Continuing Study of “128 Evil & Erroneous Views” from the SAUMOL on February 21, 2021 on Buddha Nature and Various Types of Dharma

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We will continue our study of the “128 Evil and Erroneous Views” from the Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation (SAUMOL) Sunday, February 21, 2021 starting at 2:00 pm. The Buddha Master has said that you will not become enlightened in this lifetime if you hold any of these views. They should be used to evaluate all Buddhist masters, rinpoches, and dharma kings as well as any Buddhist texts or translations of texts, commentaries, or sutras. However, they should mostly be used to evaluate your own mind, speech, and behavior.

CLICK to register for  a continuation of an on-line Buddhist class on cultivation using the “128 Evil and Erroneous Views” from the Supreme and Unsurpassable Mahamudra of Liberation (SAUMOL).

We will continue this series that we started earlier with eight erroneous views related to “Buddha Nature and Various Types of Dharma.” We will hold a debate and a session reflecting on what we learned from these and the other views discussed in this series of classes and those remaining after we discuss each of them.

VIEWS TO BE DISCUSSED FEBRUARY 21, 2021:

Erroneous View #14: THE VIEW THAT THERE EXISTS A HIGHEST DHARMA THAT CORRESPONDS TO ALL LIVING BEINGS: My disciples often say, “Our dharma is the highest. The dharma of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III is the highest. It is matchless. It can save all living beings. There is no living being that cannot be saved by such dharma!” Today I tell all of you that this is wrong. There are some living beings that cannot be saved. Some living beings are evil living beings. They will even slander the dharma. Their three karmas will not correspond to the dharma. Some of them are really demons who want to oppose the Buddha-dharma. Furthermore, in the Buddha-dharma, there is no such thing as a highest dharma that corresponds to all living beings. There has never been such a dharma. Among all of the Buddhas, there is not one Buddha who has such a dharma. Living beings are entities with all kinds of different karmic conditions. One will experience beneficial effects from practicing a dharma only if that dharma corresponds to him. One will not experience beneficial effects from practicing a dharma if that dharma does not correspond to him. Even though there is extremely wonderful dharma, a master who possesses such dharma will not teach that dharma to someone who is not devout enough. Even if he taught that person such dharma, that person would not be able to practice it successfully. Therefore, although such dharma is good, it still cannot save him.

Erroneous View #31: THE VIEW THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE SEED TO BECOME A BUDDHA BECAUSE YOUR NEGATIVE KARMA IS HEAVY: Some people think that their negative karma is heavy. They think, “My negative karma is too heavy. My dark karma is deep. I have done many bad things. Alas, I am so pitiful. I will never have the seed to become a Buddha.” This is an erroneous view. No matter how heavy your negative karma is, as long as you sincerely repent, become a good person, cultivate yourself well, and learn the dharma well, you, too, can attain accomplishment.

Erroneous View #32: THE VIEW THAT LIVING BEINGS IN NON-HUMAN REALMS DO NOT HAVE BUDDHA-NATURE: Those with this view think that only we human beings have Buddha-nature and all other living beings do not have Buddha-nature. They think that certain living beings are of course low-grade beings and certain living beings are of course born to be eaten by human beings. This is wrong. Living beings are equal. They all have feelings. They all have sorrows and joys. Furthermore, living beings are all in the six realms and transmigrate into one another’s realms through incarnations. Think about it and you will understand. Human beings have Buddha-nature. Could it possibly be that once a human being reincarnates as a bird, that bird has no Buddha-nature?

Erroneous View #51: THE VIEW THAT ESOTERIC DHARMA IS THE HIGHEST DHARMA: Those with this view think that the Buddha-dharma of esoteric Buddhism is exceedingly high. It is true that the teachings of esoteric Buddhism are a level deeper than the teachings of exoteric Buddhism. This is due to practitioners of esoteric dharma participating in debates about the sutras and is also due to their concrete practice of cultivation. However, esoteric dharma is not necessarily the highest dharma when it comes to attaining accomplishment in the dharma. This is mainly due to the issue of whether a particular dharma corresponds to the person receiving it or not.

Erroneous View #52: THE VIEW THAT EXOTERIC DHARMA IS THE LOWEST DHARMA: Those with this view think that the dharma of exoteric Buddhism is the lowest and worst dharma and that it is not as good as the dharma of esoteric Buddhism. Any such thinking falls into this erroneous view. Each of the 84,000 dharma methods corresponds to the karmic conditions of those who receive it. As long as it is dharma taught by the Buddha rather than evil teachings, it is good dharma.

Erroneous View #54: THE VIEW THAT ONE CAN PASS ON TO THE PURE LAND ONLY IF ONE CHANTS THE NAME OF AMITABHA BUDDHA: Those with this view think that, because of the connection Amitabha Buddha has with the Pure Land, one will pass on to the Pure Land only if one practices the Pure Land sect’s dharma method of chanting the name Amitabha Buddha. Actually, Amitabha Buddha is the Chief Executive of all of Vajrayana Buddhism. Many people do not understand this. Furthermore, Amitabha Buddha is a Buddha of all Buddhist sects. He is not just a patriarch of an individual sect. He is a Buddha! Therefore, it is not true that one can pass on to the Pure Land only by chanting the name Amitabha Buddha. Whatever dharma you practice, if your wish is to pass on to the Pure Land, you will pass on to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss if your practice of that dharma is successful.

Erroneous View #66: THE VIEW THAT NOT ALL LIVING BEINGS HAVE BUDDHA-NATURE: Those with this view think that only living beings such as humans, elephants, and dogs have Buddha-nature. They think that other living beings, especially small living beings, do not have Buddha-nature and cannot become Buddhas. This is an erroneous view. All living beings have Buddha-nature.

Erroneous View #85: THE VIEW THAT THE LIVES OF SMALL LIVING BEINGS ARE NOT AS VALUABLE AS THE LIVES OF LARGE LIVING BEINGS: Those with this view think that when rescuing living beings, large living beings should be rescued first. For example, they think cows should be rescued first. They think elephants should all the more be rescued first. They are not in a hurry to rescue small birds and rescue ants last of all. This is wrong. We must regard all living beings as equal.