蓮生活佛英文文集＿咒的魔力
■Book 148─Power of Mantra
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
■Chapter One
(This chapter takes up where the last one left off.)
I feel that our time on earth is very short and the time that we can really use is scarce. If you spend all your time pursuing fame and wealth, you should know that you can lose it all in one moment.
I have always felt that the most important matter in life is the subject of life and death. To truly understand and transcend life and death by becoming enlightened is indeed the most meaningful thing.
When I practice the teachings of the Buddha, I realize the dharma is simply supreme and remarkable. There are many gems within the teachings, such as:
‧The True Nature of Emptiness
‧The Prajna Wisdom
‧The Right View of the Middle Path
‧The Consciousness-only Manifestation
‧The Yoga of One Taste
I have seen many people who practice Zen Buddhism, and many who embrace the Pure Land School's chanting of the Buddha's name and sutras. There are those who follow the laws and rules of the Buddhist teachings, such as those who embrace the Vinaya School. There are other sects and schools that enable one to attain peace and happiness. Upon death, an individual ascends to the Pure Land, leaves the cycle of reincarnation, realizes his true self and gains enlightenment. He then roams freely in this world and beyond.
In my journey of practicing the teachings of the Buddha, I came across the teachings of the Yoga of One Taste. I entered the path of Mantrayana and realized that the Vajrayana teachings of mantras are able to fulfill all good wishes, and accomplish all great deeds. The Vajrayana teachings can eradicate disasters, enhance fortune, improve relationships and subdue all evils. The Vajrayana teachings can attract fortune and extend longevity and happiness within the family. You can certainly attain buddhahood through the teachings.
The buddhas and bodhisattvas have great compassion for all sentient beings and to liberate them from suffering, they utter dharanis [which are long mantras]. When we recite these mantras, they help us find peace and joy, receive great benefits, ease our lives and bring good fortune. They can even help eradicate our karmic hindrances within this lifetime and deliver us to the Pure Land.
Guru Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, once said, “To chant a buddha's name is to reflect his identity. To chant a mantra is to touch a buddha's heart.”
In the book The Essence of Vajrayana, it is written, “If you combine the practice of chanting the Buddha's name and the chanting of mantra, your merit is as wide as the seas of Mount Sumeru. If you chant only the Buddha's name and not the mantra, your merit is but the size of Gandhamadana, the incense mountain located near Lake Anavatapta in Tibet.”
In another book titled As Small as Lake Anavatapta, it is written, “The Pure Land School reaches to all levels of sentient beings. However, not everyone makes it to the highest of the nine stages of birth in the Pure Land. If an individual follows the practice of Vajrayana, he will gain access to the Pure Lands of the Ten Directions. He will definitely be successful in attaining the highest level of existence in the Pure Land.”
Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu says, “By chanting the buddha's name, one creates rapport with the buddha's identity. By chanting the mantra, one gains access to the buddha's heart. If you practice chanting both, you correspond with the outer and inner aspects of the Buddha, and this is most complete.”
Thus:
Attain the clarity of mind through chanting the buddha's name
Connect with the heart of the Tathagata through chanting mantras
Realize the ultimate bliss as one complete reality
You hear the cries of the world through one mantra
