奇怪

余也淺漏，不學無術。但一直奇怪為何夏蓮居版的《佛說大乘無量壽莊嚴清淨平等覺經會集本》有許多的爭議。除了淨空將＂會集本＂三字删去以成混亂外，此三link有更詳細說明：

here
here
here

其中甚者，為其版的阿彌陀經所增的「專持名號」等二十一個字，這是否背後有英語中所謂的＂Agenda＂？慧命攸關，讀經不可不慎。

生者為過客，死者為歸人。
天地一逆旅，同悲萬古塵。
月兔空擣藥，扶桑已成薪。
白骨寂無言，青松豈知春？
前後更嘆息，浮榮何足珍！

http://mulberrypoems.blogspot.com/2013/07/blog-post_3.html


風暖天清雲堪戀，
花自開來鳥自閒。
庭前一時春無限，
禪思無盡意綿綿。

http://puti.org/eng201509/shifowangweideshiqingyuchansi/

一住寒山 寒山

一住寒山萬事休，更無雜念挂心頭。
閒於石壁題詩句，任運還同不繫舟。

http://www.oocities.org/taurus_soul/poem103.html

蘇東坡

廬山煙雨浙江潮，未到千般恨不消；到得原來無別事，廬山煙雨浙江潮。

http://www.worldofmastermind.com/?p=163

正訛集

寂滅為樂

世人見釋氏號臨終為「涅槃」，因為佛以死為樂。而引儒典「死反吾真」之言，證佛經「寂滅為樂」之旨，此訛也。梵語「涅槃」，此云“寂滅」。「寂滅」者，生滅既滅，寂滅現前。蓋是無生無滅，無去無來，前古後今之所不能代謝，成劫壞劫之所不能推遷。真常獨露，苦樂雙亡，故名曰樂。六祖云：「無上大涅槃，圓明常寂照。」正明照之極。乃錯認為死耶？若以死為樂，則宜速死以返吾真，而不可一朝生矣。是「斷滅」、「枯滅」、「絕滅」、「灰滅」之「滅」也，安得濫語佛之「寂滅」？

《高王觀世音經》

又《高王觀世音經》，世傳高王誦之脫難，此訛也。其經鄙俚，不成文義，不知譯自何代。以理斷之，即是《法華·普門品》耳。高王仗此脫難，故以為名。後人不知，別造偽語，稱《高王經》。因名迷義，俗所不覺。

註:非也，有寶藏官孫敬德以此經脫難，賴高歡免死之。

乘急戒緩

古有乘戒緩急四種料揀。解者曰：「乘急戒緩，勝戒急乘緩。」狂人遂謂戒不足持，此訛也。凡欲彰顯殊勝，詞必曲為抑揚。如永明「無禪有淨土」之類是也，非謂禪可輕也。且彼以何為乘？以何為戒？得無以通達教理為乘，謹守律儀為戒乎？是未知「乘」之義也。云“乘急」者，蓋念念全修般若真智，非不持戒。專其本根，略其支末耳。心地一徹，六度萬行剎那具足。彼但執戒相而不明心地，止人天福報而已。乘急之勝，蓋勝以此。使乘未相應，則生死到來，全需戒力。而欲緩之，危哉！

註:「無禪有淨土」應是元僧託永明名所作。

齋僧無漏功德

有僧開諭施主，謂：「種種作福，俱有敗毀，是為有漏。唯齋僧為無漏功德。」此訛也。達磨對武帝，以造寺、寫經等事，為人天小果有漏之因，而齋僧在其中矣。孰曰齋僧獨無漏耶？彼意謂造寺，寺頹則福亦頹。寫經，經滅則福亦滅。唯齋僧不然。噫！獨不曰齋僧，僧亡則福亦亡乎？究極而論，住相作福皆名有漏，不住相者悉成無漏，豈獨齋僧也？

無 漏

又有以保全精氣，不令走失，當羅漢無漏之果，此訛也。妄想盡處，方名無漏。精氣何足以當之？就令全精全氣全神，所謂「諸漏已盡，無復煩惱」者安在？遂使愚人以咽納搬運為道，匪直害其正見，兼或損其色身。悲夫！

煉 磨

邇來煉磨場，法久弊生。專以躑躅喊叫，煉去睡魔為事，此訛也。煉者，熔粗雜而作精純。磨者，去瑕垢而成瑩潔。古謂「煉磨真性若虛空，自然戰退魔軍陣」者是也，非煉去睡魔便為了當。煉磨場中不可不知此意。

