Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

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KiwiNFLFan
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:15 am

Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

Post by KiwiNFLFan »

I saw an article by Lama Zopa Rinpoche about the treatment of Buddhist scriptures. He mentions that he doesn't place his iPad on the bed, because it has Buddhist scriptures on it.

Is this attitude to Buddhist scriptures universal in Tibetan Buddhism, or it is just Lama Zopa Rinpoche's view? I know that some Hindus follow similar rules, considering the bed to be unclean and some go to the extent of having clothes stored up high and retrieved with a long pole to avoid accidentally touching them before bathing.

What are the rules, then, that should be followed with regard to sacred texts, sacred objects like malas, dorjes etc? Is there anywhere you cannot take them or put them? Any rules to be observed while handling/using them?

And what about the issue of sacred texts stored on an electronic device? Is the opinion of Lama Zopa the standard on this, or do others disagree? I remember reading an article by a Muslim over 10 years ago when mobile phone apps were starting to become popular. In Islam it is forbidden to take a copy of the Qur'an into a bathroom, but what about a mobile phone with a Qur'an app on it? The article concluded that the Qur'an text is simply stored in the device's memory, like it is stored in the memory of a hafiz (a person who has memorised the entire Qur'an), and just as the hafiz is permitted to go into the bathroom with the Qur'an in his memory as long as he doesn't chant it in there, the same rule can be followed with a mobile phone as long as the Qur'an text is not visible on the screen. Could the same rule be applied in Tibetan Buddhism?
jet.urgyen
Posts: 2753
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2017 12:29 am

Re: Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

Post by jet.urgyen »

Thinking on what my teacher said many times, it is your responsibility to keep your vajrayana items secret and safe under lock. Unless they are intended for the public sphere (objects of liberation upon seeing, smelling, and such)

Afaik sutrayana items are not secret. :popcorn:

I'm wrong?
true dharma is inexpressible.

The bodhisattva nourishes from bodhicitta, through whatever method the Buddha has given him. Oh joy.
KiwiNFLFan
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:15 am

Re: Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

Post by KiwiNFLFan »

javier.espinoza.t wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:55 pm Thinking on what my teacher said many times, it is your responsibility to keep your vajrayana items secret and safe under lock. Unless they are intended for the public sphere (objects of liberation upon seeing, smelling, and such)

Afaik sutrayana items are not secret. :popcorn:

I'm wrong?
What are "vajrayana items"? The only sacred objects I have are a couple of Buddha statues, a couple of malas, some books and a Gohonzon (Nichiren Buddhist mandala). I heard that you're not supposed to take malas into the bathroom, but what about other objects? Also, is the bed considered to be unclean, and if so, why? (I know some Hindus hold this view).

I'm especially interested about books in electronic form, on a tablet/phone/Kindle etc. As long as they aren't present on the screen at the time, should the electronic device be treated as a Dharma text, as Lama Zopa Rinpoche seems to say in this video. Have other lamas taught the same view, or is this simply his opinion?

I have an older tablet that isn't as big as my current one, and I was wondering if I should reformat that and use it solely for Dharma texts? What do you think?
haha
Posts: 562
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 3:30 pm

Re: Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

Post by haha »

If that is the case, I would like to ask a question: What will you do if you have memorized few sutras, few sadhanas, several mantras, several deities images, etc? There is no need to talk about body mandala.
:popcorn:
jet.urgyen
Posts: 2753
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2017 12:29 am

Re: Treatment of Dharma texts, sacred objects etc

Post by jet.urgyen »

KiwiNFLFan wrote: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:31 am
javier.espinoza.t wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:55 pm Thinking on what my teacher said many times, it is your responsibility to keep your vajrayana items secret and safe under lock. Unless they are intended for the public sphere (objects of liberation upon seeing, smelling, and such)

Afaik sutrayana items are not secret. :popcorn:

I'm wrong?
What are "vajrayana items"? The only sacred objects I have are a couple of Buddha statues, a couple of malas, some books and a Gohonzon (Nichiren Buddhist mandala). I heard that you're not supposed to take malas into the bathroom, but what about other objects? Also, is the bed considered to be unclean, and if so, why? (I know some Hindus hold this view).

I'm especially interested about books in electronic form, on a tablet/phone/Kindle etc. As long as they aren't present on the screen at the time, should the electronic device be treated as a Dharma text, as Lama Zopa Rinpoche seems to say in this video. Have other lamas taught the same view, or is this simply his opinion?

I have an older tablet that isn't as big as my current one, and I was wondering if I should reformat that and use it solely for Dharma texts? What do you think?
i think that if the device, the tablet, book shelf, bag, computer, box, pendrive, cloud storage, etc., have a tantra, a sadhana, picture, etc. in general a object, analog or digital, that is not open to public or explicitly declared secret then one should put a password on it and keep an eye on it, and observe the particular rules.

if the objects, analog or digital, are open to public sphere then one should observe the normal rules for both.

rules have a principle behind, wich is the important thing, i think this way one is not against it.

this is the way i do it, might be of use. in any case it is far, far, very far much better if you practice and keep everything secret, that's the real secure way.
true dharma is inexpressible.

The bodhisattva nourishes from bodhicitta, through whatever method the Buddha has given him. Oh joy.
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