Hey gang this here is from the Threefold Lotus Sutra
and it explains me, Maitreya the fame seeker.
You ever see Tommy Boy or crazy Christian salesmen?
They act like this because it's my fault.
One problem this too is that I don't have to stop
Seeking-fame. That's a dogma problem of too-obedient monks.
I just have to know when to do what with the fame. I just have to give it away, but I don't know how to do anything else. Ok.
Full-Text: http://www.cttbusa.org/dfs1/dfs1_17.asp
The very last to become a Buddha was one named Burner of the Lamp. Among the eight hundred disciples was one named Seeker of Fame. The Bodhisattva Wondrous Light had eight hundred disciples. One of them was called Seeker of Fame. Now, the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light was the Bodhisattva Manjushri. He was the master of the eight princes, and taught them all to become Buddhas. The last of the eight princes was called Burner of the Lamp. He was Shakyamuni Buddha’s teacher and transmitted the prediction of Buddhahood to Shakyamuni Buddha. This means that the Bodhisattva Manjushri was Shakyamuni Buddha’s grand-teacher, his teacher’s teacher.
Manjushri now acts as Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple. The grand-teacher is now the disciple. What is the principle involved here? In the Buddhadharma, “TheDharma is level and equal with nothing above or below”. Everything in the world is, without exception, just like a play. People all watch the play and then, when it’s over, they go home. Manjushri Bodhisattva acted in the Saha world as the disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha’s teacher was Manjushri Bodhisattva’s disciple. So, take a look: “The Dharma is level and equal, with nothing above or below”, and so when Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva had not yet done so, and so now he is Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple.
Among the eight hundred disciples was one named Seeker of Fame. He just loved to seek fame and profit. What was he like? He never cultivated; he just laughed and joked all day. He ran around outside, climbing on conditions at the homes of the wealthy people and influential officials. He schemed for his own advantage and he didn’t cultivate. He didn’t recited Sutras. Well, he recited them, but his heart wasn’t in it. He recited them over and over, but couldn’t remember them. Why not? Because his heart was heavy laden with schemes for climbing on conditions. If you can’t remember your Sutra recitations, you should take a clue from Maitreya Bodhisattva for a warning. He couldn’t remember the Sutras because he was too involved with climbing on conditions and seeking fame.
Why can’t you remember your Sutra recitations? It’s because, in your heart, you also seek fame and climb on conditions; you seek fame and profit. If you put down those two words “fame and profit”, then you’d be able to recite any book at all after reading it only once. You wouldn’t have to put forth any special concentration to memorize it. Why? Because you’d have no other thoughts. Without thoughts of greed, hatred, or stupidity or climbing on conditions, your intelligence and wisdom would come forth.
Who was greedily attached to profit and offerings. See? Even Maitreya Bodhisattva had that flaw. He was greedy for profit, craved offerings, climbed on conditions, and got stuck on profit and offerings. Profit just means money. He was greedy for people to give him a little cash, like monks nowadays who receive offerings of money in little red envelopes. They open them up and if there is a sizable amount of money in them, they are delighted. That is what is meant by being greedily attached to profit and offerings. If they get a little less, they grimace and groan. This is just a manifestation of greed for offerings. If you are truly a person of the Way, if won’t matter how much they give. A little is a lot and a lot is a little. A little and a lot--it's all the same.
For example, last Saturday on the eighth day of the lunar month, one disciple saw that people were making offerings to the Dharma Master. Basically, I wouldn’t even bring this matter up because it is likely to sound as if I’m asking for offerings, but unless I talk about it, no one will know. She saw that the Chinese people were all making offerings and so she also gave an offering. At the time I didn’t know how much was in it. Later on, I opened it and saw that it was a penny. I was extremely happy.
You say, “How could a penny make you happy?”
Although it was only a penny, it showed that she had a sincere heart. I think on that day she didn’t have any money and so she only gave a penny. That night, she made another offering of four dollars and told me, “I didn’t have any money today.” I said, “I know. Your penny made merit and virtue for you perhaps as much as giving a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand dollars would have, because you were sincere.” In the Buddhadharma, as long as you are sincere, you obtain merit and virtue regardless of how much money you give as an offering. If you do not have a sincere heart, even if you give a lot, it’s still a little. If you have a sincere heart, if you give a little, it’s still a lot. You need only make offerings with a true heart.
