The Sixth Patriarchs Sutra

7:30pm Pacific time

January 4, 2013 lecture

as outlined by a Buddhist monk
at 1777 Murchison Drive, Burlingame, California 94010, open to public (phone 650-6925912) (Listen live or recorded audio explanations at www.wondrousdharma.org)

Q&A Stop hunting; liberate animals wisely Chapter 6 Repentance and reform the 3 refuges
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Verse for opening a sutra Na Mwo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha (3x) Homage to the Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra (3x) The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma, In a hundred thousand million eons, is difficult to encounter, Now that Ive come to receive and hold it, within my sight and hearing, I vow to fathom the Thus Come Ones true and actual meaning.
Exhortation to uphold the Dharma: 15

These incalculable asamkhyeyas of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, who have welled forth from the earth and whom you have never seen before are those whom I taught, transformed and guided in this Saha World after I attained anuttarasamyaksambodhi. I tamed and subdued the minds of those Bodhisattvas causing them to bring forth the resolve for the Way. (The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra)
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Q&A
Question: What is the Buddhist perspective on hunting? What

should avid hunters do?

Answer:

Hunting with guns, hounds or whatever form is a killing karma; the action caused by themselves will bring about their own suffering in the future; but it may be lessened when instead of killing they liberate life wisely. To killers, Bodhisattva Earth Store speaks of short lifespan to those who enjoy hunting, he speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom
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Q&A
to those who scald, burn, behead, cut or otherwise harm animals, he speaks of repayment in kind. (through the functioning
of cause and effect)

To killers, Bodhisattva Earth Store speaks of short lifespan

A person may have short lifespan because of illness, accidental deaths, war, and so on.
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Q&A
The nature of this conditioned existence is that these tragic deaths were caused by themselves, not by heaven or other beings or by bad omen; thats why we have to be careful to avoid planting unwholesome cause.

The Buddha spoke the reality of phenomena to allow us to understand the nature of this world of existence and therefore avoid the unwholesome cause and not be afflicted while undergoing the effect from past actions.
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Q&A
Let us picture why hunters will have mental disturbance in the future:

When the hunter chases an animal, he causes fear and anxiety in the animal.

When the animal is killed, there is mental anguish, sorrow and grief among the parents, child, relatives and friends of the animal.
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Q&A
Had we known about past lives, we would probably identify the cause of insanity, orphans, or broken family and other untimely deaths such as automobile accidents came from hunting in the past as the Bodhisattva Earth Store says

to those who enjoy hunting, he speaks of the retribution of a frightening insanity and disastrous doom
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Q&A
to those who scald, burn, behead, cut or otherwise harm animals, he speaks of repayment in kind.

In France, the hunters incorrectly and inhumanely justify their using of hounds to hunt because they are merely re creating wolves attacking deer or boar; this is delusional on their part.

The hunted animals will be shredded by hounds or have their throat slit; doing so merely causes repayment in kind in future.
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Q&A

There are wholesome people who may not believe in the principle of karma but they have the conviction to uphold a common human value:

We do not want to cause harm to others what we dont want others to cause harm to ourselves.

Q&A
But when we are able to change for the better, there is a chance we may lessen the retribution. ..

instead of killing, we liberate animals wisely and perform meritorious and kind deeds for the benefit of others.

Liberating animals without upsetting the ecology; introducing an invasive animal to its non natural habitat would be irresponsible.
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Q&A
Here is a story of an official during the Qing Dynasty. Before he was

appointed as an official, he was seriously ill. The doctor gave him the wrong prescription and he was on the verge of dying.

On his sick bed, he repented for all the evil deeds done and vowed to benefit people and the world. He showed concern for worldly affairs.

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Q&A
One night he had a dream of Bodhisattva Guanyin who told him, In a past life, you were an official. You were very just but overly strict. You were not humane. Though you have rank and wealth, it has been diminished.

Besides you often killed animals and that is why you will not live long.

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Q&A
Fortunately you have resolved to benefit others. In every thought you are thinking of how to benefit others. You dont grumble or complain.

Accordingly, you can prolong your life by liberating animals. Your blessings and wealth will be increased if you put in more effort.

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Q&A
When he woke up, he realized there could be truth in his dream. Henceforth his entire family became vegetarians and he often liberates living beings responsibly.

In winter, he was appointed as an Imperial official and by the next winter, he recovered fully from his illness.

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Q&A
if they encounter a good knowing advisor who leads them to take refuge with Bodhisattva Earth Store, those living beings will obtain release from retribution in the Three Evil Paths .All of you Bodhisattvas should recall this Sutra and proclaim and widely spread it.

because taking refuge with the Bodhisattva or the Three Jewels the mindset of wanting to turnover from unwholesomeness to wholesomeness and the Sutra explicitly teaches cause and effect.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

When your own mind takes refuge with what is right, there are no deviant views in any of your thoughts. Because there are no deviant views, there is no self, other, arrogance, greed, love, or attachment. That is called the honored that is apart from desire.
Comments

The right frame of mind is to be apart from the deviant views that cling to desire as a result of a false self.

