Bro Teoh’s 27 Jan 2019 Sunday class
6th Jan 2019 Sunday class sharing
Bro Teoh’s 16th Dec 2018 Sunday class
Outline short notes for Sunday class dated 16th Dec 2018 Audio : https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/6-Cultivating-the-Bodhisattva-Way-20181216-.mp3 Reference book …
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Outline short notes for Sunday class dated 16th Dec 2018
Reference book: Bro Teoh’s transcript book, ‘Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way’, pages 37-41
- After one realized Nibbana in the here and the now, one will understand what this 5 aggregates of form and mind is. For the sotapana they usually experience only a glimpse of this cessation (Nibbana) but this is already profound enough.
- The eternal Nature is never born, therefore never dies.
- The mundane mind cannot conceptualize or express in words what Nibbana is?
- Dharma is just the teaching pointing towards the realization of Nibbana.
- Only the form and mind that has gone through this cessation can understands, otherwise, it’s just knowledge based on ideas and concepts.
- We must meditate and cultivate sincerely and diligently to realize this cessation.
- To walk the Sainthood way, refer to the Heart Sutra Short Notes Book.
- Have faith, sincerity and perseverance to develop the cultivation until Sati comes.
- Daily mindfulness (Sati Sampajana) is very important – it must be cultivated before one can move on to cultivate the 4 foundations of mindfulness. With Sati, one will have wise attention at the moment of sense experiences, leading to sense restraint. Sense restraints enables one to develop the 3 ways of right conduct.
- Only after overcoming covetousness and grief, can we begin on the cultivation of the 4 Foundations of mindfulness.
- Please refer to the very important Thursday class outline short notes dated 6 December 2018 to check your progress in the cultivation. These notes put forth the guidelines for you to be awakened. The short notes talk about the Avijja Sutra.
- The Dharma sharing has to be repeated because the important messages have not been sunk in as yet. Most of you are still having your old habits, reacting the same way (with fear, worry, anxiety etc.) to sense experiences. When one lack understanding of the cultivation one tend to seek for teachers and teaching everywhere without any clear focus. When the Dharma is not put into practice with understanding one can never progress. Reason why pariyatti is the 1st phase of dhamma is very important.
- We must have gratitude and thank our good karmic nature to have met up with the true Teachings this life.
- After we have trained the mind to develop sati via formal meditative training,stabilized it to develop the daily mindfulness until you are ever mindful and constantly meditative. Determine to be aware all the time.
- The 2nd session is meditation for 45 minutes followed by a review of the 6thDecember Thursday class outline short notes which are very important. Please do listened to the recording for detail of its sharing.
(Above draft by Sister Chow Mun Yuen)
Bye! with metta always,
Bro Teoh’s 25th Nov 2018 Sunday class
Bro Teoh’s 11th November 2018 Sunday class
Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio links to our above Sunday class dated 11th November 2018:
*HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/4-Cultivating-the-Bodhisattva-Way-11-Nov-2018.mp3 or at:
https://www..dropbox.com/s/2uqt7lj1znbp8o5/4%20Cultivating%20the%20Bodhisattva%20Way%2011%20Nov%202018.MP3?dl=0 *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*
The Outline short notes are: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-181111.pdf
Finding Silence: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Finding-silence-J.-Krishnamurti.pdf
Bye! and with metta always,
Bro Teoh’s 28th October Sunday class
Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio and outline short notes links to our 28th October 2018 Sunday class for sharing by all.
Audio link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/3rd-Cultivating-the-Bodhisattva-Way-28-Oct-2018.mp3
Outline short notes link: https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-181028.pdf
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2 by then we would have understood the profound diamond sutra cultivation of no thought, no mark and no dwelling. Cultivation and Perfection becomes easy after this. Stage 5: Bodhi mind that realizes the consummate of Sammasam Buddhahood.
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Bye! and with metta always,
Bro Teoh’s 14th Oct 2018 Sunday class
Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below is the audio link to our 14th Oct 2018 Sunday class recording for sharing by all:
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2nd-Cultivating-the-Bodhisattva-Way-14-Oct-2018.mp3
Also listed below are the outline short notes link:
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-181014.pdf
Outline short notes for Sunday class dated 14th Oct 2018
Brother Teoh’s transcript book: Cultivating the Bodhisattva Way, pages 12-22
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There are 5 stages of Bodhi mind development leading to Buddhahood.
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The first stage is to plant the seed of Bodhi, i.e. to determine with strong faith and sincerity to plant the seed of Bodhi to arise the Bodhi mind to walk the Bodhisattva way to realize Buddhahood (in front of the Triple Gem).
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Bodhisattva consists of two words, Bodhi means enlightened and Sattva refers to the living being. So a Bodhisattva is an Enlightened being walking the Bodhisattva way to realize Buddhahood.
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There is a misunderstanding that one cannot be an Arahant if one has taken the Bodhisattva vow but that is not true because Arahant is part of the path before reaching the Bodhisattva level.
