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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 Ancestors’ Teaching
Taking the Precepts as Ancestors’ TeachingApr /15/ 2023 – Apr / 16/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. As we all know, there are four parts of the tripitaka sutra Dharmakara, collection of sutras, Viyana Pitaka，Abhidhamma Pitaka and secret Dharma. After Buddha’s Nirvana, Kasyapa held the first Buddhist council in the Saptaparni Cave with five hundred Arhats. Buddha never wrote down his teachings. Ananda recited an oral tradition of Buddha’s teaching from his memory, prefacing it with “Thus have I heard on one occasion”, which is a collection of sutras. Upali was 90 years old, he reciting the Vinaya or precepts. After being…
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Taking the Precepts as the Code of Conduct
Taking the Precepts as the Code of ConductApr /8/ 2023 – Apr / 9/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. When studying sociological norms, teachers often say that the law is the minimum universal moral requirements. Can we also say that precepts are a code of conduct for different level cultivators? What is morality? Literally to say: Tao is a theory and a path, close to the truth, practice it the right way, attain the enlightenment, it called virtue. Master Tai Xu said: “Be suddenly enlightened means Tao; practice it cleanly and naturally called the virtue.” We can find that Buddhism’s morality takes…
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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…
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Trin Guhyani Being Oneness
Trin Guhyani Being OnenessMar /25/ 2023–Mar/ 26/ 2023 Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Great Thunder Meditation Center. Buddhist often say: “Trin guhyani are the oneness”, but what exactly Trin guhyani are? According to the Mahā ratna kūṭa sūtra, Bodhisattva jiyi asked Guhyapada: “how many secret Dharma does Buddha have?” Guhyapada answered:” listen without your idiot thoughts, think about it after you hear it, I am going to tell you Buddha’s secret Dharma now, it has three kinds of secret, one is kaya -guhya , two is vag -guhya , three is mano -guhya.” After that, Guhyapada talked about the meaning of three different secret Dharma: kaya -guhya…
