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I am interested in your religion and would like to maybe eventually conform to it. I live near mason city and I am starving for information
ReplyDeleteDear Chad, if you wish to learn more about Buddhism, first study more. There are lots of resources online that are free, and this site is the oldest reliable one. They have free e-books to download and e-library. They also have a short basic Buddhism course to help you learn, it is Theravada (from Thailand,Sri Lanka,Burma, Cambodia, now global) and There is Mahayana information (China,Vietnam, Korea, Japan and global as well). www.buddhanet.net it will help you start to understand about Buddhism.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in an 'interpretation' and analysis of the Surangama Mantra. I can't seem to find ANY anywhere... I was told there was one by one organization, but they told me it didn't exist. I found out later that people use the mantra as a 'magic' power source and the sangha was worried that people would misuse it. I am sad to hear that this mantra, that is used in the morning ceremonies of (some) Mahayanist monasteries is 'closed' to the public. If you could help me source more information I would appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few English translations, the Shasta Abbey has one with Sanskrit and it's flavored with their own interpretation. My translation is direct without fill in words or flavored with a particular school's interpretation. I believe people need to learn the training, later they can reword the mantra. Shurangama Mantra is written in poetic form, not in story form. There are 5 divisions, each one is a mind training. Some people believe that it cannot be translated because they view translations as deviations and want it in the orignal format least something is lost in meaning. There are services other than at morning times that use this mantra. There is no magic power in Buddhism, that's a means to discourage people from listening to them as masters or their master's teachings. This mantra is beloved by nearly all who use it, particularly the Sangha. Please check out Ven Hongyang's translations on Amazon. Heroes Spell is where this material is sourced (https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Spell-Surangama-Commentary-Mahayana/dp/1481298976/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Ven+Hong+Yang&qid=1577207435&s=books&sr=8-1 ). In her book's there are multiple footenotes, see also the Buddhist Daily Sutra Chanting ( https://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Daily-Sutra-Chanting-cultivation/dp/1494292904/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Daily+Sutra+chanting&qid=1577207317&sr=8-1 ) The Morning service is not closed to public but it is early, very few people like to be up that early! Please persist in your study, there are more commentaries that you can refer to use WorldCat or Google Scholar. Best Wishes.
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