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Practice

312 articles in category.

Practice4 min

Eliminating Great False Speech

"You teach the people of the world to cultivate samadhi, and afterwards to further eliminate all major false speech. This is known as the fourth decisive, clear instruction on purity given by the Tathagata and the past World-Honored Ones."

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Practice8 min

Avici Hell's Fivefold Endlessness

["There are five karmic conditions that account for its name 'Avici' (Uninterrupted)."]

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Practice5 min

In Mahayana Buddhism, All Karma Is Unfixed

Some people raise a doubt: those who have committed evil deeds their entire lives, such as the beings reborn in the three lower grades of the Pure Land (all of whom are evil-doers)—why are such beings able to be reborn there? This is a q...

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Practice1 min

Why We Should Treat Enemies and Loved Ones Equally

Consider our present cycle of life and death. Even if a human lifespan were to last a hundred years, a single day in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings is equivalent to fifty human years, and a single day in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven eq...

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Practice9 min

Unimmeasurable Light, Unbounded Light, Unobstructed Light, Incomparable Light, Blazing King Light

We should gain a deep, clear understanding of the Twelve Light Tathagatas. In truth, Amitabha Buddha possesses immeasurable light, which serves as the vehicle carrying the power of his forty-eight great vows. This light arises from his D...

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Practice3 min

Value Time and Never Waste It: Cultivate Pure Karma at Every Moment

Our practice of the Pure Land path is aimed directly at attaining Buddhahood. We do not stop midway at the phantom city, nor do we seek to realize the partial nirvana of the Sravakas. If we were to set aside Buddha recitation, abandon th...

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Practice9 min

The Types of the Three Jewels

The classifications of the Three Jewels have varied greatly throughout history, but broadly speaking, they all arise from differences between the phenomenal and the noumenal. For now, let us divide them into two main categories.

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Practice6 min

The Benefits of Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels Are Truly Too Many to Count

The benefits of taking refuge in the Three Jewels are truly countless. One can gain happiness in this present life, happiness in future lives, and ultimately attain the supreme peace of Nirvana. Summarized, there are roughly eight such b...

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Practice2 min

Why We Should Stay Away from People in Power

What is meant by the Bodhisattva-mahāsattva's "grounds for association"? A Bodhisattva-mahāsattva does not associate with kings, princes, ministers, or officials.

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Practice2 min

Do Not Seek the Pleasures of the Five Desires

The untainted pure mind is also rooted in this wisdom of emptiness, as we explained earlier.

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Practice1 min

Prerequisite for Every Sentient Being to Attain Liberation

It was only when the Brahmin woman found herself in the hell realm that she came to realize: not only was her mother in this present life her own mother, but every being suffering in hell was also her mother across countless past lifetim...

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Practice4 min

The Nature and Function of Ordination

In Buddhism, those who renounce the household life are divided into five categories: śrāmaṇera, śrāmaṇerikā, śikṣamāṇā, bhikṣu, and bhikṣuṇī. These five—also known as the five ranks or five classes—are defined as follows: a male who has ...

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