From commentary on Earth-Store Bodhisattva Sutra by Ven Master Hsuan Hua (a contemporary realised Chan Patriarch)
http://www.cttbusa.org/esscommentary/earthstore3.htm
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Beings who shed the Buddha’s blood, slander the Triple Jewel, and do not venerate Sutras, will fall into the Relentless H ell where for thousands of billions of eons they will seek escape in vain.
Commentary:
Beings who shed the Buddha’s blood. . . Suppose innocent living beings do commit some offense such as shed the Buddha’s blood. Now that Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana, how can we make the Buddha bleed? We do not live in a time when the Buddha is in the world and have never seen the Buddha, how can we make the Buddha bleed? When the Buddha was in the world, shedding his blood means injuring the Buddha’s physical body. After his nirvana, it means destroying images of the Buddha, such as removing an ear or a finger. Burning paper images of the Buddha, for instance, is also equivalent to shedding the Buddha’s blood. In principle, these offenses cannot be vindicated through repenting and reforming, but there are exceptions such as when intoxicated or overtaken by madness or mental breakdown. However, you cannot claim to be mentally ill or drunk but commit these offenses intentionally. It is when unintended that these karmic offenses are lighter.
The Buddha had such great spiritual powers, who could have shed his blood? The Buddha had certified to the fruit, who could have hurt his physical body? Sometimes even the Buddha gets injured unexpectedly. The Buddha’s cousin, Devadatta, opposed everything the Buddha did and invariably tried to ruin him. If the Buddha said something was proper, Devadatta would contradict him. He did everything he possibly could to undermine the Buddha.
Once when the Buddha was speaking, Devadatta bribed a poor woman to take part in a plot against the Buddha. As is the case with many impoverished persons, her resolve was weak and she would do anything for money. Devadatta had her tie a pillow around her waist under her clothes and in this condition go to the Buddha’s Dharma assembly and accuse him of fathering her unborn child. Devadatta promised her a large sum of money for making the Buddha no longer credible to his disciples.
When this woman followed suit and told the Buddha’s disciples that she is pregnant with the Buddha’s child, the Buddha used his spiritual powers to make the pillow fall to the ground, proving on the spot that she was dishonest. That was how Devadatta used various means to damage the Buddha.
Another time the Buddha was walking by Vulture Peak when Devadatta, hoping to crush the Buddha, used his spiritual powers to cause an avalanche. A Vajra knight and guardian spirit of Vulture Peak, named Bei La, used his Vajra pestle to smash one of the large boulders, which was about to hit the Buddha. One of the fragments, however, struck the Buddha’s little toe and cracked a bone. At that very moment a fiery chariot emerged to carry Devadatta alive off to the hells. The retribution incurred by those who burn and destroy images of the Buddha, dismantle temples or ruin stupas is similar.
Slander the Triple Jewel. Buddhists must remember not to commit this type of offense, that is, to speak evil of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Among the Bodhisattva precepts is one that prohibits people from speaking of the offenses of the Fourfold Assembly, the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas. Not only does it warn people to refrain from speaking of others’ faults, it also cautions against participating when others speak of them. Just ignore the conversation. If you participate in such a conversation, you also violate the precept. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to simply keep your mouth shut, remain silent.
Among other reasons for not speaking of the faults of the Fourfold Assembly is that the views of an ordinary person are often wrong. Ordinary people cannot fathom the realms of sages. Bodhisattvas of the First Ground, for example, do not know the states of those of the Second Ground, and so on up the line. Bodhisattvas on the Tenth Ground do not know the states of the Bodhisattvas on the Ground of Equal Enlightenment. Arhats of the First Fruition do not know the states of Second Fruition Arhats. Before you acquire true wisdom, you may not say harmful things about the Fourfold Assembly, which is one form of slandering the Triple Jewel. Even though people may very clearly be in the wrong, you should not speak of it. Just do things correctly yourself, rather than acting like a camera that goes about photographing faults and never examining itself.
