jessie08/28/02 at 05:02:09#1Someone (who is a non-TBS person) asked me for the long mantra of Cundi Buddha Mother.
I am reluctant to give it to him because:
1) he is a Mahayana BUddhist, and since he already has the affinity to know the Tantric short mantra, he should treasure it.
2) he may not have the correct view, from my limited interactions with him
3) i am not supposed to divulge mantras cos' who am i to do it -- i may indirectly commit the act of dharma stealing.
But i am in a dilemma, because this guy obviously has some affinity with tbs...Is it ok to give him the mantra but tell him that to chant or practice it requires empowerment? (and i know he'd probably ignore the advice about empowerment...)
Last edited 08/28/02 at 16:51:51 by Buddhafly
Lyciss08/28/02 at 06:16:55#2Re: how to react?Jessie,
i really dont get "dharma stealing" if we are all buddhas, how can you steal dharma?? or how can any revealed dharma be problematic for those who ask for it? i understand the karma behind it, but in all actuality revealed dharma is to purify karma... and thats what the buddhas and bodhisattvas want to happen... isnt it?
i really dislike human polotics when it comes to the Dharma... altho rules are good and help chaos from over welming order... i dont like when rules stand in the way of the progress of "goodness" and it happens more often than it should...
om mani padme hum
jessie08/28/02 at 06:45:05#3Re: how to react?ok...
thanks for relieving me of my thoughts! i didn't really think that far about politics though..
:)
the premise of my questions about dharma-stealing is based on what i thought is impt: empowerment is necessary to chant a mantra. If i know that person is going to chant without empowerment, and i still give it to him, i am indirectly aiding the stealing of dharma... that is my concern...
pls correct me if i am wrong -- or do u think it is ok to give a mantra to somebody, and telling him the empoewrment issue and hopes that he will not chant it?
Last edited 08/28/02 at 07:16:10 by jessie_loh
Lyciss08/28/02 at 12:40:03#4Re: how to react?Hey Jessie,
good question... one way of looking at it is... Avalokitesvara's heart mantra is very widely known... ive seen it appear in so many places and ive even heard people talking about it and discussing where it came from and its "possible" meaning... i walked up to them and said, its kuan yins heart mantra... they were like, who is kuan yin? i said, the bodhisattva of compassion... they were still unsure and they told me they have been reciting, Om mani padme hum like a little prayer even tho they didnt know where it came from... all they knew is it was a prayer... since it appears in so many places and so many people have come across it... would it be considered stealing the dharma without having the empowerment? i dont think so because Grandmaster even mentions in one of his books about how "famous" kuan yins heart mantra is... and how good it is that its so well known... so i think sometimes reciting a mantra is good to develope affinity with the deities and empowerment is good to recieve to continue practice or to have any real response in cultivation...
some people arnt always ready right away to recieve empowerment but still decide to recite mantras... i think its a good way to become more comfortable and unknownly build affinity...
om mani padme hum
mimosa08/28/02 at 17:02:22#5Re: How to react?Jessie
if you dont tell him, I bet that he can find it easily. If I were you, I would probably show him an article that has the mantra on it and advise him to receive the empowerment
I wouldnt tell him the mantra directly because my pronunication may be not correct. Giving him an article or showing him the book may be a better idea, he can then learn about the buddha/mantra and gain the correct view
Mimosa
jessie08/28/02 at 17:41:10#6Re: How to react?yes...he said he can't find it on the web for a long time. Yet, when i did a search, i found it within seconds...
i think i will just do what Mimosa says!
Thanks, Lyciss and Mimosa. I've got a whole new perpective...And i now know how to handle such requests!
Lyciss08/30/02 at 01:42:56#7Re: How to react?I have something interesting to go a long with that...
i go into some buddhist chat rooms around the net and i use Om Ah Hum as my name but for most people they somehow see Lyciss instead! lol perhaps their karma stops them from seeing om ah hum... its very strange...
om mani padme hum