DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

By Nhat Quan

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According to the Buddhist dictionary, Behavior and Vow are translated as Action and vow. Action and vow mean the action of the body and the will of the mind. In the Commentary on the Blue or Green Dragon, Volume 2, it says:

- Because Action and Vow rely on each other, both practice without deviation.

Because they always have to rely on each other, it is also called complete practice and vow. Here, the action and vow have a profound meaning and practicality in the direction of saving sentient beings. From sentient beings to insentient beings, all can cross the sea of suffering. It also means saving sentient beings, guiding sentient beings from the place of ignorance to the bright light by the skillful means of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Because suffering is a psychological reality that sentient beings must accept, and is also a challenge for human life when they have not found the path of liberation. Therefore, with the light of wisdom, you must find a way to eliminate suffering from material to spiritual.

You will gradually learn to understand thoroughly about the Medicine Buddha on the spiritual level, as well as strengthen the belief in the right principles, through which, first of all, you believe in the saving power through the twelve great vows of the Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata, which makes all sentient beings' wishes come true. The vows that were made since the time of cultivating to become a Bodhisattva:

01- Vow to realize the Dharma-body that always resides in all ten directions. But not only to realize the empty theory but also to do practical things, I and you both have the thirty-two great human characteristics.

02- The halo is brilliant, shining in all ten directions. Sentient beings in the dark places also see my body and are at peace, according to their wishes.

Talking about light. Light does not come from enlightenment alone. It takes many lifetimes of meritorious deeds to achieve. Gem-heap Sutra says:

- Shakyamuni Buddha has a light called Clouds of Pure Illumination. This is due to many lifetimes of accumulating good roots, pitying the sick and suffering, giving medicine, and hoping for their health.

03- Full of wisdom and means, providing all the needs of all sentient beings.

04- Leading the heretical path to the true Dharma, bringing the two vehicles to the Supreme Bodhi.

05- Helping those who do not have the precepts to enter the precepts. Helping those who have broken the precepts to return to the pure precepts, not falling into the evil path.

06- Helping the disabled.

07- Curing all illnesses.

08- Transforming the weak minds of children into brave and strong men, advancing to the great heroic and powerful fruit.

09- Helping sentient beings escape the nets of demons, the bondage of heretics, the dense forest of evil views.

10- Praying for all sentient beings to be liberated from unusual disasters, robberies, and oppression by evil demons.

11- Praying for hungry and thirsty beings to have delicious and sufficient food. After that, the Buddha bestowed the Dharma to establish the fruit of virtue and joy.

12- May all poor and miserable beings be provided with all the necessary and precious things: May all wishes be fulfilled according to their heart, all desires be granted.

These twelve vows represent the power of practicing the path of saving the suffering, absorbing the Four Immeasurable Minds: Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. If you talk about the supernatural power of practicing the path, then the Medicine Buddha can also transform into a Bodhisattva to save sentient beings from all disasters. In particular, he cures mental illnesses. Therefore, when you encounter an accident or a serious illness, you should recite the name of the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata or stand with your hands together and visualize his image, then you will immediately be freed from all suffering. From there, if you practice the twelve vows while walking, standing, lying down, and sitting, each with a single mind, you will naturally feel a wonderful way in each mindful thought of your consciousness. And each of those thoughts will affect your body to overcome all illnesses. Therefore, as a disciple of Buddha, you should recite Buddha's name to regulate your breathing and cure your own illnesses.

For those who practice, on the path to attaining the Supreme Fruit, of course, they need to perfectly embody the twelve vows of Medicine Buddha. Because He represents the truth and perfect personality, the Enlightened One who has achieved Buddhahood, the master of the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli through the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha:

- In the East, there is a special world, a life of peace and happiness equivalent to the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha in the West. Hey Manjushri! While practicing the Bodhisattva path, you made twelve great vows to make all sentient beings' wishes come true.

Thus, these twelve vows have great significance for both lay people and monks. If you practice, recite the Medicine Buddha Sutra, or chant His name, you can overcome all dangers, such as being imprisoned or constantly ill, and find peace. And according to the sutra, it also teaches:

- For monks during their practice, if you go astray, He will bless you to practice correctly, not be disturbed by evil spirits and heretics. Or for those who break the precepts of fasting, if you sincerely pray to the Medicine Buddha, you will be restored to your precepts, develop good deeds, practice diligently, and attain the Supreme Bodhi.

So, vows are the spiritual food of those who seek the path, because you often think that life must have meaning, and practice must have vows. That proves that, in the desire for happiness and joy, a Buddhist disciple cannot lack understanding, faith, vows, as well as spiritual things. Buddhism still acknowledges that true practitioners will be protected by Heaven, Dragons, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Dharma Protectors, and Good Angels. But if you want to attain Buddhahood, you must apply the twelve vows of the Medicine Buddha in your own life. The merits of those practices can cure illnesses.

