관세음보살보문품
觀世音菩薩普門品
Kwan Se Eum Bo Sal Universal Gateway Chapter
Sutras from the Ratnakuta
The excellent folks at 84000 have completed translations of 22 (out of 49) of the Sutras in the Ratnakuta. Here is the master page with a link to each of the completed translations, and a placeholder for the ones they are still working on: https://read.84000.co/section/O1JC114941JC14667.html And here is a link to their overview page on […]
“When consiousness leaves the body at death, what place does it go to?”
In his commentary on the Diamond Sutra (Chapter 18: “Reality is a Steadily Flowing Stream”), Thich Nhat Hanh recommends reading the Sutra called “The Manifestations of Consciousness”, which is part of the Ratnakuta Sutra (a big Sutra that is basically a collection of shorter Sutras). In that Sutra the Buddha is asked the following question: […]
Evening Drum, Morning Bell (暮鼓晨鐘)
According to the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism, this is a Chinese idiom “describing a strict daily routine. It derives from the playing of bells and drums within a Chinese Buddhist monastery to mark the services throughout the day and the articulations of the monastic routine.”
Amanda Palmer’s “In My Mind”
And when they put me in the ground, I’ll start
Pounding the lid
Saying I haven’t finished yet
I still have a tattoo to get
That says I’m living in the moment
Ching Ching’s “The Sound of Raindrops” (雨滴聲)
鏡清問僧。Ching Ching asked the monk:
門外是什麼聲。 What is the sound outside the gate (gate outside is what sound)?
僧云。雨滴聲。The monk replied: it is the sound of raindrops (rain drop sound).
非呼之而不答 (If there is no call, then there is no response)
“It is said: in emptiness, there is both the sound of a call and response; in stillness, there is no appearance of form or shadow. A valley naturally has an echo, but without a call there is no response. The Buddha’s body does not stir; without a request there is no manifestation.”
The “Evening” Bell Chant
“In the morning and dusk, when walking, standing, sitting or sleeping, as soon as you hear the sound of the bell, recite this verse.”
晨昏於行住坐臥間。一聞鐘聲時。即誦此偈呪。
“supposing we practice without results” (設行不得)
“Hearing [the dharma] even without faith still fructifies into the seed of buddhahood. Training even without success is still superior to the merit of humans and divinities.”
感應不虛 (Sympathetic Resonance Never Fails)
“You must deeply perceive the true nature of yourself, the Buddha, and everything as being in accord with dependent arising. And you must have absolute faith that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always respond to your prayers, as certainly as shadows follow form and echoes follow sound.”