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.

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.

How to get rid of your own difficulties and troubles in life

  

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

People may face serious life difficulties and troubles at a certain stage in their life, and the life difficulties and troubles faced by everyone are not necessarily the same, because everyone’s fate, the people and things they face, the environment, and their circumstances are different. Secondly, everyone's personality, thoughts, attitudes and endurance of facing people and things are different. This will affect the degree to which we perceive the difficulties and troubles we face in life.

And some unsatisfactory general environment is difficult to change by our current personal ability, but this does not affect us to use our own strength to change ourselves and free ourselves from the quagmire of difficulties.

When we are faced with difficulties and troubles in life, we should analyze carefully, which has other and self-caused parts. "Other cause" means that the factors that cause our difficulties and troubles in life come from other people or external factors, and "self-cause" means that this factor comes from ourselves or internal factors. When most people face difficulties and troubles in life, their first reaction is to blame others. They only think of "other causes," but they can't review themselves. They just can't think of self-causes.

Buddhism is the education of cause and effect. When we are faced with difficulties and troubles in life, this is our own retribution. How to change or eliminate this retribution, we must go back to the part of the cause, carefully examine the cause, and list it one by one. Review, and then completely reverse this cause. As long as this bad cause is changed or eliminated, our bad result can be changed and eliminated. Only in this way can we completely solve the difficulties and troubles we face in life.

Give a simple example to illustrate that most people have had this kind of self-seeking trouble experience. A sentence from others that is aimed at others rather than us, you can see or hear it and you can put it on yourself, restrain yourself, torture yourself and cause your own troubles, and therefore make yourself unhappy. At this time, the cause of this trouble lies in oneself rather than others. Therefore, it is yourself that should change. This kind of self-change requires some methods, but also some time and life experience. Many of the basic practices of Buddhism are taught in this area, allowing us to practice the power of meditation and the power of wisdom to avoid being trapped in this self-seeking trouble.

When we change or eliminate the part of the self-cause, we can face, change and eliminate the part of the other cause more rationally when we face the difficulties and troubles in our life caused by the part of the other cause. For example, we may face difficulties and troubles brought to us by relatives and friends every day. For example, if parents quarrel or divorce due to financial problems, if we are innocent children, we will be forced to face the dilemma and troubles caused by them. For an underage child, he may not have the ability to face and deal with such dilemmas and troubles, and adults must guide him and protect him. However, for an adult child, he may be more able to understand the plight and troubles of his parents, and he may also be able to assist his parents in solving their plight and troubles, and then help himself to solve such plights and troubles. The application of the method is flexible. As long as you understand and understand the part of the cause, you can help them solve the part of the result. This is the basic principle. The reason for each parent's quarrel is different, and there is no absolute method that applies uniformly. If you don't know and understand the part of this cause, anyone who helps solve the problem of parents' quarrels will only scratch their feet through their boots, and will not solve the fundamental problem anyway.

Therefore, to resolve other causes, we must still make good use of our own social experience, observation, analysis, understanding, and empathy, in order to truly solve the dilemmas and troubles brought to us by other factors. Without sensibly blaming others, it will not help us to solve any difficulties and troubles. We must understand this.

In short, how to get rid of one’s own life’s predicaments and worries is to understand the law of cause and effect, understand the operating principle of the law of cause and effect, and completely change the part of the effect from the cause. Difficulties and troubles in life are the manifestation of a kind of effect. When the cause is changed or eliminated, the effect will naturally be changed and eliminated. The principle is simple, but the method can be used flexibly.

Those play with party politics, their retributions are in the three evil ways.

Author: Tao Qing Hsu 

In this world, we don't understand why some people's values and ideologies of right and wrong are different from ours. Their reactions, opinions and handling attitudes to some things are also different from ours. Due to the difference between values and ideologies of right and wrong, their positions, opinions, attitudes, and ways of dealing with things are also different from others, so they show a state of resistance and opposition to others. This is not only present in our daily lives, but also in domestic and international political events.

Some people cannot distinguish between good and evil, and lack the ability to think independently. They are often easily deceived by any words and opinions which seem plausible and powerful. Unfortunately, this actually appears in the current party politics, not only domestically but also internationally.

Of course, everyone wants to use some words to wrap up their inner desires and ambitions. However, it is too far-fetched and implausible to enforce legislation to force others to comply with their selfish desires, ideology, and attempts. Even the Buddha did not dare to do so. The Buddha clearly understands that for selfish purposes, it must be a cause of evil, and it will go towards the evil results, and the evil will necessarily happen to itself. The Buddha did not dare to say: if you don’t believe in Buddha, you don’t believe in Buddhism and you don’t convert to Buddhism, then you are a sinner, you are foul, you should go to hell, or you should die. The Buddha never said that.

All the Buddha’s words emphasize some important points, that is, any cause created by the individual, which is the action of this initial thought, plus various opportunities, it will present a result, and this result will eventually form a retribution, reward in itself. Therefore, whether this initial thought is selfless or selfish, pure or evil, and the opportunity for process development, will lead to the final result to affect whether the result is good or evil. All this has nothing to do with whether you believe in Buddhism or not. Because, that initial thought depends on you, not Buddha or Buddhism. This is what the Buddha wants to make all beings understand.