In addition, if you recite, chant, or call out the name of the Medicine Buddha Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata every day, it will be fulfilled in the present. In particular, the Medicine Buddha mantra has a very important meaning when you practice it. Because not only will you overcome all suffering, but after death, you will also be born in the Pure Lapis Lazuli World. You will gradually cultivate and attain the state of Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, as Shakyamuni Buddha once taught Manjushri Bodhisattva in the Medicine Buddha's Fundamental Vows and Merits Sutra:

- Hey Manjushri! Before the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata attained the Bodhi fruit, due to the power of his original vows, he observed that sentient beings encountered various kinds of sufferings, such as jaundice, emaciation, heat stroke, typhoid, etc. To eliminate these sufferings and fulfill the wishes of sentient beings, he immediately entered a state of concentration called:

- The concentration of eliminating all sufferings for sentient beings.

When he entered this state of concentration, a great beam of light emitted from his flesh protrusion, and in that beam of light, he recited the Great Dharani mantra:

- Namo Bhagavan, Bhakta-satya, Duryodhana, Bhakta-satya, Bhakta-satya, Bhakta-datta, Bhakta-satya-satya, Bhakta-datta. Om, pe-sat-the, pe-sat-the, pe-sat-xa, tam-mot-yet-de toa-ha.

Thus, the merit of reciting and practicing the Medicine Master Mantra is very miraculous. You can reap good results right now. Because those are the sounds spoken by the Buddhas, which have a direct influence on the vibrational rhythm of the light waves in the consciousness of sentient beings. From there, faith is steadfast, the mantra is fulfilled, thanks to the inconceivable merit of the original vow of Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata. Especially at the time of death, you only need to hear his name, and there will be eight Bodhisattvas with enough supernatural powers to guide you to wherever you want, either the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss or the Eastern Pure Land, adorned with precious flowers.

As a human being, everyone wants to live a happy and peaceful life, whether rich or poor, noble or humble... But life never goes according to your wishes. Therefore, when life's problems are difficult to solve, you will definitely turn to religion. That means that in life, the spirit of belief greatly affects the spiritual life of each individual. For the most part, faith is limited by those who place material things above spiritual life. Therefore, even though you recite and chant the Medicine Buddha Sutra every day, the effect is very low, because you are not sincere. Each vow has a special function. If in this life, any of you, once you have faith, should make a vow to be born in the Pure Land of the Medicine Buddha. This vow requires the practitioner to apply the twelve vows to life to promote the good merit of the mind, bringing the mind into the absolute truth. Because in fact, when you can do that, it has a very profound and extremely important impact on the daily life of a Buddhist disciple.

According to the current image, the portrait of the Medicine Buddha is believed to have spiral hair, the left hand holding a medicine bottle, the right hand making the fearlessness mudra. On both sides are two Bodhisattvas as attendants, the Universally Radiant Sunlight Bodhisattva and the Universally Radiant Moon-Light Bodhisattva. This is the image known as the Medicine Buddha Three Venerables.

The spiral hair image is one of the good features of the Buddha. The hand holding the medicine bottle represents the meaning that the Medicine Buddha has countless merits, treasures, and miraculous Dharma to help practitioners practice and transform themselves. The special thing here is that his right hand makes the fearlessness mudra. Fearlessness means not being afraid; that image is intended to help sentient beings have strong faith to establish peace for body and mind.

The two Bodhisattvas standing in attendance of the Medicine Buddha symbolize the Fundamental Wisdom (Sunlight Transformation) and the Acquired Wisdom (Moonlight Transformation). That determines that all the means that He uses originate from these two wisdoms. Furthermore, Lapis Lazuli refers to one of the seven treasures, which is a green gemstone. Green represents compassion and life. Therefore, the Medicine Buddha is the whole, encompassing all images, which has the effect of liberating your consciousness. From the above meaning, it can be affirmed that each of you is a Medicine Buddha if you fully develop the merits, wisdom, and miraculous Dharma of our original mind.

Thus, from the symbolic image, the real value has been highlighted. The Medicine Buddha adorned himself and his land with twelve great vows from the time he first initiated his mind, made his vow, until the day he attained the Supreme, Right, and Equal Enlightenment, which is the entire process of practicing the Bodhisattva path. This is the result of his constant efforts and diligence in cultivating, bringing joy, and saving suffering to sentient beings for many lifetimes. You see, the Medicine Buddha built a Pure Land model, in which sentient beings are the center to perfect his original vow. Therefore, the content of each vow states the purpose of saving suffering beings. Living beings are the object for Bodhisattvas to fulfill their vows. Moreover, the achievement of each Buddha, in addition to the vow factor, must also be concretized by action. The act of benefiting oneself and others is the fundamental condition to adorn the Buddha's reward body (Chánh báo) and the country (Y báo) to reach perfection.

