No.,176 - The Gift of Giving Freely.

The Gift of Giving Freely.

When we’re giving, we’re coming from a premise of abundance,

And we’re acknowledging that abundance, and that acknowledgement

creates the space for even more abundance to flow into our lives.

There’s nothing that you give that you won’t experience. It’s like if you smile at someone, you get the feeling of smile. Or if you give laughter, you’re the one who’s laughing. Or if you give love, you’re feeling the love because it’s flowing through you and it comes back.

No.175 - The Abhidhamma

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When giving the Abhidhamma discourse, because it was very lengthy, the Buddha spoke incessantly day & night like a stream running down a mountain rapidly without stopping. When it was time for alms round, while giving the discourse, the Buddha created a Replica of Himself and made a resolution that the Replica of Buddha would give the discourse on a specific part of Abhidhamma desana; then he went to Anotatta Lake on earth.

The Replica of Buddha (nimmita) had exactly the same experience and behavior as the Sabbannu (Omniscient) Buddha with the 6 rays of the Buddha and some devas and Brahmas who did not possess much power did not know that He was the Replica of Buddha. But powerful devas and Brahmas knew that the Replica of Buddha was giving the discourse and the Sabbannu Buddha had gone to the human abode for alms-food.

After taking a bath at the Anotatta Lake, the Buddha went to the northern-island continent for alms-food, came back to Anotatta Lake, ate His meal and rested in the sandal-wood grove. At that time, Ashin Sariputta came to the Buddha to do the necessary chores.

The Buddha would tell Ashin Sariputta which portion of the Abhidhamma desana was being delivered at the Tavatimsa as though giving instructions. Ashin Sariputta, being pre-eminent (etadagga) in wisdom understood everything that was being given in the discourse at Tavatimsa.

The Buddha rested in the sandal-wood grove every day, giving Ashin Sariputta the discourse on Abhidhamma briefly that was being delivered at Tavatimsa. But Ashin Sariputta learnt it elaborately. After learning, he taught his 500 disciples who had already had the foundation in Abhidhamma in their past lives as bats.

The 500 disciples had been 500 bats living on the walls of a cave during the time of Kassapa Buddha. Two of Kassapa Buddha’s disciples went into the cave where the 500 bats were staying and recited the Abhidhamma desana. While listening to their recitation, the 500 hundred bats passed away.

The bats did not understand whether it was dhamma, kusala (wholesome) or akusala (unwholesome) at that time. All they knew was that the sounds were pleasant as they passed away listening. Because of the power of Abhidhamma desana, they were reborn in the realm of the devas. Between the time of Kassapa Buddha and Gotama Buddha, they were reborn repeatedly only in the abode of the celestials and never in the woeful states.

When Gotama was enlightened as Buddha, they were reborn in the human world. They revered the Buddha’s glory and supernormal powers and were ordained as monks with Ashin Sariputta as their instructor in Gotama Buddha’s sasana. Ashin Sariputta taught his 500 disciples the Abhidhamma discourse which he had learnt from the Buddha every day. The 500 disciples learnt Abhidhamma very quickly as they had the necessary foundation during the time of Kassapa Buddha.

By the time when the Buddha finished delivering the Abhidhamma desana, the 500 monks had learnt the Abhidhamma (contained in 7 books) almost spontaneously. When the discourse of Abhidhamma desana came to an end, on the Fullmoon Day of Thadingyut, 80 thousands koti (1 koti = 10 millions) devas and Brahmas were liberated. The Buddha’s former mother Santusita Deva also became a stream-winner (Sotapanna).

When the Buddha had finished delivering Abhidhamma desana, He told the king of the celestial that He would return to earth. Thus, the King of the celestials created the 3 stairways beginning from the top of the great Mount Meru to the city gate of Sankassa on earth – a stairway of gold on the right side, a stairway of silver on the left and a stairway of rubies in the middle.

The Buddha let the 6 colorful rays emanate from the body and from the top of the great Mount Meru. He then descended by the middle stairway of rubies to the city gate of Sankassa on earth. The deva audience accompanied the Buddha from the right side by the golden stairway, paying homage by playing celestial musical instruments and fanning the Buddha. From the left stairway of silver, the Brahmas shading the Buddha with white umbrellas accompanied the Buddha.

Because of the glory and supernormal powers of the Buddha, from the highest Brahma realm – Akanittha to the lowest – Aviji apaya, and from the 4 cardinal points to the 10 directions and all the thousands of worlds were visible vividly to everyone without having any barrier.

People could see the most beautiful and majestic abodes of the devas and Brahmas and all the celestial beings in turn viewed more than hundreds of millions of people who were welcoming the Buddha. Thus witnessing the most unsurpassed splendor, there was none within the 36 yojana (1 yojana = 8 miles), who did not pray to become a Buddha. The entire populace prayed to become future Buddhas, the noblest wish.

