Tag Archives: Dhammasota

A Change of Heart

Posted on November 14, 2023 by Vajragoni

Metanoia, a Greek term, refers to a profound transformation that occurs within an individual, a complete change of heart that takes place deep within the recesses of consciousness. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus the Christ explains that unless one undergoes this inward conversion and becomes childlike, they will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lankavatara Sutra also describes this radical inner conversion as a sudden awakening within the dormant bodhimind of the aspiring adept. In the practice of Unbornmind Zen, the concept of becoming childlike resonates with the idea that the dormant bodhiseed gradually develops into the bodhichild, the developing bodhisattva, who turns away from defiled sensory experiences and begins the process of rediscovering its true essential nature in the Unborn Buddha Mind. read more

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Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism

Posted on January 1, 2017 by Vajragoni

Dr. Peter Masefield’s groundbreaking study, Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism, has become a standard-bearer for those who approach the early narratives of Buddhism, not exclusively through the torch of Historical-Critical-Analysis, but through a direct and synthesized correlation of what transpires in those sacred chronicles via a series of recurring themes and general non-sectarian mystical vantage points. Masefield contends that his study is a revaluation and a re-mythologization of what mainstream academia shuns and holds as anathema to their rigid methodologies. One reviewer writes: read more

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Snips and Snails and Demon Tales

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Vajragoni


Demons in the Desert Jataka Tale: Alexa Renée

“Śāriputra, a venomous snake subjugated by a magic spell cannot hurt anyone, and insects or worms will not be worried or afraid upon seeing it. Yet, harmless as it is, it is still called a venomous snake because it has received the form of a snake as a result of its previous karmas. Śāriputra, the same is true with the celestial demon Pāpiyān. When Tathāgata Akṣhobhya was following the Bodhisattva practices in the past, he vowed to dedicate his good roots thus: ‘When I realize supreme enlightenment, I will subjugate all demons so that they will not cause hindrances or troubles. They will not hinder or trouble the Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, ordinary people, or others in the whole billion-world universe. [Subjugated as they are], the demons remain in demons’ forms because of their previous karmas. They regret this in the heaven where they are born, and blame themselves for being incarnated as beings called ‘demons’ owning to their previous karmas performed from beginningless time. In spite of the power they enjoy, they loathe their state. When that Tathagata expounds the Dharma, the demons and their retinues are often among the listeners. After hearing the Dharma, they become pure in mind and yearn to be Śrāvakas, thinking, ‘How can we, too, abide in tranquility, have few desires, and be content?’ Because those demons have a constant desire to leave the household life and have no intention of hindering others, the Śrāvakas, Bodhisattvas, and ordinary people in that land can all abide in peace and happiness. This is also due to the awesome power of that Buddha’s previous vigor and great vows.  Śāriputra, this is also a superb adornment of Akṣhobhya Buddha’s land. . . . read more

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Songs of Renunciation

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Vajragoni

From the Songs of Milarepa (Dover Thrift Editions):

The way of the world is illusion:
I strive after true reality.
To be moved by earthly possessions is illusion :
I endeavour to rise above duality.
To be the world’s servant is illusion:
I wander in the mountains alone.
Wealth and possessions are illusion:
I renounce for the sake of the faith any I may have.
External things are illusion:
I contemplate the mind.
Distinctive thought is illusion:
I follow after sapience.
Conditional truth is illusion:
I dispose the absolute truth.
The printed book is illusion:
I meditate upon the counsels of the ear-whispered tradition.
Philosophical argument is illusion:
I study at length that which is unfeigned.
Both birth and death are illusion:
I contemplate the deathless truth.
Ordinary knowledge is illusion:
I exercise myself in wisdom.
The delight of mental thought is illusion:
I dwell in the state of reality. read more

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Sans Sound: Bardo 3, Dhammasota

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Vajragoni

One of the most moving stories in the Bible is found in the Book of 1 Kings. It revolves around the time when Elijah the prophet was feeling down and out. He begged that the Lord’s strength would come and help him to regain his religious fervor. Naturally, he imagined that this would be manifested to him in some strong and extroverted fashion—some earth-shattering portrayal on the part of God. Yet what was revealed to him was something totally unexpected. First there came along a strong wind—like a tornado bearing down on him; but God was not in the wind. Next there came a terrifying earthquake and Elijah was rattled in his bones; but God was not in the earthquake. Then he was suddenly engulfed in a vast ring of scorching-fire; but God was not in the fire. Lastly there came upon him a gentle and soothing breeze; inwardly he sensed the deathless voice of God himself comforting his weariness. This lovely pericope describes what is considered, through many Spiritual-Contemplative disciplines, as experiencing the Absolute Godhead AS IT IS—devoid of any overbearing anthropocentric or naturally (within nature herself) based attributes that feebly attempt to describe and/or define this completely Transcendent Exposure. This is truly reflective of the Parato ghosa, or the great and magnificent deathless sound not seen nor heard through conventional apparati, but truly experienced as emanating from the Very Sacred Heart of Suchness Itself. read more

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