Seon Master Ta�hui Tsung�kao :
Zen Master Chinul:
If we consider our actions in our past
wanderings in samsara, we
have no way of knowing for how many
thousands of
kalpas we have
fallen into the darkness or entered the
Interminable Hell and
endured all kinds of suffering.34 Nor
can we know how
many times we have aspired to the path to
Buddhahood but, because
we did not meet with wise advisors, remained
submerged in the sea
of birth and death for long kalpas, dark and
unenlightened,
performing all sorts of evil actions. Though
we
may reflect on this
once in a while, we cannot imagine the
duration
of our misery. How
can we relax and suffer again the same
calamities as before?
Furthermore, what allowed us to be born this
time as human
beings―the guiding spirits of all the ten
thousand things―who are
clear about the right road of cultivation?
Truly, a human birth is
as difficult to ensure as "a blind turtle
putting its head through
a hole in a piece of wood floating on the
ocean"39 or "a
mustard seed falling onto the point of a
needle." How can we
possibly express how fortunate we are?
"You don't need to seek revenge, because kamma will get the bastards anyway!"
~ Ajahn Brahmavamso
“….At
the subquantum level, the level in which the quantum potential operates,
location ceases to exist. All points in space become equal to all other
points in space, and it's meaningless to speak of anything as being
separate from anything else.”
Michael Talbot, The Holographic
Universe
Mind accords with all circumstances, yet doesn't arise or cease.
The sages of old praised this, calling it zazen.
Blind people wear out their cushions waiting for enlightenment.
Just like trying to make a mirror by polishing a brick.
~ Bankei
��真心
�明空性
�是明心
并未�性
.....
天地法界，一切皆相
å› ç¼˜æ˜¾ç›¸ï¼Œæ— å‡€æ— æŸ“
心生分别，净染方生
烦æ�¼è™½ç”Ÿï¼Œè¿˜æ˜¯å› 缘
.....
明蕴�心，�是明心
蕴�缘现，�是�性
所谓自然，å�ªæ˜¯å› 缘
æ€§æœ¬è‡ªç„¶ï¼Œæ— ä¸ºè€Œæ˜¾
.....
强æ–烦æ�¼
�是妄动
缘尽当了
方是功夫
~ Thusness
Don't believe in the reality of experiences, good or bad. They are like rainbows.
---------
~Poem~ by Lama Gendun Rinpoche
http://www.facebook.com/notes/buddha-blessings/poem-by-lama-gendun-rimpoche/443892231412
Happiness is not to be found with many efforts or will, but is here, nearby, in your relaxing and surrendering.
Don't worry, there is nothing to be done.
Everything that comes up to your mind has no importance because it has no reality.
Don't conceive any attachment for it.
Don't judge yourself.
Let it be.
Let it come up and down without changing a thing.
It all vanishes and begins again, endlessly.
Nothing but the quest for happiness prevents us from seeing it.
It is like a rainbow that one is always chasing without ever reaching it.
It is because it has no existence.
It has always been here and goes with you all the time.
Don't believe in the reality of experiences, good or bad.
They are like rainbows.
Because we want to grasp what is not to be grasped,
We exhaust our strength in vain.
As soon as we relinquish our hold, space is here, open, welcoming & comfortable.
So, do enjoy it.
Everything is yours already.
Stop searching.
Don't go into the jungle to look for the elephant that is quietly waiting for you at home.
There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to force.
There is nothing to desire.
And all comes by itself.
http://www.beingwithoutself.org/talks/TheUnconditioned.pdf
When I smell a flower, I don't smell a flower. At that moment there's just [smelling
a flower] "Ahhh!" There is no self at that moment, nor is there a flower. Everyday, in
our living experience of the moment, we are confirming the truth of those apparently
incomprehensible, ambiguous Buddhist statements. But we fail to fully realize it for
what it is. Instead, the knot of "I" returns and boundless reality is reduced to myself
facing some thing — a fragrant flower, a smelly shoe, whatever. By our restless
mental habits, the living experience turns into something experienced by me. But
it's undeniable: The actual "undoing" of the self — the vital core of Buddhism — is
under our feet at every step. It is every step. We are like small children who
carefully tie up our sneakers then run out and play; before we know it they're untied
again! It's clear: What we think of as ourselves is not substantially real. In fact, we
are constantly losing ourselves. Self-undone is living reality, not some vague ideal
to be attained in the future through self-effort.
