Results

“Monks, gather close, for I will speak of the weight of our actions. Know that each act, no matter how small, creates ripples across time and space, shaping not only our lives but the lives that follow. Just as a drop of dye colors an entire pot of water, so too does each action influence the mind and soul. Listen well to understand the paths that lead to suffering and the ways to free oneself from their snares.

“Consider the taking of life, monks. When one becomes accustomed to extinguishing the spark of life, they open a door to dark realms. The desire to harm, once indulged, grows stronger, binding the heart with cords of cruelty. Such actions bring one to places where suffering is endless—hells of unimaginable pain, lives spent as hunted animals, or realms where souls wander, craving what they can never obtain. Even when one returns to the human realm, the stain remains. A person who once took life may find themselves plagued by sickness and danger, their lifespan shortened as if it were withering before their eyes.

“To cleanse this tendency, monks, cultivate compassion. Let each being be precious in your eyes, from the tiniest insect to the grandest creature. Reflect upon the sacredness of life, and understand that each creature clings to existence, just as you do. Practice metta, loving-kindness, toward all beings, extending it even to those who might harm you. For as you protect life, you weave a shield of gentleness around yourself, creating conditions for health, longevity, and peace.

“Now, think of the act of stealing. When one grows accustomed to taking what is not given, they foster a spirit of greed and entitlement. Such actions, indulged in, lead to lives of poverty, rebirth as creatures that scavenge and struggle, or realms where beings eternally reach for what they cannot have. Even upon returning to human form, one who has stolen may find themselves constantly losing wealth, possessions, or opportunities. It is as if a hole opens within them, through which all they gather slips away.

“To overcome this craving, practice generosity. Give freely and joyfully, whether it be a coin, a kind word, or the gift of your time. Learn the art of letting go, understanding that true wealth is not in possessions but in a spirit unburdened by greed. The more you give, the more you create conditions for abundance to flow back to you, and in this way, you transform the very nature of your existence.

“Then there is illicit sexual behavior. When one pursues physical desires without regard for others’ well-being, they plant seeds of betrayal, jealousy, and disharmony. Such acts, when pursued as a habit, lead to lives dominated by rivalry and revenge, or rebirth as creatures driven by primal instincts. Even as a human, one who has followed this path may find themselves ensnared in webs of jealousy, mistrust, and heartbreak. Their relationships become fragile, unable to bear the weight of deceit.

“To counter this, cultivate respect and self-control. See others not as objects of desire but as fellow travelers in this journey. Practice contentment and guard your mind against temptations that arise. Treat each relationship as a sacred bond, nurtured with trust and respect. As you honor others, you will find yourself surrounded by relationships filled with harmony, loyalty, and understanding.

“Speaking falsehoods is a grave misdeed, monks. When one becomes accustomed to lying, reality itself begins to unravel. Lies drag the mind into confusion, creating an endless web of deceit. Such actions lead to realms of illusion and misery, to rebirth as creatures where deception reigns. Even as a human, one who lies may find themselves doubted, mistrusted, and falsely accused. It is as if the very world mirrors their own untruths back to them.

“To purify the mind, embrace truthfulness. Let your words align with reality, and speak only that which is genuine and beneficial. Speak with the intention to uplift, never to mislead. By embracing truth, you build a foundation of trust, and you open the doors to wisdom, clarity, and peace.

“Divisive tale-bearing is another perilous path. When one becomes a bearer of discord, separating friends and allies, they plant seeds of loneliness and isolation. This act leads to realms of alienation, to rebirth in forms where connection is absent, and even as a human, such a person finds themselves abandoned, with friendships easily broken and trust hard to come by.

“To counteract divisiveness, practice words that unify and connect. Speak in ways that build bridges, that heal wounds, and that bring others together. Let your words be a balm to those in conflict, fostering harmony and friendship. As you cultivate unity, you will find yourself surrounded by friends and loved ones, your life enriched by bonds that cannot be broken.

