20110709 loving kindness meditation and esoteric school

Updated Mar 2010

加拿大佛教會湛山精舍　

禪修學佛入門 Introduction to

Buddhism and Meditation2011/07/09

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

Updated Mar 2010

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

ná mó fó tuó南無佛陀

Namo Buddha

ná mó dá mó 南無達摩

Namo Dharma

ná mó sēng qié南無僧伽

Namo Sangha

加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

Buddhist Association of Canada

1 Take refuge in the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

皈依佛法僧 ( 三寶 )2 Earnestly cultivate the Three Perfections of

Morality, Calmness, and Wisdom. 勤修戒定慧 ( 三學 )3 Shed the Three Poisons of Greed, Anger and

Delusion. 息滅貪瞋癡 ( 三毒 )4 Purify the Three Karmas of Action, Speech

and Thought. 清淨身口意 ( 三業 )

Buddhist Practice and Cultivation in Four Lines



First, you turn your attention to yourself and say to yourself words like:

• May I be well and happy. • May I be peaceful and calm. • May I be protected from dangers.• May my mind be free from hatred.• May my heart be filled with love.

How to practice loving kindness meditation



The mind, when properly developed, is a very powerful instrument. If we can learn to focus our mental energy and project it towards others, it can have an effect upon them and yourself. What has happened is that you have picked up that other person’s mental energy. Loving Kindness Meditation is like this. We project positive mental energy towards others and it gradually transforms them and yourself and develop connection.

How is that possible?



1. Concentration - Metta becomes strong and powerful.

2. Mental Training - Metta can be delivered to anybody. It is flexible, versatile, universal and boundless.

3. Spreading by Action - When this potent force has become powerful we can make use of it to produce many marvels e.g. to make everyone’s life you encounter better.

Cultivation of Loving Kindness (Metta)



1. Metta is a state of mind.2. Its object is the lovable being.3. The aim is to promote the welfare of

the lovable being.4. The method is to purify the mind with

meditation, concentration, training, transmission and vipasanna.




Practice of giving with non-self in mind:

1. Do not accentuate who is giving. 2. Do not accentuate the given object.3. Do not accentuate whom you are

giving to.4. Try not to expect obtaining something

in return or a better/special treatment from someone.

5. Consider the one you are serving is a Bodhisattva who is helping you.




Cultivation of Unconditional Happiness

When seen in an ultimate point of view, (i.e. a mind freed from ideas, concepts, words, duality) self, object and acceptor do not truly exist. They are like shadows cast by realities. Therefore, the donor, the gift and the acceptor are existing only conventionally. The ultimate true is that they are all empty.

Ultimate Truth and Conventional Truth



When returning back to conventional reality, we are not always possible without conceptual objects.

Concepts is always occurring together with the mental formation and the thought processes. This leads to karmic actions – positive or negative.

Metta leads positive actions which lead to long life, good health, beauty, wealth, happiness and noble birth.

Back to Reality



Metta as an effective means:

1. To overcome anger as it is the opposite of violent and destructive mental states,

2. To build up the required concentration for the development of insight (vipassana),

3. To develop a healthy relationship with every living being you encounter.




Esoteric School

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vajra_aksamala_ghantha.jpg



Vajrayana Buddhism is esoteric, in the sense that the transmission of certain teachings only occurs directly from teacher to student during an initiation or empowerment and cannot be simply learned from a book. Many techniques are also commonly said to be secret, but some Vajrayana teachers have responded that secrecy itself is not important and only a side-effect of the reality that the techniques have no validity outside the teacher-student lineage. In order to engage in Vajrayana practice, a student should have received such an initiation or permission.

The teachings may also be considered "self-secret", meaning that even if they were to be told directly to a person, that person would not necessarily understand the teachings without proper context. In this way the teachings are "secret" to the minds of those who are not following the path with more than a simple sense of curiosity.



Some secrets are like these:There is no any outside master.Return to your inside master and find

him/her and follow him/her. Your inside master is your true nature.Your true nature connect to others true

natures.Your true nature doesn’t need to talk.



You don’t create or generate your thought.They are already exist. When you have same

frequency they flow to you and try to manifest. Be aware which things manifest by yourself. What ever you allow manifest by you. It is your stage of spiritual level.

If you would like to be Buddha. Act , speak and think like Buddha. And tell these secrets to next good student.



Chinese Esoteric BuddhismEsoteric traditions in China are similar in teachings to the Japanese Shingon school, though the number of practitioners was greatly reduced, due in part of the persecution of Buddhists under Emperor Wuzong of Tang, nearly wiping out most of the Chinese Esoteric Buddhist lineage. In China and countries with large Chinese populations such as Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism is commonly referred as Tángmì ( 唐密 ) "Tang Dynasty Secret Buddhism," or Hànchuánmìzōng ( 漢傳密宗 ) "Secret Buddhism of the Han Transmission" (Hànmì 漢密 for short), or Dōngmì ( 東密 ) "Eastern Secret Buddhism." In a more general sense, the Chinese term Mìzōng ( 密宗 ) "The Secret Way", is the most popular term used when referring to any form of Esoteric Buddhism. These traditions more or less share the same doctrines as the Shingon school, with many of its students themselves traveling to Japan to be given transmission at Mount Koya.According to Master Hsuan Hua, the most popular example of esoteric teachings still practiced in many Zen monasteries of East Asia, is the Śūraṅgama Sūtra and its dhāraṇī (Sitātapatroṣṇīṣa Dhāraṇī), along with the Great Compassion Dharani (Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāranī), with its 42 Hands and Eyes Mantras.