At this point some stories come to mind. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, there was a Dhyana Master named Zhi Gong who ate two pigeons every day. The cook assumed that the birds must be delicious, and one day tasted a wing on the sly. Then he brought the remainder of the dish to Dhyana Master Zhi Gong. After he finished eating, Dhyana Master Zhi Gong called for the cook.
“Why did you eat some of my pigeons?”
“I didn’t take any pigeon,” answered the cook.
“Oh? Then what about this?” said Dhyana Master Zhi Gong. He opened his mouth and two live pigeons emerged. One of the birds flew off, but the other had a wing missing.
“If you didn’t, where’s the wing of this bird?” asked Dhyana Master Zhi Gong.
Although in both cases the men ate pigeons, Dhyana Master Zhi Gong swallowed the chopped up and cooked pigeon, then spit it out alive; the cook, on the other hand, could not do it. Dhyana Master Zhi Gong’s state was one of “eating and yet not eating.”
At Ling Ying Monastery at West Lake, Hangzhou, there lived Dhyana Master Ji Gong, another famous monk who always ate dog meat and drank wine. He was invariably inebriated, and everyone said, “There goes another tippling monk.” In his drunkenness, however, Ji Gong taught and transformed living beings.
Once a Buddha image was not yet gilded with gold, so he told the abbot, “I will gild this Buddha image. No one else needs to do it.” The abbot of his temple agreed and then waited. After some time the image was still not finished, so the abbot questioned Dhyana Master Ji Gong about the matter. The Dhyana Master agreed to do the work that very evening. When night came, however, he merely kept on with his drinking.
When everyone was asleep though, he went to the image and began to spew forth pure gold, with which he covered the images. The abbot heard Dhyana Master Ji Gong spitting and abruptly ordered, “How could you spit at the Buddha image?” Dhyana Master Ji Gong immediately quit and left.
The next morning the abbot inspected the image. He found that it was covered with gold except for a small spot on the crown of the head. Although a master goldsmith completed the work, his ordinary gold could not match that supplied by Dhyana Master Ji Gong. The states of arhats are inconceivable.
So, you see, you should not speak of the faults of the Fourfold Assembly. It is not so serious if you criticize ordinary people, but should you criticize a sage, the penalty you might incur will be very great, enough to cause you to fall into the hells.
People slander the Triple Jewel because they do not have faith. Another cause is mixing with bad company—people who do not understand and therefore slander the Buddhadharma. Associating with such people may cause one to be influenced by their bad habits.
Some people berate and slander the Triple Jewel and use flattery for ill gain. Such persons’ minds are crooked; they engage in flattery to get what they want. They are stupid, yet puffed up with their own intelligence, like the five thousand bhikshus who left the assembly during the speaking of the Lotus Sutra. Because they had a tiny bit of cleverness, they looked down on others and slandered the good Dharma, thus blinding the selective Dharma eye of living beings.
What is the retribution for such persons? In the future they will be deformed and crippled, without arms, hands, ears, or legs. They may not be able to walk or have some speech impediment. Mutes are people who slandered the Triple Jewel. After they commit this offense they fall into the hells, where they spend two million years of hellish retribution, after which they are born into the realms of the animals, possibly as a horse, cow, sheep, chicken or dog. After two million years among the animals, they may be reborn as humans, but they will be disabled. Either they will be without eyes therefore blind, without ears therefore deaf, or perhaps without tongues or even with tongues, but yet they cannot speak. In general, they will be disabled and ugly. They undergo this kind of suffering and fall into the Relentless Hells after death. Such is the retribution of slandering the Triple Jewel in lives past.
And do not venerate sutras. . . Sutras must be treated with respect, for, as it says in the Diamond Sutra, “Wherever this sutra is, there is the Buddha.” Sutras are the Dharma-body of the Buddha, toward which we must be very respectful. Places where sutras are set must be organized and clean, and without acts of defilement. They should always be stored above other books. Also make sure that Buddhist sutras are on the side where we lay our head in a room and not on the side where we lay our feet. Our beds are unclean, thus sutras must not be placed there. If you do not show the same respect for sutras that you show the Buddha, you are slandering and harming the Triple Jewel. The retribution for not respecting sutras is the same: one falls into the Relentless Hall where for thousands of billions of eons they will seek escape in vain. It would be impossible to exit the hells despite such a long duration.