“Harsh speech, monks, is another door to suffering. When one becomes accustomed to harsh, angry words, they grow a heart hardened by bitterness. Such speech, indulged in, leads to realms where cruelty abounds, or rebirth in forms where gentleness is unknown. Even in human form, one who has spoken harshly finds themselves surrounded by discordant sounds, unable to enjoy the beauty of kind words and laughter.

“To transform this, speak with gentleness. Let your words soothe, uplift, and encourage. Choose to be kind, even when others are harsh, and in time, you will find that gentleness returns to you, as your life is filled with words that comfort and inspire.

“Then there is frivolous chattering. When one becomes lost in empty speech, their mind drifts, unanchored. Such speech leads to realms of meaninglessness, rebirth in forms where purpose is absent. Even as a human, one who chatters idly may find that their words carry no weight, that others hear but do not listen.

“To remedy this, cultivate meaningful speech. Speak only that which is valuable, and let your words serve a purpose. Whether teaching, consoling, or sharing joy, let each word have substance. This way, your speech becomes a vessel of wisdom, and others will listen to you with open hearts.

“Lastly, consider the drinking of fermented and distilled liquors. When one indulges in substances that cloud the mind, they surrender their clarity and judgment. This path leads to lives marked by confusion, or rebirth as creatures wandering in ignorance. Even as a human, one who drinks excessively finds their mind disturbed, their thoughts disordered, and their peace shattered.

“To cultivate clarity, monks, embrace mindfulness and temperance. See the mind as a precious, delicate instrument, one that must be cared for with wisdom. Reject substances that cloud judgment and practice awareness in every moment, letting each thought and action flow from a mind that is clear, sharp, and focused.

“Remember, monks, that every deed sows a seed. Our actions are not mere whims; they are forces that shape the entire fabric of our existence. Just as a skilled gardener chooses each seed with care, so too must you choose your actions wisely. Plant seeds of kindness, truth, compassion, and wisdom, and they will grow into a life of peace and fulfillment.

“And so, dear monks, walk this path with awareness, cultivating virtues that elevate the mind and heart. For each good deed, each kind word, and each mindful action serves as a beacon, guiding you away from suffering and towards the shores of enlightenment, where peace and joy await.”

Link: https://wisdomtea.org/2024/11/14/results/

An Analysis of the Truths

I heard that the Blessed One was staying near Bārānasī in the Deer Park at Isipatana. Addressing the monks, he said, “Monks, near Bārānasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata—worthy and rightly self-awakened—set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by any contemplative, brahman, deva, Māra, Brahmā, or anyone else in the cosmos. This Wheel of Dhamma includes the declaration, teaching, description, setting-forth, revelation, explanation, and making-plain of the four noble truths: the noble truth of stress, the noble truth of the origination of stress, the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of stress.

“Monks, associate with Sāriputta and Moggallāna, who are wise and sympathetic towards their fellow monks in the holy life. Sāriputta is like a mother giving birth, training others to the fruit of stream-entry, while Moggallāna is like a nurse raising the child, leading others to the highest goal.”

After the Blessed One left, Ven. Sāriputta addressed the monks, “Friends, near Bārānasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by anyone in the cosmos. This Wheel of Dhamma includes the declaration, teaching, description, setting-forth, revelation, explanation, and making-plain of the four noble truths: the noble truth of stress, the noble truth of the origination of stress, the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of stress.

“Now, friends, what is the noble truth of stress? Birth is stressful, aging is stressful, death is stressful; sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair are stressful; not getting what is wanted is stressful. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are stressful.

“What is birth? It is the birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, and acquisition of sense spheres of beings. What is aging? It is the aging, decrepitude, breaking down, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, and weakening of faculties of beings. What is death? It is the deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, completion of time, break-up of aggregates, casting off of the body, and interruption of the life faculty of beings. What is sorrow? It is the sorrow, sorrowing, sadness, inward sorrow, and inward sadness of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing. What is lamentation? It is the crying, grieving, lamenting, weeping, wailing, and lamentation of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing. What is pain? It is the bodily pain, bodily discomfort, pain, or discomfort born of bodily contact. What is distress? It is the mental pain, mental discomfort, pain, or discomfort born of mental contact. What is despair? It is the despair, despondency, and desperation of anyone suffering from misfortune, touched by a painful thing. What is the stress of not getting what is wanted? It is the wish for freedom from birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair, which cannot be achieved by wishing. The five clinging-aggregates are the form clinging-aggregate, the feeling clinging-aggregate, the perception clinging-aggregate, the fabrication clinging-aggregate, and the consciousness clinging-aggregate. These are called the five clinging-aggregates that are stressful.

“This, friends, is called the noble truth of stress.

“What, friends, is the noble truth of the origination of stress? It is the craving that leads to further becoming—accompanied by passion and delight, relishing now here and now there. This includes craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, and craving for non-becoming.

“This is called the noble truth of the origination of stress.

“What, friends, is the noble truth of the cessation of stress? It is the remainderless fading and cessation, renunciation, relinquishment, release, and letting go of that very craving.

“This is called the noble truth of the cessation of stress.

“What, friends, is the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of stress? It is the noble eightfold path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

“What is right view? It is the knowledge of stress, the knowledge of the origination of stress, the knowledge of the cessation of stress, and the knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of stress. This is called right view.

“What is right resolve? It is the resolve for renunciation, freedom from ill will, and harmlessness. This is called right resolve.

“What is right speech? It is abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter. This is called right speech.

“What is right action? It is abstaining from taking life, stealing, and sexual misconduct. This is called right action.

“What is right livelihood? It is the case where a disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps his life going with right livelihood. This is called right livelihood.

“What is right effort? It is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, arouses persistence, upholds, and exerts his intent for the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen, for the abandoning of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen, for the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen, and for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, and culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen. This is called right effort.

“What is right mindfulness? It is the case where a monk remains focused on the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in and of themselves, the mind in and of itself, and mental qualities in and of themselves—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. This is called right mindfulness.

“What is right concentration? It is the case where a monk, quite secluded from sensuality and unskillful qualities, enters and remains in the first jhāna: rapture and pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. With the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, he enters and remains in the second jhāna: rapture and pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation—internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, and alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters and remains in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous and mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.’ With the abandoning of pleasure and pain—as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress—he enters and remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain. This is called right concentration.

“This is called the noble truth of the path leading to the cessation of stress.

“Friends, near Bārānasī, in the Deer Park at Isipatana, the Tathāgata—worthy and rightly self-awakened—set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by anyone in the cosmos, declaring these four noble truths.”

