Buddhist Verses & Silent Readings For Reflection (静思语） - Part 6

[Renzokukenz]

another forum member also encountered something in his bto flat. not about new or old flat.

Do share more

 

[waterbright]

About Nandamātar
Nandamātar Sutta (AN 7:50)

I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Sāriputta & Ven. Mahā Moggallāna were on a wandering tour of the Southern Mountains with a large Saṅgha of monks. And on that occasion, the female lay follower Veḷukaṇṭakin Nandamātar, (1) having risen as night approached dawn, chanted the Pārāyana. (2) And on that occasion the great [deva] king Vessavaṇṇa (3) was traveling from north to south on some business or other. He heard the female lay follower Nandamātar chanting the Pārāyana, and on hearing her, stood waiting for the end of her chant. Then the female lay follower Nandamātar, having chanted the Pārāyana, fell silent. Then the great king Vessavaṇṇa, knowing that her chant was ended, applauded her: “Excellent, sister! Excellent!”

“But who’s there, O One of the Auspicious Face?”

“I’m your brother, sister: the great king Vessavaṇṇa.”

“Excellent, O One of the Auspicious Face! Excellent! Then let this Dhamma sequence that I’ve chanted be your guest gift.”

“Excellent, sister! And let this also be my guest gift. This morning a Saṅgha of monks headed by Sāriputta & Moggallāna will be coming to Veḷukaṇṭaka before breakfast. Having served them, dedicate the offering to me. That will also be my guest gift.”

So Nandamātar, as the night was ending, prepared exquisite staple & non-staple foods in her home.

Then the Saṅgha of monks headed by Sāriputta & Moggallāna arrived at Veḷukaṇṭaka before breakfast. Nandamātar addressed a man, “Come, my good man. Having gone to the monastery, announce the time (of the meal) to the Saṅgha of monks, (saying,) ‘It’s time, venerable sirs. The meal is ready at Lady Nandamātar’s home.’”

Responding, “As you say, lady,” to Nandamātar, the man went to the monastery and announced the time to the Saṅgha of monks, “It’s time, venerable sirs. The meal is ready at Lady Nandamātar’s home.”

Then early in the morning, having adjusted their under robes and carrying their robes & bowls, the Saṅgha of monks headed by Sāriputta & Moggallāna went to Nandamātar’s home. On arrival, they sat down on seats laid out. Nandamātar, with her own hands, served & satisfied the Saṅgha of monks headed by Sāriputta & Moggallāna with exquisite staple & non-staple food. Then, when Ven. Sāriputta had finished his meal and had rinsed his bowl & hands, Nandamātar, taking a low seat, sat to one side. As she was sitting there, Ven. Sāriputta said to her, “Nandamātar, who informed you of the arrival of the Saṅgha of monks?”

“Just now, venerable sir, after having risen as night approached dawn and having chanted the Pārāyana, I fell silent. Then the great king Vessavaṇṇa, knowing that my chant was ended, applauded me: ‘Excellent, sister! Excellent!’

“‘But who’s there, O One of the Auspicious Face?’

“‘I’m your brother, sister: the great king Vessavaṇṇa.’

“‘Excellent, O One of the Auspicious Face! Excellent! Then let this Dhamma sequence that I’ve chanted be your guest gift.’

“‘Excellent, sister! And let this also be my guest gift. Tomorrow a Saṅgha of monks headed by Sāriputta & Moggallāna will be coming to Veḷukaṇṭaka before breakfast. Having served them, dedicate the offering to me. That will also be my guest gift.’ So in other words, may the merit of this gift be for the happiness of the great king Vessavaṇṇa.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding, that you would converse face to face with the great king Vessavaṇṇa, the young deva of such great power & such great might!”

