One of the Ten Titles about Buddha -- Should-Make-Offerings

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

  

The Meaning of Should-Make-Offerings

The word Should-Make-Offerings means that the completely practicing and enlightened Tathagata is full of complete virtue and merit, and thus is full of the ability to teach, save and reform the all beings which are included the beings in heaven, so as to liberate all beings from sufferings of life and death. That is, Tathagata is qualified and adequate to hold the Buddha-vocation and that is why the Tathagata is worth to be made offerings by all beings. Therefore, it means that all beings should make offerings to the Tathagata. This all beings include the heavenly beings and the worldly humans.

Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings

Why it was called Should-Make-Offerings. The Buddha said. In the past, when I was in the cause rank, the good laws, solemn and majestic appearance, and the classified of precepts were practiced. The strength of the ten good roots was cultivated so as to make it increased. Thus consummately practicing and learning to attain the ultimate rank. When achieve the Nirvana, cut off and end all worries. To make the body, mouth and mind clean and untainted. Forever destroy worries. Such as to break the head-root of Tala tree, make it never sprout buds. Furthermore, due to ending the worries of greed, anger, and obsession, all the toward-going would never produce the fruition and generate. It was beyond the law of bitter fruitions of the four difficulties of birth (living), aging, illness and dying. The two seeds of confusion and suffering would never be produced. It was established the name of Should-Make-Offerings. Furthermore, make all the clothes, bedding, food and drink, soups and medicines, banners, flags, precious canopies, fragrant flowers, lamps and fruits in the world, and the highest thing in heaven and earth be offered to the Buddha. Obtain the blessing of supreme wealth and auspiciousness. It was the name of Should-Make-Offerings.

 

Make offerings with the heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha.   

When all beings make offerings to the Tathagata, they should have a heart of respect and sincerity to the Buddha and should have the voluntary will to do that, and there should not be such things of manipulation, coercion and intimidation or the any similar bad things. If there are some religious communities which makes you feel uncomfortable to make offerings to anyone or to be generous to the group, you should alert that there has been existed some problems and it must be something wrong in their inner group. In Buddha’s teaching, there are rightful and good notions of giving and being generous to all beings and to the Buddha. You will understand it by reading more the translated Buddhist scripture or following this blog. In a word, that we respect the Buddha is to respect yourself. 

To make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings and to the self.

Eventually, in the deep teaching and meaning, to make offerings to the Tathagata is to make offerings to the all beings. At the same time, it is to make offerings to the self. That is any good repay will finally return to the self, including the invisible good things, such as healthy in mind and body, and keep harmony relationship with the family members, etc. Why? In the chapter 11 of Buddhist scripture” The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha”, I had ever explained the similar notion. The link is as followed if you are interested in understanding it: Chapter 11: Giving meals turns to victory

There is no Binary Opposition in mind for a person who has completely achieved the Buddhahood. 

 

In the profound teaching of Buddha, when a person has completely achieved the Buddhahood, there is no Binary Opposition in its mind. It is because that it has been enlightened and realized that its heart, all Buddhas’ heart and all beings’ heart are the one. That is, their nature is the same and is the one. What is the nature? It is the emptiness and silence. What the different is the appearance, the languages and form of their outside. Meanwhile, what the different is the time and process of the reincarnations, and the experience of life and death.

The Starting Point is to help all Beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood.

 

When we practice the giving and being generous to others with the great compassionate and wisdom, we also practice to be no Binary Opposition with others. That is, we practice to realize what the nature of the self and the others is. At the same time, we practice to be the one with all Buddhas and all beings. That is, the starting point is to help all beings to become Buddhas and the final purpose is to help us to achieve the Buddhahood. This is to cultivate our great and generous mind. 

When we are learning Buddha, if we don’t understand this meaning, it would make us feel weird and feel that we are enforced to practice the giving. In a word, this is the more profoundly teaching of Buddha. Generally, for the beginner, the senior Master won’t tell you this point. Furthermore, many of junior Masters and the Master of little-boarding (Hinayana) even don’t understand this point.

In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people.

