Calm Clarity Temple updated name

Calm Clarity Temple now has a simpler Chinese name.  安定寺 An Ding Si.  Of course it may change to something else, but since this is a simpler translation and an easier way for non Chinese to pronounce it, it may just be the permanent name in Chinese.

安定
āndìng- stable / quiet / settled / stabilize / maintain / stabilized / calm and orderly


ān安
peaceful, tranquil, quiet

dìng定
decide, settle, fix



寺

sì - Buddhist temple, temple, mosque, government office (old)

This photo is from our Sangha gathering in Sacramental  CA at the City of Dharma Realm in 2011.  This is a Chinese nunnery founded by the late founding master Ven. Hsuan Hua and the monastics of the Sagely City of 10,000 Buddhas.

Americans and residents around the world all are Sangha, the flavor of Calm Clarity will reflect the tolerance of various traditions but our foundation is firmly set upon our ancestral heritage based in Chinese Buddhism.  To honor this we will follow Chinese services, style, robes, decor, and food but English will remain the core of communication and dharma talks, all services will be in English with some alternate Chinese services if requested.

Ames had the joy of hosting 6 Tibetan monks and their supporters at ISU

Calm Clarity Temple Named in Iowa

The quest for a temple name has been settled here in Iowa.  Calm Clarity Temple is the name for the temporary location here in Ames at my apartment with use of my community room for large events.  The reason I chose this name after asking for input is that it is quite overwhelming to be the one to pick a name that will live on long after I'm gone and to be honest it has to sound good over the phone to the public.

Calm Clarity these are attributes that I myself have been told that I have.  These are desirable attributes for living a quality life.  In fact these are the attributes you need to progress and train with Buddhist methods if you want to achieve nirvana.  These 2 attributes "calm" and "clarity" will serve future Sangha residents and members who attend the temple as guiding principles.

安 an - content, calm, still, quiet, safe, secure, in good health, to find a place for, to install, to fix, to fit, to bring a charge against sb, to pacify, security, safety, peace, ampere.
靜 jing - still, calm, quiet, not moving
安定 anding - stable, quiet, settled, stabilized, calm and orderly
安寧anning - peaceful, tranquil, calm, composed, free from worry
心静xinjing - tranquil, calm
安静anjing - quiet, peaceful, calm

明 鏡 mingjing - mirror (as in a metaphor for sth beautiful, bright and flat - such as a lake or sth that provides clarity and insight)
明晰 mingxi - clarity/lucid
智 zhi - knowledge, wisdom

To pick a Chinese name using these attributes I would pick 安明鏡寺 An Minjing Si  Calm Mirror Temple.
It's the closest to my intended meaning in terms of function of the temple.

This temple will be dedicated to translation of the Buddha dharma to English.  My present project is the Mahayana Tripitaka Collection from the Taisho Edition.This collection is unique in that it has all the extent schools included including an esoteric division which I was intrigued to learn that esoteric practices originated in India and were carried into China when Buddhism spread it's influence there, this collection has many of the masters including commentaries; it also contains the complete Pala Tipitaka, the 4 abhidharma collections as well as Mahayana collections, the Vinaya collection is inclusive of all the schools.

It's been rarely touched and translations exist in scholars treatises and to my knowledge none of their works are online and free to read.  I hope that changes with this temple.

Buddhafolk Blog has more on this with more about the mission statement and goals

Following a brief discussion on Facebook, I've gone back to my first choice for the Chinese name of the temple, 安定寺  Anding it has various supportive meanings and it exists already overseas in various countries.  Since Iowa is known for stability, calm, and peace as a state environment that is good for living and families, this is a worthy link to the natural environment.  A very auspicious trait too.

In response to suffering

Today I read of yet another child's death. Yesterday two children, killed by their nanny. What kind of mind does this? Sorrowing, angry, and full of repetitive rages?  These last few months the child murder rate is dangerously rising?  What happened to the parents? What happened to their caregivers? What happened to the stranger who grabbed and killed?

Caring hearts all cry the same.

I can't logic this out.  But I can pray.

Namo Guanshiyin Pusa

Please watch over our world's sufferers much closer.  Actively assist those children facing violence, protect them. Enable the human's who can act, to act to protect our precious jewels. This is violence is not stopping but it seems to be increasing, aid those haters, angry, sorrowful, regretful, imbalanced, and swiftly calm their minds, enabling them to seek help of a long lasting kind to keep them stable.  To those murdered please teach them no revenge, to let go of their sorrow, sense of loss and fear, moving in to their next life or to their heavens let them be at peace.  May all sentient beings in the past, present and future benefit from this prayer from this bhikshuni who is caring and thinking of all of them, who is a mother, who was a wife, who was child, who was born into this human realm.  May all my ancestors of all my lives, my loves, my children and my children's next lives and families benefit and have full and peaceful lives. Amituofo!

I bow to Observe World Sound's known as Avalokitasvara Bodhisattva.

Ven. Hong Yang, Bhikshuni
8th rains October 26 2012.

Living practices for Buddhists

As the last post introduces Pure Land practices for Buddhists in the West it is a new idea. Practicing all your Buddhist life with the intent of when you pass, if you do not attain Buddhahood or develop Bodhicitta you can do so without obstacles in the Pure Land.  The Pure Land is a place for to live peacefully after you die and practice Buddhism and once you do, you gain almost immediately Bodhicitta and attain Buddhahood swiftly.

Amitabha Buddha the Sanskrit name which means Immortality Buddha created the Pure Land through his cultivation   This Buddha is one of the five dhyana Buddhas. They are under Vairocana or Primordial or Root Buddha.

Now as this post is entitled living practices I would like to emphasis the Pure Land tradition as practiced in China and elsewhere is not a funerary tradition, in Japan it is often criticized as such.  I have heard from various Japanese clergy there that this is part of a big trend in abandoning traditional Buddhism in Japan.  Part of this is due to high costs to live, lack of donations, and a failure to meet the needs of modern society.

However, since Pure Land offers a variety of studies from mantras, Buddha name recitation, sutra recitation, sutra study, community practice and social activities, including artistic image creation and calligraphy.

Sutra practice includes private study, recitation for 1, 3, 7, 49, 54, 108 times per day or more
Sutra practice always includes merit returns to yourself and for all sentient beings at the end of each study session, end of each recitation period every time.
Sutra practice is really wonderful when you join a larger community that is reciting the sutra you like to study.


The most important scriptures of the Pure Land school are the three texts as determined by Honen in Japan:
1) the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (also known as the Larger Sutra on Amitāyus, abbreviated to Larger Sutra; the Sanskrit text is popularly known as the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sutra);
2) the Sutra on Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life (abbreviated to Contemplation Sutra); and
3) the Sutra on Amitāyus Buddha (also known as the Amida Sutra or the Smaller Sutra on Amitāyus, abbreviated to Smaller Sutra; the Sanskrit text is popularly known as the Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sutra)

Pure Land Buddhism is part of the sudden teachings according to the ancient Elder Master Ou I of the Tian Tai school.  Pure Land Buddhism Dialogues with the ancient masters by Chih I and Tien Ru


for core teachings refer to this site in English click the English lotus on the right.
This is founded by Ven. Jing Gong
Amitabha Buddhist Society of the USA

Mahayana Sutras in English
Mahayana Sutras in English with several versions of same sutras

Dying Practices for Buddhists

Dying practices for Buddhists.  This is a rather unusual concept for Westerners and maybe some new Buddhists from Asian countries.  Dying practices have been a part of Buddhists life since the beginning.  What I am teaching you now is the standard practice of Chinese Buddhist temples.  It is a part of Pure Land schools around the world.

What is dying?  Dying is the end.  The absolute ending of you as you know yourself in this body shell.  There is no more after this.  No more you.  If you feel scared then it's useful for you to start this practice while you live an active life now.  Dying is the ending of your breath without assistance, leading to the end of your heart beating.  It in actuality is a rather longer than you thought process, made complicated by your own willpower and the body attempt to protect itself by living until it can't.

To the family is very distressing to see you weaken, and struggle for breath (body takes over making you die in stages so your passing is smoother and from your own perspective you don't seem to notice-brain protects you), comfort medications and attentive hospice nurses help 100% make this passage smooth.  However, the end happens, the final breath... a minute later or so the heart actually stops beating.  The shell body is dead, a final removal of body waste is quick and efficient (modern hospices have the dying wear disposable diaper pants).  Your family mourns, your mind is free of the shell body and you begin to peruse your new found freedom safely for 49 days if you care to stick around and visit family and friends.  Still afraid? Hope you keep it in perspective death comes to us all, some in tragic ways, others by illness or natural aging.

Practice:

Purpose:  Mind Calming to enter Pure Land, training in mind calming with directed willpower to enter the Pure Land also improves removal of attachments to body and moderation of emotions but this is all side effects of a practice of Mindfulness.  Remember all Buddhists seek Enlightenment as a result of Buddhist practice and study.

Do not use this or any Buddhist practice for mental health issues, nor any "cure" for for lifestyle, stress, medical replacement or supplement.  It is never the purpose, the only reason is for seeking Enlightenment.  Everything else is Karma, genetics, your habits, addictions, etc.

Method 1

Reciting the Buddha name practice of 1 time, 3 times, 7, 14, 21, 49, 54, 108 times.  This is simplest method.

Namo Amitabha Buddha (Sanskrit version:  naa-moe  ah mee ta baa  booda)

南無 阿彌陀佛  namo amituofo (Chinese version:  nah moe  ah me toe foh)

I bow to Immortality Buddha      This is the literally the correct version.

Versions in print elsewhere use "Infinite Life or Infinite Light"  Buddha.  This means literally Immortality.
I bow to Infinite Life Buddha              
I bow to Infinite Light Buddha

Some liturgical texts in some places use these.
Homage to Infinite Life Buddha                              

I strongly will never support this as it's a rift from Church of England Christian or protestant versions of liturgies.  It's not accurate.  We are not honoring a King in the Roman Empire.  I will never approve of it.  It's outdated sources that often we see in our emerging Buddhist liturgies.  Cast it out!!

I return and rely to Infinite Life Buddha

This is  a Thomas Cleary version.  I think it is pretty as practice but not good mind training.  We didn't forget the Amitabha Buddha, we are seeking Amitabha Buddha.  Amitabha Buddha did not ask you to rely on him.  All the practices in Pure Land are meant to be self-regulating and self-willed.  Amitabha Buddha can be invited to come to meet you, even you wishing him to come to you but it's first time meeting for us all. This phrase is in the Catholic English Mass "I return and rely"  directly.  Not Buddhist in origin.

NOTICE:  No standards exist in English liturgies, and really the facts are in this great world is that nobody cares except those worldly scholars who are trying to make their mark in this Saha world.  So pick a version you like and have an affinity for.

Method 2

Read the Amitabha Sutra (short or longer version)  as a practice, learn the meaning and the Pure Land teachings.

Then you recite the sutra with out analysis for 1 time, 3 times, 7, 49, 54, 108 times a day.

The mindfulness you can gain is from the corrective thinking and good habit of sending out merit to all sentient beings.  In case you don't know it you benefit yourself greatly, your immediate family, and all your friends.  Even the fact you are exposing your pets to the sutras will make it very likely that in their next life they can become humans who will encounter Buddhism in their lives.

Some of my books will help you get started.
These are large print in English and in Chinese with hanyu pinyin

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=ven+hong+yang

  morning service  (Surangama mantra in English)

  Evening Service (Amitahba Sutra shorter) * use this for beginning practice

 7 Day Retreat Service, Clean Altar Service