Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Places for Mantra Practice
In 7th Century India, where the Mahavairocana Sutra was written, such places for practice as quoted below were far easier located and occupied than nowadays. Nevertheless. . . .
"Having received permission from the teacher, the wise person
should base himself in a place of suitable topography:
A fine mountain, a secondary peak, a ravine, various grottoes,
between two mountains,
Wherever tranquility can be had at all times,
a pond completely adorned with lotuses and blue lotuses,
Large rivers, flowing streams, sandbars, and riverbanks,
far removed from the tumult and clamor of people;
Where there are trees pleasing to the mind with luxuriant foliage
and an abundance of lactaceous trees and auspicious grasses,
Where there are no mosquitoes or gadflies, no suffering from cold
or heat,
and no molestation by wicked beasts or poisonous insects,
Or where the Tathagata and his saintly disciples once in former
times roamed and dwelled,
And temples, stupas, aranyas, and chambers of seers of yore ---
he should base himself in a place in which his heart and
mind rejoice.
He renounces the life of a householder, cutting off social
obligations and strives to avoid the hindrances and
entanglements caused by the five desires;
Intently and profoundly rejoicing in the taste of the Dharma,
he nurtures his mind to seek siddhi."
"Having received permission from the teacher, the wise person
should base himself in a place of suitable topography:
A fine mountain, a secondary peak, a ravine, various grottoes,
between two mountains,
Wherever tranquility can be had at all times,
a pond completely adorned with lotuses and blue lotuses,
Large rivers, flowing streams, sandbars, and riverbanks,
far removed from the tumult and clamor of people;
Where there are trees pleasing to the mind with luxuriant foliage
and an abundance of lactaceous trees and auspicious grasses,
Where there are no mosquitoes or gadflies, no suffering from cold
or heat,
and no molestation by wicked beasts or poisonous insects,
Or where the Tathagata and his saintly disciples once in former
times roamed and dwelled,
And temples, stupas, aranyas, and chambers of seers of yore ---
he should base himself in a place in which his heart and
mind rejoice.
He renounces the life of a householder, cutting off social
obligations and strives to avoid the hindrances and
entanglements caused by the five desires;
Intently and profoundly rejoicing in the taste of the Dharma,
he nurtures his mind to seek siddhi."
Sunday, August 5, 2012
With Kayaki Kansho-sama in Saipan
Kansho-sama founded the Tendai/Shugendo temple Sampoen in 1978, and one of its activities is take Japanese students to Saipan every year as cultural exchange with Saipan's students and to have the students participate is prayers for the WWII dead of all nationalities. In 1943 this island in the Marianas chain was the site of one of the most brutal war battles, with nearly all of the 40,000 Japanese dying, along with Koreans, native Chamorros, and American troops.
This was the 34th year Sensei has organized this event, accompanied by 34 students age 11-18 and 8 staff, including myself for the first time. In February a contingent from Saipan will homestay in Nagano, Japan, many experiencing snow for the first time. The left photo shows the Sayonara Party sponsored by the Mayor of Saipan. The right photo shows Kayaki-sensei leading the ceremony of releasing 400 lanterns into the Pacific Ocean for repose of the dead.
We all spent several hours of the afternoon making the lanterns of red, yellow, and white. Hand written on one side was NAMO AMIDA BUTSU and on the other NAMO MYO HO RENGE KYO.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
"A Bear" and Other Recent Photos
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Medicine Buddha Mantra
The exoteric mantra is found in various sutras of the Healing Buddha corpus. A word-by-word version with translation follows:
NAMO - Homage to . . .
BHAGAVATE - the Buddha
BHAISAJYA-GURU - the Healing Master
VAIDURYA-PRABHA-RAJAYA - the King of Lapis Lazuli Radiance
TATHAGATAYA - the Tathagata
ARHATE - the Arhat
SAMYAK-SAMBUDDHAYA - the Perfectly Enlightened One
TAD-YATHA - and now say:
"OM BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYA SAMUDGATE SVAHA"
Om Heal, Heal, Completely Heal, So be it!
The esoteric mantra invokes the outcaste woman Matangi.
NAMO - Homage to . . .
BHAGAVATE - the Buddha
BHAISAJYA-GURU - the Healing Master
VAIDURYA-PRABHA-RAJAYA - the King of Lapis Lazuli Radiance
TATHAGATAYA - the Tathagata
ARHATE - the Arhat
SAMYAK-SAMBUDDHAYA - the Perfectly Enlightened One
TAD-YATHA - and now say:
"OM BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYA SAMUDGATE SVAHA"
Om Heal, Heal, Completely Heal, So be it!
The esoteric mantra invokes the outcaste woman Matangi.
Friday, April 27, 2012
A Change of Seasons
While the weekly classes are on hiatus, our working hours will be devoted to the various construction projects. Shown above is the 2nd of 3 retreat huts. Currently we are putting in the septic system for the dormitory: a 1500 gallon tank and 190ft of leach field.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)