The Buddhist Hour Radio Broadcast Archives
Buddhist
Hour
Radio Broadcast on Hillside 88 FM
For radio 293 Sunday 7
September 2003
This script is entitled:
“Earth
Store Bodhisattva Puja, August 31, 2003”
On August 31, 2003, a special Dharma Ceremony was
held for the good health and long life of our Teacher, John D.
Hughes. The Ceremony was organised by Master Ru-Sun, Abbot of Yun
Yang Temple in Narre Warren, Victoria.
Master Ru-Sun proposed
the ceremony when he visited John D. Hughes at the Chan Academy
Australia on July 22, 2003.
Master Ru-Sun said that through
meditation he had checked the rupa, or material body, of John, and
that this ceremony would be one good solution for putting a stop to
the unstable state of John’s health.
Members followed
three requirements from Master Ru-Sun for the puja:
1. Be
vegetarian for one week preceding the puja.
2. Take offerings,
also vegetarian. Members took dry food offerings to Yun-Yang Temple
on the day prior to the puja.
3. Donate some money for the
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd according to their means.
Venerable Tang, from Phap An Vietnamese Buddhist Centre in
Melton, Victoria, Venerable Rinchen Choesang, of Jamchen Buddhist
Centre, in Balwyn, Victoria, and Members attended Sunday’s
ceremony, which involved a full day of chanting.
The day
began at 9.30 am with the Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past
Vows of Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata.
During the
break that followed, Members attended to the visiting Monks.
When
thanked for attending, Venerable Tang said:
“We have been
friends for fifteen years. I respect John for the great work he does
[to promote] the Dhamma, both locally and internationally. Even if he
were not a Buddhist, I will still respect him as a man. You are
fortunate to have a good Teacher. I am very happy to see how well the
students take care of John”.
Next, following a short
break, was the chanting of the Grand Offering – the “Liturgy
for Buddha Offering”.
Master Ru-Sun’s followers
prepared a special lunch for Chan Academy Members and friends,
consisting of 36 different dishes.
We thank Master Ru-Sun’s
followers for their kindness and friendship, and for sharing their
resources with us.
Preparations for the afternoon ceremony,
began at 2.30 pm, for the afternoon chanting from 3.00 –7.00 pm
of the “Rite of Bestowing Alms Food.”
Before the
puja, John D. Hughes wrote that the puja would bestow blessings upon
all those he teaches, including devas, devatas, humans, and all the
four classes of dragons.
The ceremony consisted of making
offerings to Ksitigarbha (Earth Store Bodhisattva). The vow of the
Earth Store Bodhisattva, who is also an emanation of the Yama, the
god of death, is “If hell is not empty, I will not attain
Buddhahood”. During this ceremony, the hells are emptied just
for a split second, and hellbeings become aware of the fact that they
are in hell.
The Earth Store Bodhisattva, replete with great
compassion, rescues beings that are suffering for their offenses and
enables them to be born among humans and gods where they enjoy
wonderful bliss.
We would like to read you Chapter XIII of
the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, titled The
Entrustment of People And Gods.
“At that time the World
Honored One extended his gold-colored arm, and again rubbed the crown
of the head of Earth Store Bodhisattva while saying, Earth Store,
Earth Store, your spiritual powers, compassion, wisdom, and eloquence
are inconceivable. Even if all the Buddhas of the ten directions were
to proclaim their praise of your inconceivable deeds, they could not
finish in thousands of eons.
Earth Store, Earth Store,
remember this entrustment that I am again making here in the
Trayastrimsha-Heaven in this great assembly of hundreds of thousands
of millions of indescribably many Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods,
dragons, and the rest of the Eightfold division. I again entrust to
you the gods, people, and others who are still in the burning house
and have not yet left the Triple World. Do not allow those beings to
fall into the evil destinies even for a single day and night, much
less fall into the Fivefold Uninterrupted Hell or the Avici Hell,
where they would have to pass through thousands of millions of eons
with no chance of escape.
