Buddha's Lotus Flowers: Flower Symbolism in the Lotus Sutra (Reeves)

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Caoimhghín
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Buddha's Lotus Flowers: Flower Symbolism in the Lotus Sutra (Reeves)

Post by Caoimhghín »

I wasn't initially sure where I should put this.

I considered "Sūtra Studies", but this talk doesn't really deal with "Dharma" or the Buddhadharma expounded within the Lotus Sūtra, really.

It is more of a somewhat passingly interesting elaboration on the literary merits of the Lotus Sūtra (from the perspective of literary academia), which are abundant but generally not talked about in favour or speaking of the actual content of the sūtra (which, to be fair, makes sense).

I thought might be most appreciated by posters in the "East Asian Buddhism" forum.

Talk on the Lotus Sutra by Prof Gene Reeves (Part 1 of 5)
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:

These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?

The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
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Queequeg
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Re: Buddha's Lotus Flowers: Flower Symbolism in the Lotus Sutra (Reeves)

Post by Queequeg »

Finally got around to watching this.

Prof. Reeves is like a chill Mandy Patinkin.

Thanks for posting.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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