Someone might object, "But we need the self. Without the self we couldn't make
decisions, we couldn't even lose ourselves." Sounds logical. But it's not true. The
renowned Japanese Zen master Bankei often used the example of hearing sounds
outside while listening to a talk. You're absorbed in listening to my talk right now.
But if a car passes by, you know it's a car. And if a dog barks you know it's a dog,
not a cat or a car. How, Bankei asks, do we know? How are we knowing these
things without even directing ourselves toward them, without reflecting on them at
all? His answer is the Unborn Buddha-mind. That is, the unconditioned at work. The
moment the crow caws we know it perfectly without having to reflect on it or turn in
into anything.
Another example Bankei uses is walking down a crowded street. If you happen to
be with a friend, you don't need to stop talking, nor do you need to consciously
navigate through the crowd. You both effortlessly weave around the other people as
you continue your conversation. How in the world do we do that? Can we do it
because we have a self? Or because we don't have a self? If I called out your name
right now you'd respond. From where? — Where do we come from? Who are we
before our name has been called? As it's said in Buddhism, any other self is like
putting a head on top of the one we already have. It's like taking our original,
unfettered freedom, stuffing it in a shoe and tying it up tight, then strutting around
the meditation hall saying, "Look at me!"
......
Let's end where we began. "This is unconditional. Were it not for this, there would
be no emancipation for the conditioned. But since there is indeed this,
unconditional, all conditions are emancipated!" I have looked at many English
translations and, with the help of some scholars of Indian Buddhism, at the Pali
text. A number of the translators rendered it as emancipation from the conditions.
The Pali itself is ambiguous and can be read either way. I suggest it should be read
as emancipation for the conditions. Why? Because rendering it as emancipation
from the conditions suggests that, through practice, I am getting away from the
troubling conditions by holding onto some unconditional Self.
The master said to the assembly,
Good friends, the true teaching originally is neither sudden nor gradual; it is human temperaments that may be quick or slow. People who are lost cultivate gradually, while people who are awakened attain suddenly. When you know your own original mind and see your own original nature, then there is no difference. That is why the temporary terms sudden and gradual are set up.
Good friends, since time immemorial this school of ours has first established freedom from thought as the source, freedom from form as the subtance, and freedom from fixation as the basis.
Freedom from form means detachment from forms in the midst of forms. Freedom from thought means having no thought in the midst of thoughts. As for freedom from fixation, while the basic nature of humanity is in the midst of the world, with good and bad, beauty and ugliness, enmity and familiarity, words and speech, offense and attack, deception and contention, one considers it all empty and does not think of retaliation, not thinking about the objects in the surroundings. If thought after thought, previous, present , and subsequent thoughts, go on continuing uninterrupted, this is called bondage. When thought after thought does not dwell on things, then there is no bondage. Thus freedom from fixation is basic.
Good friends, outwardly being detached from all forms and appearances is called freedom from form. If you can be detached from forms and appearances, then the substance of things is pure. Thus freedom from form is the substance.
Good friends, when the mind is not influenced by objects, this is called freedom from thought. One is always detached from objects in one's own thoughts, and one does not arouse the mind over objects. If you just do not think of anything at all, and get rid of all thoughts entirely, once all thoughts end you die and come back to life someplace else. This is a big mistake; those who study the Way should think about it.
If you do not know the intention of the teaching, you go wrong yourself, and can also mislead others. Your self-delusion is not visible to you. You even misrepresent Buddhist scripture. That is why we establish freedom from thought as the source.
~ 6th Ch'an Patriarch Hui-neng, Platform Sutra
im currently reading up on Shantideva The Way Of The Bodhisattva, so will share the verses as i study them (more can be found in my blog). anyone who would like to contribute pls feel free to chip in.
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta
Originally posted by geis:im currently reading up on Shantideva The Way Of The Bodhisattva, so will share the verses as i study them (more can be found in my blog). anyone who would like to contribute pls feel free to chip in.
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta
1.1To those who go in bliss, the Dharma they haveMastered, and to all their heirs,To all who merit veneration, I bow down.According to tradition, I shall now in brief describeThe entrance to the bodhisattva discipline.1.2What I have to say has all been said before,And I am destitute of learning and of skill with words.I therefore have no thought that this might be of benefitto others;I wrote it only to sustain my understanding.1.3My faith will thus be strengthened for a little while,That I might grow accustomed to this virtuous way.But others who now chance upon my words,May profit also, equal to myself in fortune.1.4So hard to find such ease and wealthWhereby to render meaningful this human birth!If now I fail to turn it to my profit,How could such a chance be mine again?
