The First Introduction to the Buddhist Scripture -- Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

The First Introduction

The title of the Buddhist Scripture “Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law” is translated from the Chinese title “妙法蓮華經”. Each English character is according to my knowledge and understanding about this scripture. The used characters of the title and the content translated by me are some kind of difference from the translated by others. In the internet, you can find someone to call it shortly as “Lotus Sutra”. When you use this key word “Lotus Sutra” in the Internet, you can find a lot of introduction about it and the summary description of each chapter. However, if you want to learn more and are curious about what the content is translated, explained and taught by me, you might be interested in following this blog.

I try to use as little Sanskrit literal translation as possible, and at the same time, try to use commonly used words to make it easier for the public to understand.  In the translation, I do my best to achieve the principles of translation to be honesty, elegance and expressiveness. However, it may be some distance away from a literary work.

I do not suggest you to use Buddhist scriptures for academic research or literary appreciation. If you use them for academic research or literary appreciation, it may be increased the burden and pain of your own life. Why? That is because if you use them pursue the fame and benefit for yourself, it would be far away from learning Buddha. However, if you will maintain your life by the academic research or literary appreciation in Buddhism, and to use them as the career, it is your choice. If you are capable to balance the life in learning Buddha well, it is not bad. Why? Because I believe that you will use your wisdom and any convenient way to help others after you are enlightened from learning Buddha. At the same time, you will have the good repay after doing that. Such kind of repay may be the invisible, such as your happiness caused by the grateful from others.     

The Buddhist scripture is to help you to achieve the Buddhahood. 

In fact, Buddhist scriptures are used to help you eliminate the troubles of life and death. At the same time, it helps you to confirm whether you really understand the teachings of Buddha or not, and how your level is in learning Buddha by yourself. In a word, the Buddhist scripture is to help you to achieve the Buddhahood. However, if you mistakenly use it, you maybe hate and leave it someday. If you are capable of profoundly realize the teaching of Buddha from this Buddhist scripture, it would help you easily perceive and alert any manipulation by others and their greedy intention in any situations and in any regional or religious communities. At the same time, it would help you to cultivate your mind to be open-minded, compassionate, and be full of wisdom, so as to maintain a peaceful life.

There are totally 28 volumes in this Buddhist scripture “Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law”.

There are totally 28 volumes in this Buddhist scripture “Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law”. I have ever translated the 25th volume of this Buddhist scripture as titled “ Pusa World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universally Door Chapter”. The related link as follows:

 

A Brief Talk about Pusa World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universally Door Chapter

Bodhisattva World-Sounds-Perceiving in Universal Door Chapter (In Chinese and English)

When we read the Buddhist scripture “Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law” with honesty heart, we will obtain  the blessed, protected and brought to mind by the Buddha.

Regarding the Buddhist scripture “Scripture of Lotus Magnificence of Marvelous Law”, there is a lot of content in each volume, because it includes the verses and each verse of the content is a short summary of the major content. Furthermore, it is  to repeat mostly the major content of the volume and to increase some new content. If you are interested in reading the whole content of 28 volumes, it takes time and patience. This Buddhist scripture is worth for us to read and understand in our lifetime. Usually, when we have completely read this Buddhist scripture with our sincere heart and revering attitude, we will love to learn the Buddha and are interested in knowing more about the other Buddhist scriptures. That is because it is coming from the blessed, protected and brought to mind by the Buddha.     

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 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.

The Prayer of Pure Land

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

All Buddha’s virtue and love

Are given on pure land,

Widely and universally.

With kindness and sympathy,

Buddhas assimilate all sentient beings,

Teach them to awaken

and to get into the Buddha's knowledge and into understanding of Buddha. 

That is, the pure heart itself is the pure land of Buddha.

   

I wish that all sentient beings would know the pure land of Buddha,

And would dwell on bliss of the light of constant silence.

No coming, no going, and no arising are the pure land of bliss.

The pure heart itself is all pure land.

I wish to attain the Bodhi in heart,

To save all sentient beings

by the heart of sympathy and wisdom,    

to attain all great pure land,

And to repay all Buddha’s virtue and love.