2011-10-28

The Parable of the Moon


The Buddha said to Kasyapa: “As an example, there is a man here who, as he sees that the moon is not out yet, says that the moon was gone, and entertains the thought that the moon succumbed. But this moon, by its nature, never succumbs. When it appears on the other side of the world, the people on the other side say that the moon was born. Why? Since Mount Sumeru obstructs [vision], the moon cannot reveal itself. The moon is always there. She, by nature, is not born or succumbs. The same is the case with the Tathagata, the Alms-Deserving, the All-Enlightened One. He manifests himself in the three thousand great systems of thousand worlds, or suggests that has parents in the Jambudvipa (is born), or enters Nirvana in the Jambudvipa (dies). The Tathagata, by nature, does not enter Nirvana. But all beings say that he truly enters Parinirvana. The case is analogous to the sinking of the moon. Oh good man! The Tathagata, by nature, does not possess the nature of birth and death. To succor the beings, he manifests himself being born and dying.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 15 - On the Parable of the Moon.

2011-10-27

Pearls of Universe - Volume XV

The Buddha said: “Although there exists the time difference, the body is one. The same is the case with the Buddha-Nature of the beings. 'If someone says that in the being there is a Buddha-Nature separately, this is not so. Why? Because the being is the Buddha-Nature, and the Buddha Nature is the being. Through the difference in time, we have the difference of the Pure and the non-Pure'."

Read more at Pearls of Universe - Volume XV 



Contents:

Seven kinds of people on the banks of the ganges 3
First kind of people 3
Second kind of people  4
Third kind of people 5
Fourth kind of people 5
Fifth kind of people 6
Sixth kind of people 6
Seventh kind of people       7
The parable of the blind and the elephant 8
Life, color, and the fame of the bodhisattva 9
The earth on the fingernail 10
Innumerable names to one thing 11
One meaning to innumerable names 12
Innumerable meanings to innumerable names 12
Innumerable names to one meaning 13
A bhiksu called kutei 13
The virtue of doubt 14
The temporal aspect of the beings 15
When i speak of my own free will   15
When i speak following the will of others 16
When i speak following my own will and that of others 18
One who always sinks 19
One who sinks and comes up again 20
One who comes up and abides 21
One who comes up and looks all around  23
One who looks all around and then goes off  24
One who goes off and then remains there  24
One who reaches the other shore  25
 

2011-10-26

The Parable of the Mandarin Duck and Kacalindikaka


“Also, next, oh good man! The Buddhist teaching is like the mandarin duck [and kacalindikaka] who always go together (although they are different birds). The mandarin duck and the kacalindikaka seek the highlands at the summer solstice, when the water level is high, and deposit their young there. This is to induce their growth. Later, they will act as they originally ought to. The same happens with the appearance of the Tathagata. He teaches innumerable beings and enables them to abide in the Wonderful Dharma. This is like the mandarin duck and the kacalindikaka seeking highlands and putting their young safely there. The same goes with the Tathagata. He enables beings to act as they ought to act and (later) enables them to enter Mahaparinirvana. Oh good man! This means that suffering is a teaching [dharma] and bliss is a different [dharma]. All created things are grief, Nirvana is Bliss. It is (Nirvana) the most wonderful and destroys created things [i.e., lifts us beyond the created sphere]."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 14 - On the Parable of the Birds.

2011-10-25

The Conscience of Owning the Buddha Nature


The Buddha said to Kasyapa: "It is so, it is so, oh good man! A person may be faithful and true with respect to what the sutras say, or may have practiced all the Samadhis, but until it has learned the Mahaparinirvana, it will say that everything is non-eternal. Once a person has learned this sutra, it may have illusions, but it will be, so to speak, without illusions. It benefits humans and heavenly. Why? Because one sees clearly that one’s own body has the Buddha-Nature within him.

Also, next, oh good man! It is like the case of the mango tree. When its flowers first appear, what there is [at that time] is the transformation phase. When it bears fruit and when it bestows much benefit, we speak of the eternal. Oh good man! Thus, a person may be true and faithful to all the sutras, or may have practiced Samadhis, but while it has not yet given ear to this Great Nirvana Sutra, everything is based on non-eternal. When a person gives ear to this sutra, although [still] having illusions, it is as though it had not illusion. This is why I say that it benefits both humans and heavenly. How? Because that person knows clearly that it has the Buddha-Nature within him. This is the Eternal.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 14 - On the Parable of the Birds.

2011-10-24

The Buddha Nature within Us


“Oh good man! For example, there is here a man who is in the midst of a great ocean. Too far, countless hundreds of thousands of yojanas away, he sees a great galleon, the rudder tower and the deck. He looks and thinks to himself: 'Is it a rudder tower or is it the sky?' He looks for a long time, his mind becomes fixed, and he comes to know that it is a rudder tower. The same is the case with the Bodhisattva of the ten ‘bhumis’, who sees within himself the nature of the Tathagata.

For example,
there is here a prince who is physically weak, who spent the night in playing and is now waking up. He tries, but cannot see clearly. The case is like this. The Bodhisattva of the ten ‘bumis’ thus sees the nature of the Tathagata within himself. And likewise, what he sees is not clear.

