Mahayana Buddhism

[Skull]

Summary of a sutra on ethics as true wealth:

Surata's Questions follows Surata, a seemingly poor vagabond endowed with a wealth of ethical virtue. The juxtaposition of Surata’s poverty with the abundance of his moral merits forms a central theme of the sūtra. After being tested by the god Śakra, Surata finds a precious gem that he decides to give to the poorest person in the city. The narrative’s irony ensues when Surata decides that King Prasenajit should receive the gem, since his ethical depravity vitiates his material wealth. The shock of Surata’s decision occasions a valuable lesson on true wealth lying in moral integrity, to which the Buddha himself attests upon his arrival midway through the sūtra. The sūtra concludes with King Prasenajit’s recognition of the error of his ways and the Buddha’s prophecy of Surata’s coming awakening.

Here is the entire sutra:
Surata’s Questions | 84000 Reading Room

 

[Skull]

Sectarian Buddhists exist, unfortunately, yet the basic ethics Buddha taught for lay people are accepted & revered by every other follower of Buddha. Here are four teachings where Buddha lays out the basics of a good life:

https://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh014_Narada_Everymans-Ethics--Four-Discourses-of-Buddha.pdf

 

[Clyde 154]

If I had to pick one Mahayana text that covers every aspect of doctrine, path & results, I would suggest this one - in Sanskrit titled Mahayanasutralamkara. There are two excellent English translations, with commentaries. It is a large book with the commentaries, but those comments are needed to clarify these many altruistic verses

One came out in 2014 done by the Dharmachakra translation group and the other from the Padmakara translators just came out late in 2018.

The root text was taught to Asanga (a bodhisattva of the 5th century) by Maitreya a 10th stage bodhisattva, who will become in the distant future our next Buddha.

Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras is the title of the Dharmachakra version.

The Padmakara version is called A Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle.

Both are in epub versions also.

This is the problem with this generation. They think that one can simply PICK A RELIGION like you pick a food at a grocery store. If you live a good life, that's all that is required. We must bend our will to the will of God.......not the inverse, one does not bend God's will to fit their chosen lifestyle. Its Called LAW for a reason. You are either one that abides by the law or you are a criminal that rejects what law they do not wish to follow.

Most Buddhists are agnostic and accept as truth that we direct our own paths by the good or the bad we do while living in this life. As "Earl" said, "Do good things and good things happen to you, do bad things and bad things happen to you."

This brings into question........who or what authority decides what is good and what is bad? What authority decides which direction a soul moves in the next life.....up or down if there is no final authority such as God? All the concepts of Buddhism work only if someone is in charge making the laws that must be adhered or rejected. Yet.......I find all those who profess to Buddhism not willing to admit to themselves what must be obviously true. If no one is in control, what difference does it make how you live? We are each in control of our own moral compass, thus making morality not a universal concept but variable. All one needs is a "claim" by their own standards they have lived a good life. And if you find your "conscience" seared and "feel" you have been a bad person.......where does that idea of immorality stim, if not from some transcending authority?

Logic and Reason dictates that in reality there must be a transcending authority in order for morality and the laws that stim from it to exist.

As quoted in scripture, "O Lord, I know the way of man is not found in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps." -- Jer. 10:23

 

[Skull]

God is not relevant.
Karma, Nature's law of Causality, guides actions, speech and thoughts of beings. If acts, words & thoughts are either harmless or helpful to other beings, then happiness or contentment results. If they are harmful or hostile to others, then sorrow & grief result.

 

[Clyde 154]

God is not relevant.
Karma, Nature's law of Causality, guides actions, speech and thoughts of beings. If acts, words & thoughts are either harmless or helpful to other beings, then happiness or contentment results. If they are harmful or hostile to others, then sorrow & grief result.

Nature's law is based upon generations of innate instinct......nothing like the only creature on earth that has the mental capacity to know their own mortality and can make decisions that effect long term outcomes by the act of reason and logic based upon INTELLIGENCE......not instinct, MAN.

Even your own idea of morality could not have evolved from nature.......as there is no moral code in nature, thus, there can be no evolution, morality by definition is transcendent to mankind (greater than).


As pointed out...........who decides what's good and what's bad, what's harmless or helpful? Yourself, as you provide your own self interpretation of nature? You simply can't bring yourself to accept logic and reason......without a law giver there can be no law. Without law.....there is no right or wrong, no thoughts that are harmful or harmless, its subjective to each individual's idea of morality. There is no concept of morality in nature.....animals can't be evil or good, they act upon instinct. What........ animals are equal to humans in being able to decide what's right or wrong?

Look at the tiger......he/she hunts when they are hungry and rests when they are not. The same tiger that will bring down a man when hungry will let the same man pass without movement when there is no innate need to feed. Maneaters are trained to become man eaters usually because of injury or disease that limits their capacity to hunt in the wild so they go for the easy meal........LONG PIG..

 

[Skull]

I presumed you knew this karma only applies to humans. I presumed too much. Let me try again...

God is not relevant.
Karma, Nature's law of Causality, guides Human actions, speech and thoughts. If Human acts, words & thoughts are either harmless or helpful to other beings, then Human happiness or contentment results. If they are harmful or hostile to others, then Human sorrow & grief result.

If it will make you feel better, think that God designed the Law of Karma -- what we sow, that we shall reap.

 

[Clyde 154]

I presumed you knew this karma only applies to humans. I presumed too much. Let me try again...

God is not relevant.
Karma, Nature's law of Causality, guides Human actions, speech and thoughts. If Human acts, words & thoughts are either harmless or helpful to other beings, then Human happiness or contentment results. If they are harmful or hostile to others, then Human sorrow & grief result.

If it will make you feel better, think that God designed the Law of Karma -- what we sow, that we shall reap.

Please explain..........one more time, real slow who decides what's right or wrong what thoughts are harmless or harmful? It was you that suggested that morality is based upon NATURE, not me. Are you suggesting that morality has "evolved" from nothing and animals are not inclusive to nature? Who told the first man that murder was wrong? Theft? etc., how did the first man know that murder was wrong? Once again, I must point out that you said, "Nature caused morality......" not me.

To prove that God is not "relevant" then you must have Evidence to how NATURE CAME INTO EXISTENCE based upon the Natural Laws of Causality. What caused the universe to come into existence? If what you say is based upon TRUTH then detail the CAUSE of the Universe. And don't say, THE BIG BANG.....because something had to cause the effect known as the big bang according to the laws of nature and causality. Naturally........if you start with nothing you will always have nothing.

Go ahead. Prove that God is not relevant. And stay within the natural laws of Causality which states that for every "effect" there must be a superior "cause". The physical universe is a material effect of something and according to you its NATURAL. And natural laws cannot "quantify" or measure that which is not "material" i.e., the Super (superior) Natural (to nature).

You are errantly attempting to apply that which is "spiritual" in nature.......human thought to that which is MATERIAL i.e., the natural law of causality. There is no such animal (he stated with sarcasm) as Nature's law of causality when applied to "thinking" or "feelings". You will not prove that God is not relevant.......BECAUSE YOU CANNOT.

Your entire concept of Buddhism is based upon the concept of "Because I said so.........."

Religion that is based upon the concept of the SUPERNATURAL explains the CAUSE of the UNIVERSE. God created the universe and the laws that govern it.......because God is eternal without beginning or end.....being eternal, God is SUPERNATURAL, superior to nature and thus the author of human morality.

 

[Skull]

Please explain..........one more time, real slow who decides what's right or wrong what thoughts are harmless or harmful? It was you that suggested that morality is based upon NATURE, not me. Are you suggesting that morality has "evolved" from nothing and animals are not inclusive to nature? Who told the first man that murder was wrong? Theft? etc., how did the first man know that murder was wrong? Once again, I must point out that you said, "Nature caused morality......" not me.

To prove that God is not "relevant" then you must have Evidence to how NATURE CAME INTO EXISTENCE based upon the Natural Laws of Causality. What caused the universe to come into existence? If what you say is based upon TRUTH then detail the CAUSE of the Universe. And don't say, THE BIG BANG.....because something had to cause the effect known as the big bang according to the laws of nature and causality. Naturally........if you start with nothing you will always have nothing.

Go ahead. Prove that God is not relevant.

I am only a foolish lay Buddhist, suggest you do your own research. See if this booklet will help clarify...

https://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh047_Nyanaponika_Buddhism-and-the-God-Idea.pdf

 

[Clyde 154]

I am only a foolish lay Buddhist, suggest you do your own research. See if this booklet will help clarify...

https://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh047_Nyanaponika_Buddhism-and-the-God-Idea.pdf

Yeah........as I expected. You profess to believe in something that you can't even quantify. As I said, you will not prove God is not relevant because YOU CANNOT.

