The Buddha contemplates all lands whatsoever As residing poised upon the sea of karma. He rains the rain of Dharma in it everywhere. Dragon Sound was able to achieve this liberation. The Buddha contemplates all lands whatsoever. As residing poised upon the sea of karma. The Buddha uses the eye of wisdom to contemplate the lands of the ten directions everywhere. All those countries throughout the ten directions are, without exception, structured with the sea of karma as their basis. That is, they are formed from the karma created by living beings. In the sea of karma, living beings bob and sink without fixity. Once born, they are carried along by their karma; and the same thing happens when they die. After being reborn, they die again; and having died, they are reborn. This life they may be called Ma, and in the next life Li. A person might be named Gary this life, and be called Steve in his next rebirth. It never ends. They don't know that with a turn of the head one can reach the other shore, but instead float along in the sea of karma. For that reason, he rains the rain of Dharma in it everywhere. The Buddha speaks Dharma universally to teach and transform living beings, like the falling of rain in the sea of karma. Who understood this state? Dragon Sound was able to achieve this liberation. The Garuda King Dragon Sound Great Eye-Essence entered this door of liberation and understood this kind of state. Dharma Master Hwei Seng is teaching you, so why don't you let him speak, and listen to what he has to say. How does he explain it? Yesterday you all studied the Avatamsaka Syllabary, and chanting-what opinions do you have about it. Bring them up and let's investigate them. Every day I hear you reciting the Buddha's name quite stiffly, in a most constrained way. It's not very lively. The sound from your recitation of the Buddha's name should be unconstrained and unimpeded, not as if tied up with a rope and unable to get free. Set it free. The sound should be like flowing water which nothing can stop, and like the wind which rustles the grass and flowers, trees and shrubs as it blows. That's true of reciting the Buddha's name, and it's also the way your chanting should be. As people chant, they should feel blissful and elevated, as if they had become Spiritual lmmortals. They should recite the Buddha's name in such a way that the Buddha appears before them. That's how it should be, not stiff and dead with no resonance to the sound. It's preferable for the recitation to be somewhat slow, but it shouldn't sound dull and lifeless. l've been wanting to mention this for a long time, but up to now l haven't said anything. Also, you are not reciting with one sound; each person has his or her own sound. it should be that all our different mouths recite with the same sound. It should not sound as if you cannot set the sound free. That way it becomes very constrained. During recitation of the Buddha's name, whether you are a left-home person or a layperson, you should recite out loud and join in the recitation. It shouldn't be that you listen to others recite but don't recite yourself. All of you should single-mindedly recite the Buddha's name and produce a single sound. Then it will be easy to obtain the Samadhi of Buddha-Recitation. Furthermore, the Asura King Rahu obtained the liberation door of appearing as a supreme and honored host for great assemblies. Who knows the meaning of the word Rahu? Furthermore indicates that what had not been completely explained before is being continued here, with discussion of the Asura King Rahu. There are many kinds of asuras, since they are found in the path of gods, in the path of humans, even more in the path of asuras, and also in the path of animals. Sometimes asuras are counted as part of the Three Wholesome Paths, which are the path of gods, the path of humans, and the path of asuras. That’s because they have a certain amount of good roots. But sometimes they are considered one of the Four Evil Paths: the path of asuras, the path of hell-beings, the path of hungry ghosts, and the path of animals. Asuras in the heavens are celestial bandits, whereas asuras among people are bandits in the human realm. An example of an asura in the realm of animals is the horse that harms the herd. A herd of horses should get along well as a group, with no horse disturbing another. But the asura-horse is always stirring up trouble by kicking and biting other horses and starting fights. In whatever path asuras are found, they are fighters. In the heavens, for example, asuras were always waging war with the Heavenly Lord and defeating him. The Heavenly Lord went to the Buddha for help. The Buddha told him to go back and recite "Maha-Prajna-Paramita," and he defeated the asuras. Why were they at war with Lord God? It was because of a woman. There are many translations of "asura." One meaning is "non-god." He’s not a god, but he’s not a ghost either. Another translation is "wineless." It’s not that they don’t get to drink wine--they just can’t get enough. However much they drink is insufficient, and so they say there is no wine. A further translation is "not good-looking," because asuras are very ugly. Some have noses a yard long, like an elephant’s trunk. Some have miniscule lips, and cannot eat very fast. Some have enormous eyes. In general, just a glimpse of an asura’s face scares you so much you tremble in terror and lose your sense of direction. Asuras have the power to make anyone who sees them afraid. But the women are another story. They are extraordinarily beautiful, and so the Heavenly Lord, the Jade Emperor, asked to marry the asura king’s daughter. The asura king was none too pleased. Since he was the Jade Emperor’s opponent, how could he give the Jade Emperor his beloved daughter? But the asura king’s daughter liked the idea, and so she was given as the bride of the Heavenly Lord. As it happened, the Heavenly Lord regularly went out all over joining in the merit and virtue of attending lectures on Sutras and Dharma. Once there was an old cultivator in the mountains who was speaking Dharma, and the Heavenly Lord went to hear him. He must have returned late, and his wife asked him, "What have you been doing?" "I've been listening to the Dharma," he replied. "Listening to Dharma--I don't believe it!" she retorted. "I'm sure you are seeing another woman on the side. You just want to cover up by saying you’ve been listening to Dharma. Okay. Next time you can take me along with you." The Heavenly Lord said, "You can't go. You're so beautiful, it would never do for people to see you," and he wouldn't let her go. She became even more jealous, thinking, "It's certain he's fooling around!" The next day when the time came for the old cultivator's Dharma lecture, the Heavenly Lord was going to go again. His asura wife told him to take her along, but he was determined not to take her. The asura lady had her own spiritual penetrations however, and made her body invisible by magic. No one, including the Heavenly Lord, could see that she had come along behind him. When they got to the place and she saw there were both men and women in the Dharma assembly which the Heavenly Lord entered, she thought, "There are so many women here, no wonder you attend every day! Fine.'' Then she made herself visible. The Heavenly Lord was very upset when he saw her. "Why did you come?" he asked her. "l didn't bring you, but you insisted on coming." "Of course l came," she said. "You have all these women here." Then the Jade Emperor took the lotus-flower whip and hit her. The asura lady went back crying and screaming. She returned to her home and told her father about how the Heavenly Lord had hit her, and how he had so many women on the side. Her father said, "Okay. I'll get revenge for you." Then he mobilized the asuras and went to war with the Heavenly Lord. The Heavenly Lord's celestial army of heavenly generals and heavenly troops was no match for the asuras. When the asuras went to war for real, they defeated them in a single battle. At that point, the Heavenly Lord went and sought the Buddha's aid. The Buddha told him to recite "Maha-Prajna-Paramita.'' and upon his return he gained victory over the asuras. This Asura King obtained the liberation door of appearing as a supreme and honored host for great assemblies. What he understood was how the Buddha appears as the Dharma-speaking host for each and every great Dharma assembly. He obtained that state and entered that door of liberation.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMOUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.3/8/2017.