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.5 - 1.9
1.5
As when a flash of lightning rends the night,
And in its glare shows all the dark black clouds had hid,
Likewise rarely, through the buddhas’ power,
Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient, in the
World.
1.6
Thus behold the utter frailty of goodness!
Except for perfect bodhichitta,
There is nothing able to withstand
The great and overwhelming strength of evil.
1.7
The mighty buddhas, pondering for many ages,
Have seen that this, and only this, will save
The boundless multitudes,
And bring them easily to supreme joy.
1.8
Those who wish to overcome the sorrows of their lives,
And put to flight the pain and suffering of beings,
Those who wish to win such great beatitude,
Should never turn their back on bodhichitta
1.9
Should bodhichitta come to birth
In one who suffers in the dungeons of samsara,
In that instant he is called the buddhas’ heir,
Worshipful alike to gods and men.
Originally posted by geis:The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.5 - 1.9
1.5
As when a flash of lightning rends the night,
And in its glare shows all the dark black clouds had hid,
Likewise rarely, through the buddhas’ power,
Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient, in the
World.
1.6
Thus behold the utter frailty of goodness!
Except for perfect bodhichitta,
There is nothing able to withstand
The great and overwhelming strength of evil.
1.7
The mighty buddhas, pondering for many ages,
Have seen that this, and only this, will save
The boundless multitudes,
And bring them easily to supreme joy.
1.8
Those who wish to overcome the sorrows of their lives,
And put to flight the pain and suffering of beings,
Those who wish to win such great beatitude,
Should never turn their back on bodhichitta
1.9
Should bodhichitta come to birth
In one who suffers in the dungeons of samsara,
In that instant he is called the buddhas’ heir,
Worshipful alike to gods and men.
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.10 - 1.14
1.10
For like the supreme substance of the alchemists,
It takes the impure form of human flesh
And makes of it the priceless body of a Buddha.
Such is bodhichitta: we should grasp it firmly!
1.11
If the perfect leaders of all migrant beings
Have with boundless wisdom seen its priceless worth,
We who wish to leave our nomad wandering
Should hold well to this precious bodhichitta.
1.12
All other virtues, like the plantain tree,
Produce their fruit, but then their force is spent.
Alone the marvelous tree of bodhichitta
Will bear its fruit and grow unceasingly.
1.13
As though they pass through perils guarded by a hero,
Even those weighed down with dreadful wickedness
Will instantly be freed through having bodhichitta
Who then would not place his trust in it?
1.14
Just as by the fires at the end of time,
Great sins are utterly consumed by bodhichitta,
Thus its benefits are boundless,
As the Wise and Loving Lord explained to Sudhana.
Originally posted by geis:The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.10 - 1.14
1.10
For like the supreme substance of the alchemists,
It takes the impure form of human flesh
And makes of it the priceless body of a Buddha.
Such is bodhichitta: we should grasp it firmly!
1.11
If the perfect leaders of all migrant beings
Have with boundless wisdom seen its priceless worth,
We who wish to leave our nomad wandering
Should hold well to this precious bodhichitta.
1.12
All other virtues, like the plantain tree,
Produce their fruit, but then their force is spent.
Alone the marvelous tree of bodhichitta
Will bear its fruit and grow unceasingly.
1.13
As though they pass through perils guarded by a hero,
Even those weighed down with dreadful wickedness
Will instantly be freed through having bodhichitta
Who then would not place his trust in it?
1.14
Just as by the fires at the end of time,
Great sins are utterly consumed by bodhichitta,
Thus its benefits are boundless,
As the Wise and Loving Lord explained to Sudhana.