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. I had an only son: Nanda, dear & appealing. The rulers seized & abducted him on some pretext and had him executed. But when the boy had been arrested or was being arrested, when he had been imprisoned or was being imprisoned, when he had been killed or was being killed, I don’t recall any alteration of my mind.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding, that you can purify even as little as the arising of a thought.” (4)

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. When my husband died, he reappeared in the yakkha realm. He appeared to me in his earlier bodily form, but I don’t recall, from that cause, any alteration of my mind.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding, that you can purify even as little as the arising of a thought.”

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. I was given in marriage to my young husband when I was a young girl, but I don’t recall ever transgressing against him in mind, much less in body.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding, that you can purify even as little as the arising of a thought.”

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. Since declaring myself a lay follower, I don’t recall ever deliberately overstepping any training rule.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding!”

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. To whatever extent I want, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities, I enter & remain in the first jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. With the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, I enter & remain in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation—internal assurance. With the fading of rapture, I remain equanimous, mindful, & alert, and sense pleasure with the body. I enter & remain in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous & mindful, one has a pleasant abiding.’ With the abandoning of pleasure & pain—as with the earlier disappearance of joy & distress—I enter & remain in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding!”

“I don’t have only that amazing & astounding quality, venerable sir. I have another amazing & astounding quality. Of the five lower fetters taught by the Blessed One, (5) I don’t see in myself any that are unabandoned.”

“It’s amazing, Nandamātar! It’s astounding!”

Then Ven. Sāriputta—having instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged the female lay follower Nandamātar with a talk on Dhamma—got up from his seat & left.

Notes

1. Cited at AN 4:176 as one of the Buddha’s models for an ideal female lay follower.

2. The fifth chapter of the Sutta Nipāta.

3. Also known as Kuvera, one of the Four Great Kings, ruling over yakkhas and associated with the northerly direction.

4. “Even as little as the arising of a thought,” reading cittuppāda-mattampi with the Thai edition. The Sri Lankan and Burmese editions read, cittuppādampi, “the arising of a thought.”

5. “Self-identification views, uncertainty, grasping at habits & practices, sensual desire, & ill will. These are the five lower fetters.” — AN 10:13

The fact that Nandamātār has abandoned these five fetters means that she is a non-returner.

See also: SN 41:7; SN 41:10; AN 6:37; AN 8:23

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

another forum member also encountered something in his bto flat. not about new or old flat.

BTO should be new flat. How come "occupied" before owner moved in ?

Unlike what I learned from 净空法师 video. Usually is 亲情 and 财产 is the reason for not leaving.

Hope I can hear from other Shi Xiong.

When the place is vacant, 没有阳气 (no humans around), these poor unseen beings will come in to occupy. That is why never leave any rooms empty at home. Even if it's not occupied, should always walk in and out , leave the windows open and let the sun in. Places where no owners 没有主人, like public toilets, factories etc, these unseen beings will also tend to occupy them.

 

[magnus]

something kicking under the bed when sleeping and few other incidents which i cannot recall.

whole family cannot tahan until sell the flat before MOP.

Do share more

 

[Renzokukenz]

something kicking under the bed when sleeping and few other incidents which i cannot recall.

whole family cannot tahan until sell the flat before MOP.

is it also in the Bidadari area???

sell before MOP period quite drastic wor
why didn't they just hire people to bless the place etc?

 

[magnus]

Small cone for 上供 at home so that not too smoky.

 

[magnus]

not that area.
many masters went but still the same....some even fall sick after that.

is it also in the Bidadari area???

sell before MOP period quite drastic wor
why didn't they just hire people to bless the place etc?

 

[Aztral]

I'm gonna start writing the Sanghata Sutra, heard it helps eliminate karmic obstacles, hope nothing goes too wrong.

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

NAMO AMITUOFO 南无阿弥陀佛

Each utterance of nembutsu (Amituofo)has the power to nullify negative karma accumulated for eight billion eons in the delusive worlds of transmigration. You should bear in mind that Amida Buddha (Amituofo) has the power to welcome everyone, including those with grave karmic negativity, and that birth in the Pure Land will be assured to everyone who recites nembutsu (Amituofo), whether or not they have residual virtues and regardless of the gravity of their non virtues.