On that basis, respect and worship combined with the practice of the twelve great vows will help you build a country as solemn and pure as His. That means you must be perfect in two aspects:

- Solemn and pure yourself

Regarding yourself, you must maintain the Threefold Pure Precepts, practice meditation, and develop pure wisdom to transform thoughts of desire, anger, ignorance, selfishness, jealousy, ego-clinging, dharma-clinging, etc., back to your own bright, equal, and pure nature. In addition, vow to transform the mind of stinginess into great compassion. If you give alms to the eyes, hands, and feet, let alone other material possessions. The path to liberation requires solemn precepts, right views, and extensive learning. A little arrogance will become a friend of the devil, praising yourself and criticizing others, slandering the Dharma, causing countless sentient beings to follow you down the dangerous pit. The diseases of jealousy, hatred, oppression, and all the sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death, the Buddha vows to use his supernatural powers to liberate you from the cause and effect of evil realms, gradually leading you to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. That transformation must be done with a mind of no dwelling, no action. This is also the way to build the Pure Land right in your heart.

- Adorn the land.

Along with perfecting yourself, you must also practice the Bodhisattva conduct based on the twelve great vows, taking sentient beings as the object, guiding them to attain peace and liberation. You chant sutras, practice the thought of great compassion every day, wishing to enter the sea of ​​great vows of the Medicine Master. You should practice living like him, each thought wishing to bring happiness and joy to those around you, no longer fearing the sufferings of evil realms. Vow that:

- From now on, I vow to shoulder all sentient beings, doing beneficial work and bringing joy to them.

To do this also means to form a bond with sentient beings, to live in harmony with the light of the Dharma, to turn this Saha world into a Buddha world.

Today, there are concepts, tendencies, and actions that push humanity to the abyss of mutual destruction, especially war, terrorism, hatred, and disease that are raging. As a Buddhist, you should spread the twelve vows of the Medicine Buddha and apply them in your own life as well as in society, helping them find a true path, creating peace, freedom, and prosperity.

The Medicine Buddha is a Teacher with complete Dharma and medicine, capable of dispelling all suffering for sentient beings. Through his twelve vows as well as his perfect achievement in the Pure Lapis Lazuli world, he has taught you many invaluable lessons, highly practical on the path of cultivation and Bodhisattva practice.

Thus, if there is a time when the forty-eight vows of Amitabha Buddha guide you to the holy land. Then the twelve vows of the Medicine Buddha bow down to rescue you from the abyss of evil beasts, protect your right view, and bring you into the victorious Dharma. Speaking of Amitabha Buddha, the Chinese translation is Infinite Life, Infinite Light, Infinite Merit. In other words, Amitabha is the true mind, the nature of all saints and mortals, the fruit of virtue that all Buddhists seek then Medicine Master is precepts, Lapis Lazuli is concentration, and King of Light is wisdom, the three essential causes of the current practice of all Dharma doors. Thus, the two religious leaders, one from the West and one from the East, coordinate very closely with each other.

Buddhas, patriarchs, and venerable ones have taught:

- There are 84,000 Dharma doors to practice; attaining one Dharma door is to understand all other Dharma doors.

And no matter which Dharma door you practice, health is above all, and eliminating disasters and karmic obstacles is the top goal. The current social situation makes practitioners pay attention to the Medicine Master Dharma, which needs to be widely disseminated. Those who practice the Medicine Master Dharma must always:

- Read and recite the Medicine Master Sutra

- Recite the name of the Medicine Master Buddha

- Practice the Medicine Master Mantra

- Carve a Medicine Master Buddha statue

- Worship the Medicine Master Buddha

Worship the Medicine Master Buddha must have 49 lamps. The two attendant Bodhisattvas are called the Sun-Light Transforming Illumination and the Moon-Light Transforming Illumination. Because the first link of the twelve links of dependent origination and death is ignorance, the medicine cannot be separated from wisdom. As for the Medicine Master's Fundamental Vows and Merits Sutra, there are seven volumes. The Tripitaka Master Xuanzang, who sought the Dharma in India, requested and translated it completely into Chinese. In the sutra, it is said that the Buddha Sakyamuni pitied living beings living in the evil age of the five turbidities, suffering many painful consequences, so he told you that in the East, there are seven Medicine Master Buddhas. Each one has his own vow. The general idea is to cure afflictions, karmic obstacles, and retribution obstacles, so that sentient beings can be at peace and happy forever.

As you know, when each Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha, he has a world to teach all those who have affinity. The world is created by the mind, so the Medicine Buddha created seven lapis lazuli worlds from his wisdom and virtue.

1- Pure Lapis Lazuli World, Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata

Because the country is pure and manifests throughout the ten directions, it is called the Pure Lapis Lazuli World.

