Buddha's Blessing. The Buddha is a teacher, a guide, not a god who has the power to bless anyone. So the Buddha's blessing here means applying the Buddha's teachings to life to get benefits. The Buddha listened to each sentence of repentance, sympathizing with each belated tear Is Buddhism a religion is a question that is not new but not old for those who come to Buddhism by simply believing. If religion is understood in the sense of concepts based on belief and cult of supernatural forces, that there are supernatural forces that decide everything, that people must obey and worship, then religion Buddha is not a religion, for Buddha is not a supernatural being, God, son of God or revelation of God. Then who is Buddha? The question may surprise many people, because for a long time in the minds of most Buddhists the Buddha is… Buddha! Determining who the Buddha is and what his role is for us will reveal what Buddhism really is. It can be said that the Buddha once made all beings in the six paths of samsara. In the Sangha Sutra, the brahmin Dona asked the Buddha: "Are you a fairy, you are a gandharva, you are a yakkha, are you a human? To these four questions, the Buddha sequentially answered: "I am not a fairy, I am not a gandharva, I am not a yakkha, I am not a person". “For those, brahmin, for those who have not yet abolished the taints, I may be the deities with the taints or have ceased, cut off from the root, made like a Tala tree, made empty. existent, made impossible to arise in the future. Brahmin, for those who have not yet eradicated the taints, I may be the Ganda, I may be the yaksha, I may be the person with the taints or have ended, cut off. cut from the root, made like a Tala tree, made non-existent, made impossible to arise in the future." Thus, it can be said that the Buddha did all kinds of sentient beings in the six paths of samsara. And even in his human life 2,557 years ago in India, by his tireless efforts to train his mind, with his iron will and extraordinary energy, Prince Siddhartha wiped out all pirates. or and realize Buddhahood. So for any object, he can also be that object, but has ended the taints. Anyone who has eradicated the taints is called a Buddha. But a noble disciple who has genuine faith in a Buddha must understand that the Buddha has ten titles: "Ananda, a noble disciple has right faith in the Buddha: The Blessed One is an Arahant. Han, Perfect Enlightenment, Mindful conduct, Good oath, Worldly understanding, Unsurpassed scholar, Man of command, Sphinx of God, Buddha, World-Honored One." These ten titles are also the ten optimal characteristics of a Buddha. Here we see the Buddha's role for us. That is the Sphinx. The sphinx is the master of heaven and earth. The Buddha's role for us is the teacher. He only taught what to do and what not to do, which way to go and not to go; where is happiness, where is suffering, where is happiness, where is sorrow, where is unhappiness... Buddha's responsibility is like that. Which way to go, what to do is our right. If you want to have peace and happiness, you must practice according to the Buddha's words, no one can practice for us, not even the Buddha. That's why before the most important moment, when the Buddha was about to pass away, he called on his disciples to strive for themselves, not to rely on anyone: "Hey Ananda! Make your own island, and rely on yourself. Take the Dharma as your island, your refuge, don't take any other place as your refuge, your island, don't take refuge elsewhere." As the leader of a religion, revered by people with many noble titles, the Buddha should have promised that his disciples who put their faith in him would be given some favor, but he just call on them to strive for themselves, to take charge of their own lives. This is the human beauty of Buddhism, a unique feature in Buddhism. Anyone who has studied the history of Western philosophy knows that humanism was born in the Renaissance era, around the XIV-XVI centuries, with two criteria: One is self-control, ie man is his own master , this is the most important factor. The second is to liberate reason from blind belief. Criterion one, we have the above teaching. Criterion two, we encounter the Buddha's words to the people of Kalama: "Do not be hasty to believe anything, just because it is a legend, a tradition, mentioned or propagated by many people, recorded in the scriptures. or books, of metaphysical reasoning, in accordance with his position, based on superficial facts, in accord with his prejudices, supported by power and authority, supported by missionaries or his guru preaches". Our Buddha was such a person... "The Tathagata is a great medical king, accomplished in the four virtues, and cured the diseases of sentient beings." "The Tathagata is a great medical king, accomplishing the four virtues, healing sentient beings" When people cannot control their own lives and reason is enslaved to faith, people are still minors and must rely on the supreme gods to go. Western society lived in a state of adolescence until the sixteenth century, when Humanism was born, only to become an adult, able to walk on his own two feet with the lamp of reason illuminating. , rather than let faith lead. It is at this point that the West meets Buddhism like a fish meets water, enjoying swimming. In addition to the role of a teacher, the Buddha also likened himself to a physician with four characteristics: identifying the disease, knowing the cause of the disease, knowing how to treat the disease, and then treating it without recurrence. These four characteristics are equivalent to the four noble truths: "The Tathagata is a great medical king, accomplished in the four virtues, and so is it with healing sentient beings. What are the four virtues? As the Tathagata knows as it really is, this is the Noble Truth of Suffering; know as the truth this is the Noble Truth of Suffering; know as it really is, the Noble Truth of Suffering; know as it really is, this is the Noble Truth of Suffering." Self-identified as a Healer, the Buddha indirectly denied his theocratic role, because no matter how good the doctor, how talented, if the patient refuses to follow the doctor's instructions or refuses to If you take medicine, the doctor has to accept it. The responsibility of the Buddha as a physician, he has done, ie has determined that our illness is insecurity, anxiety, fear, affliction, suffering; the cause is greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy, envy, jealousy, self-grasping...; and gave a series of prescriptions contained in the Tripitaka. The rest is up to us, if we want to get rid of the disease, we must apply the Buddha's teachings in our daily lives to deal with suffering and experience happiness. In short, no matter what role, be it Guru or Healer, Buddha cannot interfere with our destiny. Suffering or happiness, joy or sorrow is our right to self-determination. This is a mature person who is responsible for all the acts he creates. If we act unwholesomely, we will reap the fruits of suffering, and if we do good, we will reap the results of happiness. People are free and equal before the truth, the principle of cause and effect. If happiness or suffering is our own decision, then what does it mean to ask the Buddha for help? Blessing here, according to the writer, has two meanings. First, when we practice according to the Buddha's teachings, there is peace, then this happiness can be said to be the Buddha's blessing or salvation. Second, when we receive faith and holy feelings from the Buddha's noble actions and personality and do good deeds in life, then we can say that the Buddha has blessed us. According to this idea, anyone can bless me, a beggar can also bless me if this person performs noble deeds that create holy feelings in his heart. Bill Ray Harris is an example: he was a beggar, but he didn't let his greed take over, who returned the diamond ring to Sarah Darling when she accidentally dropped it. It can be said that Mr. Harris has blessed many people, because his noble actions have awakened the feelings and sincerity of people. Eighty years of his life, Buddha left us countless valuable teachings, around his life there are also many stories, each story gives us different emotions, there are stories for us. feelings of love, there is a story that gives us a feeling of great sacrifice... Here is a story: One day, Prince Bodhi invited the Buddha to come home for a meal. He spread a beautiful cloth from the house to the alley to welcome him. Arriving in front of the cloth, the Buddha did not step up, he signaled to Master Ananda to tell Bodhi to roll the cloth and put it away, he did not step up because he thought of the poor people who are lacking food and clothing. The story is short but evokes many thoughts and feelings, before receiving something, buying something or spending something, we should think of those who are still struggling and needier than ourselves to restrain our actions squander your own. Reading a story that gives us the feeling of caring for others and then acting for our own benefit is the Buddha's blessing. The Buddha only used the good qualities of people to convert people. Why did the Buddha choose to be born in a forest? Does understanding blessing in such a way devalue the Buddha and make him insignificant? We often have the idea of ​​a Buddha who always has a bright aura, walks on a lotus, sits on a lotus, performs extraordinary transformations that few people think that Buddha could be. a beggar with some noble deed. Bill Ray Harris is a beggar, but his actions are those of a Buddha, for having conquered greed. The difference between a Buddha and a living being is not due to appearance, but to action. Ordinary actions are sentient beings, and noble actions are Buddhas. Therefore, the greatness of the Buddha is not in his ability to transform, call, and return to the wind, but in his actions that show the benevolent qualities present in each person's self. There was a girl who was a disciple of the Buddha and married in a Brahmin family. Every time there was a dispute, she would recite Buddhist scriptures. This situation is not liked by the husband's family. One day, when her husband and some friends were having dinner at his house, she blurted out "Namo Buddha", making him angry as if provoked. He quit eating and ran to the monastery insulting Buddha. The Buddha was quiet, quietly listening, and then slowly asked: "- Brahmin, when a relative or friend comes to visit, do you prepare food to entertain them? - Venerable Gotama, sometimes when relatives or friends come to visit, we prepare dishes to treat them. "But, brahmin, if they don't accept it, to whom do these foods belong?" - Venerable Gotama, of course, if they don't accept it, the food belongs to us. "In the same way, brahmin, if you slander us, scold us, quarrel with us, and we do not accept it, then the