The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra

Volume One: Introduction

Part I. The Five Periods and the Eight Teachings

IN EXPLAINING SUTRAS, some use the methods of the Tiantai School (Tyan Tai) and some use those of the Xianshou School (Shen Shou), two great teaching schools of Chinese Buddhism. The Tiantai School was systematized by the Great Master Zhizhe (Zhiyi, A.D. 538-597) who divided the Buddha’s Sutras into Five Periods and Eight Teachings.

The Five Periods are:

The Avatamsaka Period (Flower Adornment),
the Agama Period,
the Vaipulya Period,
the Prajna Period, and
the Dharma Flower and Mahaparinirvana Periods.

Within the Five Periods, Eight Teachings are distinguished:

The Storehouse Teaching,
the Pervasive Teaching,
the Separate Teaching,
the Perfect Teaching,
the Sudden Teaching,
the Gradual Teaching,
the Secret Teaching, and
the Unfixed Teaching.

Each of the Five Periods listed above is likened to five kinds of milk products as will be seen.

1. The Avatamsaka Period.

After his enlightenment, the Buddha first spoke the Avatamsaka Sutra. The Sutra consists of three volumes, only the last of which exists in the human realm, the other two still being stored in the Dragon Palace.

Having mastered all the literature in the world, the Bodhisattva Dragon Tree (Nagarjuna - Long Shu Pusa in Mandarin) went to the Dragon Palace to read the Tripitaka. While there, he memorized the last volume of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Since he had the ability to memorize anything after having seen it only once, he read the Sutra once and brought the last volume back with him in his memory.

When the Buddha spoke the Avatamsaka Sutra, only the Bodhisattvas heard it. Those Arhats and Bhikshus of the Small Vehicle could not hear it. It is said that:

They had eyes, but did not see
the Reward-body (Sambhogakaya) of the Buddha;
They had ears, but did not hear
the Perfect-Sudden Teaching.

They failed to see the ten-thousand-foot-tall Reward-body that the Buddha manifested. We may think that ten-thousand feet is very tall, but compared to Amitabha Buddha’s Reward-body, it is very small. As the verse in praise of Amitabha Buddha says,

The light of his brows shines
‘round a hundred worlds,
Wide as the seas are his eyes
clear and pure.

His eyes are truly huge. Most people are unable to imagine the size of one great sea, let alone four. The enlight¬ened patriarchs of the past, who saw Amitabha Buddha’s fine marks and adornments, wrote such a verse in praise of him. Compared to Amitabha Buddha’s fine light and violet-colored eyes, everything else is very small, including the ten-¬¬thou¬sand-foot Reward-body that Shakyamuni Buddha mani¬¬fested. But those of the Two Vehicles, the Hearers [Shra¬vakas] and Condition-enlightened Ones [Pratyeka¬buddhas], did not see it, even though they had eyes. They had ears, but they didn’t hear the Perfect-Sudden Teaching. Those of the Two Vehicles had ears, but they did not hear the Buddha speak the Avatamsaka Sutra’s great Dharma. So the period of speak¬ing the Avatamsaka Sutra was for teach¬ing great Bodhi¬sattvas, the Mahasattvas of the ten direc¬tions.

The Five Periods of the Buddha’s teaching are symbolized as milk products and to the rising sun. The Avatamsaka Period is compared to whole milk, raw and unprocessed. It is also likened to the newly risen sun, which first shines on the high peaks. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha is analogous to the sun, and the high peaks are analogous to the Bodhisattvas to whom the Buddha first spoke the Dharma. They are like the high peaks because the Bodhisattvas are the highest among living beings.

2. The Agama Period.

Agama, a Sanskrit word, means "incomparable Dharma," for none of the dharmas of non-Buddhist religions can compare with it; it surpasses all of them.

During this period the Small Vehicle Teaching was set forth. It can be compared to coagulated milk, which is extracted from whole milk and which is easy for children to digest. Straight, raw milk is very strong and nourishing and so it is used to represent the Avatamsaka Teaching.