活 焚

有魔人灌油疊薪，活焚其軀。觀者驚嘆，以為得道，此訛也。凡人念有所著，則魔從生。一念慕活焚為奇勝，慕之不已，魔入其心而不自覺。端坐火中，似無所苦，不知魔力所加，暫得如是。氣絕魔去，慘毒痛苦，不可雲喻。百劫千生，常在火中，號呼奔走，為橫死鬼。良可悲悼。或曰：經稱「藥王焚身」如何？噫！青蠅何上擬金翅耶？藥王焚身，光明照耀，歷多劫而周十方。彼活焚者，光及幾許？圭峰之徒，燃臂慶法，清涼猶切戒不可。況燃身乎？溫陵謂「苦因還招苦果」，信夫！

以通為道

今人好奇，見有顯異惑眾者便雲有道，此訛也。「道」與「通」自別。眼徹視、耳徹聽者，通也。入色界，眼不受色惑；入聲界，耳不受聲惑者，道也。如以通而已矣，神亦有通，鬼亦有通，妖亦有通，與道何涉？認通為道，遂至墮魔羅境，生外道種。可勿慎諸？

天台止觀


天台大師《止觀禪要》有「六字氣」等語，人遂疑是導引之術，而欲援釋入道，此訛也。「六字氣」等，自是治病門中聊備一法，不是止觀正意。止亂觀昏，定慧圓顯，直入佛境，大師本致也。而恐不善用心者或有病生，並教以治之之法。亦止觀廣大，無所不攝。非同道流，專以吐納搬運為道也。臨文者自當得意。

《無為卷》

有羅姓人，造五部六冊，號《無為卷》，愚者多從之，此訛也。彼所云無為者，不過將萬行門悉皆廢置。而不知萬行即空，終日為而未嘗為者，真無為也。彼口談清虛，而心圖利養，名無為而實有為耳。人見其雜引佛經，便謂亦是正道。不知假正助邪，誑嚇聾瞽。凡我釋子，宜力攘之。

亡 僧

世人見僧有臨終病苦者，便議其不得道，此訛也。病關往業，古聖之所不免。佛示頭痛，況其餘乎？病而不為病累，是名得道。如云“老僧自有安閑法，八苦交煎總不妨」是也。至於坐立吉祥，亦不足以是評品優劣。古謂：「坐脫立亡則不無，先師意未夢見在。」豈虛語哉？修行人唯務打徹生死大事，毋滯外跡而生異見。

48 Vows of Amitabha

In Infinite Life Sutra,  Sakyamuni Buddha talked about the 48 vows of the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, before he became Amitabha. Here below is one of them:

If, when I attain Buddhahood, women in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, rejoice in faith, awaken aspiration for the Enlightenment and wish to renounce womanhood, should after death be reborn again as women, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.

I think the teachings is based on the relatively lower social status in ancient India. Even today, we often hear horrible hardships on women in India. However, if we go to any Buddhist centers in US, you can see a relatively larger number of female practitioners. The wishes to be reborn as a man should not be as strong as those whom are under hardships in an environment without much equal rights. So, I guess we need to absorb the teachings and determine those that are suitable in our environment.

一心不亂

此故事可謂念佛誦經人之警也，慎之。

誦經雜話

總戎戚公，素持金剛經。其守越之三江也，有亡卒致夢云：「明當遣妻詣公，乞為誦經一卷，以資冥道。」翌日，果有婦人悲泣求見。詰之，如夢中語。公諾之，晨起誦經。夜夢卒云：「荷公大恩，然僅得半卷，以於中雜『不用』二字。」公思其故，乃內人使侍婢送茶餅，公遙見，揮手卻之，口雖不言，心謂不用。次早，閉戶誦經。是夜，夢卒謝云：「已獲超拔。」此予親聞於三江僧東林，東林誠篤有道行，不妄語者。憶！誦經僧可不慎歟？！

The way I see afterlife

Unlike ancient people, we live in an information explosion age. We get to know so many different religions in the world. I try to square them with my belief. I have this excerpt from 蓮池大師's 竹窗隨筆:

