Theos-Talk Archives (January 2003 Message tt00623)

FOR THE BUDDHA IS THE
GREAT COMPASSIONATE FATHER OF ALL LIVING BEINGS.

THE FOLLOWING QUOTATIONS ARE FROM THE
"Records of the Life of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua", Volume One,
Compiled and translated by American Bhikshuni Heng Yin.

This book was published in 1981 by the Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Buddhist Text Translation Society, Talmage, California, USA.

"Although Rahula [Sakyamuni's son by Yasodhara] was the Buddha's son, the
Buddha doesn't have only one son; he has three kinds of sons:

1. True Sons. One often reads in the Sutras, "... headed by the Dharma
Prince Manjusri..." The Buddha is the Dharma King, and the bodhisattvas
are the Buddha's genuine sons.
[Manjusri is a Form of Balarama as the original Master of compassion-wisdom
in PL Buddhism. All bodhisattvas are ultimately empowered by Lokesvara
(Vishnu) and Manjusri is one of His forms as the original Revelator and
Spiritual Master.]

2. Initiated Sons. These are the Arhants who, out of ignorance, hold to
the principle of one-sided emptiness and have not attained the principle of
the Middle way.

3. Uninitiated Sons. Common men who do not know how to cultivate the
*upside-down, but they are still the Buddha's sons, FOR THE BUDDHA IS THE
GREAT COMPASSIONATE FATHER OF ALL LIVING BEINGS. [emphasis mine] The
Wonderful Dharma Lotus Blossom Sutra speaks of us as poor, lost sons. We
should quickly return to our great compassionate father. We all have a
share in the Buddha's family. "

*Upside-down may refer to the salvific descending Other-power Dharma of
Amitabha.



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