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.15 - 1.16
Originally posted by geis:The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.15 - 1.16
1.15Bodhichitta, the awakening mind,In brief is said to have two aspects:First, aspiring, bodhichitta in intention;Then, active bodhichitta, practical engagement.1.16Wishing to depart and setting out upon the road,This is how the difference is conceived.The wise and learned thus should understandThis difference, which is ordered and progressive.the commentary by Pema Chodron on these 2 verses is quite useful:Here Shantideva presents the two aspects of relative bodhichitta: aspiration and action. Aspiring, or intentional, bodhichitta is like wishing to take a trip; active bodhichitta is actually setting out on the journey. We first aspire to attain enlightenment and benefit others, then we do whatever it takes to make this a reality.To give a mundane example: lets say you’re stuck in grasping and craving; you know that you collect and hoard, that you panic when something’s taken from you or you have to let it go. How do you work with unreasonable attachment, for your own sake and the happiness of others?One way would be to cultivate generosity. At the level of aspiration bodhichitta, you might look around your room for something you love. Then, visualize giving it away: your beautiful red sweater, or that special book, or the chocolate you’re hoarding under your bed. You don’t have to literally give it away, just visualize this. Then expand the offering to include millions of sweaters, books or chocolates. Send these out to particular individuals or into the universe for anyone to receive.In this way, aspiration bodhichitta accomplishes two things: it fulfills our wish to lessen the pain of self-absorption and our wish to benefit others. Moreover, it we aspire for others to experience not only our gifts but also the joys of an unfettered mind, our intention becomes vaster still.Intention bodhichitta is a powerful way to work with situations we don’t feel ready to handle. For example, by simply aspiring to give away something we’re attached to, we train our fearful mind to let go. Then active bodhichitta- in this case the ability to literally give- will come about in time.If we equate ‘giving’ with ‘freedom from craving’ then we become more eager to act, even if it causes some pain.
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.17 - 1.28
1.17
Bodhichitta in intention bears rich fruit
For those still wandering in samsara
And yet a ceaseless stream of merit does not flow
From it;
For this will rise alone from active bodhichitta.
1.18
For when, with irreversible intent,
The mind embraces bodhichitta,
Willing to set free the endless multitudes of beings,
At that instant, from that moment on,
1.19
A great and unremitting stream,
A strength of wholesome merit,
Even during sleep and inattention,
Rises equal to the vastness of the sky.
1.20
This the Tathagata,
In the sutra Subahu requested,
Said with reasoned demonstration,
Teaching those inclined to lesser paths.
1.21
If with kindly generosity
One merely has the wish to sooth
The aching heads of other beings,
Such merit knows no bounds.
1.22
No need to speak, then, of the wish
To drive away the endless pain
Of each and every living being,
Bringing them unbounded virtues.
1.23
Could our fathers or our mothers
Ever have so generous a wish?
Do the very gods, the rishis, even Brahma
Harbor such benevolence as this?
1.24
For in the past they never,
Even in their dreams, conceived
Such profit even for themselves.
How could they have such aims for others’ sake?
1.25
For beings do not wish their own true good,
So how could they intend such good for others’ sake?
This state of mind so precious and so rare
Arises truly wondrous, never seen before.
1.26
The pain-dispelling draft,
This cause of joy for those who wander through the
World –
This precious attitude, this jewel of mind,
How shall it be gauged or quantified?
1.27
For if the simple thought to be of help to others
Exceeds in worth the worship of the buddhas,
What need is there to speak of actual deeds
That bring about the weal and benefit of beings?
1.28
For beings long to free themselves from misery,
But misery itself they follow and pursue.
They long for joy, but in their ignorance
Destroy it, as they would a hated enemy.
Commentary on 1.27 and 1.28
Again Shantideva praises the benefits of an ordinary, altruistic thought, while adding how much greater it is to actually follow through. To help others at the most meaningful level, however, we first address our own confusion.
As Shantideva points out, although we long to free ourselves from misery, it is misery itself we follow and pursue. We may assume we do crazy things intentionally, but in truth these actions aren’t always volitional. Our conditioning is sometimes so deep that we cause harm without even realizing it. We long for joy and do the very things that destroy our peace of mind. Again and again, we unwittingly make matters worse. If we’re going to help other people get free, we have to work compassionately with our own unfortunate tendencies. Shantideva, we will find, is an expert in dismantling these repeating patterns.
Originally posted by geis:The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.17 - 1.28
1.17
Bodhichitta in intention bears rich fruit
For those still wandering in samsara
And yet a ceaseless stream of merit does not flow
From it;
For this will rise alone from active bodhichitta.
1.18
For when, with irreversible intent,
The mind embraces bodhichitta,
Willing to set free the endless multitudes of beings,
At that instant, from that moment on,
1.19
A great and unremitting stream,
A strength of wholesome merit,
Even during sleep and inattention,
Rises equal to the vastness of the sky.
1.20
This the Tathagata,
In the sutra Subahu requested,
Said with reasoned demonstration,
Teaching those inclined to lesser paths.
1.21
If with kindly generosity
One merely has the wish to sooth
The aching heads of other beings,
Such merit knows no bounds.
1.22
No need to speak, then, of the wish
To drive away the endless pain
Of each and every living being,
Bringing them unbounded virtues.
1.23
Could our fathers or our mothers
Ever have so generous a wish?
Do the very gods, the rishis, even Brahma
Harbor such benevolence as this?
1.24
For in the past they never,
Even in their dreams, conceived
Such profit even for themselves.
How could they have such aims for others’ sake?
1.25
For beings do not wish their own true good,
So how could they intend such good for others’ sake?
This state of mind so precious and so rare
Arises truly wondrous, never seen before.
1.26
The pain-dispelling draft,
This cause of joy for those who wander through the
World –
This precious attitude, this jewel of mind,
How shall it be gauged or quantified?
1.27
For if the simple thought to be of help to others
Exceeds in worth the worship of the buddhas,
What need is there to speak of actual deeds
That bring about the weal and benefit of beings?
1.28
For beings long to free themselves from misery,
But misery itself they follow and pursue.
They long for joy, but in their ignorance
Destroy it, as they would a hated enemy.
Commentary on 1.27 and 1.28
Again Shantideva praises the benefits of an ordinary, altruistic thought, while adding how much greater it is to actually follow through. To help others at the most meaningful level, however, we first address our own confusion.
As Shantideva points out, although we long to free ourselves from misery, it is misery itself we follow and pursue. We may assume we do crazy things intentionally, but in truth these actions aren’t always volitional. Our conditioning is sometimes so deep that we cause harm without even realizing it. We long for joy and do the very things that destroy our peace of mind. Again and again, we unwittingly make matters worse. If we’re going to help other people get free, we have to work compassionately with our own unfortunate tendencies. Shantideva, we will find, is an expert in dismantling these repeating patterns.
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 1 The Excellence of Bodhichitta 1.29 - 1.36
1.29
But those who fill with bliss
All beings destitute of joy,
Who cut all pain and suffering away
From those weighed down with misery,
1.30
Who drive away the darkness of their ignorance –
What virtue could be matched with theirs?
What friend could be compared to them?
What merit is there similar to this?
1.31
If they do some good, in thanks
For favors once received, are praised,
Why need we speak of bodhisattvas –
Those who freely benefit the world?
1.32
Those who, scornfully with condescension,
Give, just once, a single meal to others –
Feeding them for only half a day –
Are honored by the world as virtuous.
1.33
What need is there to speak of those
Who constantly bestow on boundless multitudes
The peerless joy of blissful buddhahood,
The ultimate fulfillment of their hopes?
1.34
And those who harbor evil in their minds
Against such lords of generosity, the Buddha’s heirs,
Will stay in hell, the Mighty One has said,
For ages equal to the moments of their malice.
1.35
By contrast, good and virtuous thoughts
Will yield abundant fruits in greater measure.
Even in adversity, the bodhisattvas
Never bring forth evil – only an increasing stream of
Goodness.
1.36
To them in whom this precious sacred mind
Is born – to them I bow!
I go for the refuge in that source of happiness
That brings its very enemies to perfect bliss.
End of Chapter 1
"As we cultivate peace and happiness in ourselves, we also nourish peace and happiness in those we love."
"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people."
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh
True Sincerity towards others,
Purity of mind within,
Impartiality in everything we see,
Proper Understanding of life and the Universe, and compassion in helping others in a wise unconditional way.
See through to the truth of impermanence,
Let go of all wandering thoughts and attachments,
Attain freedom of mind and spirit,
Accord with proper conditions to get along with the situation,
And be mindful of Buddha Amitabha,
Follow his teachings, and vow to reach the Western Pure Land.
