Unordinary in the Ordinary I n a meeting to prepare for setting up a meditation center, a monk was sitting next to the Grand Master and started to examine the Grand Master’s face carefully. He thought in his mind, “The face of the Grand Master is full of wrinkles, and from that he is no different from any ordinary old man. Then why are these prestigious people so respectful of him?” After the meeting, when all the lay disciples had left, the Grand Master talked to the monks and nuns, “No conceptual thought in the awareness; awareness is without attachment. When, through practice, one has attained a very high level, in outward appearance he or she will look just like any other ordinary person, but his or her mind will be totally different. This is what we call covering the illumination and being in harmony with the ordinary.”
Acertain monk had the habit of wearing a sweater over his shoulders with the sleeves tied in front. One day the Grand Master was observed walking around the monastery with a sweater wrapped around his shoulders in exactly the same manner. Upon seeing the Grand Master’s unusual appearance, the monks began discussing his behavior with each other and wondered, “Why is the Grand Master dressed like this? That is so strange!” In the middle of this chattering, the monk walked in and saw the Grand Master. Smiling to himself, the monk never wore a sweater this way again.
This is a Chant of Avalokitesvara by Plum Village of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. To listen to this chant on here, go the the side bar on the right and turn off the background music
One of the probably most well known ,popular, and had the greatest affinity to sentient beings in saha world is Bodhisattva Guan Yin. In most Chinese or Vietnamese temple, he was seen standing tall in front of temple.
Most Buddhists seem to build connection with him very easily. He is a Bodhisattva representing great compassion. His compassion and kindness is expressed in many ways therefore I believe it is easier for Buddhists to have faith in him. He is also one of the two assistant Bodhisattvas for Amitabha Buddha in the Western Pure Land. The other Bodhisattva is called Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.
From Sanskrit his name is Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, meaning "One who listens to the cries of the world". He was originally male. Soon he was drawn and shown as a female due to many legends around him in a woman form and also that female form can express his Compassion more fully like a mother to children.
Because of his great vows, miracles attained by people that diligently reciting his name through complete faith, or out of suffering and miseries. As his name said it, he helped those who are suffering if they evoke his name.
In the Lotus Sutra, there is a whole chapter over Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Buddha talked about who he is, his incredible vows, his great deeds, and in which way does he helps sentient beings.
Please read the sutra by clicking on the link below to understand and know more about this incredible Bodhisattva. It is also very beneficial and attain great merit just from reading sutra.
Namo Amitabha Buddha The followings are some of the drawings I did. I will continue drawing and will upload more.
Amitayus Buddha
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
This is Kannon Bodhisattva (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Japanese Style.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
This is Guan Yin Bodhisattva (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) I drew him in complete female form to express his compassion for all sentient beings like a mother for her own children.
May any merits I attained from drawing and concentrating from drawing Buddha and Bodhisattva be dedicated to all beings of the 6 realms and of this world and other worlds as well. That all sentient beings are free from suffering, attain bliss and peace, safe and well. May all beings realize their wisdom and compassion, attaining Buddhahood. For sentient beings who wish to take rebirth in Pure Land, May they let go of all worldly attachment to take rebirth in the Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha.
What It Means to Serve Because of his low blood pressure, one of the monkswas unable to join the morning and evening services,and this made him feel uncomfortable. He came to theGrand Master’s office and asked, “Grand Master, since Iam not able to join the morning and evening services, whatshould I do?” The Grand Master said indifferently, “Unableto attend the morning and evening services, that’s fine.”Questioning this information, the monk interjected, “But it isthe duty of a monk to attend the morning and eveningservices.” The Grand Master responded, “Working earnestlyis equivalent to attending services, and working with a mindundisturbed is the same as attending the services.” Uponhearing this, the monk was greatly inspired.
Don’t Wait Until Next life A monk who had encountered an obstacle in his practice became doubtful as to whether or not he could complete the path in this lifetime. He then asked the Grand Master, “Grand Master, in my next life…” Before he could finish his question, the Grand Master immediately chided him, “Next life? Practice is that one thought extends to be an eon and an eon is in one thought. In this very lifetime, liberate yourself from the cycle of life and death.”
The Four Tenets of Chung Tai—Concrete Guidelines to Practice the Dharma The Chan teachings, although profound, are intimately tied to daily living. The four tenets of Chung Tai are concrete guidelines for practicing mindfulness in daily life:
To our elders be respectful: Respect subdues arrogance To our juniors be kind: Kindness dispels anger With all humanity be harmonious: Harmony overcomes rudeness and violence In all endeavors be true: Truthfulness eradicates deceit.
Venerable Wei Chueh was born in Ying Shan, Sichuan Province of China. In his youth he was educated in the Confucian classics and delved deeply into the study of Buddhism.
