Befriending Buddhist Sutras

John T. Bullitt, "Tips on Reading the Pali Discourses" (accesstoinsight.org); Wisdom Quarterly

(Linc060/flickr.com)

 

(Linc060/flickr.com)

"Thus should one train: 'We will listen when discourses -- words of the Wayfarer, deep, profound, transcendent, impersonal -- are being recited. We will lend ear, will set our hearts on knowing them, will regard these teachings as worth grasping and mastering.' That is how one should train." (SN 20.7)

 

The ancient Pali canon contains thousands of sutras (Pali, suttas) or discourses, of which more than 1,000 are now available in English Access to Insight. When faced with such a vast store of riches, three questions naturally spring to mind:

1. Why should I read the sutras?
2. Which ones should I read?
3. How should I read them?

There are no simple cookie-cutter answers to these questions; the best answers will be the ones discovered on one's own. Nevertheless, here are a few ideas, suggestions, and helpful tips from years of experience.

Why read sutras?
Interested in exploring the original teachings of the historical Buddha? Then the Pali canon is the place to turn for authoritative advice and support through discourses. These sutras are the primary source of Buddhist teachings. We need not worry whether the exact words in standardized/chanted/memorized discourses were uttered by the historical Buddha. Who can prove such a thing? Keep in mind that the teachings in discourse form have been practiced -- with success -- by countless followers for 2,600 years. If we want to know whether the teachings really work, we study and put the teachings into practice and thereby find out firsthand.
 

They present a complete body of teachings. The teachings, taken in their entirety, present a complete roadmap guiding the follower from one's current state of spiritual maturity onwards toward the final goal. No matter what our current state may be (skeptic, outsider, dabbler, devout lay practitioner, or celibate monastic), there is something in the sutras to help us progress another step further along the path towards the goal. As one reads more and more widely in the canon, we may find less of a need to borrow teachings from other spiritual traditions, as the Buddha's discourses contain most of what we need to know.  

The Buddha addresses the Five Ascetics as well as countless devas.

 

They present a self-consistent body of teachings. 

  

The consistency of the canon is characterized by a single taste [Ud 5.5] -- that of freedom. As we wend our way through them, however, from time to time we encounter things to question. Contradiction, apparent or real, presents a need for a nuanced understanding of the Dharma translated into words and symbols. The truth simply is; the Dharma is a systematic attempt by the Sangha to present the message of the Buddha.

 

As we reflect deeply on any stumbling blocks, conflicts often dissolve as a new horizon of understanding opens up. It was our understanding that was deficient, not the Dharma's. For example, we might conclude from reading one sutra [Sn 4.1] that Buddhist practice should be to avoid all desires. But upon reading another [SN 51.15], we learn that wholesome-desire itself is a necessary factor of the path. 

 

Only upon reflection does it become clear that what the Buddha taught is that there are different kinds of desire. Sensual craving  is not the same as an aspiration for the goal of ending all suffering. 

 

Some things are actually worth desiring -- most notably, the extinction of all harmful craving.

 

This is not the Dharma changing. It is our understanding that needs expanding into unfamiliar territory to encompass both sutras; the apparent "contradiction" evaporates. Over time we learn to recognize apparent conflicts not as inconsistencies in the discourses themselves but as an indication that we have been carried to the frontier of our understanding. It is up to us to cross beyond the boundaries of ignorance.

  

Sutras offer lots of practical advice. We find a wealth of practical information on a host of relevant real-world topics such as: 

• how families can live happily together [DN 31],
• how to safeguard material possessions [AN 4.255],
• what sorts of things are worth talking about [AN 10.69],
• how to cope with grief [AN 5.49],
• how to train the mind even on our deathbeds [SN 22.1],
• much, much more. 

In short, the Buddha's teachings offer very practical and realistic counsel on how to find happiness, no matter what our life-situation may be, no matter whether or not we call ourselves "Buddhist." There is even instruction on how to meditate [e.g., MN 118, DN 22] although writings cannot take the place of a competent teacher/guide. (This may be very hard to accept in the West, but it has been understood to be a necessity throughout India's spiritual history).

 

Sutras bolster confidence in the Buddha's wisdom. As we explore we come across things we already know to be true from our own direct experience. The Buddha said them 26 centuries before we had a chance to experience them. We may already be well acquainted with the hazards of alcoholism [DN 31]. Perhaps we've already tasted the kind of wholesome pleasure that naturally arises in a concentrated mind/heart [AN 5.28]. 

 

Reading is not believing; experience is (Keira Sutra baby/Hansong/flickr.com)

  

Seeing our own experience validated in the sutras makes it easier to accept the possibility that the more refined or advanced experiences the Buddha describes may be true. And some counter-intuitive and difficult teachings may, in fact, reflect realities we were not yet familiar with. This validation can inspire renewed confidence and energy to help our meditation, daily practice, and understanding move into new territory.

  

Energy and confidence support and further energize our meditation (bhavana, self-cultivation) practice. When we read about other people's meditation experiences, we may begin to get a feel for what we have already tasted or accomplished in our own practice and what remains to be done.

 

Reading them is just plain good for us. Instructions contained in them are entirely of a wholesome nature. For they are all about the cultivation of skillful qualities such as generosity, virtue, patience, joy, concentration, mindfulness, and so on. 

 

Therefore, when we read we are filling our heart/mind with wholesome things. Consider by contrast all the harmful impressions modern media bombards us with. A little regular sutra becomes an island of sanity and safety in a dangerous sea. Take good care. Whereas reading a sutra is a great first step, it is taking good advice to heart that bears the fruits of wisdom and compassion. More

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The Four Vows Controversy (Zen)

Mara Shaeffer, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly, Kast, Ron, Don, Richard, Pasadharma.org

Roshi Jeff Albrizze and his wife Amanda have a secret to reveal on or about Doomsday 2012.
   

What an amazing announcement. Highly impressed doesn't even begin to cover it. Congratulations! I am seriously considering trying to reincarnate this December just so I can have the coolest Hoodoo parents ever! But I guess I'll wait and give some other chap a chance to enter this realm. Looking forward to the baby shower! -Kast

• THE DEBATE: Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to...

The Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA) has a paper on the four vows comparing different translations, including some of the original language.

   

Wikipedia also has an excellent article as well on the topic “Bodhisattva vow.”
   
My final opinion as to what should be chanted has changed every day for the last few days. So I must continue to reflect and research. But I like what I have so far. Zen Master Red Pine made some interesting comments on how he translates his material, when he recently spoke at ZCLA. Combining the meaning with the rhythm and poetry of the words is a big challenge.

• The Zennist: Red Pine's Lankavatara Sutra translation

The Controversy Continues

Bodhidharma in Zen legend

"I didn't think we had a choice. I like Jeff's ideas but I want to remain within the Yokoji Zen Mountain Center/ZCLA orthodoxy." -Ron

"For the first vow, I even like this version even more: 'Sentient beings are numberless. I vow to free them.' Free them from my judgments and self righteousness. For desires, do we really want to end our desire for happiness? Or do we want to bring happiness to others? Which desires do we want to want to end and which keep?" -Don

Sisyphus according to Greek legend

"I wasn't aware that all these different centers used different versions of the four vows. Seeing them all (Thank you, Mara!) gives me a different perspective on this issue than I would have had otherwise. At ZCSD we didn't chant any version of the four vows.

 

"I think of the ZCLA four vows, when I say them, as being sort of an articulation or embodiment of the absurd human condition, in the sense of 'the absurd' being the difference between what one intends (truly, with all one's heart) and what is actually possible. I see them as Sisyphean vows. I'm also used to saying them with the cadence, etc. that we do now and am not all that enthusiastic about having to learn a new way of saying an old, familiar chant.

"But it's fine with me if PasaDharma members who feel strongly about the four vows want to chant a different version of them.

 

"How about chanting them in Japanese? I'd be fine with that, too. There's something to be said for experiencing the act of chanting (hearing, feeling, forming/creating the sounds, etc.) without being distracted by the content of the chant." -Richard
   

The Perfect Wording?

As American Buddhists we already change the original words of the Bodhisattva vows from the Zen traditions of China, Japan, and Korea by translating them into modern English. The benefits of understanding -- Martin Luther would agree -- far outweigh what is lost in translation.
  
Perhaps we should compare translations and find the one that best preserves the meaning of the original wording. That would include their koan/ riddle quality of vowing to attain the apparently  unattainable.
  
Wikipedia has a chart of the original wording used in five languages. ZCLA has notes on the four great vows with the original words and how nine different Zen groups translate them to help us come to a satisfactory interpretation.
 

1. “Masses [of] creatures, without-bounds, [I/we] vow to save (paramita) [them all].”

None of the translations account for the “without-bounds” state referred to in the original vow which is harming the masses. The translation for “save” comes from the word paramita (a "perfection" developed for the sake of becoming a buddha), meaning “to take over to the other shore.” Using the word “serve” for “save” changes the meaning slightly. Serving people is different from saving them. One can serve people in many different ways, and that may lead to saving them from their “without-bounds” state. “Save” seems like a better pick in words for the original paramita, especially when confronting the without-bounds culture we live in today. “I vow to free them” seems almost as good. The ZCLA site suggests the word “enlighten,” which is perhaps the most specific understanding of the word paramita in the Buddhist context and the only thing that is real salvation. “Enlighten” includes the meanings of both “save” and “free” (liberate). This seems to capture that meaning best: 

• “Numberless beings are without bounds, I vow to enlighten them.”

2. “Anxiety, hate, [deluded-desires] (kleshas) inexhaustible, [I/we] vow to break (cut off) [them all].”

“Anxiety, hate, and deluded-desires]” refers to the word klesha(s), which are “mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions (karma).” The three root kleshas are “greed, hate, and delusion” (or “attachment, aversion, and ignorance”), which lead to many other destructive mental states. The words “delusions,” “desires,” “passions,” “obstacles” come close to the original meaning of the word kleshas. Choosing just one of them leaves out a lot, with the remainder being lost in translation. The Diamond Sangha’s choice of wording seems to be the most comprehensive and closest to the original meaning, without resorting to a long list of the different kleshas. The word “sever,” as in “sever ties,” means “to cut off” and fits better with the rhythm of the chant. As much as we would like to “cut off” a particularly troublesome klesha forever, the best we can often hope for is to sever ties to it. It may yet linger waiting for a chance to arise again:

• “Though greed, hatred, and ignorance rise endlessly, I vow to sever them.” 

3. “Dharma gates beyond-measure [I/we] vow to learn [them all].”

Using the word “practice” for “learn” does not imply any sense of attempted accomplishment. “Penetration” implies a beginning level of understanding. “Understanding” indicates a higher level of development beyond just trying to actually practicing. Isn’t this what we should be aiming for? The Diamond Sangha’s translation captures the koan possibilities of the vow best, since, if the Dharma is literally fathomless, understanding is impossible.

• “Though the Dharma is vast and fathomless, I vow to understand it.”

4. “Buddha Way, nothing-higher, [I/we] vow to accomplish [it]”

“Embody” is a great translation for the word “to become, attain, turn into” (bhavana). Spirit (ephemeral intention) becomes flesh (solid materiality). The Diamond Sangha translation catches the koan-like quality best with attaining the unobtainable.” We realize that the vows are unattainable, but we vow to attain them anyway. Does their adding “fully” to the end make it more meaningful? It is hard to be sure. It throws off the rhythm of the chant a little and takes the punch out of “embody.” 

• “Though Buddha’s way is beyond attainment, I vow to embody it.”

The life of an American Buddhist practicing, or trying to practice, in the West

   

So what are we left with?

1. “Though numberless beings are without bounds, I vow to enlighten them.”
2. “Though greed, hatred, and delusion arise endlessly, I vow to sever them.”
3. “Though the Dharma is vast and fathomless, I vow to understand it.”
4. “Though the Buddha’s way is beyond attainment, I vow to embody it.”

What does everyone think? The rhythm and simplicity of the old vows may fall to the wayside, one might appreciate the depth the Diamond Sangha has added with their translations.

   

In our fundamental or Theravada Buddhist tradition, we have five essential vows in the Five Precepts:

1. I vow to abstain from killing.
2. I vow to abstain from stealing.
3. I vow to abstain from sexual irresponsibility.
4. I vow to abstain from deceiving.
5. I vow to abstain from intoxication occasioning heedlessness.

Without our vows, whatever they may be, we join the “masses of creatures without-bounds.” Of course, as with any translation, ultimately the Buddha was right in extolling the virtues of noble silence. The Sufi poet Rumi famously agreed:

   

“Silence is the language of God -- 
All else is poor translation.”

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Future Dangers (sutra)

Wisdom Quarterly translation (Anagata Bhayani Sutras)

Time bells and Buddhas in Borobudur, Indonesia (H. Koppdelaney/H-K-D/Flickr.com)

  
Monastics, there are five future dangers. They are enough, when considered, for one living apart -- heedful, ardent, determined -- to live well. So one will attain the unattained, reach the unreached, realize the unrealized. What are the five?

    

1. At present I am young, dark-haired, endowed with the blessings of youth, in the prime (first stage) of life. 

  

But a time will come when this body will be beset by old age. Overcome with old age and decay, it is difficult to pay attention to the Buddha's teachings. It is difficult to reside isolated, withdrawn.

   

Before this unwelcome, disagreeable, displeasing thing happens, let me make an effort for the attaining the unattained, reaching of the unreached, realizing unrealized so that -- endowed with that Dharma -- I will live in peace even when old. This is the first future danger.

  

2. One reminds oneself, At present I am free from disease and discomfort, endowed with strong digestion. But a time will come when this body will be beset with some illness. When one is overcome with illness, it is difficult to pay attention to the Buddha's teachings....
    
Before this unwelcome, disagreeable, displeasing thing happens, let me make an effort for the attaining the unattained, reaching of the unreached, realizing unrealized so that -- endowed with that Dharma -- I will live in peace even when ill. This is the second future danger.

   

Famine

Famine strikes everywhere (mtholyoke.edu)

3. One reminds oneself, At present food is plentiful and alms are easy to come by. It is easy to maintain oneself by gleanings and patronage. But a time will come when there is famine: Food is scarce, alms are hard to come by, and it is not easy to maintain oneself. When there is famine, people will congregate where food is plentiful. There they will live struggling crowded together.

   

When one is living crowded together, it is not easy to pay attention to the Buddha's teachings. It is not easy to reside isolated, withdrawn. Before this unwelcome, disagreeable, displeasing thing happens, let me first make an effort to attain, reach, and realize the unrealized so that -- endowed with that Dharma -- I will live in peace even when there is famine. This is the third future danger.

