Lineage

Amoghavajra :Amoghavajra was a prolific translator who became one of the most politically powerful Buddhist monks in Chinese history, acknowledged as one of the eight patriarchs of the doctrine in Shingon lineages

Vajrabodhi (Ch.金剛智) (671–741) was an Indian buddhist monk and Esoteric Buddhist teacher in Tang China. He is one the eight patriarchs in Shingon Buddhism. Vajrabodhi was the second of three Vajrayana missionaries to eighth-century China. He was born of a South Indian brahmin family, and his father was a priest for the royal house. Vajrabodhi probably converted to Buddhism at the age of sixteen, although some accounts place him at the Buddhist institution of Nālandā at the age of ten.

He studied all varieties of Buddhism and was said to have studied for a time under the famous Buddhist logician Dharmakīrti. Under Santijnana, Vajrabodhi studiedVajrayāna teachings and was duly initiated into yoga.

Acharya Nāgārjuna
(ca. 150–250 CE) was an Indian philosopher who founded the Madhyamaka school of MahāyānaBuddhism His writings are the basis for the formation of the Madhyamaka school, which was transmitted to China under the name of the Three Treatise (Sanlun) School. He is credited with developing the philosophy of the Prajnaparamita sutras, and was closely associated with the Buddhist university of Nalanda. In the Jodo Shinshu branch of Buddhism, he is considered the First Patriarch.

Martial Arts

Buddhism and Martial Arts
Living Buddha Dechan Jueren, June 7, 2003
Lohan School of Shaolin, Las Vegas, Nevada
Translated by: Kuo
Transcribed by: Chang Zhi De Jian

" It's a common understanding if you really want to attain to a high skill, a high accomplishment in the martial arts practice you must also based on what we call the martial artist virtue. It's actually a universal principle for everything in this world, only when you have virtue and merits will you ever attain to that level, lacking that and you will never, will only be at a certain stage, you will never be able to surpass that.

Where is that virtue and merit come from? If you really want to get somewhere with your discipline, then you must have that great merits in order to attain that great realization, the truth to your own form of discipline. It's very simple, you want to have that great merit …?… virtue then first you must understand about how to respect others. Only he who truly understands how to respect others, will receive other's true respect. When you have really learned how to truly respect others that means you are no longer limited by your own perceptions. When no longer limited by limitations, when one no longer limited by yourself and the conditions of your environment, then you become greater in your heart. As your heart is becoming greater your martial art forms and disciplines will advance to a higher stage."

" Most people don't realize this, martial art practice, the main purpose is not just to have a healthy body. Real martial art disciplines are through certain ways of training the self to overcome the ego, even to challenge ones own limitation, or physical limitations. So by challenging ones self in terms of practicing your martial arts you will go beyond your own limitations, you have to know yourself in order to overcome yourself, overcome yourself and your martial art practice will attain to a higher skillful level.

When I say your martial art has reached a higher level than that form of martial art must involve both forms in terms…you know…sort of like yin and yang, not just appear to be very powerful, but at the same time very flexible, you must have both quality in your practice to be getting to a higher stage.

In the Buddhist teachings, Buddhist teaching advocates tolerance, to be receptive of others, to be able to forgive others. Only when one really learns how to forgive others having tolerance will that person really understand about compassion. So if you understand this simple reasoning, tolerance and compassion are the basic advocate teachings of the religions, not just Buddhism. Then among the different religious schools, there should not be arguing or fighting among them about their dogmatic teachings, when they're talking about the same thing, then that's what they focus on.

We should say every school does come from the same family. Only having tolerance will they understand each other, will they have compassion in this world. As I said, topic for today is Buddhism and Martial arts, same goes for martial arts as what I described to you about Buddhism. So, if I may be so bold to say, every form, every school of martial art all comes from the same school actually. Of course a martial art practitioner is not only propagating his culture but to train ones own physical body to have good health, also will live a longer life. And also, it is really a form of martial art practice when you attain to that stage, yourself and nature come together as one. " >>>> read full transcript