(TBT) 🙏🏼Master & Disciple 🙏🏼 The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.☯ #sifushiyanming #shiyanming #usashaolintemple #shihengtao #hengtao #tao #jcmartinez #shaolin #shaolinstyle #shaolintemple #shaolinmonk #shaolindisciple #tbt #tbthursday #amitofo #wutang #lifestyle #lifeisgood
Buddhist take on Grace - Salvation Is What We Receive Not What We Achieve
I recently drove by a church on the way to work and saw a sign that said “Salvation is What We Receive, Not What We Achieve“. What a great message, even from a Buddhist point of view. Grace is a concept that I think is universal. It is the message of Pure Land Buddhism in a nutshell.
The Christian concept of grace is a source of division across various denominations, but is persistent…
Thus I have heard:
At one time the Buddha was staying in the Anāthapiṇḍika Garden of Jetavana Park in the city kingdom of Śrāvastī, together with 1,250 great bhikṣus, who all were great Arhats as recognized by the multitudes. Such great disciples included the Elder Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākauṣṭhila, Revata, Śuddhipanthaka, Nanda, Ānanda, Rāhula, Gavāṁpati, Piṇḍola-Bharadvāja, Kālodāyin, Mahākapphiṇa, Vakkula, Aniruddha, and others. Also present were Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas, such as Mañjuśrī the Dharma Prince, Ajita Bodhisattva, Gandhahastin Bodhisattva, and Persistent Energetic Progress Bodhisattva. Along with great Bodhisattvas such as these, in attendance as well were the god-king Śakro-Devānām-Indra and an innumerable multitude of gods.
“Also, Śāriputra, in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are ponds made of the seven treasures, filled with water with the eight virtues. Covering the bed of each pond is gold dust. The stairs and walkways on the four sides of each pond are made of gold, silver, aquamarine, and crystal. Standing majestically are lofty towers, all adorned with gold, silver, aquamarine, crystal, conch shell, ruby, and emerald. The lotus flowers in the ponds are as large as carriage wheels. The blue colors gleam with blue light; the yellow colors, yellow light; the red colors, red light; the white colors, white light. They are wonderful, fragrant, and pure. Śāriputra, the Land of Ultimate Bliss is formed with such virtues as its adornments!
“Also, Śāriputra, celestial music is always playing in that Buddha Land, and its ground is made of yellow gold. Day and night in the six periods, the sky rains down celestial māndarāvaflowers. At dawn, sentient beings of that land fill their robes with wonderful flowers to make offerings to 100,000 koṭi Buddhas [in worlds] in other directions. At mealtime, they return to their own land to eat and do walking meditation. Śāriputra, the Land of Ultimate Bliss is formed with such virtues as its adornments!
In addition, Śāriputra, in that land are various kinds of unusual, wonderful birds of diverse colors, such as white cranes, peacocks, parrots, śāris, kalaviṅkas, and jīvajīvas. Day and night in the six periods, these birds sing in harmonious, exquisite tones. These tones pronounce Dharmas, such as the Five Roots, the Five Powers, the Seven Bodhi Factors, and the Eightfold Right Path. Sentient beings that hear these tones all think of the Buddha, think of the Dharma, and think of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, do not say that these birds are born as a form of requital for sins [in their past lives]. Why not? Because, Śāriputra, that Buddha Land does not have the three evil life-paths. Śāriputra, even the names of the three evil life-paths do not exist in that Buddha Land, much less the actual paths. These birds are all magically manifested by Amitābha Buddha to have the Dharma tones flow everywhere.
“Śāriputra, as breezes blow in that Buddha Land, the jeweled trees in lines and the jeweled nets [with bells1] make wonderful music, like 100,000 melodies playing at the same time. Those who hear these tones spontaneously think of the Buddha, think of the Dharma, and think of the Saṅgha. Śāriputra, that Buddha Land is formed with such virtues as its adornments!
