Free of the confines of ego, the love of the Buddha is due to the working of great compassion. Transcending the dualism of being and non-being, it rises from a heart of non-discrimination. It is purposeless, effortless, and ego-less.
As long as there is but one unsaved sentient being to enjoy single-minded bliss (Samadhi) to which she is entitled by her long spiritual discipline, the Tathagata's great love of all sentient beings is unending until everyone of them is happily led to Nirvana.
Empowered by boundless love and compassion, the Tathagata regards all sentient beings as if they were his only child. Were he to enter into Nirvana, no work will be done in the world where imaginative discrimination goes on and wonderful variety prevails. Because of this, he refuses to leave this world of birth-life-death. All his thoughts are directed towards the ignorant and suffering masses of sentient beings.
For them, he is willing to sacrifice his enjoyment of absolute reality and self-absorption.
Thus the Buddha as love is embodied in the Bodhisattva, who through her actions and desires in the realm of twofold egolessness works to save all sentient beings.
Showing posts with label Great Compassion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Compassion. Show all posts
20130314
The Root of Nirvana is Found in Adversity (poem)
Even though I speak of
love and compassion,
patience and wisdom,
the disciple who believes
that they only arise
out of peaceful situations
will never find love,
compassion, patience,
or wisdom on a good day,
because they arise out of
the muck and mire of a bad day.
For the root of Nirvana is not
found by contemplating your navel
but by dealing in adversity!
love and compassion,
patience and wisdom,
the disciple who believes
that they only arise
out of peaceful situations
will never find love,
compassion, patience,
or wisdom on a good day,
because they arise out of
the muck and mire of a bad day.
For the root of Nirvana is not
found by contemplating your navel
but by dealing in adversity!
20130312
Homage to Great Wisdom, Great Compassion, and Great Meditation
If I no longer am attached to self,
then being attached to reward
in the Pure Land of Bliss
through Buddha Recitation
is the working of the Dharma.
Homage to Amida Buddha!
For the Pure Land arose
because of Dharmakara's Vows,
and his promised rebirth
as Amida is fulfilled
by all sentient beings
who remember his Name.
Homage to Amitayus Buddha!
Homage to Infinite Light and Life!
Homage to the Light of Great Wisdom,
Homage to Amida Buddha!
Homage to the Life of Great Compassion,
Homage to Kuan Erh Yin!
Homage to the Great Meditation,
Homage to Mahasthamaprapta!
then being attached to reward
in the Pure Land of Bliss
through Buddha Recitation
is the working of the Dharma.
Homage to Amida Buddha!
For the Pure Land arose
because of Dharmakara's Vows,
and his promised rebirth
as Amida is fulfilled
by all sentient beings
who remember his Name.
Homage to Amitayus Buddha!
Homage to Infinite Light and Life!
Homage to the Light of Great Wisdom,
Homage to Amida Buddha!
Homage to the Life of Great Compassion,
Homage to Kuan Erh Yin!
Homage to the Great Meditation,
Homage to Mahasthamaprapta!
20130105
The Reincarnation of the Buddha and His Diamond Mind
Always it puzzles me that of all the Buddhas, the historical Buddha has rarely been said to reincarnate.
However, I am mistaken, and apologize for giving the impression that the Buddha never reincarnates.
For he does...
Reflection Means Both Incarnation and Reincarnation
Imagine the Adi-Buddha sitting in contemplation with the 108 Buddhas in a field. Imagine further that all Buddhas possess the diamond mind which reflects upon the all the Buddhas.
With respect to the term "diamond", it refers to the unwavering mind which arises from the depths of deep meditation that is known as the clear mind of contemplation and is admired for its clarity and pureness.
Indeed, the diamond mind of the Buddha is the pure mind of Amida Buddha, which is one ofthe 108 Buddhas.
Thus all Buddhas in reflecting Adi-Buddha, reflect on the primordial wisdom of the Buddha.
For the diamond mind of the Buddha is indeed unwavering, unyielding in the face of evil yet yielding to good, and hard to fathom yet soft as a lotus petal.
As the Adi-Buddha is reflected in all the 108 Buddhas, so too is the Buddha Gautama reflected in all the Buddhas
Yet these Buddhas are but reflections of Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, and thus reflect on Amida Buddha.
For the qualities of compassion and wisdom as reflected by Amida Buddha represent the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha.
Therefore, Amida Buddha represents both compassion and wisdom of the Buddha. Thus, Amida is an incarnation of the Buddha, representing the dual aspects of compassion and wisdom.
With respect to the incarnation and reincarnation of the Buddha, it is not the soul that incarnates in the Five Wisdom Buddhas, but the spiritual qualities of the Buddha. This is why the term "reflection" is used in accurately describing the Buddha's relationship with all the Buddhas including Amida Buddha.
Great is the Life of Amitayus and Great is the Light of Amida
In a previous essay I wrote about the Boundless Wisdom of Amida as represented by Infinite Light and the Boundless Compassion of Amitayus as represented by Infinite Life.
With respect to the Buddhist principle of non-self, the term "infinite" implies permanence as in the phrase "that which never goes out."
However, because the wisdom of Amida Buddha and the compassion of Amitayus Buddha are two aspects of the Buddha, the words, "infinite" and "boundless" imply that the Buddha"s wisdom and compassion are everywhere.
For wherever the Buddhist follower sees the words Infinite or Boundless, their actual meaning is "great as the diamond mind of the Buddha, great as the pure mind of Amida", which in its short form is "Great", which has no misleading implications of permanence.
Adi-Buddha is introduced in the following essay: http://gandhara.blogspot.com/2013/01/buddhism-isnt-about-king-in-heaven.html
However, I am mistaken, and apologize for giving the impression that the Buddha never reincarnates.