天說（一）

一老宿言：「有異域人為天主之教者，子何不辯？」予以為教人敬天，善事也，奚辯焉？老宿曰：「彼欲以此移風易俗，而兼之毀佛謗法，賢士良友多信奉者故也。」因出其書示予，乃略辯其一二：彼雖崇事天主，而天之說實所未諳。按經以證：彼所稱天主者，忉利天王也。一四天下，三十三天之主也。此一四天下，從一數之而至於千，名小千世界，則有千天主矣。又從一小千數之而復至於千，名中千世界，則有百萬天主矣。又從一中千數之而復至於千，名大千世界，則有萬億天主矣。統此三千大千世界者，大梵天王是也。彼所稱最尊無上之天主，梵天視之，略似周天子視千八百諸侯也。彼所知者，萬億天主中之一耳，餘欲界諸天皆所未知也。又上而色界諸天，又上而無色界諸天，皆所未知也。又言天主者，無形、無色、無聲；則所謂天者，理而已矣，何以御臣民、施政令、行賞罰乎？彼雖聰慧，未讀佛經，何怪乎立言之舛也。現前信奉士友，皆正人君子，表表一時，眾所仰瞻以為向背者，予安得避逆耳之嫌，而不一罄其忠告乎？惟高明下擇芻蕘而電察焉。

Basically, he is saying that the God (in Christianity sense) is the 忉利天王. From 淨土思想, we know that we have to 一心念佛 to 往生淨土. Similarly, if one has 貪嗔癡 when dying, one will easily be reborn in 三惡道. In Christianity, one has to let God be in oneself in order to enter God's realm. This is consistent with the idea of using 心力 to choose your next life. So, I guess 心力 is amazing. It will determine whether you go to 西方淨土, 東方淨土, 三善道, 三惡道, 三十三天, etc.

This is only my way of seeing it. I guess there is no proof and no credibility for many people. It all depends on one's faith, doesn't it? I have faith in 西方淨土思想 from 三經一論 and that is all I can say. I don't want to judge people by asserting/hinting where they will go after life since 心力不可思議. I don't even know mine and why I would know other's. I only have faith in mine and hopefully, my faith will cover others.

竹窗三筆

制心

或問: “ 心念紛飛,當作何方便? ” 予曰: “ 佛言心者,制之一處,無事不辦。 ” 或曰: “ 得無類告子之強制其心而不動乎? ”“ 是不然。 告子之不動心,念起即遏,遏捺令靜。 今之制心,是制使歸於一處,不雜用心。 則彼是灰心不起,此是用心不二。 彼是豁達空,此是思惟修。 兩不同途,未可並論。一處功成,則隨其所習百千三昧靡不具足,故曰無事不辦。 彼之強制,只辦得一味頑定,何能有此功德?雖然,此猶是學人初做工夫方便,非為究竟。本來無一物,何處惹塵埃,安所云制?又安求所謂處也? ” 或曰: “ 本來無一物,何處惹塵埃,則全是空寂境界,卻正同於告子之不動心矣。 ” 曰: “ 告子遏捺其心,使之不動。曹溪無心可動,不須遏捺,烏得同? ”

大鑒大通(一)

大鑒能禪師世稱南宗,大通秀禪師世稱北宗。然黃梅衣缽不付 “ 時時勤拂拭 ” 之大通,而獨付 “ 本來無一物 ” 之大鑒,何宗鏡錄謂大鑒止具一隻眼,大通則雙眼圓明?信如是,何以不得衣缽?夫曹溪親接黃梅,遠承達摩,又遠之承迦葉,又遠之承釋迦,乃永明傳道于天臺韶國師,而為此說者何也?抑隨時救弊之說也?昔人言晉宋以來,競以禪觀相高,而不復知直指人心見性成佛之旨,故初祖西來。至永明時,又或以為一悟即了,故宗鏡及萬善同歸等書力贊修持,則似乎南宗專於頓悟,而北宗頓悟漸修、 智行雙備,故有只眼雙眼之喻。萬松老人獨奮筆曰:此一隻眼。是之謂盡大地是沙門一隻眼也,是之謂把定乾坤眼也,是之謂頂門金剛眼也。 倘新學輩諸淺見者,執宗鏡所云,作實法會,則大鑒止是空諦,而大通方始是中道第一義諦,可乎?或曰: “ 曹溪六代傳衣,舉世靡不知之。而當是時,何為惟見兩京法主、二帝門師,北宗大著於天下,而不及曹溪者,又何也? ” 曰:曹溪既承印記,秘其衣缽,為獵人守網,潛光匿彩,至於一十八年,大通之道盛行,曹溪之名未顯也。迨風幡之對,而後道播萬世矣!曹溪潛龍深淵,不自炫耀;大通見龍在田,不自滿盈,其言曰: “ 彼親傳吾師衣缽者也。 ” 蓋善知識之相與以有成也如是。

