Pudgala2, Mirroring what you have posted below I was once told by my teacher, a Japanese Zen Master, that the 4 Bodhisattva Vows could be thought of as:
Sentient being [in my mind] are numberless - I vow to save them all, Desires [in my mind] are inexhaustible - I vow to put and end to them all, The dharmas [in my mind] are boundless, I vow to master them all, The Buddha Way [in my mind] is unsurpassable - I vow to attain it completely. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "pudgala2" <pudgala2@...> wrote: > > > --- In [email protected], 覺å¦ç²¾æ ï¼JMJMï¼ > <chan.jmjm@> wrote: > > > > Hi Pudgala2, > > > > According to the Diamond Sutra, ego is defined as the "notion of > self". > > Sentient beings include all living beings with or without thoughts, > > without or without form. > > > pudgala2: Anyone who has studied the Buddhist sutras know they start > with Thus have I heardthey're all hearsay. The sutras are > transcriptions > of an oral tradition written hundreds of years after the Buddha. They > where > then translated into other languages by scholars who had no reference > reality > to what the Buddha actually did. > > The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch is a transcription of a speech > by > an illiterate laborer. It is the only sutra that works for me. The > scholar(s) > who translated this transcription into English chose to use the obscure > word > sentient in the following way: > > We have now vowed to deliver an infinite number of sentient beings; but > what <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > does that mean? It does not mean that I, Hui-neng is going to deliver > them. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > And who are these sentient beings, potential within our minds? They are > the <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > delusive mind, the deceitful mind, the evil mind, and such like--all > these are <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > sentient beings. Each of them has to be delivered by oneself by means of > his <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > own Essence of Mind; only by his own deliverance, is it genuine. > <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > > Now, what does it mean, "delivering oneself by one's own Essence of > Mind?' <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > It means the deliverance of the ignorant, delusive, and the vexatious > beings <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > that spring up within our own mind, by means of Right Views. With the > aid <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > of Right Views and Prajna, the barriers thrown up by these delusive and > <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > ignorant beings may be broken down; so that each of us will be in a > position <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > to deliver himself by his own efforts. The false will be delivered by > truthfulness; <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > the delusive by enlightenment; the ignorant by wisdom; and the > malevolent by <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > benevolence; such is genuine deliverance. > <http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/bb29.htm> > > pudgala2: This is a Zen Forum and The Platform Sutra is Zennothing > more > needs to be saidyou either get it or you don't. > > > The article you quoted seems to be an incomplete personal realization > > based on modern day terms. It is valuable, yet may not be complete. > > This being said, however... > > > pudgala2: I am the author of my postings and a Zen partitioner and > I enjoy expressing my understanding of the BuddhaDharma. > > > Even Diamond Sutra asks us to be detached from words, or more properly > > quoted, be detached from the "notion of dharma". > > > pudgala2: My response to this comment will be a later posting. > > > This is the only way to liberate our heart, or as others may call it > our > > spirit. Such that we could witness the truth instead of studying > logic. > > _/\_ > > jm > > > The Four Noble Truths of the Buddha are the most logical expressions > of the way to end mental suffering that I have ever readfew put it > into practice. > > > On 6/18/2012 12:56 PM, pudgala2 wrote: > > > > > > > > > Twenty-five hundred years ago Siddhartha Gautama made the > astonishing > > > discovery > > > that the ego is a "virtual reality" conditioned in the brain by > > > unconsciously acquired > > > beliefs, attitudes, opinions, moods, etc.â"collectively known > as > > > /sentient beings/. > > > Gautama penetrated and released these empty emotional cofactors of > his own > > > conditioned personality and realized Enlightenmentâ"the end of > mental > > > anguish. > > > > > > Buddha: /I teach one thing and one thing onlyâ"the end of > > > /[egotistical] /suffering./ > > > > > > /Sentient being/ is the most misunderstood and misused concept in > > > Buddhism. It must > > > be thoroughly penetrated and understood or you will completely miss > > > the point of the > > > BuddhaDharma and the ending of mental anguish by the *release of > all* > > > /sentient beings/. > > > > > > /Sentient beings/ are mental entities such as perceptions, beliefs, > > > opinions, attitudes, > > > desires, moods, values, prejudices, convictions, assumptions, > > > preconceptions, biases, > > > habit patterns, dispositions, sentiments, judgments, addictions, > > > impulses, compulsions, > > > compunctions, obsessions, scruples, delusions, views, concepts, > > > thoughts, ideas, etc., > > > that are *emotionally identified with and encapsulated in an ego*. > > > They are mentally > > > felt to be valid and real to the ego. "I am what I feel/experience" > is > > > the cry of the egoâ" > > > the artificial sense of self construction. > > > > > > The ego is a psychosomatic accretion unwittingly conditioned into > the > > > brain by the body > > > growing up the way it didâ"a /fait accompli/. The limitations > of this > > > crude creation generates > > > ever increasing suffering in the bewildered mind. > > > > > > Most minds, via their ingrown egos, get distracted and bogged down > in > > > traditions, > > > families, self complacency, careers, causes, religions, mental > > > illnesses, drugs, and other > > > acquired addictions, delusions, and illusions. A self selected few > > > come upon the /Truth > > > of Suffering/ and enter the path/process of the BuddhaDharma seeking > > > an end to their > > > egotistical suffering. > > > > > > Suffering is an alarm telling mind it is time to wake up, pay > > > attention, and return to > > > *Original Mind* by deconstructing the *Original Sin of Egotistical > > > Identification*. > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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