Regarding resources. I’m mainly looking for documents and books elucidating on the theology / philosophy itself, written by its proponents (or docile outsiders). If there’s good texts on Buddhism as a whole written from the perspective of the two schools mentioned above, that would be very interesting. Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello! I'm currently studying the nine consciousnesses, and trying to track down the doctrinal origin. It's an important concept in Nichiren Buddhism, but appears to have originated in the T’ien-t’ai and Flower garland schools of China.

Is anyone familiar with where I can look in an English translation of Zhiyi's works, or something else from the T’ien-t’ai school?

I have a copy of the Flower Garland Sutra, but it's extremely dense, I'm not sure where to dip in without reading the entire thing (not that this isn't something I would like to do).

Edit: Thank you so much everyone for the wealth of information. I have a lot of reading to do now!

Looking anyone has any recommendations of resources regarding the modern Tiantai tradition in China and Taiwan? I'm aware that it seems to have a stronger presence in Hong Kong, as well as various affiliated organisations and temples on the mainland (as well as one or two temples in the US and Mexico). Would love to know more about it.

I'm looking for something similar to The Huayan University Network by Erik J. Hammerstrom which gives a brief overview of the modern Huayan tradition and it's affiliated organizations from the 20th to the 21st century.

I ordered a small brewhouse and Brite tank from Tiantai Dec 27th, anyone else order around that time? Have you received shipment? my delivery has kept getting pushed back.

Other than this the company has been great to deal with and other brewhouse locally seem very well made. I’m just getting the feeling that larger orders are getting priority given the situation.

Thanks!

Hello. I have been studying the differences (major differences) between the Huayan and Tendai/Tiantai schools. Can anyone here chip in on this matter?

I thought I would offer a link that addresses parallels to some of the issues discussed recently - albeit in another context. The link provided offers an academic overview of key differences in tiantai (lotus sutra inspired) and hua yen (avatamsaka sutra inspired) metaphysics. For the intellectually curious it may be of value in understanding differing points of view outside of the context of trying to establish the orthodox dzogchen teaching.

I hope this may be of benefit to some:

https://jeelooliu.net/Tian-tai%20vs.%20Hua-yan.htm

I'm a little confused on how Tiantai exactly differs from other schools within the Mahayana. The fact that it primarily focuses on the Lotus Sutra is the biggest thing that confused me at first, as the Lotus Sutra seemed to me as just a sort of a supplement to the Buddhist teachings and cannot hold up as an independent doctrine. Checking wikipedia, it seems like Tiantai mainly believes and practices that which is common to the Mahayana in general. So where exactly does it differ? Noted I have very little experience with Tiantai in general. I've always known of it but never bothered looking into it until recently. Thank you!

Edit: Also I apologize if I have misconceptions about the Lotus Sutra. I've only read it once and don't remember many specifics about it (I remember the vehicle parable and the Buddha declaring the Ekayana and then just prophesizing all the disciples becoming Buddhas).

> Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching #374: 374 >The Sixth Patriarch heard a monk quote a verse by Wolun saying, "Wolun has a skill, able to cut off a hundred thoughts; when mind is not aroused in face of objects, enlightenment grows day by day." The patriarch said, "This verse does not clarify the ground of mind; if you practice based on this, it increases bondage." Accordingly he presented a verse saying, "Huineng has no skills, does not cut off a hundred thoughts. Mind is aroused repeatedly in face of objects; how can enlightenment grow?"

Commentary: The beginning of this is that a monk believes suppressing the occurrences of mind leads to enlightenment. The 6th Patriarch , Huineng, disagrees and says suppressing mind's occurrences creates bondage, which is true. To try to stop thoughts is trying , and we can never realise minds true nature by trying, since it exists effortlessly.

Huineng says he doesn't suppress thoughts, (because he is in the effortless state of mind) and that his ( it's not his at this point) mind is aroused repeatedly by objects. This comment is true of enlightened mind. Whatever occurs in enlightened mind repeatedly reminds us of its enlightened nature. "The how can enlightenment grow" points to the fact that mind is already grown in that it arises as enlightenment with each object. Mind is fully mature when realised, and it has no growing period.

(From Thomas Cleary's translation of The Book of Serenity.)

We don't hear that much about Wansong in this forum. He does not appear in any cases that I'm aware of - though I'd love to hear about it if I'm wrong. He's the guy that put the comments on the cases and Taintong's verses (aka Hongzhi, whom we've learned a little more about recently) in the Book of Serenity.

When some friends and I built zenmarrow.com we deliberately chose to leave out the commentaries from the Zen works included there. This is partly a copyright thing, but also it's a choice to influence in a small way - encouragement to go out and get these texts for yourself. The commentaries in the Blue Cliff Record, the Book of Serenity, the Gateless Gate (or checkpoint, or Wumenguan, or whatever you want to call it) are fantastic, and arguably the best parts of these texts. And personally I want to see translators get fairly compensated for their work so that we see more of it.

One thing I note immediately when reading the Book of Serenity, from a birds-eye-view, is that Wansong spends a lot of time praising Tiantong. To me this exemplifies another side of Zen - one that is not all about aggressive confrontation. He certainly doesn't blindly agree all the time, either. I think there's a very important point to be made there also - about 'attaining nothing'.