竹窗隨筆

近讀蓮池大師之竹窗隨筆,頗近今人所謂之語錄.謹取一二相和應者以備聊:

空所空盡

或曰：老子清靜經云「觀空亦空，空無所空」等語，即楞嚴「空所空盡」之義。予謂：楞嚴初云「動靜二相，了然不生」，今以清靜名經，是動相不生而靜相猶生也。靜且未空，尚何論空空？

廣覽

看經須是周遍廣博，方得融貫，不致偏執。蓋經有此處建立、彼處掃蕩，此處掃蕩、彼處建立，隨時逐機，無定法故。假使只看楞嚴，見勢至不入圓通，而不廣覽稱讚淨土諸經，便謂念佛法門不足尚矣！只看達磨對梁帝語，見功德不在作福，而不廣覽六度萬行諸經，便謂有為福德皆可廢矣！反而觀之，執淨土非禪宗，執有為非無為，亦復如是。喻如讀醫書不廣者，但見治寒用桂附而斥芩連，治虛用參耆而斥枳朴，不知芩連枳朴亦有時當用，而桂附參耆亦有時當斥也。是故執醫之一方者誤色身，執經之一義者誤慧命。予嘗謂六祖壇經不可使無智人觀之，正慮其執此而廢彼也。

謀斷

古稱玄齡善謀，如晦善斷。蓋謀與斷當兼備而不可一缺者。予於事，多有見之極明，而持之不武，以此致誤，常悔之恨之。故禪門貴悲智雙足。而謀與斷，俱智所攝。謀而乏斷，正能見而不能持也，此終是智淺而不深，偏而不全耳。大宜勉旃！

果報（一）

經言：「萬法唯心。」錯會者，謂無心則無因無果，故不患有業，唯患有心；有業無心，閻老子其奈我何？遂安意造業，無復顧忌。不知無心有二：如理思惟，用心之極，而自然入於無心三昧者，真無心也。起心造業，又起心制心，強制令無，似得無心，心恰成有；心有則業有，閻老子鐵棒未放汝在。

果報（二）

又經言：「具足智慧菩薩脫使墮落，在畜生中，畜生中王；在餓鬼中，餓鬼中王。」錯會者謂有智則能轉業，故不患有業，唯患無智；有業有智，閻老子其奈我何？遂安意造業，無復顧忌。不知經稱智慧，非等閑世智之謂也。且汝智慧，得如文殊身子否？縱不及此，次而下
之，得如善星、調達否？善星博學十八香象所載法聚，調達得羅漢神通，而俱不免生陷地獄，況汝智慧未必勝此二人乎！杯水不能熄車薪之火，螢光不能破幽谷之昏，今之小智，滅業幾何？閻老子鐵棒，未放汝在。

惺寂

止觀之貴均等，尚矣！聖人復起，不能易矣！或有稍緩急於其間者曰：「經言『因定發慧』，則止為要。」以是相沿成習，修行之人，多主寂靜。唯永嘉既為惺惺寂寂、寂寂惺惺之說，以明均等；而後文曰：「惺惺為正，寂寂為助。」則迥然獨得之見，從古至今，無道及者。自後宗門教人看話頭，以期徹悟，而妙喜呵默照為邪禪，正此意也。是故佛稱大覺，眾生稱不覺。覺者，惺也。永嘉之旨微乎？！

見僧過

世有言：「人不宜見僧過，見僧過得罪。」然孔子聖人也，幸人知過；季路賢者也，喜過得聞。何僧之畏人知而不欲聞也？蓋不見僧過，為白衣言耳，非為僧言也。僧賴有此，罔行而無忌。則此語者，白衣之良劑，而僧之砒酖矣！悲夫！