“Śāriputra, what is your opinion? Why is that Buddha called Amitābha? Śāriputra, that Buddha’s radiance is infinite, illuminating lands in the ten directions, hindrance free. Therefore, He is called Amitābha. Moreover, Śāriputra, the lifespan of that Buddha and His people is measureless, limitless asaṁkhyeya kalpas. Therefore, He is called Amitāyus. Śāriputra, it has been ten kalpas since Amitābha Buddha attained Buddhahood. In addition, Śāriputra, that Buddha has innumerable, countless voice-hearer disciples. All of them are Arhats, their numbers unknowable by calculation. Equally unknowable is the size of the multitude of Bodhisattvas. Śāriputra, that Buddha Land is formed with such virtues as its adornments!
“Furthermore, Śāriputra, sentient beings reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are at the spiritual level of avinivartanīya. Many among them are in the holy position of waiting to attain Buddhahood in their next life. Their numbers are so large that they are unknowable by calculation, and can be reckoned only in terms of measureless, limitless asaṁkhyeyas. Śāriputra, sentient beings that have heard [of that land] should resolve to be reborn in that land. Why? To be in the same place together with people of superior virtues. Śāriputra, no one with the condition of few roots of goodness and a meager store of merits can be reborn in that land.
“Śāriputra, if, among good men and good women, there are those who, having heard of Amitābha Buddha, single-mindedly uphold His name for one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, or seven days, without being distracted, then upon their dying, Amitābha Buddha, together with a holy multitude, will appear before them. When these people die, their minds will not be demented and they will be reborn in Amitābha Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss. Śāriputra, I see this benefit, so I speak these words. If there are sentient beings that hear what I say, they should resolve to be reborn in that land.
“Śāriputra, as I now praise Amitābha Buddha’s inconceivable merit, so too do Buddhas in worlds in the east, such as Akṣobhya Buddha, Meru Banner Buddha, Great Meru Buddha, Meru Light Buddha, and Wonderful Tone Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, in worlds in the south are Sun-Moon Lamp Buddha, Renown Light Buddha, Great Flame Aggregate Buddha,2 Meru Lamp Buddha, and Infinite Energetic Progress Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, in worlds in the west are Infinite Life Buddha, Infinite Aggregate Buddha, Infinite Banner Buddha, Great Light Buddha, Great Radiance Buddha, Jewel Brilliance Buddha, and Pure Light Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, in worlds in the north are Flame Aggregate Buddha, Supreme Tone Buddha, Hard-to-Vanquish Buddha, Sun Birth Buddha, Web-of-Radiance Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, in worlds toward the nadir are Lion Buddha, Renown Buddha, Renown Light Buddha, Dharma Buddha, Dharma Banner Buddha, and Dharma Upholder Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, in worlds toward the zenith are Brahma Tone Buddha, Constellation King Buddha, Fragrance Superior Buddha, Fragrant Light Buddha, Great Flame Aggregate Buddha, Adorned with Jeweled Flowers in Diverse Colors Buddha, Salendra King Buddha, Jeweled Lotus Flower Splendor Buddha, Seeing All Meaning Buddha, and Sumeru Likeness Buddha. Buddhas such as these are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha in His own land extends His wide-ranging, far-reaching tongue, completely covering the Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, and speaks these truthful words: ‘You sentient beings should praise His inconceivable merit and believe in this sūtra, which is protected and remembered by all Buddhas.’
“Śāriputra, what is your opinion? Why is this sūtra called a sūtra protected and remembered by all Buddhas? Śāriputra, if there are good men and good women who have heard and upheld this sūtra, and have heard Buddhas’ names, they are protected and remembered by all Buddhas. They will never regress from their resolve to attain anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi. Therefore, Śāriputra, you all should believe and accept my words and other Buddhas’ words. If there are those who have resolved, are now resolving, or will resolve to be reborn in Amitābha Buddha’s land, they will never regress from their resolve to attain anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi, whether they have already been reborn, are now being reborn, or will be reborn in that land. Therefore, Śāriputra, if, among good men and good women, there are those who believe [my words], they should resolve to be reborn in that land.