Link: https://wisdomtea.org/2024/07/04/an-analysis-of-the-truths/

Inconceivable Skill in Liberative Technique

At that time, there lived in the great city of Vaisali a certain Licchavi, Vimalakirti by name. Having served the ancient Buddhas, he had generated the roots of virtue by honoring them and making offerings to them. He had attained tolerance as well as eloquence. He played with the great super-knowledge’s. He had attained the power of incantations and the fearlessnesses. He had conquered all demons and opponents. He had penetrated the profound way of the Dharma. He was liberated through the transcendence of wisdom. Having integrated his realization with skill in liberative technique, he was expert in knowing the thoughts and actions of living beings. Knowing the strength or weakness of their faculties, and being gifted with unrivaled eloquence, he taught the Dharma appropriately to each. Having applied himself energetically to the Mahayana, he understood it and accomplished his tasks with great finesse. He lived with the deportment of a Buddha, and his superior intelligence was as wide as an ocean. He was praised, honored, and commended by all the Buddhas and was respected by Indra, Brahma, and all the Lokapalas. In order to develop living beings with his skill in liberative technique, he lived in the great city of Vaisali. His wealth was inexhaustible for the purpose of sustaining the poor and the helpless. He observed a pure morality in order to protect the immoral. He maintained tolerance and self-control in order to reconcile beings who were angry, cruel, violent, and brutal. He blazed with energy in order to inspire people who were lazy. He maintained concentration, mindfulness, and meditation in order to sustain the mentally troubled. He attained decisive wisdom in order to sustain the foolish. He wore the white clothes of the layman, yet lived impeccably like a religious devotee. He lived at home, but remained aloof from the realm of desire, the realm of pure matter, and the immaterial realm. He had a son, a wife, and female attendants, yet always maintained continence. He appeared to be surrounded by servants, yet lived in solitude. He appeared to be adorned with ornaments, yet always was endowed with the auspicious signs and marks. He seemed to eat and drink, yet always took nourishment from the taste of meditation. He made his appearance at the fields of sports and in the casinos, but his aim was always to mature those people who were attached to games and gambling. He visited the fashionable heterodox teachers, yet always kept unswerving loyalty to the Buddha. He understood the mundane and transcendental sciences and esoteric practices, yet always took pleasure in the delights of the Dharma. He mixed in all crowds, yet was respected as foremost of all. In order to be in harmony with people, he associated with elders, with those of middle age, and with the young, yet always spoke in harmony with the Dharma. He engaged in all sorts of businesses, yet had no interest in profit or possessions. To train living beings, he would appear at crossroads and on street corners, and to protect them he participated in government. To turn people away from the Hinayana and to engage them in the Mahayana, he appeared among listeners and teachers of the Dharma. To develop children, he visited all the schools. To demonstrate the evils of desire, he even entered the brothels. To establish drunkards in correct mindfulness, he entered all the cabarets. He was honored as the businessman among businessmen because he demonstrated the priority of the Dharma. He was honored as the landlord among landlords because he renounced the aggressiveness of ownership. He was honored as the warrior among warriors because he cultivated endurance, determination, and fortitude. He was honored as the aristocrat among aristocrats because he suppressed pride, vanity, and arrogance. He was honored as the official among officials because he regulated the functions of government according to the Dharma. He was honored as the prince of princes because he reversed their attachment to royal pleasures and sovereign power. He was honored as a eunuch in the royal harem because he taught the young ladies according to the Dharma. He was compatible with ordinary people because he appreciated the excellence of ordinary merits. He was honored as the Indra among Indra’s because he showed them the temporality of their lordship. He was honored as the Brahma among Brahmas because he showed them the special excellence of gnosis. He was honored as the Lokapala among Lokapalas because he fostered the development of all living beings. Thus lived the Licchavi Vimalakirti in the great city of Vaisali, endowed with an infinite knowledge of skill in liberative techniques. At that time, out of this very skill in liberative technique, Vimalakirti manifested himself as if sick. To inquire after his health, the king, the officials, the lords, the youths, the aristocrats, the householders, the businessmen, the town-folk, the country-folk, and thousands of other living beings came forth from the great city of Vaisali and called on the invalid. When they arrived, Vimalakirti taught them the Dharma, beginning his discourse from the actuality of the four main elements: “Friends, this body is so impermanent, fragile, unworthy of confidence, and feeble. It is so insubstantial, perishable, short-lived, painful, filled with diseases, and subject to changes. Thus, my friends, as this body is only a vessel of many sicknesses, wise men do not rely on it. This body is like a ball of foam, unable to bear any pressure. It is like a water bubble, not remaining very long. It is like a mirage, born from the appetites of the passions. It is like the trunk of the plantain tree, having no core. Alas! This body is like a machine, a nexus of bones and tendons. It is like a magical illusion, consisting of falsifications. It is like a dream, being an unreal vision. It is like a reflection, being the image of former actions. It is like an echo, being dependent on conditioning. It is like a cloud, being characterized by turbulence and dissolution. It is like a flash of lightning, being unstable, and decaying every moment. The body is ownerless, being the product of a variety of conditions. “This body is inert, like the earth; selfless, like water; lifeless, like fire; impersonal, like the wind; and non-substantial, like space. This body is unreal, being a collocation of the four main elements. It is void, not existing as self or as self-possessed. It is inanimate, being like grass, trees, walls, clods of earth, and hallucinations. It is insensate, being driven like a windmill. It is filthy, being an agglomeration of pus and excrement. It is false, being fated to be broken and destroyed, in spite of being anointed and massaged. It is afflicted by the four hundred and four diseases. It is like an ancient well, constantly overwhelmed by old age. Its duration is never certain – certain only is its end in death. This body is a combination of aggregates, elements, and sense-media, which are comparable to murderers, poisonous snakes, and an empty town, respectively. Therefore, such a body should repulse you. You should despair of it and should arouse your admiration for the body of the Tathágata. “Friends, the body of a Tathágata is the body of Dharma, born of gnosis. The body of a Tathágata is born of the stores of merit and wisdom. It is born of morality, of meditation, of wisdom, of the liberations, and of the knowledge and vision of liberation. It is born of love, compassion, joy, and impartiality. It is born of charity, discipline, and self-control. It is born of the path of ten virtues. It is born of patience and gentleness. It is born of the roots of virtue planted by solid efforts. It is born of the concentrations, the liberations, the meditations, and the absorptions. It is born of learning, wisdom, and liberative technique. It is born of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment. It is born of mental quiescence and transcendental analysis. It is born of the ten powers, the four fearless-nesses, and the eighteen special qualities. It is born of all the transcendences. It is born from sciences and super-knowledge’s. It is born of the abandonment of all evil qualities, and of the collection of all good qualities. It is born of truth. It is born of reality. It is born of conscious awareness. “Friends, the body of a Tathágata is born of innumerable good works. Toward such a body you should turn your aspirations, and, in order to eliminate the sicknesses of the passions of all living beings, you should conceive the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment.” While the Licchavi Vimalakirti thus taught the Dharma to those who had come to inquire about his sickness, many hundreds of thousands of living beings conceived the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment.