Some people’s ideas are strongly influenced by binary opposition, strongly influenced by certain ideologies, and strongly obsessed with self-right and others wrong, and resolutely take this as a yes, even if they are unscrupulous and cocooning, they must achieve this goal. These ideologies are very ridiculous to the Buddha. Why? The Buddha revealed it in the Heart Sutra: without eyes, ears, noses, tongues, body and conscious; without the realm of eyes and even without of the realm of conscious. Did you see? Without the realm of conscious. Since there is no realm of conscious, what are these people clinging to? In the eyes of the Buddha, the attachment to any ideology is ultimately empty. Because it will inevitably go through the process of "generate, dwell, change, eliminate; form, dwell, destroy, empty." And the process is only the difference in length of time. In other words, no matter what ideology we are attached to, we are self-limiting. Only in an empty state can one be infinite and flexible.

In the Buddha's teachings, he did not use our current nouns, such as dictatorship, autocracy, democracy, civil rights, human rights, etc. These nouns are all only found after the opening of modern human thought. In the eyes of the Buddha, these are just the changes of the name and the concept. The concept of the name is empty. When we understand this essence, we can further understand that some people may commit evil in the name of democracy. Or some people may seem to do evil in the form of authoritarian dictatorship. In fact, they achieve substantive good deeds. Therefore, the term “democracy” does not necessarily mean good, and the term “autocracy” does not necessarily mean evil. Seeing all this from the perspective of emptiness, the Buddha will not be kidnapped by the concept of duality and any concept of nouns.

When we understand the Buddha’s instructions and use it as a basis, we observe the political situation at home and abroad, and we will find that some people may seem to do good in the name of party politics and the ideology they admire. They seem to be thinking for the people, as if standing on the side of justice. In fact, they have their own selfish interests behind them. They played with party politics and deliberately provoked mass opposition to achieve their selfish interests. It is a pity that they do not understand, to play with party politics, to deceive the masses, to disrespect all living beings, and their results will be in the three evil ways. To understand this, we must be careful about what we do and observe carefully to avoid being deceived by such party politics, but also to avoid being led into evil destiny and results by such party politics.

Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞: When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult

(Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞ ) 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 12: List the difficulties and exhort to practice   

The Buddha said,” There are twenty difficulties for people. Giving something to others is difficult when people are in poor. Learning the Dao is difficult when people are in the huge wealth and are the nobility. It is hard to the people when they must die because their lives have to be abandoned. Being able to see the scripture of Buddha is difficult. Being born in the time of Buddha is difficult. Enduring the erotic and desire is difficult. Seeing the self-interest and not to pursue it is difficult. No resentment when being humiliated is difficult. When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult. When contact with things and no heart  is difficult. Learning widely and researching extensively are difficult. Removing the ego-arrogance is difficult. Not to despise the un-learner is difficult. Practicing the equality in heart is difficult. Not saying its right or wrong is difficult. Meeting the good-knowledge person is difficult. Seeing the Nature and learning the Dao are difficult. According to conditions to reform people so as to save them is difficult. Seeing the circumstance and unmoved in heart are difficult. Good at understanding the convenience is difficult.

Chapter 12 ﹝9﹞: When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult. (when people have the authority, it is difficult for them not to draw near to ordinary people.)

When having the authority and not to draw near to ordinary people is difficult (when people have the authority, it is difficult for them not to draw near to ordinary people). It is the ninth difficulty in the twenty difficulties said by Buddha Shakyamuni in this Chapter.

It also means that it is hard for the person not to draw near to ordinary people when having the authority. I use the words “ draw near to” which is translated according to the Chinese word. It is also means “to come closer” or “to approach”.

The whole meaning is that it is hard for the persons when they own the power and not to bully the ordinary people. The original article in Chinese is some kind of difficult to understand.

When people own the authority, the mind of arrogance is easy to be generated. And it might want to demonstrate their power or to gain their personal advantages and profit so to bully others. Even today, such situation is still existed in some places.

What we have often heard is that the evil bullying persons plunder the civic fortune, encroach the good farm, robbery the women or children, or enslave the others. Such evil bullying person is not someone else. They are the persons who have the authority in army or in politic, especially in the time of war or of darkness in politic.

Even in the time of democracy, there are also existed the bullying thing in company or in the politic party, or any group, or in some big family in some countries. The bullying persons are the boss, or the supervisor, or the elder male.

The official career and the authority are the temporary. It is not permanent. Even our body is not permanent. We’ll lose those things some day. The Buddha have said that all of the phenomenon would have four stages. That is forming, dwelling, destructing and emptying; and all mental and physical situations would have four stages. That is generating, dwelling, changing, eliminating.

So, we could find the connecting. Forming corresponds to generating. Dwelling means dwelling on something. Or something is dwelled on. Destructing corresponds to changing. The emptying corresponds to eliminating.

Those who bully others with arrogance are in the stage of formed and dwelled authority. Usually, their retribution is in the stage of destructed and emptied authority. If we have such sense, we would not dare to bully others. And it is not hard for us when having the authority and thus not to draw near to ordinary people.