Although he read and recited many scriptures, at that time the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame, Maitreya, one of the eight hundred disciples, read and recited Sutras. Like now in the morning, the three who have left home along with several laypeople, recite the Shurangama Mantra, The Vajra Sutra, and The Heart Sutra. It would be good to recite the Great Compassion Mantra twenty-one times to seek a response and whatever you seek, you may obtain. If you recite the Great Compassion Mantra, the lecture hall will be filled with a rare fragrance as that state arises when one recites it. If you recite Sutras sincerely a rare fragrance may also manifest. How does that happen? When you recite the Sutras, heavenly maidens will scatter flowers and the fragrance will manifest. But you must recite with a sincere heart, in the same way that you must make offerings to the Triple Jewel with a sincere heart. If you have a sincere heart, when you recite a single sentence of the Sutra, you can startle heaven and move the earth. The ghosts and spirits in heaven and earth will all know about it. If you don’t have a sincere heart, you can recite the entire Sutra and all you do is strike up false thinking. What false thinking do you strike up? You think, “I’m reciting the Sutra today. I wonder if anyone will send me offerings? I’m reciting the Sutra so I can get offerings.” If you have that kind of false thinking, then no one will make offerings to you. Why not? Because your heart is filled with the wish for offerings and so they will not appear. If you have thought, it is false thought. The thought arising is just false thought. Without thought, you may obtain a response. If you do not seek offerings, and they come, that is a response. Although he read and recited many scriptures, not one Sutra, but a lot of them, he did not comprehend them. He couldn’t remember them. If you can’t remember them, then you remember the first part and forget the last part, or remember the last part and forget the first part. If you remember the first and the last, you forget the middle part, and you can’t recite it. You have to listen to the others and follow along with them. If you do that, the merit and virtue is theirs, not your own. Do you understand? You must be able to recite them on your own. You must comprehend them, recite them yourself, understand them and be well-versed in them. Well-versed, you can recite them from the first part to the very end remembering them all.
Now, he read and recited them but couldn’t remember them. And forgot most of what he learned. He didn’t really recite. He recited the first part and forgot the last; forgetting a whole lot of it. For that reason he was called Seeker of Fame. I believe that he probably did not give himself this name. Someone else probably gave it to him saying, “All you do is seek fame and seek profit. We’ll just call you Seeker of Fame Bodhisattva!”
Because he had also planted good roots, although he was called Seeker of Fame, he had also planted many good roots and cultivated many practices, cultivating blessings and cultivating wisdom. He was able to encounter limitless hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Buddhas, making offerings to them and honoring them, venerating and praising them. He made offerings to limitless Buddhas, honored them, venerated and praised them.
Manjushri now acts as Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple. The grand-teacher is now the disciple. What is the principle involved here? In the Buddhadharma, “TheDharma is level and equal with nothing above or below”. Everything in the world is, without exception, just like a play. People all watch the play and then, when it’s over, they go home. Manjushri Bodhisattva acted in the Saha world as the disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha and Shakyamuni Buddha’s teacher was Manjushri Bodhisattva’s disciple. So, take a look: “The Dharma is level and equal, with nothing above or below”, and so when Shakyamuni Buddha became a Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva had not yet done so, and so now he is Shakyamuni Buddha’s disciple.
Among the eight hundred disciples was one named Seeker of Fame. He just loved to seek fame and profit. What was he like? He never cultivated; he just laughed and joked all day. He ran around outside, climbing on conditions at the homes of the wealthy people and influential officials. He schemed for his own advantage and he didn’t cultivate. He didn’t recited Sutras. Well, he recited them, but his heart wasn’t in it. He recited them over and over, but couldn’t remember them. Why not? Because his heart was heavy laden with schemes for climbing on conditions. If you can’t remember your Sutra recitations, you should take a clue from Maitreya Bodhisattva for a warning. He couldn’t remember the Sutras because he was too involved with climbing on conditions and seeking fame.
Why can’t you remember your Sutra recitations? It’s because, in your heart, you also seek fame and climb on conditions; you seek fame and profit. If you put down those two words “fame and profit”, then you’d be able to recite any book at all after reading it only once. You wouldn’t have to put forth any special concentration to memorize it. Why? Because you’d have no other thoughts. Without thoughts of greed, hatred, or stupidity or climbing on conditions, your intelligence and wisdom would come forth.
Who was greedily attached to profit and offerings. See? Even Maitreya Bodhisattva had that flaw. He was greedy for profit, craved offerings, climbed on conditions, and got stuck on profit and offerings. Profit just means money. He was greedy for people to give him a little cash, like monks nowadays who receive offerings of money in little red envelopes. They open them up and if there is a sizable amount of money in them, they are delighted. That is what is meant by being greedily attached to profit and offerings. If they get a little less, they grimace and groan. This is just a manifestation of greed for offerings. If you are truly a person of the Way, if won’t matter how much they give. A little is a lot and a lot is a little. A little and a lot--it's all the same.
