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The Collected
Lectures of The Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform SutraTranslated by the Buddhist Text Translation Society
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Sutra:
“You must go quickly for I fear that people might harm
you.” Hui Neng asked, “Where shall I go?” The Patriarch replied, “Stop at Huai and hide at Hui.” Hui Neng received the robe and bowl in the third watch. He said, "Hui Neng is a Southerner and does not know these mountain roads. How does one reach the mouth of the river?" The Fifth Patriarch said. "You need not worry, I will accompany you." Commentary: The Fifth Patriarch said to the Sixth Patriarch, "After this, do not transmit the robe with the teaching. It causes too much fighting and struggle over the clear, pure Dharma body. Should you transmit the robe, your life will hang by a thread." The Fifth Patriarch instructed the Sixth Patriarch to go quickly, for he knew that Shen Hsiu's followers would certainly wish to kill him when they realized he had inherited the Patriarchate. "Do not stay here," the Fifth Patriarch said. "Stop at Huai and hide at Hui." Huai is a district in Kuang Hsi, Wu Chou, and Hui is Szu Hui, now called Hsin Hui. Sutra: The
Fifth Patriarch escorted him to the Chiu Chiang courier station and
ordered him to board a boat. The Fifth Patriarch took up the oars and
rowed. Hui Neng said. "Please, High Master, sit down. It is fitting
that your disciple take the oars." The
Patriarch replied. "It is fitting that I take you across." Hui Neng said. "When one is deluded, one's master takes one across, but when one is enlightened, one takes oneself across. Although the term 'taking across' sounds the same in each case, the usage is not the same.” Commentary: High
Master is a respectful form of address used for a teacher or an
Abbot. The Fifth and Sixth Patriarchs politely matched wits: "Hey
I" said the Fifth Patriarch, "Let me take you across the
river." Hui Neng understood. "When the student is confused," he said, "the teacher must save him. But when the student becomes enlightened, he must save himself." Before becoming enlightened and obtaining the original substance of the self-nature, the disciple is confused and lost. His teacher advises him to work hard: "Do not be afraid of the pain in your legs when you sit in meditation. If you are afraid of suffering you cannot become enlightened. " At Huang Mei, day in and day out, the Sixth Patriarch foiled threshing rice. He worked harder than anyone else, and as he grew weak he tied a stone around his waist to increase his weight. This stone, still kept at Tung Shan Monastery, bears the inscription, "This stone was used by Hui Neng, Layman Lu, to pound rice." Sutra; "Hui Neng was born in the frontier regions and his pronunciation is incorrect, yet he has received the Dharma transmission. Now that enlightenment has been attained, it is only fitting that one take one's own nature across." Commentary: Born in Canton province, the Sixth Patriarch spoke Cantonese rather than Mandarin, so few people understood him. Nevertheless, he inherited the mind seal of the wonderful Dharma. Master
Hui Neng was truly enlightened, unlike some people who are not
enlightened but cheat and say that they are, and who have not testified
to the fruit but lie and say that they have. "One must take one's own nature across," said the Sixth Patriarch. Sutra; The Patriarch replied. "So it is, so it is. " Commentary: The Fifth Patriarch thought, "This disciple knows my heart." He said to Hui Neng, "Yes, it is just that way. " Did you all hear me? I said, "One should take one's own nature across. "For example, someone must teach you to recite the Surangama Mantra, but once you know how, you must recite it on your own. People should not have to say, "It is time for you to recite the Surangama Mantra." Again, someone must teach you to recite Sutras, but then you must do it yourself. This is what is meant by "taking one's own nature across." My disciples Kuo Ch'ien and Kuo Ning bow to the Lotus Sutra every day, since they heard that the Great master Chih Che, the third patriarch of the T'ien T'ai School, bowed to the Surangama Sutra and to the Lotus Sutra for eighteen years and then became enlightened. Whether or not Kuo Ch'ien and Kuo Ning wish to become enlightened in this way, it is still good that they bow to the Sutra. They are taking their own natures across. The teacher shows you how to remove afflictions. He says that anger harms