Earth Store, the beings of southern
Jambudvipa have irresolute wills and natures. They habitually do many
evil deeds. Even if they resolve to do good, they soon renounce that
resolve. If they encounter evil conditions, they tend to become
increasingly involved in them. For those reasons I reduplicate
hundreds of thousands of millions of bodies to transform beings, take
them across, and liberate them, all in accord with their own
fundamental natures.
Earth Store, I now earnestly entrust the
multitudes of gods and people to you. If in the future among gods and
people there are good men or good women who plant a few good roots in
the Buddhadharma, be they as little as a strand of hair, a mote of
dust, a grain of sand, or a drop of water, then you should use your
powers in the Way to protect them so that they gradually cultivate
the unsurpassed Way and do not get lost or retreat from it.
Moreover, Earth Store, in the future gods or people,
according to the responses of their karmic retributions, may be due
to fall into the evil destinies. They may be on the brink of falling
or may already be at the very gates to those paths. But if they can
recite the name of one Buddha or Bodhisattva or a single sentence or
verse of a Great Vehicle Sutra, then you should use your spiritual
powers to rescue them with expedient means. Display a boundless body
in the places where they are, smash the hells, and lead them to be
born in the heavens and to experience supremely wonderful bliss.
At
that time the World-Honored One spoke in verse, saying:
I am
entrusting to your care the multitudes
Of gods and people both
now and in the future.
Use great spiritual powers and expedients
to save them.
Do not allow them to fall into the evil destinies.
At that time Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva, knelt on one
knee, placed his palms together, and said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One, I beg the World Honored One not to be
concerned. In the future if good men and women have a single thought
of respect toward the Buddhadharma, I shall use hundreds of thousands
of expedients to take them across and free them. They will quickly be
liberated from birth and death. How much more will that be the case
for those who, having heard about all these good matters, are
inspired to cultivate. They will naturally become irreversible from
the unsurpassed Way.
After he finished speaking, a
Bodhisattva named Empty Space Treasury who was in the assembly spoke
to the Buddha:
World-Honored One, I personally have come to
the Trayastrimsha Heaven and have heard the Thus Come One praise
Earth Store Bodhisattva’s awesome spiritual strength, saying
that it is inconceivable. If in the future good men, good women,
gods, and dragons hear this Sutra and the name of Earth Store
Bodhisattva and if they behold and bow to his image, how many kinds
of blessings and benefits will they obtain? Please, World-Honored
One, say a few words about this for the sake of beings of the present
and future.
The Buddha told Empty Space Treasury Bodhisattva:
Listen attentively, listen attentively, I shall enumerate
them and describe them to you. Good men or women in the future may
see images of Earth Store Bodhisattva and hear this sutra or read or
recite it. They may use incense, flowers, food and drink, clothing,
and gems to give gifts and make offerings. They may praise, behold
and bow to him.
Such beings will benefit in twenty-eight
ways:
First, they will be protected by gods and dragons.
Second, their good roots will increase daily.
Third, they will
amass supreme causes pertaining to sagehood.
Fourth, they will
not retreat from Bodhi.
Fifth, their clothing and food will be
abundant.
Sixth, they will never be infected by epidemics.
Seventh, they will never be in disasters of fire and water.
Eighth, they will never be threatened by thieves.
Ninth, they
will be respected by all who see them.
Tenth, they will be aided
by ghosts and spirits.
Eleventh, women who want to can be reborn
as men.
Twelfth, women who want to can be daughters of national
leaders and officials.
Thirteenth, they will have upright and
proper appearances.
Fourteenth, they will often be born in the
heavens.
Fifteenth, they may be emperors or leaders of nations.
Sixteenth, they will have the wisdom to know past lives.
Seventeenth, they will attain whatever they seek.
Eighteenth,
their families will be happy.
Nineteenth, they will never undergo
any disasters.
Twentieth, they will leave the bad karmic paths
forever.
