Category Archives: buddhism

14Oct/14

Part II of Meditating on Sounds: Listening Your Way to Enlightenment

avalokiteshvara, Avatamsaka, buddhism, Chengguan, dharma realm, guanyin, Huayan, huayen, listening, meditation, qingliang, shurangama, zen
With What We Do Not Listen  First of all, “the nature of hearing” is not in or with the physical ears. This nature of hearing is fundamentally the sea-like consciousness that stores all karmic interactions. It is the single entity with six functions, of which include the seeing of the eyes,…
03Oct/14

Meditating on Sounds: Listening Your Way to Enlightenment

avalokiteshvara, Avatamsaka, buddhism, Chengguan, dharma realm, guanyin, Huayan, huayen, listening, meditation, qingliang, shurangama, zen
PART I According expert meditator and teacher Jiaoguang of China’s Ming dynasty, meditators must get to know our illusions well before we may experience bursts of insight.With regard to the types of sounds for those who practice hearing as a form of meditation, Jiaoguang elaborates: There are sound categories of…
08Aug/14

The Avatamsaka Four Dharma Realms and the Shurangama Meditation of Listening Intersect in Zen

avalokiteshvara, Avatamsaka, buddhism, Chengguan, dharma realm, guanyin, Huayan, huayen, listening, meditation, qingliang, shurangama, zen
Preview of Upcoming Presentation Seen as stages of practice, Chinese preeminent monk Chengguan’s theory of the Four Dharma Realms and Guanyin’s perfected meditation method via one’s ears inevitably meet complementarily to enhance our understanding of meditation as a practice. More than mere philosophy, the teaching of the Four Dharma Realms…
24Jul/14

Admonitions: Part II

buddhism, Buddhism Buddhist teachings sutra scripture, buddhist, disciple, instruction, relationship, sangha, student, teacher
More from Buddhist monastic teachers. With instructions from different people, pronouns shift.Again, as explained more fully in “Admonitions: Part I“, these instructions were directed at monks and nuns and excerpted from my translation of Admonitions for Monastics 緇門警訓. — Even monastics perpetrate grave errors . . . . behavior that can be…
16Jul/14

Admonitions: Part I

buddhism, Buddhism Buddhist teachings sutra scripture, buddhist, disciple, instruction, relationship, sangha, student, teacher
The Buddha Shakyamuni never established any rules for his Order until problems developed. Most of the Buddhist proscriptions were established as individual cases occurred. For instance, it was not until several dozen monks committed suicide by their own or another’s hands due to extreme (and excessive) disgust for their bodies,…
27Jun/14

Buddhist Persecution Past and Present

blame the victim, buddhism, Buddhist teachings, controversy, disciple, history, master, monastic order, monasticism, oppression, persecution, real story, religions, religious, sangha, scandals, tyranny, westward
Whereas Shakyamuni Buddha accepted students from all walks of life, including the Untouchables who were born into the lowest echelon of the hierarchical Indian caste system, some so-called monastic teachers have told other monastics that they are ill suited for the monastic life.  Political infighting in Buddhist monastic orders past…
09Jun/14

Eight Qualities of Buddhist Translators

buddhism, Buddhist canon, Chinese, English, holy, sacred text, scripture, sutra, translation, translation studies, translation theory
Have been introducing features of translation approaches by Chinese Buddhist translators from the second to tenth centuries in China. Presentations in Canada and Thailand thus far have been well received.  Cancong’s advocacy for Buddhist translators’ inner cultivation is a special feature that sacred text translators east and west may be interested in.…
23May/14

Dedication to A Scripture: To the Avatamsaka Sutra

Avatamsaka, buddhism, Buddhist canon, Chengguan, Chinese, flower garland, Flower Ornament Scripture, Huayan, Mahayana, philosophy, sacred text, translation
On Venerating the Avatamsaka Sutra Excerpted from Admonitions for Monastics By Meditation Master Wensui of Suizhou’s Dahong Mountain Homage to my master teacher Vairochana, the Kindly Venerated One of the Flower Treasury.  You proclaim the golden text and the jeweled verses, unfolding scrolls of sutras kept in book sachets. Objects for…
02May/14

A Small Part of Translating Totality in Parts

Avatamsaka, buddhism, Buddhist canon, Chengguan, Chinese, flower garland, Flower Ornament Scripture, Huayan, Mahayana, philosophy, sacred text, translation
The following is an excerpt from Translating Totality in Parts: Chengguan’s Commentaries and Subcommentaries to the Avatamsaka Sutra by Guo Cheen. Published by University Press of America. Book launch on May 9, 2014. Please purchase and review the book on Amazon.com that day! Book review:   “Guo Cheen has made…
25Apr/14

On Civil Rights Demands

abuse, assault, Big Brother, buddhism, civil rights, demoncracy, faith, government, harmony, karma, monasticism, monastics, precepts, religious order, Snowden, spiritual, tyranny, west
            From alleged government espionage programs to religious scandals of assault or abuse – where among this barrage of Lord of the Flies scenes do Buddhist observers find confirmation of the belief that people are inherently good?             When the historical Buddha Shakyamuni founded his order…