心不在內

楞嚴徵心，謂心不在內者，指真心也；若妄想心，則亦可云在內。此意微妙，未易與不知者道。世書曰：「心藏神。」神即妄想別名，其所稱心，則肉團之謂耳。有義學輩聞予言，搖首不信。今請以事明之：人熟寐，戲以物壓其心則魘；或自手誤掩其心亦魘；又戲畫睡人面，有至魘死者，此在內之明徵也。義學曰：「如是，則真妄成二物矣！」曰：「子徒知真妄不二，不知真妄一而常二、二而常一也。不觀水與冰乎？水冰不二，孰不知之？而水既成冰，水流動而無定方，冰凝實而有常所；真無方，妄有所，亦猶是也。從真起妄，妄外無真，由水結冰，冰外無水，故其體常一而用常二也。」義學曰：「此子臆見，終違楞嚴，有據則可。」曰：「有據。據在楞嚴，諸君自不察耳。經云：『一迷為心，決定惑為色身之內。雖在色身之內，不妨體遍十方；正遍十方之時，不妨現在身內。』此意妄想破盡者方能證之，吾與子尚在妄想中，葛藤且止。」

生死根本

黃魯直之言曰：「深求禪悅，照破生死之根，則憂畏淫怒無處著腳。但枯其根，枝葉自瘁。」此至論也，但未明言孰為生死根者。又「禪悅」下，要緊在「照破」字。若得禪悅便謂至足，則內守幽閒，正生死根耳。須是窮參力究，了了見自本性，則生死無處著腳。生死尚無處著腳，憂畏淫怒何由而生？

Mind Games by John Lennon

Mind Games (Lyrics):

We're playing those mind games together
Pushing the barriers, planting seeds
Playing the mind guerrilla
Chanting the mantra, peace on earth
We all been playing those mind games forever
Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil
Doing the mind guerrilla
Some call it magic, the search for the grail
Love is the answer and you know that for sure
Love is a flower, you got to let it, you got to let it grow
So keep on playing those mind games together
Faith in the future, outta the now
You just can't beat on those mind guerrillas
Absolute elsewhere in the stones of your mind
Yeah we're playing those mind games forever
Projecting our images in space and in time
Yes is the answer and you know that for sure
Yes is surrender, you got to let it, you got to let it go
So keep on playing those mind games together
Doing the ritual dance in the sun
Millions of mind guerrillas
Putting their soul power to the karmic wheel
Keep on playing those mind games forever
Raising the spirit of peace and love
Love...
(I want you to make love, not war, I know you've heard it before)

--------

I knew this song for many years but I misunderstood the lyrics back then. Thanks to auto-shuffling of my music service, the song popped-up while I was driving home from meditation practice around a month ago. Yesterday, it suddenly became clear to me what this song is about. E.g., "Chanting the mantra, peace on earth", "Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil", "Projecting our images in space and in time", "you got to let it, you got to let it go". I think he wrote down his meditation experience.

Though Mr. Lennon raised up in Catholicism, he said, "But the whole religion business suffers from the 'Onward, Christian Soldiers' bit. There's too much talk about soldiers and marching and converting. I'm not pushing Buddhism, because I'm no more a Buddhist than I am a Christian, but there's one thing I admire about the religion [Buddhism]: There's no proselytizing." (link)

In here, it claimed John finished this song after reading "Mind Games: The Guide to Inner Space by Robert Masters and Jean Houston (1972)". However, John (and Beatles) went to India to learn meditation back in 1968. It was four years before the book's publication. Therefore, I put the book's influence on the song in a smaller role. I didn't see anyone else talking about this song's connection with meditation. So, I would like to write it down here.

Why did Buddha teach?

...

The question, O me! so sad, recurring -- What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here -- that life exists, and identity;

That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

....

The above is an excerpt of Walt Whitman's poem, "O Me!  O Life!". It is probably the most popular poem nowadays, made famous by the movie Dead Poets Society and in turn, Apple's iPad commercial.

As a Buddhist, we know the Buddha's answer to life is the Dharma. But why did he spread the Dharma? Right after the enlightenment before the first sermon, Buddha Sakyamuni hesitated to teach. Supposing you are wearing his shoe, you are free of attachment. Was concerning sentient beings' sufferings an attachment? So, why did he teach?

In Why Did Brahmā Ask the Buddha to Teach?, Dhivan Thomas Jones mentioned the possibility that the hesitation was added later for the Buddhist to claim superiority over Hinduism since the Brahmā was subjected to the teachings of the Buddha. I doubt the assertion since it also means that the Buddha strove for fame. One can also say that the Buddha did that because it was a skillful mean for people to realize the Dharma's superiority. Recalling the story where the Buddha asked some would-be followers to respect their original teachers instead of him, I would say this was not his wish.

