Why Sincere Wishes Work

Requesting and offering prayers and aspirations for those in need.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Location: California

Why Sincere Wishes Work

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Buddhism is filled with 'miracles' and strange, other-worldly events. We in the West tend to ignore or scoff at such things. Here is a old idea explaining why such things as Fazhao's vision etc. occur. Although this quote is focused on Kuan-yin the same reason applies to any aspiration toward any bodhisattva, buddha or sacred realm. It is from Kuan-yin The Chinese Transformation of Avalokitesvara by Chün-fang Yü, page 153:
According to the
Encyclopaedia Britannica, a miracle is “an extraordinary and astonishing happening
that is attributed to the presence and action of an ultimate or divine
power” (Micropaedia VI:927c). What happened to the individuals whose stories
I have retold would undoubtedly have been viewed by them as nothing but extraordinary
and astonishing. They would also attribute them to the divine
power of Kuan-yin. The Chinese word for such stories, however, is ling-kan,
“efficacious response,”or ling-ying,“efficacious response,”or ying-yen,“evidential
manifestation.” All these expressions are derived from a world view that believes
that everything is interrelated and interdependent. This belief is called
kan-ying, which literally means “stimulus and response,” or “sympathetic resonance.”
John Henderson, referring to it as “cosmic resonance,” says, “According
to this theory, things of the same category but in different cosmic realms were
supposed to affect one another by virtue of a mutual sympathy, to resonate like
properly attuned pitch-pipes” (1984:20). The relationship between the devotees
and Kuan-yin is built on the theory of kan-ying: their prayer and calling of
Kuan-yin’s name aloud is the initiating stimulus or trigger that, when it is sincere
and desperate enough, is answered by Kuan-yin’s response. Kuan-yin does
not act gratuitously. Human suppliants are linked to Kuan-yin through sincerity
(cheng), for it is through sincerity that the mechanism of stimulus and response
is set into motion.
The ancient Chinese view is Godless, there is only the Tao of Heaven and Earth. The macrocosm affects through sympathy the microcosm and vice versa.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
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lobster
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Re: Why Sincere Wishes Work

Post by lobster »

Resonate with sincerity. :twothumbsup:
Works for me :woohoo:

How do we know if we are egoic :tantrum:
or sincere :meditate:

Results :yinyang:
plwk
Posts: 2932
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:41 am

Re: Why Sincere Wishes Work

Post by plwk »

I wonder if this offers any perspective here...
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