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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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Samadhi and Wisdom Has Non-duality
Samadhi and Wisdom Has Non-dualityJUN/3/ 2023—JUN / 4/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. Since last week, we have started our new topic of wisdom. What is wisdom? How wisdom could cope with ignorance and how can we find our wisdom from our self-nature. I believe we’ve all thought a lot about it. Today we will discuss a new section: Samadhi and wisdom have non-duality. When we went to the temple, we can see a big plaque with the words “Non-duality Dharma Gate.” What does that mean, what is non-duality? Equality, and no difference. Duality is the divisiveness. Non-duality means no divisiveness, which…
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Taking the Precepts as Our Guiding Principle
Taking the Precepts as Our Guiding PrincipleApr /22/ 2023– Apr / 23/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. What is the guiding principle? We often concentrate on the main points; guiding principle is the main point or key point highlighted by its representative, normative, and lead characters. Some people disagree that taking the precepts as our guiding principle, they said that focusing on Zen, Pure Land or reciting the Buddha’s name is our program and the most important part of cultivation. This is a very common opinion. Many Buddhist ask me: Which Dharma gate should I learn? Should I recite Buddha’s name or…
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Taking the Precepts as Your Master
Taking the Precepts as Your MasterApr /1/ 2023 – Apr / 2/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. The Shurangama Sutra says: Controlling your heart as the precepts, reaching the samadhi due to the precepts and getting the wisdom because of samadhi. We call it Three Non-Outflow studies. In April, May and June, we will discuss the precepts, samadhi and wisdom. It is well-known that the precepts, samadhi and wisdom is a summary of the Eightfold Path. They are three weapons to deal with desire, anger and ignorance, helping people ultimately relieve the afflictions and attain nirvana. The three are mutually reinforcing and…
