Bodhisattva Vows

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by sky123

Can you point out where I said Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG please ? Thanks..

I noticed you altered your Post and removed some of it. Lol

I have answered your question "Can you point out where I said Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG please ?" sufficiently as far as I am concerned. There is no need to keep this type of questioning going on any further and I have asked you if you can not provide a sutra that supports your position then that is okay and let's drop it.

As for altering a Post, I did not do that. I hope this is not going to end up as it has in the past.

If you do not want to provide a sutra claiming that certain sutras are myths, that is okay. That is your choice. Let's leave it at that which is what I have already said before.

[sky]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

I have answered your question "Can you point out where I said Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG please ?" sufficiently as far as I am concerned. There is no need to keep this type of questioning going on any further and I have asked you if you can not provide a sutra that supports your position then that is okay and let's drop it.

As for altering a Post, I did not do that. I hope this is not going to end up as it has in the past.

If you do not want to provide a sutra claiming that certain sutras are myths, that is okay. That is your choice. Let's leave it at that which is what I have already said before.

"Can you point out where I said Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG please ?"

If you can't I will ask Mods to remove your accusations.

[BigJohn]

sky123,
you never wrote that " Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG ?"

[sky]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

sky123,
you never wrote that " Sutras are not IMPORTANT and may be WRONG ?"

and I am out of here..............

Thank you...

[Miss Hepburn]

That's it. Move on.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

That's it. Move on.

Have done.... Thank you.

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by sky123

Not to forget that The Buddha never taught any of the above. If your interested you can read what is recognised by Buddhist Scholars to be the earliest Buddha's Teachings.
Buddha did not teach the Bodhisattva path, which emerges only in later documents that started to appear at least a century after His death......

Sky,

We have discussed this, I have showed the history of Mahayana. How they and what is now known as Theravada lived together at the time.

What you consider as only the Buddhist teachings (Pali Cannon) was just those teachings that were published first by one tradition.

Later, Mahayana published their teachings, New Buddha's have come on the scene and provided their teachings. Mahasiddha's have provided a lot of Buddhist teachings and insights.

All of it is Buddhist, all of it is considered Buddhism and teachings of the Buddha.

For instance in Theravada you will not find teachings of a Bodhisattva. Why? Because in Theravada it is not possible to reach Buddhahood in this lifetime. In Mahayana you can, so you have stages of the Arhat, Bodhisattva and the various levels as well as the various types of Buddhas.

Now people can disagree with a traditions beliefs and practices but it is wrong to say the largest tradition in Buddhism by far is not really Buddhist or following the teachings of the Buddha.

For instance again.. Zen which you are a fan, came from a Buddha named Bodhidharma. He is considered a Buddha, provided new teachings both in Sutra and in spiritual practices. Are they all fake and wrong, misguided?

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

Sky, We have discussed this, I have showed the history of Mahayana. How they and what is now known as Theravada lived together at the time.
What you consider as only the Buddhist teachings (Pali Cannon) was just those teachings that were published first by one tradition.

NICE COMMENTS

Some people do realize there is a difference between Catholics and Protestants.
        What many people do not realize, is that Buddhism has similar rifts.

The Buddha said to him, “Subhuti, those who would now set forth on the bodhisattva path should thus give birth tothis thought:

‘However many beings there are in whatever realms of being might exist, whether they are born from an egg or born from a womb, born from the water or born from the air, whether they have form or no form, whether they have perception or no perception or neither perception nor no perception, in whatever conceivable realm of being one might conceive of beings, in the realm of complete nirvana I shall liberate them all.

And though I thus liberate countless beings, not a single being is liberated.

And why not? Subhuti, a bodhisattva who creates the perception of a being cannot be called a ‘bodhisattva. ’ And why not? Subhuti, no one can be called a bodhisattva who creates the perception of a self or who creates the perception of a being, a life, or a soul.”

Diamond Sutra
The Buddha

[Skull]

Returning to the bodhisattva vows text I linked in post #14; here is Master Hua commenting on the title:

Commentary:
An Exhortation to Resolve Upon Bodhi.

This essay is a series of logical reasons
for encouraging us to make a resolve. What
resolve should we make? We should resolve upon Bodhi.
What is the resolve upon Bodhi? It is a resolve to understand. It
is the resolve to turn back from confusion and return to enlightenment,
to give up what is deviant and return to what is proper, to clearly
know right from wrong, to stop being upside-down, and to
be straightforward. There is absolutely nothing devious or crooked
about a straightforward mind. The resolve for Bodhi is a resolve to
benefit people. By benefiting others, you yourself benefit. By
working to lead others to become enlightened, you yourself become
enlightened.

“Bodhi” is a Sanskrit term. It means “to enlighten to the Path.”
You understand the Path, and thus are able to cultivate. You can’t
cultivate if you don’t understand the Path; you will be upside-down
forever. You’ll think what is right is wrong and what is wrong is
right. You’ll think black is white and get everything backwards.
You’ll walk the proper road if you understand the Path. If not,
you’ll walk a deviant path. The important point of resolving on
Bodhi is that you do no evil, but respectfully practice all good.
These are simply the moral precepts. You maintain your resolve for
Bodhi if you follow the rules. You have forgotten your resolve
when you don’t follow the rules.