Request for Sutra References

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Huseng
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Request for Sutra References

Post by Huseng »

I have a request from a monk which I hope people here can help me with:
Anyway, I was wondering if you could find me any Mahayana text on (1) familial love (parents to children, children to parents, etc) (2) kindness to animals and (3) strangers, i.e. hospitality. I know that there is at least one ‘Love of Parents Sutra’ in Chinese but I can’t remember if it’s a Chinese production rather than an Indian work.
Anyone have any good ideas about Mahayana sutras which deal with these themes?
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Inge
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Inge »

Huseng wrote:I have a request from a monk which I hope people here can help me with:
Anyway, I was wondering if you could find me any Mahayana text on (1) familial love (parents to children, children to parents, etc) (2) kindness to animals and (3) strangers, i.e. hospitality. I know that there is at least one ‘Love of Parents Sutra’ in Chinese but I can’t remember if it’s a Chinese production rather than an Indian work.
Anyone have any good ideas about Mahayana sutras which deal with these themes?
The filial piety sutra comes to mind. I don't know if you'll consider it to be within those themes though.

http://cttbusa.org/filialpiety/filialpietysutra.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutra_of_Filial_Piety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it is composed in China.
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Kaji
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Kaji »

Huseng wrote:I have a request from a monk which I hope people here can help me with:
Anyway, I was wondering if you could find me any Mahayana text on (1) familial love (parents to children, children to parents, etc) (2) kindness to animals and (3) strangers, i.e. hospitality. I know that there is at least one ‘Love of Parents Sutra’ in Chinese but I can’t remember if it’s a Chinese production rather than an Indian work.
Anyone have any good ideas about Mahayana sutras which deal with these themes?
One more for filial piety (children to parent) - the Ullambana Sutra.

Many practitioners in Chinese Buddhism consider the Kṣitigarbha Sutra to be another one, attributed to the story of the bodhisattva's life as a Brahmin maiden:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ksitigarbh ... min_maiden" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Namas triya-dhvikānāṃ sarva tathāgatānām!
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Huifeng
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Huifeng »

Huseng wrote:I have a request from a monk which I hope people here can help me with:
Anyway, I was wondering if you could find me any Mahayana text on (1) familial love (parents to children, children to parents, etc) (2) kindness to animals and (3) strangers, i.e. hospitality. I know that there is at least one ‘Love of Parents Sutra’ in Chinese but I can’t remember if it’s a Chinese production rather than an Indian work.
Anyone have any good ideas about Mahayana sutras which deal with these themes?
1. 父母恩重難報經 and parallels.
2. Any one of a number of Jatakas...
3. Likewise.
Some of Asoka's teachings may apply here, too.

As for "Mahayana text", I'd recommend taking a broader attitude, ie. that all texts / teachings are included within the Mahayana.

~~ Huifeng
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Aemilius
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Aemilius »

I think this sutta in Itivuttaka is nice:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... ml#iti-106
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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Aemilius
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Aemilius »

Buddhism A to Z has an article about hospitality in Buddhism and in indian culture generally. It is valuable and quotes something from the Mahayana too.
http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=178
Same source has articles about animals and kindness to animals, which may be useful.

There is the Buddha Speaks the Sutra about Karma, which contains some horrible things, but there are several examples of behaviour toward animals in it.
http://huntingtonarchive.osu.edu/resour ... 0sutra.pdf
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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viniketa
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by viniketa »

Bhrama Net sutra covers all 3...

:namaste:
If they can sever like and dislike, along with greed, anger, and delusion, regardless of their difference in nature, they will all accomplish the Buddha Path.. ~ Sutra of Complete Enlightenment
Greg
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Greg »

Huseng wrote:I have a request from a monk which I hope people here can help me with:
Anyway, I was wondering if you could find me any Mahayana text on (1) familial love (parents to children, children to parents, etc) (2) kindness to animals and (3) strangers, i.e. hospitality. I know that there is at least one ‘Love of Parents Sutra’ in Chinese but I can’t remember if it’s a Chinese production rather than an Indian work.
Anyone have any good ideas about Mahayana sutras which deal with these themes?
Re animals, big article and I haven't read it but probably worth a read: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47340845/Atti ... n-Buddhism - probably will point you to some sutras
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Aemilius
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Aemilius »

There are the Dhammapada verses 129, 130, 131, and 405, that praise noncruelty to animals, and prohibit cruelty to animals based on one's greed (for their meat). This topic next leads to the wornout issue of vegetarianism, to me it seems very clear that Dhammapada forbids all greed based consumption of and demand for meat. If you can eat meat without having a greed for it, it might be OK in some circumstances, otherwise not. At the same time Buddha knew that you can't enforce vegetarianism. You can't make a law of it, it wont work. This dilemma and this view is expressed in the Lankavatara sutra, therefore I see no reason to doubt its authenticity as an original teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni. It is very difficult because the habitual tendencies for meat eating are very strong, and they cause corresponding interpretations of Dharma to appear. I see the Lankavatara chapter as a more original text than all the corresponding Theravada texts that blatantly allow meat eating.
Then you have other Mahayana texts like Parinirvana sutra and the Avalokitesvara fasting practice texts that prohibit meat eating, and the Brahma net sutra, as has been said already. Buddha didn't a make a law of vegetarianism, he must have been aware of the consequences that would follow from such a policy, he says it in the Lankavatara after a lengthy praise of vegetarianism.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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Aemilius
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Re: Request for Sutra References

Post by Aemilius »

Inge wrote: The filial piety sutra comes to mind. I don't know if you'll consider it to be within those themes though.
http://cttbusa.org/filialpiety/filialpietysutra.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutra_of_Filial_Piety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it is composed in China.
These very same ideas that are in the Filial Piety sutra are prominent in tibetan buddhism, especially in the tradition of bodhicitta precepts of Atisha. I found some of the wordings of Atisha's tradition also in a poem of Nagarjuna (that is in Christian Lindtner's work). There is no reason to doubt that a sutra like that has existed in indian Mahayana, and also in indian sravakayana, its ideas are found also in pali suttas. I don't understand these scholars whose main occupation is to doubt all mahayana works, and then declare them to be inauthentic. Apparently they get highly paid for it.

A sutta on Gratitude to One's Parents http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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