matter will only come back to you from you. "Who, brahmin, slanders when he is slandered, rebukes him when he is reviled, and fights back when he is quarreled, then, brahmin, he is considered to have enjoy life, have shared with him. But we do not enjoy it with you, do not share it with you, then, brahmin, it will return to you." Admired by the Buddha's calmness, self-control, and implied benevolent language, the Brahmin bowed down and begged to be his disciple. The three younger brothers saw that he had taken refuge in the Buddha and were angry to find him, but they were all touched by the Buddha. When the monks saw this, they all praised the Buddha's miracle: "The Buddha's virtue is so mysterious, all four Brahmin brothers insulted him, but then everyone was moved and also did it. to understand the Dharma, and also to have him as a refuge, as a savior." It is true that the Buddha was very mysterious, but not by using miracles, he never used miracles to save us. He only uses the good qualities of people to convert people. Through the above story, He did not do anything supernatural, divine beyond our ability. He just sat there, patiently listening, and with great kindness, in gentle words, he taught his attackers about the law of cause and effect, that whenever you give something to someone, you will receive it yourself. causing them to be deeply moved, bowing down to take refuge in him. People are oriented toward Him not by miracles but by His qualities of endurance and self-control. He said: "Monks, the Tathagata does not hurt even those who hurt the Tathagata. The Tathagata endures and restrains himself, so many people who take refuge in the Tathagata take refuge in that virtue." Reading the story, our souls are also deeply moved by the great patience of the Buddha. Each time we face the insults of others, let our mind turn to the calm image of the Buddha, as if we are receiving steady strength from him. That is the Buddha's blessing for us. The Sutras record many cases of pagans who, admiring the virtue and transcendent wisdom of the Buddha, spoke from the bottom of their hearts. The householder Upali is an example. He was a wealthy man, a famous lay disciple of the Nirvana religion. One day when I heard the School of Asceticism, a monk of the Nirvana sect, re-stated the Buddha's point of view that of the three most important karmas and mental karmas, he and the Nirvana master did not accept it. , because his sect advocated personal karma as paramount. Upali, with the consent and encouragement of the Nirvana, went to argue with Buddha. In that polemic, he was convinced by the great wisdom of the Buddha. He happily bowed down and asked to take refuge as his disciple. The Buddha said that a famous person like him must think very carefully before deciding what to do. Admired by the sincere advice of the Buddha, Upali bowed down once more to take refuge as his disciple. The Buddha accepted and advised him to continue making offerings to his old religion. Moved by the Buddha's religious tolerance, Upali bowed down for the third time and expressed his happy feelings from the bottom of his heart: World-Honored One, I am extremely happy, extremely satisfied with the words of the World. Ton told me. World-Honored One, if the non-Buddhists were to be made disciples of me, they would raise their flags and declare: The householder Upali has become our disciple. And they will prevent you from making offerings to other masters. Buddhism is the path to peace and liberation. Buddha's Birth - Fountain of Compassion and Equality We can say that the happy and satisfied vibration of the householder Upali is the blessing of the Buddha. Not only Upali, but anyone who has the opportunity to meet the Buddha and hear his teachings have profound spiritual vibrations, as evidenced by the fact that in the Buddha's time many people were enlightened and attained the path of stream-entry. into the Holy Order. It is the spiritual vibrations that transform the mind from evil to good or from mundane to holy. If we read a verse, listen to a Dharma talk, or do one prostration to the Buddha, but have profound spiritual vibrations that cause the mind to be transformed and sublimated in happy emotions, that is blessing. of the Buddha. For example, when we read the verse of the Dhammapada: Winning brings more hatred / Losing brings more sadness / Winning and losing we give up / Peace here, how many afflictions compare to lose, fight and fight on the battlefield All this life falls away, leaving only mysterious joy. Or when we read a sutta that talks about human life as breath, meaning that human life is as short as the breath and as fragile as the breath, then all the afflictions contained by greed are let go, the feeling of renunciation. present, at the same time happiness is present. If we want to read sutras and want to have deep spiritual vibrations, that is, with the blessing of the Buddha, we must read them with all our heart and with our practice experience. If we read superficially, we will not feel the value and depth of the sutras. In short, Buddhism is the path to peace and liberation. The Buddha is a teacher, a guide, not a god who has the power to bless anyone. So the Buddha's blessing here means applying the Buddha's teachings to life to get benefits. Or the Buddha imparts the power of faith and holy emotions to do good deeds in life.END=NAMO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.14/6/2021.