Honen Shonin
The Promise of Amida Buddha

Merchants


Everything that you do you must do with clarity and awareness. When you see clearly, there will no longer be any need for enduring or forcing yourself. You have difficulties and are burdened because you miss the point. Peace come from doing things completely with your whole body and mind. Whatever is left undone leaves you with a feeling of discontent. These things bind you with worry wherever you go. You want to complete everything, but it’s impossible to get it all done.

Take the case of the merchants who regularly come here to see me. They say, “Oh, when my debts are all paid and property in order, I’ll come to get ordained.” They talk like that, but will they ever finish and get it all in order? There’s no end to it. They pay up their debts with another loan, they pay off that one, and do it again. A merchant thinks that if he frees himself from debt he will be happy, but there’s no end to paying things off. That’s the way worldliness fools us. We go around and around like this never realizing our predicament.

There is nothing in this world that we cannot come to terms with. Everything happens following the law of cause and effect. We should not bring worries upon ourselves. Others may say or do something wrong, but we should not punish or distress ourselves over the mistakes they have made.

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

not that area.
many masters went but still the same....some even fall sick after that.

something kicking under the bed when sleeping and few other incidents which i cannot recall.

whole family cannot tahan until sell the flat before MOP.

Do share more

This being is powerful. I pity the person who bought it over. I always don't like the idea of buying resale property.
I strongly believe that there is nothing that Buddhism cannot solve. Leng Yan Zhou is the solution.

 

[magnus]

No chance to use this smoke offering tray for the past 12 months.

 

[magnus]

this one really no joke. i wouldn't visit his place if he told me beforehand that those masters who went kena something bad.

he rented out rooms for a period of time but those people never feedback any strange encounter.

This being is powerful. I pity the person who bought it over. I always don't like the idea of buying resale property.

 

[Renzokukenz]

not that area.
many masters went but still the same....some even fall sick after that.

wah jialat ...........

 

[Renzokukenz]

No chance to use this smoke offering tray for the past 12 months.

I thought you always go haunted places to do offering?

 

[Renzokukenz]

this one really no joke. i wouldn't visit his place if he told me beforehand that those masters who went kena something bad.

he rented out rooms for a period of time but those people never feedback any strange encounter.

maybe is "妖"

Sur Offering is for spirits/ghosts, not for Demons.
I am not sure what is Buddhism's take and explanation on Demons.

wah Magnus if even you are scared, then must be quite legit
cause you always so daring

 

[heymee]

 

[magnus]

For use outside Sg when in hotel room.

Have to scrub after each use.

I thought you always go haunted places to do offering?

 

[Renzokukenz]

For use outside Sg when in hotel room.

Have to scrub after each use.

ShiXiong,

I had the same problem with scrubbing etc

So what I ended up doing is buying Aluminium Foil, then wrap the copper plate/bowl with the aluminium foil, then after burning just peel out and throw

 

[AUTUMN&WINTER]

For use outside Sg when in hotel room.

Have to scrub after each use.

The 1st pic is scenic. Where is the place? Looks like one of the place I had been to in Bali.

maybe is "妖"

Sur Offering is for spirits/ghosts, not for Demons.
I am not sure what is Buddhism's take and explanation on Demons.

wah Magnus if even you are scared, then must be quite legit
cause you always so daring

From what Magnus mentioned, seems like that unseen being only wants to disturb that family, could be his karmic creditor because that being did not disturb his tenants. Demons are more scary than ghosts. We are unable to handle demons though they are also sentient beings. Demons are afraid of 愣严咒。

 

[Renzokukenz]

From what Magnus mentioned, seems like that unseen being only wants to disturb that family, could be his karmic creditor because that being did not disturb his tenants. Demons are more scary than ghosts. We are unable to handle demons though they are also sentient beings. Demons are afraid of 愣严咒。

That's why I don't dare to do Sur Offering in unfamiliar places
Demons really don't know how to handle if kena jialat jialat