In Why the Buddha “Hesitated” To Teach, the author quoted that the Brahmā said there were those "with little dust in their eyes” for Dharma to teach. The Buddha surveyed the world with the "Buddha Eye" and concluded with 3 fields parable. For the sake of the rich fields (ready for harvest), for the love of the medium fields (waiting for cultivation by the wise farmer) and for the thought of the poor fields (cultivated only after the better ones have been cultivated) that the Buddha resolved “to set the Wheel of Truth in motion.” To declare the Dharma to all, the Buddha sees the world as "a single mission field."

He declared: "In this blind world, I will beat the Drum of Deathlessness!"

Unlike the previous Buddha Vipassī, he taught. The Brahmā asked and I think this is the reason.

In Ch'an (Zen) Koan, the question "Why did the Bodhidharma come from the west?" is a recurring topic. Even he arrived the east, he gazed the wall for 9 years before Huike asked for the Dharma. If Hukie hadn't asked, there would have been a different Ch'an. In other words, it is the ripening of Karma seeds (when someone asks for it) that constitutes the teaching.

So, I go back to Walt Whitman. His answer to life is to contribute a verse. Without "that life exists", one couldn't contribute a verse. Without the Buddha's life, without Brahmā asking for teaching, we wouldn't have the Dharma. The teachers didn't strive for teaching. When causes and conditions are ripen, they would “set the Wheel of Truth in motion.”

When causes and conditions are ripen, when you ask, Avalokiteśvara will help (see 妙法蓮華經觀世音菩薩普門品).

When causes and conditions are ripen, do you leave your dust there or do you ask for the broom?

Pure Land

I learned a lot about Pure Land Buddhism recently. Their reason is simple. The solo effort to get enlighten is difficult. We are not as smart as the Buddha after all. So, practitioners have wishes to be born again in the Pure Land, a land of tremendous affluence, which supports easy enlightenment. The criteria is to have Amitabha in one's mind in every moment and especially, in the time the imminent death. I once heard people comparing the similarities between Pure Land Buddhism and the Jesus's teaching, one needs to let God enter and live within you. And, you can go to heaven when you pass away. I am sure there are many differences though.

But among all these Tientai, Mind-only, Chan schools, it seems that Pure Land is the simplest way to attend to people's need. I guess I also have a doubt about my intellectual ability and time. There are just too many things to study in Buddhism. A monk in 拉卜楞寺 needed to spend 40 years to study in order to gain his Buddhist degree in the documentary 千年菩提路.

So, I read 印光大師文鈔菁華錄 and according to 示修持方法, build a 儀軌 in epub. Download here.

ASTRID: (starts a computer search) You mean you think that someone made him crazy on purpose?
WALTER: (casual) It's a theory. The truth is there is no cure for madness -- it's a fantasy. The road back from madness is a struggle. Only the luckiest of people find their way, more or less, back to the world you live in. And from what we saw of Mister Slater, well, my only supposition is that he wasn't mad to begin with.

There is some truth in this regular TV script. The road back from madness is a struggle. What is your struggle?

Amitabha Puja

I am practicing Amitabha puja. I got the impression that the practice was for the swift rebirth of our master, Shamar Rinpoche. However, the more I practice, the more I think it is for the benefits of the practitioner. My points are:
1. Shamar Rinpoche is supposed to be able to choose the rebirth place & time when & wherever he wants. I trust he will choose wisely.
2. SR should be a living Bodhisattva. The chanting will not get him more enlighten but for us, the practitioner, to get enlighten.
3. The practice is dedicated to all living beings.

I came across this 開示 by 虛雲和尚 which matches my thoughts:

五日，師開示云：「佛菩薩豈要人念？只緣眾生障重，佛菩薩指示種種法門。念佛菩薩聖號，不過令眾生澄清妄念，徹見本來耳。所謂清珠投於濁水，濁水不得不清；佛號投於妄心，妄心不得不淨。蓋人如果以一菩薩之聖號，都攝六根，淨念相繼，則當下自與佛菩薩無異。」

六祖壇經、機緣品

六祖壇經、機緣品﹕

「有僧舉臥輪禪師偈曰﹕『臥輪有伎倆，能斷百思想，對境心不起，菩提日月長。』

師聞之，曰﹕『此偈未明心地。若依而行之，是加繫縛。』

因示一偈曰﹕『惠能沒伎倆，不斷百思想，對境心數起，菩提作麼長』」

無念者，不是一個念頭不起，而是念起不隨，事來不住。一點不動，那就成了死屍，還有什麼用？！

離無念，誰無生，莫將鏡影認作真。

凡夫當然是有念頭、有生死的，那我們悟道之後呢？是不是一個念頭不生呢？這句話大家都以為，悟道之後當然是沒有念頭了，念頭不生了。那就錯了！無念不是一個念頭不生，而是生如不生叫無念，生而無住，不停留，是為不生。惠能大師不是說「不斷百思想」，「對境心數起」嘛。「不斷百思想」還是有思想啊，「對境心數起」還是要起念頭啊。所以我們要認識正路，不要認錯路，以為是沒有念頭，死在那裏不動。「誰無念，誰無生」，念頭一起知道了，不跟它走、不停留，就是無念；無生，生生不已無所住叫無生，不是斷絕種姓叫無生。

Dream

I dreamt of my old friend on 6/6/14. In the dream, I asked about her father's health. She said he passed away in "May", some time between 14th to 15th.

Incidentally, Shangpa Rinpoche had teachings in Pasadena from 6/6 to 6/8. I thought it was just a dream to remind me about the possibility of seeing her. So, I didn't bother to call. However, I didn't see her in the teaching. My curiosity overcame me and I decided to text. She said there was no bad news. So, I thought it was an incorrect dream. I was so wrong.

On 6/11, Shamar Rinpoche unexpectedly passed away in Germany. I went to regular weekly Bodhi Path Pasadena meeting the same night for a special ritual practice for the loss. I met my old friend this time. We had the refuge vow together with Shamar Rinpoche years ago. She put the dream in a different perspective. She said "father" might mean the Rinpoche and "May" might mean Chinese calendar's 5th month. I checked and 6/11 is the 14th day of the 5th Month. (For Tibetan calendar, 6/11 is 13th day of 4th month).

Yesterday, 6/23, I dreamt of Shamar Rinpoche. When mentioning about his students, he said: "I shall call them 'my son'".

One may say the more recent dream is a make-believe to the perspective proposed by my old friend. However, the dream on 6/6 seems to be a correct prediction. I feel obliged to write them down.

A Few Things I Know About Shamar Rinpoche

Today is the sixth day after Shamar Rinpoche passed away on 6/11/14. I have read a few eulogies and attended two sermons in remembrance of him. Unlike some sangha members, I didn't get too emotional on the loss. However, there are a few things that I haven't seen from other writings. So, I would like to write down my own.

When I decided to explore more about Buddhism many years ago, I came across "The Karmapa Paper" in a small library. Being both a history & detective novel addict, the Karmapa controversy has all the interesting elements: betrayal, greed, political conspiracy. I also know that there are two sides of the stories. There must be lairs there. I just don't know whom. However, putting aside who is the real Karmapa, Shamar Rinpoche needed to stand up against the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government and Tai Situ Rinpoche about the recognition of Trinley Thaye Dorje as the 17th Karmapa. To withstand the storms, he was either a determined liar or a determined monk. Through the years, I have taken the latter stand. Why? You can see my reason below.

I waited a year for his visit to US. There were many devotees in the Bunea Park center. With my little doubt, I took the refuge vow from him anyway for I didn't want to spoil the big ceremony. I confided my hesitation to CC afterwards. She was surprised and thought I always wanted it. I should have told her earlier. Her silent support was thanked silently.

In the text we recited during the ceremony, one part was about dedication to the masters, one by one. He asked us to take out the current Karmapa. His reason was that there was a controversy behind the identification. There was no need to introduce confusion. As a supporter of Trinley Thaye Dorje, I thought he would do the opposite. I believe he did it to protect his student's devotion.

They said it would require a master & a student to check against each other. I began to track his activities on the web. I heard that there was some advanced Varjayana practice that would be considered as sexual activities. Then, I heard about a scandal in France. I am glad that there was no connivance and it was handled promptly even without the public pressure. One lama was put into solitude and stripped of teaching activities. Later, I saw his announcement about turning Bodhi Path centers into Mahayana teaching without Varjayana. He mentioned about slanted Westerners' view about sex and by being a Mahayana center, no more confusion is possible.

A while later, he took away the "lama" title from many teachers in our centers. He said it would avoid confusion with the lamas who strictly follow the precepts in the monastery. I admire his courage since people make easy conclusion from the "lama" label. Many famous lama out there couldn't simply follow a monk's precepts at all. It is more like a marketing keyword than a qualification for teaching Dharma. Without a lama title, it is a good move to clear confusion though not necessary good for publicity.

Then, he asked people not to call him "His Holiness". I couldn't agree more. I don't believe a monk is a king and it still strike me uneasy when I see the "H.E." or "H.H." title before any monk, no matter which religion. Are the monks supposed to have no attachment to worldly fame and fortune? With that title, I feel it is counter-productive. He is the first one in public to do so.

Several years past, the sangha has been praising him but I haven't had a chance to talk to him in person until this March. He came to the states for a book signing tour. He stopped by Pasadena and asked us to meet in RF's home. I was the first one to arrive. They have just finished the dinner. I haven't had dinner yet. RF generously offered the dinner to me. Shamar Rinpoche asked me to come to him for my questions. I felt it would be impolite to ask questions while eating. So, I stayed in the dining room and told him I would be in the living room right after the dinner. He then walked from the living room to dining room to attend my questions. I felt honored and appreciate his humbleness.

Some people are writing about miracles around him. I couldn't tell what is miracle and what is not. (In fact, CC or CS would know there might be a miracle when I first read "The Karmapa Paper" in Mi Piace the time I first came to Bodhi Path center. But I don't feel there is a need to put it here). So, I could only write about my concerns that is common to be seen. I don't know about the identity of Karmapa. He changed the text to address it. I worried about the sex scandal. He changed the centers to non-cult, Mahayana centers. I felt weird about the "H.H." title. He dropped it. I didn't raise these concerns to the teachers and he addressed them all already. I develop a trust of his judgement. From the roots he built, I feel comfortable with the Bodhi Path and would wait for his next reincarnation. I hope my last doubt about reincarnation will be eradicated then.

Om Ami Devi Hrih

I had a dream last night: I was in a fancy hotel preparing to see the Karmapa in an event. I came across my old co-worker, Raymond, whom was a Christian and also, a polite gentleman. We exchanged gratitudes. To my surprise, he wanted to see the Karmapa too. I offered to lead him the way to the monk. The dream ended here.

I thought about the dream this mornng. I've never seen the Karmapa in person. My abysmal achievement in Buddhism might not be a good reflection to share, not to mention to lead. I could only have offered to walk beside him to the monk if I have had the chance. Years ago, when I had a fall-out with a friend, I ridiculed at her pride of leading me to the God by abasing her demeanor, which was not what the religion taught. Many years later, I clearly see even my dream has this same pride. How could I abase the others?

Incidentally, I re-watched the HBO miniseries "The Pacific" tonight. To quote a line from the character:

"The jungle holds both beauty and terror in its depths, most terrible of which is man. We have met the enemy and have learned nothing more about him. I have, however, learned some things about myself. There are things men can do to one another that are sobering to the soul. It is one thing to reconcile these things with God, but another to square it with yourself."

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0189200/quotes

Talked about Chinese ebook

We need fonts to display old text (esp. Traditional Chinese). Here is a really nice TTF Chinese Font:

http://babelfonts.blogspot.com/2010/07/babelstone-han.html

Follow up

I downloaded eye chart from here to check my eye sight every day since the surgery. Here were the results:

2/1: ~20/100
2/2: ~20/80
2/3: ~20/70-20/50
2/4: ~20/60-20/50
2/5: same
2/6: 20/50-20/40
2/7: 20/50-20/30
2/8: 20/40-20/30
2/9: 20/40-20/26

Beside following doctor's instructions to put in eye drops, I went to Costco/Sam's Club to buy all those multi-vitamin, vitamin C, fish oil, flaxseed oil. I saw somewhere that these might help.

Eye Surgery

Yesterday, 1/31/09, I went to have Lasek surgery with Dr. Alexandra Chebil. It was not the normal Lasik procedure that most people have. Because of my high prescription, she recommends Lasek. It takes longer to recover the vision but safer. The machine operated 62 seconds on my right eye and 66 seconds on my left eye. Up until now, my vision is around 20/100 to 20/120, my vision should be much better on Tuesday when Dr. Chebil removes my protective contact lens.