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Grace in Buddhism?
msac123
Explorer
Is there a concept of Grace in Buddhism? If so, how is Grace defined? Also, what are some resources (books, websites, etc) that I can read up on Grace in Buddhism?
1
Comments
@msac123
I use the word "grace" in Buddhist circles to make reference of that aspect of realty which is experienced as selflessness.
Whether accurate or not, it is an expression that most other sincere meditative practitioners seem able to relate to.
It's not something I'm familiar with but came across this: http://what-when-how.com/love-in-world-religions/grace-in-buddhism/
Thank you.
Isn't there a concept in some Mahayana traditions where the merit stored up by highly realized beings such as bodhisattvas can be transferred to less deserving beings? So you get to avoid suffering without really deserving to do so, i.e. grace.
Yes, I think it's called "transference of merit".
Can you imagine . . . "Most admirable Bodhisattva, please give me some of your merit so that I do not have to suffer. Thanks in advance."
Don't laugh at me! Just trying to wrap my head around it . . .
Grace is the opposite of effort so perhaps grace is when we no longer need to put effort into stuff like letting go or being mindful.
Maybe once Right intent and Right effort come naturally.
Grace = Noble = Arya
once one enters into Noble Path it is Grace
The merit gained from mantra recitation is quite often dedicated to all sentient beings. I like to put it thusly. I humbly dedicate and transfer the merit gained from the recitation of this mantra to all sentient beings. It is a good way of inclining our mind towards kindness. No one will really know save perhaps from a nice vibe if you will that something or someone regards them with a kind interest in their welfare.
The great vows of Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas are taken for our welfare and our aid as we trod the path.
'Grace' to me, denotes humility, gentleness, kindness, compassion and Joy. But I always associate that quality with a likeness to The Virgin Mary; that's what comes of a Roman catholic upbringing, I guess.....
One person I can think of, who had Grace in spades (in my personal opinion) and was not associated especially with religion in any way, was Audrey Hepburn.
Who, without resorting to Buddhist or other religious figures, embodies Grace, for you?
(I exclude religious figures, because in many ways, that might be a given. That's strictly speaking, what one might expect....)
Grace in the spiritual sense and in particular Buddhism, relates to virtue and good company. In Tantra the grace/power/virtue of the guru is transferred during initiation ceremonies. You could say we enter or resonate with the karmic stream of the guru to a degree.
In a sense the examples of the three jewels, when we harmonise, allows entering the stream of 'grace' or virtuous/ethical living.
Hope that is helpful
.
Any confident working mother who exudes joy in her work, for one.
Sri Ramakrishna said that the breeze of God's grace is gently blowing and all we have to do is unfurl our sails and catch it. And for the Buddhist, there's a sky full of grace in trusting in the triple gem. Just trust and flow.
I always hear grace dropped in a religious sense? Can anybody give me an accurate description of what grace means? As in "By the Grace of God" ?
I've heard synonyms of love,compassion, purity, finesse etc.
It seems to me that grace is a word that has been made up to describe somewhat inhuman qualities that dont actually exist? Well in our reality anyway.
I have always heard it used as "effortless beauty"
It's often used in a ( theist ) religious sense, though of course it's just a word and doesn't inherently have a religious association.
@SpinyNorman fair enough but it's still a word that for me at least has no real existence?
Like the finger pointing at nothing.
Effortless beauty is a good description, but you can use effortless beauty in paintings or landscapes. Still falls a little short of Grace in some senses.
I'm not talking about graceful but yes more like the religious grace. You hear it a lot and not sure what people actually mean by the word? Hmm
You'd need to talk to a Christian really.
I don't think so - at least not the way you present it.
Some sort of description or definition is accepted in #1, but it is implied in #2 that Grace has some kind of mystical, metaphysical quality that can always only be hinted at. I think there must be some kind of term for that kind of resistant, muddled thinking.
I discovered grace recently in the form of a certain loving kindness.
There is no definition that will work for everyone, but I understand it in this way, and it is a metaphorical description: grace is what is given to you but places no demands on you, but when you realise it properly, you will understand what it means to be grateful.
Metta
Grace is what allows us to will (intend) well, according to Augustine. The are many things in Buddhism that can be compared to grace, I think. One is the accumulation of past and present skillful kamma that help give rise to a happy life and keep one on the path. Another is the fruits of the path, like stream-entry onwards, in which unwholesome mental states are weakened or destroyed. And then there's the practice of the four divine abodes, which can act as a sort of grace, purifying the mind and diluting the effects of our unskillful deeds.
Grace as mentioned is a theistic based condition. It is residing in the presence or in harmony with deity. The Buddhist equivalents as also mentioned, are aligning with virtue, ethical living and other qualities exemplified in the three jewels.
In Buddhism it is possible to reside in and exude metta and compassion, again as mentioned. This is perhaps the nearest and most equal comparison. Perhaps it is time to introduce 'Grace' into the lexicography of heretical/unlovable/secular/naughty Buddhists . . . :wave: .
I don't know...
The most perfect examples of grace I've ever witnessed was when things got done without having to be thought about.
For me, grace in a Buddhist context is the same, no deities need apply. When our practice turns to second nature, there is grace in all of our actions.
Theistic grace to me usually seems to smell of effort and falls short of what the word really means to me.