Link: https://wisdomtea.org/2023/11/23/inconceivable-skill-in-liberative-technique/

Bathing The Buddha Sutra

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Blessed One was in Rajagriha, on Eagles Peak, together with one thousand, two hundred and fifty monks. There were also an immeasurable, unlimited multitude of Bodhisattvas and the eight classes of gods, nagas and so forth, who were all assembled. At that time, the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva was seated in the midst of this assembly. Because he aspired to extend compassion toward all sentient beings, he thought: “by what means do the Buddhas, Tathágatas, obtain the pure body, furnished with the marks of the great person?” Again he thought: “all classes of living beings are able to meet the Tathágata and approach him with offerings. The blessings that are obtained are without measure or limit. I do not yet know, however, what offerings living beings will make or what merit they will cultivate after the death of the Tathágata so as to bring about those roots of good merit that quickly lead to final, supreme enlightenment.” After thinking this, he then arose from his seat and bared his right shoulder, having bowed his head at the feet of the Buddha; he knelt upright, with palms in salutation and spoke to the Buddha, saying, “World Honored One, I wish to ask questions and hope that you deign to acknowledge them.” The Buddha said, “Noble son, I will teach according to what you ask.”

At that time the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva spoke to the Buddha saying, “By what means do the Buddhas, Tathágatas, perfectly enlightened ones obtain the pure body, furnished with the marks of the great person? Also, all living beings are able to meet the Tathágata and approach him with offerings. The blessings that are obtained are without merit or limit. I have not yet discerned what offerings living beings will make or what merit they will cultivate after the death of the Tathágata so as to bring about those good qualities that quickly lead to final, supreme enlightenment.”

At that time, the World Honored One said to the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva: “Excellent, excellent, that you are able for the sake of future beings to bring forth such questions! Now listen carefully, reflect on this well, and practice as I say. I will explain for you in detail.”

The Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva said, “So be it, World Honored One, I dearly wish to listen.”

The courtyard at Hua Zang Si before the Bathing of the Buddha Ceremony held in 2006.

The Buddha explained to the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva: “Noble son, you should know that because giving, morality, patience, vigor, meditation, and knowledge and experience of liberation; the ten strengths; and the four confidences are all the characteristics of the Buddha and are all various kinds of knowledge, virtue, and purity, they are the purity of the Tathágata.

If the Buddhas, Tathágatas, are in this way given various offerings with a pure heart—incense, flowers, gems, garlands, banners, parasols, and cushions—displayed before the Buddha, multifariously adorning him, and the marvelously scented water is used to bathe his noble form, the dark smoke of the burning incense will carry your mind to the Dharma realm. Furthermore, you celebrate the extraordinary merit of the Tathágata with food and drink, percussion and stringed music; you will manifest the superb vow to direct your mind to the supreme ocean of omniscience. The merit thereby produced will be immeasurable and without limit; it will be perpetually continued through successive rebirths to the point of enlightenment. Why is this? The blessed wisdom of the Tathágata is inconceivable, infinite, and unequaled.

Noble son, all Buddhas, World Honored Ones, have three bodies. They are known as the Dharma body or Dharmakaya, the glorified body or the Sambhogakaya, and the manifestation body or the Nirmanakaya. After my Nirvana, if you wish to do homage to these three bodies then you should do homage to my relics [sharira]. But these are of two kinds: the first is the bodily relic; the second is the Dharma-verse relic. I will now recite the verse:”

All things arise from a cause.

The Tathágata has explained their cause

and the cessation of the cause of these things.

This the great ascetic has explained.

“If men, women, or the five groups of mendicants would build an image of the Buddha; or if those without strength would deposit one as large as a grain of barley, or build a stupa—its body the size of a jujube, its mast the size of a needle, its parasol equal to a flake of bran, its relic like a mustard seed—or if someone writes the Dharma verse and installs it inside the stupa, it would be like doing homage by offering up a rare jewel. If in accordance with one’s own strength and ability one can be truly sincere and respectful, it (the image or stupa) would be like my present body, equal without difference.

Noble son, if there are beings who are able to make such excellent offerings, they will glorify themselves by achieving the fifteen superb virtues. First, they will always be modest. Second, they will manifest a mind of pure faith. Third, their hearts will be simple and honest. Fourth, they will cleave to good friends. Fifth, they will enter a state of passionless wisdom. Sixth, they will constantly encounter Buddhas. Seventh, they will always maintain the correct teaching. Eighth, they will be able to act according to my teaching. Ninth, they will be reborn in pure Buddha fields according to their wishes. Tenth, if they are reborn among men, they will be noblemen of great families; being respected among men, they will produce joyous thoughts. Eleventh, being born among men, they will naturally set their minds on the Buddha. Twelfth, an army of demons will not be able to harm them. Thirteenth, they will be able in the final age to protect and maintain the True Dharma. Fourteenth, they will be protected by the Buddhas of the ten directions. Fifteenth, they will be able to quickly obtain the five attributes of the Dharma body.”

At that time, the World Honored One uttered these verses:

After my death

You will be able to honor my relics

Some will build stupas

Or images of the Tathágata.

At the place of the image or stupa,

One who anoints that spot of ground

With various incenses and flowers

Scattering them over its surface

Uses pure, beautifully scented water

To pour onto the body of this image,

Offers it various flavorful drinks and foods,

Fully maintaining it with oblations,

Eulogizes the virtue of the Tathágata,

Which is endlessly difficult to conceive;

Through the wisdom of skillful means and the supernatural power of the Buddha

Such a one will quickly reach the other shore of Nirvana.

He will obtain the diamond body

Complete with the thirty-two marks of a great person

And the eighty minor signs of excellence.