The Agama Teaching is like coagulated milk, good for children. As the Buddha taught the Agamas, the sun rose a hundred feet and its light reached the dark places in the valleys that the light of the Ava¬tamsaka, the newly risen sun, did not reach, so even the smallest adherents of the Small Vehicle and the most deluded of people could understand this Dharma.

The Avatamsaka is considered to be part of the Sudden Teaching, although it is also a Gradual Teaching. The Agama Period is called the Storehouse Teaching.

3. The Vaipulya Period.

Vaipulya, also Sanskrit, means "expansive," and during this period the Pervasive Teaching was expounded. The Vaipulya Teaching pervades the former Agama Teaching and the subsequent Prajna Teaching. It is like curdled milk, good for children and adults. Both those of the Small Vehicle and those of the Great Vehicle can study the Sutras of this period. It is represented by the time between nine and ten in the morning when the sun shines on the high peaks and level ground.

4. The Prajna Period.

Prajna is the Separate Teaching and it is a means of entry into the Great Vehicle. Prajna is called the Separate Teaching because it is separate from the Perva¬sive Teaching of the Vaipulya Period that precedes it as well as from the Perfect Teaching of the Lotus - Nirvana Period that follows it. The Separate Teaching can be compared to butter, which is extracted from curdled milk and suitable for adults. It is also like the period from ten until eleven in the morning when the sun shines upon the entire earth and is approaching, but has not yet reached, the noon position.

Prajna is a Sanskrit word. Because it is an honored term, it is not translated but kept in the original language. Also, because it has three meanings it is considered a term with "many meanings" and is therefore not translated. There are three kinds of Prajna: literary, contemplative, and real mark.

Literary Prajna: Literary Prajna refers to Sutras, Shastras, and the Vinaya. It is transcendental literature; it is most certainly not the literature of the world. Knowledge gained through mundane writings is not Prajna, but only worldly intelligence and cleverness.

Contemplative Prajna: Contemplative Prajna means that through the use of wisdom one regards and illuminates all dharmas. As it says in the Heart Sutra, "When the Bodhi¬¬¬sattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound Prajna-¬paramita, he illumined the Five Skandhas and saw that they are all as empty."

Real Mark Prajna: The Real Mark is unmarked, and yet complete with all marks; it includes all marks. All marks flow from the unmarked, and just that is the Real Mark Prajna.

By means of Literary Prajna, one gives rise to Contemplative Prajna. With Contemplative Prajna one in turn penetrates to the inherent Real Mark Prajna within one’s own nature.

5. The Dharma Flower-Nirvana Period.

This is the ultimate teaching of the Buddha, the teaching of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra (Saddharmapundarika Sutra in Sanskrit, Lian Hua Jing in Mandarin Chinese). Do not look lightly upon the Dharma Flower Sutra. It is the Buddha’s ultimate expression, the final Dharma-door. The four preceding periods were all taught (as an expedient - upaya - the seventh paramita) to pave the way for the Dharma Flower Sutra, and so it is said that the Dharma Flower opens up the provisional (expedients or "provisions for the voyage" - see "Buddhism of the Sowing") and reveals the real (see "Buddhism of the Harvest"). The teachings of the other four periods were "manifesting the provisional for the sake of the real." The Dharmas contained within them were taught for the sake of the Dharma Flower. The Dharma Flower opens up the provisional and establishes the real, thus dispensing with all former expedient Dharma-doors.

The Dharma Flower Sutra is the Buddha’s true mind. The Dharma Flower Sutra is the Buddha’s true body (Dharma Kaya). The Dharma Flower Sutra is the Buddha’s Dharma-body. The Dharma Flower Sutra is the Buddha’s Reward-body (Sambhoga Kaya). The Dharma Flower Sutra is the Buddha’s Response-body (Nirmana Kaya). Students of the Buddhadharma who have not thoroughly understood the Dharma Flower Sutra have not yet experienced the genuine taste of the Dharma. The genuine wonderful meaning of the Buddhadharma is contained within this Sutra, which is called a "wonderful Dharma."