For example, last Saturday on the eighth day of the lunar month, one disciple saw that people were making offerings to the Dharma Master. Basically, I wouldn’t even bring this matter up because it is likely to sound as if I’m asking for offerings, but unless I talk about it, no one will know. She saw that the Chinese people were all making offerings and so she also gave an offering. At the time I didn’t know how much was in it. Later on, I opened it and saw that it was a penny. I was extremely happy.
You say, “How could a penny make you happy?”
Although it was only a penny, it showed that she had a sincere heart. I think on that day she didn’t have any money and so she only gave a penny. That night, she made another offering of four dollars and told me, “I didn’t have any money today.” I said, “I know. Your penny made merit and virtue for you perhaps as much as giving a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand dollars would have, because you were sincere.” In the Buddhadharma, as long as you are sincere, you obtain merit and virtue regardless of how much money you give as an offering. If you do not have a sincere heart, even if you give a lot, it’s still a little. If you have a sincere heart, if you give a little, it’s still a lot. You need only make offerings with a true heart.
Although he read and recited many scriptures, at that time the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame, Maitreya, one of the eight hundred disciples, read and recited Sutras. Like now in the morning, the three who have left home along with several laypeople, recite the Shurangama Mantra, The Vajra Sutra, and The Heart Sutra. It would be good to recite the Great Compassion Mantra twenty-one times to seek a response and whatever you seek, you may obtain. If you recite the Great Compassion Mantra, the lecture hall will be filled with a rare fragrance as that state arises when one recites it. If you recite Sutras sincerely a rare fragrance may also manifest. How does that happen? When you recite the Sutras, heavenly maidens will scatter flowers and the fragrance will manifest. But you must recite with a sincere heart, in the same way that you must make offerings to the Triple Jewel with a sincere heart. If you have a sincere heart, when you recite a single sentence of the Sutra, you can startle heaven and move the earth. The ghosts and spirits in heaven and earth will all know about it. If you don’t have a sincere heart, you can recite the entire Sutra and all you do is strike up false thinking. What false thinking do you strike up? You think, “I’m reciting the Sutra today. I wonder if anyone will send me offerings? I’m reciting the Sutra so I can get offerings.” If you have that kind of false thinking, then no one will make offerings to you. Why not? Because your heart is filled with the wish for offerings and so they will not appear. If you have thought, it is false thought. The thought arising is just false thought. Without thought, you may obtain a response. If you do not seek offerings, and they come, that is a response. Although he read and recited many scriptures, not one Sutra, but a lot of them, he did not comprehend them. He couldn’t remember them. If you can’t remember them, then you remember the first part and forget the last part, or remember the last part and forget the first part. If you remember the first and the last, you forget the middle part, and you can’t recite it. You have to listen to the others and follow along with them. If you do that, the merit and virtue is theirs, not your own. Do you understand? You must be able to recite them on your own. You must comprehend them, recite them yourself, understand them and be well-versed in them. Well-versed, you can recite them from the first part to the very end remembering them all.
Now, he read and recited them but couldn’t remember them. And forgot most of what he learned. He didn’t really recite. He recited the first part and forgot the last; forgetting a whole lot of it. For that reason he was called Seeker of Fame. I believe that he probably did not give himself this name. Someone else probably gave it to him saying, “All you do is seek fame and seek profit. We’ll just call you Seeker of Fame Bodhisattva!”
Because he had also planted good roots, although he was called Seeker of Fame, he had also planted many good roots and cultivated many practices, cultivating blessings and cultivating wisdom. He was able to encounter limitless hundreds of thousands of tens of thousands of millions of Buddhas, making offerings to them and honoring them, venerating and praising them. He made offerings to limitless Buddhas, honored them, venerated and praised them.
Sutra:
“Maitreya, it should be known, could the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light have been anyone else? I, myself, was he. And the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame was you, yourself!”
Outline:
J3. correspondence of the past and present
Commentary:
Maitreya, it should be known, could the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light have been anyone else? Do you know who he was? He wasn’t anybody else but--who? I, myself, was he. He was just me--Manjushri Bodhisattva! Do you remember? And the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame, just who was he? You, yourself! You, Maitreya Bodhisattva, you were the one who sought fame and profit. But now, you’re improved yourself a lot, and made a lot of progress compared to the way you used to be.
“Maitreya, it should be known, could the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light have been anyone else? I, myself, was he. And the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame was you, yourself!”
Outline:
J3. correspondence of the past and present
Commentary:
Maitreya, it should be known, could the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light have been anyone else? Do you know who he was? He wasn’t anybody else but--who? I, myself, was he. He was just me--Manjushri Bodhisattva! Do you remember? And the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame, just who was he? You, yourself! You, Maitreya Bodhisattva, you were the one who sought fame and profit. But now, you’re improved yourself a lot, and made a lot of progress compared to the way you used to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment