The ZOOM discussion today continued our discussion comparing the methods used to develop bodhichitta expounded by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III and Je Tsongkapa. We found that the “Dharma of Great Compassion for All Living Beings as My Mother Bodhichitta” was almost identical with the “Seven-fold Cause & Effect Method,” but that the second lists of seven or the “Dharma of Bodhisattva Correspondence Bodhichitta” and the “Exchange of Self and Other Method” or the Mind Training method of Geshe Chaekawa offered different methods even though their goals appear to be similar. The discussion continued with a robust investigation into just what is “Coarse Cultivation” and how we use this form of cultivation to be able to possess “True Cultivation.”
We were also able to begin our discussion on the first part of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III’s Learning from Buddha that was also on cultivation. This discussion spent considerable time defining just who is a “holy person”. I have reposted an article on “What Are Saints or Holy Beings in Buddhism?” that is taken from my book Thus Have I Seen: The Marvelous True Buddha Dharma and Its Power to Transform. I would also like to add another quote from that book that further defines a holy being or saint: “In fact, for anyone even to be considered a holy being or saint, they must both have an exceptional level of realization and manifest great bodhichitta and compassionate state whereby everything they do is for other living beings AND they must demonstrate a physical body that is different from that of an ordinary person. No matter what else they may say or do, if they cannot meet these two criteria, they cannot be considered a holy being, let alone the ultimate holy being of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. [p 111]”
We learned from Learning from Buddha that a holy person is one who is not subject to birth and death, who has left the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death, and who ultimately becomes a free one, is happy and always joyful, possesses broad and great supernormal powers, and is unhindered. We also learned that hey need two things: Cultivation and Dharma. Both are required to become accomplished. This text also explained that we can at any moment become a “Casual Stage Bodhisattva.” When you immediately abandon your bad habits, immediately reflect upon your own shortcomings, care about living beings as if they truly were members of your own family and treat living beings by truly applying bodhicitta in practical actions, then you are already a Bodhisattva at the causal stage. The only difference is that you lack the three kinds of supernormal cognition, the six supernormal powers, and the realization and wisdom of a Bodhisattva. Finally, we learned how to become a bodhisattva through introspection, or what is called “examining oneself three times a day.”
We hope to be able to finish our discussion of Learning from Buddha at our next Zoom session on November 4 at 9:00 am.
C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice
You must be enrolled in C41 in one of the membership programs at the LFBCS to access the course materials, questions covered (in parenthesis), and/or the class recordings.
October 28, 2023: Lesson 5B-The Great Stage–Method Path of Bodhichitta (173-188) and HERE for recording of class.
September 23, 2023: Lesson 5A-The Great Stage–Method Path of Bodhichitta (155-172) and HERE for recording of class.
July 15, 2023: Lesson 4E-Intermediate Stage–The Path of Renunciation (142-154) and HERE for recording of class.
June 24, 2023: Lesson 4D-Intermediate Stage–The Path of Renunciation (110-141) and HERE for recording of class.
June 17, 2023: Lesson 4C-Intermediate Stage–The Path of Renunciation (90-109) and HERE for recording of class.
June 10, 2023: Lesson 4B-Intermediate Stage–The Path of Renunciation (84-89) and HERE for recording of class.
May 27, 2023: Lesson 4A-Intermediate Stage–The Path of Renunciation (63-83) and HERE for recording of class.
May 20, 2023: Lesson 3B -Initial Stage (60-62) and HERE for recording of class.
May 13, 2023: Lesson 3A -Initial Stage (39-59) and HERE for recording of class.
May 6, 2023: Lesson 2-Preliminaries (14-38) and HERE for recording of that class.
April 29, 2023: Lesson 1-Introduction to Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice (1-13) and HERE for recording of that class.
Description of C41-Three Principal Stages & Paths of Buddhist Practice at LFBCS.
CLICK for video “How Buddhism Came to the West.”
ARTICLE with more information and links on how to join course including updated chart of course content. Lessons 6 &7 are still under construction.
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