The Dharma of this Sutra is compared to the lotus (Pundarika is the Sanskrit name in the Sutra title; also Padma in Sanskrit, Lian Hua in Mandarin), the rarest king of flowers. The lotus grows from the mud, but remains unsoiled. Although its roots are in the mud, it grows up through the water; while rooted in the dirt, it transcends the dirt. The lotus flower is a wonderful, superb flower; this Sutra is the ultimate Sutra. It is said that with the Shurangama one develops wisdom; with the Dharma Flower one becomes a Buddha. If you wish to realize Buddhahood, you must certainly study this Sutra.

In Buddhism, the Dharma Flower and the Shurangama occupy the most important positions, but especially the Dharma Flower. All the other Sutras were spoken for the sake of the Dharma Flower, and so this one is called "the king of Sutras." That we are now able to investigate this Sutra is an unspeakably wonderful opportunity.

The Dharma Flower Sutra may be compared to the sun at high noon, which shines upon the entire earth—the high peaks, the deep valleys, and the level ground. This Sutra is the Dharma-door of "opening the provisional to manifest the real." For what one purpose did the Buddha come into the world? The Buddha manifested himself in the world expressly for the purpose of speaking the Dharma Flower Sutra. Now, we have a chance to listen to it and in the future we will come to thoroughly understand its wonder¬ful principles. Thus, our very hearing of the Sutra indicates that we have planted good roots for limitless eons, which have now enabled us to encounter this inconceivable Sutra. This is a most rare Dharma Assembly.

The Buddha lived for the purpose of speaking the Dharma Flower Sutra and we are now able to hear it. We should give rise to great joy! We should consider how rare it is. Think it over. In all the years since the United States of America became a nation, how many people have had a chance to listen properly and truly to the Dharma Flower Sutra or the Shurangama Sutra? No one. Some may have read translations, but to only read them is to be like an ant nibbling at a water¬melon. The ant runs around and around, nibbling here and there, but never tastes the fruit. Those who read Sutras on their own are like the ant nibbling at the melon. The melon is sweet, but no matter how long the ant runs around on the outside, it has no way to get into the fruit and taste its, flavor. Now, we have, as it were, opened the melon. We are all like ants that can now taste the fruit inside.

According to the Five Flavors’ Analogy, we have seen raw milk, coagulated milk, curdled milk, and butter used to represent the first four teaching periods, respectively. The fifth period, the Dharma-Flower Nirvana Period, is likened to clarified butter, the finest and most subtle of tastes. The teaching of the Dharma Flower Sutra is like the wonderful taste of clarified butter, the world’s most delicious flavor—nothing tastes better.
Now, as we open the Dharma Flower Sutra, we can each find out for ourselves just what that flavor is.

During the fifth period, both the Dharma Flower and the Nirvana Sutras were spoken. The Dharma Flower took eight years and the Nirvana took one day and one night. The aim of the Buddha was to speak the Dharma Flower Sutra. It is said to be "purely perfect" because it is the pure Perfect Teach¬ing and is not mixed with the Storehouse, Pervasive, or Separate Teachings. It is only the Perfect Teaching. Thus, in Buddhism, the Dharma Flower Sutra is the most impor¬tant. Students of the Buddhadharma who have not read, recited, or heard it certainly cannot be said to under¬stand the Buddhadharma. Why not? The speaking of the Dharma Flower Sutra was the final goal of the Buddha’s life. If Buddhist disciples don’t understand it, they don’t under¬stand Buddhism, for they have not understood clearly the wonderful Dharma.

The Dharma Flower Sutra is like the blazing sun at midday, shining on all the mountains, rivers, forests, and plants. The hills and valleys all receive this universal illu¬mi¬¬na¬tion. In the Dharma Flower Assembly all are said to be destined for Buddhahood. In the second chapter of the Sutra the Buddha says,

"If people with scattered thoughts
enter stupas or temples
And say but once, ‘Homage to the Buddha,’
they will all realize the Buddha Way."

In this verse, Shakyamuni Buddha gives us all a prediction of Buddhahood, saying, "He doesn’t need to be single-minded. If, with a scattered mind he goes into a Buddhist pagoda or temple and says only once, ‘Homage to the Buddha,’ it is for certain that he will become a Buddha."

