KWOON - Threefold Lotus Martial Arts

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The Buddha's Teaching

What you resist is that the "medicine of the Lotus Sutra is a direct path to the mending of your broken leg. You do not see the great medicine because you are polluted with the inferior medicines. The sooner you begin to take the good medicine, the sooner you will be clear of misunderstandings and doubts. You can drink sodas all your life to quench your thirst in the belief that whenever you "feel" ready, you will switch to water and all will be fine. This is like so many systems in our world today that promote an apology at the final moment to "fix" everything. The truth my be that "atonement" at the last moment "can" bring enlightenment, that is not the point. The point is to attain enlightenment today, before the soda's slow degradation of health and vitality render life a burden rather than a celebration.

The Buddha's very first teaching was the direct experience of enlightenment. The people of his time were unable to grasp the teaching, but the people of his time were not as polluted as this age. They also lived during the "lifetime" of the Buddha, and were able to attain enlightenment in their lifetime even without the final teachings through the compassion and the teachings the Buddha was able to give them to open their lives.

Today we are in the later age of Mapo, a defiled age of much confusion and proliferated distortions. Again I say to you that there is no problem with the study of all these teachings. My simple point is the "practice" of lesser teachings is slander of your Buddha nature and an impedance to enlightenment. You could enjoy purification of all levels of consciousness and live a clear life while still "studying" other texts and rituals. This is the teaching of the Buddha, not my opinion.

The Buddha's Teaching in the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

"I saw incalculable thousands, ten thousands, millions
who had determined to seek the way of the Buddha,
everyone with a respectful and reverent mind,
all coming to the place of the Buddha,
persons who in the past had listened to other Buddhas
and heard the Law preached through expedient means.
Immediately the thought came to me
that the reason the Thus Come One has appeared
is so he may preach the Buddha wisdom.
Now is precisely the time to do so.
Shariputra, you should understand
that persons of dull capacity and small wisdom,
who are attached to appearances, proud and overbearing,
are incapable of believing in this Law.
Now I, joyful and fearless,
in the midst of the bodhisattvas,
honestly discarding expedient means,
will preach only the unsurpassed Way.
When the bodhisattvas hear this Law,
they will be released from all entanglements of doubt."

Before the Buddha entered Nirvana, he preached that the time was from that point forward to discard all other provisional teachings and practice only the Buddha way of the One Vehicle. This is one of the major revelations of the Lotus Sutra. Shariputra was his most learned disciple, and until this statement in the Lotus Sutra, Shariputra believed still that he could never attain enlightenment due to the restrictions of the provisional teachings on men of the two vehicles or even Bodhisattvas. "Attached to appearances, proud and overbearing" refers to the ego. Ego is the power of the Samsaric mind. Is this still such a trivial issue with you? You have stated in the past that you feel Samsara is "needed" in order to attain awakening. I say to you that this is your ego's attachment. Please release it.

With all my heart and sincerity,

Reverend Sylvain Chamberland, Nyudo

BACKGROUND

----- Original Message -----
From: James Todaro
Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 9:13 AM
Subject: practice, learning, and incomplete doctrines

Sifu...There is a journey one must take to get to one's final destination. Perhaps you have already arrived there, but I am still on the journey. I cannot yet deny the causes and conditions that have taken me from birth to where I am now. Did not Shakyamuni teach the lesser vehicle before he taught the greater vehicle because his disciples were not yet ready, thus he employed expedient means so that they would have the tools necessary to take the next step. Do you not have to learn algebra before you can learn calculus? You can tell someone what calculus is and they can understand its value and worth and truth, but until they know and truly understand algebra and geometry the real power of calculus is lost on them, and they must take it on faith that it does what it purports to do. As well, the practice of ballet is quite valuable to a football player, and as long as its practice is focused and single-minded and thus becomes innate, it translates quite readily onto the football field. Before one can learn to effectively use talismans and tokens and such one must practice, and then by transference one can focus all that learning and channel it into one place. I know the dangers of getting attached to lesser teachings, and seek to avoid that. For me, at least in the present, not everything can be namu-myoho-renge-kyo. I need phantom palaces and expedient means to get me to the point where I can resonate completely with the lotus sutra. I need to begin to mend my causes and conditions of my past and begin to create causes which will lead me to that ultimate goal, but I cant just get there without taking the journey to get there. I do not feel that this is a clinging of to an incomplete doctrine, but rather a crutch so that my leg may heal and I may one day walk without it. You tell me to walk while I still have a broken leg. I do not want to walk on crutches forever, but I do not want to fall to the ground and risk becoming lame either. I understand and accept your position, and would not want you to taint your teachings on my behalf. I apologize for having asked that of you.

Much love, respect, and understanding
James