Also, next, Oh good man! For example, a government official,
driven by your typical routine of work, comes home late at night. There is a momentary 'flash' of light, and he sees a group of cows. Then he thinks: 'Is it a group of cows, a cloud or a horse?' He looks for a long time and comes to the conclusion that they are cows. And yet, he cannot be too sure. The Bodhisattva of the ten ‘bhumis’ sees nature of the Tathagata within himself, and yet cannot see it clearly. The situation is like this.

Also, next , Oh good man! A
bhiksu who upholds the precepts looks at some water in which there are no worms. And yet, he sees a worm, and thinks to himself: 'Is that thing that moves on the water a worm or a grain of dust?' He sees that for a long time. Even after he has understood that it was a speck of dust, he is not quite sure. It is thus. The same is the case with the Bodhisattva of the ten ‘bhumis’, who thus sees the nature of the Tathagata within himself. Nothing is very clear.

Also, next, Oh good man! For example, a man sees a child in the darkness, far off. He thinks: 'Is this a cow, a man or a bird?'
He keeps gazing at it for a long time. He now sees that it is a child, and yet he does not see it very clearly. It is thus. The same applies to the Bodhisattva who is at the stage of the ten ‘bhumis’ and who sees within himself the nature of the Tathagata. Nothing is quite clear.

Also, next, Oh good man! There is a person who,
in the darkness of the night, sees the image of a Bodhisattva and think: 'This could be the image of a Bodhisattva, of Mahesvara, of Great Brahma, or of someone in a monastic garb?' The person gazes at it for a good while and concludes that it is the form of a Bodhisattva, and yet, it does not see it very clearly. The same is the case with the Bodhisattva of the ten ‘bhumis’ who sees within himself the nature of the Tathagata. Nothing seems to be very clear.

Oh good man! The Buddha-Nature that one has is the deepest and most difficult to see. Only the Buddha can see it well. It is not within the reach of Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas. Oh good man! The wise should see thus, and understand the nature of the Tathagata."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 12 - On the Nature of the Tathagata.

2011-10-21

The Brightness and Ignorance


Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "Oh World Honored One! You, the Buddha, say that there is cream in milk. What does this mean? Oh World Honored One! If there's definitely cream in milk and if it is true that it cannot be seen because of the minuteness of its size (concentration), how can we say that the cream comes about through the causal relations of milk? When things originally have no the root element, we can say that a thing is born. If it already exists, how can we say that life arises? This is the case that, if there is definitely cream in milk, there must be milk in all the grasses. Likewise, there must be grass into milk as well. If the situation is that there is definitely no cream in milk, how could the cream come from outside of the milk? If there is no root element, but it appears later, how could be that grass does not grow in milk?”

"Oh good man! Do not say that there is definitely cream in milk or that there is not cream into milk. Also, do not say that it comes from outside (of milk). If there is definitely cream in milk, how can it be a different thing and have a different taste? That is why you should not say that there's definitely cream in milk. If there is definitely no cream in milk, why is it that something different does not come about in the milk? If poison is put into milk, the cream will kill a person. This is why you should not say that there is definitely no cream in the milk. Moreover, if we say that cream comes from outside, why is it that the cream does not come about from water? For this reason, do not say that the cream comes from anywhere else. Oh good man! As the cow feeds on grass, its blood changes into white. Grass and blood die and the power of the virtue of beings change them, and we gain milk. This milk comes from grass and blood, but we cannot say that there are two (in milk). All we can say is that the conditions (relations) make it happen. This we can say. From cream up to sarpirmanda, things go thus. The case [here] is the same. Because of this, we may rightly say that there is the taste of the cow. This milk dies away, and in consequence, there comes about cream. What is the condition? It is sour or warm. For this reason, we can say that it (the cream) comes from conditions. The situation is the same with the others, up to sarpirmanda. For this reason, we cannot say that definitely there is no cream in milk. If it comes from somewhere else, it must exist separately from the milk. This cannot be. Oh good man! The same is the case with the brightness and ignorance. [About that which is] bound up by all illusions, we say ignorance. If are linked to all good things, there may be brightness. That is why we say that there can be no two things. So, I said: 'There is a grass in the Himalayas called pinodhni, which, if eaten by the cow, produces sarpirmanda'. The same is the case with the Buddha-Nature.

Oh good man! The beings are sterile in fortune and do not come across this grass. The same applies to the Buddha-Nature. As the defilements overspread them, beings cannot see it. For example, the water of all great oceans has the same salty taste, but it holds out the best of water, as in the case of milk. Also, the Himalayas are perfect in many virtues and produce various medicines, but there are also poisonous weeds. It is the same with the bodies of all beings. There are the four poisonous serpents, but is also present the great king of the all-wonderful medicine. The so-called Buddha-Nature is not something that has been created. Simply, it is overspread by defilements. Only a person who thoroughly cuts them away - whether be it a Kshatriya, Brahmin, Vaishya and Sudra - sees the Buddha-Nature and attains unsurpassed Enlightenment.

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 12 - On the Nature of the Tathagata.