8
votes
Is upaya a lie?
The starting point of Buddhism is the idea that everyone begins in a state of ignorance. It is our ignorance that creates tanhā and dukkha, and it is the cessation of tanhā and dukkha that brings ...
- 5,615
4
votes
Was Buddha deceiving others to get them on the path?
Please point out if my line of thought is flawed.
It is an established principle since the time of the Buddha there are two types of teachings:
mundane, worldly or moral teachings (lokiya dhamma)
...
- 43.8k
3
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between Amitābha's Sukhāvatī & the Lotus Vault?
Perhaps your title question is too board. And I'm too lazy to check all the Sanskrit names of the Sutras in corresponding to the Chinese.
So, you are asking to compare Sukhavati with the Lotus-...
- 2,307
3
votes
What is SGI? And the Lotus sutra?
The main schools of Buddhism today are Theravada and Mahayana. Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism is a part of Mahayana.
Theravada Buddhism is mostly practised in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand, but also ...
- 37.9k
3
votes
How to chant the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo?
As a longtime practitioner of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and as a member of SGI, I will attempt to respond to some of your specific questions. My responses will be based as much as possible on the ...
- 207
3
votes
How to chant the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo?
What is the best way to chant it?
I think that:
Chanting that mantra is a characteristic of a form of Buddhism (a school, a tradition of Buddhism) called "Nichiren" (see Nichiren).
There aren't many ...
- 47.4k
3
votes
Was Buddha deceiving others to get them on the path?
When I look at this translation,
The text says "skillful means", not "lie"
Sariputa is asked twice whether that's deception:
The first time he replies "no" because the children get carts instead
...
- 47.4k
2
votes
Accepted
What does this quote from the Lotus Sutra mean?
I suggest caution when analyzing quotes like this before seeing nirvana for the first time. It is extremely easy to be misled and fall into a "trap" when you hear any quote that says something along ...
- 753
2
votes
Accepted
What is the Sanskrit for "Universal Gate"
It's "samantamukha."
See here: http://www.dsbcproject.org/canon-text/content/54/481
You'll notice that it's chapter 25 of the Chinese, but chapter 24 of the Sanskrit. This is because the ...
- 1,134
2
votes
What is the meaning of "a ray of light which illuminates thousands of buddha fields in the east" in the Mahayana Lotus Sutra?
The Buddha first poses 56 stanzas to Manjushri in the beginning of the Lotus Sutra, some of the last stanzas mention fields:
(49). O how powerful is the Leader of men! how extensive and bright is his ...
- 1,821
1
vote
What does this quote from the Lotus Sutra mean?
Put simply - the unenlightened person strives to find satisfaction in external things not realizing that he has the root of all satiety within. Buddhism directs us to find that root.
- 351
1
vote
Is upaya a lie?
Ted Wrigley's answer is the right one in my opinion, and I will just quote an example here.
One person may still have self view and is therefore within the ignorance bubble or "world" of ...
- 37.9k
1
vote
How can I tell the difference between the Deva realm and the Buddha and bodhisattva realms?
Denizens of the heavenly planets enjoy more and live longer. They have made lots of good karma in their human form of life and became qualified to enjoy heavenly life. The joy of of Buddhas is eternal ...
- 209
1
vote
How does upaya (skillful means) feature in Tibetan Buddhism?
Tenzin's was a very Gelugpa answer. Correct and itself an example of upaya but hard to see the forest behind the trees. In Nyingma/Kagyu tradition we are not as sophisticated and a lot more ...
- 59.1k
1
vote
Accepted
How does upaya (skillful means) feature in Tibetan Buddhism?
We say that contaminated virtue perpetuates samsara. The intention mental factor in the retinue of contaminated virtue is a contaminated mental karma that gives rise to suffering in the aspect of ...
- 4,966
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