Understanding Pure Land Sect (Part 8) Other Methods of Practice in Pure Land Buddhism Apart from the Buddha Remembrance or ‘Nien-fo’ [念佛], there are other methods of practice in Pure Land Buddhism. Recitation of Mantra Recitation of Mantra is one of the essential methods of practice in Esoteric Buddhism. A Mantra […]
26 Successful People who used to be Failures in their Lives Behind the glory of success is often the stories of failures and adversities. Failure is nothing to be ashamed of. All successful people fail in many areas of their lives. Most important of all is to move on with […]
Understanding San Lun Sect (Part 1) Name San-lun [三論] is a pronunciation of the Chinese words, which means Three Shastras, or Three Treatises, so this sect is also known as Three Shastra Sect, or Three Treatise Sect. Like many other sects, the three shastras are the principal texts of this sect, […]
Conversion of Shariputra’s Mother to the Triple Gem At the time of this last visit in the last year of the Buddha’s life, the Buddha’s son Rahula and the Buddha’s first disciple Ajnata Kaundinya had already passed away. The Buddha’s foster-mother and aunt, Mahaprajapati, and his wife, Yashodhara, […]
Understanding Pure Land Sect (Part 7) Types of Buddha Remembrance As stated in the Sutra, “A single perfectly sincere repetition of the name ‘Amitabha Buddha’ obliterates the grave wrongdoings of eighty trillion eons of birth and death.” The practitioner should believe this statement in deep faith, without worrying how deep […]
Buddha’s Teachings in the Pali Canon Series: Seven Treasures of Virtue Quotes by eminent Buddhist teachers such as 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, Thich Nhat Hanh, Master Hsing Yun, Venerable Cheng Yen, 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje as well as Daisaku Ikeda are predominantly about nuggets of wisdom related […]
Understanding Tibetan Buddhism (Part 6) Tantric Initiation After the preliminary practices, the formal Tantric practice begins with initiation. Initiation [灌頂] is known as Abhiseka in Sanskrit, which literally means ‘sprinkling’. It is a kind of enpowerment [加持力] by a master called Guru. The emphasis on the need of a guru […]
The Nine Methods of Practicing the Lotus Sutra “….In essence, I have revealed and expounded all the teachings of Tathagata, all the effortless divine powers of Tathagata, all the Secret Treasuries of Tathagata, and all the profound historical events of Tathagatas in the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, after the parinirvana […]
Understanding Pure Land Sect (Part 6) Nine Classes for the Rebirth in Pure Land According to the Contemplation Sutra, there are three grades [三輩], each with three forms of rebirth, so that there are nine classes [九品] of people can be reborn in Sukhavati in different manners. It describes the […]
Jataka Tale: The Careless Lion Once upon a time, the Five Training Steps were not yet known in the world. There was a very wealthy man living in Benares who owned a large herd of cattle. He hired a man to look after them. During the time of year […]
