Dharma Talks
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佛传故事之五：淨飯大王與摩耶夫人
在靠近雪山南麓、森林繁茂的地方，有一個十分富裕的國家建立於此，這就是著名的迦毗羅衛國。國王淨飯大王是釋迦族的族長。他英勇能幹，智慧卓越，自從登上王位之後，把迦毗羅衛國治理得風調雨順，國泰民安。 由於他威德兼備，深受臣民擁戴。全國人民在他英明的領導下，豐衣足食，和平安樂地度過寶貴的歲月。 年輕的淨飯大王，少年得志：在家中是一族之長，在政治上是一國之君。因此，各國公主、名門千金，都暗自為自己的終身大事祈禱，希望能夠嫁給這位年輕威武的國王。
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佛傳故事之四：佛陀的家譜
佛傳故事之四：佛陀的家譜 談及佛陀的家譜，需先了解釋迦族的源流。約在佛紀前兩三千年，居住於中亞細亞的雅利安民族發起大規模遷徙，逐步向印度與波斯一帶移殖。當時印度本地諸族曾作出強烈抵抗，然而雅利安人憑藉強健的體魄與優勢的組織力量，最終征服了其中勢力較大、體型較矮小且膚色黝黑的達羅毘荼族。此後，雅利安族逐步掌控印度，在當地建立多個國家，並奠定了後來印度民族與文化的基礎。釋迦族，正是雅利安民族中的一支重要族系。 釋迦族的遠祖，相傳最早的國王名為「眾所許」。王統同姓相承，傳至大善生王，此王被視為釋迦牟尼佛的七世祖。大善生王之子名師摩懿，師摩懿之子為憂陀羅，憂陀羅之子為瞿羅。瞿羅育有一子一女，子名師子頰，女名耶輸陀羅。師子頰王後生四子，其中長子淨飯王，便是日後釋迦牟尼佛的父王。 淨飯大王於宗族之中，迎娶拘利族天臂城阿拏釋迦王之女摩耶公主，以及其妹摩訶波闍波提為妃。摩耶夫人即為佛陀之生母。她誕下太子後不久離世，後由姨母摩訶波闍波提撫養太子長大。這段因緣，也成為佛陀一生弘法歷程中重要的人倫背景與歷史根源。
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佛陀故事之二：佛陀住世時的印度社會
很多人都以為今日學佛的人，是逃避現實，消極厭世，這實在是誤解了學佛的本義。佛陀所以出家修道成佛，一方面當然是為了解救自己生死苦惱的問題，但另一方面是為了救濟被壓迫的人民。我們如果知道救主釋迦牟尼佛住世奮鬥的經過，一定就會明白他實在是一位偉大的慈悲的革命者。
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佛陀故事：序言
釋迦佛告訴我們：奇哉！奇哉！ 釋迦佛告訴我們：一切眾生皆具如來智慧德相！ 釋迦佛告訴我們不能證得的原因是：唯有妄想執著。 釋迦佛告訴我們如何證得：若離妄想，一切智，自然智，即得現前。
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Vegetarian and Civilization
Vegetarian and Civilization Once we have a clear definition of civilization in our hearts, we naturally understand what kind of actions, speech, and thoughts align with civilization. Now, let’s talk about vegetarian diet. Why does it seem that no matter what topic we discuss, it always leads back to vegetarian diet? Because vegetarian is the beginning of all positive change. It is the beginning of kindness, the start of abstaining from evil, the path to liberation, the foundation of spiritual practice, the gateway to wisdom, the means to dissolve negative karma, the starting point of personal growth, the return to our true nature, the end of suffering, and the pursuit…
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What is Civilization?
What is Civilization? What is civilization? When people discuss civilization, the definitions that come to mind must be diverse, but it is certain that they all consist of beautiful and positive words. Civilization represents development and progress. Civilization is certainly not barbaric or backward. Humanity hopes that its cities and nations become increasingly civilized. In fact, when each individual progresses and develops, the entire Earth becomes more civilized. Civilization exists in every aspect, from the smallest details to the grandest scales. The improvement of an individual’s behavior is also civilization, just as the fate of humanity and the elevation of Earth’s dimension are also aspects of civilization. Below, I will…
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The Middle Way and Noble Eightfold Path
The Middle Way and Noble Eightfold Path AUG/26/ 2023—AUG / 27/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. If we divide Dharma cultivation into three parts,it would be precepts, samadhi and wisdom. The purpose of the precepts is to cultivate the concentration of thoughts and mindfulness, helping people attain the samadhi by keeping the precepts. The samadhi’s function is to cultivate the consistency and stability of thought, to accomplish the amend of thoughts, to rise the wisdom beyond the world’s insights, which is finding the own wisdom in samadhi. Therefore, it can be seen from this that the purpose of practising Dharma is not…
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From Four Noble Truths to the Four Grand Oaths
From Four Noble Truths to the Four Grand Oaths AUG/12/ 2023—AUG / 13/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. You will probably feel curious; why we have to talk about the logical relationship of the Four Noble Truth, Dukkha is eight sufferings, samudaya are causes, nirodha is Nirvana, marga is thirty-seven bodhipakṣa dharma, they are four independent parts, why Buddha concluded them in Four Noble Truth? Indeed, in the modern society we are so easy to ignore the Dukkha, ignore the fact that the life journey in this world is suffering; it is so difficult to read the phenomenon of life, to understand…
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The Three Turnings of Four Noble Truths
The Three Turnings of Four Noble TruthsAUG/05/ 2023—AUG / 06/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. When we talk about the Four Noble Truth, we have to mention the three turning and twelve behaviors, which are:Experiencing the suffering, should know that is suffering and understood the suffering;Experiencing the samudaya coming together should cut off the samudaya, to break the samudaya;This is nirodha, should attain the enlightenment and nirodha, attain the nirodha. This is the marga, should cultivate the by following the marga(path), cultivating.We knew that Buddha first turned the Dharma wheel at saraṅga-nāthá, he taught five Bhiksu the Four Noble Truth, but what…
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The Four Noble Truths’ Cause and Effect
The Four Noble Truths Cause and Effect JUL/29/ 2023—JUL / 30/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. The Four Noble Truths include two parts of causes and effects: one is the cause and effect in the world, that is, dukkha and samudaya. Dukkha is the fruit of this world, and samudaya is the cause of the world. The second is the causes and effects that help people to renunciate the worldly engagements, which is, nirodha and marga. Nirodha is the fruit of renouncing the world and marga is the cause of renunciation of the world engagements. Suppose we understand the teachings of the…
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The Four Noble Truths Dharma
The Four Noble Truths Dharma JUL/22/ 2023—JUL / 23/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. Two thousand and five hundred years ago, the prince of Kapilavastu, whose name was Siddhāttha Gotama attained the enlightenment after seven days of sitting meditation under the Bodhi tree. He became the well-known Buddha Sakyamuni. After his enlightenment, he kept silent for seven weeks. Finally, he walked to saraṅga-nāthá from Bodhgaya and taught the Four Noble Truths Dharma for the five bhiksu. What exactly is “the Four Noble Truth”? Why did the Buddha taught it at the first turning of the Dharma wheel? Dukkha, samudaya (“arising,” “coming together”),…
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Nirvana Dharma Mark
Nirvana Dharma MarkJUL/15/ 2023— JUL / 16/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. In the last three weeks, we talked about the contents of the three marks of Dharma, the significance of the cultivation and religious, and discussed the connections between the three marks of Dharma and the Buddhist origins and how to verify real by three marks of Dharma. Today we are going to the last chapter of this topic, which is nirvana and tranquility. When it comes to ” Whatever is phenomenal is ephemeral, essential universal Dharma contain no ego-self”, we can find many examples. However when it comes to “Nirvana…