Staying at Savatthi. "Monks, there once was a time when the Dasarahas had a large drum called 'Summoner.' Whenever Summoner was split, the Dasarahas inserted another peg in it, until the time came when Summoner's original wooden body had disappeared and only a conglomeration of pegs remained. [1]
"In the same way, in the course of the future there will be monks who won't listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata — deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness — are being recited. They won't lend ear, won't set their hearts on knowing them, won't regard these teachings as worth grasping or mastering. But they will listen when discourses that are literary works — the works of poets, elegant in sound, elegant in rhetoric, the work of outsiders, words of disciples — are recited. They will lend ear and set their hearts on knowing them. They will regard these teachings as worth grasping & mastering.
"In this way the disappearance of the discourses that are words of the Tathagata — deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness — will come about.
"Thus you should train yourselves: 'We will listen when discourses that are words of the Tathagata — deep, deep in their meaning, transcendent, connected with emptiness — are being recited. We will lend ear, will set our hearts on knowing them, will regard these teachings as worth grasping & mastering.' That's how you should train yourselves."
“Today's students of the Buddha-Dharma need to look for genuine insight. If you have genuine insight, birth and death will not affect you, and you will be free to come and to go. Nor do you need to look for worthiness; it will arise of itself. Followers of the Way, the old masters had ways of making men. Do not let yourselves be deluded by anyone; this is all I teach. If you want to make use of it (genuine insight), then use it right now without delay or doubt. But students nowadays do not succeed because they suffer from lack of self-reliance. Because of this lack, you run busily hither and thither, are driven around by circumstance and kept whirling by the ten thousand things. You cannot find deliverance thus. But if you can stop your heart from its ceaseless running after wisps of the will, you will not be different from the Buddha and patriarchs. Do you want to know the Buddha? None other than he who here in your presence is now listening to the Dharma. Just because you lack self-reliance, you turn to the outside and run about seeking. Even if you find something there, it is only words and letters and never the living spirit of the patriarchs. Do not be deceived."
...............
...............
Venerable Ones, get to know the one who plays with these configurations. He is the original source of all the Buddhas. Knowing him, wherever you are is home. Your physical body, formed by the four elements, cannot understand the Dharma you are listening to; nor can your spleen, stomach, liver or gall; nor can the empty space. Who then can understand the Dharma and can listen to it? The one here before your very eyes, brilliantly clear and shining without any form — there he is who can understand the Dharma you are listening to. If you can really grasp this, you are not different from the Buddhas and patriarchs. Ceaselessly he is right here, conspicuously present.
...............
In the eye, it is called seeing; in the ear, hearing; in the nose, smelling; in the mouth, talking; in the hands, grasping; in the feet, walking. Fundamentally, it is on light; differentiated, it becomes the six senses. When one's whole heart comes to a full stop, one is delivered where one stands. Why do I speak thus? It is only because I see you, followers of the Way, all running about with an agitated heart, quite unable to stop, fretting yourselves over the playthings of the old masters.
...............
b. There are shaven pates who eat their fill and then sit down to
do zazen. They arrest the flow (of the heart) and do not let it act. They dislike noise and seek quietude.
These are the practices of other ways.
A patriarch said: “If you stay (fix) the heart, you see quietude. If you arouse it, it beholds the outside; if you recollect it, the inside is clear. If you concentrate it, Samadhi is entered.” But all these are merely forms of activity.
Do you not know him who is right now listening to the Dharma? Why should you need to approach him by practice, ascertain him and solemnity him? He is not one whom you can approach or dignify. Moreover, if he would exalt himself, then everything would gain exaltation.
Do not be deceived.
~ Zen Master Linji
http://www.buddhism.org/Sutras/2/Teaching-of-Rinzai.htm
The Way Of The Bodhisattva
Chapter 2 Confessions 2.1 - 2.29
2.1
To the buddhas, those thus gone,
And to the sacred Law, immaculate, supreme, and rare,
And to the Buddha’s offspring, oceans of good qualities,
That I might gain this precious attitude, I make a perfect
Offering.
2.2
I offer every fruit and flower
And every kind of healing medicine;
And all the precious things the world affords,
With all pure waters of refreshment;
2.3
Every mountain, rich and filled with jewels;
All sweet and lonely forest groves;
The trees of heaven, garlanded with blossom,
And branches heavy, laden with their fruit;
2.4
The perfumed fragrance of the realms of gods
And men;
All incense, wish trees, and trees of gems;
All crops that grow without the tiller’s care
And every sumptuous object worthy to be offered;
2.5
Lakes and meres adorned with lotuses,
All plaintive with the sweet-voiced cries of water birds
And lovely to the eyes, and all things wild and free,
Stretching to the boundless limits of the sky;
2.6
I hold them all before my mind, and to the supreme
Buddhas
And their heirs will make a perfect gift of them.
