[ebook.nsO] [buddhism] To Understand Buddhism - Master Chin Kung [www.NorthShare.tk].pdf

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E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net

Web site: www.buddhanet.net

Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.

Ven. Master Chin Kung

To Understand

Buddhism

To Understand

Buddhism

Table of Contents

“TO UNDERSTAND BUDDHISM”

Excerpts From a Talk by Venerable

Master Chin Kung................................................3

Chapter One: A Virtuous and Perfect Education....3

Chapter Two: The Goal of the Buddha’s Teaching8

Chapter Three: Symbolism and the Arts..............18

Chapter Four: The Five Guidelines of Practice

The Three Conditions........................................26

The Six Harmonies............................................34

The Three Learnings..........................................37

The Six Paramitas or Principles.........................40

The Ten Great Vows of Universal Worthy

Bodhisattva........................................................45

THE TEN RECITATION METHOD............................... 51

GLOSSARY............................................................... 53

THE SUTRA OF AMITABHA’S PURITY....................... 62

DEDICATION OF MERIT............................................ 63

PLACES TO CONTACT:.............................................. 64

MASTER CHIN KUNG’S PHOTO................................. 65

“To Understand Buddhism”

Excerpts From a Talk by Venerable

Master Chin Kung

Australia, January, 1996

Chapter One:

A Virtuous and Perfect Education

Today, we see an increasing number of people around

the world starting to practice Buddhism. However, not

many people truly understand what Buddhism is.

Therefore, this becomes a very important topic. What

exactly is Buddhism? We need to understand it clearly.

Buddhism is a most virtuous and perfect education

directed by the Buddha towards all sentient beings in

the nine realms. How can we tell that Buddhism is an

education? First, we can tell from the way we call

Buddha Shakyamuni our “Original Teacher” that he is

the founder of Buddhism and that we are his students.

From this, it is very apparent that the Buddha and we

share a teacher-student relationship. This is only found

in education.

If Buddhism is his teaching, who then is the Buddha?

Buddha is a Sanskrit word meaning wisdom and

enlightenment. However, this wisdom is not the

worldly wisdom we think of today. Broadly speaking,

the Buddha’s wisdom is the ability to ultimately,

perfectly and correctly comprehend the true reality of

life and the universe in the past, present and future.

One who has perceived this wisdom is called a

Buddha. Buddha Shakyamuni told us that all sentient

beings, including ourselves, possess this innate

wisdom and ability. Thus Buddhism regards all beings

equally. Although we are equal in origin, presently we

cannot see this because everyone’s wisdom and

abilities differ.

In our society, there are those who are intelligent and

those who are not, those with great ability and those

with less. How do these things come about? The

Buddha told us that they are due to our varying

degrees of delusion. Our innate wisdom and abilities

are temporarily lost due to this delusion, but are not

truly or permanently lost. If we can break through this

delusion, then we will be able to recover these

abilities. Therefore, the Buddha’s teachings show us

how to rid ourselves of delusion and to uncover our

innate abilities.

It is often stated in Mahayana sutras that the Buddha

did not directly help sentient beings. Then how do

sentient beings become Buddhas? By themselves. The

Buddha only assists from the side by explaining the

true reality of how we delude ourselves. After

realizing this, we diligently put his teachings into

practice to attain enlightenment of true reality. We

then become Buddhas. Buddha Shakyamuni clearly

explained that becoming a Buddha is attainable by all

sentient beings.

From this, we can see that Buddhism is a teaching.

However, a teacher can only educate us about the

principles, tell us of his/her experiences in practice and

attainment, and suggest various methods for our

attainment. The rest ultimately depends upon us. We

are the ones who need to be enthusiastic and diligent

in order to attain achievement. Once we understand

that Buddhism is an education, we will logically

regard the Buddha as our teacher. From this, we

understand that in proper Way Places, we do not

regard the Buddha or Bodhisattva images as gods to be

worshipped. We make offerings to these images for

two reasons. First, to remember and repay our

gratitude for this truly great education, which we have

so fortunately encountered and accepted in this

lifetime.

The opening verse to sutras says it very well; “It is

extremely difficult to encounter this teaching in

infinite eons.” The debt of gratitude we owe the

Buddha is similar to the remembrance, which some

Chinese have toward their ancestors. We reflect on our

origins for without these ancestors we would not exist.

The second reason we make offerings to the Buddha is

to follow the examples of the virtuous. Buddha

Shakyamuni was an ordinary person like us; yet, he

was able to be awakened and become a Buddha. What

is there to stop us from achieving this as well?

Therefore, the pictures or statues of the Buddha serve

to remind us every moment to advance diligently

towards this goal. The images are not to be regarded as

gods or objects of superstition.

In Buddhist Way Places, the images of Buddhas and

Bodhisattvas have many appearances. This has often

led to the misconception that not only is Buddhism a

religion but one that worships multi-deities as well.

Indeed Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have many names.