Because there is a self, there is then others as distinguished from self. 16

Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Because there is a self, there is arrogance, the sign of superior self over others.

Because there is a self, there is greed, love and attachments that benefits the self.

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

When your own mind takes refuge with the pure, your self-nature is not stained by attachment to any state of defilement, desire or love. That is called the honored among the multitudes.
Comments

It is the mind that takes refuge with the pure. Purity is the absence of defilement and outflowing of desire and love. Having limitless blessings, one is honored all.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

If you cultivate this practice, you take refuge with yourself.

Comments

Why do we take refuge with ourselves?

We take refuge with the Buddha within us; our original mind which is eternally pure but presently covered by confusion.

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Because our mind is presently covered with confusion, we take refuge with the purity within ourselves when: Our minds ceasing evil ten evil deeds itself is ten good deeds.

Our minds turn over from what is deviant to proper.

Our minds turn over from jealousy into rejoicing in merit of others.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Common people do not understand that, and so, from morning to night, they take the triple-refuge precepts. They say they take refuge with the Buddha, but where is the Buddha? If they cannot see the Buddha, how can they return to him? Their talk is absurd.
Comments

Confusion about the original perfect understanding results in delusion, but this delusion has no essential nature; it is based on nothing. One may wish to return to what is real, but to wish for the real is falsification. 21

Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

The true nature of the suchness of reality is not a reality that one can seek to return to.

If one were to try to return to it, one would merely experience something that does not have the attribute of reality.(Shurangama Sutra)

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, each of you examine yourselves. Do not make wrong use of the mind. The Avatamsaka Sutra clearly states that you should take refuge with your own Buddha, not with some other Buddha. If you do not take refuge with the Buddha in yourself, there is no one you can rely on.
Comments

Making wrong use of the mind is to go chasing outside yourself to find the precious pearl that is within our clothing.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, each of you examine yourselves. Do not make wrong use of the mind. The Avatamsaka Sutra clearly states that you should take refuge with your own Buddha, not with some other Buddha. If you do not take refuge with the Buddha in yourself, there is no one you can rely on.
Comments

The Buddha within each and every living being is our original Buddha nature, our original mind.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Now that you are self-awakened, you should each take refuge with the Triple Jewel of your own mind.
Comments

Good Knowing Advisors, I exhort you all to take refuge with the Triple Jewel of your own nature: the Buddha, which is enlightenment, the Dharma, which is right, and the Sangha, which is pure. When your mind takes refuge with enlightenment, deviant confusion does not arise. Desire decreases, so that you know contentment and are able to keep away from wealth and from the opposite sex. 25

Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

When your mind takes refuge with enlightenment, deviant confusion does not arise. Desire decreases, so that you know contentment and are able to keep away from wealth and from the opposite sex. That is called the honored, the doubly complete. [the Buddha within yourself] When your own mind takes refuge with what is right, there are no deviant views in any of your thoughts. Because there are no deviant views, there is no self, other, arrogance, greed, love, or attachment. That is called the honored that is apart from desire. [the Dharma within yourself]

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

When your own mind takes refuge with the pure, your self-nature is not stained by attachment to any state of defilement, desire or love. That is called the honored among the multitudes. - [the Sangha within yourself]

Because within every living being there is the Triple Jewel, we should then respect every living being

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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Within yourself, regulate your mind and nature; outside yourself, respect others. That is to take refuge with yourself.
Comments

If you really understand the Buddhadharma, you will respect not just your relatives and friends, but everyone even people who dont know. Instead of slapping someone when you see him and then throwing mud in his face, you must be the most respectful toward those who act the worst toward you. This is the fundamental responsibility of students of Buddhism. (Venerable Master Hsuan Hua)
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

Good Knowing Advisors, now that you have taken refuge with the Triple Jewel, you should listen carefully while I explain to you the three bodies of a single substance, the self-nature of the Buddha, so that you may see the three bodies and become completely enlightened to your own self-nature. Repeat after me,
Comments

The 3 bodies of a Buddha is the Dharma body, the reward body and the transformation body.
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Chapter 6 Repentance and reform

Sutra:

I take refuge with the clear, pure Dharma-body of the Buddha within my own body.

Comments

The Dharma body within us is the unmoving thusness. The myriad dharmas appear when the mind moves.

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Dedication of merit
May every living beings, Our minds as one and radiant with light Share the fruits of peace, with hearts of goodness luminous and bright. If people hear and see, how hands and hearts can find in giving unity May their minds awake, to great compassion, wisdom and to joy. May kindness find reward; may all who sorrow leave their grief and pain; May this boundless light break the darkness of their endless night. Because our hearts are one, this world of pain turns into paradise; 31 May all become compassionate and wise (2x)

Dedication of merit
I vow that merit made from this deed will become, Adornments for the Pure Land of Bu-ddhas. Repaying the four kinds of kindness above, And aiding those in three paths below. May all who see and hear of this deed Bring forth the resolve to reborn In the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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