Greg/ More on bhakti

[Guest guest]

Dearest Greg-Ji,

 

Thanks for sharing that beautiful story and your heart. It made my eyes

moist.

 

As I get older, I don't know if I am getting more devotional or just plain

emotional! :-).

 

For those who don't know, Greg-Ji is a master philosopher (and has a

doctorate in philosophy), and has one of the finest minds we have

encountered. Like many Ph.D.s in philosophy, who chose not to teach, he has

found his profession in the software sciences. Greg is nevertheless a

wonderful teacher. Greg is a logician and an analyst of the highest rank and

his knowledge of the different spiritual paths is quite comprehensive.

 

We were the recipient of Sri Greg-ji's many gifts at the retreat. His

smiling and joyous face can be found in many of the retreat picture. Thank

you all.

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

 

Greg Goode [goode]

Wednesday, August 09, 2000 8:02 PM

; advaitin ;

More on bhakti

 

 

I would like to join in the spirit begun by Harsha-ji and Frank-ji on the

larger subject of devotion. Thanks to both of you for recently and in the

past expressing these sentiments about Ramana Maharshi.

 

Please, if I may, this may come from a slightly different angle -- but

along the same general lines as Harsha-ji and Frank-ji's offerings. For

me, my devotion is towards Amitabha Buddha, and I pay respects to Him

every day with chanting, incense, circumambulation and other offerings, etc.

 

Amitabha's main story is told in two Mahayana sutras from the Pure Land

School of Buddhism -- the Shorter and Longer Sukhavati-vyuha Sutras (the

sutras on the Display of the World of Bliss).

 

Briefly, these sutras are narrated by Shakyamuni Buddha and tell of the

grace and saving power of Amitabha Buddha (the Buddha of Infinite Light and

Infinite Life). Eons ago, before Amitabha was a buddha, he was Bodhisattva

Dharmakara. With the help of a buddha of the distant past (Buddha

Lokeshvararaja), Dharmakara was inspired to practice for the salvation not

only of himself, but of all beings. He practiced for eons and created a

"Buddha-field" called the Western Pure Land, where all beings can practice

to perfection, and will not retrogress into samsara unless they choose to

do so from a Bodhisattva vow to save all beings. Dharmakara made a series

of 47 vows on his path to Buddhahood. These vows amount to Dharmakara's

refusal of Buddhahood for himself until all those who desire unsurpassable

awakening and remember his name are reborn in his Pure Land.

 

To me, this is a magnificent set of vows and wonderful movement of Grace.

The vows' fulfillment is also magnificent. Because of Amitabha's effort

and the grace of previous buddhas, Dharmakara is now Buddha Amitabha.

Therefore, according to the sutras, all his if-then statements have been

fulfilled. So it is NOW the case that all who have faith in these vows and

sincerely desire unsurpassed awakening are able to achieve it, without

fail! That is, through Amitabha's grace, our awakening is guaranteed,

actually already the case. The Pure Land, according to one's

interpretation of the sutras and commentaries, can be interpreted either as

noumenon, or a land of phenomenal bliss of all kinds.

 

Thanks for opening this thread!

 

Om!

 

--Greg

 

 

 

 

//

 

All paths go somewhere. No path goes nowhere. Paths, places, sights,

perceptions, and indeed all experiences arise from and exist in and subside

back into the Space of Awareness. Like waves rising are not different than

the ocean, all things arising from Awareness are of the nature of Awareness.

Awareness does not come and go but is always Present. It is Home. Home is

where the Heart Is. Jnanis know the Heart to be the Finality of Eternal

Being. A true devotee relishes in the Truth of Self-Knowledge, spontaneously

arising from within into It Self. Welcome all to a.

 

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