There is a paragraph in his commentary of the third case which I think shows a deep connection to meditation. It reads:

>The Sanskrit word anapana is translated as breathing out and breathing in. There are six methods involved with this: counting, following, stopping, contemplating, returning, purification. The details are as in the great treatise on cessation and contemplation by the master of Tiantai. Those who's preparation is not sufficient should not fail to be acquainted with this. Guishan's Admonitions says, "If you have not yet embraced the principle of the teachings, you have no basis to attain understanding of the mystic path." The Jewel Mine Treatise of Sangzhao is beautiful - "A priceless jewel is hidden within the pit of the clusters of being" - when will you find 'the spiritual light shining alone, far transcending the senses'?

I'm sure you're all aware that counting the breath and following the breath are commonly taught meditation techniques. Stopping the breath is not something I'm familiar with, though I very much doubt it's abou

Samsara is a realm and in this realm things arise and fall, thus, there is change. However, Nirvana is described as the unconditioned, permanent dharma. How can they be the same if one is described by change and the other is, well, certainly NOT defined by change or subordinate to it?

Measuring Tap: Cases by Xuedou, commentary by Yuanwu (like BCR), but unlike BCR... no poetry! But similar in that Yuanwu interrupts constantly and is long winded about it.

First of all, here's the guy in question:

> One day Fachang asked Master Ma, “What is Buddha?” The master said, “This mind itself is Buddha.” Fachang had a deep realization. He immediately made prostrations and departed for the mountains to engage in solitary practice. First investigating the famous Buddhist center at Mt. Tiantai, Fachang then entered the more remote peaks of Great Plum (Damei) Mountain and built a hut deep in the wilderness. He was said to survive off wild food such as pine and cedar nuts, and to make clothes out of lotus leaves from the forest ponds, while leading a life devoted to meditation. Unlike masters like Yanguan, Fachang remained in seclusion for many years, unknown by rulers or officials, and not receiving the support of any patrons.

> One day a monk was searching the woods for a staff when he accidentally came upon Fachang's hermitage. After making acquaintances, he asked the hermit, “Master, how long have you been living here?” Fachang replied, “I see the trees turn green in spring, and yellow in autumn, but don't count the months and years.” Later the monk asked, “Where's the path down off the mountain?” Fachang said, “Go following the stream.” When the monk returned to his monastery, the news of the hermit began to circulate. When Master Ma heard about him, he sent a monk to find him, and to bring him a question. When the monk found him, he asked, “When you were with Master Ma, what did you come to understand that led you to dwell on this mountain?” Fachang replied, “The master simply said to me that this mind itself is Buddha. Then I came to live here.” The monk said, “These days the master's teaching is different. Now he says, 'No mind, no Buddha'.” Fachang said, “That old man endlessly confuses people. He can keep 'no mind, no Buddha'; as for me, it's still just 'This mind itself is Buddha'.” The monk went back and reported this to Master Ma. The master said, “The plum has ripened.”

Second of all, here's the Case, with, as promised, Yuanwu interrupting ever two seconds:

23 - Damei: "No intention"

> > A monk asked Damei, "What was the intention of the founding teacher's coming from the West?" > > * Yuanwu: (Very fresh!) > > Damei said, "The coming from the West had no intention." > > * Yuanwu: (He cheats every

Do your worst!

Edit: I am a bit surprised that this can be a controversial post, based on the ups and downs of the votes. (62% upvoted) I suspect those who downvoted just saw the picture below and didn't read. Read please. Or else don't simply vote. People who read said this is good.

Why study the history of the evolution of Buddhism? Why not just stick to the suttas and vinayas and not learn about history?

When people ask questions about the current forms of Buddhism, it makes most sense only when one has a rough idea at least of the history of how they arise. It also could affect the amount of faith one would place in this or that form of Buddhism one sees today.

Pre-Buddhism

There was a race of people called the Aryans who are likely the people who originated the Indo-European languages including Sanskrit, Pali (Malay and Singhalese borrowed many words from Pali), English, Germanic languages, Latin etc. Yes, these are the same Aryans which the Nazi identified themselves with, and now the terminology to call them is Indo-Iranian.

In ancient India, before the Buddha's time, there was Zoroastrianism. In that religion, Ahuras are the good gods, Daevas are the bad gods. Karen Armstrong in her books described that it's because the Aryans who migrated into northern India was a bunch of raiders, pillagers, nomads. They prefer war, and their gods are the daevas. The ones being stolen from are the agriculturists who worked hard on the land and cattle.

It's only later on that the Aryans settled down and established the caste system in India with them at the top castes, and the natives of India at the bottom rank. So their gods became the devas of Buddhism and the opposition ahuras became the asuras. A role reversal of the devas being the good gods now and the asuras being the demons. For the secularists, do note that even with such historical trace of the evolution of devas, there could still be possible that there does exist such beings as gods and demons, which is a standard faith for Buddhists.

Brahmanism is the mainstream religion of India back in Buddha's time, along with 6 heretical teachers. They represent the doctrines of Jainism, Agnosticism, Fatalism, Amoralism, Materialism, Eternalism.

Hinduism evolves out of Brahmanism's interaction with Buddhism, and they absorbed the figure of the [Buddha into one of the avatars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha_in_Hinduis

It really does, I swear!

For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.

I said "hey look, an escaPEA"

No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!

Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies 😂

They’re on standbi

Hi, I'm a questioning Nichiren Buddhist interested in Tendai Buddhism. It seems to englobe many practices, it's appealing to me. What are the differences between the two schools? What are the online ressources about Tendai? Where should I start to learn the liturgy? Is there any Tendai Sangha in France? Thank you 🙏

Pilot on me!!