   

Savage groups invade other countries (TV.com)

4. One reminds oneself, At present people are in harmony, on friendly terms, free of quarreling, mixing like milk and water, viewing one another with affectionate eyes. But a time will come when there is an invasion by savage groups. Taking power they will surround the country. Due to this, people will congregate where it is safe. There they will live struggling crowded together.

  

When one is crowded together, it is difficult to pay attention to the Buddha's teachings. It is difficult to reside isolated, withdrawn. Before this unwelcome, disagreeable, displeasing thing happens, let me first make an effort to attain, reach, and realize the unrealized so that -- endowed with that Dharma -- I will live in peace even when there is an invasion. This is the fourth future danger.

   

5. One reminds oneself, At present the community (Sangha) lives in harmony, is on friendly terms, is free of quarreling, abiding in comfort with a single recitation (of the rules of self-discipline). But a time will come when the community splits.

  

When it is split, it is difficult to pay attention to the Buddha's teachings. It is difficult to reside isolated, withdrawn. Before this unwelcome, disagreeable, displeasing thing happens, let me first make an effort to attain, reach, and realize the unrealized so that -- endowed with that Dharma -- I will live in peace even when the community is split. This is the fifth future danger.
   

These are just enough, when considered, for one -- heedful, ardent, and determined -- to live for attaining the unattained, reaching the unreached, realizing the unrealized.

   

Five further future dangers

In search of solitude (presscluboftibet.org)

1. One reminds oneself, I am now living alone, secluded, in the wilderness where a snake may bite me, a scorpion sting me, a crawling thing pierce me. And I would die. This death would be an obstruction for me. So let me make an effort for the attainment, reaching, and realization of what is yet to be realized [for the sake of wisdom and liberation]. This is the first future danger.

  

2. One reminds oneself, I am now living alone, secluded, in the wilderness where

• I might fall,
• Improperly digested food might afflict me,
• Bile might be aggravated,
• Phlegm might be aggravated,
• Piercing bodily winds might be aggravated.

And I would die. This death would be an obstruction for me. So I should strive and put forth effort for attaining, reaching, and realizing what is yet to be realized. This is the second future danger.

  

3. One reminds oneself, I am now living alone, secluded, in the wilderness where vicious beasts might attack. And I would die. This death would be an obstruction for me. So let me make an effort for attaining, reaching, and realizing what is yet to be realized. This is the third future danger.

  

4. One reminds oneself, I am now living alone, secluded, in the wilderness where I might run into youthful thugs bent on crime. And I would die. This death would be an obstruction for me. So let me make an effort for attaining, reaching, and realizing what is yet to be realized. This is the fourth future danger.

  

5. One reminds oneself, I am now living alone, secluded, in the wilderness where there are vicious [nonhuman, spirit] beings that might attack. And I would die. This death would be an obstruction for me. So let me make an effort for attaining, reaching, and realizing what is yet to be realized. This is the fifth future danger.

    

Yet another five future dangers

Could the military-banking elite ruin the 99%?

[The Buddha taught:] Five dangers will arise in the future. Remain alert to them, and strive to get rid of them. What five? 
   
1. In the future there will be monastics who are undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind (heart), and wisdom. They will fully ordain as monastics others yet will be unable to discipline them in terms of higher virtue, higher mind, and higher wisdom. They, too, will remain undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom.

From corrupt Dharma comes corrupt discipline; from corrupt discipline comes corrupt Dharma. This, disciples, is the first danger that will arise in the future. Be alert to it, and work to get rid of it.
   

2. In the future there will be monastics undeveloped in skillful conduct, undeveloped in virtue, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in wisdom. They will take on students yet will be unable to discipline them in higher virtue, mind, and wisdom.

They, too, will be undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom. They will take on students yet will be unable to discipline them in higher virtue, mind, and wisdom. They, too, will remain undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom.

   

From corrupt Dharma comes corrupt discipline, and from corrupt discipline comes corrupt Dharma. This, disciples, is the second danger that will arise in the future. Be alert to it, and work to get rid of it.

  

Next time, a bigger pretext for war?

3. In the future there will be monastics undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom who, when giving a talk on higher Dharma or a discourse of questions and answers, will fall into dark mental states without being aware of it. 

From corrupt Dharma comes corrupt discipline, and from corrupt discipline comes corrupt Dharma. This, disciples, is the third danger that will arise in the future. Be alert to it, and work to get rid of it.

4. In the future there will be monastics undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom. They will not listen when discourses (sutras) composed of the Tathagata's words -- deep, profound, transcendent, impersonal -- are being recited.

They will not lend ear, will not set their hearts on knowing, will not regard these teachings as worth grasping or mastering.

   

But they will listen when literary works -- works of poets, elegant in sound and rhetoric, the work of outside teachers, words of disciples -- are recited as discourses.

   

They will lend ear and set their hearts on knowing them. They will regard these teachings as worth grasping and mastering. 