No. 174 - On Spiritual Friendship

by Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao

 Kalyanamitra is the Sanskrit word for spiritual friendship. This friendship is something much more than someone to hang out with, but rather connotes a person or even a thing that becomes our guide, a teacher, and serves to inspire us along our path to awakening.

There is a common Zen expression that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Ready or not, teachers are constantly appearing in our lives, but sometimes it is difficult to recognize because we are looking for someone that meets our image or idea of “teacher.” Or, we regard this person or thing as an obstacle in our life, rather than as something that can awaken us to life’s meaning.

For instance, we could say that illness is kalyanamitra. The death of a sibling can be kalyanamitra. The birth of our child can be kalyanamitra. Falling in love can be kalyanamitra. In short, anything which shakes us out of our ongoing slumber and creates an opening to a vista beyond our narrow image or experience of ego-self, is a spiritual friend worthy of our gratitude.

It may be difficult to regard a painful experience as a friend. We respond by pushing such experiences away or by grasping on to something else. But in zazen, we learn to sit in the midst of our suffering, much as one would do with someone in need. Just sitting. Just seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, awareness — recognizing and affirming the most essential nature of our situation, whatever it may be.

The Great Wisdom Heart Sutra is truly one of the great expressions of spiritual friendship. In this sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha expounds the truth of emptiness of all phenomena for his disciple Shariputra. He points Shariputra to prajna wisdom, the unsurpassable wisdom. Anything and anyone who points us to this wisdom is a spiritual friend. But the Heart Sutra does not stop at our own realization. It concludes with the great mantra, the vivid mantra, the unsurpassable mantra of “Gate! Gate! Paragate! Parasamgate! Bodhi svaha!” It means “gone, gone, gone beyond, together go beyond.”

This “together” speaks directly to our most basic vow to save all beings. Our realization only truly comes alive when it is used in the service of others, in helping others awaken to life’s essential nature. So recognize and appreciate the spiritual friends in your life: you yourself serving others in this way, and others and things continually befriending you, pointing to the unsurpassable wisdom that is our life.

No.173 - Boundless Qualities of the Mind

— by Joan Halifax Roshi

"How rare it is to open to the nourishment of basic goodness!"

A Brahmin once came to the Buddha and asked him how he could enter the Abode of Brahma or the Divine.  The Buddha told him that this was possible by practicing boundless kindness toward all beings, boundless compassion with all beings, boundless joy in the salvation and basic goodness of all beings, and boundless equanimity toward all beings, whether friend or foe.  Practicing thus, the Buddha explained, makes it possible for one to transform the obstacles of meanness, gloating over the misfortune of others, unhappiness, and preferential mind.  This was the way, he explained, that we enter the abode of the divine.

In another sutra, there is a story about the Buddha manifesting these boundless qualities of mind that he taught his Brahmin student.  Once there was a very ill monk.  His body was covered with suppurating, foul-smelling sores that were leaking pus.  No one wanted to care for him because he looked and smelled so terrible.  The Buddha went to the monk’s bedside and cleaned his sores, bathed him, and gave him support and inspiration as well as teachings.  Sometime later the Buddha told his followers that if they really wanted to serve him, they should serve the sick with boundless kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity.  The Buddha knew that he was not separate from any form of suffering.

The Four Boundless Abodes are loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.  These are qualities of the mind and heart that are inherent to our basic nature.  Buddhism calls these universal virtues the Four Boundless Abodes.  By cultivating them in our activities, we strengthen their presence within us.  As their presence grows stronger, so does their boundless quality.  These abodes are the unconditional treasure that is always available to each of us, even when we are dying.

Generating these four qualities is the ultimate form of self-care.  They connect us to the stream of basic goodness, and they connect us to one another.  They are the qualitative basis for our work in being with dying.  In some deep sense strengthening their presence is the best self-care we can give.

You can practice each of the abodes by directing its energy to yourself, a benefactor, a friend, a loved one, a difficult person, a person about whom you feel neutral, or all beings.  You can also start with yourself and expand the practice by spending a few minutes directing the energy toward each of these parties sequentially until, at the end of the practice, all beings are included.

I begin by sitting quietly and remembering how much suffering there is in the world and how much I would like peace and happiness for all beings.  I remember that someday, sooner or later, I will die and all beings will die.  I want to use this precious human life as best I can.  I then vow to free myself from suffering and help others be free from suffering.

Resting in openness, I bring my attention gently to my breath.  Then I begin my practice with myself, a friend, a loved one, or a relative who is suffering.  This opens my heart and deepens my commitment.  On the in-breath I take in suffering.  On the outbreath I offer one of the abodes.  I often practice with one of the phrases below, directing it to the chosen recipient.  Feeling open and committed, I pay attention to what is arising in my heart and mind during practice and let the practice shift accordingly.  For example, I might find myself resisting inhaling the suffering.  Then I shift the focus to sending compassion to myself.

At the end of a period of practice, I again rest in openness, inviting the feeling of gratitude to be present.  How rare it is to open to the nourishment of basic goodness!  Then I dedicate the merit of the practice to all beings everywhere.