Pearls of Universe - Volume I

"The Tathagata, among the priests, speaks of the superb Dharma. This can be well compared to Mount Sumeru, that remains unmolested amidst the great ocean. The Wisdom of the Buddha thoroughly dispels the gloom of humans. It's like when the sun rises, all the clouds disperse, and his light shines on everything. The Tathagata thoroughly does away with all illusions. This (the worldly life) is like the coolness that reigns when the clouds appear in the sky. All beings love and wail. All are floundering on the bitter waters of birth and death. For this reason, I pray, Oh World Honored One! Stay alive for longer and increase the faith of all beings, freeing them from the suffering of birth and death!" 

Read More on Pearls of Universe - Volume I.

 

Pearls of Universe - Volume XVII

"A wise person thinks deeply about the world. It sees: 'It is not a place to take refuge in, to gain Emancipation, quietness, love, it is not the other shore, and has nothing of the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and the Pure. If I greedily pursue the world, how can I segregate myself from it? This is like a man who, abhorring the darkness, seeks the light, and yet, turns back again into the darkness. The darkness is the world, the light is the Supramundane. If I adhere to the world, I shall plunge into the darkness and take away from light. Darkness is ignorance, and light is the Brightness of Wisdom. The cause of the brightness of Wisdom is the image where one does not feel any expectation of delight in worldly things. All greed is nothing more than the bond of defilement. Now I shall avidly seek the light of Wisdom, and not the world'. The wise person meditates thus. This is the image where one does not seek (anything) for one's own self."

Read More on  Pearls of Universe - Volume XVII.

CONTENTS

THE TREASURE HOUSE .............................................. 3
FROM ROOT UP TO THE ULTIMATE ........................ 7
THE TOUCH OF BRIGHTNESS ................................... 9
FROM FEELING UP TO ATTAINMENT ..................... 9
THE COARSE MEDITATION ......................................11
THE MINUTE MEDITATION ...................................... 13
THE BRIGHTNESS OF WISDOM ............................... 14
MOMENTARY EXTINCTION ..................................... 15
THREE KINDS OF ILLNESSES OF THE BEINGS ..... 16
CONVERSION OF VASISTHA ................................... 17
THE VIRTUES OF VASISTHA ..................................... 18
SELF PHANTOM .......................................................... 19
PRIDE ............................................................................. 21
THE TWO SIDES AND THE IN-BETWEEN ................ 22
WHY SUBDUE THE MIND ........................................... 23

Pearls of Universe - Volume XVI

"The cause of karma is the touch of ignorance. Due to the touch of ignorance, beings see 'existence'. The causal relation of existence is 'craving'. Due to the causal relation of craving, a person performs the three actions of body, mouth and mind." 

Read more at Pearls of Universe - Volume XVI. 

Contents

SEVEN KINDS OF FRUITION  3
FRUITION BY MEANS  3
FRUITION BY REPAYING OBLIGATIONS  3
FRUITION BY BEFRIENDING  4
FRUITION OF THAT WHICH REMAINS  4
EQUAL FRUITION  4
FRUITION OF REWARD  5
FRUITION OF SEGREGATION  5
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’  5
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – NIRVANA  5
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – LIGHT  6
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – PLACE  6
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – GRADUAL  7
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – THREE THINGS 7
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – NO HINDRANCE  7
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – NO HINDRANCE  8
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – ETERNAL  8
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – DUAL  8
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – DIRECTION  9
THE VOID AS ‘NOT-IS’ – ELEMENT  9
LIKE THE UTPALA – THE BLUE LOTUS  10
MEDITATE ON DEFILEMENTS  11
THE SKANDHAS OF THE WISE 13
THE DEFILEMENT OF DESIRE - THE PREJUDICE  14
THE DEFILEMENTS OF IGNORANCE  15
THE ALL-WONDERFUL MEDICINE OF THE HIMALAYAS  15
MEDITATE ON IMAGE 16
MEDITATE ON THE CAUSE OF THE IMAGE  17
MEDITATE ON DESIRE  19
MEDITATE ON KARMA  20
MEDITATE ON CAUSE OF KARMA  21
MEDITATE ON KARMIC RESULT  21
THE UNDEFILED KARMA  22
MEDITATE ON SUFFERING  22

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

 

Pearls of Universe - Volume XIV

The Buddha said: "Oh, good man! [Suppose that] there is a flat road. Beings walk [along it], and there is nothing to hinder their progress. In the middle of the road there is a tree, whose shade is fresh. The travellers make a stop in this place with their palanquin and take a rest. But there is always the shade of the tree there, and there is no difference. The shade does not die out, and nobody takes it away. The road is the Holy Way, and the shade the Buddha Nature."