Or perhaps a person merely raises his hand in salute. Although this is not a very respectful gesture, if one waves his hand or merely nods his head, he will accomplish Buddhahood. Those who bow to the Buddha and recite the Buddha’s name will certainly become Buddhas, too.

You may think, "If one who merely raises his hand or nods his head with a scattered mind is certain to become a Buddha, then the merit and virtue accrued from my sincere worship must indeed be great."

Do not hold such arrogant thoughts. Although it is true that such people will become Buddhas, those who under¬stand the Buddhadharma must add sincerity to their sinceri¬ty, and respect to their respect, and vigorously pursue their study of the Dharma. Do not be self-satisfied and think, "If someone who merely nods his head with a scattered mind will become a Buddha, well, then I don’t need to cultivate in order to become a Buddha." Don’t have such self-satisfied thoughts.

Of the Four Teachings -- Storehouse, Pervasive, Sepa¬rate, and Perfect -- the Dharma Flower is the Perfect Teach¬ing. These four are called the Four Types of Teaching. There are also Four Methods of Teaching, the Sudden, Gradual, Secret, and Unfixed Teachings. Together, there are Eight Teach¬ings. The Four Types of Teaching are like types of medi¬¬cine and the Four Methods of Teaching are like instruc¬¬¬¬tions on how the medicine is to be administered. It is not enough merely to have the medicine and know it will cure the illness. The medicine must be used. After it has been administered, the illness vanishes.

Now, I will discuss the Eight Teachings, starting with the Four Methods of Teaching:
The Sudden Teaching. What is meant by "sudden?" Sudden means "becoming a Buddha instantly." There is no need to wait. One immediately becomes a Buddha. Living beings who have roots in the Sudden Teaching instantane¬ously become hand or merely nods his head, he will accomplish Buddha¬¬¬¬¬hood. Those who bow to the Buddha and recite the Buddha’s name will certainly become Buddhas, too.

You may think, "If one who merely raises his hand or nods his head with a scattered mind is certain to become a Buddha, then the merit and virtue accrued from my sincere worship must indeed be great."

Do not hold such arrogant thoughts. Although it is true that such people will become Buddhas, those who under¬stand the Buddhadharma must add sincerity to their sinceri¬ty, and respect to their respect, and vigorously pursue their study of the Dharma. Do not be self-satisfied and think, "If someone who merely nods his head with a scattered mind will become a Buddha, well, then I don’t need to cultivate in order to become a Buddha." Don’t have such self-satisfied thoughts.

Of the Four Teachings -- Storehouse, Pervasive, Sepa¬rate, and Perfect -- the Dharma Flower is the Perfect Teach¬ing. These four are called the Four Types of Teaching. There are also Four Methods of Teaching, the Sudden, Gradual, Secret, and Unfixed Teachings. Together, there are Eight Teach¬ings. The Four Types of Teaching are like types of medi¬¬cine and the Four Methods of Teaching are like instruc¬¬¬¬tions on how the medicine is to be administered. It is not enough merely to have the medicine and know it will cure the illness. The medicine must be used. After it has been administered, the illness vanishes.

Now, I will discuss the Eight Teachings, starting with the Four Methods of Teaching:
The Sudden Teaching. What is meant by "sudden?" Sudden means "becoming a Buddha instantly." There is no need to wait. One immediately becomes a Buddha. Living beings who have roots in the Sudden Teaching instantane¬ously become enlightened. Sudden means "very fast." The Sixth Patriarch taught the Sudden Teaching and the Grad¬ual Teaching was taught by the Great Master Shen Xiu.

The Gradual Teaching. Gradual refers to cultivation by degrees. Sudden means suddenly becoming enlightened and gradual means to become enlightened slowly and gradually.

The Secret Teaching. The Secret Teaching taught by the Buddha refers to mantras. Secret means "taught to one person and the other doesn’t know; taught to the other person and the first person doesn’t know; each is unaware of the teaching the other has received." Thus, it is secret.

The Unfixed Teaching. The Dharma is taught in an unfixed manner. Because it is not fixed, the Dharma is dyna¬mic. Dharma that is dynamic is separate from all attach¬¬¬ments. So it is said, "One bestows the teaching for the sake of the individual and prescribes the medicine accord¬ing to the illness." According to the person’s needs, one pres¬cribes a certain drug. In the same way, the Dharma is spoken to counteract an individual’s specific problems.

Not to mention hearing the explanation of the Dharma Flower Sutra, merely hearing the name of the Sutra enables one to plant all kinds of good roots. It is not easy to have an opportunity to hear even the name of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.

Thus together there are Eight Teachings which were taught in the Five Periods. The Five Periods are also known as:
1. the sunrise period,
2. the period of bright illumination,
3. the period of reflective illumination,
4. the period of level illumination, and
5. the period of high noon.

The final period is the Lotus-Nirvana period and during this time there were not even any shadows.

The Five Periods and the Eight Teachings encompass all of the Dharma the Buddha spoke. After realizing Buddha¬hood, the Buddha taught the Dharma for forty-nine years in over three hundred Dharma assemblies, and it was all for the sake of The Dharma Flower Sutra. When he spoke the Avatamsaka, those with the dispositions of the Small Vehicle were unable to accept it. Later, he "hid the great and mani¬¬¬fested the small." No longer did he expound the lofty, pro¬found theories, but instead he spoke the simple and straightforward Agama doctrines, to lead those of the Two Vehicles towards the Great Vehicle. After he spoke the Agamas, the Buddha spoke the Vaipulya Teaching. Pro¬gress¬ing step by step, he next taught the Prajna Teachings so that his listeners might gain wisdom. With wisdom, they would be able to grad¬uate to the wonderful Dharma of the Dharma Flower Sutra.

However, the Dharma Flower Sutra is extremely difficult to encounter, extremely difficult to hear. When the Buddha spoke this Sutra, five thousand of his disciples stood up and walked out. As soon as they heard the Buddha speak it they thought, "This Dharma is utterly unbelievable; we cannot believe it." Think of it: When Shakyamuni Buddha spoke the Dharma Flower, five thousand of his own disciples ran off. From this we can see that it is very difficult to believe.

For this reason, when the Buddha spoke this Sutra he said, "Stop! Stop! Stop! I will not speak. I won’t speak the Dharma Flower Sutra. Why not? My Dharma is wonderful and hard to understand. The Dharma of this Sutra is extremely wonderful, hard to understand and these people won’t be able to believe it. It would be better if I didn’t speak at all." However, Shariputra insisted on asking Shakya¬¬muni Buddha to speak the Sutra.

Shakyamuni Buddha labored for several decades, preparing to speak this Sutra. For the sake of the real he first bestowed the provisional teachings, but those provi¬sional teachings were all given for the sake of the wonderful doctrines of the Perfect Teaching, the Real Mark, the Dharma Flower Sutra. The preceding Dharma Assem¬blies—Agama, Vaipulya, and Prajna—were all spoken to pave the way for The Dharma Flower Sutra.

This may be compared to building a road from San Francisco to New York. When the work begins, it is for the sake of eventually arriving in New York. After several years of hard work, the road is finished. But although it is completed, there will be those who will not want to go. "You wanted a road," they may say, "and now you’ve got it. But we’re not going to use it." So it was with the five thousand who walked out.

Now, we are explaining the Dharma Flower Sutra and the entire universe will emit light; the Buddhas and Bodhi¬sattvas of the ten directions are especially happy. We who investigate the Buddhadharma should take time from our busy schedules to come and hear the Buddhadharma. This is the most wonderful of all Sutras, and we should not pass up the chance to obtain "the wonderful." If you don’t obtain the wonderful, it becomes "un-wonderful." So, every¬¬one should not remain "un-wonderful," but should dis¬cover the wonderful. If you wish to obtain the wonder¬ful, you must first advance great effort and persevere in your investi¬gation of the wonderful Dharma. It takes solid deter¬mination to understand this kind of wonderful Dharma.

