Re: Dharma topic

[Palani]

Hi KC,

 

Please see my replies in blue below.

 

On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 3:43 PM, lim chye <zopa...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Dear Brother Palani,
                            Regarding about the last 2 weeks dharma discussion
on the 4 monks forming the community, i think i remenber reading somewhere in the holy pali canon texts that during the time of buddha teachings, there is no
form of any writings,so the monks formed into groups ( community ) to memorize the buddha teachings  and chant or recite the sutras from time to time to prevent mistakes .The first buddha sermon teaching was given to five bhikkhus and this somehow lead them into forming the community of monks -They were so called the walking library during at that time ( 2500 yrs ago ) until someone invented the writings! This buddhist teachings were spread and carried out by King Asokan all over india and sri lanka ....i hope i am right and please
correct me if i am wrong! 
You may very well be right! The Buddha's teachings were always passed verablly from Guru to disciple.  It was a few hundred years after his passing that the sutra were written.  So memory was the the only way to transmit the Dharma.  The first sermon given the to the Bhikkus or monks who were originally together with the Buddha going through severe auterity practices.  When, after about 6 years, the Buddha has motirifed his body so severely that he was nothing more than skin and bones, that he figured this was not a good way to achieve enlightenment.  So he decide to get up from his meditation and move on.  This was also where he ate his first rice from the girl Sujatha.  Anyway, when he left the party of 6, the other 5 became upset with him and thought that the Buddha was not strong enough for spiritual practice.  However, this is where the Buddha decided that neither extremes of hedonistic pleasure (of his previous life as a prince) or mortification of his body, as was common in Indian at that time, was the path to enlightenment.  This is when he decided on the middle path between to 2 extremes and thus the term Madhyamaka came about. The orignial Pali term was Madhyamagga and Sanskrit was Madhyamarga - Madhya = middle and marga = path.  So Madhyamaka is another spelling in English and Mandhyamika refers to followers of Madhyamka.

 

He then went on to sit under the Bodhi tree and resovled not to move till he attained enlightenment.  When he attained enlightenment, his body radiated so much of light, that 5 Bhiikus who stayed behind and did not follow him saw it.  They went to investigate what it was and thus when they recognised the Buddha as the person whom they had looked down up when he left them, they asked him to give them Dharma teachings.  That is how they became his first 5 students. 

 

 

      Well, i 've some dharma questions to ask ...
              1) What is the SWASTIKA signify ? We can find this Swasika in the
buddhist and hidhu temples.And also, this Swasika can be found on some Arya
Avalokiteshvara statues and images especially on the chest area !
The SWASTIKA is a very ancient symbol used in many religious and cultural setting for thousands of years.  Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika and http://web.singnet.com.sg/~sidneys/Swastika.htm.

 

              2) The colours of the buddhist flag Blue,Yellow,Red,White and
Orange signify what ?

To my knowledge, these colours usually represent the 5 elements:

Blue (symbolizing sky/space),  White (symbolizing air/wind),  Red (symbolizing fire),  Green (symbolizing water),  Yellow (symbolizing earth). Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag

 

              3) In Mahayana,how do we perform the dedication of transerence of
merits to the  departed love ones including all sentient beings ? In the pali
sutra,we called it Uddisanadhitthana Gatha ( Radiation of Merits) and used to
dedicate this at the end of the prayer or puja .

I think that this is usually done during the Ullambana festival - locally known as the Ghost Month festival.  It is really not transference but dedication (could be a translation error)  of merits. This could also be done during the various pujas, like those conducted at the centre.

 

You can also do this normally on a daily basis when you perform dedications at the end of your prayers or other activities throughout the day.

 

              4) In Mahayana,Is there any practice to make Devas and Nagas
participation in sharing of merits? In the pali text,there is one to be perform
in the middle of the prayer or puja.

Devas and Nagas automatically are included in the dedication when we say all sentient beings.  All sentient beings refers to all living beings with minds or consciousness - "being sentient". It also refers to non-Buddhas. Thus, it includes all the 6 types of beings that we have discussed - hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demi-gods and gods.  Since this is the case, you are dedicating merits to devas and nagas when you think of all sentient beings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentient_beings_(Buddhism)

 

             5) The pink colour lotus flower signified purity.How about the blue
colour lotus signify what ?
We had covered the significance of the lotus the previous series of discussions but it is good that you grought it up here.  Lotus is used in Hinduism and Buddhism to signifiy some various important traits.  In Buddhism: As the lotus only grows in still, muddy waters - it shows our lives being stuck in unclean thoughts and environment. The ability of the lotus to rise strong and firm above the murkey waters to bloom so beautifully reflects our potential or ability to rise above our current situation and achieve enlightenment.  The leaves being water-proof signifies that while lotus arises out of filth, it is not stained by it and similarly, we too can arise and be free of our karmic imprints. The various colours and their meanings are:  White Lotus (Skt. pundarika; Tib. pad ma dkar po): This represents the state of spiritual perfection and total mental purity (bodhi). It is associated with the White Tara and proclaims her perfect nature, a quality which is reinforced by the color of her body.  Red Lotus (Skt. kamala; Tib: pad ma chu skyes): This signifies the original nature and purity of the heart (hrdya). It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion and all other qualities of the heart. It is the flower of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Blue Lotus (Skt. utpala; Tib. ut pa la): This is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses, and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. Not surprisingly, it is the preferred flower of Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. Pink Lotus (Skt. padma; Tib. pad ma dmar po): This the supreme lotus, generally reserved for the highest deity. Thus naturally it is associated with the Great Buddha himself.

 

Please refer to http://viewonbuddhism.org/general_symbols_buddhism.html. It has much info such as offerings, auspicious symbols etc that we had discussed last few weeks.

         Well,I hope you can kindly take your time to answer my above questions
and also,we can share this topic in our coming Sat.dharma discussion.

I hope that you do not mind that I circulate this email to everyone so that they can also benefits from your questions.
                   
    
Sarva Mangalan
kclim