The Aura of Wisdom By Living Buddha Sheng-yen
Lu This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 154th book, 智慧的光環. CHAPTER 51 - A Buddha Manifestation of Great Authority A monk from the Sutric system once asked me, "According to the Buddhist scriptures, the period between the time Sakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana and the time of the appearance of Maitreya is known as the Buddha-less World. This means a period of time where no buddha is found living on earth. Do you agree with this viewpoint?" I asked the monk, "Why do you practice Buddhism?" The monk answered, "To become a Buddha." I said, `Since there can be no attainment of buddhahood, why do you want to study Buddhism?` The monk was speechless. From what I know, after Sakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana, many have attained buddhahood in their very bodies; for example, Padmasambhava, who was the second Buddha of Uddiyana, Milarepa, Tsongkhapa and so forth. Manjusri Bodhisattva was enlightened in the North, whose epithet is 'the Treasury of Extreme Joy Mani Gem Buddha'. Shariputra, the main disciple of the Buddha, was given the epithet `Lotus Light Buddha`. The five hundred Arhats, on attaining buddhahood, will be collectively known as 'Samantaprabhasa, the Pervading Light Buddha'. In the Lotus Sutra, it is said, "The daughter of the dragon king Sagara who had turned eight, conceived the desire for bodhi in the space of an instant, and attained the correct and perfect enlightenment in the Spotless World of the South." This was how dragon girl became a Buddha. I told the monk, "These are all examples of beings attaining buddhahood. Many in Zen Buddhism have attained buddhahood as well, for they have gained Self Realization. The Sutra of Hui Neng writes, 'If you discern your own original mind and see your own original nature, you are what they call a great man, a teacher of humans and angels, a Buddha.'" The monk, fumbling away, uttered, "But why does the scripture state it that way?" I replied, "Sakyamuni Buddha would never forbid any sentient beings to attain buddhahood during this period, neither would He stop anyone from attaining buddhahood in this very body. The scripture was misinterpreted by later generations of Buddhist students. From what I know, the appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha in the saha world marks the appearance of a buddha of great authority. And likewise, it will be the same for Buddha Maitreya when he delivers sentient beings during the times of the three blossoms of the dragon flower tree. The time between these two appearances is filled with many cases of beings attaining buddhahood.`" One can attain Self Realization through Zen Buddhism, and one can also gain the perfect attainment of the Truth, the Bliss and the Emanation Bodies, and realize the Supreme Bodhi, becoming a buddha in this very body. The Essentials of Tantrayana writes, `While the doctrines of Tantrayana may differ in their scope of approach, they all aim to use the physical body given by one's parents to attain buddhahood in this very body within one's lifetime.` |
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