1 / 15

The Contemplation Sutra

The Contemplation Sutra. Queen Vaidehi and the Buddha Queen’s plight: son/king (Ajatasatru) intended to kill her prayed to the Buddha for help the Buddha appeared with Mahamaudgalyayana and Anada the Buddha came to Vaidehi in response to her wish

eara
Download Presentation

The Contemplation Sutra

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. The Contemplation Sutra • Queen Vaidehi and the Buddha • Queen’s plight: son/king (Ajatasatru) intended to kill her • prayed to the Buddha for help • the Buddha appeared with Mahamaudgalyayana and Anada • the Buddha came to Vaidehi in response to her wish • revealed to her the multitudinous Buddha-fields • informed her of the Buddha Amitayus and his Pure Land. • taught her to practice the three acts of merit

  2. Three Acts of Merit: Pure Karma • caring for one’s parents, attending to one’s teachers and elders, compassionately refraining from killing and doing the ten good deeds • taking the three refuges, keeping the various precepts, and refraining from breaking the rules of conduct • awakening aspiration for Enlightenment, believing deeply in the law of causality, chanting the Mahayana sutras, and encouraging people to follow their teachings

  3. Pure Land Meditation: the exercise of visualizing • Contemplation in 13 stages: • Contemplation, 1st stage-- visulalizing the setting sun • sit in the proper posture, facing west • clearly gaze at the sun, with mind firmly fixed on it • concentrate your sight and don’t let it wander from the sun • can visualize the sun clearly now whether eyes are open or closed

  4. Contemplation, 2nd stage • 2nd stage--visualizing water • envision the western region as entirely flooded by water • picture the water as clear and pure, and let this vision distinctly perceived • keep your thoughts from distracted • after having visualized the water, envision it becoming frozen ice and see it turning into beryl • with this vision, imaging the beryl ground shines • supported by columns made of diamond and the 7 jewels • hung with golden banners • columns have 8 sides and 8 corners, each adorned with 100 jewels • each jewel emits a thousand rays of light • each ray has eighty-four thousand colors that are reflected on the beryl ground • golden path on this beryl ground divide into areas made of one of 7 jewels

  5. Contemplation, 3rd stage • 3rd stage:visualizing ground • after visualizing the water and beryl ground • see each object clearly without losing the image, whether eyes are closed or open • see ground of the Pure Land clearly and distinctly after attaining samadhi • this is third contemplation • evil karma will be extinguished • one will be reborn in the Pure Land

  6. Contemplation, 4th stage • Contemplation 4th stage--visualizing the jeweled trees • visualize each one and form an image of 7 rows of trees • each being 8,000 yojanas high and adorned with 7-jeweled blossom and leaves • each blossom and leaf has the colors of various jewels • each issue one of 7 jewels’ light • splendid nets of pearls cover the trees • between these nets are palaces adorned with exquisite flowers • visualize the leaves, blossoms, fruits of the tree and their colors • fruits issue forth great floods of light that transform themselves into jeweled canopies

  7. Contemplation, 5th stage • Contemplation 5th stage--visualizing the ponds • 8 ponds, each made of 7 soft and pliable jewels • the water springs from a wish-fulfilling king mani-gem • forms 14 streams, each in the color of the 7 jewels; its bank made of gold, and its bed colorful diamond sand • numerous lotus flowers in each stream • when rippling, it produces exquisite sounds • the sounds proclaim the truths of suffering, emptiness, impermanence • praises the physical characteristics and marks of the Buddhas • the king mani-gem emits a splendid golden light which transform itself into birds with colors of a 100 jewels • their songs are melodious and elegant • this is the visualizing of the water of the eight excellent qualities

  8. Contemplation, 6th stage • 6th Contemplation--a composite visualization • jeweled pavilions in which innumerable devas play heavenly music • musical instruments suspended in the sky, like heavenly jeweled banners, spontaneously produce tones • these tones proclaim the virtue of mindfulness of the Three Jewels • when completed, this contemplation is called the general perception of the jeweled trees, jeweled ground, and jeweled ponds of the Pure Land.

  9. Contemplation, 7th Stage • The visualizing of theLotus Throne

  10. Contemplation 8th stage • Visualizing the Buddha • Visualizing the image of bodhisattva Avalokitesvara • Visualizing the image of bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta

  11. Contemplation 9th stage • Visualizing physical characteristics and the light of the Buddha Amitayus

  12. Contemplation 10th stage • Visualizing the true physical features of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara

  13. Contemplation 11th stage • Visualizing the true physical characteristics of the bodhisattva Mahathamaprapta

  14. Contemplation 12th stage • Visualizing yourself (aspirant) as born in the Land of Utmost Bliss

  15. Contemplation 13th Stage • Visualizing the Triad: • Amitayu • Avalokitesvara • Mahathamaprapta

More Related