How to meet the precious Dhamma in the next life
Bunks
Australia Veteran
Advice from a Bhikkhu
Sincerely wishing, intending, praying and hoping for that noble Dhamma reunion.
Fulfilling the 5 precepts every day and the 8 precepts on Observance Day (full moon and new moon).
Doing worship to all Buddha statues, senior lay Buddhists and all noble monastics.
Daily contemplation of the three jewels**.
Doing beneficial work, service and contribution to the noble Sangha community.
**
Worthy, honourable and perfectly self enlightened was the blessed Buddha.
Consumated in knowledge and behaviour,
totally transcended,
expert in all dimensions,
knower of all worlds,
unsurpassable trainer of those who can be tamed,
both teacher and guide of gods as well as of humans.
Blessed, exalted, awakened and perfectly self enlightened was the blessed Buddha.
Perfectly formulated is this Buddhadhamma.
Visible right here and now,
immediately effective,
timeless,
inviting each and everyone to come and see for themself,
inspect, examine and verify.
Leading each and everyone through progress towards perfection.
Directly observable, experiencable and realisable by each intelligence.
Perfectly training is this noble Sangha community of the Buddha's noble disciples.
Training the right way, the true way, the good way, the direct way.
Therefore do these 8 kind of individuals, these 4 noble pairs,
deserve both gifts, self sacrifice, offerings, hospitality and reverential salutation with joined palms.
Since the noble Sangha community of the Buddha's noble disciples is indeed an unsurpassable,
and forever unsurpassed,
field of merit in this world,
for this world,
to honour, support, uphold, respect and protect.
Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu...
Comments
Immensely wonderful...
Beautiful words... but Zen master Jugyo he say, perhaps look for enlightenment in this life?
In the Āvataṃsaka-sūtra, the Buddha states that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva made ten great vows in his path to full Buddhahood:
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantabhadra
Of course! But chances are I won’t achieve it 🙏🏻
That's the spirit. Not!
Just being realistic @lobster - I chose the family life. It’s a dusty road my friend....
Being realistic is a buddha worth killing.
We are all self-deluded, liars and hypocrites (and that is just me on a good day).
Hoover ... I mean however ... All of us can clean up our act and not act as if becoming a buddha Hoody is impossible.
We have to stay on stream. I am on the crusty road, littered with dharma delusionists, dead buddhas, demons, trolls, angels and a lot of me memes ...
bonus track
Well, lately I have also had more family around me. It has had its ups and downs, especially meditatively. There is more noise, more emotion, more turmoil. Less quiet and contemplation.
But I think there are ways of coping with it, if one is mindful. It is a challenge in self examination, there is definitely more rubbish brought to the surface. But I don’t think it necessarily excludes a serious attempt at enlightenment, it just increases the difficulty of staying clear about who we are internally.
Our Lama tells us that rebirth is automatically directed by our predominant imprints (karmas), and that the more we DO our practice now, the more likely we will be automatically drawn to a situation where we can meet up again with the dharma.
I don't think you're as far off as you think you are....
I actually did a video drop in (zoom chat of their meditation this evening) with my sangha across the sea just a minute ago. Some people here know vaguely my situation as participating with a sangha in Wales because I like their teachings so much I did it for 14 years even though I have Buddhist opportunities in my small city here in USA; I seem to prefer what they offer me.
I had a lot of emotions. First I felt a little confident seeing the zoom chat room but eventually after some liturgy listening I became swarmed with thoughts and emotions. I'm writing here to vent/tell about it because though I listen to the sangha I don't know someone to 'ring them' as they say across the sea I think. So I had some emotions and some of it was vague shapes of memories of times when I had more delusions and voices* and there was a little shameful tone. Some paranoia that everyone (might) know this about me and both regret that I didn't do more zoom meditations which I didn't because I liked to do something like go to the gym with my afternoons (evenings oversea). And then also there is this fear that I wake up with since the pandemic was declared. So quite a mixture. And then with the liturgy and the quiet sitting a lot of that settled down and I calmed down but I intend to continue the practice of joining them on zoom and I am praying that I survive this virus crisis and as many of them (and us on NewBuddhist) as possible.
But on the topic of this post (or TLDR) it was sobering to have all this happening in the world. And it inspired me to join them on zoom chat should I get chances in the future.
*hearing the liturgy might remind me of times listening to dharma talks that I used to transcribe from audio to typed format over the years and at times when I had varying amounts of psycological symptoms.
My sister has a difficult time listening to recorded voices, such has watching a YouTube video or hearing music over a speaker system, or even hearing a podcast with headphones, when she's having a hard time, because she feels like she's receiving a "transmission" through the technology, some sort of personalized (vaguely malicious) guided signal. When she's having a hard time, she tries to avoid situations where machinery will appear to be "talking" to her, and that helps manage things a bit. Everyone has different triggers.
Do your Dharma homework....that the teacher gave us....
Self-mark... don't send it off... at the moment, goodness knows when you'll get it back...
As we all know, money can't buy you happiness nor can it stop death ripping us away from this life.
When you're lying on your death bed and taking those last laboured breaths, what achievements do you want to reflect upon that will make you proud, happy and ready to leave?
In all honesty when the time comes... "I" don't want to be involved around...
Since it happened this time I'm sure it will happen again, if not in the next life then down the road apiece. Science says we've got another five billion years or so...
In this universal cycle.....what about the next one?