**"Gather in all six faculties, maintain pure mindfulness in continuous succession, attain samādhi—this is the supreme method."**
— *Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Chapter on the Perfect Penetration of Mindfulness of the Buddha by Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta*
This passage is very well-known and is praised as the essence of the Buddha-recitation practice. It describes how Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta attained samādhi (meditative concentration or right concentration) through the method of mindful recitation of the Buddha's name.
**Gather in all six faculties**
The "six faculties" refer to the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—our senses and consciousness.
To "gather in" means to collect and restrain them, not allowing them to be carried away by external conditions or distracted by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, or mental objects.
**Pure mindfulness in continuous succession**
"Pure mindfulness" means a mind free from defilement, focused solely on the Buddha;
"Continuous succession" means maintaining this pure thought without interruption, not allowing stray or deluded thoughts to interfere.
**Attain samādhi**
"Samādhi" is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word *samādhi*, meaning meditative absorption or right concentration. It signifies a mind that is completely still, stable, and undisturbed.
**This is the supreme method**
This is the most excellent, direct, and perfect method of cultivation.
Human beings are fragile and easily influenced. In such times, to preserve right mindfulness, one should recite the Buddha's name. Through this practice, the mind becomes focused and no longer swayed by the external world.
1. To believe in and understand emptiness, while also believing in cause and effect;
2. To know that all phenomena are without a self, yet give rise to great compassion for all sentient beings;
3. To deeply delight in Nirvana, yet willingly wander in samsara;
4. To carry out all acts of giving and practice for the sake of sentient beings, without seeking reward.
If one is thus, then one is born into the household of the Buddha.
— *From the Treatise on the Sutra of Questions of Maitreya Bodhisattva*, translated by Bodhiruci of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Sun and moon, light and shadow, sound and echo, male and female, slope and level ground, rise and fall, fullness and emptiness, yin and yang, suffering and joy, birth and extinction, being and non-being. — *Our world.*
Neither being nor non-being, neither permanence nor impermanence, neither suffering nor joy, neither birth nor extinction. Not taking being as being, not taking non-being as non-being. Not taking suffering as suffering, not taking joy as joy. Not giving rise to suffering through suffering, not giving rise to joy through the end of suffering.
Only speaks of what it is not, what should not do— never of what is, or what should do. It is nothing, and it is everything.
"Like an illusion, like a dream, like a reflection, like an echo, like light and shadow, like a mirage, like a flower in the sky, like a city sought in mirage."
Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra: "Though one has obtained a human body, one's mind and conduct are like that of beasts. Just like someone who appears to have a human form, but whose mind and actions are like animals—this is called a non-human."
"Filial piety means to faithfully carry on the aspirations of one's ancestors and to recount their deeds. It is to fulfill their roles, observe their rites, perform their music, respect what they revered, cherish those they loved, and serve the deceased as if they were still living, treat the departed as if they were still present. To do all this is the highest expression of filial piety."
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Matakandali was a young Brahmin.
His father was extremely stingy and never practiced generosity. Even though Matakandali was his only son, the jewelry he wore was made by his father himself in order to save money. So when Matakandali fell ill with jaundice, his father refused to call a doctor for treatment, and as a result, Matakandali’s condition worsened until it became terminal.
When his father realized that Matakandali was about to die, he had him carried out to the hallway, so that visitors to the house wouldn’t see the family’s wealth.
That very morning, the Buddha, after emerging from meditation, saw through his divine eye that Matakandali was lying in the hallway. So when the Buddha and his disciples went to the city of Savatthi for alms, he came to the door of Matakandali’s home and emitted a radiant light to attract his attention. At that time, Matakandali was extremely weak, so when he saw the Buddha, he could only express his faith in the Buddha. Even this brief moment of sincere devotion brought him a sense of happiness—and that was enough.
When Matakandali passed away with his heart full of faith in the Buddha, he was reborn in the heaven of the Thirty-Three Gods (Tavatimsa Heaven).
From that heaven, Matakandali saw his father mourning at his grave. He then manifested in his original human form and appeared before his father in the cemetery, telling him that he had been reborn in Tavatimsa Heaven. He urged his father to approach the Buddha, to be generous, and to listen to the Buddha’s teachings. His father followed his advice.
After the Buddha gave his teaching, someone asked:
“Is it possible for a person to be reborn in Tavatimsa Heaven just by having faith in the Dharma in their heart, without practicing any charity or observing precepts?”
The Buddha invited Matakandali to appear, and he descended from Tavatimsa Heaven to personally confirm that he had indeed been reborn there.
After hearing Matakandali’s words, everyone truly believed that one could attain rebirth in Tavatimsa Heaven simply through sincere inner devotion to the Buddha.
After hearing the Buddha’s teaching, Matakandali’s father came to understand the Dharma and donated most of his wealth to charity.
