Basic Knowledge of Buddhism

Namo Maitreya Bodhisattva The image of Maitreya Bodhisattva originates from the Bu Dai (Magic Bag) Monk in the Song Dynasty of China. With a big smile and big belly, the image of Maitreya Bodhisattva apparently symbolizes joy and regarding all living beings as equal. From him one learns to expand the mental dimension, to take on things and to renounce them if necessary, and to be all-embracing. Consequently, one will have a magnanimous mind, great blessings, excellent health, longevity and accomplishment in what one pursues.

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The Heavenly King who Upholds his Country of the East (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

The name “Dhṛtarāṣṭra” means “He who maintains the state”. If everyone in a society fully carries out his/her duties, stability and prosperity of individuals, families, careers, and the society as a whole will be maintained, which will sustain world peace. The Chinese lute held by the Heavenly King of the East represents the Middle Way in that its strings should be neither too loose nor too tight. Too loose it does not sound and too tight it breaks. Therefore, the way we behave should be appropriate. Avoid extremes; underdoing is just as bad as overdoing.

The Heavenly King of Increase and Growth of the South (Virūḍhaka)

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The name “Virūḍhaka” means “Patron of Growth”. “Growth” means “improvement” that we refer to nowadays, which corresponds to the Confucian notion of “renew ourselves every day and renew ourselves day after day” as well as the joyous perseverance in Buddhism. The Heavenly King of the South teaches us that it is not enough to perform our duties well, we also need to improve ourselves in terms of virtue, knowledge, technologies, and the level of living, because not to advance is to go back. Thus, Buddhism is never conservative or behind the times. Instead, it is always abreast of the times. As it requires highly perfect wisdom to lead the times, the sword that the Heavenly King of the South holds is the Sword of Wisdom.

The Heavenly King of the Broad Eyes of the West (Virūpākṣa)

The name “Virūpākṣa” means “He who sees all”. As his name indicates, the Heavenly King of the West has a discerning eye, and he is good at learning from others’ strengths and his own experiences. One of his hands holds a dragon or snake which represents changes. Everything in the society, people, things and objects, are changing all the time, so we have to see carefully and clearly to respond with ease. His other hand takes a pearl, which means the unchangeable, teaching people to meet changes with constancy, to find out the unchangeable principles amid changes, and to have a settled mind.

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The Heavenly King of Learning of the North (Vaiśravana) Vaiśravana teaches us to engage in leaning and expand our knowledge, as stated by a Chinese proverb, “Reading thousands of books, traveling thousands of miles.” He carries an umbrella which is a symbol of his sovereignty, preventing various pollutions in this ever changing world. While learning broadly and comprehensively, we need to take particular care to protect our pure mind to be like a lotus flower that comes up through the mud but remains undefiled.

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Namo Earth Store Bodhisatta of Great Vows (Namo Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of Great Vows) “Earth” refers to our mind and “Store” treasure troves. The mind of living beings has innate immeasurable virtue and ability, immeasurable wisdom, immeasurable talent and skill. Then how to access such treasures? Filial piety is the only way. The only method for uncovering the treasure troves in our mind is filial piety to our parents and reverence for teachers. The Buddha’s teaching is about respecting the teachers that is based on filial piety. Therefore, the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, which is the sutra on filial piety, is the most essential basis of great perfection.

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Namo Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva of Great Compassion (Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva of Great Compassion) Extending the filial piety to parents and reference for teachers to great compassion to all living beings is a significant meaning that Contemplator of the World’s Sounds (Gwan Shir Yin) Bodhisattva symbolizes. Treat all the living beings with kind heart, kind thoughts and kind conducts; discriminate no nations, races, you or me; be harmoniously together; treat others equally, respect and care for each other, uninterruptedly.

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Namo Manjushri Bodhisattva of Great WisdomManjushri Bodhisattva represents wisdom and rationality. In Buddhism, compassion is the essential and expedients are means. If there is no wisdom and rationality and the so-called compassion and expedience are based only on personal feelings, compassion often incurs misfortunes and convenience often leads to degeneration, bringing endless problems. Therefore, compassion and filial piety must be built on wisdom and rationality.

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Namo Universal Worthy Bodhisattva of Great Conduct (Namo Samantabhadra Bodhisattva of Great Conduct) The Universal WorthyBodhisattva symbolizes actual conduct. If filial piety, compassion, and wisdom cannot be practiced in one’s life and the way one behaves, it is meaningless and becomes empty talk. Thus, the Universal Worthy Bodhisattva teaches us to put the teachings of the Earth Store Bodhisattva of Great Vows, the Contemplator of the World’s Sounds Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, and the Manjushri Bodhisattva of Great wisdom into concrete practice.

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Namo Amitabha Amitabha Buddha is the Buddha of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. The name “Amitabha” is a Sanskrit word which means “Infinite Light”. He has another name Amitayus, which means “Infinite Life”. “Buddha” means enlightenment. Amitabha Buddha symbolizes that in our innate nature and virtue there are infinite wisdom, infinite virtues, capabilities, arts, talent and fortune. Of the infinitely infinite, light and life are the foremost, so he is named Infinite Light and Infinite Life. To greet others by saying “Amitabha Buddha” is giving others best wishes.

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha Shakyamuni Buddha is the Buddha of this Saha World and the originator of the Buddhist teachings. All the sutras we have now were spoken by him in his 49 years of teaching. A Buddha’s name represents Dharma. Shakyamuni is a Sanskrit word which means "able to be humane"; we should be humane to all the living beings. Muni means purity; we should be pure.