the body, and that one should transform one's nasty temper into Bodhi. Once taught, unless the method is applied the nature cannot be taken across. The Master says, "Don't get upset. When faced with a crisis, proceed as if nothing has happened. All things are like flowers in the sky or the moon's reflection in the water—unreal, illusory, like a dream or a dewdrop. Remember this and there will be no affliction. If, on meeting a state, you see through it and put it down, you have taken your nature across." Smoking can be a problem. The teacher says, "Stop smoking! Smoking binders cultivation." When I said this to one disciple, he said, "Stop smoking? We'll give it a try," and he stopped. He took his nature across. Another disciple is fond of drink. After studying the Buddhadharma, he should quit drinking, but he says, "I'm confused. I'm not enlightened." If you stop, you become enlightened; if you do not, you sink into confusion. Whether or not you become enlightened is entirely up to you. Cutting off all unwholesome activities is just to become enlightened and to take your nature across. Not understanding, you may think, "The Dharma Master says drugs are bad, so I'll take some more. I'll take a double dose. No, I'll take five times as much I I'll keep getting high until I am enlightened." Continue to take drugs and you will poison yourself and die instead. Confused by drugs, you cannot take your nature across. Before studying the Buddhadharma, you should not do confused and wicked things. After studying the Buddhadharma, how much the less should you do them. If you continue to misbehave, you commit the crime of “knowing and intentionally violating the Dharma,” and you are certain to fall into the hells. If I do them, I will fall into the hells. If he does them, he will fall into the hells. No one can avoid this.
In a hundred thousand kalpas, No one can suffer for you in the hells. Karma refers to acts of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and drinking, all of which bear retribution in the future. Your karma does not die, and it is you, and you alone, who must suffer the consequences. However, If
you end your confusion and get rid of the dirt, The dirt in your nature is your false thinking, your ignorance, your outflows, and your bad habits. Eliminate these and you have taken your nature across. When I lectured this Sutra in another place, I said, "If you create offense karma, you will go to the hells; if I create offense karma, I will go to the hells." One person present objected: "Dharma Master," he said, "I have never seen these hells. Where are they? I would like to take a look at them because I simply don't believe they exist." I said, "It is easy enough to fall into the hells, and if you try to fall into them you will fall even 'more quickly and not escape for a very long time." I hope that those who wish to try out the hells will reconsider. What kind of person can take his nature across? A person with wisdom. Stupid people, on the other hand, cannot take their nature across and what is more, even if a teacher tries to help them they refuse to listen. It is like trying to teach a dog. You say, "Don't bite people," and, the first chance it gets, the dog bites someone. So you hit it and it still bites people. Why? Because it has a stupid nature. Cats are just the same. You can tell a cat, "Do not kill mice, preserve life," but nevertheless the cat kills the first mouse it sees. You may try to teach a mouse not to steal, but still it sneaks off to smoke cigarettes and drink wine because it simply does not know how to be human. People with true and proper understanding do not do mixed-up things. You must correct your own faults. Your teacher should not have to watch your every move and follow you around to make sure you behave. You must take your own nature across. This is a general explanation for if I were to speak in detail, I would not finish until the exhaustion of the boundaries of the future. Sutra: "Hereafter, because of you, the Buddhadharma will be widely practiced. Three years after your departure I will leave this world. Now, start on your journey and go south as fast as possible. Do not speak too soon, for the Buddhadharma arises from difficulty. " Commentary: "I have transmitted my Dharma and in three years I will die and go to Nirvana," said the Fifth Patriarch. "Go well, and whatever you do, don't be lazy. Don't go the wrong way. Don't take drugs and ruin your body, for it is your means for cultivation. If you ruin your body how