**“Mind precedes all things; mind is their chief, they are all mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness will follow like a shadow that never leaves.”**
— *Dhammapada*
This passage consists of the Buddha’s teachings delivered on various occasions, intended to illustrate the inescapable consequences of good and bad karma. A person is influenced by the karma accumulated in the past and present, and will experience its results at an appropriate time, either in the present or the future. One must take primary responsibility for their own happiness and suffering; it is a person who creates their own heaven or hell. Each individual is the master of their own destiny, and only they can save themselves. The Dharma teaches people to take personal responsibility and upholds the principle of cause and effect. When one creates karma, one will inevitably face its consequences — yet liberation is still possible.
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Enlisted at Fifteen
Enlisted at fifteen,
At eighty, I return home at last.
On the road, I meet a villager:
“Is anyone still at my house?”
He points to the distance—
“That’s your home, where the pines and cypresses grow over the graves.”
A rabbit darts through the dog’s hole,
A pheasant flies from the rafters.
Wild grain grows in the courtyard,
Wild sunflowers sprout by the well.
I pound the grain to make a meal,
Pick the sunflowers to make a soup.
The soup and rice are ready together—
But who is there to share it with?
I walk out, look eastward,
And tears fall, soaking my robe.
When the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas practice the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā), although they contemplate all dharmas as devoid of inherent existence and ultimately unattainable—utterly pure in nature—they do not attain liberation through a “vehicle” or the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna). Yet, by skillfully using the state of non-attainment as a means, they ride the Great Vehicle, transcend the cycle of birth and death within the three realms, realize the wisdom of all-knowing, bring benefit and peace to all sentient beings, and continue doing so endlessly into the infinite future without ever ceasing.
Original Text:
Suppose there are people, whether guilty or innocent, who are shackled with fetters, chains, and bindings. If they recite the name of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, all those restraints will be broken and destroyed, and they will be set free.
Explanation:
It means that if someone—whether guilty or not—is bound by shackles and restraints, simply by reciting the name of Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva, those instruments of confinement will all break apart, and the person will attain liberation.
Tangible shackles and intangible bonds will all be broken, and one will attain liberation.
How much of your thoughts are worldly? How much are transcendent?
All phenomena of birth and death belong to the worldly (mundane); the path to Nirvana belongs to the transcendental (supramundane).
To clearly understand the suffering of the world, and that suffering arises from greed, hatred, and ignorance, is the worldly path. To clearly understand the way to end suffering and to practice the Noble Eightfold Path is the transcendental path.
The Bodhisattva path of cultivation has ten stages, known respectively as the First Ground Bodhisattva, Second Ground, and so on up to the Tenth Ground Bodhisattva. The First to Third Grounds are called worldly practice, as Bodhisattvas at these levels have only eliminated afflictions. The Fourth to Seventh Grounds are called transcendental practice, as these Bodhisattvas have not only eliminated afflictions but also eradicated cognitive obscurations. From the Eighth Ground onward, Bodhisattvas eliminate fundamental obstructions or subtle attachments to concepts, and this stage is called supra-transcendental practice.
According to the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, Volume 3:
The wisdom of non-Buddhists and ordinary beings is called worldly wisdom.
The wisdom of Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas is called transcendental wisdom.
The wisdom of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is called supreme transcendental wisdom.
Worldly wisdom (of ordinary beings): sense perception, success strategies, ways of making a living.
Transcendental wisdom (of Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas): abandoning worldly knowledge, severing attachments, renunciation, self-liberation, taking Nirvana as bliss.
Supreme transcendental wisdom (of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas): universally liberating all beings, seeing no distinction between Nirvana and birth and death, practicing all virtuous actions with no notion of self, others, sentient beings, or lifespan.
“Words that go against reason will be met with words that go against reason; wealth gained through improper means will also be lost through improper means.”
— The Great Learning (Daxue)
“If you speak to others unreasonably, they will respond to you unreasonably; if you acquire wealth through unjust means, you will lose it in the same way.”
A person’s karma is immensely powerful—it can be higher than Mount Sumeru and deeper than the ocean, capable of obstructing the path to learning from the sages. Therefore, do not take minor misdeeds lightly. Do not think that small wrongdoings carry no sin, or that they will have no consequences after death. In truth, even the slightest evil act will eventually bring about retribution. Even between the closest of kin, such as father and son, each will receive the consequences of their own karma. It is like two people walking different paths—though the roads may occasionally cross, one can never bear the other’s karmic retribution.
To all teachers and elders, one should approach with a heart of reverence and faith, seek their guidance, and make offerings as if serving the Buddha.
(When making offerings to parents and teachers, one must hold a mind of respect and honor, supporting them both spiritually and materially, just as one would offer to the Buddha.)
— The Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra