Post by Neo on Oct 12, 2020 21:13:31 GMT -5
Hello Mahasiddhas,
This group is for those that are interested in reading and learning more about Buddhism. One of the important things that is mostly overlooked (on our spiritual path) are the merits gained from Reading, Writing, Copying and Sharing these wonderful sutras.
The 16th Karmapa saw this flag in a dream. He called it Namkhyen Gyaldar — ‘Victorious Flag of Buddha’s Wisdom’ and proclaimed “Wherever this banner is flown, the Dharma will flourish.”
An example from the Lotus Sutra:
The Buddha said to Medicine King: “In addition, if after the Thus Come One has passed into extinction there should be someone who listens to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even one verse or one phrase, and for a moment thinks of it with joy, I will likewise bestow on him a prophesy that he will attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
From the Lotus Sutra:
“Again, if there are persons who EMBRACE, READ, RECITE, EXPOUND and COPY the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even only one verse, and look upon this sutra with the same reverence as they would the Buddha, presenting various offerings of flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, silken canopies, streamers and banners, clothing and music, and pressing their palms together in reverence, then, Medicine King, you should understand that such persons have already offered alms to a hundred thousand million Buddhas and in the place of the Buddhas have fulfilled their great vow, and because they take pity on living beings they have been born in this human world.”
From the Sanghata Sutra:
“If all the sentient beings of the million world-systems were bodhisattvas, compared to the mass of merit of one who makes charity to all of them, if the mass of merit produced by one whose mind becomes inspired with trust towards one Tathagata, and one who makes their mind inspired with trust towards a million world-systems completely full of Tathagatas, and one who hears this Sanghata dharma-paryaya would produce a much greater mass of merit than that, then, Sarvashura, what need is there to mention whoever writes this Sanghata dharma-paryaya down, or memorizes it or recites or understands it!”
From the Prajnaparimata sutra:
If some son or daughter of good family would build, for the worship of the Tathagata who has disappeared into final Nirvana, a Stupa made of the seven precious things, one hundred miles high and half a mile broad, and would all his life honor, etc. it with flowers, etc. what do you think, Kauśika, would they on the strength of that beget a great heap of merit?
Śakra: They would, O Lord.
The Lord: Greater would be the merit of that son or daughter of good family who, having copied this perfection of wisdom, will learn it, bear it in mind, preach, study, and wisely attend to it, will reveal it to others, will not be without the thought of the knowledge of all modes, and will in addition honor it, revere, and worship it with flowers, etc.
From the Shurangama sutra:
“The six sense-organs are also thus. At first there was one essential brightness. Which split into a six-fold combination. If but one part ceases and returns, all six functions will stop as well. In response to a thought, defiling objects vanish, becoming pure and wonderful perfect brightness.
If there is residual defilement, one must still study. When the brightness is ultimate, that is the Tathagata.”
From the Mahaparinirvana sutra:
“The Buddha-Nature is strong and vigorous. It is hard to destroy. Therefore, there is nothing that can kill it. If there were something that could indeed kill it, Buddha-Nature would die.
[But] nothing can ever destroy such Buddha-Nature. Nothing of this nature can ever be cut. ‘The nature of Self is nothing other than the hidden storehouse of the Tathagata.’ Such a storehouse can never be smashed, set on fire, or done away with. Although it is not possible to destroy or see it, one can know of it when one attains unsurpassed Enlightenment. Hence, there is indeed nothing that can kill it.”
This group is for those that are interested in reading and learning more about Buddhism. One of the important things that is mostly overlooked (on our spiritual path) are the merits gained from Reading, Writing, Copying and Sharing these wonderful sutras.
The 16th Karmapa saw this flag in a dream. He called it Namkhyen Gyaldar — ‘Victorious Flag of Buddha’s Wisdom’ and proclaimed “Wherever this banner is flown, the Dharma will flourish.”
An example from the Lotus Sutra:
The Buddha said to Medicine King: “In addition, if after the Thus Come One has passed into extinction there should be someone who listens to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even one verse or one phrase, and for a moment thinks of it with joy, I will likewise bestow on him a prophesy that he will attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
From the Lotus Sutra:
“Again, if there are persons who EMBRACE, READ, RECITE, EXPOUND and COPY the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even only one verse, and look upon this sutra with the same reverence as they would the Buddha, presenting various offerings of flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, silken canopies, streamers and banners, clothing and music, and pressing their palms together in reverence, then, Medicine King, you should understand that such persons have already offered alms to a hundred thousand million Buddhas and in the place of the Buddhas have fulfilled their great vow, and because they take pity on living beings they have been born in this human world.”
From the Sanghata Sutra:
“If all the sentient beings of the million world-systems were bodhisattvas, compared to the mass of merit of one who makes charity to all of them, if the mass of merit produced by one whose mind becomes inspired with trust towards one Tathagata, and one who makes their mind inspired with trust towards a million world-systems completely full of Tathagatas, and one who hears this Sanghata dharma-paryaya would produce a much greater mass of merit than that, then, Sarvashura, what need is there to mention whoever writes this Sanghata dharma-paryaya down, or memorizes it or recites or understands it!”
From the Prajnaparimata sutra:
If some son or daughter of good family would build, for the worship of the Tathagata who has disappeared into final Nirvana, a Stupa made of the seven precious things, one hundred miles high and half a mile broad, and would all his life honor, etc. it with flowers, etc. what do you think, Kauśika, would they on the strength of that beget a great heap of merit?
Śakra: They would, O Lord.
The Lord: Greater would be the merit of that son or daughter of good family who, having copied this perfection of wisdom, will learn it, bear it in mind, preach, study, and wisely attend to it, will reveal it to others, will not be without the thought of the knowledge of all modes, and will in addition honor it, revere, and worship it with flowers, etc.
From the Shurangama sutra:
“The six sense-organs are also thus. At first there was one essential brightness. Which split into a six-fold combination. If but one part ceases and returns, all six functions will stop as well. In response to a thought, defiling objects vanish, becoming pure and wonderful perfect brightness.
If there is residual defilement, one must still study. When the brightness is ultimate, that is the Tathagata.”
From the Mahaparinirvana sutra:
“The Buddha-Nature is strong and vigorous. It is hard to destroy. Therefore, there is nothing that can kill it. If there were something that could indeed kill it, Buddha-Nature would die.
[But] nothing can ever destroy such Buddha-Nature. Nothing of this nature can ever be cut. ‘The nature of Self is nothing other than the hidden storehouse of the Tathagata.’ Such a storehouse can never be smashed, set on fire, or done away with. Although it is not possible to destroy or see it, one can know of it when one attains unsurpassed Enlightenment. Hence, there is indeed nothing that can kill it.”