   

From corrupt Dharma comes corrupt discipline, and from corrupt discipline comes corrupt Dharma. This, disciples, is the fourth danger that will arise in the future. Be alert to it, and work to get rid of it.

   

Reflecting lay life  (Woutertje010/flickr.com)

5. In the future there will be monastics undeveloped in skillful conduct, virtue, mind, and wisdom. They will become monastic elders (theras) living in luxury, lethargic, foremost in falling back, shirking the duties of solitude and (mental and physical) withdrawal.
  

They will fail to make an effort to attain the unattained, reach the unreached, realizing the unrealized. They will become an example for later generations, who will become luxurious in their living, lethargic, foremost in falling back, shirking the duties of solitude and withdrawal, who will fail to make an effort to attain the unattained, reach the unreached, realize the unrealized. 

From corrupt Dharma comes corrupt discipline, and from corrupt discipline comes corrupt Dharma. This, disciples, is the fifth danger that will arise in the future. Be alert to it, and work to get rid of it.

  

These are the five dangers that will arise in the future. Be alert to them, and work to get rid of them.

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What God Didn't Know (sutra)

Wisdom Quarterly based on Walshe’s* translation of Kevaddha Sutta (DN 11); "God" = Brahma

(Asyasolo/flickr.com)

   

Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was staying at Nalanda,  in Pavarika’s Mango Grove. And the householder Kevaddha came, bowed, and sat down respectfully to one side. He then said:

   

“Venerable sir, this [City of] Nalanda is rich, prosperous, populous, full of people who have confidence [faith, belief] in the Blessed One.

   

It would be good if the Blessed One were to encourage some monastic disciple to perform supernatural feats and miracles. In this way Nalanda would come to have even more confidence.”

   

The Buddha replied: “Kevaddha, this is not the way I teach Dharma to the monastic disciples, saying: ‘Go, disciples, and perform supernatural feats and miracles for the white-clad lay people!’” [Faithful Buddhists in ancient India wore white when they went to see the Buddha and monastics, which they did weekly on lunar observance days.]

  

2. For a second time Kevaddha said: “Venerable sir, I would not be rude, but I still say: This Nalanda is rich, prosperous… and would come to have even more confidence in the Blessed One.” And the Buddha replied as before.

   

3. When Kevaddha repeated his request a third time, the Buddha said: “Kevaddha, there are three kinds of miracles that I have declared, having realized them through direct insight and experience. What are the three? The miracle of psychic power, the miracle of telepathy, and the miracle of instruction. 

  

Psychic Powers

Greek tele "distant" + patheia "feeling"

4. “What is the miracle of psychic power? Here [within the Buddha’s teaching], Kevaddha, a monastic disciple displays various psychic powers in different ways: The person being one becomes many, being many becomes one. One appears and disappears; one passes through fences, walls, and mountains unhindered as if through air; one sinks into the ground and emerges from it as if it were water; one walks on water without breaking the surface as if on land; one flies cross-legged through the sky like a bird with wings; one even touches and strokes with hand the Sun and Moon, as mighty and powerful as they are (as in “The Fruits of Recluseship” discourse, DN 2, Verse 87). And one travels in the body as far as the Brahma World [or “7th Heaven” known as Parisajja Brahma Deva Loka, “Brahma’s Retinue”]. Then someone who has confidence and trust sees that monastic doing these things. 

  

5. “That person tells this to someone else who is skeptical and unbelieving saying: ‘It is wonderful, it is marvelous, the great power and skill of that ascetic…’ And that person might say: ‘There is something called the Gandhāra [invisibility] charm. It is by means of this that that monastic becomes many…’

   

“What do you think, Kevaddha, would not a skeptic say that to a believer?” “Yes, venerable sir.” “And that is why, Kevaddha, seeing the danger [inherent] in such miracles, I dislike, reject, and [am] loathe [to use] them. 

   

Telepathy

Siddhartha’s period of severe austerities

6. “And what is the miracle of telepathy? Here, a monastic disciple reads the minds of other beings, of other people, reads their mental states, their thoughts and ponderings, and says: ‘That is how your mind is, that is how it inclines, that is in your heart.’ Then someone who has confidence and trust sees those things being done.

   

7. “One tells this to someone else who is skeptical and unbelieving, saying: ‘It is wonderful, it is marvelous, the great power and skill of that ascetic…’ And that person might say: ‘There is something called the Manika [mind reading jewel] charm. It is by means of this that that monastic can read the minds of others…’ And that is why, seeing the danger of such miracles, I… loathe them. 

   

Miracle of Instruction
8. “And what is the miracle of instruction? Here, Kevaddha, a disciple gives instruction as follows: ‘Consider in this way, don’t consider in that way, give up that, gain this and persevere in it.’ That, Kevaddha, is called the miracle of instruction.

