Sometimes reading a sutra makes one so tearfully happy. How good is this? 👇
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Lankavatara sutra Chapter XXX
Thinking about beings in future ages, Mahamati asked the Buddha, "Bhagavan, please tell us about the practices of realization whereby bodhisattvas become great practitioners."
The Buddha told Mahamati, "There are four practices the mastery of which enables bodhisattvas to become great practitioners. And which four? Becoming adept at distinguishing the perceptions of one's own mind, perceiving the nonexistence of external existence, avoiding views of arising, duration, and cessation, and delighting in the personal realization of buddha knowledge. These are the four practices the mastery of which enables bodhisattvas to become great practitioners.
And how do bodhisattvas become adept at distinguishing the perceptions of their own minds? They regard the three realms like this: as merely distinctions of the mind, devoid of a self or what belongs to a self, as motionless and free from coming or going, the result of the habit-energy of erroneous fabrications without beginning, and the various forms and phenomena of the three realms involving their body, their possessions, and the world around them as perceptions of those fabrica-tions. This is how bodhisattvas become adept at distinguishing the perceptions of their own minds.
"And how do bodhisattvas become adept at perceiving the nonexistence of external existence? Since everything is a dream or mirage, they regard the self-existence of everything that exists as the result of the habit-energy of erroneous projections without beginning. This is how bodhisattvas become adept at perceiving the nonexistence of external existence.
*And how do bodhisattvas become adept at avoiding views of arising, duration, and cessation? Since whatever exists is like an illusion or a dream and its existence does not arise from itself, from another, or from a combination of both, but as a distinction of one's own mind, they therefore see external existence as nonexistent, consciousness as not arising, and conditions as not combining but arising due to projections. When they see that all internal or external dharmas in the three realms cannot be grasped and are devoid of self-existence, their views of arising cease. And once they know that the self-existence of everything is illusory, they attain the forbearance of non-arising. And once they attain the forbearance of non-arising, they avoid views of arising, duration, and cessation. This is how bodhisattvas become adept at distinguishing and avoiding views of arising, duration and cessation.
"And how do bodhisattvas become adept at delighting in the personal realization of buddha knowledge? Upon attaining the forbearance of non-arising, they dwell at the eighth stage of the bodhisattva path, where they are able to transcend characteristics of the mind, will and consciousness, the five dharmas, the modes of reality, and the two kinds of no-self, and where they acquire a projection body."

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    Causation in the Lankavatara sutra
    The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse:
    1. "Nothing arises from causes and conditions /
    nor does anything cease /
    at the heart of ceasing and arising /
    arise conceptions of causes and conditions
    2. This isn't to stop ceasing and arising /
    or the continuity of causes and conditions /
    only to stop foolish people /
    from misconceiving causation
    3. Something existing or not due to causes /
    no such thing occurs /
    the confusion of habit-energy /
    from this the three realms appear
    4. In truth nothing arises from causes /
    nor does anything cease /
    regard conditioned things /
    like flowers in the sky /
    let go deluded views /
    the grasping and the grasped
    5. Nothing has arisen or ever will /
    nor do causes or conditions exist /
    nothing exists at all /
    and these are nothing but words."
     
     
     

      4 comments


      William Lim
      Nothing arises and nothing ceases? So got thing or don't have thing?
      Nothing arises from causes? So no causation?


      May be an image of text

    • Yin Ling
      William Lim there is cause and conditions, but it must be based on emptiness where things have no inherent existence , which is essentially no things per se.
      Causes and conditions can only function in emptiness. If there are solid entities, the world will freeze.
      this sutra from lanka by the Buddha sounds so much like the voice of Nagarjuna.


    • Soh Wei Yu
      William Lim inherent causation like wind produces blowing is rejected
      Wind and blowing, dependent designated and empty
      Just an example

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