Buddhist Text Translation Society (http://www.BTTSonline.org) References: DFS (Dharma Flower Lotus Sutra)

(NOTE: Numerous corrections and enhancements have been made under Shastra tradition and "Fair Use" by an Anonymous Buddhist Monk Redactor (Compiler) of this Online Buddhist Encyclopedia Compilation)

Primary Original Source: The Tripitaka Sutra, Shastra and Vinaya teachings
(as found in the scripture storehouse of the Indian Sanskrit-Siddham, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese traditions of the Nalanda Tradition of ancient Nalanda University) of Shakyamuni Buddha, and his Arya Sagely Bodhisattva Bhikshu Monk and Upasaka disciples.

These Good and Wise Advisors (Kaliyanamitra) Dharma Master teachers include Arya Venerables Nagarjuna, Ashvaghosha, Aryasura, Kumarajiva, Shantideva, Chandrakirti, Chandragomin, Vasubandhu, Asanga, Hui Neng, Atisha, Kamalashila, Dharmarakshita, Tsong Khapa, Thogme Zangpo, Patanjali, Sushruta, Charaka, Vagbhata, Nichiren, Hsu Yun, Hsuan Hua, Shen Kai, Tenzin Gyatso, Kyabje Zopa, Ajahn Chah, Vasant Lad, and other modern day masters. We consider them to be in accord with Master Hsuan Hua’s "Seven Guidelines for Recognizing Genuine Teachers"

Nalanda Online University's teachings are based especially on the Dharma Flower Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Ksitigarbha Sutra, the Bhaisajya Guru Sutra, the Dharani Sutra, the Vajra Sutra, the Prajna Paramita Hridayam Sutra, the Guhyasamaja, the Kalachakra and their commentaries (shastras) by the above Arya Tripitakacharya Dharma Masters.

At Nalanda Online University we practice daily and introduce you to (via downloadable multimedia MP3 audio and WMV video lectures) the teachings and practices of the Five Traditions transmitted by the Buddha Shakyamuni:

1. Teaching School (Mahayana Sutrayana - Paramitayana - Hua Yan and Tian Tai, Yogachara, Nalanda Prasangika Madhyamika, Theravada Sutta)

See also: Tripitaka (1. Sutras, 2. Vinaya, 3. Shastras or Abhidharma, or Tantra), Taisho Catalog Numbering System, Dharma, and names of individual sutras (such as Shurangama Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra [Flower Adornment Sutra], Lotus Sutra [Wonderful Dharma Flower Sutra], Earth Store Sutra, Dharani Sutra, Brahma Net Sutra, Medicine Master Buddha Sutra, Sixth Patriarch Platform Sutra, Sutra in 42 Sections, Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching, et al.

2. Moral Regulations School (Vinaya Pratimoksha Shila - Bodhisattva Pranidhana - Vajrayana-Samaya - Yogic Yama)

3. Esoteric School (Vajrayana - Mantrayana - Tantrayana - Dharani - Secret School of the Mahayana)

4. Meditation School (Indian Dhyana Samadhi - Shamatha - Vipassana, Chinese Chan, Japanese Zen,
        Tibetan Mahamudra of Kagyupa, and Tibetan Dzogchen of Nyingmapa)

5. Pure Land Devotional School (Bhakti Puja - Buddha-Bodhisattva Mindfulness and Nama Japa --
         Name Recitation of Buddhas Amitabha-Amitayus, Medicine Buddha - Bhaisajya Guru - Akshobhya,
         and Bodhisattvas: Avalokiteshvara-Guanyin-Chenrezig-Mahakala, Tara, Samantabhadra Universal Worthy,
         Manjushri-Kalarupa Great Wisdom, Maitreya Great Loving-Kindness, Mahasthamaprapta Great Strength,
         Ksitigarbha - Earth Store Great Vows, Vajrapani, Vajrasattva,
         Chandraprabha Moonlight Radiance, Suryaprabha Sunlight Radiance, Medicine King Bodhisattva, Medicine Superior Bodhisattva
         and others Dharma Protecting Dharmapala Lokapala Bodhisattvas, Gods and Goddesses)

