FEATURE
THE BUDDHA AND HIS MESSAGE: THE LIFE, TIMES AND ENDURING LEGACY OF LORD BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI
With this issue, “The Buddha and His Message,” Bodhi presents the first installment in its yearlong celebration of the 2550-year anniversary of the life and teachings of
Buddha Shakyamuni.
All traditions of Buddhism practiced around the world today trace their lineage directly to the Buddha. The transmission of both the scriptural dharma and the
dharma of realization—the actual living wisdom of enlightenment—have remained intact over the centuries, passed down from master to student. What did the Buddha
teach? He taught the path to awakening—the great awakening, the reaching of the “other shore,” where there is not even a trace of confusion, impurity or suffering.
Thus the Buddha taught the way to peace and joy that is both beyond this world and attainable by all sentient beings. In conjunction with many celebrations of this
auspicious anniversary planned around the world, Bodhi pays its respects and rejoices in the life and teachings of the Awakened One, who still exemplifies for us
today the perfect union of transcendent wisdom and unconditional love and compassion for all beings. In our coming issues for 2006, Bodhi will feature articles on
the Buddhism of Southeast and East Asia, as well as teachings by masters of these lineages.
Episodes from the Life of Shakyamuni Buddha
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Over 2,500 years ago, Prince Siddhartha was born to a noble family of the Shakya clan. At the age of thirty-five, he attained complete enlightenment, or buddhahood. Through his teachings, he showed the way that leads all beings to the experience of awakening and liberation from the realms of samsaric existence, demonstrating his limitless compassion towards all beings.
In Praise of the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha
Verses by Lord Drikungpa and Nagarjuna. Translated by Tyler Dewar.
This text, chanted as liturgy by followers of all four lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, summarizes in the form of praise the twelve most iconographically celebrated acts of the Buddha Shakyamuni. It is traditionally said that all nirmanakaya buddhas perform the twelve deeds eulogized by Nagarjuna in these verses. The verses also highlight the twelve main pilgrimage sites still frequented by pilgrims who wish to connect with the trace of blessings left behind by the awakened one.
Becoming Buddha
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The Buddha taught, “Through a difference in one moment, in that very moment, one becomes a buddha.” In one moment, you are a completely confused, neurotic sentient being, and in the next, you are totally enlightened. This message is the true legacy of Prince Siddhartha’s unerring and transcendent journey.
Pratityasamutpada: Seeing the Dependent Origination of Suffering as the Key to Liberation
by Judith Simmer-Brown
Pratityasamutpada serves as the slogan that expresses the Buddha’s discovery of the pattern of cause and effect—the complex web of actions and results that constitute and perpetuate our involvement with suffering. In order to aid his students in deepening their understanding of pratityasamutpada, the Buddha also taught the twelve nidanas, or links in the chain of cyclic existence.
The Meaning of Ri-me
by Ringu Tulku
Ri or chok-ri in Tibetan means “one-sided,” “partisan,” or “sectarian,” Me means “no,” So, Ri-me means “not taking sides,” “nonpartisan,” or “nonsectarian,” Ri-me is not a way of
uniting different schools and lineages by emphasizing their similarities. It is basically an appreciation of their differences and an acknowledgement of the importance of variety
to benefit practitioners with different needs.
ARTICLES
Patrul Rinpoche’s Verses on the Five Poisons Self-Liberated
by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
REGULARS
Society & Environment — Social and Philosophical Context of the Buddha’s Lifetime
by Venerable Dr. Rewata Dhamma
The Buddha’s teachings were said to be against the grain of the practices and beliefs current in his time, corresponding neither to the tenets of Brahmanism nor to the teachings of any of his contemporaries who rejected Brahmanism, including the six most prominent of these schools. Rather, the Buddha looked directly into the nature of reality and discovered the reality of dependent origination.
The Lives of the Karmapas:
The Sixth Karmapa Thongwa Dondon
by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