In 1963, he was ordained under Master Lin Yuan at the Shi Fan Da Jue ("Great Enlightenment") Chan Monastery in Keelung, Taiwan. There he got up before dawn each day to clean the monastery hall and courtyard. While others were resting after lunch, he would remain in the Buddha Hall and prostrate mindfully. In all his daily duties and interactions, he was always devoted, caring, and diligent.
To further his practice, Venerable Wei Chueh went into solitary seclusion for over ten years in the mountains near Wan Li, a suburb of Taipei.
Over time, as the area became more accessible, more and more people discovered the wisdom of this eloquent Buddhist master. His followers asked him to emerge from his mountain retreat to spread the Dharma teachings.
The Master responded by building the Lin Quan Chan Monastery at the very place of his retreat, expanding later to Chung Tai Chan Monastery in the town of Puli in central Taiwan. (And we refer to the founding abbot as the Grand Master to show our respect.)
The Grand Master, in adhering to the Buddha's aim to teach the Dharma, to show the way to lasting joy, and to promote peace, established meditation centers all over Taiwan as well as internationally.
He is frequently invited to lecture at universities and numerous organizations. He conducts seven-day meditation retreats every year to help participants realize their intrinsic perfect nature.
In order to preserve the teaching for future generations, he emphasizes education for Buddhist monks and nuns and established the Chung Tai Buddhist Institute to nurture knowledgeable and qualified teachers of the Dharma. He also founded the Pu Tai Schools (from elementary through high school) which place value in respect, compassion, and moral integrity in the education of youth.
Beginning from Lin Quan and now at Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Grand Master Wei Chueh has provided vision, inspiration and guidance to tens of thousands of followers, monastic teachers and lay people alike. Because of his leadership, the essence of Chan teachings has been deeply and widely planted and will bring fruits of serenity and wisdom to the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh : "God is a lesbian..." Excerpt from Dharma Talk given by Thich Nhat Hanh on July 20, 1998 in Plum Village, France.
Question : "Dear Thay, I feel very well and safe here in Plum Village, but there were times in my life when I experienced discrimination, so there is one question which really interests me. What does Buddhism say about homosexuality?"
Reply: "Discrimination is something that many of us know, and there were times when we wanted to cry out for justice. You might be tempted by violent means in order for injustice to be removed. There are very many of us who are seeking non-violent means in order to remove injustice and discrimination imposed on us. Sometimes those discriminating against us act in the name of God, of the truth. We may belong to the third world, or we may belong to a particular race, we may be people of color, we may be gay or lesbian, and we have been discriminated against for thousands of years. So how to work on it, how to liberate ourselves from the suffering of being a victim of discrimination and oppression? In Christianity it is said that God created everything, including man, and there is a distinction made between the creator and the creature. The creature is something created by God. When I look at a rose, a tulip, or a chrysanthemum, I know, I see, I think, that this flower is a creation of God. Because I have been practicing as a Buddhist, I know that between the creator and the created there must be some kind of link, otherwise creation would not be possible. So the chrysanthemum can say that God is a flower, and I agree, because there must be the element "flower" in God so that the flower could become a reality. So the flower has the right to say that God is a flower.
"The white person has the right to say that God is white, and the black person also has the right to say that God is black. In fact, if you go to Africa, you’ll see that the Virgin Mary is black. If you don’t make the statue of the Virgin Mary black, it does not inspire people. Because to us the black people, "black is beautiful," so a black person has the right to say that God is black, and in fact I also believe that God is black, but God is not only black, God is also white, God is also a flower. So when a lesbian thinks of her relationship with God, if she practices deeply, she can find out that God is also a lesbian. Otherwise how could you be there? God is a lesbian, that is what I think, and God is gay also. God is no less. God is a lesbian, but also a gay, a black a white, a chrysanthemum. It is because you don’t understand that, that you discriminate.
"When you discriminate against the black or the white, or the flower, or the lesbian, you discriminate against God, which is the basic goodness in you. You create suffering all around you, and you create suffering within yourself, and it is delusion, ignorance, that is the basis of your action, your attitude of discrimination. If the people who are victims of discrimination practice looking deeply, they will say that I share the same wonderful relationship with God, I have no complex. Those who discriminate against me, do so because of their ignorance. "God, please forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing." If you reach that kind of insight, you will no longer get angry at that person who discriminates against you, and you might have compassion toward him or her. You will say: "He does not know what he is doing. He is creating a lot of suffering around him and within him. I will try to help him." So your heart opens like a flower and suffering is no longer there, you have no complex at all, and you turn to be a bodhisattva in helping the people who have been discriminating against you. That is the way I see it, out of my practice of looking deeply, so one day I made the statement that God is a lesbian, and this is my insight."