Compilation Sources for the Above Material on the Teachings of the Buddha:

Primary Compilation Source: Epstein, Ronald B., Ph.D, compiler, Buddhist Text Translation Society's Buddhism A to Z, Burlingame, California: Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2003. ISBN: 0881393533 Paperback: 284 pages. www.BTTSOnline.org www.Amazon.com
http://www.bttsonline.org/product.aspx?pid=118 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881393533/ref=ase_medicinebuddh-20

Secondary Compilation Source: The Seeker’s Glossary of Buddhism, 2nd ed., San Francisco, California: Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, 1998: www.budaedu.org.tw

Secondary Compilation Source: Muller, Charles, editor, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism [DDB], Toyo Gakuen University, Japan, 2007: Username is "guest", with no password.
http://buddhism-dict.net/ddb - Based in large part on the Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms with Sanskrit and English Equivalents (by Soothill and Hodous) Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass, 1997.

Secondary Compilation Source: Ehrhard, Diener, Fischer, et al, The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, 1991. 296 pages. ISBN 978-0-87773-520-5 www.Shambhala.com, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0877735204/ref=ase_medicinebuddh-20,
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-0-87773-520-5.cfm

The Dharma is a Priceless Jewel,
thus these research compilations
and audio and video teaching materials are
offered free-of-charge by this anonymous Buddhist Monk
for the Bodhi Resolve benefit of All Sentient Beings in the Universe...

...under a Creative Commons License.

The rights to textual segments ("quoted, paraphrased, or excerpted") of the are owned by the author-publisher indicated in the brackets next to each segment and are make available and commented on (under the "shastra tradition") under Fair Use. For rights regarding the Buddhist "Encyclopaedia - Glossary - Dictionary" compilation as a whole, please know that it is offered under this Creative Commons License.

This Nalanda University site (www.Nalanda-University.com)
is redacted by an anonymous Buddhist monk
for the benefit of all living beings
so they may diligently (virya paramita) cultivate freely to
realize Bodhi enlightenment for the sake of all.

On the Buddha Shakyamuni's Birthday 2007,
this free redaction is offered (received, upheld, read, recited, studied, pondered, explained, and written out),
in accordance with the Lotus Saddharma Pundarika Sutra Chapter 19: "Merit and Virtue of a Dharma Master" as a
selfless offering to the Buddhas and Bodhisattva Sangha above to adorn the Pure Lands and
to liberate living beings suffering in samsara below by compassionately helping them to plant good roots in this and their future rebirths.

The merit is dedicated to anuttarasamyaksambodhi.

Increasing Effect Mantra:
Om Sambhara Sambhara (These Bhikshu Bodhisattva Bodhichitta Vows) Bimana Sara (Spread) Maha (Greatly) Java (Rapidly) Hum (recited 7x)

To increase by 100,000 times the merit created:
Tadyatha Om Pancha Griya (five offerings or five faces) Ava Bodhani Svaha (7x)

Om Dhuru Dhuru Jaya (Victory) Mukhe (Face or Mouth) Svaha (7x)

I Now Universally Transfer the Merit and Virtue of to All Beings to realize Anuttara-Samyak-Sam-Bodhi
(“Unsurpassed Proper and Equal Right Enlightenment”)

Sarva Mangalam.
May all be Auspicious.

Arya Bhikshu Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara says:
Just as Manjushri works
To fulfill the aims of all limited beings
To the far reaches of space in the ten directions,
May my behavior become just like that.

For as long as space remains,
And for as long as wandering beings remain,
May I too remain for that long,
Dispelling the sufferings of wandering beings.

(Like Ananda says in the Shurangama Sutra introduction to the Shurangama Mantra,
"And even could the nature of shunyata melt away, my vajra-like Supreme Resolve would still remain unmoved.)

Whatever sufferings wandering beings might have,
May all of them ripen on me,
And through the Bodhisattva assembly,
May wandering beings enjoy happiness.

May the teachings,
the sole medicine for the sufferings of wandering beings
And the source of all happiness,
Continue to endure for a very long time,
With material support and shows of respect.

Updated May 10, 2008