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Bro Teoh’s 7 March 2019 Thursday class sharing

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio and short notes links to our 7 March 2019 Thursday class for sharing by all:
Video on: The 4 Supports for awareness based meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=cbozlwbCMw0
Bye! and with metta always,
Teoh
From: Teoh Kian Koon <teohkiankoon@hotmail.com></teohkiankoon@hotmail.com>
Sent: 12 March 2019 03:15
To: Angie Ng
Subject: Re: Short notes for Thursday class MARCH 7 2019

Dear Angie and all,
Enclosed are the above edited outline short notes for sharing by all.

Bro Teoh’s Thursday Meditation class March 7, 2019 Outline short notes

  1. Bro Teoh advised all Kalyanamittas to sincerely (with faith) cultivate the Buddha Dhamma to transform their life for the better and to use their dhamma understanding to live the good life for the benefits of all.
  1. Sis Angie shared that learning to relax is very profound and important in our meditation practice and has helped her see how her body and mind moved as one and has now experience much less tension. Bro Teoh rejoiced and confirmthat the first support for awareness based meditation to  always relax into every mind states that arise during meditation is very important, otherwise one may develop meditative concentration and energy build up, leading to stress, tension and headache. This concentrated and focused mind is a conditioned mind, is not a free mind and will not lead you to wisdom and understanding of who you are and what are you. Only the free mind can allow you to see things as they are to develop the wisdom i.e. having the direct knowledge and vision of the reality to understand the Truth (Nature’s laws that govern all of life and existence) as taught by the Buddha.
  1. Relax is the first of the 4 supports for awareness based meditation:
    • To relax into every mind state that arise. Be at ease so that there is no tension, no suppression, no concentration, no control and focusing of the mind. The relaxed mind is a free mind which is just aware and there is no thought to cloud the true mind and this will allow the mind to enter satiand samadhi (the collected and unwavering free mind).
    • Without thought, you are already aware and you don’t have to doanything to be aware. The natural state of your mind before your heedless thinking and stirring thought process, is actually stillness and tranquility. The reason why most people cannot realize that tranquil silent state of mind is that their thoughts are active throughout the day. Thoughts = mundane mind = thinking mind = conditioned arising or dependent originating mind. Understand this and your meditation will become easy. The mundane mind arises from your mental stirring borne of your own delusion.
    • Aware and silent the mind. Aware means relax and silent – no thinking. Don’t try to do anything. When you are silent, everything will slow downand cease and your original state of mind will return. This is real meditation. The moment you are without thought, your true mind is there. When there is mental activities (stirring of mind), thought arises, the mundane mind arises and there is delusion.
    • When you stabilize your true mind, you develop samadhi and your daily mindfulness will fall into place. Do not belief in what people say or what is shared here too, but inquire, reflect and investigate into all this and find out for yourself to see if this stand up to investigation. That is how you can develop the understanding to straighten our view.
    • 24 hours support means trying to maintain our awareness for as long as we can.
    • Trust your true nature
  1. Bro Teoh also shared the 3 hallmarks of Hui Neng’s teaching which lead directlyto the true mind having: No Thought, No Mark and No Dwelling.
  1. No thought = true mind. Without understanding the true mind, you cannot understand truth. You cannot realize your true mind if your spiritual faculties are not developed. Your mental hindrances prevent you from entering themeditative state of inner peace, inner calmness, well-being and awareness.
  2. The Buddha taught Anapanasati is to help you develop mindfulness of the in and out breath leading to heedfulness. With mindfulness (you are without thought), you will experience piti and joy. With Sati when you investigate the Dhamma(Dhammavicaya), Viriya will arise when the Dhamma stands up to investigation. Viriya will drive you to cultivate further and your Sati will stabilize, then Piti will arise. Then you are supposed to relax into all mind states and maintain awareness then Piti will become more and more refine until it cumulates into Sukha. Continue to relax and your mind will become very quiet and subtle, and the mind enters sati leading to Passaddhi (the tranquility and stillness of mind) which is still, aware and without thought with nothing within. Stabilize it further till the mind is in Samadhi. With Sati, Pasaddhi and Samadhi, you can see things as they are and you will awaken. Wisdom will be developed leading to the arising of the last enlightenment factor of upekkha.
  1. Having dhamma friends -> listening to the true dhamma -> faith in the Triple gem (Buddha and his teaching) -> Yoniso manasikara (initial wisdom) -> Sati Sampajjana (mindfulness and clear comprehension). Sati when stabilize leading to heedfulness. Heedfulness = ever mindful + constantly meditative (cultivating the N8FP). Heedfulness (sati sampajjana) -> develops sense restrain -> develops the 3 ways of right conduct -> cultivate the 4 foundation of mindfulness -> leading to the 7 factors of enlightenment -> true knowledge leading to enlightenment, will fulfil all the 10 steps as stated in the enlightenment cycle of the Avijja Sutta.
  1. The Buddha advice the Kalamas to investigate into all Truth told to them. If it is the truth it will stand up to investigation. It will also bring above more wholesomeness and be conducive for the good life.
  1. Take care of Karma and karma will take care of your life and you will have the good life. Realize the true mind and be awaken to the Truth.
  1. Without thought, you are just aware, and there is no fear, no worry, no anxiety, no sorrow, no lamentation and no problem. You are just calm, peaceful and at ease. This is wonderful living.
  1. Bro Joseph enquired when we are in Sati, is it ok for us to recall the positive and beautiful songs and enjoy them. Bro Teoh thank Joseph for the rather good question because it will give rise to causes and conditions for him to discuss this rather important topic concerning life especially how to live life which many do not understand. As long as you are mindful and you understand, you can listen to nice music and watch the video or any cinema show. You can also have good food if there is condition for you to have them. The only advice by the Buddha isnot to be attached, not to cling and not to have craving. When there is no condition to have them, just accept the reality of it and do not allow the cravingto make you miserable or unhappy.