   

9-66. “Again, Kevaddha, a Tathāgata [Wayfarer, Welcome One, Well Gone One] arises in the world, an arhat, a fully-enlightened buddha, endowed with wisdom and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the Worlds, incomparable Trainer of Persons to be Tamed, Teacher of Deva Beings and Human Beings, enlightened and blessed. 

   

“He, having realized it by his own super-knowledge, proclaims this world with its devas, māras, and brahmās, its princes, and peoples. He preaches the Dharma, which is lovely in the beginning, the middle, and end, in spirit and letter, and displays the fully-perfected and purified supreme life [of renunciation]. A disciple goes forth and practices the virtues... (as “The Fruits of Recluseship” discourse, DN 2, Verses 41-63).
   
“One guards the sense-doors and attains the [first] four absorptions (jhānas)... (as in DN 2, Verses 64-82); one attains various insights... (DN 2, Verses 83-84); one realizes the Four Noble Truths, the path, and the cessation of the corruptions (DN 2, Verses 85-97), and one knows: ‘[The ultimate goal is accomplished]…There is nothing further here.’ That, Kevaddha, is called the miracle of instruction. 

   

67. “And I, Kevaddha, have experienced these three miracles by my own super-knowledge.
   
“Once, Kevaddha, in this Monastic Order the thought occurred to a certain monastic: ‘I wonder where the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air [actually the four characteristics of materiality: solidity, cohesion, temperature, motion] -- cease without remainder.’ And that monastic attained such a state of mental concentration [absorption] that the way to the deva-realms appeared.

   

Visiting the Heavens
68. “Then arriving in the [space] Realm of the Devas of the Four Great Sky Kings, that monastic asked those devas [gandharvas, entertainers, messengers]: ‘Friends, where do the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air -- cease without remainder?’

“At this question the devas in the Realm of the Four Great Sky Kings said: ‘Monastic, we don’t know where the four great elements cease without remainder. But the Four Great Sky Kings [who look over the quadrants of space closest to Earth] are loftier and wiser than we are. They may know where the four great elements cease…’
   

69. “So the monastic went to the Four Great Sky Kings and asked, but they replied: ‘We don’t know, but the Thirty-Three [ruling] devas [who live in Tavatimsa, or the “Realm of the Thirty-Three”] may know…’

   

70. “So the monastic went to the Thirty-Three devas, who replied: ‘We don’t know, but Sakka, ruler of the [Thirty-Three] devas [as well as the Four Great Sky Kings], may know…’

   

71. “Sakka, ruler of the devas, said: ‘The Yāma Realm devas may know.’

   

72. “The Yāma Realm devas said: ‘Suyāma, born among devas, may know…’

   

73. “Suyāma said: ‘The Tusita Realm devas may know…’

  

74. “The Tusita Realm devas said: ‘Santusita, born among devas, may know…’

   

75. “Santusita said: ‘The Nimmānarati Realm devas may know…’

  

76. “The Nimmānarati Realm devas said: ‘Sunimmita, born among devas, may know…’

  

77.“Sunimmita said: ‘The Paranimmita-Vasavatti Realm devas may know…’

   

78. “The Paranimmita-Vasavatti Realm devas said: ‘Vasavatti, born among devas, may know…’

   

79. “Vasavatti said: ‘The devas of Brahmā’s Retinue may know…’

• Buddhist cosmology in general 
• Details of Buddhist cosmology  

80. “Then that monastic, by the appropriate concentration [absorption], made the way to the Brahmā World appear and went among the devas of Brahmā’s Retinue and asked them. They said: ‘We don’t know. But there is Brahmā, Great Brahmā [Maha Brahma], the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-Seeing, All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker and Creator, the Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Parent of All That Have Been and Shall Be. That Brahma is loftier and wiser than we are and would know where the four great elements cease without remainder.’

  

“And where, friends, is this Great Brahmā now?” 

  

“Monastic, we do not know when, how, or where Brahmā will appear. But when certain signs are seen -- when a light appears and a radiance shines forth -- then Brahmā will appear. Such signs are an indication that Brahma will soon appear.”

  

81. “Then it was not long before Great Brahmā appeared. And that monastic stepped up and said: “Friend, where do the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air -- cease without remainder?” to which Great Brahmā replied: ‘Monastic, I am Brahmā, Great Brahmā, the Conqueror, the Unconquered, the All-Seeing, All-Powerful, the Lord, the Maker and Creator, the Ruler, Appointer and Orderer, Parent of All That Have Been and Shall Be.” 

   

82. “A second time the monastic said: ‘Friend, I did not ask you if you are Brahmā, Great Brahmā… I asked you where the four great elements cease without remainder.” And a second time Great Brahmā replied as before. 

   

83. “And a third time the monastic said: ‘Friend, I did not ask you that; I asked where the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air -- cease without remainder.’

  

“Then, Kevaddha, Great Brahmā took that monastic aside by the arm and said: “Monastic, these devas believe there is nothing Brahmā does not see, does not know, is unaware of. That is why I did not speak in front of them. But, monastic, I don’t know where the four great elements cease without remainder.
  
