Brahmajala Sutra (梵網經 - Fan Wang Jing) Bodhisattva Vows
Sept 18, 2021 18:26:17 GMT 1
Post by Shi Da Dao on Sept 18, 2021 18:26:17 GMT 1
Master Xu Yun (1840-1959) thought very highly of the 'Brahmajala Sutra' (梵網經 - Fan Wang Jing). This is the Mahayana (Sanskrit) version (as opposed to the different but related Pali Theravada version - which I will explore in a related post) Which is recorded as being one of the earliest 'long' discourses of the Buddha - similar in length and structure to the Avatamsaka Sutra. This 'long' Brahmajala Sutra was imported into China during the time of the great translator - Kumarajiva (350–409) - but most of it has been lost today except for Chapter Ten which explains a) the Stages of Bodhisattva development, and b) the Ten Major and Forty-Eight Minor Rules of the Bodhisattva Path. Generally speaking, this 'Chapter Ten' is often split into to separate halves with each being circulated independently - with each half being referred to as the 'Brahmajala Sutra'. It is the second part of this 'Chapter Ten' which is presented below. If the Brahmajala Sutra was structured like the Avatamsaka Sutra - then around 95% of its content would have been used to 'set the scene' and 'explain the background and context' until the last few chapters got to expressing the point of the entire Sutra (this happens in Chapter Thirty-Nine - the last chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra). Therefore, having most of the sutra missing is not a problem as the major chapter is retained. The term 'Brahmajala' translates as 'Brahma Net' - but like virtually every Buddhist concept, the Buddha radically re-interprets existing terminology and changes it into something 'new' and 'original'. Brahma, as used here, does not refer to the existence of an all-embracing god-concept - but does refer to an all-embracing and expansive consciousness which is simultaneously 'empty' and yet 'full' of all things! Like a 'net' - this concept embraces all-things and is mediated by the Bodhisattva Vows and defined by the Bodhisattva Path - which intersects with the Vinaya Discipline in a manner which is accessible to all-beings (and not just monastics who qualify for formal ordination). The Six Paramitas, loving-kindness, compassion and wisdom form the strands of this net which interfaces seamlessly with the Buddhist concept of 'Indra's Net' which allows the gems of wisdom which hold the net together at intersections - sees all things and provide for all beings!
DOWNLOAD: Brahmajala Sutra