Twenty-first, they will always arrive at their
destination.
Twenty-second, their dreams will be peaceful and
happy.
Twenty-third, their deceased relatives will leave
suffering behind.
Twenty-fourth, they will enjoy blessings earned
in previous lives.
Twenty-fifth, they will be praised by sages.
Twenty-sixth, they will be intelligent and have keen faculties.
Twenty-seventh, they will be magnanimous and empathetic.
Twenty-eighth, they will ultimately realize Buddhahood.
Moreover, Empty Space Treasury Bodhisattva, if gods, dragons,
or spirits of the present or future hear Earth Store’s name, bow
to Earth Sutra of Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva Store’s
image, or hear of Earth Store’s past vows and the events of his
practices, and then praise him, behold, and bow to him, they will
benefit in seven ways:
First, they will quickly transcend to
levels of sagehood.
Second, their evil karma will dissolve.
Third, all Buddhas will protect and be near them.
Fourth,
they will not retreat from Bodhi.
Fifth, their inherent powers
will increase.
Sixth, they will know past lives.
Seventh,
they will ultimately realize Buddhahood.
At that time, all
the indescribable, indescribable, numbers of Buddhas, Thus Come Ones,
who had come from the ten directions, the great Bodhisattvas, gods,
dragons and the rest of the Eightfold division, having heard
Shakyamuni Buddha’s praise of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s
great awesome spiritual powers, praised this unprecedented event.
Following that, incense, flowers, heavenly garments, and pearl
necklaces rained down in the Trayastrimsha-Heaven as offerings to
Shakyamuni Buddha and Earth Store Bodhisattva. Then everyone in the
assembly joined together in beholding and making obeisance to them.
After that, they placed their palms together and withdrew.”
Thus ends the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store
Bodhisattva.
Members made monetary donations to have banners
made of those ancestors to whom they particularly wished to transfer
merits, however regardless of the existence of such a banner,
ancestors for seven generations of anyone who participates in this
ceremony with a sincere heart will benefit.
The merit of the
ceremony was transferred to all the “spirits” responsible
for the fluctuations in John’s health following his recent
illness. The transfer of merit for millions of sickness-producing
ghosts and hungry ghosts helps John, as those beings now desist from
requesting a big puja from him.
Following the afternoon
chanting, several Members had an audience with Master Ru-Sun, when
they presented him with some potted plants and gardening gloves in
appreciation of and gratitude for his love and care of our Teacher,
John D. Hughes.
Master Ru-Sun said:
“All of John’s
students have sincere hearts. The puja will have good results.”
Master Ru-Sun also said that John’s students are wise,
and have accumulated much merit, and said “Congratulations!”
He
also said:
“John has no concern for himself. He only has
concern for others.”
Chan Academy President Julian
Bamford explained that he had videotaped the day’s proceedings
and taken many photographs. Master Ru-Sun, through his attendant and
interpreter Jason Tai, requested a copy of the video. Julian has also
offered to put the photographs onto CD and present them to Master
Ru-Sun personally.
Master Ru-Sun said:
“What you do
[with the videotaping of the ceremony and taking photographs] is one
way of contributing to keeping the Buddha Dhamma alive in the world.”
We thank all beings, heavenly and human, who helped to
organize this auspicious event, and particularly Jason Tai, Master
Ru-Sun’s attendant and interpreter, for his kindness and
friendship.
A key benefit of Buddhist Teachings is
the preservation of emotional and physical health, prevention of
emotional and physical ailments and the alleviation of emotional and
physical ailments.
On 28 August, The Buddhist Foundation of
Victoria presented an "Evening Symposium" in conjunction
with the Gawler Foundation at the Camberwell Centre in Camberwell.
The topic of the evening was "Health & Healing: The
Buddhist Perspective".
Teachings were given by Venerable
Mahinda and Lama Choedak Rinpoche and laypersons Dr. Ranjith
Hettiarachi and Ian Gawler. The evening concluded with a panel
discussion.