“And therefore, monastic, you have acted wrongly. You have acted incorrectly by going beyond the Blessed Lord [the Buddha] in search of an answer to this question elsewhere. Now, monastic, you just go to the Blessed Lord and put this question to him, and whatever answer he gives, accept it.’

  

84. “So that monastic, as swiftly as a strong man might flex or unflex his arm, vanished from the Brahmā World and appeared in my presence. He prostrated himself before me, then sat down respectfully to one side, and said: ‘Venerable sir, where do the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air -- cease without remainder?’

   

85. “I replied: ‘Monastic, once upon a time seafaring merchants, when they set sail on the ocean, took in their ship a land-sighting bird. When they could not see the land themselves, they released the bird. The bird flew to the east, south, west, and north, to the zenith, and to the intermediate points of the compass. If it saw land anywhere, it flew there.
   
“But if it saw no land, it returned to the ship. In the same way, monastic, you have been as far as the Brahmā World searching for an answer to your question and not finding it. And now you come back to me. But, monastic, you should not ask your question in this way: ‘Where do the four great elements -- earth, water, fire, air -- cease without remainder?’

 

“Instead, this is how the question should have been put: 

   

‘Where do earth, water, fire, and air find no footing?

Where are long and short, small and great, fair and foul -- 

Where are “name and form” wholly destroyed? 

And the answer is:

‘Where consciousness is signless, boundless, all-luminous,

That’s where earth, water, fire, and air find no footing,

There both long and short, small and great, fair and foul --

There “name and form” are wholly destroyed.

With the cessation of [the impersonal process of] consciousness this is all destroyed.’”

  

Thus the Buddha spoke, and the householder Kevaddha delighted and rejoiced at his words.

• *Translator Maurice O’Connell Walshe (1911-1998) was one of the foremost British-born Buddhist and Pali scholars, Vice-President of the Buddhist Society, Chair of the English Sangha Trust, and author of the definitive translation of the Digha Nikaya or Long Discourses of the Buddha.

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Buddha Boy: English translations (video)

Wisdom Quarterly; Walking Stranger 78 (video compilation)

Buddha Boy (born April 9, 1990) has given talks over the years -- some to inspire the greatest spiritual ideals, some to bless and comfort and bring prosperity, some to plead for peace and compassion towards one another as well as animals and the forest/environment. These are given in the local language, while chanting is usually done in Sanskrit. Many are videotaped. And a few are formally translated. This is a collection of subtitled videotaped utterances to give a sense of Buddha Boy's (Dharma Sangha) message for the world so far.

  
Om Namo Guru Buddha Gyani ("Salutation to the One who knows Buddha" or "Hail the future buddha-knowledge guru") is also known as Ven. Dharma Sangha, Tapaswi Palden Dorje, Tamang Tulku Rimpoche, who was born Ram Bahadur Bomjon.

   

He has yet to announce accomplishing his goal and making known that timeless and immediately effective Dharma for the sake of which one sets off on a noble quest. He began meditating 2005 at the age of 15. This pivotal year, "Mayan 2012" (or 0-1) in the popular consciousness, may see the fulfillment of his prediction. But what did he predict?
   
How it all began
DharmaSangha.info edited by Wisdom Quarterly
Buddha Boy, now Ven. Dharma Sangha or simply Guru, visited Lumbini, Nepal (the garden believed by many to be where Siddhartha was born).  He took Five Precepts (pancha sila) of abstaining from killing animals (and so becoming a vegetarian), stealing, lying, thinking negatively of others, and intoxicants then trained with gurus in Dehra Dun, India.
  
He returned to Nepal's beautiful lakeside city of Pokhara. And taking ill he implored his family not to sacrifice any animals or take any alcohol otherwise further complications would arise. He got better but was still limping when he disappeared from his home the night of May 16, 2005.
   
When his mother found out, she alerted the village, and everyone joined in the search. A local boy claimed to have seen him while shaking a mango tree. Guru had come by and picked one up then stepped fully clothed into the river. “I thought you had disappeared,” the boy remarked to Guru. “Have I?” Guru replied. “You’d better go home, and be careful not to touch me.”
   
The boy ran home to tell his story, but at first nobody believed him. Guru’s relatives went to the ravine. Guru smiled characteristically when they found him. They told him to come home. “I’ll go home at 4:00 pm” Guru said. His family decided it would be wise to keep an eye on him, so some siblings stayed. At 4:00, he picked up a couple of mangoes and began to eat one. He told his little brother to bring him water, rice, his lama robes, a mala (beads), and a picture of the Buddha. His little brother did.
  
Guru’s sister came to tell him to come home at once. Seeing how emaciated he looked from his previous illness, she cried and begged him. He told her to stop crying, and she went home.

Meditating in the jungle with Buddha Boy, Nepal's tropical Terai

Meditation Begins

Then sitting in a meditative posture he seemed to go into trance. He began to ask himself questions and answer them out loud. The villagers came and told him to stop being silly and come home. They feared he might be ill or crazy. When his older brother touched him, Guru’s body became exceedingly hot and turned red.
  