will you be able to cultivate?" This is certainly what the Fifth Patriarch said. "But don't speak of the Dharma too soon. Hide your light and store up your potential, like feeding the troops so well that they conquer all enemies and capture every city. I have just transmitted the Dharma to you, but do not teach it right away. The Buddhadharma is hard to bring forth. It arises from difficulty." The more difficult the beginning, the better the results. You who are going to Taiwan to receive the precepts should not fear hardship. You must do what others cannot do. But do not hit people if no one is hitting people or scold people if no one is scolding people. You should be a model for Americans and Chinese, teaching the Chinese to cultivate according to the American Sangha. This is your glory and you will succeed only if you do not fear suffering. The Buddhadharma arises from difficulty, the more difficult the better. So now you must endure suffering. This is difficult, but you can do it, for it is the opening of your wisdom. Lecture 15. Sutra: After Hui Neng took leave of the Patriarch, he set out on foot for the South. In two months he reached the Ta Yu Mountains. The Fifth Patriarch returned, but for several days did not enter the hall. The assembly was concerned and went to ask, "Has the Master some slight illness or problem?" Commentary: The Sixth Patriarch left the Fifth Patriarch, no longer attending upon the High Master or making offerings to him. He walked south from P'ing Mao Mountain toward Canton, and in a little over two months he reached the Ta Yu mountain range which forms the border between Nan Hsiung and Canton. The Fifth Patriarch returned to his room. For many days he did not go into the hall to speak Dharma or take his meals. The assembly was curious. "High Master," they asked, "you are not ill are you?" Sutra: "There is no illness." came the reply, "but the robe and Dharma have already gone south." "Who received the transmission?" they asked. "The Able One obtained it," said the Patriarch. The assembly then knew and soon several hundred people took up pursuit, all hoping to steal the robe and bowl. Commentary: "You may all disperse," said the Fifth Patriarch, "because I no longer have the Buddhadharma. The robe and Dharma have gone south. I intend to rest now. I am going to retire." "Who received the transmission?" they asked. "The Able One," said the Patriarch. The Able One refers to Hui Neng: "Able" (neng) is his name. Dharma Master Fa Ju was among those who heard the announcement. Fa Ju was one of the ten people to whom the Fifth Patriarch gave instructions before he entered Nirvana, telling them, "Each of you go to a different direction and be a Dharma Host." But now, when he heard the Fifth Patriarch say that the Able One had received the transmission, he cried out, "No! That Cantonese barbarian Hui Neng has got the Dharma? How strange." Word spread, and soon everyone knew. They all objected violently. “No! No!” they shouted, “How can it be? Let’s go take it from him right now!” Several hundred powerful people ran after Hui Neng. Consider the situation: The Fifth Patriarch had transmitted the Dharma to a barbarian, and the entire assembly was resentful. “How could you give it to him?” they said. “We have been following you for so many years. Why didn’t you give it to us?” They thought to themselves, “The Patriarch’s brain must be addled. How else could he give the Dharma to such a hick? We should go force back the robe and bowl!” Sutra: One Bhiksu, Hui Minq was coarse natured man whose lay name had been Ch'en, had formerly been a fourth class military official. He was now intent in his search and ahead of the others. When he had almost caught up. Hui Neng tossed the robe and bowl on a rock saying, "This robe and bowl are tokens of faith. How can they be taken by force?" Hui Neng then hid in a thicket. Commentary: Bhiksu Hui Ming was coarse and uneducated. He never opened his mouth unless it was to scold someone and if they refused to listen he beat them. He could smash a rock of several hundred pounds with one blow. This extraordinary strength made him a fourth class army officer. Hui Ming had one peculiar trait. His feet were covered with feathers, which enabled him to run fast. He could travel sixty miles a day, compared to the ordinary man's thirty. His feathered feet and great strength carried him far ahead of the others. As he flew along, his mind race, "I'll get the robe and bowl and then it will be mine! It belongs to the strongest man." When