ...

- Ryokan (1758-1831)

Dewdrops on a maple leaf

p.143

Translated by John Stevens

You are blessed, click here

Just Being

Nothing in the cry

of cicadas

suggests

they are about to die

- Basho

Simply Zen

My daily activities are not unusual,
I'm just naturally in harmony with them.

Grasping nothing, discarding nothing...

Supernatural power and marvellous activity –
Drawing water and carrying firewood. -

Layman Pang-yun (740-808)

Like the Ocean

Magnanimous Mind

Is like a mountain,

Stable and impartial;

Exemplifying the ocean, it

Reflects the broadest perspective.

Dogen [1200 -1253]

Where?

The fish trap exists because of the fish.

Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap.

The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit.

Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare.

Words exist because of meaning.

Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words.

Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?

~Chuang Tzu

Mountain fruit drop in the rain
and grass insects sing under my oil lamp.

White hair, after all, can never change
as yellow gold cannot be created.

If you want to know how to get rid
of age, its sickness, study nonbeing.

- Wang Wei, 699-761

Community of humanity

Actually, we are all part of the community of humanity.

If humanity is happy, has a successful life, a happy future, automatically, I will benefit.
If humanity suffers, I too will suffer.


Humanity is like one body, and we are part of that body. Once you realize this, once you cultivate this kind of attitude, you can bring about a change in your way of thinking. A sense of caring, commitment, discipline, oneness with humanity - these are very relevant in today's world.





I call this secular ethics, and this is the first level to counter negative emotions.
The second level in this connection is taught by all major religious traditions, whether Christian or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu.

They all carry the message of love, compassion, forgiveness, tolerance, contentment, and discipline.
These are countermeasures for negative emotions.


When anger is about to surface, when hatred is about to flare up, think of tolerance.

It is important to stop any mental dissatisfaction when we feel it because it leads to anger and hatred.
Patience is the countermeasure for mental dissatisfaction.

Greed and its self-centeredness bring unhappiness, and also destruction of the environment, exploitation of others, and increases the gap between the rich and the poor.
The countermeasure is contentment.


So practicing contentment is useful in our daily lives.

...All religious traditions talk about methods of compassion and forgiveness.
If we accept religion, we should take the religious methods seriously and sincerely and use them in our daily lives. Then, a meaningful life can develop."



- from Many Ways to Nirvana: Reflections and Advice on Right Living by His Holiness the Dalai Lama