UnbornMind Zen

Posts Tagged ‘Yama’

There are many horrors awaiting those who are consigned to the Buddhist Hells, but on occasion Compassion itself is to be found there and hopefully experienced. Eileen Gardiner’s Buddhist Hell: Visions, Tours, and Descriptions of the Infernal Otherworld, covers tales of those who descend into hell in order to comfort those poor and tortured souls who find no rest or comfort from their incessant inflictions. One of the Buddha’s major disciples, Maudgalyāyana or Mulian in Chinese Buddhism, Read more [...]

In some Buddhist traditions there are Ten Kings of Hell, but the most prominent one is known as Yama. It is revealed in the suttas that Yama was himself reborn in hell because of his own former actions; pining for his former state as a human he yearns to be able to hear the Buddhadharma from the lips of the Blessed One and thus be liberated from his suffering: At one time it occurred to King Yama: “Those that do evil deeds in the world are subjected to a variety of punishments like these. Read more [...]

ii.30-31 Observing the Law is the beginning of Wisdom 2.30 The Five Principles of Yama are: Non-Violence Truthfulness Integrity Chaste Spirit Non-Attachment Yama (Right Abstinence) consists of five principles that assure Right Development in the Unborn. The first is not willingly or intentionally inflicting harm on another, whether in thought, word, or deed. The second is the foundation upon which the others rest, and that is to uphold Truth in all circumstances. The Truth reflects Read more [...]

ii. 28-29 Yoga’s Eight-Limbs are the means to transformation 2.28 When the impurities have dried-up, Right Perception dawns pointing the way to Re-union with the Unborn. The upcoming sutras focus on Patañjali’s practical means to subdue the skandhas and rise to Noble Ascent in the Unborn. This Ascent is a Re-union, since originally Mind, before its adventitious outflows, is perfect within It-Self. Before this can occur, as the previous sutras pointed out, all skandhic impurities need Read more [...]