Hui Neng saw this big, crude, feather-footed pursuer, he was a bit frightened. Although he had obtained the Dharma, he had just begun to cultivate and did not yet have great spiritual power. He shouted into empty space: "This robe and bowl are symbols of the faith. How can you take them by force? How can there be any dispute?" What do you think? Sutra: When Hui Ming arrived, he tried to pick them up but found he could not move them and cried out, "Cultivator, Cultivator. I have come for the Dharma, not for the robe!” Commentary: Actually, he had intended to grab the robe and bowl and run. But since he couldn’t move them, he thought, “This is strange. I can’t force this one. Ah! I’ll ask for the Dharma instead.” Had he truly been seeking the way, he would immediately have said, "Cultivator, Cultivator, I come for the Dharma, not for the robe and bowl." Don't you think my position is logically sound? Sutra: Hui Neng then came out and sat cross-legged on a rock. Hui Ming made obeisance and said, "I hope the Cultivator will teach the Dharma for my sake." Commentary: Hui
Ming bowed to the Sixth Patriarch. He now knew that the Dharma of the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot be taken by force. Sutra: Hui Neng said, "Since you have come for the Dharma you may put aside all causal conditions. Do not give rise to a single thought and I will speak it clearly for you." After a time, Hui Neng said. "With no thoughts of good and with no thoughts of evil, at just this moment, what is Superior One Hui Miner's original face?" At these words, Hui Ming was greatly enlightened. Commentary: For seven or eight minutes, the Great Master sat waiting. Neither he nor Hui Ming gave rise to a single thought. Everything stopped. Not even the ghosts and spirits knew what was happening. All was empty. Hui Ming was not giving rise to thought. He was not thinking north, east, south, or west. Hui Neng asked him, "With no good thoughts and with no bad thoughts, at just this moment what is the Superior One Hui Ming's original face?" The Sixth Patriarch was at that time still a layman and so he respectfully addressed Hui Ming as Superior One. "What is your original face?" he asked. The word "what" means "who." In the Dhyana School, one meditates on the question, "Who is reciting the Buddha’s name?” When Hui Ming heard the word “who” he became enlightened. “Oh!” he said, “originally its just this way!" Hearing these words, have you become enlightened? Sutra: Hui Ming further asked. "Apart from the above secret speech and secret meanings, is there yet another secret meaning?" Commentary: All of the Sixth Patriarch's pursuers were greedy but Hui Ming was the worst. He had just seen his original face, he had just become enlightened, but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted to know if he had missed anything. "Are there any more secrets?" he asked. "Is there something even more wonderful?" This
is a case of not knowing when to stop. He would not have asked this
question if he had known when to stop. Sutra: Hui Neng said, "What has been spoken to you is not secret. If you reverse the illumination, the secret is on your side. " Commentary: "What
was spoken is not the most miraculous and wonderful," said the
Sixth Patriarch. "What is most important is that you return the
light and reverse the illumination so that you may view the wonderful
secret which is within you. It is all just within you; it is not here
with me." Sutra: Hui Minq said. "Although Hui Minq did not in fact awaken to his original face at Huang Mei, now that he has been favored with this teaching he is like a drinker of water who knows for himself whether it is cold or warm. Cultivator, you are now Hui Ming's master." "If you feel that way." said Hui Neng, "then you and I have the same master, Huang Mei. Protect yourself well. " Commentary: "If that is how you feel," said the Sixth Patriarch, "we have the same master, Huang Mei. We both have the Fifth Patriarch's Dharma transmission and are Dharma brothers. That is fine! Now take good care of the Dharma and do not allow it to become extinct." Lecture 16. Sutra: Hui Ming further asked, “Where should I go now?” Hui Neng said, “Stop at Yuan and dwell at Meng.” Commentary: It was not until three years after his encounter with the Patriarch that Hui Meng went to Meng Mountain in Yuan district. There he met a ghost who, in his last life, had been a top ranking scholar under the Imperial examination system. The ghost composed a poem and sang it to Hui Ming. I.
Still, still, barren waste, one dream field. Then,
now, triumph, loss lazy thought measures. Wild
grass, idle flowers picked how many? Bitter rain, sour wind, how much torn gut? II.
At night, with firefly light I come and go. At
dawn, the cock crows; I hide way my form. Regret
from the first not tilling the mind ground: Two streams are caused to fall — green mountain tears. Seeing the ghost’s plight, Hui Ming explained the Dharma to the ghost and took him across. After receiving instruction from the Sixth Patriarch, feather-footed Hui Ming went down the mountain and told the pursuers that he had not seen the Sixth Patriarch. Sutra: Hui Ming bowed and left. Reaching the foot of the mountain, he said to the pursuers, “Above there is only a rocky, trackless height. We must find another path.” The pursuers all agreed. Afterwards, Hui Ming changed his name to Tao Ming to avoid using Hui Neng’s first name. Commentary: Hui Ming usually told the truth and so everyone believed him now even though he was lying. Actually this was not a lie, but an expedient device used to protect the Sixth Patriarch from those who, unlike Hui Ming, had not received the Dharma and therefore still wished to kill the Sixth Patriarch. Hui Ming dared not presume to be his Master's equal. He changed his name from Hui Ming to Tao Ming to avoid using the Patriarch's first name. Sutra: Hui Neng arrived at Ts'ao Hsi where he was again pursued by men with evil intentions. To avoid difficulty, he went to Szu Hui and lived among the hunters for fifteen years, at times teaching Dharma to them in appropriate manner. Commentary: Shen Hsiu still wanted to kill the Sixth Patriarch and steal the Patriarchate. Hui Neng escaped to Szu Hui, the present Hsin Hui, where he lived with a band of hunters for fifteen years. Who would have suspected that a Buddhist would choose to live with hunters? No one. Shen Hsiu's party searched far and wide, but they never found him. Some
say the Great Master lived with the hunters for sixteen years, but their
calculation includes the time he spent coming and going. He actually
lived with the hunters only fifteen years. Sutra: The hunters often told him to watch their nets, but whenever he saw beings who were still living he released them. At mealtime he cooked vegetables In the pot alongside the meat. If questioned, he would answer, "I only eat vegetables cooked alongside the meat." Commentary: For lunch, the Great Master gathered wild vegetables on the mountain and cooked them in the pot beside the meat. If someone asked him, "Why are you doing that?" he said, "I only eat the vegetables. I don't eat meat." Sutra: One day Hui Neng thought. "I should spread the Dharma. I cannot stay in hiding forever." Accordingly, he went to Fa Hsinq Monastery in Canton where Dharma Master Yin Tsung was giving lectures on the Nirvana Sutra. There he met two Bhiksus who were discussing the meaning of the wind and a flag. One said, “The wind is moving.” The other said, “The flag is moving.” They argued incessantly. Hui Neng stepped forward and said, “The wind is not moving, nor is the flag. Your minds, Kind Sirs, are moving.” Everyone was startled. Commentary: "I
can't stay here forever," thought the Sixth Patriarch. It's time
for me to spread the Dharma." The Great Master went to Canton, to
Fa Hsing Monastery, now called Kuang Hsiao Monastery, where Dharma
Master Yin Tsung was lecturing on the Mahaparinirvana Sutra.