Human beings problem is, when they recall through  memories their scars of memories, phobias, life’s problem etc. they develop the unnecessary fear,  worry and anxiety instead of resolving them amicably with wisdom and understanding borne of dhamma understanding.

Do not accumulate such psychological memories borne of wrong views. Treat memory like random access memory (RAM) as in a computer, only access them when need to use them. The memory can still be there (inside the brain) but we don’t go and hold onto or cling on to them all the time to arise the unnecessary fear, worry and anxiety. Just be aware and don’t get lost in it and don’t crave for it (if it is something pleasant that you desire/like).

(The above draft outline short notes is by Sister Angie)

With metta always,

Teoh
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Threefold Lotus (法華三部経 pinyin: fǎ huá sān bù jīng) – a very famous Mahayana sutra

Threefold Lotus Sutra

ThreefoldLotus Sutra

The Threefold Lotus Sutra (法華三部経 pinyin: fǎ huá sān bù jīng) is the composition of three complementary sutras that together form the “three-part Dharma flower sutra”:

1. The Innumerable Meanings Sutra (無量義經 Ch: Wú Liáng Yì Jīng), prologue to the Lotus Sutra.

2. The Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經 Ch: Miào Fǎ Lián Huá Jīng) itself.

3. The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue/Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra (普賢經 Ch: Pǔ Xián Jīng), epilogue to the Lotus Sutra.

They have been known collectively as the Threefold Lotus Sutra in China and Japan since ancient times.

1.0 Innumerable Meanings Sutra The Innumerable Meanings Sutra[1][2] also known as the Infinite Meanings Sutra (Sanskrit: अनन्त निर्देश सूत्र, Ananta Nirdeśa Sūtra; traditional Chinese: 無量義經; ; pinyin: wúliáng yì jīng; Japanese: Muryōgi Kyō; Korean: Muryangeui Gyeong) is a Mahayana buddhist text.

