Bill, I think your teacher Mr Frontcorner's four vows are the same as with Tibetan Tantra. Once a guru was asked if you were able to practice selfless giving without losing money, he said, of course, the giving (dana) perfection should only be done in thought, not in deed. Anthony
________________________________ From: Bill! <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, 21 June 2012, 9:58 Subject: Re: [Zen] What Buddha Actually Did 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 mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, "pudgala2" <pudgala2@...> wrote: > > > --- In mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com, 覺妙精明 （JMJM） > <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 heard—they'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 Zen—nothing > more > needs to be said—you 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 read—few 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*. > > > > > > > > >