O, think of me with love, compassionate lords;
Sacred objects of my prayers, accept these offerings.
2.7
For I am empty-handed, destitute of merit,
I have no other wealth. But you, protectors,
You whose thoughts are for the good of others,
In your great power, accept this for my sake.
2.8
The buddhas and their bodhisattva children –
I offer them myself throughout my lives.
Supreme courageous ones, accept me totally.
For with devotion I will be your servant.
2.9
For if you will accept me, I will be
A benefit to all, and freed from fear.
I’ll go beyond the evils of my past,
And ever after turn my face from them.
2.10
A bathing chamber excellently fragrant,
With floors of crystal, radiant and clear,
With graceful pillars shimmering with gems,
All hung about with gleaming canopies of pearls –
2.11
There the blissful buddhas and their heirs
I’ll bath with many a precious vase,
Abrim with water, sweet and pleasant,
All to frequent strains of melody and song.
2.12
With clots of unexampled quality,
With peerless, perfumed towels I will dry them
And offer splendid scented clothes,
Well dyed and of surpassing excellence.
2.13
With different garments, light and supple,
And a hundred beautiful adornments,
I will grace sublime Samanthbhadra,
Manjughosha, Lokeshvara, and their kin.
2.14
And with a sumptuous fragrance that
Pervades a thousand million worlds,
I will anoint the bodies of the buddhas,
Light and gleaming bright, like pure and burnished
Gold.
2.15
I will place before the Buddha, perfect object of my
Worship,
Flowers like the lotus and the mandarava,
Utpala, and other scented blossoms,
Worked and twined in lovely scented garlands.
2.16
I will offer swelling clouds of incense,
Whose ambient perfume ravishes the mind,
And various foods and every kind of drink,
All delicacies worthy of the gods.
2.17
I will offer precious lamps,
All perfectly contrived as golden lotuses,
A bed of flower petals scattering
Upon the level, incense-sprinkled ground.
2.18
I will offer palaces immense and resonant
With song,
All decked with precious pearls and pendant gems,
Gleaming treasures fit to ornament the amplitude
Of space:
All this I offer to the loving bodhiattvas.
2.19
Precious parasols adorned with golden shafts
And bordered all around with jeweled fringes,
Upright, well-proportioned, pleasing to the eye,
Again all this I give to all the buddhas.
2.20
May a multitude of other offereings,
Accompanied by music sweet to hear,
Be made in great successive clouds,
To soothe the sufferings of living beings.
2.21
May rains of flowers, every precious thing,
Fall down in a unceasing stream
Upon the jewels of sacred Dharma,
The Triple Gem and all supports for offering.
2.22
Just as Manjughosha, gentle and melodious,
Made offerings to all the conquerors,
Likewise I will make oblation
To the buddhas and their bodhisattva children.
2.23
I will offer prayers by every way and means
To these vast oceans of good qualities
May clouds of tuneful praise
Ascend unceasingly before them.
2.24
To the buddhas of the past, the present and all future time,
And to the Doctrine and Sublime Assembly,
With bodies many as the grains of dust
Upon the ground, I will prostrate and bow.
2.25
To shrines and all supports
Of bodhichitta I bow down:
All abbots who transmit the vows, all learned masters,
And all nobles ones who practice Dharma.
2.26
Until the essence of enlightenment is reached,
I go for refuge to the buddhas.
Also I take refuge in the Doctrine
And all the host of bodhisattvas.
2.27
To perfect buddhas and bodhisattvas,
In all directions where they may reside
To them who are the sovereigns of great mercy,
I press my palms together praying thus:
2.28
“In this and all my other lifetimes,
Wandering in the round without beginning,
Blindly I have brought forth wickedness,
Inciting others to commit the same.
2.29
I have taken pleasure in such evil,
Tricked and overmastered by my ignorance.
Now I see the blame of it, and in my heart,
O great protectors, I declare it!”
No material object, however beautiful or valuable can make us feel loved because our deeper identity & true character lie in the subjective nature of mind.
~ HH Dalai Lama ~
We seek to find peace of mind in the word, the formula, the ritual. The hope is illusion
~ Benjamin Cardozo