 

In Buddhism, the different master will take use of the different explanation to guide and teach you how to practice the giving. No matter what it is, you think it is reasonable, you can accept it and you do it, which is your choice. If you don’t accept it, it is also your choice. No one has the right to punish you if you choose to reject to give. If a good or upright Master teaches you to give alms, but you refuse it, it is only your personal choice of cause and effect, and it means that if you hope to become a Buddha, it is far away. That is, it needs to take you long time and your many worlds of lives to finally become a Buddha. 

If someone says that if you refuse to give, you will receive the retribution of bad karma and go to hell, which you have to be alert because there is an element of manipulation involved. In Buddhism, there is the personal cause and condition and outcome, which is rely on your own choice of a thought and your action, not rely on the manipulation from others and any ignorant people. When we learn the Buddha’s teaching, that is what we have to know. 

In Conclusion

Practicing the giving is the first and basic learning in Buddhism. Without this basic practicing, it is hardly for us to achieve the Buddhahood. Therefore, it is very important to understand the multiple meaning of giving in Buddhism and then to practice it actually.        

Evil karma would counterattack to oneself in the future.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

 

A lot of people for keeping their life, they had to but being instigated by the blind ideology of patriotism or the other, and thus to kill others. A lot of evil karma has thus been done. They do not know that such evil karma would counterattack to oneself in the future. In other word, if one person kills others with the mind of hatred, one day it would be killed by the hatred mind of other person in the future or in the next life.

 

That is why the Buddha has said,” What has been done in the past life is the consequence of the current life; what has been done in the present life is the consequence of the afterlife.”

 

“It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned.” That is one of the weaknesses of human nature. The self-righteous person would use it to control human beings. People’s livelihood is concerned about the life and death. However, do you have found that the Buddha Sakyamuni did not take part in or play in the rule of game of any worldly system created by human, let alone the ideology of patriotism. Why? Think about it.

Evil karma would not repay to others people, but would repay to his own “life”, his “life” in the hell or in the future.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

No matter a man did any evil things, all of his outer power, wealth, women and authority could not be with him when he has died. What would be with him after his dying is his evil karma, which is action and behavior what he has done the evil. Such evil karma would be recorded in his conscious of spirit, as if being recorded on the software of his own, which is with his spirit.

 

Such evil karma would not repay to others people, but would repay to his own “life”, his “life” in the hell or in the future. What is the life in the hell? Do you ever have a nightmare? The nightmare is so real and would make us scared, appeared cold sweat, even to feel seriously pain. The life in the hell is like a nightmare which tortures the evil person every moment.

 

Some people deny the outer Spirit, deny any god or God. They think that there is no Spirit in the world. So they dare to do the evil things because they think that it is impossible to have any Spirit to punish them. But, how could it be possible for them to deny their own spirit? All the punishment or retribution is coming from their own spirit. Unfortunately, they do not have such concept and knowledge.

Each one is equal to becoming Buddha someday in future.

 

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

  

It is really difficult for human beings to put the equality into the practice in heart. The inequality has existed since the ancient time. Unfortunately, most of the authority purposely rationalizes the inequality, and most of the ignorant civic have been washed the brain and accept the inequality. Even today, the inequality is still existed in everywhere, including the family, the society and the country.

 

Buddha Shakyamuni is the people before 2500 years ago. The background of his culture is deeply affected by the India. As we know, there is the caste system in India since ancient time. The caste system is an unfair social system. Even today, it is still existed in the society of India. Buddha Shakyamuni had perceived the inequality of caste system in his time.

 

In that time, the disciples question whether the slaver, the poor, the woman, and the criminal could become Buddha or not, Buddha Shakyamuni explains and teaches the disciples that all living beings have Buddha-nature. They and any one can become Buddha after completely bearing the retribution of their evil karma in future, present and past accumulated lives. In other word, each one is equal to becoming Buddha someday in future. But, regarding the process, the experience, the time, whether is the blessing or the retribution, which is depending on the personal’s causes and conditions. Such situation and phenomenon is some kind of changing and it would confuse us and let us have the feeling of inequality and injustice.   

 

Buddha Shakyamuni offers the concept of equality. Such equality is basing on the Buddha-nature. And it is not concerned about what your appearance is, what your color of eyes and skin is, what your gender is, what you have done, where you are born, and what your belief is.

 

It also not cares about what your race is, what your education is, what your social status is and what your wealth is. That is why the concept of equality in Buddhism is the true equality.