There he met two monks who were arguing over the meaning of the wind and
a flag. "The wind is moving," one said. "No!"
the other disagreed, "The flag is moving, not the wind." Hearing
this, the Sixth Patriarch said, "You are both wrong. Neither the
wind nor the flag is moving. Your minds are moving. If your minds were
not moving, then neither the wind nor the flag would move." Sutra; Dharma Master Yin Tsunq invited him to take a seat of honor and sought to ask him about the hidden meaning. Seeing that Hui Neng's expression of the principles was concise and to the point, not based on written words. Yin Tsunq said. "The cultivator is certainly no ordinary man. I heard long ago that Huang Mei's robe and bowl had come south. Cultivator, is it not you?" Hui Neng said. "I dare not (presume such a thing)." Yin Tsung then made obeisance and requested that the transmitted robe and bowl be brought forth and shown to the assembly. Commentary: Everyone
was astonished to hear this layman speak in such a wonderful and
mysterious way. Yin Tsung asked him, "Aren't you the holder of
Huang Mei's robe and bowl?" "I
am unworthy of such a title," the Master said modestly. Yin Tsung knew, however, that the Great Master was only being polite. Yin Tsung recognized Layman Lu as the Sixth Patriarch. Sutra: He
further asked. "How was Huang Mei's doctrine taught?" "There was no teaching," replied Hui Neng. "We merely discussed seeing the nature. There was no discussion of Dhyana samadhi or liberation." Yin Tsung asked, "Why was there no discussion of Dhyana samadhi or liberation?" Hui
Neng said, "These are dualistic dharmas. They are not the
Buddhadharma. The Buddhadharma is a Dharma of non-dualism." Yin
Tsung further asked. "What is this Buddhadharma which is the Dharma
of non-dualism?" Hui
Neng said. "You. Dharma Master, have been lecturing the Nirvana
Sutra which clearly explains the Buddha nature. This is the
Buddhadharma, which is the Dharma of non-dualism. As Kao Kuei Te Wang
Bodhisattva said to the Buddha. 'Does violating the four serious
prohibitions, committing the five rebellious acts. Or being an
icchantika cut off the good roots and the Buddha nature?'" Commentary: The Four serious prohibitions are killing, stealing, lying and sexual misconduct. The five rebellious acts are matricide, patricide, killing an Arhat, shedding the blood of a Buddha, and breaking up the harmonious Sangha. These offenses are said to be unforgivable. What happens to the good roots and the Buddha nature of one who commits such offenses? Icchantika is a Sanskrit word, which may be explained as "of incomplete faith." Are the good roots and the Buddha nature of icchantikas cut off? Kao Kuei Te Wang Bodhisattva asked the Buddha these questions because he mistook good roots for the Buddha nature itself. In his answer, the Buddha makes clear the fact that good roots are not the Buddha nature. Sutra; "The
Buddha replied. 'There are two kinds of good roots: The first,
permanent; the second impermanent. The Buddha nature is neither
permanent nor impermanent. Therefore it is not cut off. " "This is what is meant by non-dualistic. The first is good and the second is not good. The Buddha-nature is neither good nor not good. This is what is meant by non-dualistic. Common men see heaps and realms as dualistic. The wise man comprehends that their nature is non-dualistic. The nondualistic nature is the Buddha nature. He
then shaved Hui Neng's head and asked Hui Neng to be his master.
Accordingly, under that Bodhi tree, Hui Neng explained the Tung
Shan Dharma door. "Hui
Neng obtained the Dharma at Tuna Shan and has undergone much suffering,
his life as if hanging by a thread." Hearing this explanation, Yin Tsung was delighted. He joined his palms in salute and said, “My explanation of Sutras is like broken tile, whereas your discussion of the meaning, Kind Sir, is like pure gold.” Commentary: Because the Great Master obtained the Dharma from the Fifth Patriarch at Tung Shan, "East Mountain," it is called the Tung Shan Dharma door. "I endured great hardship," said the Master, "running from evil, jealous men who were intent on murdering me. I have been in great danger." Sutra: "Today, in this gathering of the Magistrate, officials, Bhiksus, Bhiksunis, Taoists and laymen, there is not one of you who has not accumulated kalpas of causal conditions. Because in past lives you have made offerings to the Buddhas and planted good roots in common, you now have the opportunity to hear the Sudden Teaching, a cause of obtaining the Dharma. "This teaching has been handed down by former sages: it is not Hui Neng's own wisdom. You who wish to hear the teaching of the former sages should first purify your minds. After hearing it, cast aside your doubts and in this way you will be no different than the sages of the past. " Commentary: We in America who are so fortunate as to hear this Sutra explained, also for kalpas have established common causes by making offerings to the Buddhas. "The Dharma is transmitted from former sages, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas. It is not my own wisdom," said Hui Neng. "If you listen to me carefully, it will be just as if you were listening to the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas speaking." Sutra: Hearing this Dharma, the entire assembly was delighted, made obeisance and withdrew. FOOTNOTES1.