“Śāriputra, as I now praise Buddhas’ inconceivable merit,3 likewise those Buddhas praise my inconceivable merit, saying these words: ‘Śākyamuni Buddha can do the extremely difficult, extraordinary thing in the Sahā World during the evil times of the five turbidities—the turbidity of a kalpa, the turbidity of views, the turbidity of afflictions, the turbidity of sentient beings, and the turbidity of their lifespan—attaining anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi. For the sake of sentient beings, He expounds the Dharma, which the entire world finds hard to believe.’
“Śāriputra, know that, in the evil times of the five turbidities, I have done this difficult thing, attaining anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi. For the sake of the entire world, I expound the hard-to-believe Dharma. It is extremely difficult!”
After the Buddha pronounced this sūtra, Śāriputra and other bhikṣus, as well as gods, humans, asuras, and others in the entire world, having heard the Buddha’s words, rejoiced, believed in, and accepted the teachings. They made obeisance and departed.
我們今天外出義診的場地選定的是位在史瓦濟蘭西南方Nhlangano附近的Amitofo Care Center (ACC)，是我來這裡以來體驗過最高級的義診場地吧! 此機構來自於阿密陀佛關懷中心，由台灣來的慧禮法師發起。從來史瓦濟蘭開始，就久聞ACC的大名，一直很想來這所遠度重洋在非洲開設的佛教學校一探究竟，這次終於借由義診的機會來到這邊。其實史瓦濟蘭的ACC從2010年開始興建，直到2012年正式開幕，至今一年多已經收募了76位小學一年級至六年級的學童，大多數的學童是父母雙亡或是家庭經濟狀況無法收養的孩童。這一次的義診包含替這76名學童健康檢查，而我的重責大任便是篩檢這些學童的口腔狀況，此外也開放附近的民眾到這邊來看病。
和醫療團出來義診，我在牙科方面只能夠做篩檢的工作，由於我們沒有那些移動式的治療工具，通常我會幫病人填寫轉診單，請他們到鄰近的醫院治療。但這次真的很希望能夠幫這些小朋友做些什麼，所以特別情商當地衛生部、本院醫師和ACC校長，在我檢查後將比較需要緊急治療的小朋友帶到Mbabane Government Hospital來完成治療。這些小朋友感覺起來很勇敢，也很有教養，管理的老師似乎滿嚴格的，但也建立起一套生活系統，飯前洗手、飯後輪流幫忙洗碗、早晚固定刷牙等等。不過，檢查中也有發現幾個口腔健康不佳的小朋友，全院蛀牙率甚至高達70%，但蛀牙的進程少說也三個月以上，來這裡最久的小朋友也才一年多，我想大概很多問題應該都是因為在原生家庭缺乏照顧造成的。印象很深刻的是一個戴眼鏡的小弟弟，我用中文說：「請幫我拿著這個東西。 (壓舌板)」，我旁邊的學妹補充說：「要小心不要掉下去喔!」，結果那個弟弟竟然調皮得假裝鬆手又趕快握緊那片壓舌板，賊賊得看了我們一眼，露出開懷的笑容，我和學妹也都被他逗笑了，真是一個聰明的小搗蛋。
很順利的將院童都看完了之後，另外看了不到五個主訴是牙齒不舒服的當地病人，幫他們寫了轉診單到附近的Nhlangano Health Care Center或Hlatsikhulu Government Hospital。今天的義診總共看了兩百位左右的一般民眾，比我們預估目標的三百五十名還低不少，可能是因為地點太偏遠了，附近的住戶不多，大概下午三點鐘就沒有病人報到了，團員們開始打包收拾，結束本日的義診活動。我也喘了一口氣，開始享受午後溫暖的陽光，Nhlangano的氣溫可不比Mbabane高很多，聽說晚上氣溫非常低。今晚我們幾個役男和護士Amanda、北醫志工團都會留下來，於ACC住一晚，要好好的體驗一下這個特殊的地方。 <下篇待續>