Some of our Members attended the symposium. We
will bring you a report on the symposium in next week’s radio
broadcast in this time slot.
As a tribute to our
Founder and Teacher, John D. Hughes we invite you to contribute to a
publication to be published on his 73rd Birth Anniversary entitled
"Celebration of Buddha Dhamma Work - John D. Hughes 1955 to
2003". These accolades are being compiled now.
Founder's
day for the Chan Academy will be held on the 9 September 2003
As
part of the day, Members will observe eight precepts. These are;
No
killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no intoxicants,
no idle chatter, to not use malicious words and to not use divisive
words.
We thank the Reverend for expounding these eight
precepts for us to observe on Founder's Day and all other days
members and friends would like to observe more than five precepts.
The Reverend has agreed to teach on Founder's Day as a
guest teacher, when he will teach on the Buddhist Suttas.
Activities for the day include;
Dana offering to the
Sangha members, Auction, Pigeons, Selling chanting CD, Raffle,
Abhidhamma guest teacher.
Preparations for the day are as
follows:
A Medicine Buddha Puja will be taught by Master
Francisco So at the Chan Academy Australia for the benefit of our
Founder, Master John D. Hughes' health on Saturday 6 September 2003
from 9.30am to 11.30am and from 1.30pm to 4.00pm.
Lisa Nelson
(our Abbot) and Pennie White have written invitation letters to
Sangha Members, Chan Academy Australia members and state and local
government members.
The puja will be videotaped, and will
take place during our five-day Bhavana Course that is being held from
5 September 2003 to 9 September 2003 from 9.00am to 9.00pm daily.
The theme is: Developing Commitment to Buddha Path.
Notes
for this Course have been published in our latest issue of the
Brooking Street Bugle, issue 94 and you can access it on our web site
www.bsbonline.com.au.
If you would like to participate in
this course, please contact us on 9754-3334.
May all beings be
well and happy.
This script was written and edited by Frank
Carter, Leanne Eames, Evelin Halls, Anita
Hughes.
References:
www.gbm-online.com/dharma/earthstore.pdf,
accessed
1/9/03
http://www.buddhistdoor.com/passissue/9605/sources/earth.htm,
accessed 1/9/03
Counts
Words: 2246
Characters:
12336
Paragraphs: 111
Sentences: 132
Averages
Sentences
per paragraph: 1.4
Words per Sentence: 16.9
Characters per
word: 4.8
Readability Statistics
Passive Sentences: 11
%
Flesch Reading Ease score: 55.1
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
score: 9.7
Readability Statistics
When Word finishes
checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the
reading level of the document, including the following readability
scores. Each readability score bases its rating on the average number
of syllables per word and words per sentence.
Flesch Reading
Ease score
Rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher the
score, the easier it is to understand the document. For most standard
documents, aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score
Rates text on a U.S.
grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth
grader can understand the document. For most standard documents, aim
for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0.
Disclaimer
As
we, the Chan Academy Australia, Chan Academy being a registered
business name of the Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., do not
control the actions of our service providers from time to time, make
no warranty as to the continuous operation of our website(s). Also,
we make no assertion as to the veracity of any of the information
included in any of the links with our websites, or another source
accessed through our website(s).
Accordingly, we accept no
liability to any user or subsequent third party, either expressed or
implied, whether or not caused by error or omission on either our
part, or a member, employee or other person associated with the Chan
Academy Australia (Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.)
This
Radio Script is for Free Distribution. It contains Buddha Dhamma
material and is provided for the purpose of research and study.
Permission is given to make printouts of this publication for
FREE DISTRIBUTION ONLY. Please keep it in a clean place.
"The gift of Dhamma excels all other gifts".
©
Copyright. The Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd.
For
more information, contact the Centre or
better still, come and visit us.
© 2002. Copyright. The Buddhist Discussion Centre
(Upwey) Ltd.