Supplementary note: Dao is transliterated from Chinese, meaning way and method, deeper meaning as a system of learning or religion. Dao is Tao, which is transliterated from Chinese. The original meaning of Dao is the way and path, and it is extended to be the truth of life that we can learn and practice in our lives.

Chapter 8: Saliva and dust defile oneself

( Chapter 8 ) 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 8: Saliva and dust defile oneself 

The Buddha said,” The vicious person harms the virtuous person, such as spitting the saliva toward the sky, the saliva doesn’t reach the sky, but falls to oneself; to scatter the dust in inversing wind, the dust doesn’t reach the other place, but being brought back to oneself. The virtue doesn’t be destroyed. The disaster absolutely ruins oneself.”  

This chapter is echoing to the chapter 6 and the chapter 7. We could find that if someone wants to humiliate others on purpose, it might spit the saliva toward the counterpart’s face, or toward the ground with the mind of contempt. Mostly, such person is self-arrogant and opinioned. But now, if people want to humiliate others, they use words or pictures on the internet. Such network bullying, it can be classified as mental violence to others. In the history, there always is the real violence, if the evil will of bullying people could not be contented, they use violence to compel others to obey their evil will.     

There is a saying.” Good horse is always ridden by people; good person is always bullied.” Some of the ignorant people think that the Buddha-learner is looked foolishly, and think that the Buddha-learner could not use the violence to kill people or to revenge; so, the evil person unscrupulously bully the Buddha-learner. Usually, the Buddha-learners would refrain themselves, endure the violence, and pity those evil persons, because the Buddha-learners obey the teaching of Buddha and put the Ten Virtues into practice.  

There is a highlight concept in Buddhism. That is, any person has to bear its own consequence of any retribution to themselves due to what they have done the evil thing. So, they have to bear the disasters coming from the nature or from the other persons.

The Buddha-learner, including the Buddhist monk or nun, would not revenge to the evil person, because it is well known that the evil person naturally deserve its own retribution. From the chapter 6, 7 and this chapter, you could find such concept.

Without hatred and revenge, it is one of the practices in learning Buddha. To have the mind of hatred is no light. It would let us do the stupid thing. On the contrary, to abolish the mind of hatred is light. It would give us the wisdom.  

Those who could have the opportunity to read these words said by Buddha are lucky and blissful. Now you have the wisdom. And the wisdom is the immeasurable treasure.   

The Buddha said,” The vicious person harms the virtuous person, such as spitting the saliva toward the sky, the saliva doesn’t reach the sky, but falls to oneself; to scatter the dust in inversing wind, the dust doesn’t reach the other place, but being brought back to oneself. The virtue doesn’t be destroyed. The disaster absolutely ruins oneself.” In a word, it means that to harm others is to harm ourselves; to humiliate others is to humiliate ourselves; to bully others is to bully ourselves; to rebuke others is to rebuke ourselves. It is easy to understand it.   

A Brief Talk About Cause And Result

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

As we know, the essence of Buddhism is the Emptiness. In China, when someone wants to learn Buddha and become a Buddhist monk or nun, we said that they go into the door of Emptiness.

Some ordinary people think that, there are no causes and results in the emptiness, so they can do any evil things, such as, to damage others, and they would not go to hell, because there would not be such results of hell. In fact, those people totally misunderstand the meaning of emptiness and the state of Buddha.

In Buddhism, it often refers to the relationship between causes and results, especially in teaching the ordinary people. Why? Causes and results exactly exist, when people do something, even though they just have a slight-evil thought that would affect others. There is the doing, there is thus the result which is arisen accordingly. There is no doing, there is thus no such result. Any doing is arisen from any thin thought. No matter any thought or any doing, it could be as a cause, or a condition, and would result in any consequence.

A Buddha is in the stable state of no thought, no desire and no doing. Once any thought, any desire or any doing is arisen, it just wants to help live beings to liberate from the suffering. It is always in such stable state.

However, people always have the desires and thus want to do something so as to benefit themselves or their family, and thus not to concern about the well-beings of others. The Buddha said that the desire is the root of suffering. That is why such people might do the evil thing, be in the suffering and in the result of hell finally.

The basic quality of those people is good, because they also have the Buddha’s nature. In the body of Emptiness, there is no difference between us. That is, we are one. So, the Buddha said that:

To have the great kindness for all sentient beings without conditions, and to have the great compassion for all sentient beings due to we are in the same body of Emptiness.

Therefore, the Buddha never abandons those people who do evil things, and it always does its best to help them go into the path of Buddha. To have a good cause, and to have a good condition, that would result in a good consequence or a good effect. Such as, to learn Buddha is to have a good cause and would result in a pure land to benefit ourselves and all sentient beings.

On the contrary, to have a bad cause, and to have a bad condition, that would result in a bad consequence or a bad effect. Such as, to cheat others by the greedy heart is a bad cause, and would harm others and result in the jail or hell finally.

In a word, it is not totally empty in the state of Emptiness. In fact, the Emptiness contains all existence, including the causes and results.