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The Bodhisattva path is beyond the Arahant level, i.e. it is much more comprehensive and complete. The Arahant level is likened to a handful of leaves whereas the Bodhisattva path is likened to the leaves in the forest.
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Not all who has taken the Bodhisattva vows will successfully complete the path.
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After taking the Bodhisattva vows, our cultivation will be very clear and very different from the sainthood way because our faith and understanding of the cultivation/way are already very different. It will become more refined each time we come back in a form and mind to develop our cultivation to perfect both our spiritual and karmic natures. The path will be easier to walk with each subsequent life’s added experiences.
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It is the form and mind which becomes enlightened but the form and mind is not you.
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The 3 sets of pure precepts of the Bodhisattva are more elaborate aspects of the Buddha’s advice to avoid all evil,do good and purify the mind.
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The form and mind need to connect to the spiritual nature before one can inherit from one’s spiritual nature to finally reach back to the previous level of our cultivation. From there, one will need to continue to cultivate from where we left off. If we have cultivated before, then we will be able to understand the Dharma very fast.
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Buddha and Bodhisattva have 3 bodies:
1st is the Nirmanakaya which is the functional body (form and mind) of this segmented life. It arise from our Karmic nature.
2nd is the Sambogayakaya which is the spiritual body – perfect of wisdom and virtue. It arise from our spiritual nature.
3rd is the Dharmakaya or the dharma body which is the transformation body when the Nirmanakaya and the Sambogayakaya come together. The Dharmakaya is the dharma body that can teach the Dharma.
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The Buddha and Bodhisattva have all these 3 bodies: the functional body, the spiritual body and the Dharma body.
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The karmic nature and spiritual nature are stored in nature. After Buddhas passed away, they still exist and are ever present in nature. They do not need a form and mind to exist.
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Daily mindfulness is a must to awaken to the truth unless one has cultivated in previous life before. Then that person can awakened by just hearing to the truth.
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Sister Tammy asked how to overcome strong defilements/thoughts. Brother Teoh explained that experiences are accumulated and stored in the memory. Negative experiences (e.g. fearful and unhappy experiences) will result in wrong thoughts (recall things which are fearful and miserable). If we believe these thoughts, we will suffer. Thoughts are response to memory.
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When one meditate following methods and techniques one is following a series of instructions to do the meditation; so one is actually using thoughts to meditate but enlightenment is to realize the dharma (or wisdom) which is beyond mind and thoughts (akaliko).
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Just relax and be aware and let whatever thoughts that arise settle down on itself until the natural state of the silent mind before the thinking or stirring returns/arise.
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If in life, things agitate you, it means you don’t have wisdom as yet.
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Abandon unwholesome thoughts through the 5 ways as taught by the Buddha, i.e. (1) Develop the direct opposite wholesome thoughts, (2) Think of the consequence of holding on to your wrong thoughts, (3) Just be aware, (4) Trace the originating factors and retrospectively reverse it via wisdom (after straightening one’s view). (5) Determine with torque against your palate to abandon it using your will power. The 3rd and 4th ways are the most effective and is also the meditative and wisdom way.
Bye! and with metta always,
7th Oct 2018 Sunday class (Cultivating the Bodhisattva way)
Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio links to our 7th Oct 2018 Sunday class recording for sharing by all.
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/1st-Cultivating-The-Bodhisattva-Way-7-Oct-2018.mp3
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Outline short notes link:
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-180107.pdf
Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh
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Bro Teoh’s 9th Sept 2018 Sunday class
Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the outline short notes and audio links to our 9th Sept 2018 Sunday class recording for sharing by all:
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Short-Notes-Teoh-WPCS-180909.pdf (Outline Short notes link)
https://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/85-Summary-of-6th-Patriarch-9-Sept-2018.mp3 (audio link)
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Subject: Re: SUNDAY Class at WPCS DATED 9 Sept 2018
Dear Mun Yuen and all,
Below are the edited outline short notes for our Sunday class dated 9th Sept 2018.
Outline short notes for 6th Patriarch’s Platform Sutra (lesson 85) dated 9th Sept 2018
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The class commenced with Gratitude Puja to the Triple Gem and Dharma Protectors in conjunction with our rather successful completion of the6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra teaching by Brother Teoh after a period of 3 years and 3 months of weekly sharing held at WPCS.
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After the puja, Brother Teoh also expressed his gratitude towards Sister Lee and the committee of WPCS for allowing him to share those beautiful Dharma in WPCS and he also relate the earlier rather unique conditions behind how he was invited to share the Dharma in WPCS in the year 2012.
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The 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra is the only sutra by a lay person that was accorded the same status as other sutras of the Buddha.
