Lanterna Rally

Author: Shih Cheng Yen

Publisher: 靜思人文志業股份有限公司

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 9866661407

The Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance is a well-known text in the Chinese Buddhist tradition. It was written by Tang Dynasty practitioner Master Wu-da after an encounter with the force of karmic retribution that manifested as a human-faced boil on his knee. Having personally experienced the inevitable results of karma, Master Wu-da wrote this text to caution future generations and make clear the necessity of repentance. Master Cheng Yen taught The Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance for five consecutive years in hopes that people would better understand the principles of repentance practice and apply Dharma-water to wash away the impurities in their hearts, thus approaching her goal of purifying people's hearts. With the wisdom gained from applying the Buddha-Dharma as the founder of Tzu Chi Foundation, Master Cheng Yen brings out the teachings of the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance for modern readers. Her teaching of the Water Repentance not only promotes Great Vehicle repentance practices but also establishes a unique model for her disciples to follow. By integrating the Tzu Chi spirit into the teachings of the Water Repentance, she sheds a new and unique light upon the Buddha's teachings and makes them relevant for modern living. 'A Sutra is a path; this path is a road to walk on. ' In 2003, Dharma Master Cheng Yen became deeply concerned by the natural and man-made disasters occurring in the world, such as the Iraq war and ARS epidemic. Seeing the fear and panic spread by these events, as well as the suffering and destruction of human and animal life to which they led, she felt the need to introduce Tzu Chi volunteers to repentance practices. Master Cheng Yen hoped to inspire her disciples to enter deeply into the Buddha's teaching and gain a deep understanding of the workings of karma, especially the tremendous power of collective karma. Then they would be able to comprehend and take responsibility for the karma they were creating in the world. Therefore, she began giving a series of lectures on the Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance. Master Cheng Yen's explanation of the text brings these concepts into our modern lives. For Master Cheng Yen, Bodhisattvas are not statues in a temple but ordinary people with the motivation to help others. To purify their afflictions, Bodhisattvas must work together with other sentient beings, helping them unconditionally while eliminating the negative habitual tendencies which manifest. This is the practice of cultivating blessings and wisdom. Dharma as Water consists of three volumes, which is a compilation of five years of lectures. It follows the sequence of the Water Repentance as written, interjected with stories, ancient and modern-day, to illustrate those teachings. The division of Dharma as Water's three volumes is slightly different than the division of the original chant. The first volume of the book is an introduction followed by an explanation of how to cultivate the Seven States of Mind that are used in repentance practice. The second volume covers the Obstruction of Afflictions. The third volume covers the Obstruction of Karma and the Obstruction of Retributions. Each chapter of the main teaching begins with a selection of text from the Water Repentance over a gray background, and is followed by Master Cheng Yen's explanation.