Wierdly, this same Nine Palace array (九宫格) is used in a faddy Japanese numbers game, Sudoku. At left is an example of the beginning of one of these games, which are solitary like crossword, and are said to have addictive qualities. I view this game as a mental pollution. An ancient way of understanding the world has been perverted into a way to simply be entangled in your own mind.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
… is the best of all possible worlds. Here’s proof – my latest translation:
Namtso Lake shore has a “pathway through the spirit world”.
〝在西藏许多圣地寺庙周围都有不同形式的 “安全检查站”，纳木错湖畔的 “阴间通道” 比其他的 “检查站”，其测式难度有过之而无不及。信徒们在这里经历了一此 “安全检查站” 后，不关顺不顺利，都要去转经。在转经的路上，我听到他们在议论一则体验业障的古老传说：相传很久一前，有一个屠夫想宰杀一只绵羊，宰杀前，把匕首放在捆好的绵羊旁，自己跑出去解手。这是，绵羊用羊蹄跑开土，把匕首掩埋了起来，眼里噙满泪水。屠夫回来看到此景，顿时生出从未有过的怜悯之心。他想，连畜生都如此怕死，而我虽为人生，却靠杀生过日子，真是犯下了滔天罪行。与其活着，还不如一死了之，想着想着，他就放下匕首，从悬崖跳下。因了他顿生的出离之心，他死后成佛了。
In Tibet, the perimeters of many sacred places and temples have different forms of “safety inspection stations,” but this one is more difficult to pass and there is none other that comes up to it. After believers have passed a number of “safety inspection stations,” no matter whether the outcome was favorable or not, they all want to turn their prayer wheels (i.e., continue on pilgrimage). On the pilgrimage road, I heard an old story about an examination of karma which went: ‘It has been passed down from a long time ago that there was a butcher who was going to slaughter a sheep, but before slaughtering, he laid his dagger down beside the sheep which was bound up to be slaughtered, and went to relieve himself. At that time the sheep used its hoof to paw open the ground, and buried the dagger, its whole face covered with tears running down. When the butcher returned and saw this, all at once he brought forth a compassionate mind that he had never had before. He thought, even animals fear death in this way, and although I have taken a human birth, I depend on killing animals for a living, which is certainly to commit monstrous crimes. And in living (this way) it’s not as (good as) simply dying, he was thinking and thinking, and then he just laid down his dagger and jumped off the hanging cliff. Because of the suddenly arising mind (of compassion) with which he left the world, he became a Buddha after death.’
〝这一切过程，被一个正在山洞里修行的喇嘛看见了。他想，屠夫的一生以杀生为业，他的业障极其可重，我身为喇嘛，皈依佛门，许多年在这儿修行，他屠夫向能成佛，我喇嘛必能成佛无疑。带着嫉妒，他从山洞里走出来跳下悬崖，然而，他却没有成佛，反而粉身碎骨。以此说明，业障大小不能从我们所看到的外在行为论断，正如屠夫和喇嘛，屠夫虽以杀生之业，但他的心是纯净的，以死忏悔自己的罪行，则可以成佛。而喇嘛虽身在山洞，远离尘世，但他的心是没有净化，深存嫉妒，不具备成佛之条件。
This whole scenario was observed by a lama practicing in a mountain cave. He thought: this butcher had a whole life’s karma of killing beings, and his karma was certainly extremely heavy. I am a lama, who has taken Refuge as a Buddhist, and who has practiced here for many years, and since that butcher could become a Buddha, I, a lama, can necessarily become a Buddha without doubt. So holding jealousy, he walked out of his cave and jumped off the hanging cliff. And it came to pass that not only did he not become a Buddha, but his body was crushed and his bones were broken. By way of explanation, the amount of karma cannot be determined from the external behaviors that we can see. Just as in the case of the butcher and the lama — although the butcher had the karma of killing beings, his heart was pure, and by his death he repented for his crimes, and so he could become a Buddha. But although the lama’s body was in a mountain cave, far away from the profane world, his heart had not been purified, and had deep jealousy, and he had not prepared the conditions of becoming a Buddha.
I’ve kept my comments to a minimum on this one. The story speaks for itself.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
Read the whole story (Chinese language)
I don’t have time to translate this, because I’m having too much fun dancing Obon with Buddhists who have lives. I hope by the time I’m finished doing that, this story will have hit the Western mainstream press.
This is inevitably what happens to lineage heads who attack God’s Saints, and I guarantee you, it’s only the beginning, folks! Get out the popcorn, the sushi stash, and the boiled peanuts. It’s going to be a long show.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
黄女士赶走个喇嘛 Laywoman Huang puts paid to a Lama
In general, when dealing with bottom-feeding lamas of this ilk, you should immediately take Refuge in another lineage. Do not wait until it gets to the symptoms that were demonstrated here, which means that the lamas have ganged together to use “wrathful practices” on you, which they routinely will do just because you disagreed with them, actually practiced to fruition (which threatens them), were effective in actually helping another human being (which also threatens them), or have knowledge that could be used against them. You cannot fight this as an individual. You must take Refuge elsewhere.
In general, I have put my comments about this on the document itself. It will be of interest to anyone who has ever had anything to do with a lama, or is considering doing so. Li Shan Dan himself is a bona fide Vajra Master (the Vajrayana is implicit even in Hinayana Buddhism), and he represents what the Vajrayana can become apart from Central Asian shamanism, isolation, and theocratic tom-foolery i.e., something really worthwhile.
Namu Amida Butsu
Xing Ping
My attempts to arrive at more relevant material by Xuecheng Fashi have been blocked. No doubt the Mahasangha needs more time to absorb what I have already translated. So I have decided to return to another unfinished translation project.
American Buddhist home schoolers, your lesson plan grief is over ! Dig H. S. Olcott's Excellent Buddhist Catechism.