Recite and learn from Buddha to eliminate the evil karma and become one with Buddha

Recite and learn from Buddha to heal our mental disease.

Author: Tao Qing Hsu (Hsu, Tao-qing) 

I remember that in the early time of Taiwan, when we are in the serious disease and in the bad fate, the elder Buddhist monk or nun would advise us to worship the Buddha or Bodhisattva, or the god, so as to eliminate the personal evil karma, which includes to save the hatred relative and the creditor, who was established the link with us in this life due to our evil relationship with each other in the past life. Then, after eliminating the personal evil karma, our pain would be released, our disease would be healed, and our fate would be changed to be good. 

   

When I am a young girl and only have a little knowledge about Buddhism, I don't understand it totally, let alone to accept it. In that time, I think that it is bullshit and blind faith, meanwhile, I also doubt about the IQ and knowledge of the Buddhist monk or nun, because they said those things. Why? Because I have studied in the nurse school and have been trained by the modern medical knowledge. In my opinions, if we have any diseases, of course, we have to go to the hospital and ask the doctor to heal us. 

However, after I deeply research the Buddhism and put it into practice, I finally understand why the Buddhist monk or nun talks about that, which I can explain it by a whole article. Here, I tell you in a brief about the highlight, the Buddha is the great-medical king. When we don’t understand the Buddhism, the Buddha and the great-medical king is someone else, so we worship them to help us, however, when we understand the Buddhism, the Buddha and the great-medical king is not someone else, it is really in our heart and it is no different from us, which means that we are one. 

In modern medical knowledge, it is emphasize the technical treatment and use the researched medicines. In other word, it pays attention to heal the body. That is what we need, when we are sick. Don’t disregard it. Mostly, it is necessary by this way to treat our disease. However, we might find that it is not enough.

Buddhism is emphasizing on the mental body or the psychological realm, even it is talked about the super-natural experience. In this realm, we might be healed in a different way, if we are sick. It could be as the special power of assistance.

Of course, we would find that some weird religion or national belief would use such method to help people to treat their disease. I don’t recommend you to accept those religions, because most of those religions are based on the personal greedy and desire about fortune and sex. Even Buddhism, some of the evil persons would misuse it or by its name to cheat ignorant people.  

The Buddha's education is vast and profound. It is a very good spiritual education, which can inspire our supreme wisdom and cure our ignorant and superficial mental diseases. This makes us have no opposing and hostile thoughts and attitudes towards people and things, and will not subjectively or irrationally rejecting other people and theirs affairs. It is because of such a healthy thought and mentality that we can be physically and mentally healthy, and our life will be smoother.

Chapter 2: Cutting off the desire and no demanding

(Chapter 2) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu

Chapter 2: Cutting off the desire and no demanding

The Buddha said, “Those who go out of the family, become the Sramana, cut off the desire, remove the love, recognize the source of their own heart, reach the profound principle of the Buddha, realize the law of no-doing, have nothing being gained inside, have nothing being demanded outside, not to fasten the Dao in heart, nor to collect the karma, have no thoughts, have the no-doing, are non-practicing, are non-proving, not to experience the successive levels, but reach the own loftiest state of all, are called the Dao.”

So now, the Buddha explained what Dao means. I have to explain the original meaning of “Dao” in each chapter, because most people only read one or two of the forty-two chapters. It takes a lot of time to read or comprehend the whole chapters. You can find the broad meaning of “Dao” in the introduction of this Scripture. “Dao” is transliterated from Chinese word. It is original meaning is path, way, road. Now, what the Buddha explained about Dao is one of the broad and extended meanings. We could say that the definition of Dao of this Scripture is coming from the Buddha. Whether to accept it or not is your choice.

In the past time, the meaning of Dao confuses me a lot. Finally, I have found that it can be given a lot of different meaning in different situation. So, do not be bound to one meaning.

In fact, what the meaning of Dao in this chapter is Zen. What is Zen? It is. Zen also confuses a lot of people. They do not understand what Zen is. When I have not yet understood what is learning Buddha. I am also confused by Zen. “Zen” is also transliterated from Chinese word. It is not easy to be comprehended by the public. Those who could comprehend the Zen and put it to the practice are almost near the degree of Buddha. “Buddha” is a name which is given by people, and it is not myth. The meaning of “Buddha” is a state. The said meaning of Dao in this chapter is one of the states of “Buddha”. There are also a lot of different names which could be instead of the word “Buddha”. And those names have different meanings respectively. Some of them also mean the different states of “Buddha”.