Read more at Pearls of Universe - Volume XIV.

Contents

The Kushinagar Castle History  3

The Kapilavastu Castle History  4

The Jetavana Vihara History  5

The Unsurpassed Boy  7

The Eleven Virtues of the Full Moon  7

Right Time To Practice Meditation  8

Right Time To Practice Wisdom  9

Right Time To Practice Equanimity  9

Ten Virtues of the Bodhisattva  10

• Faith  10
• Precepts  11
• Friendship with Good Friends of the Way  11
• Quietude  11
• Effort  12
• Remembrance  12
• Gentleness  12
• Protection of Dharma  12
• Donation  13
• Wisdom  13

Karma Definite and the Indefinite  14

The Karmic Retribution of Bodhisattva  14

True Word  15

Two Kinds of People  16

The Body and the Fire  17

The Practice of the Body  17

The Practice of the Precepts  18

The Practice of the Mind  18

The Practice of Wisdom  19

Getaway from Hell  20

The Bodhi Tree  21

Pearls of Universe - Volume XIII

“In the Path of Bodhi, there is not someone who turns back. Oh, good man! The one who regretted after having start out, now sees those who went before and who have gained the treasures, sees them return undisturbed, and make offerings to their parents, giving to their relatives, enjoying much peace. Seeing this, a fire burns again in his mind, he adorns his body, starts out on the way again, spares no effort, endures all kinds of hardships, and goes to the Mountain of the Seven Treasures.”

Read more on Pearls of Universe - Volume XIII



CONTENTS

BODHISATTVA PRECEPTS 3
WHY UPHOLD PRECEPTS 4
ABOUT SEE THE TATHAGATA AND THE BUDDHA NATURE 5
SEE WHAT WE HAVE IN COMMON 6
CAUSE AND CONDITION OF UNSURPASSED BODHI 7
SANGHA IS HARMONY 7
THIRTEEN FACTORS LEADING TO RETROGRESSION OF THE BODHISATTVA 8
SIX FACTORS WHICH DESTROY THE BODHI MIND 9
THE MIND THAT IS NOT RETROGRESSIVE 10
PARABLE OF THE CLEAR SPRING 10
BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN OF THE SEVEN TREASURES 12
AVAIVARTIKA - 1 12
AVAIVARTIKA - 2 13
AVAIVARTIKA - 3 13
AVAIVARTIKA - 4 14
AVAIVARTIKA - 5 15
AVAIVARTIKA - 6 15
AVAIVARTIKA - 7 16
AVAIVARTIKA - 8 16
AVAIVARTIKA - 9 17
AVAIVARTIKA - 10 18
THE STAMP AND THE CLAY 18
THE EXTINCTION OF THE FIVE SKANDHAS 19
THE PILLARS OF SAMSARA 19
THE PRACTICE OF THE WAY 20
HOW TO PRACTICE THE PRECEPTS 21
HOW TO PRACTICE SAMADHI 21
HOW TO PRACTICE WISDOM 22
WHY WE PRACTICE 23

Pearls of Universe - Volume XII

"What is faith? The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva believes that there is recompense in the Three Jewels and in giving. The two truths [i.e. relative and ultimate] and the Way of the One Vehicle ["ekayana"] are not different. He believes that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas classify things into three, so that all beings quickly gain Emancipation. He believes in "Paramartha-satya" [the truth of Ultimate Reality] and good expedient means. This is faith.

A person who believes thus cannot be beaten by any Sramanas, Brahmins, Marapapiyas, Brahma, or anyone. When a person grounds himself in this faith, he gains the nature of a holy sage. One practices giving, and this - whether big or small - all leads to Mahaparinirvana, and thus one does not fall into birth and death. It is the same with upholding the moral precepts, hearing the Way, and Wisdom, too. This is faith.”

Read more on Pearls of Universe - Volume XII



CONTENTS

THE DEPTHS OF THE MIDDLE PATH 3
WHAT IS FAITH 4
WHAT IS STRAIGHT MIND 5
THE QUALITY OF THOSE WHO ASKS 5
THE NINE FACTORS OF CAUSAL RELATIONS IN ILLNESSES 6
THE HARP AND THE KING 7
THE NATURE OF CREAM 8
PARENTS AND SONS 9
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF ALL THINGS 10
THE LION'S ROAR 11
LION STEPS 13
BUDDHA NATURE 14
THE VISION OF THE 12 LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENCE 15
THE FINAL UNSURPASSED ENLIGHTENMENT OF ALL BEINGS 16
THE ABSOLUTE 17
THE BUDDHA NATURE OF ALL BEINGS 18
COLORS IN THE DAYTIME 19
THE TWELVE LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENT ARISING 20
THE GRASS OF THE HIMALAYAS 22
DESIRING LITTLE AND FEELING SATISFIED 22
THE THREE KINDS OF DESIRE 23
THE EFFORT FOR THE MAHAPARINIRVANA 24
SEEING AND HEARING ABOUT THE BUDDHA NATURE 25

Pearls of the Universe - Volume 11

"Oh good man! For example, we put a collar on a dog and chain it to a pillar, and it goes round the pillar the whole day and cannot get away. It's the same with all beings. They wear the fetters of ignorance, are chained to the pillar of birth and death, repeat lives through the 25 existences, and cannot get away.

Oh good man! For example, there is a man who falls in the bathroom, rises and falls in again. A person is cured of an illness and then contracts the cause of the illness again. A traveler, on his way, comes across a wilderness. After having passed through it, he turns back to the wilderness again. A person washes his body and then puts mud on it again. This is how things happen with all beings. A person is already out of the stage ('bhumi') of non-possession [ie, the eighth of nine stages of mental training in which one no longer has any sense of possession], but is not yet quite out of the stage ('bhumi') of the thoughtlessness-non-thoughtlessness [ie, the final stage of mental practice]. And he comes back to the three unfortunate realms again. Why? All beings only think about the results and not on the causation. It's like with a dog that goes after a piece of clay, and not after the man himself. It's the same with the common mortal. He only thinks about the results and not on causal relations. Not thinking about this, he draws back from the stage ('bhumi') of the thoughtlessness-non-thoughtlessness and falls into the three unfortunate realms."

Read More in Pearls of the Universe - Volume 11.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 10

"It's hard to be born as human. This can be compared to the blooming of the Udumbara flower. But now, I have reached it [i.e., the state of a human being]. It is hard to meet the Tathagata, but now I have met him. It is hard to see and hear the pristine treasure of the Dharma, but now I heard it. This is like happen to a blind tortoise find a hole in a piece of floating wood. Life is much more brief and fleeting than the running water from a mountain stream. One lives today, but one cannot be sure of tomorrow. How can anyone abandon their thoughts to what is wrong? The pinnacle of life slips away as swiftly as a galloping horse. How can anyone depend on [what is transitory] and be arrogant? It's like the situation where a devil sits waiting by the performing of wrong actions by a human. It's the same with the devils of the four great elements. They always come and look for any fault of someone. How can anyone give occasion to evil senses?"

Read more at Pearls of the Universe - Volume 10.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 9

"If we listen to this Great Nirvana Sutra, we come to know all about the depths of what is said in all the Mahayana Vaipulya Sutras. For example, this is like a mirror in which a man or woman can clearly see the color and shape. It's the same with the Great Nirvana Sutra. The Bodhisattva takes this up and sees clearly through all the depths of things established in the Mahayana Sutras. Also, it’s like someone with a great torch, who is able to see everything in a dark room. It's the same with the torch of the Nirvana Sutra. The Bodhisattva takes this up and reaches the depths of what is said in the Mahayana Sutras. Also, it is like the sun. When it appears, thousands of rays of light shine over the mountains and gloomy places, and men can see clearly what is far and away. It's the same with the pure light of Wisdom of this Great Nirvana. It shines upon all the depths of the Mahayana, enabling those of the two vehicles to see the Buddhist teachings. How? Because they hear the All-Wonderful Doctrine of this Great Nirvana Sutra."