For he does...
Reflection Means Both Incarnation and Reincarnation
Imagine the Adi-Buddha sitting in contemplation with the 108 Buddhas in a field. Imagine further that all Buddhas possess the diamond mind which reflects upon the all the Buddhas.
With respect to the term "diamond", it refers to the unwavering mind which arises from the depths of deep meditation that is known as the clear mind of contemplation and is admired for its clarity and pureness.
Indeed, the diamond mind of the Buddha is the pure mind of Amida Buddha, which is one ofthe 108 Buddhas.
Thus all Buddhas in reflecting Adi-Buddha, reflect on the primordial wisdom of the Buddha.
For the diamond mind of the Buddha is indeed unwavering, unyielding in the face of evil yet yielding to good, and hard to fathom yet soft as a lotus petal.
As the Adi-Buddha is reflected in all the 108 Buddhas, so too is the Buddha Gautama reflected in all the Buddhas
Yet these Buddhas are but reflections of Great Compassion and Great Wisdom, and thus reflect on Amida Buddha.
For the qualities of compassion and wisdom as reflected by Amida Buddha represent the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha.
Therefore, Amida Buddha represents both compassion and wisdom of the Buddha. Thus, Amida is an incarnation of the Buddha, representing the dual aspects of compassion and wisdom.
With respect to the incarnation and reincarnation of the Buddha, it is not the soul that incarnates in the Five Wisdom Buddhas, but the spiritual qualities of the Buddha. This is why the term "reflection" is used in accurately describing the Buddha's relationship with all the Buddhas including Amida Buddha.
Great is the Life of Amitayus and Great is the Light of Amida
In a previous essay I wrote about the Boundless Wisdom of Amida as represented by Infinite Light and the Boundless Compassion of Amitayus as represented by Infinite Life.
With respect to the Buddhist principle of non-self, the term "infinite" implies permanence as in the phrase "that which never goes out."
However, because the wisdom of Amida Buddha and the compassion of Amitayus Buddha are two aspects of the Buddha, the words, "infinite" and "boundless" imply that the Buddha"s wisdom and compassion are everywhere.
For wherever the Buddhist follower sees the words Infinite or Boundless, their actual meaning is "great as the diamond mind of the Buddha, great as the pure mind of Amida", which in its short form is "Great", which has no misleading implications of permanence.
Adi-Buddha is introduced in the following essay: http://gandhara.blogspot.com/2013/01/buddhism-isnt-about-king-in-heaven.html
20060123
Pure Mind is True Mind / True Mind is Pure Mind (poem)
the true mind is the pure mind,
from which bliss arises naturally
after decades of active meditation.
with harmlessness and spontaneity
its fruits, flavored by diligent mindfulness,
the devotee might briefly savor such purity
during meditation before returning to face the world
filled with equanimity and compassion,
having pierced the delusions of mindlessness,
ready to spread the joy of the well-examined life.
as these fruits arise out of mindful contemplation,
the one-pointed mind awakens to this subtle truth:
the pure mind is the true mind.
from which bliss arises naturally
after decades of active meditation.
with harmlessness and spontaneity
its fruits, flavored by diligent mindfulness,
the devotee might briefly savor such purity
during meditation before returning to face the world
filled with equanimity and compassion,
having pierced the delusions of mindlessness,
ready to spread the joy of the well-examined life.
as these fruits arise out of mindful contemplation,
the one-pointed mind awakens to this subtle truth:
the pure mind is the true mind.
True Heart, True Mind (poem)
the true heart can taste
the difference between love and hate,
yet the boundless compassion
of the awakened
transcends this difference,
and the boundless wisdom
of the enlightened
sees love and hate for what they are:
manifestations of passion,
delusions rooted in desire.
the true mind knows all of this,
and thus so do I...
even so... but then...
and then again...
always do I return to thee,
smiling and laughing,
sharing the love that arises
from the innocence we create together.
the difference between love and hate,
yet the boundless compassion
of the awakened
transcends this difference,
and the boundless wisdom
of the enlightened
sees love and hate for what they are:
manifestations of passion,
delusions rooted in desire.
the true mind knows all of this,
and thus so do I...
even so... but then...
and then again...
always do I return to thee,
smiling and laughing,
sharing the love that arises
from the innocence we create together.
20040312
Great Compassion Meditation
In Shin Buddhism, "all beings have the potential of becoming Buddha" means that all beings in the universe are embraced and enfolded in the Great Compassion of Amida Buddha. — Takamaro Shigaraki
Empowered by Amida's Great Compassion, all beings realize Pure Mind. Realizing Pure Mind, they compassionately share loving-kindness with all other beings. Sharing loving-kindness, all beings are of the same mind empowered by Amida's Great Compassion.
Notes:
"Shin Buddhism" is also known as Jodo Shinsu or True Pure Land School.
"all beings" refers to all sentient beings.
"the same mind" refers to Bodhi Mind.
Takamaro Shigaraki, What is Shin Buddhism, Chapter VII Great Compassion: http://www.bffct.net/id58.html
Empowered by Amida's Great Compassion, all beings realize Pure Mind. Realizing Pure Mind, they compassionately share loving-kindness with all other beings. Sharing loving-kindness, all beings are of the same mind empowered by Amida's Great Compassion.
Notes:
"Shin Buddhism" is also known as Jodo Shinsu or True Pure Land School.
"all beings" refers to all sentient beings.
"the same mind" refers to Bodhi Mind.
Takamaro Shigaraki, What is Shin Buddhism, Chapter VII Great Compassion: http://www.bffct.net/id58.html
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