For example, in the Tripitaka there is the Ten

Thousand-Buddha Names Sutra, which gives us over

twelve thousand Buddha’s names and even more

names for Bodhisattvas. Why are there so many

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? Within our original-nature

there exists infinite wisdom, virtuous and artistic

abilities that cannot be completely represented by

merely one name. It is similar to a highly

accomplished person in a prominent position; his or

her business card could have numerous titles.

The names of the Buddhas represent the complete,

innate and virtuous abilities within our self-nature. All

the Bodhisattva names represent cultivation of

different virtues. The original abilities within our self-

nature are infinite, but temporarily lost. Without

genuine cultivation, we will not be able to uncover any

of them. All the Buddha and Bodhisattva names are

none other than ourselves. Once we understand this,

we will realize that a high level of artistry represents

the styles of the Buddha’s teachings. For example,

sculptures and pictures can express the Dharma.

Understanding the true meaning of these images will

help one to gain the true benefits of the Buddha’s

teachings.

If Buddhism is not a religion, why is it not then a

philosophy? In philosophy, there is both a subject and

an object. In Mahayana Buddhism, there is no

difference between subject and object; they are one.

This meaning is very profound and difficult to

understand. For example, a great master said,

“Utilizing gold to form utensils, all utensils are of

gold.” Are the gold and the utensil the same thing or

different? From their appearances they look like two

different things. However, from their composition we

realize that they are the same.

One needs a profound intuitive comprehension to truly

understand the reality of life and the universe. All of

the Mahayana Sutras try to explain this concept and

truth. One will share the same viewpoints with the

Buddha when one truly understands and clearly

recognizes this truth. Ordinary people, like we are

deluded. In what way? Because we see everything in

opposition to the other, not knowing that in reality

everything is actually one and not two.

Chapter Two:

The Goal of the Buddha’s Teaching

From the intrinsic nature of Buddhism, we proceed to

the goal of the Buddha’s teachings. This goal is to

break through delusion and achieve enlightenment.

The Buddha pointed out to us why we are leading lives

of suffering and why the six realms of reincarnation

exist. It is so, because the wisdom and virtuous

abilities in our original nature have yet to be

uncovered. Thus, all our viewpoints and ways of

interacting with life and the universe are incorrect. The

erroneous acts committed due to these incorrect

viewpoints and ways have resulted in the suffering of

reincarnation within the six realms.

The goal of the Buddha’s teachings is to help and

guide us to break through our delusion, to be

awakened and escape this suffering and to obtain

happiness. What do we seek in Buddhism? We seek

Annuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, the Perfect Complete

Enlightenment. The Buddha teaches and hopes that all

of us will attain this ultimate enlightenment, in other

words, will become a Buddha.

The Perfect Complete Enlightenment can be explained

as three levels: Arhats, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. The

first is “Proper Enlightenment.” In our world, there

are some very intelligent and wise people, such as

scientists, philosophers and religious leaders. They

have reached higher realization than most people have.

However, although they may have reached a certain

level of realization, the Buddha would not recognize

their knowledge as the proper enlightenment, because

they have not severed their afflictions. They still dwell

on the rights and wrongs of others, on greed, anger,

ignorance and arrogance. They still harbor wandering,

discriminatory thoughts and attachments. In other

words, their minds are not pure. Without the pure

mind, no matter how high the level of realization one

reaches, it is still not the proper enlightenment.

In Buddhism, the standard for proper enlightenment is

the pure mind from which wisdom arises. It is the wish

of all Buddhas that we attain this proper

enlightenment. This is the level or degree of an Arhat

and is similar to attending a university to earn an

undergraduate degree. Therefore, Arhat, Bodhisattva

and Buddha are titles similar to degrees of

enlightenment attained in Buddhism. Those who

achieve proper enlightenment are called Arhats. Arhats

do not have illusory or misleading thoughts and

viewpoints. They do not dwell on the rights and

wrongs of others, or on thoughts of greed, anger,

ignorance or arrogance.

From this, we can comprehend intuitively the

difference between Buddhism and worldly education.

From the Buddha, we learn the true teachings and

proper enlightenment. Only with this proper

enlightenment can one escape all sufferings to obtain

true happiness. As human beings, we undergo the

sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. We do

not attain what we seek, are parted with our loved ones

and find ourselves in the presence of those whom we

resent or even hate. We are surrounded by all these

sufferings with no apparent way of being truly free.

Only after learning Buddhism will we be able to reach

genuine liberation.

The Flower Adornment Sutra explains to us, “All

sentient beings possess the same wisdom and virtuous

capabilities as the Buddha, but these qualities are

unattainable due to wandering thoughts and

attachments.” This clearly explains the root cause of

our problems. Practicing Buddhism is to accord with

the teachings of the Buddha, to rid us of wandering,

discriminating thoughts and attachments. Thus, we

uncover our pure mind, in turn giving rise to true

wisdom, which is proper enlightenment. Therefore,

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would not recognize the

intelligent and worldly wisdom, as it lacks the pure

mind, the proper enlightenment. Upon attaining proper

enlightenment, one has the ability to transcend the

endless cycles of birth and death, not to mention the

ability to solve everyday problems.

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