Wondrous Dharma
Featured Posts
Amitabha and Welcome to the new Wondrous Dharma website!
2013 starts with the improved ‘one stop’ website of wondrousdharma.org to make
available the wonderful teachings of the Buddha to every person in the world
at the touch of the button incorporating more opportunity to interact and share.
Today’s technology in mass communication gives us two choices: to harness
the internet for the betterment of the world which we all share or to merely sulk
and complain that the internet is riddled with more junks, gossips and fantasies.
Wondrousdharma.org seeks to harness today’s mass communication for the
betterment of the world we live in by incorporating features for blogging.
The teaching of the Buddha is good at its beginning, good in the middle and good
at its end. That is, the teaching of the Buddha is relevant and applicable 3000
years ago, relevant and applicable in our present daily lives and will be relevant
and applicable more than 3000 years from today. Why is this? It is because the
teaching of the Buddha addresses the minds of people, to uncover the inherent
wisdom within each one of us. There is oneness with every living being, the
environment and the entire universe simply because everything came from the
mind; this revamped website, wondrousdharma.org is doing its little bit to help
explain the common bond between living beings and the environment extending
to the entire cosmos.
May every person find peace and harmony with themselves, with other people,
with other living beings and with the environment.
Previous Posts
- A: What is this? B: It is Mr. Bean, the famous British comedian. A: Very clever. That’s the reason why we continue to be confused. B: Then, what is it? A: It’s an embodiment of enlightenment. B: How could that be an embodiment of enlightenment? A: It’s a picture. Just like the painting in the walls of caves. When you praise the picture, it does not feel elated. When you scold the picture, it does not feel upset. When you scratch, kick, punch the picture, it remains a picture and will not hold anything against you. Now, do you get it?
- The anniversary of the day of enlightenment of Buddha Shakyamuni falls on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month which is January 19, 2013. The Buddha after having sat beneath the Bodhi tree body and mind unmoving for forty nine days awoke to his Buddha nature and spoke his first teaching “Strange, strange, strange indeed! All living beings can become Buddhas because they have the Buddha nature. But because they have false thinking and attachments, they remain as living beings and could not see their Buddha nature.” The Buddha, manifesting as the ten thousand-foot Buddha Nishyanda, then began to speak the Avatamsaka Sutra for twenty one days; the assembly comprises Bodhisattvas because the Arhats only saw the Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi tree. The Buddha then went on to speak the Dharma for a period of forty nine years. On this anniversary day of the Buddha’s enlightenment, it is recommended that Buddhists make new vows or renew their vows to cultivate. Why is this so? It is because during this day the Buddha began to speak the Dharma and we, Buddhists have benefited from and are grateful of the teachings of the Buddha. Vows are our solemn intent to practice and when we do practice, the Buddha is next to us because the main vow of all Buddhas is to lead living beings to quickly become Buddhas. With the teaching of the Buddha, we are able to understand the reality of all phenomena and no longer flounder in confusion. Not only Buddhists but also non Buddhists and the insentient, benefit from the teaching of the Buddha. The world is a much peaceful and calm world whilst the Buddha’s teaching remains in the world. During the Dharma’s demise, there will be a lot of confusion, contention and turmoil because people no longer understand true reality and follow along with confused teachings. Make your vows today and never forget for a moment, one particular vow; the vow to quickly realize Bodhi (enlightenment).
Latest Post
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s Nirvana Day
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua 14th vow: “I vow that every living being who has seen my face or even heard my name will bring forth the Bodhi mind and quickly realize the Buddha-Way.”
The18th Anniversary of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s entering into Nirvana falls on June 17, 2013. Venerable Master’s mind encompasses the entire Dharma Realm to the ends of empty space just as this verse on the sea of our nature composed by the Venerable Master:
With the Dharma Realm as substance, what could be outside?
With empty space as function, what is not included?
The myriad things are level and equal, apart from discrimination
With not a single thought arising, words and speech are ended.
“If you can be like this, you will understand that the sea of the nature is completely empty. You will roam in the great void, roaming until there isn’t a trace of ignorance to be found in the great sea.”
A verse composed by the Venerable Master speaks how the Venerable Master’s mind functions:
All living beings are my family;
The universe is my body;
All of space is my university
Kindness, compassion, joy and giving are my functions.
My name is ‘Empty and Formless’.