”view of uncausedness” (of existence); s. ditthi.
mudita^, is one of the 4 sublime abodes (brahmaviha^ra, q.v.).
Amitabha Sutra == 阿弥陀经
One of the main sutra in Pure Land Sect. It is said to be the only sutra that Shakyamuni preached without being asked. For the sake of facilitating the living beings to practice and cultivate the Buddha way. Shakyamuni revealed and taught us of he simplest ways for liberation and enlightenment -- reciting Amitabha Buddha”s name. By reciting the name, one can opt to be born in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is one of the most popular sutra recited by the Buddhists in China.
”adaptation-knowledge” or conformity-knowledge, is identical with the ”adaptation-to-truth knowledge”, the last of 9 insight-knowledges (vipassana^-n~a^na) which constitute the purification of knowledge and vision of the path-progress” (s. visuddhi VI, 9). Cf. Vis.M. XXI.
s. a^yatana.
s. sa^sana.
”recollection of the Enlightened One”; s. anussati.
”purification of mind”, is the 2nd of the 7 stages of purification (visuddhi, II,. q.v.).
”recollection of the heavenly beings”; s. anussati.
”recollection of the Law”, is one of the 10 recollections (anussati, q.v.).
cf. tiraccha^na-katha^, kamma-patha (I, 7), karma.
ra^ga-carita; s. carita.
bahula-kamma: s. karma.
the (mental) ”karma-result of wholesome karma” (s. karma).
”recollection of death”, is one of the 10 recollections treated in detail in Vis.M. VIII:
””Recollection of death, developed and frequently practised, yields great reward, great blessing, has Deathlessness as its goal and object. But how may such recollection be developed?
"As soon as the day declines, or as the night vanishes and the day is breaking, the monk thus reflects: ”Truly, there are many possibilities for me to die: I may be bitten by a serpent, or be stung by a scorpion or a centipede, and thereby I may lose my life. But this would be an obstacle for me. Or I may stumble and fall to the ground, or the food eaten by me may not agree with my health; or bile, phlegm and piercing body gases may become disturbing, or men or ghosts may attack me, and thus I may lose my life. But this would be an obstacle for me.” Then the monk has to consider thus: ”Are there still to be found in me unsubdued evil, unwholesome things which, if I should die today or tonight, might lead me to suffering?” Now, if he understands that this is the case, he should use his utmost resolution, energy, effort, endeavour, steadfastness, attentiveness and clear-mindedness in order to overcome these evil, unwholesome things" (A VIII, 74).
In Vis.M. VIII it is said: ”He who wishes to develop this meditation, should retreat to solitude, and whilst living secluded he should thus wisely reflect: ”Death will come to me! The vital energy will be cut off!” Or: ”Death! Death!” To him, namely, who does not wisely reflect, sorrow may arise by thinking on the death of a beloved person, just as to a mother whilst thinking on the death of her beloved child. Again, by reflecting on the death of a disliked person, joy may arise, just as to enemies whilst thinking on the death of their enemies. Through thinking on the death of an indifferent person, however, no emotion will arise, just as to a man whose work consists in cremating the dead at the sight of a dead body. And by reflecting on one”s own death fright may arise ... just as at the sight of a murderer with drawn sword one becomes filled with horror. Thus, whenever seeing here or there slain or other dead beings, one should reflect on the death of such deceased persons who once lived in happiness, and one should rouse one”s attentiveness, emotion and knowledge and consider thus: ”Death will come, etc.”.... Only in him who considers in this way, will the hindrances (ni^varana, q.v.) be repressed; and through the idea of death attention becomes steadfast, and the exercise reaches neighbourhood-concentration (upaca^ra-sama^dhi)."
According to Vis.M. VIII, one may also reflect on death in the following various ways: one may think of it as a murderer with a drawn sword standing in front of oneself; or one may bear in mind that all happiness ends in death; or that even the mightiest beings on this earth are subject to death; or that we must share this body with all those innumerable worms and other tiny beings residing therein; or that life is something dependent on in-and-out breathing, and bound up with it; or that life continues only as long as the elements, food, breath, etc. are properly performing their functions; or that nobody knows when, where, and under what circumstances, death will take place, and what kind of fate we have to expect after death; or, that life is very short and limited. As it is said: ”Short, indeed, is this life of men, limited, fleeting, full or woe and torment; it is just like a dewdrop that vanishes as soon as the sun rises; like a water-bubble; like a furrow drawn in the water; like a torrent dragging everything along and never standing still; like cattle for slaughter that every moment look death in the face" (A. VII, 74).
"The monk devoted to this recollection of death is at all time indefatigable, gains the idea of disgust with regard to all forms of existence, gives up delight in life, detests evil, does not hoard up things, is free from stinginess with regard to the necessities of life, the idea of impermanence (anicca) becomes familiar to him; and through pursuing it, the idea of misery (dukkha) and of impersonality (anatta^) become present to him .... Free from fear and bewilderment will he pass away at death; and should he not yet realize the Deathless State in his life-time, he will at the dissolution of the body attain to a happy course of existence" (Vis.M. VIII).
See Buddhist Reflections on Death, by V. F. Gunaratna (WHEEL 102/103). -Buddhism and Death, by M.Q.C. Walshe (WHEEL. 260).
a ”person with a fixed destiny”, may be either one who has committed one of the 5 ”heinous deeds with immediate result” (a^nantarika-kamma, q.v.), or one who follows ”wrong views with fixed destiny” (niyata-miccha^-ditthi, q.v.), or one who has reached one of the 4 stages of holiness (s. ariya-puggala). About the latter cf. the frequent passage: "Those disciples in whom the 3 fetters (of personality-belief, sceptical doubt and attachment to mere rules and ritual; s. samyojana) have vanished, they all have entered the stream, have forever escaped the states of woe; fixed is their destiny (niyata), assured their final enlightenment."
an ”Independently Enlightened One”; or Separately or Individually (=pacceka) Enlightened One (renderings by ”Silent” or ”Private Buddha” are not very apt). This is a term for an Arahat (s. ariya-puggala) who has realized Nibba^na without having heard the Buddha”s doctrine from others. He comprehends the 4 Noble Truths individually (pacceka), independent of any teacher, by his own effort. He has, however, not the capacity to proclaim the Teaching effectively to others, and therefore does not become a ”Teacher of Gods and Men”, a Perfect or Universal Buddha (samma^-sambuddha). - Paccekabuddhas are described as frugal of speech, cherishing solitude. According to tradition, they do not arise while the Teaching of a Perfect Buddha is known; but for achieving their rank after many aeons of effort, they have to utter an aspiration before a Perfect Buddha.
Canonical references are few; Pug. 29 (defin.); A. II, 56; in M. 116, names of many Paccekabuddhas are given; in D. 16 they are said to be worthy of a thúpa (dagoba); the Treasure-Store Sutta (Nidhikhandha Sutta, Khp.) mentions pacceka-bodhi; the C. Nidd. ascribes to individual Paccekabuddhas the verses of the Rhinoceros Sutta (Khaggavisa^na Sutta, Sn.) - See bodhi.
See The Paccekabuddha, by Ria Kloppenborg (WHEEL 305/307).
cf. puggala, paramattha-sacca, desana^, anatta^, satta.