“Please leave me alone, or one of us may die” Guru said. “If anyone disturbs me or my things at midnight, I will have to meditate for 20 years. But if all goes well, I will meditate for six years.”
  
Then Guru, followed by his brother and in the distance villagers, set out to find a good place in the forest for meditation. His parents insisted he take some food and water with him. Finally, he reached his destination at 11:00 am on May 18, 2005. This was the day the villagers of Ratanpuri celebrated Buddha Jayanti (Vesak).

Buddha Boy's first pipal or bodhi tree.

He settled himself under a pipal tree (just like the historical Buddha's sacred fig tree), having offered 10 kinds of fruit to the picture of the Buddha. About 30 villagers saw where Guru was meditating, and they left an offering of over 1,000 rupees as was the custom at Buddha Jayanti.
  
On that night at 12:00 am, some pranksters came to disturb him and steal the offering. They quarreled over the money, and later accused each other in front of villagers. Having confessed, they asked Guru’s forgiveness.
  
Guru left his first meditation spot and traveled north on May 24, 2005. At that time he gave six pipal leaves to his second eldest brother telling him to keep them in oil. He said that as long as his family kept the leaves, all would be well. His relatives cried when he left.
  
Again the villagers were concerned about his whereabouts. But late in the afternoon, a cowherd saw him at his new meditation site. The villagers sent his family to bring him home. But Guru refused and moved to yet another pipal tree to the east.

He told his family that he must continue to meditate at all costs.  He drew a boundary around his meditation area. Later villagers and relatives built a fence for him. A growing crowd gathered at the site, so he asked for a hut to be built and sealed with plastic on all sides. He remained in it for 15 days. After that he explained: “I have received some energy so that I may now meditate under a tree outside.”
   
There was a terrible drought in the village. Guru advised the villagers to petition a naga (dragon, reptilian entity, snake deity). After five days, it started raining.
   
On his 75th day of meditation, he opened his eyes and asked his elder brother to address him, “Om Namo Buddha Gyani”  (“Salutation to the One who knows Buddha”). Then he returned to his meditation. From that day on he was addressed as Om Namo Buddha Gyani.
  
On August 18, 2005 he called together his friends who were lamas. They asked him how it was that he was surviving without water. Guru replied that two nagas -- "dragons" often associated with water -- protected him from either side. That day Guru also changed his clothes and wore a white cloth called ngag.
  
[The Nagas are a tribal group who reside in the Indian Himalayan range, as are the Nga, both of whom seem named after the reptilian entities of Indian lore. Such beings, which are not always bad, are highly regarded in Tibet, Bhutan, and China as well.]

On November 6, 2005 a venomous snake (also called a naga) bit him. He sweat more than two liters (apparently still not taking liquids) as he continued to meditate. He thus overcame the venom. Local follower believe he reached enlightenment on this day, for the Bodhisattva (one yet to be enlightened) has the ability to survive otherwise deadly snake venom by staying against a tree, soil, and stone to digest, breakdown, and clear the poison. One is able to remain unaffected by wind and can understand the communication of all creatures (which more than by way of auditory language seems to be telepathic).
  
On November 8, 2005 Buddha Boy told the people gathered that he did not have the energy of a buddha. And he asked them not to publicize him as an "incarnation of the Buddha."
   
On November 11, 2005 a bright light appeared shining forth from his head (aura, nimbus, halo). His followers cried with joy and became even more fervent. But he told them, “Leave me in peace, and there will soon be peace in the country.” [That peace seems to have arrived.]
   
However crowds kept increasing. People chanted because pujas are emotionally devotional events rather than silently meditative ones. They set up a marketplace, according to broadcasters from Radio HBC 94 FM who visited the site on December 10, 2005.
   
The crowds were kept at a distance of about 50 meters.  All witnesses claimed that Guru  neither ate, drank or left to relieve himself.  He just sat and meditated under the pipal tree. Baffled onlookers were ever increasing.  There were stories of miracles: a girl and a young man had gained the power of speech although they could not speak. More

• Kagyu: Vajrayana's  esoteric whispered transmission

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Prajnaparamita-Hridaya Sutra Mantra.

I've been looking for a reliable representation of the Heart Sutra's mantra (om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha) in either Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Hindi, etc. I have been doing extensive research but haven't found much. I found the version written above in the Siddham script of Sanskrit (At least I think the above script is Siddham).

However, I need a verification of it's validity and accuracy because eventually I want this section of the Heart Sutra tattooed on my forearm and don't want to get the wrong thing tattooed on me. Can anyone verify the Siddham script Sanskrit version or give me a version written in any of those other Asian languages that I mentioned above? I also think I found a version written in Japanese kanji (below)--can anyone confirm it as being the Heart Sutra mantra?The other question I have is that the characters above seem like Chinese and not Japanese but I'm not an expert to say the least. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Bowing...

~Peace to all beings~

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