All I had to do is read your one paragraph filled with the nonsensical gibberish about Nature's Law of Causality being applied to human thought. .....to comprehend all that one is required to know about Buddhism of any nature. I can understand why the hippies always had to be high, it requires no cognition whatsoever to reason and logic.

 

[Clyde 154]

You know when you are doing something right...........when they get an erection for you and start pasting nothing but emojis.

Speechless: incaplbe of speaking. That's why I am here.........to wind up the liar's and the deceivers along with the ignorant, letting them choke on their own ignorance. Is amusing and entertaining. A good belly laugh is good for the soul.

 

[Skull]

Both Buddhism and Jainism have had excellent ethics for thousands of years without relying on God or gods. This title by Peter Harvey will explain...

AN INTRODUCTION TO BUDDHIST ETHICS: Foundations, Values and Issues.

 

[Skull]

The basic elements of this path are outlined by Bodhisattva Tsongkhapa:

https://www.fpmt.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ENG_hymn_of_experience_a5.pdf

 

[.oldschool]

 

[Skull]

A short teaching from the late Lama Yeshe on the key attitude of Mahayana:

Our love is weak. We know we have love, but our love is so limited. That is why we have to meditate on limitless love. The limitation of our love is the problem. Our jealousy comes from this limitation. “I love you.” What does that mean? Does that mean I want you to be happy? No! That means I want to be happy. “I love you” almost means taking advantage in some way. So that is not love; it is completely the opposite. But limitless love is the psychologically healthy way. With limitless love, no one can irritate you. It is amazing! And its function is to understand every person’s needs and to wish that they get the happiness they need. Everyone needs happiness, without exception. With limitless love we give our energy and time with a wish-fulfilling attitude, instead of feeling jealous when someone else receives something.

What is bodhicitta? Bodhicitta is a Sanskrit word. Citta means heart, the totally open heart. It is like the lotus, which first grows in the mud and then slowly, slowly opens up fully into a pristine lotus blossom. So this sense of totally open, or totally developed, can also be understood as omniscience, total wisdom and compassion. And this is what we call “buddha.” “Buddha” means one who is totally open and totally developed, one in whom all limitations have been extinguished. This buddhahood state is also one of total healing. And bodhicitta is the attitude wishing to lead all beings to that total healing state.

And how did the Medicine Buddha become so special, having this energy to heal disease and so forth? The Medicine Buddha was once a sentient being, like us. He was not special. But at a certain point he woke up and saw all living beings, filled with disease, misconceptions, karma, demons and so forth. On this earth how many sentient beings have sicknesses or disease? Now in our twentieth century cancer is everywhere; it is this century’s worst disease. Also, how many people’s minds are sick, occupied by spirits or demons? Then, of course, there is the demon of our ego, which creates great suffering, shaking our minds.

Seeing all this, his bodhicitta attitude grew and became great healing for all these universal living beings. As a bodhisattva he prayed with great determination to be successful in helping sentient beings. He was very determined, which is why he became a great healer.

So what is Medicine Buddha? Medicine Buddha is this attitude, bodhicitta. He is the fully developed consciousness energy of wisdom-compassion, manifesting as blue radiating light.
*************************************
This teaching by Lama Yeshe is from a Medicine Buddha initiation given at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, on December 18–19, 1979. Excerpted from Big Love: The Life and Teachings of Lama Yeshe. Edited from archive #168 by Nicholas Ribush.

 

[Skull]

Black magic still practiced, in SE Asia. Yet healing from such attacks is possible.

 

[Skull]

Master Hsuan Hua gave lectures on the entire Avatamsaka Sutra over a ten year span. At the beginning of the series he said this about the foundational nature of it:

"After becoming a Buddha, Sãkyamuni Buddha reflected how all Buddhas of the past first spoke the Flower Adornment Sutra upon their becoming Buddhas, all Buddhas of the present also speak this sutra first, and all Buddhas of the future will also do the same. The Flower Adornment Sutra must be spoken first, in order for the foundation for Great Dharma to be established. The Flower Adornment Sutra is the foundation of all Buddhadharmas."

 

[Skull]

A very profound and influential sutra, that Master Hua praised much:

 

[Skull]

After a chanting session of Om Mani Padme Hum, Master Hua composed a poem and explained the meaning of it:

City of 10,000 Buddhas - White Universe

 

[Skull]

The essence & heart of Mahayana living is bodhicitta or altruism. Lama Yeshe speaks on the great value of such a life:

 

[zaangalewa]

A question: What to do in case of Putin?