So, we might have one question. Is there only one ”Buddha” in the world? No. Is there only one “Doctor” in the world? No. Then, we would know that there is a lot of Buddha in the world. The world includes the space and time. Regarding the space, it includes the other Solar systems and planets. Regarding the time, it includes the past, the future, and the present. In generally, Buddha exists in each space and time. The number of Buddha is immeasurable. In fact, what we have known in our world is very limited. That what we can not see or what we can not hear doesn’t mean that it does not exist, such as ultraviolet light. There are a lot of invisible objects or unheard voice in the world. No matter it is “virtue object or voice” or “evil object or voice”, we could not prove that they do not exist. From the Scripture of Buddhism, we can find this. It is pity that most people never know or read the Scripture of Buddhism. Even though they know or read the scripture of Buddhism, they could not comprehend the teaching of Buddha, such as the aforesaid what the Buddha had explained.

In the world, there are 99.99% people who seek for what the things exist and want to have something in hand, such as good education background, good title or career, fame, power, a lot of money, love, spouse or children, and so on. No one wants to be Buddha, because Buddha seems always to teach us to give up what we have attached. However, do you have ever thought that what has mentioned above had owned by the Siddhartha, before he left his family. And why his teaching could be supported proactively by people for more than two thousands years, after he had enlightened and had attained the Buddhahood. It is worth for us to think and understand its meaning, if you are interested.

The Buddha said, “Those who go out of the family, become the Sramana, cut off the desire, remove the love, recognize the source of their own heart.” The meaning of desire and love in this scripture is narrower as mentioned in the first chapter. It means that people romantically like someone or are sexually attracted. If people attach to such desire and love, their thought, mind and heart are limited. It also means that people would be bound to the little desire and love, and a lot of troubles and affliction would thus be caused.

Only when people cut off such little desire and remove the little love, it is possible for them to permanently dwell in the state of no desire and no love, and to experience the state of no trouble and no affliction. The mind and heart would be in the clearness and peace. Why? In our outside, any object or situation would not cause our attention or attachment. In our inside, since there is no attachment, any trouble or affliction would not be occurred any more.

  

And then, the great desire and great love would be thus arisen, that is, to attain the Buddhahood and to save all sentient beings. So, you may find that it seems to abandon something, but, at the same time, it seems to own the different something. We may call it as transformation or sublimation.

Secondly, to cut off the desire and to remove the love would help us to recognize the source of our own heart. As mentioned above, we would dwell in the state of no desire and no love. Maintaining such state continually, it would be possible for us to recognize the source of our own heart, that is, the Emptiness. The heart in the state of Emptiness is like the universe which includes the all. It is also like the sea which could contain all beings. So, the boundary of heart is unlimited.

“Reach the profound principle of the Buddha, realize the law of no-doing, have nothing being gained inside, have nothing being demanded outside, not to fasten the Dao in heart, nor to collect the karma, have no thoughts, have no-doing, are non-practicing, are non-proving, not to experience the successive levels, but reach the own loftiest state of all” Do you have found that such concept seems to violate our knowledge and what we have learned from school and society. So, if we use the past knowledge or logic what have learned from the school and society to read this chapter, we absolutely could not understand the meaning as said by Buddha. Most people could not understand the meaning as said by Buddha, they even misunderstand it.

We might have one question. If there is no thought and no doing, why the Buddha Siddhartha had taught and spoken of the Buddha-law for forty-nine years, and what he had thought and what he had done during this time? We might find that he has thought and done a lot, including this chapter.    

In the past, some people learned about no-thought and no doing, and fell into the death silence, in physical and mental body. They did not understand that the meaning as said by Buddha is only one state of learning Buddha. When most people have heard no-thought, no-doing, and the Emptiness, they do not know what to do, because they do not understand the profound principle of Buddha. What is the profound principle of Buddha? In a word, Emptiness and Existence are one. Or, Emptiness and Non-Emptiness are one. When we experience and keep in the state of no thought and no doing, we could realize that any thought and any doing are occurred from no-thought and no-doing. That is, any situation or any matter or any existence is occurred from the Emptiness, and finally they would return to the Emptiness.

