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Tripitaka - Southern Transmission 08
The manifestation of Avalokiteshvara in Vietnam often takes the form of a woman with real historical compassion and filial piety, such as Guan Yin Thi Kinh or Guan Yin Dieu Thien. The spirit of Engaged Buddhism emphasizes “Filial piety in the heart, benevolence in the first thought”; practicing is not about escaping the world but finding joy and life to help parents and society, because each person is the continuation of their ancestors. Every step in walking meditation, every breath, and every mindful meal is to nourish the teachers and parents who are present within oneself.
The history of the division of Buddhist schools took place about 200 to 300 years after the Buddha passed away, with the formation of schools such as the Dharmaguptaka, Tāmraparṇīya, Pudgalavāda, and Sarvāstivādins. The Majjhima Nikaya in the Pali Canon contains 152 sutras, while the Madhyama Agama in the Chinese Canon contains 222 sutras, and only 96 sutras correspond between the two. The sutras analyzed include the Discourse on Perception (distinguishing cognition and direct knowledge), the Discourse on the Water-Purifying Brahmin (purifying the mind instead of bathing in the river), and the Honeyball Sutra (the teaching is sweet like a honey cake).
The content of the sutras addresses several groups of specific practice methods:
- The Discourse on All the Taints teaches six methods to transform afflictions (asavas): 1. restraining, 2. using, 3. enduring, 4. avoiding, 5. removing, and 6. cultivating.
- The Shorter Discourse on the Lion’s Roar speaks of the four attachments (upadana): 1. attachment to sense desires, 2. attachment to views, 3. attachment to rites and rituals, and 4. attachment to the doctrine of self.
- The Discourse on Mental Impurities outlines five thorns in the mind that need to be removed: doubt in the Buddha, doubt in the Dharma, doubt in the Sangha, doubt in the training precepts, and anger towards fellow practitioners.
- The Discourse on the Removal of Distracting Thoughts offers five ways to transform unwholesome thinking: 1. replacing it with a wholesome thought (like replacing a peg), 2. contemplating the bad consequences, 3. not paying attention to the environment where it arises, 4. tracing the root of the mental formation, and 5. using the mind to suppress the mind (this method is noted as not being in accord with the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching in the Mahasaccaka Sutra).