Guan Yin Temple. From Planet Lantau (see their temple photo gallery here) The first thing a visitor perceptive in Mahayana aesthetics notices at Guan Yin (or Kwun Yam, officially) Temple on Lantau Island, Hong Kong, is the pervasiveness of Huayan symbolism and imagery in the original hall, which was built in 1910, and the top […]
Pure Land
Love Versus Principle
Master Jingzong; English translation by Foying, edited by Fojin Love rules in a family, whereas legal principles rule in a court of law. Love is the name of the game for people who are fond of each other. But those who are in conflict resort to principles. A society will not be harmonious unless love […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about Departure and Reincarnation
Art by ryky.deviantart.com Common people in the world want to pursue wealth, complete high education, and seek for boundless knowledge. However, no matter how high his academic qualification and how knowledgeable he is, the Buddha will call him a fool if he does not believe in retributions resulted from good and evil karma, and is […]
Where There Is Love
Master Jingzong; English translation by Foyuan, edited by Jingxing When you have love, you have everything. Where there is love, there is satisfaction. That means all needs and wants are met. Just as water flowing into a deep pool fills every crack of its bed. It will first fill the most hidden and invisible crannies. […]
Amitabha Buddha’s Twelve Kinds of Light: A Brief Explication (General Exposition)
Dharma Master Huijing; translated by Sam Suen, edited by Householder Fojin —Part 8— 8. Hope for All Sentient Beings The Buddha of Infinite Light relates to time while the Buddha of Boundless Light relates to space. Both surpass time and pace, and cannot be impeded. As elaboration normally follows a chronological order, let us start […]
Postcard from Raymond: The World is Your Temple
I have a beautiful portable shrine that is dedicated to the worship of Amitabha Buddha, the central Buddha of the Pure Land school and the most popular object of reverence in Chinese Buddhism. Owners of a shrine this size can take it anywhere around the world with them. Elegantly carved out of wood, it fits […]
A Message from Master Shandao
A text about “embrace and transform by the Name in the form of light” cited from In Praise of the Rite of Rebirth: Amitabha Buddha made a profound, weighty vow to embrace all beings of the ten directions with his light and transform them with his name, in the event that they have faith in […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words About Faith in Pure Land
For now, we are not just born to be human beings, but also to encounter the Buddhist teachings, and the Pure Land teaching, in particular, the real teaching that enables us to be liberated in this lifetime. It is the result of Amitabha’s compassionate and sagacious guidance in many lives, so that we can be […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about the Primary Sutras (General)
The Infinite life Sutra, the Contemplation Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra are the three principal sutras that Pure Land teaching is based on. No matter how profound and mysterious, or how simple and easy a presentation of the Pure Land teaching is, it should not violate the aim and objectives of the three sutras. If […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about Benefits in Amitabha-recitation
The Infinite Life Sutra says, “If there are people who hear the Name of that Buddha, rejoice so greatly as to dance, and remember him even once, then you should know that they have gained great benefit by receiving the unsurpassed virtue.” It means that when we hear this name – Namo Amituofo, we will […]