Remember this section of the sutra especially, it is very important. Buddhists must be respectful of the Triple Jewel and sutras, and must not shed the Buddha’s blood.
Other causes-and-effects from the Earth Store Sutra that is useful to remind ourselves about
(Source, you can find commentary here too : http://www.cttbusa.org/esscommentary/earthstore4_1.htm)
“O Four Heavenly Kings! To killers, Earth Store Bodhisattva says that short life spans will be the retribution. To robbers, he says that poverty and acute suffering will be the retribution. To those who indulge in improper sex, he says that rebirth as pigeons or as mandarin drakes or ducks will be the retribution. To those who use harsh speech, he says that quarrelling families will be the retribution.
“To those who slander, he says that being tongueless and having cankerous mouths will be the retribution. To the hateful, he says that being ugly and crippled will be the retribution. To the stingy, he says that not getting what they seek will be the retribution. To gluttons, he says that hunger, thirst and sicknesses of the throat will be the retribution. To hunters, he says that a frightening insanity that destroys one’s life will be the retribution. “To those who oppose their parents, he says that being killed in natural disasters will be the retribution. To arsonists who burn mountains and forests, he says that trying to take their own lives in the confusion of insanity will be the retribution.
“To cruel parents or step-parents, he says that being flogged in future lives will be the retribution. To those who net and trap young animals, he says that being separated from one’s own children will be the retribution. To those who slander the Triple Jewel, he says that being blind, deaf, or mute will be the retribution. To those who slight the Dharma and regard the teachings with arrogance, he says that remaining in the bad paths forever will be the retribution. To those who destroy or misuse possessions of the Eternally Dwelling, he says that revolving in the hells for hundreds of millions of eons will be the retribution. To those who defile the pure conduct of others and bear false witness against members of the Sangha, he says that remaining in the animal realm forever will be the retribution. To those who scald, burn, behead, maim, or otherwise harm beings, he says that undergoing the very same suffering will be the retribution.
“To those who violate precepts and the regulations of pure eating, he says that being born as birds or beasts that must suffer from hunger and thirst will be the retribution. To those who make unprincipled and destructive use of things, he says that being unable to ever obtain what they seek will be the retribution. To the arrogant and haughty, he says that being servile and of low station will be the retribution. To those who use backbiting to cause discord among others, he says that being tongueless or having speech impediments will be the retribution. To those with deviant views, he says that being reborn in backward regions will be the retribution.
“The bad habits involving body, mouth, and mind karma that beings of Jambudvipa perpetuate, result in hundreds of thousands of retributions like those. I have only listed a few examples here. Since the varying karma created by beings of Jambudvipa brings about different responses, Earth Store Bodhisattva uses hundreds of thousands of expedient means to teach and transform beings. Those beings must first undergo retributions such as those, and then fall into the hells, where they pass through eons without being able to escape. You should therefore protect people and nations. Do not allow the accumulation of karma to confuse beings.”
Upon hearing that, the Four Heavenly Kings wept in sorrow, placed their palms together, and withdrew.
Benefits of Giving/Offering...
1. Giving to the poor and handicapped
The Buddha told Earth Store Bodhisattva, “In Jambudvipa, leaders of nations, prime ministers, high officials, great elders, great Kshatriyas, great Brahmans, and others may encounter those who are poor, hunchbacked, crippled, dumb, mute, deaf, retarded, blind, or handicapped in other ways. Those leaders and good people may wish to give to those unfortunate ones and may be able to do so with great compassion, a humble heart, and a smile. They may arrange to give generously, either personally with their own hands, or by arranging for others to do so, using gentle words and sympathetic speech. The blessings and benefits that such leaders and good people will accrue will be comparable to the meritorious virtue derived from giving to as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in a hundred Ganges Rivers. Why is that? Those leaders and good people will receive such rewards of blessings and benefits for having shown a greatly compassionate heart toward the most impoverished and disabled individuals. Throughout hundreds of thousands of lives to come they will always have an abundance of the seven gems, not to mention clothing, food, and the necessities of life.
2. Offering to the supports of the Triple Gems
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, the leaders of nations, Brahmans, and others may encounter Buddhist stupas, monasteries, or images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Hearers, or Pratyeka-buddhas, and personally make offerings or give gifts to them. If they do that, each of those leaders and good people will serve as Lord Shakra for a duration of t en eons, enjoying supremely wonderful bliss. If they are able to transfer the blessings and benefits of that giving, dedicating it to the Dharma Realm, then those leaders of nations and good people will reign as great Brahma Heaven kings for ten eons.
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, leaders of nations, Brahmans, and others may, upon encountering ancient Buddhist stupas and monasteries or sutras and images that are damaged, decaying, or broken, resolve to restore them. Those leaders and good people may then do so themselves or encourage others, as many as hundreds of thousands of people, to help and thereby establish affinities. Those leaders and good people will become Wheel-Turning Kings for hundreds of thousands of successive lives and those who made offerings with them will later be leaders of small nations for as many lives. If they resolve to dedicate that merit before the stupas or monasteries, then, based on that limitless and unbounded reward, those leaders, good people, and their helpers will all eventually complete the path to Buddhahood.
3. Giving to those who are sick
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, leaders of nations, Brahmans, and others may have compassionate thoughts upon seeing the old, the sick, or women in childbirth, and may provide them with medicinal herbs, food, drink, and bedding so as to make them peaceful and comfortable. The blessings and benefits derived from doing that are quite inconceivable. For one thousand eons they will always be lords of the Pure Dwelling Heavens. For two hundred eons they will be lords in the Six Desire Heavens, and they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. They will never fall into the Evil Paths, and for hundreds of thousands of lives they will hear no sounds of suffering.
“Moreover, Earth Store, if in the future, leaders of nations, Brahmans, and others can give in that way, they will receive limitless blessings. If, in addition, they are able to dedicate that merit, be it great or small, they will ultimately attain Buddhahood. How much more easily will they be able to attain the rewards of becoming Shakra, Brahma, or a Wheel-Turning King. Therefore, Earth Store, you should urge beings everywhere to learn to give in those ways.
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, if good men or women manage to plant only a few good roots within the Buddhadharma, equivalent to no more than a strand of hair, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust, they will receive incomparable blessings and benefits.
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, good men or women, upon encountering images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas, or Wheel-Turning Kings, may give gifts or make offerings to them. Such persons will obtain limitless blessings and will always enjoy supremely wonderful bliss among people and gods. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma Realm, their blessings and benefits will be beyond compare.
“Moreover, Earth Store, in the future, good men or women, upon encountering Great Vehicle sutras or upon hearing but a single gatha or sentence of them, may be inspired to praise, venerate, give gifts, and make offerings to them. Those people will obtain great limitless and unbounded rewards. If they can dedicate that merit to the Dharma Realm, their blessings will be beyond compare.
Treating everything as a test
Ven Hsuan Hua:
At the same time, I need to tell you: something peculiar will happen. Let us take your parents, for example. They do not bother you at all when you learn to be degenerate. They figure they will let you go free. They treat you fine. However, when you want to be good and to study Buddhism, their temper seeps out, criticizing everything about you. They ignored your taking drugs, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes, figuring that you will get over it. Now that you are over it, they are upset. They say, “You want to be good, then you must be filial to your parents. Let me scold you, hit you, or treat you poorly now!” Are troubles headed your way? Actually this is a test to see whether you really want to be good. If so, the more they criticize you or hit you, the more pleased you would be. Just remember not to cry. Seeing how happy you are, their temper will disappear; otherwise you will be in big trouble. Treat everything as a test on whether you know how to apply the Buddhadharma you learned: whether you are patient, keep the precepts, give, are diligent, meditate and are wise? If you pass these tests, you will earn boundless benefits; if you fail, you will have start over.
what to do if one encounter people slandering u?
heard MCK said if people critise u, best don't defend back. if not, the more they say. hence u just listen and if it's wrong in oneself, correct the mistake. if not, just be silence as when they are tired of saying, they will stop.
| 02-039-0251 | 第251集 | 2011-1-24 |
http://cn.jingzong.org/Soft/ShowClass.asp?ClassID=538
recently i nv heard MCK mentioned a word of DZG or disaster talk. i understand, it's not to cause more trouble. rather than the teaching is wrong, more like it's not understandable. hence don't say better.