He will ferry the multitude of living beings to the shore of Nirvana.

At that time, the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva, having heard these verses, addressed the Buddha saying, “Future living beings will ask, ‘why bathe the image?’”

The Buddha answered the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva: “Because you will equal the Tathágata in producing right mindfulness. You will not be attached to the two sides that deceive people with ‘emptiness’ and ‘being.’ You will long insatiably for virtuous conduct. The three emancipations, morality, and wisdom will be constantly sought to escape the endless cycle of birth and death. You will produce great compassion toward all living beings. You will aspire to obtain and quickly perfect the three kinds of bodies.

Noble son, I have already expounded for your sake the four noble truths, the twelve conditioned co-productions and the six perfections. Now I teach the method of bathing the image for your sake and the sake of the various kings, princes, ministers, concubines, princesses, gods, nagas, men and demons. Among the various types of homage, this (the bathing of the image) is the best. It excels the giving of the seven jewels equal to the sands of the Ganges.

When you bathe the image, you should use ox-head sandalwood, white sandalwood, red sandalwood, or aloe-wood incenses. You should burn Mountain Top Tulip incense, ‘Dragons Brain’ incense, Ling-ling (Mountain) incense, and so forth. On the surface of a clean stone you should grind these to make paste; use this paste to make scented water and place it in a clean vessel. At a clean spot, make an altar with good earth, square or round, its size suited to the circumstances. On top establish the bathing platform and place the Buddha image in the middle. Pour on the scented hot water, purifying and cleansing it, repeatedly pouring the pure water over it. The water that is used must be completely filtered so as not to cause harm to insects. Drops from two fingers of the water with which you bathed the image should be taken and placed on your own head—this is called ‘good luck water.’ Drain off the water onto clean ground without allowing your feet to tread upon it. With a fine, soft towel wipe the image, making it clean. Burn the above name incenses spreading the aroma all around and put the image back in its original place.

“Noble son, the consequence of performing this bathing of the Buddha image is that you and the great multitude of men and gods will presently receive wealth, happiness, and long life without sickness; your every wish will be fulfilled. Your relatives, friends, and family will all be at ease. You will bid a long farewell to the eight conditions of trouble and forever escape the fount of suffering. You will never again receive the body of a woman and will quickly achieve enlightenment.

When you have set up the image and burned the various incenses, face the image, clasp your palms together in pious salutation and recite these praises:

I now bathe the Tathágata.

His pure wisdom and virtue adorn the assembly.

I vow that those living beings of this period of the five impurities

May quickly witness the pure Dharma body of the Tathágata.

May the incense of morality, meditation, wisdom and the knowledge and experience of liberation

Constantly perfume every realm of the ten directions.

I vow that the smoke of this incense will likewise

Do the Buddhas work of salvation without measure or limit.

I also vow to put a stop to the three hells and the wheel of samsara,

Completely extinguishing the fires and obtaining the coolness of relief

So that all may manifest the thought of unsurpassed enlightenment

Perpetually escaping the river of desires and advancing to the other shore of Nirvana.”

The Buddha finished expounding this Sutra. At this time there were among this assembly an immeasurable, unlimited number of Bodhisattvas who obtained stainless concentration. The countless gods obtained never lapsing wisdom. The multitude of Voice Hearers vowed to seek the fruits of Buddhahood. The eighty-four thousand living beings all manifested the thought toward unexcelled, complete enlightenment.

At that time, the Pure Wisdom Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: “World Honored One, being fortunate to receive the compassion and pity of the Great Teacher (the Buddha), we shall teach the method of bathing the image. I will now convert kings, ministers, and all those of good faith, cheer, or merit. Every day I will bathe the noble image to procure great blessings. I pledge to always receive and carry out with pleasure “The Sutra On The Merit Of Bathing The Buddha.”

Link: https://wisdomtea.org/2023/09/14/bathing-the-buddha-sutra/