"Four articles of conversion"

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Grigoris
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"Four articles of conversion"

Post by Grigoris »

In the Srimala Devi Sutra, in the section on the Ten Great Vows (Chapter 1, Section 2) the seventh great vow is:

"(7) Lord, from now on, and until I attain enlightenment, I hold to this seventh vow, that with the four article of conversion I shall benefit the sentient beings and not convert them for my own sake; indeed, I shall seek to convert the sentient beings with my mind unoccupied with material things, ever unsatisfied, and not retreating."

Does anybody know what these four articles of conversion are? I am translating the Sutra into Greek and need to add a footnote.

Thanks!
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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Astus
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Re: "Four articles of conversion"

Post by Astus »

"I will practice the four all-embracing acts (giving, kind speech, benefiting others, and cooperation toward leading all beings to virtuous deeds) for all living beings, and not for myself. I accept all living beings without lust, without satiation, and without prejudice."
(Sutra of Queen Śrīmālā of the Lion’s Roar, ch 2; tr. Diana Y. Paul)
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
jmlee369
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Re: "Four articles of conversion"

Post by jmlee369 »

I believe it is commonly called "the four ways of gathering/attracting disciples" in the Tibetan tradition.
disjointed
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Re: "Four articles of conversion"

Post by disjointed »

jmlee is correct about this.
If there is a radical inconsistency between your statements and the position you claim to hold,
you are a sock puppet.
Make as many accounts as you want; people can identify your deception with this test.
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sukhamanveti
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Re: "Four articles of conversion"

Post by sukhamanveti »

jmlee369 wrote:I believe it is commonly called "the four ways of gathering/attracting disciples" in the Tibetan tradition.
Yes. That is it. There are Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan versions of the list and slightly differing interpretations of it in the major Buddhist traditions (even within Tibetan Buddhism).
namo bhagavate śākyamunaye tathāgatāyārhate samyaksaṁbuddhāya | namaḥ sarvabuddhabodhisattvebhyaḥ ||

"Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas love all beings in the world equally, as if each were their only child..." Buddhāvataṃsakamahāvaipulya Sūtra
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Grigoris
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Re: "Four articles of conversion"

Post by Grigoris »

Fantastic! Thank you all VERY much! :smile:

I think I will use the term "all embracing acts" and will work from the translation you mentioned Astus. I am not too happy with the quality of the translation (Alex Wayman) that I found.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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