According to tradition, it was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmajātayaśas, an Indian monk, in 481,[3][4] however Buswell, Dolce and Muller describe it as an apocryphal Chinese text.[5][6][7]

It is part of the Threefold Lotus Sutra, along with the Lotus Sutra and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra. As such, many Mahayana Buddhists consider it the prologue to the Lotus Sutra, and Chapter one of the Lotus Sutra states that the Buddha taught the Infinite Meanings just before expounding the Lotus Sutra

Contents ·

1 Title ·

2 Outline of the Sutra

o 2.1 Virtues

o 2.2 Preaching

o 2.3 Ten Merits 1. Title [edit]

For Buddhists, the term ‘Innumerable Meanings’ or `Infinite Meanings’ is used in two senses. The first, used in the singular, refers to the true aspect of all things, the true nature of all forms in the universe. The second sense, used in the plural, refers to the countless appearances or phenomena of the physical, visible world. All of these countless appearances are brought forth by the one true, pure world – the true aspect of all things (the one true Dharma of non-form).

2.1 Virtue

This is the first chapter of the Innumerable Meanings Sūtra. It begins with the Buddha who is staying at the City of Royal Palaces on Vulture Peak, with a great assemblage of twelve thousand bhikṣus (monks), eighty thousand bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, as well as gods, dragons, yakṣas, spirits, and animals. Along with all these beings were bhikṣuṇīs (nuns), upāsakas (male laymen), upāsikās (female laymen), kings, princes, ministers, rich people, ordinary people, men and women alike. The Bodhisattvas are thus called mahāsattvas in the Threefold Lotus Sutra, because they have a great goal of obtaining supreme enlightenment (bodhi) and finally attaining Buddhahood by enlightening all beings. This chapter is called “Virtues” simply because all the beings in the assembly, no matter what “state” they were in, desired to praise the Buddha for his virtues (the precepts, meditation, wisdom, emancipation, and knowledge of emancipation) and excellence.[11] In doing so, they could sow their knowledge of the Buddha deep into their minds.

2.2 Preaching [edit]

In this chapter, the Buddha addresses the Great Adornment Bodhisattva and the other eighty thousand bodhisattvas in the assembly and explains to them that this sutra makes unawakened bodhisattvas accomplish perfect enlightenment “quickly”. If a bodhisattva wants to learn and master this doctrine of Innumerable Meanings, he “should observe that all [phenomena] were originally, will be, and are in themselves void in nature and form; they are neither great nor small, neither appearing nor disappearing, neither fixed nor movable, and neither advancing nor retreating; and they are non-dualistic, just emptiness.”[12]

In order to realize naturally what may emerge from all laws in the future, one must first penetrate and understand them deeply. By realizing this, one can realize that all laws remain settled for a vast number of eons, but even after a vast amount of time, they change.[13]

2.3 Ten Merits [edit]

The essence of this chapter is the urgent advice to master and practice the teaching of the sutra for the spiritual merit to be gained from it, the good life it leads to, and the usefulness to mankind and the world that it makes possible.[14] Mentioned earlier in this sutra, the teachings of the Buddha are the truth of the universe. It is no wonder and certainly no miracle, that if one lives according to the truth, his life works out well.[15]

Once again, Great Adornment Bodhisattva is present in the assembly and questions the Buddha about where the teaching comes from, its dwelling place, and what purpose it serves. The Buddha answered and said that the teaching originates in the innermost mind of all the buddhas; its purpose is to propel the minds of all man-kind to seek the wisdom of the buddhas; its dwelling place is in the performance of the Bodhisattva Path by all who seek perfect enlightenment.[16]

2.0 Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: सद्धर्मपुण्डरीक सूत्र Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, literally “Sūtra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma”[1]) is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras, and the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established. According to Paul Williams, “For many East Asian Buddhists since early times the Lotus Sutra contains the final teaching of the Buddha, complete and sufficient for salvation.”[2]

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Bro Teoh’s Thursday class 28 Feb 2019

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio and short notes links to our 28 Feb 2019 Thursday class for sharing by all.
7 factors of enlightenment video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJQdrzhThPc
 
 
With metta always,
Teoh
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Bro Teoh’s 19 Feb 2019 Tuesday class

Dear Kalyanamittas,
Below are the audio and short notes links to our 19th Feb 2019 Tuesday class for sharing by all.

