林愛偉

Any method can be used to cheat people. We just have to be quick to find how much a questionable method is emphasized. Peace and Blessings, Lin

Nope. I do understand Tantra, and it was a method to be taught to high level cultivators who had attained close to 8th and 9th stage Bodhisattva levels. It wasn't intended for anyone to utilize Shuang Shen Xiu (Dual Sexual Cultivation) technique unless they had already severed their views of lust. The method was for those of a sound mind, without deviance in their mind for lust and desire. Peace, Lin

Hui Neng did indeed have the capacity to understand principle and the philosophy behind the cultivation and teachings. 6th Patriarch Hui Neng upon hearing a verse from the Diamond Sutra awakened while he was selling firewood before he left his home. He couldn't read, but he could hear, and snuck a peak during the 5th Patriarch's Dharma Talks after he left his home to live in a monastery. hehe Hui Neng was able to comment on Sutras due to his clear and awakened mind. people from all over would come to him with questions from various Sutras and he would help them understand... of course he had the conditions for it and the previous cultivation. While he lived in the temple under 5th Patriarch, Hui Neng was called a country bumpkin, barbarian. After he left home and shaved his head, many people still didn't believe he was "qualified" to be the 6th Patriarch, and many times assassination attempts on his life occurred and failed. Each person's conditions are indeed dependent upon their karma. Awakening is dependent upon lifetimes of cultivation for that goal.

Peace and Blessings.

Though much of the Sangha should be presenting Morality as its golden shining armor, it is sadly flawed due to the lack of control and cultivation of much of those in the Sangha, not all but a good many. Many certain sects of Buddhism, once reaching the west, acted on their desires, and hurt many people through immoral acts. It is something that is rampant in most institutionalized religious organizations in our "modern" world. Usually, the marker for such immoral acts is the empowering of sexual acts as a means to attain enlightenment, empowering of desires, and materialism is also another marker for deviant practices for those claiming to be of Buddhist cultivation.

Meaning, anyone can cultivate the Buddha Dharma, what they do with it is all according to their own mind.

Even demons and mischievous people's can cultivate the Buddha Dharma. If they do wrong with it, it doesn't represent Buddhism as flawed, only the mind of the cultivator being flawed.

After Ven. Ananda awoken to the Dharma and applied himself in application, he was foremost in remembering the Sutras the Buddha spoke. When the Buddha entered Nirvana, Ven. Ananda took to the Lion's Seat and began to speak the Dharma with the phrase: "Thus, I have heard..." And from then on, the Sutras were written with this as the beginning of the first sentence to proclaim that indeed it was the Buddha who spoke, yet the Sutras were remembered and spoken in regards to the Buddha's actual words. When Ven. Ananda took to the Lion's Seat to speak the Dharma, the Buddha's disciples were in awe...some thought the Buddha didn't enter Nirvana and stayed to speak the Dharma, other's thought Ven. ananda himself became a Buddha. But once he uttered those four words, "Thus, I have heard..." the disciples knew indeed that it wasn't the Buddha, and that Ananda didn't claim to be a successor to the Dharma, but he had awakened to the truth that no teachings can be claimed for one's own, that they can only be replayed in different ways for different mind-conditions. Also, that Ananda indeed remembered the Buddha's words, and thus proclaimed them as discourse, reciting them and commenting on them. Meditation is first and foremost to train the mind, Sutra studies plants the seeds of enlightenment. Vice, verse, the Dharma isn't fixed/limited. It is THUS according to the minds of living beings. Peace, Lin If he hadn't almost broken his precepts, we wouldn't have the Shurangama Sutra and Mantra! The prostitute also became a cultivator of the Buddha Dharma. Lucky us!

Reminds me of the story of Ven. Ananda who always read and read, but never developed concentration and wisdom through meditation. When he was overcome by a mantra to persuade him to be with a woman during his begging run, the Buddha sent his disciple to recite the mantra by mind outside the prostitute's house and awaken Ananda, and bring him and the woman back to see the Buddha. Hence, the speaking of the Shurangama Sutra for the sake of the Shurangama Mantra. Ananda thus realized that book knowledge is good on one hand, but application of such in meditation is another realm altogether. both must be matched. Peace, Lin

1. People would think they already understand and are "one" with the Dao already 2. Look for certification that they already "got it" 3. Possible conflict of "interests" with how Daoism is actually cultivated opposed to what most westerners assume it should be cultivated as, according to their own preference. 4. Culture behind Daoism and the function of how it actually integrates into society, influences people and country. What do you think Stigweard? Peace, Lin

I agree, any and all things being integrated into society will be influenced by the preceding culture and lifestyle mannerisms, views, etc. Once Buddhism came to China, it shaped itself into Chinese culture. That's what Buddhism does: Works with the minds of people...which ever way they can comprehend the teachings, the teachings will take that form. Those are methods formed through the minds of that cultural time period. They worked, and for some it still does today. Methods are myriad, some are fitting for people and some aren't. I wouldn't say that given those methods, that Chan deviated from its roots after some time in China. One can say, some people have screwed it all up, but not all of Chan out of China is wrong. There are many a great masters out of China in the Chan school. Their methods were and are well and proper with the Dharma.