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Triple jewels are living beings inherent nature or buddhahood, any slandering is actually towards themselves. And if you are taking a very staunch stance to defend dharma when others are slandering your practice, you have not yet see open and let go, and simply put it, you do not know buddha dharma. Nonetheless, there are exceptional and skillfulness.
About disaster talk... My Taiwanese teacher (who has developed very high degree of supernatural powers) foresees that in our younger generation, we will face an asteroid that will destroy much of civilization. The reason being at that time the sea has risen by a lot due to global warming, and when the sea levels are already very high flooding a lot of areas, the asteroid comes and cause a major tsunami that wipes off much of civilization. When asked why can't technology destroy the asteroid, his reply is that when we attempt to bomb the asteroid, it splits into many parts that nevertheless strikes our planet.
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:About disaster talk... My Taiwanese teacher foresees that in our younger generation, we will face an asteroid that will destroy much of civilization. The reason being at that time the sea has risen by a lot due to global warming, and when the sea levels are already very high flooding a lot of areas, the asteroid comes and cause a major tsunami that wipes off much of civilization.
The link between slandering triple gems and an asteriod is?
Originally posted by Pure Emptiness:
The link between slandering triple gems and an asteriod is?
No relation. I am relating to what Sinweiy said about 'disaster talk'.
For me, I believed global warming leads to countries fighting for food in the future ,leading to war.
Originally posted by Pure Emptiness:For me, I believed global warming leads to countries fighting for food in the future ,leading to war.
i know and saw a documentary about over population, that cause the limitation of food.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability
About disaster talk... My Taiwanese teacher (who has developed very high degree of supernatural powers) foresees that in our younger generation, we will face an asteroid that will destroy much of civilization. The reason being at that time the sea has risen by a lot due to global warming, and when the sea levels are already very high flooding a lot of areas, the asteroid comes and cause a major tsunami that wipes off much of civilization. When asked why can't technology destroy the asteroid, his reply is that when we attempt to bomb the asteroid, it splits into many parts that nevertheless strikes our planet.
Amituofo! around when?
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Originally posted by sinweiy:
i know and saw a documentary about over population, that cause the limitation of food.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation
Amituofo! around when?
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I am not so sure... since he emphasized 'our younger generation will face it', I guess it means maybe 30 to 50 years? If I had a chance to talk with him, I'll ask him about it. And he is coming to Singapore this year... maybe my mom wants to ask him.
According to estimations of NASA (with the data of December 2004) Apophis became in case of an impact an energy of 1480 Megatons TNT set free. To the comparison: The largest nuclear explosion caused by humans (by those Zar bomb) corresponded about 50 megaton TNT. Over Hiroshima thrown off Atom bomb Little Boy had an explosive yield of approximately 0.015 megatons TNT. With Tunguska event 1908 according to estimations an energy was set free from 10 to 20 megatons TNT. The Energiefreisetzung one Earthquake that Strength to 8,0 corresponds about 1000 megaton TNT.
The exact consequences of an impact would depend on the composition of the Asteroiden as well as the place and angle of the impact. With an impact on the mainland locally substantial damage would develop; however already a distance of about 250 km of the point of impact would be sufficient, in order to achieve a very high probability of survival. With an impact on water a spacious danger would exist more substantially Tsunamis (estimated wave height up to approx. 130 meters).
Long-term global effects are impossible in case of an impact from Apophis.
my comments: right now I don't think they have any asteroids on 'high risk', but these lists always change upon further observations (there are always new threats being detected) 130 meters tsunami seems no joke