One of the Ten Titles about Buddha -- Buddha

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

In the Buddhist Scripture--The Scripture of the Ten Titles Said by Buddha, the Buddha explained what the Buddha meant:

Why was it called Buddha? Its wisdom possesses the adequately three enlightenments and the consummate and the brightness. It was hence named Buddha.

The Buddha told Ananda. I had done the practicing of regularly-walking in the past. A Brahmin came and asked me. Why did your parents name you Buddha? The Buddha immediately answered. That what the world understands and knows can be understood and known by me. That what the world perceives can also be perceived by me. That what the world can eliminate can also be eliminated by me. I have all wisdom and all understanding. I have experienced my lives since the countless kalpas. All kinds of practice are far away from dust and dirt. Now I have achieved the supreme Bodhi. Therefore, the name of Buddha was established.

The Character Buddha is Sanskrit. Its definition and origin are as said above. The pronounce “Fo” is transliterated from Chinese and the pronounce “Fu” is the local language in Taiwan. The pronounce “Fo” and “Fu” also mean the Buddha and are more generally used in the communities of China and Taiwan. The Buddha Amitabha is usually known by the masses in China and Taiwan. The Pure Land of Amitabha is a place that everyone longs to go to.

In my opinion and as I know, the heavens in some sort of religions are included in the Pure Land of Amitabha. That is because, in the profound and wide meanings, the Pure Land of Amitabha includes all universes, and the visible and invisible materials. In the meantime, it also includes the invisible-non-materials. The Pure Land of Eternal-Silence-Light is the ultimate Pure Land of Amitabha.

In the concept of Buddhism, the earth where we live now is one of the Pure Lands of Amitabha, meanwhile, it is also a Pure Land of Amitabha where mortals and saints live together. The saints include all sorts of virtuous humans in all religions.

In the heart of Amitabha, all humankinds are transformed and generated from the heart of Amitabha. That is, all human beings are like “the children of the Amitabha”. No matter if these children are good or bad, and no matter how many lives and what sorts of lives they had experienced, and no matter what they had believed, they finally will return to and rely on Amitabha, and dwell on the Pure Land of Amitabha.

The pronounce "A Mi Tuo Fo" / “ Ēmítuófó “ / is transilitrated from Chinese and means Amitabha. The pronounce "A Mi Tuo Fo" / “ Ēmítuófó “ / is generally used in the communities of China and Taiwan.

More concept and knowledge about Buddha, please refer to any one in the articles of the blog.

The Function of Soul

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

In a brief, every one has the soul and the body. Even though the soul is shapeless, it still has the conscious, feeling, thinking, and memory. It also could “speak” and “communicate” to others with mind. It is the “sound” with no sound. In other words, it is the speaking and communication from the heart or mind to the other heart or mind. It is existed in the shapeless and in the no substance, and it is hard to be verified by science instrument. For the most people, it might be experienced when we are dreaming in sleeping. It is very clear and could be remembered. However, it is different from the theory of Freud.

 

As we have mentioned in the Chapter 12﹝2﹞ : Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility, the body is formed by the four elements, that is, the land, the water, the fire, and the wind. The body has the form and the substance which could be seen and touched. If we want to vocalize from our body, we have to depend on the medium in the air, so that our voice could be transmitted to others and be heard by others.

 

Now we have the basic concept for the soul and the body. Following concept would be hard to be understood, because it is beyond our experience of the general knowledge and common sense.  

 

The soul is eternal. It can not be eliminated. There is no arising and no destroying for the soul. In other word, there is no birth and no death for the soul. The soul is like the software. What we have learned, what we have thought, and what we have done, would be recorded in there. The seed of virtue or of evil would be planted in there, which means that the thought of virtue or of evil would be recorded in there. It would affect our current life and our future or next life.

Our Body is not permanent.

 

On the contrary, the body is not eternal. It could be eliminated. The body could be arisen and then be destroyed. In other word, there is the birth and death for the body. Our cells are metabolized and replaced at any time. Our decaying organs can be transplanted or replaced through surgery.

 

Sometimes, we describe our body as a car or a piece of clothing, which could be replaced. Once our body is dead, our soul would leave the dead body, and dwell in the next new-born body, which is like that we change a new car or a piece of new clothing. That is reborn or reincarnating.

 

The eighth consciousness is soul.

 

The Buddha Sakyamuni had mentioned eight kinds of consciousness. Our soul is equal to the eighth consciousness. The soul is some kind of quality. Some scientist has said that the soul has weight.

 

To know and understand above, it could help us understand the concept that life is equal to death, and death is equal to life. And, it could help us not attach to or depend on our body, but our soul. We have known that our soul is not dead, and what has dead is just our body. To have such concept would help us accept and face the fact that our body might die at any time. Meanwhile, we could let our soul be at peace, and let us increase our wisdom, to nourish our life of wisdom.

Under the circumstance, it is no difficult for us, when we must die because our lives have to be abandoned. So, what has being abandoned is the body, not our soul. Our lives of wisdom are still very live, abundant and extend.