2- Perfect Fragrance World, Golden Colored Precious Light, Wonderful Practice Accomplishment Tathagata

His vows are fulfilled, so the Buddha is called Golden Color Accomplishment, with a golden body complete with the thirty-two marks of a great man.

3- Worryless World, Worryless Supreme Auspicious Tathagata

That is, to initiate the mind to seek enlightenment. This is the most supreme mind, so the world is called the Supreme Victor

4- Dharma-realm, Dharma-sea-thunder-sound-tathagata

Pure abode is in a quiet place in the sea of ​​dharma, easily developing wisdom, so the Buddha's name is Dharma-sea-thunder-sound-tathagata.

5- Good Abode, Treasure Sea, Dharma Sea, Victory Wisdom, Play, Divine Power, Tathagata

Thanks to the Dharma, he gives rise to a mind of Joy, loves the Dharma, feels the result of blessings, becomes a Buddha, is called Dharma Sea, Play, Tathagata. Also means playing in the sea of ​​dharma

6- Victorious World, Good Name, Proclaiming Auspicious King Tathagata.

The mind is free from worries and anxiety, peaceful and auspicious, so the Buddha is called the Victorious Auspicious Tathagata

7- Wonderful World Treasure, Moon Wisdom, Light and Sound, Self-sufficient King Tathagata.

Avalokitesvara Self-Mastery is the nature of hearing that is not controlled or moved by sound. This is the Buddha nature, a priceless treasure, each of you has it, but very few people know about it. That is why the world is called Wonderful Treasure.

You worship the seven names, but do not forget the Medicine Master Dharma. To heal yourself, to heal sentient beings, you must first generate the Bodhi mind to seek enlightenment. Then find the cause to cultivate for the ultimate meaning. Like a farmer must choose the seeds. A person who has the will to awaken must rely on Buddha nature to cultivate. The supporting conditions for the birth of wisdom are tranquility and Buddha Dharma. Sufficient causes and conditions will definitely complete Bodhi.

In fact, all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cure illnesses and are physicians. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas guide sentient beings to a peaceful and happy place. But the reason why people pray for peace toward the East and pray for salvation toward the West is that the rising sun in the East represents life. Praying for salvation toward the West is because the setting sun represents nirvana. In truth, the earth rotates; there is no East or West. The sun stands still; there is no rising or setting. But clearly, in your present life, there is still an East or West in space, there is still a setting sun and rising sun to create yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Time is illusory, but the false view of human beings cannot lack a calendar to agree on which day, which month, which year.

Because it is appropriate, the Buddha, according to the life of birth and death, arranges the teachings of the East and the West, so that the disturbed sentient beings have a direction to return to, to calm their minds, and gradually liberate themselves. But it is still appropriate, the Buddha's eyes see in the endless space that there are countless worlds of suffering, joy, beauty, and ugliness. As the Buddha saw, relative to our earth, the East has the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, the West has the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. You who study Buddhism should carefully consider both the Dharma realms of Fact and Principle, without any doubt in your mind, and strongly go straight to unhindered liberation.

Although there are seven sets of Medicine Master's Original Vows, only one set of Lapis Lazuli Light has been circulated in Vietnam because Vietnam especially worships the Pure Land sect. The Dharma practice of reciting the Buddha's name is very popular. The Medicine Master Original Vows Sutra has a passage:

- If anyone is willing to keep the eight precepts for at least three months and hears the name of Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light King Buddha, then at the time of death, eight great Bodhisattvas will show the way to the Eastern Pure Land of Medicine Master Buddha.

Throughout the Original Vows Sutra, it is strongly recommended to recite the Buddha's name. Therefore, the Medicine Master Original Vows Sutra is considered a Dharma practice of the Pure Land sect, reciting the Buddha's name to seek rebirth in the Eastern Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

The Medicine Master Dharma, like all other Dharmas, has two parts:

- Exoteric Teaching and Esoteric Teaching.

Exoteric Teaching clearly teaches the path of practice. Practitioners know it and go by themselves. As for Esoteric Teaching, practitioners only have to believe and recite mantras.

In short, the tendency to be reborn in the Western Pure Land is an ancient Dharma practice, but in reality, you cannot be reborn immediately if you want to be reborn. If you want to be reborn, you must practice according to Amitabha Buddha's vows over a period of years and months. However, according to the Sutras, the connection of mind and heart is not only between the two Eastern and Western Dharma Masters, but also great Bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas, and other great Bodhisattvas who are present in both Lands. Therefore, if you know Medicine Buddha and recite his name, when you are reborn, he will send eight great Bodhisattvas to take you to the place you want to go. Therefore, if you have to practice, you should practice the Medicine Master Dharma, which is appropriate because the Medicine Master Dharma is a fundamental Dharma for all Dharmas. Just like a building, the foundation must be laid first, and the same is true of the Medicine Buddha Dharma and all other Dharma methods.

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