Chan (Zen) didn't come from Daoism. It is called Dhyana, and Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Dhyana (Chan/Zen) teachings to Maha Kashyapa by holding up a flower. Only Maha Kashyapa smiled out of the entire assembly, and that was the first transmission of the Chan school in India, not China. It came to China through Bodhidharma, and passed down to 5 other Patriarchs...down to the 6th Patriarch Hui Neng. Peace, Lin

Its just a set of movements to move the body, blood and keep the mind alert. Nothing Qigong intense, or "related", though any movement affects one's Qi and blood. Its a standard practice in all middle schools and primary schools in China. SHould be implemented in the States...keep the students happy and health conscious.

Try to contact a Daoist Temple. They would have a statue of Laozi, and know where to find one.

HAHAHA That's the first.. keep it coming.. Silly man. The lack of your understanding of Daoism shows wonderfully... Peace and Blessings...

Actually, its Dao De Jing. And no, not me, but full out cultivators of Daoism in China... sorry but there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. Some see it others can't. Enjoy!.... Friend, if you are going to quote me, take the whole sentence in quotes....

Martial Arts training was never free..and truthfully, there is nothing spiritual in learning how to kill/hurt someone. Martial Arts is just that...Martial and an Art form. Simple. If we are in a war torn country, then of course, who has money to pay for martial arts training? It would be free because of the principle to survive and save each other. Spirituality and money..big misunderstood thing. People claim money isn't spiritual... well.. what is then? Since everything comes from the mind, and all things are manifest from the mind alone... so is money. What's bad about money is the chemicals and poisons the manufacturers place on it to get people to stay addicted...also the materialist views about money and society which is propagated through media and societal views of wealth and comfort and the misconstruing of what is actually a necessity. Money was always a form of reimbursement for a service..that money may have been in the form of a Service of good deeds, exchange of goods, helping with errands and or building a house; trading of animals, or one's material things. This was all money, just not what "money" is today. It is known in Daoist cultivation schools that money is not important, but because of the minds of people nowadays, and their views of get quick results for little responsibility, money is the equivalent of one's own hard work, and effort. Therefore, instead of taking responsibility for one's own actions, they put the responsibility on another person, and in return for that labor, the person gives money. Besides that, in Daoist cultivation schools, if one had the money for something, they obviously had heavenly blessings, thus they had the benefit of attaining teachings that most would never get. Not because they had money, but because they had the conditions to allow themselves to receive the teachings. Money was just the tool, the manner in which their heavenly blessings manifested. If a person was poor, and the teacher had a price, well then, that person didn't have the fortune, or heavenly blessings to attain those teachings...maybe next lifetime, or he would have to show extreme dedication and prove his worthiness of the teachings. Very few westerners can accept that kind of lifestyle, let alone even understand what may be involved. Its a burden to take on someone else's responsibility. Jeez..why are people complaining that a Daoist monk asks for money in exchange of services...? because there is a mixed up idea that something spiritual doesn't need an exchange in kind. Sorry, but that's what Karma is about. Exchange...it comes in many forms, and money is one of them. Why is money so "important"? because people attach so many views of need and ego to it. Thus, it is the route in which the process of karma will play out. haha Peace, Lin

Important suggestion: Please make proper translations of all Daoist texts, not just Laozi's, Zhuangzi's, etc... Please explain and translate the teachings of each school of Daoism, its history and philosophy, and create a base for the education in the west that bears the name "Daoism" can be compared to sso people can be clear on which teachings are false and deviant, and which holds closer to true Benevolent Daoist teachings. Thats all. Enjoy!.

The effects from concentration are very beneficial... the coca-cola recitation won't get you to enlightenment, or eradication of karma. That's all I mean ...lol

Hi Pietro... Thanks for the good wishes. The recitation is not religious. The Buddha's Name recitation has the effect of subduing other false thoughts. Its like reciting our original nature, basically. Therefore, the mind is always thinking about one thought: Amitabha. That one thought points to our original nature...Buddha Nature. Its a function with a proper result. What makes the mantras effective, is that they are a language of the universe of non-duality. They are spoken through the Buddhas. They are true words...meaning non-defiling words with the function of attaining wisdom, purity of mind, enlightenment, rebirth in Buddha Pure Lands, health, spiritual abilities and wisdom...eradicating Karma, jeez, I can be here for a long time explaining some of these functions. You can't recite anything and expect to attain wisdom... Certainly reciting cocacola , or pepsi will do nothing for you. Peace, Lin

oh jeez...

This is golden, and simply overlooked. When an ordinary living being, one cannot see the states of an Arhat, as an Arhat, one cannot see the states of a Bodhisattva...so on and so forth. While in freshman year, one may meet many sophomores, but they certainly are not experiencing sophomore life and studying sophomore materials. Hence, the freshman can not comprehend what a sophomore goes through. Peace, Lin

The article is garbage.

This video is explaining what the Buddha Shakyamuni spoke about in the Shurangama Sutra. The Buddha spoke on the senses, and detachment from the views we hold on the reality we "perceive". This video explains that which is thus, and clarifies in science, what Buddhism is teaching; No views of Self, Ego, personality and a Life Span. All things are one, and not one. Due to perception, they are something, when no perception, all things are no things. A state of Thusness. Down the Rabbit Hole Peace, Lin