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Brother Teoh then explained the importance of having true Dharma friends (Kalyanamittas) to walk the Path of Dharma. (To refer to our https://broteoh.com website for more details.)
broteoh.comThe Source is the Oneness nature or the Toa.It is the source or beginning of all the Myriads things. Pure awareness is the silent mind without any mind activity or movement as yet.It is only aware but it is capable of seeing things as they are (direct seeing). When one input the content of consciousness via wrong views into the pure consciousness, the mundane mind comes into being. -
Brother Teoh did a review and summarized the 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra teaching as below:
- The sutra started with Bodhidharma (1st Patriarch) setting foot in China.
- Then comes the Prediction of the Mahayana teaching taking deep roots in China after the advent of the 6th Patriarch (Master Hui Neng) 200 years later.
- Analogy of the flag and wind dharma: Which moves, flag or wind? Flag moves because the mind through the seeing consciousness perceives the flag moving. Wind moves because the mind through the hearing and tactile consciousness perceives the wind moving. Without mind, how can flag or wind moves? It is Mind that creates the perception of movement hence the reason why Hui Neng said, ‘neither the flag or wind move but your mind moves’.
- Normal merits vs pure merits. Normal merits are performed with mark of a self having the greed for merits. Pure merits are performed via understanding (without the evil roots of greed, hatred and delusion).
- Bodhisattvas are Enlightened Beings walking the Path of dharma to perfection to realize Samma Sambuddhahood.
- The poems by Hui Neng and Shen Hsiu are the essence of the 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra’s teaching which is similar to the Heart Sutra’s teaching. (To refer to Bro. Teoh’s Heart Sutra short notes book – page 8 onwards for more detail explanation.)
- Poems by Shen Hsiu (show that his practice or cultivation is still at the Theravada level and it is mainly thought based for he still haven’t realized his true mind or true nature).
The body is like a Bodhi tree, 身是菩提樹, Mind is like a mirror bright on a stand; 心如明鏡臺。
Time and again polish until it shines, 時時勤拂拭, (Above is incorrect understanding because Shen Hsiu misunderstood and he thought the mundane mind is the real mind. He created duality via the mundane mind and cling on to the perfect and the pure while rejecting the dust or defilement. This means his mundane mind which is the thought is still active so how can he develop thesilent mind to awaken or insight into truth). So that no dust can alight, 勿使惹塵埃。 {Above is incorrect understanding because the mundane Mind/thought has created the duality of wholesome (pure) and unwholesome (dust)}.
b. Poem by Hui Neng:
Bodhi is basically not a tree, 菩提本無樹,(Bodhi or Enlightenment is not a tree, but a realization; an awakening).
The true mind is neither the bright mirror nor the stand; 明鏡亦非臺。 Originally there is nothing, 本來無一物, (True mind has nothing.) Where can dust alight? 何處惹塵埃。
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- Just relax, silent and maintain awareness then the mundane mind will slow down and cease. When the mundane mind ceases, there is no creation of duality anymore because there is no thought. Meditation must be develop with understanding.
- Hui Neng’s advice before his passing away is: ‘Understand your mind and see your nature within. Do not grief after his passing away for that is contrary to the Dharma. Have gratitude but not grief or attach to the form or image that has gone the way of nature’.
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Within this conditioned world, all are conditioned dharma. That is they are alldependent originating following nature’s laws hence they are not real. They areall dream like, an illusion, a bubble and a shadow, leading to suffering if one lack wisdom. So do not be deluded by them.
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The present moment which is the only reality in life, arise and passed away very fast. Spit second it is gone so how real can life be? Form and mind are the same. They keep on appearing and disappearing.
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The true mind has no duality, so no suffering. Silent your mind to experience thepeace and the stillness within.
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Four essential conducts of the ariyan Sangha : i) Of Good conduct (e.g. keep precepts, generous, kind and helpful); ii) Of Upright conduct (e.g. righteous, sincere and honest), iii) Of Wise conduct (have right views and wisdom) & iv) Of Dutifulconduct (form & mind’s duty towards the law of Karma, regardless whether one is enlightened or not). Check whether these qualities are in you or not to know whether you are a true disciple of the Buddha. These qualities are also found in the Noble Eightfold Path which liberates the mind.
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An enlightened person is always aware and mindful and their mind does not dwell or cling on to things.
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Dharma is not a knowledge based. Dharma is never apart from life. Must be able to apply Dharma in life for life itself is where the dharma is.
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Story of Master Xu Yun (Empty Cloud).
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Sister Chwee’s questions on Hui Neng being born without a mundane mind and meaning of no mark.
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Brother Ng’s sharing on his faith in Brother Teoh.
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Diamond sutra teaching is very abstract: The Buddha said ‘Because there are no beings to be saved, there are beings to be saved’!
- This means under ultimate truth, “there are no beings to be saved” because everything is anatta (empty and non-self) and this wisdom must be realised so that one will not be deluded by the form and mind but within the conditioned world of conditioned dharma there is such a thing as the law of karma that the form and mind is subject to so that is the reason why to the Buddha there are still beings to be saved.