The above question is a paraphrase of a dialogue between the
Buddha and Kao Kuei Te Want Bodhisattva (whose Sanskrit name has been
lost). It appears in Dharmaksema’s translation of the
Mahaparinirvana-sutra. The Buddha’s answer, refuting the
Bodhisattva’s dualism, reads: “There are two kinds of good roots:
The first, inward; the second, outward. The Buddha nature is neither
inward nor outward. For this reason the Buddha nature is not cut off.
Further, there are two kinds: The first, with outflows; the second,
without outflows. The Buddha nature is neither with nor without
outflows. Therefore it is not cut off. Further, there are two kinds: The
first is permanent; the second is impermanent. The Buddha nature is
neither permanent nor impermanent. Therefore it is not cut off...” (T.
374, p. 493c:27-494a:2) 2.
Sanskrit, parajikas. 3.
Sanskrit, pancanatarya. 4.
“Hsin pu chu,” is the traditional Chinese explanation of the
Sanskrit term. Western scholars are unsure of the deprivation of the
Sanskrit word. C.f. F. Edgerton, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary for
discussion, reprint Motilal Banarasidass, 1970. 5.
The five heaps: a) form, b) feeling, c) perception, d) impulses,
e) consciousness. For a full discussion, see Edward Conze, Buddhist
Thought in India, Allen & Unwin, London 1962, pp. 107-12. |
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COMPLETE PRECEPTS OF THE THOUSAND BUDDHAS In this age, which is so strong in fighting and strife, disasters and war increase daily. We must find a means to rescue mankind and prevent the annihilation of the entire world, consequently, in order to protect the country, eliminate disasters, and seek peace and blessings for all peoples, the members of The Sino-American Buddhist Association have decided to transmit the complete Precepts of the Thousand Buddhas for the first time in Western history. This Dharma Assembly will last for one hundred and eight days, beginning on June 7 1972, and ending on September 22, 1972. Buddhists of all countries and nationalities throughout the world are cordially invited to attend and receive the Complete Precepts of Sramanera, Sramanerika, Bhiksu, Bhiksuni, and Bodhisattva. The merit thus established for mankind as well as the benefits accruing to those of the future are truly unlimited. Those interested in taking part should be aware of the following items:
Every single living being enters the non-dual Dharma-door and realizes the triple enlightenment ground. A hundred realms of Buddhas sit on their thrones of a thousand flowers adorning the heaven of ten thousand virtues. DONATIONS TO THE TRIPLE JEWEL Dharma
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25.00 Wong
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The growing library of Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery
welcomes the contribution of all books pertaining to Buddhism, in all languages known to man.
PLANT GOOD ROOTS—TURN YOUR MUSTY BOOKS TO FRAGRANT BODHI SPROUTS...! 1972 CALENDAR OF BUDDHIST HOLIDAYS Mar. 22 Anniversary of Sakyamuni Buddha’s Leaving Home 29 Anniversary of Sakyamuni Buddha’s Nirvana
Apr. 2 Birthday of
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
4
Birthday of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva 29 Birthday of Cundi Bodhisattva
May 16 Birthday of
Manjusri Bodhisattva 20 Birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha
June 7 Opening of
the Precept Platform
9 Birthday of Medicine King Bodhisattva 23 Birthday of Ch’ieh Lan Bodhisattva
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