Read More in Pearls of the Universe - Volume 9.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 8

"In what way does the Bodhisattva thinks about the Sangha? All Buddhas and all Holy Priests (the Sangha) live in accordance with the Dharma and dutifully practice the Dharma which is straight. One cannot see it, catch hold of it, destroy it, or cause damage to it. It (the Sangha) cannot be conceived, and is a good field of weal ['punya-ksetra' - a field of merit and blessings] for all beings. Although it is a field of weal, there is no having it on hand [catch hold of it]. All is pure and undefiled; it is non-'asvara '(impurity) and non-created; is vast and boundless. The mind is tamed and light, is all-equal, and is undivided. There is no elation. All is eternal and unchanging. This is how to think about the Sangha."

Read more at Pearls of the Universe - Volume 8.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 7

“The Bodhisattva has no repentance in his mind when he sees that the shila which he upholds is unwavering. Since there is no regret, there is joy in his mind. As he has joy, his mind is happy. As he is happy, his mind is at peace. As his mind is at peace, there arises an unchangeable Samadhi. As the Samadhi is unchangeable, there is true knowing and seeing. Due to true knowing and seeing, there is parting from birth and death. Parting from birth and death, he achieves emancipation ['Vimukti']. As a consequence of emancipation, he clearly sees the Buddha-Nature. This is what we mean when we say that what the Bodhisattva knows, sees and understands is not something that obtains in the world.”

Read more at Pearls of the Universe - Volume 7.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 6

And for the sake of Kasyapa, he spoke in a gatha:

"If one does not feel anger,
even against a single being,
and prays to give bliss to these beings,
this is loving-kindness.

If one feels compassion
for all beings,
this is the holy seed.

Endless is the reward.

Even if the five-powered Rishis filled this earth,
and gave to Mahesvara elephants, horses,
and their various possessions,
the reward gained would not equal
one sixteenth of one [impulse of] loving-kindness
that is practiced. "

Read more at Pearls of the Universe, Volume 6.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 5

(The Buddha said): "Oh, good man! The Buddha-World-Honored One abides in Mahaparinirvana, and so uncloses, discriminates and explains the meaning. For this reason, we say 'holy action’. The Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas and Bodhisattvas, as soon as they hear [the Buddha’s words], practice accordingly. Therefore, (will practice) 'holy actions’. Oh, good man! As soon as this Bodhisattva-Mahasattva has done this work (action), he attains the stage of fearlessness. Oh, good man! If a Bodhisattva attains the stage of fearlessness, then, he does not fear (more) greed, anger, ignorance, birth, old age, illness and death. Also, he does not fear the unfortunate realms of hell, hungry ghosts, and animals."

Read more at Pearls of the Universe, Volume 5.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 4

“If any bhiksu, bhiksuni, upasaka or upasika aspires to the highest vow of the Tathagata, know that such person will not have ignorance and will be worthy of receiving offerings. By dint of the power of the vow, the virtues and fruits of the actions of that person in the world will be like those of an Arhat. Anyone who cannot meditate on the eternity of the Three Treasures is a Candala. If a person can indeed realize the eternity of the Three Treasures, such a person will leave behind the suffering that arises from the causality of existence, will attain peace, and there will be no temptation, hindering or worrying troubles, which will be left behind.”

Read more at Pearls of the Universe, Volume 4.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 3

"The beings take delight to look at the moon brightness. This is why we call the moon 'that which is pleasing to see’. If beings possess greed, the malevolence and ignorance, there can be no pleasure in seeing her. The same applies to the Tathagata. The Tathagata’s nature is pure, good, clean and undefiled. This is what is most pleasing to behold. The beings who are in harmony with the Dharma will not hesitate to see, (and feel pleasure); those with evil minds will not feel pleasure to see. For this reason, we say that the Tathagata is like the Moon Brightness."

Read more at Pearls of the Universe, Volume 3.

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Pearls of the Universe - Volume 2

“If someone believes in a Mahayana Sutra like this, the rough and coarse form that may have obtained at birth will come to look right and correct, due to the power of this Sutra. The dignity and countenance will improve everyday, and humans and gods will be pleased to look at him. They will respect and love him, and at no time will lose their regard for him. Kings, ministers and family people will listen to, respect and believe him. If any of my Sravaka disciples are willing to perform the first rare act, they should preach this Mahayana Sutra for everyone.”

Read more at Pearls of the Universe Volume 2.


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