Ocean Sky Chan Monastery

Final Session – Nov. 24, 2018

2:22 PM

Announcements:

 English Completion 11/25 (SUN) – 10 AM – 2 PM with Ven. Abbess Jianshu

 Prep a 2-3 min Reflection/Speech
o Benefits and changes
o Call to Action

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:

 Core teaching of Zen Meditation and Buddhist Practice

 The law of Cause and effect

3. Happiness – Bliss, Stillness, Calmness, Cheerfulness, Cessation of Suffering 4. Eight Fold Path to Happiness/Nirvana – Cessation of Suffering

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1. Suffering 2. Causes of Suffering

 Everything is not fixed; everything changes every time.

 In order to remove suffering, you need to know the causes of suffering
 Nirvana – mind state and not a location
o A state of mind without suffering and attachment
o You’re not affected by the external events or outside condition
 If you’re the master of your own mind, then, you’ll have no suffering
 Truth never changes
 Realization/enlightenment – won’t change
 Antique story:
o A guy went to an antique shop and saw a vase, which had a 200 BC time stamp. He
bought the vase and was very happy. Every day he looked at the base of the vase and
realized that it was fake after several days of checking. Why was it fake?
o It was fake because nobody knew that the vase would be made 200 years before Christ
was born (BC)
 In your mind, you create an image, which is an illusion, our monkey thoughts. And then,
suddenly you realize that the vase is fake
 REALIZATION: Things remain the same and what changes is our idea about the reality
o Perfect understanding is reality
 The universe does not change but our understanding can change
o Example: When you see a truck of pigs to be delivered to the slaughterhouse, before
you see food, but now (after taking Zen meditation classes), you will feed sad.
 In all angles, you can understand if you’re enlightened
 Why do we have so many sufferings when things never change? (Attachment)

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 o Because we are so attached to so many things
 Let go of your thoughts, just focus and you will not feel pain
 Because we follow and give power to our monkey thoughts
 You’ll see things better when you let go of your monkey thoughts
 Always calm your mind first
 We tend to judge people before we know them  it’s also a form of attachment
 We need to see things with a clear view and not by emotion
 Calm mind = Clear mind
 Habitual Behavior – comes from our selfish reasons and ego (initial reaction/impulse)
 The more you understand the truth, the more you understand yourself and the more you get rid
of your suffering
 Everyone has a potential to do using chopsticks, driving, et cetera, even if you haven’t ever done
it. Likewise, you have the potential to understand yourself more and be enlightened.
 Even if you die without being enlightened, as long as you have the drive to learn and understand
yourself, then, you have the potential.
 FIND YOURSELF IN YOUR PRESENT MIND
 Does the mud really pollute the water?
o No. Why?
 Because water is still water and sand is still sand. They never change.
 Remove all the things from your life and what will be left in the end is truly you.
 Only your Karma belong (only) to you
 You need to have a clear view of all things
 The taste of the coffee never changes no matter how many cups you use to hold it
 Don’t lose our minds in all of these deluding things
 When we close our eyes, we see darkness. The voice is temporary. Find something on yourself
that cannot go away. Don’t be affected by the outside voices.

NIRVANA (Third Noble Truth)

Five Descriptions:

1. Extinction
2. Transcendence
3. Tranquility
4. Unborn, Deathless
5. Liberation, Bliss

 You can do it in one minute and so on by consistent practice

BUDDHA (Shakyamuni Buddha)

 Founder of Buddhism
 Anyone can be a Buddha
 Teaching of the Understanding of Enlightenment
 Caste System:

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 o Brahma/Priest
o Royalty
o Common People
o Untouchable – doing the dirty work
 Untouchables are dirty because of the work people think as dirty. They are not
dirty because of just doing the dirty work. Other’s mind is dirty.
o Everyone is born equal
o Your dirtiness is caused by your dirty mind and not because of the work that you do
o We cannot judge people but by their intention
 Buddha was a royalty born 3,000 years ago. He was an answered prayer for his parents. Upon
seeing him, the Guru said that Buddha would be either a King or a Monk. His father was so
afraid with the second prophecy, so he overprotected Buddha ever since in order for him to not
become a monk. However, as years go by, Buddha questioned why sentient beings hurt each
other and suffer, he tried to find the answers to his questions as he grew. At young age, he was
so compassionate to others. He then became a monk eventually at 19 to find/seek for the
meaning of life and reason of suffering. Spent 5 years to find a guru and meditated. He went
from one guru to another but no one can teach him the meaning/answers to all his questions.
So, he studied on his own for six years through ascetism (not depending on material things).
Afterward, he became so weak but became so wise. Then, he realized that starving is not the
cause of enlightenment, hunger was not a wrong way to be enlightened. He contemplated to
see the reality. He meditated for 49 days without food and water under a tree. Then, he became
enlightened at the age of 30.
 Bodhi Tree – the tree where Buddha was enlightened. It was called Bodhi tree due to Buddha’s
enlightenment
 Buddha died at the age of 80
 During the 50 years of Buddhahood, he taught what he discovered about Enlightenment
 The bad karma we reap today in our current lifetime are the actions we did in our past life so we
must accept it to pay for our debt/karma
 Every day you change. What you were yesterday will be different tomorrow. No fixed identity.
Our body is impermanent.
 Sangha [sángga] – monk
 Buddha – the Enlightened One
 Dharma – truth
 Sangha – the disciple

THREE JEWELS (metaphor for precious) Three Refuges:

1. BUDDHA – taking refuge in the Buddha

2. DHARMA – taking refuge in the Dharma
3. SANGHA – taking refuge in the Sangha

 What is important in your life?

o Usually they are external/material things/people which cause our suffering

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 Three refuges:
o Buddha, Dharma and Sangha represent Enlightenment, Truth and Purity
 All external things go away
 Three Refuges Ceremony (Buddhism conversion) – making commitment between yourself and
Buddha which can be held for 1 hour in any Buddhist temple
 You can still practice Buddhism whatever Religion you have
 What is temporary is unreal and constantly disappears
 Relying on the three refuges to return to our true self/three jewels
o Return to the Buddha in my mind (Enlightenment, Clear Mind)
o Return to the inside Dharma when you’re enlightened, what you say is Dharma (Truth)
o Return to the inside Sangha (Purity)
 It’s your choice if you would follow the five precepts and practice Buddhism
 Precepts protect you from doing bad Karma and get rid of your suffering
 You need to learn to accept everyone (Harmony)
o No argument
o No harm inflected on others
 Sangha – Purity and Harmony
 Relying on outside Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to return to our inside (in our mind) Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha
 Shifu’s Dharma name is Jianshu
 When we teach Dharma, do not ask for money. We teach others to change their lives.

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