To seat for meditation is one way to experience no-thought and no-doing. In this moment, it is possible for us to contact and recognize the real self. Then, we would furthermore recognize that our thought and doing would no longer be restricted by the worldly value or consciousness. At this moment, it is possible for our mental body to experience the real freedom. Why? The worldly value, view or consciousness is set by human. All of them are attached in the human, situation, matter or phenomenon. Those things are impermanent, because they are occurred from the inside and outside causes and conditions. Once any cause or condition is disappeared, any worldly value, view or consciousness would not be set up and would be disappeared, too. That is why the Buddha said that all of phenomenon is like the illusion. If we attach to such illusion, we are like in the darkness and do not have the wisdom.

“Have nothing being gained inside, have nothing being demanded outside” It means that we should not attach to anything of our inside or outside. The reason is just as the aforesaid.

  

“Not to fasten the Dao in heart, nor to collect the karma, have no thoughts, have no-doing.” Even the Dao as what had said in this chapter, we should not attach to it. The Buddha said that, no matter the Buddha-law or the Dao as mentioned, which is like a boat to be used to cross the river of suffering. Once we have reached the shore of liberation and freedom, the boat does not be required any more. In the Emptiness of heart, there is no Dao. But, the Dao also exists in there. Why? When we need it, we make use of it. When we do not need it, we put it down. That is why not to fasten the Dao in heart.

“Nor to collect the karma” The karma means that one’s action could influence one’s present life and future life. The karma includes the virtue karma and the evil karma. Most people know the evil karma. Only few people know the virtue karma. Such as becoming a Sramana, and putting the Dao into practice, it is viewed as the virtue karma. Doing the good things and help others is also viewed as the virtue karma. Why not to collect the karma? Here, it means the virtue karma. It is to remind the Sramana not to attach to the virtue karma. Because, even though one person do the good things and attach to it, it would also cause the trouble in heart, and become the obstacle for practicing the Dao. In other words, not to collect the karma means not to collect the trouble.      

“Have no thoughts, have no-doing” As we have mentioned above, on the basis of no-thought and no-doing, understanding the illusion of phenomenon arisen from causes and conditions, when we leave meditation of seating, any right thoughts is able to be happened, and we could do any right things, to benefit others and ourselves. Even though this, remember what the Buddha had said, not to collect the karma. After we have done any good thing, put it down, let it go and forget it.

“Are non-practicing, are non-proving, not to experience the successive levels, but reach the own loftiest state of all” It does not mean that we do not need to practice the Dao or to proving it. It means that we still have to practice the Dao, before we are in the state of non-practicing and non-proving. Such as climbing the mountain, we have to walk upward to the destination step by step. When we reach the destination or we are in the top of mountain, itself is the best proving. It means that we do not need to practice any more, when we have already practiced the Dao completely. In the deep meaning, when we have recognized the source of heart, the Emptiness, and realize the law of no-doing, have nothing being gained inside, and have nothing being demanded outside, what we should practice? What we should prove? Nothing could be practice and nothing could be proved. Practicing and proving is superfluous in itself.

As the mentioned in the first chapter, it mentioned the successive levels of the state of practicing. The Sramana is the higher level. The Arhat is lower than the Sramana. In the first chapter, it mentioned that Arhat has to go the 250 precepts. But, we can find that there are no precepts which should be obeyed by the Sramana. Why? The answer could be found in the content as mentioned above.

“The Sramana does not experience the successive levels, but reach the own loftiest state of all.” The Sramana has already proved his fruit of Dao by the way of soundless and shapeless. If one person has already been on the top of the bliss and freedom, it is not necessary for him to prove which level of bliss and freedom he is. Such as we already have a lot of fortune, should we need to prove how many wealth we are? It is not necessary, because the fact is in there. 

Even though we are not Buddhist monk or Sramana, it does not mean that we could not or are not allowed to put the Dao as said into practice. The outward of Buddhist monk and the Buddhist non-monk might be different. But, their heart and mind with practicing the Dao are no difference. In the modern time, the females should not be excluded. The gender would not be the hinder of practicing the Dao and proving the Dao.