Medicine Buddha video teaching: the Four Immeasurables are immeasurably important; meditation and commentary — H.E. Zasep Rinpoche
Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation. Copyright Buddha Weekly.
“To do effective healing, beneficial healing it is suggested that we practice the Four Immeasurables. Four Immeasurables. Immeasurable of love, immeasurable of compassion, immeasurable of joy, immeasurable of equanimity. Then the healing becomes more powerful and meaningful.” — H.E. Zasep Rinpoche from Video 2 in a teaching series “Medicine Buddha Retreat Weekend.
Video includes a visualized video meditation on the Refuge in the Three Jewels and the Four Immeasurables, with magnificent chanting with Yoko Dharma (last third of teaching.)
The full teaching on “Taking Refuge” and how to practice the “Four Immeasurables” in video here (transcript below):
In part 2, Rinpoche explains the importance of Refuge and the Four Immeasurables and how to practice both. He begins by explaining refuge: “We take refuge to Medicine Buddha as a healer and a Buddha. We take refuge in Medicine Buddha as a example. We walk on the footsteps of Medicine Buddha. The Medicine Buddha is actually same as a Shakyamuni Buddha.”
Full Transcript
At this time we take refuge to Medicine Buddha as a healer and a Buddha. We take refuge in Medicine Buddha as a example. We walk on the footsteps of Medicine Buddha. The Medicine Buddha is actually same as a Shakyamuni Buddha. And you can say emanation of Shakyamuni Buddha. There are eight Medicine Buddhas; one of them is Shakyamuni Buddha. This afternoon, after lunch, I will translate for you a brief history of Medicine Buddha. The healing history, how it was taught, how it began and goes back at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddha Shakyamuni himself taught the Medicine Buddha Sutra and I will read and comment — translate for you — explain. I think this is very good. It is helpful.
Taking Refuge in Buddha as teacher and example
So we take refuge to Medicine Buddha as a teacher and healer and example. We also take refuge to Dharma, the teaching of Medicine Buddha the Sutra. We take refuge to Sutra, to the teaching and we take refuge to the healing method and we take refuge to the healing modalities. So that’s actually the real refuge and because we read Sutra and read the commentary of the Sutra and then study the method and healing modalities.
Medicine Buddha Sutra was taught by the Buddha and then the Sutra was written down long, long, long time ago, and, back in India, originally written down on palm leaves. You cut out palm leaf and then dry them and then write them right? With the ink. And that’s how it started the scriptures a long time ago. And then Buddhism declined in India and then later on the Medicine Buddha Sutra is discovered and found by archeologists. Medicine Buddha Sutra was translated into Chinese language long time ago. More than thousand years ago. And, probably about 1400 years ago it was then translated into Tibetan, into Mongolian, or Russian, and Japanese and Korean and all the Asian countries. It is very popular in Korea and Japan, and China.
So, this is how Medicine Buddha Sutra went around and became translated now in English and Italian and different European languages. We take refuge to the teaching of the Medicine Buddha practice.
Practice according to Sutra
This weekend we are practicing Medicine Buddha Sutra teaching and healing method according Sutra. That’s the meaning of taking refuge to Dharma, Medicine Buddha Dharma.
We take refuge to Sangha. We take refuge to the communities, spiritual communities. We sit together and talk and discuss and we do healing practice — send energy towards all beings and to each other. We take refuge to Sangha.
The Four Immeasurables: important for healing
Then we do the Four Immeasurables, okay. We go through this, we read [the written Sadhana, or meditation.] So, in order to do effective healing, beneficial healing, it is suggest that we should practice Four Immeasurables. Four Immeasurables. Immeasurable of love, immeasurable of compassion, immeasurable of joy, immeasurable of equanimity. Four: love, compassion, joy, equanimity, or equilibrium mind. Four. Then the healing becomes more powerful.
First Immeasurable: Love
The first: love. Okay, love is universal, right? Love is the first ingredient and if you’re making herb or making tea, whatever, the first ingredient should be the love. With love, you make tea and tea will be better tea, okay? With love — loving heart — you make a herb and then the herb will be best herb. With love you cook meal, the best meal, okay. Whatever you do: artwork, painting, and sewing, whatever you do with love, then the art will be good art, right. Or whatever you do: driving car, whatever you do.
So love is first, right? It’s universal, love. Love is first: motherly love, fatherly love, saintly love, and whatever, right? And everybody has love. We all have love deep in our heart.
But not only us, but all human beings, animals, birds, insects — they have love. They love their offspring, love their babies, love their parents, love their community, right? The trees also love another tree. And, they have symbiotic relationship, they all support each other and grow together. And they die for the purpose of the future plants and you know, nourishing the soil. Because it’s all sort of love, right?
Plants and trees also love
And sounds little bit funny when I say trees love tree, you know. It sounds a little bit wishy-washy kind of thing and you might think it’s like flower children ideas, you know, and rainbow ideas and that kind of new-agey idea. But actually it is good idea, doesn’t matter whose idea is. Because it’s not wishy-washy, actually. It is how it is.
There is love everywhere. We call it love without intention, without idea. It’s just natural love and unconditioned love — like the warmth that comes from the sun — it’s kind of like love, right. And we say in the Sutras, your love should be unconditioned, unintentioned, without thinking. Just natural acting, right, like the sun. The warmth is coming from the sun. Sun does not handle motivation or intention, it just naturally providing this beautiful light and warmness.
Like the water has the same kind of quality.
Space is very kind and loving
Even the space has the same kind of quality because how can we move around and do things without space? And fresh air. We need space and fresh air, so we go out, get some fresh air. We need space, that’s why we kind of move somewhere where there’s more space. Why so many people come to Canada now? Many people immigrating to Canada because they need space. Other places too crowded, too congested, and not healthy, that’s why everybody finally get to Canada, legally or illegally, whatever.
And I came to Canada 1981 to join my sister, my family. Also I like Canada because same reason: space; lots of space. And mountain and British Columbia and birds, and so forth. Forest. Now I feel always very fortunate and so grateful to Canada. Our Canada, our land, new land, you know. So we need space. Space itself is very kind, you know.
And this is what the Sutra say you should appreciate. First come with love — we call immeasurable love. Immeasurable love.
Why is it called Immeasurable?
Why it is called immeasurable? We also call limitless. Four Limitless or Four Immeasurables. So there’s different [reasons] we call it immeasurable. First, the attitude of love is immeasurable. It is actually the merit, the virtues.
The virtues and the merit, or in other words, good karma of love is immeasurable. Has no measure, no limit. It’s huge. That’s why we call immeasurable.
The post Medicine Buddha video teaching: the Four Immeasurables are immeasurably important; meditation and commentary — H.E. Zasep Rinpoche appeared first on Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation.
from Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation https://ift.tt/2DBvF8c
Post a Comment