Brother Teoh’s February 19 2019 Tuesday Class Short Notes

Book Reference: The Buddha and His Teachings – PATICCA SAMUPPADA (Chapter 25, Page 419 – 427)

1.  Bro Teoh reviewed the 12 links or dependent origination teaching of the Buddha. Although the text book described it as occurring over 3 life timesbut Bro Teoh emphasised that this 12 links teaching are consistently occurring within every moment of our lives. Birth as described in this 12 links teaching is not physical but mental birth manifesting into speech and actions (transgression). Upon contact, feelings immediately arise. Withoutwisdom it will condition craving and grasping, then becoming, thereby being: “born” i.e. manifesting into transgression. These are all mind-made.

2.      For puthujjana, their thinking (sankhara) are based on ignorance (avijja) and they tend to act from memory of past experiences via their views, opinions and mental conditioning. Whereas the ariya (enlightened noble being)having realized wisdom, view the world from their true nature andunderstanding. Their volition, perception and thinking are with wisdom i.e. no evil roots and their 5 aggregates are non-grasping (pure aggregates).

3.      Ignorance is not understanding Non-self and the 4 Noble Truths. It is also latent in moral activities. 

4.      Human birth takes place when the following 3 supporting conditions are present: 
a) A physical body (after conception of ovum and sperm) b) a rebirth consciousness c) kammic force (which becomes the life force) that comes from our karmic nature to pump our heart. (Reason why our blood also has this life force energy)

5.      Thus with Sati, we can be aware of our whole body where there is blood. Our nerves is spread throughout our body to signal to us when any problem appears in our body. When we have our mindfulness (Sati) developed we can detect these signs quickly and take action to heal ourselves.

6.      When the 3 supporting conditions are in place, the being will arise. But at conception the cells only start to subdivide. The being is not formed at this time yet…because No heartbeat. Soon the heart is the first organ to be formed with the life force within. Heartbeat begins by the 3rd week of conception. 

According to science the process of conception 
leading to fetus development are as follows:    
Month 1
  • The first month marks the conception with the implantation of the zygote on the uterine wall
  • Some of the multiplying cells develop into a baby while the rest form the placenta that nourishes the baby
  • The heartbeat begins by the 21st day and the spinal cord, nerves, and muscles start developing by the fourth week
Month 2
  • As you enter the second month, the tiny life is no more called a zygote but an embryo, which is just a fraction of an inch long
  • The heart and a basic blood circulatory system are in place
  • Pancreas, liver, and stomach are formed
  • The limb buds are distinct now
  • By the end of this month, all the facial features start developing

    Month 3

  • Starts developing muscles and bones, tooth buds, and fingers and toes. After ten weeks, the baby is called a fetus
  • By week 12, the fetus will measure around 3in and weigh an ounce
  • The skin is transparent
  • Eyelids are closed
  • Muscles and nerves are developing

    Month 4

  • Begins to suck with the mouth
  • The eyebrows, eyelashes, and fingernails have grown
  • Fingerprints are evident
  • The skin has a wrinkled appearance
  • The kidneys start functioning by producing urine
  • Sex determination is possible by this month through anultrasound scan
  • Bowel movements start and meconium is produced in the intestinal tract

    Month 5

  • Measures 6in and 9oz
  • The movements become more distinct and frequent
  • The skin develops fine hair called lanugo and a waxy coating called vernix for protecting and covering the thin skin
  • Can start hearing and swallowing

    Month 6

  • Measures around 12in and weighs about 2lb
  • The bone marrow begins formation of red blood cells
  • Taste buds are formed
  • Lungs develop but not completely
  • The eyes begin to open and the hair starts growing
  • Develops reflexes
  • Genitals are developing faster with boys having testicles descending into scrotum and girls having ovaries with eggs for the lifetime

7.      The Gateway to our nature and the Seat of Consciousness are within our heart area. The feeling or emotion body also resides within this heart.  

(Above draft is by Sister Hooi Yoon Chun)

With metta always,
Teoh

2019 Tuesday classF1outline short notes