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The Buddha teaches living beings to be humane, universally loving, pure and undefiled by his name.

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Offerings are teaching tools

Incense – symbolizes “faith”. Incense represents the True Fragrance of Precepts and Concentration, so seeing and smelling the incense remind us that the purpose of our study and practice is to cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom.Lamp– symbolizes burning ourselves to enlighten others. Everyone should have the spirit of devotion, be willing to sacrifice oneself for others and serve the society. Lamp also represents wisdom and light. Water – When we offer a glass of water to the Buddha, think that our mind is as pure and equal as water.Flowers and Fruit – Offering flowers and fruits means producing good causes and getting good results. They remind us to deeply believe in cause-and-effect, keep a kind heart, speak kind words, do good deeds and be a good person.

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Why do we make offerings to Buddha statues?

Making offerings to Buddha statues has two meanings. First, it is to repay gratitude. All beings have bestowed favour on us, among them our teachers have given grace to us most. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are our teachers, and only when we accept their teachings are we truly awakened and our Dharma-body and wisdom-life realized. Thus, making offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is to commemorate our teachers and to honour the memory of them. The second meaning, to emulate a worthy person when we see one, is most important. It was from an ordinary person that the Buddha began his cultivation to attain Buddhahood, therefore making offerings to the Buddha reminds us to emulate him to become a Buddha. We need to learn the Buddha’s intention and aspiration. We should follow the Buddha in every respect, be it daily life, work, and how we respond to things, objects and persons. It is wrong to regard Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as deities, for it is a superstitious belief that turns Buddhism into a religion, making it no longer an education.

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There are six paths of rebirth:1. Heavenly Beings2. Asuras 3. Humans4. Animals5. Hungry ghosts6. Hell-beings.

Among them the upper three are good paths and the lower three are evil paths.

Ten Dharma Realms

佛：佛陀的意义是“觉者”或者“智者”，是觉了宇宙人生真相，拥有究竟圆满智慧的人。

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The Four Holy Spiritual Realms

Buddha (佛) means a fully enlightened person or a wise person, a person who is completely enlightened of the truth of the universe and life, possessing perfect wisdom.

Bodhisattva (菩萨) literally means one who enlightens sentient beings, enlightening oneself as well as enlightening all the sentient beings. The Bodhisattva brings forth great compassion, and in addition to transforming his own afflictions, he cultivates all the practices to benefit both himself and others, gradually perfecting all the merit and virtue.

Pratyeka-buddha (缘觉) means one who is enlightened through hearing the Twelve Links spoken by the Buddha.

Srāvaka (声闻), a hearer, a term applied to the practitioners who practice the Buddha’s teaching, realize the Truths of Suffering, Accumulation, Cessation, and the Way, follow the Eightfold Path, and attain self-liberation from transmigration in the six realms.

The six realms of cyclic existence are heaven, asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell. Among the six realms, heavenly beings are the most happy and the hell beings suffer most. The first three are three good paths and the other three are three evil paths. It is Ten Wholesome Deeds that determine whether one is reborn in the three good paths or the three evil paths. The Ten Wholesome Deeds are: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no harsh speech, no divisive speech, no irresponsible speech, no greed, no anger, no ignorance. These Ten Wholesome Deeds are the ten fundamental precepts of the World Honored One, and the dharma which enables one to be reborn as a human or a heavenly being, as well as the basis of all the precepts.

Practice Ten Wholesome Deeds, one will be born in the Three Good Paths; whereas create bad karma and indulge in greed, hatred and ignorance, one will fall into the Three Evil Paths.

Three Good Paths

Practicing the upper grade Ten Wholesome Deeds, without a single shred of evil brings about rebirth in the heavens. Of the Three Good Paths, heavenly beings, normally called deities, enjoy the most happiness.

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Practicing the middle grade Ten Wholesome Deeds brings about rebirth in the human realm. The most essential basis for rebirth in as a human is five virtues and five precepts. Five virtues are humanness, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness; five precepts are no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying and no intoxicants.

Practicing the lower grade Ten Wholesome Deeds brings about rebirth in the realm of asuras, also called the realm of non-heaven, where one lives enjoying as much bliss as heavenly beings yet without the virtues of heavenly beings.

Three Evil Paths

Failing to practice Ten Wholesome Deeds, failing to guard the body, speech and mind, and committing the Ten Unwholesome Deeds lead to three evil paths.

Indulging in greed, craving fame, profit, wealth, and sensual pleasure, is the cause for rebirth in the realm of hungry ghosts, which will merit falling into the realm of hungry ghosts.

Indulging in hatred, jealousy, and obstructing others causes falling into the hells.

Ignorance, and reversing right and wrong, good and evil, cause rebirth in the realm of animals.

Therefore, one will definitely fall into the three evil paths if greed, hatred and ignorance are not extinguished.

Namo Great Strength Bodhisattva

“The one who has attained Great Strength”

The Great Strength Bodhisattva is the embodiment of wisdom and filial piety. His light of wisdom will guide you away from evil. Together with Amitabha Buddha and Guan Yin Bodhisattva, they are known as the Three Sages of the Pure Land.

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We pay homage to the Great Strength Bodhisattva by paying respect to our parents, ancestors, teachers and elders.

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