Esoteric Buddhism in ChinaEsoteric teachings followed the same route into northern China as Buddhism itself, arriving via the Silk Road sometime during the first half of the 7th century, during the Tang Dynasty. Esoteric Mantranaya practices arrived from India just as Buddhism was reaching its zenith in China, and received sanction from the emperors of the Tang Dynasty. During this time, three great masters came from India to China: Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra. These three masters brought the esoteric teachings to their height of popularity in China. During this era, the two main source texts were the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra, and the Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra. Traditions in the Sinosphere still exist for these teachings, and they more or less share the same doctrines as Shingon, with many of its students themselves traveling to Japan to be given transmission at Mount Koya.



Different stages of development of Buddhist Tantra :

1. Mantrayana was developed during the fourth century. It enriched Buddhism by the appurtenances of magical tradition for enlightenment. Many mantras, mudras, deities and mandalas were introduced randomly into Buddhism. 2. Vajrayana was developed during the middle of the eighth century. All previous teachings were systematized and grouped with the system of Five Tathagatas.

3. Kalacakra was developed during the tenth century. Kalacakra emphasizes astrology and syncretism.



Key Features of Vajrayana

1. Ritual2. Goal and Motivation3. Upaya – Skillful Mean4. Two Truths Doctrine5. Vows and Behaviour6. Esoteric Transmission – Directly between master and student



Catergories of Tantra

I. Action Tantra (Kriya-Tantra) Deities are visualized as external. Rituals and ceremonies are the main methods. Susiddhi Sutra is the main text. Methods used include mantras, seals, cleaning

environment and ownself.

II. Performance Tantra (Carya_Tantra) Deities are identical as adept. Rituals and internal methods are used, but rituals

are being used more than internal methods. The training of "Body tantric, oral tantric, and mind tantric in harmony" is emphasized. Mahavairocana Sutra is the main text.

III. Yoga Tantra Power of deities are recognized as arisen from non-duality. Rituals and internal

methods are equally emphasized.



IV. Highest Yoga Tantra

Only internal methods are used. The Nyingmapa sect divides highest yoga Tantra into 3 sub-categories:

a. Mahayoga Visualization of deity is gradual. Focuses on the development stage.

Emphasizes the clarity and precision of visualization as skillful means. Meditation on emptiness.

b. Annuyoga Emphasizes energy centers, wind and energy. Visualization on deity is

generated instantly. c. Atiyoga Emphasizes mind development.



THE TRAINING METHODS OF TANTRIC BUDDHISM (a) EMPOWERMENT Empowerment (Abhiseka in Sanskrit or Wong in

Tibetan) is a ceremony: 1. to authorize the disciples to learn certain Tantric

lessons. 2. to cleanse obscurations 3. to confer power to the disciples, and 4. to establish relationship with certain deities in the

mandala.

(b) THE THREE SECRETS OF BODY, MOUTH AND MIND(c) THE THREE PROCEDURES OF TANTRIC TRAINING



Basic Terms10 Chinese schoolsLife story of the BuddhaBuddhist History in IndiaBuddhist History in ChinaPractice



The Ten Schools of Chinese Buddhism:

1. Reality School or Kosa School or Abhidharma School.2. Satysiddhi School or Cheng-se School. 3. Three Sastra School or San-lun School.*4. The Lotus School or T'ien-t'ai School *5. The Garland School or Hua-yen School or Avatamsaka School. 6. Intuitive School or Ch'an School or Dhyana School.7. Discipline School or Lu School or Vinaya School. *8. Esoteric School or Mi School or Mantra School.9. Dharmalaksana School or Wei-Shi School or Fa-siang School.*10. Pure-land School or Sukhavati School or Ching-t'u School.

* Topic is still available for presentation.

中国的佛教共分十宗，分别是：俱舍宗、成实宗、三论宗、天台宗、华严宗、唯识宗、律宗、禅宗、净土宗、密宗。



The following topics are for the upcoming Saturday Meditation Class:

1. July 9 - Esoteric School by Edward Malek2. July 16 - Satysiddhi School by Waifun Lai3. July 23 - Chan School by Kitty Cheung4. July 30 – Reality School by Kevin Loi5. August 6 – Garland School by Lee McCallum6. August 13 – Lotus School by Phyllis Parr



www.ChamShanTemple.org

www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com

[email protected] Shi 釋聖光Tom Cheung 張相棠Kam Cheung 張仁勤Dennis Yap 葉普智

Questions and Comments 討論



yuàn xiāo sān zhàng zhū fán năo

願消三障諸煩惱We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all klesas.

yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng lĭao

願得智慧真明了We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding.

pŭ yuàn zuì zhàng xī xiāo chú

普願罪障悉消除 We wish all sinful hindrances to be totally eradicated.

shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào

世世常行菩薩道In one life after another we always follow Bodhisattvas’ paths.

回向Parinamana (Transfer of Merit)

20110709 loving kindness meditation and esoteric school

Spiritual

buddhist practice

karmas of action

poisons of greed

perfections of morality