You can tell the Professor not only knows, but loves what he teaches. Masterful. Thank you.

TLDR: The Lotus Sutra is a central and important text in East Asian Buddhism, teaching the concept of skillful means, challenging traditional beliefs, and affirming the importance of compassion and protection. 1. 00:00 🌸 The Lotus Sutra is central to East Asian Buddhism, emphasizing its importance for scholars and practitioners, and critiquing the selfishness of non-Mahayana traditions. 1.1 Aaron Profit, a professor of Japanese studies, discusses the influence of the Lotus Sutra in East Asian Buddhism and the importance of understanding the scripture in relation to the teachings of prominent Buddhist figures. 1.2 Buddhism in Japan before 1600 was fluid and diverse, with the Lotus Sutra being central to the tendai tradition and important for scholars and practitioners. 1.3 The Lotus Sutra is trying to show that it contains the words of the Buddha and is intended for a limitless audience, including gods, dragon Kings, bodhisattvas, Buddhas, kings, monks, and arhats. 1.4 Buddhism, particularly Mahayana, has elements of secret teachings and early tension between practitioners of different paths, with Mahayana not emerging as a distinct form until much later. 1.5 Tension emerged between followers of the Shaka and bodhisatta paths, leading to the development of Mahayana and hinana Buddhism, with the Lotus Sutra critiquing the selfishness of the Shaka path and the hypothetical critique of non-Mahayana traditions. 1.6 The Lotus Sutra begins with an event where disciples leave due to their pride, and the Sutra explains that the teaching was not made up but passed down secretly. 2. 09:27 🌸 Buddhism sees the Buddha as a doctor providing tailored teachings, with the Lotus Sutra aiming to reconcile the diversity of Buddhist approaches, including the story of the burning house in Chapter 3. 2.1 Buddhism views the Buddha as a doctor who provides teachings tailored to individual afflictions, similar to administering medicine for a specific illness. 2.2 The diversity of the Buddhist tradition is explained through the idea of the Buddha as a doctor dispensing different remedies for different problems, and the Lotus Sutra and other Buddhist texts are about reconciling the different approaches to Buddhism. 2.3 Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra tells the story of the burning house, which is a well-known tale with cultural significance. 3. 12:05 🌸 The Lotus Sutra teaches the concept of skillful means and the convergence of all paths to Awakening through the story of a burning house and three carts. 3.1 A father tries to convince his children to leave a burning house by using a playful approach. 3.2 The Buddha uses a story of a burning house and three carts to illustrate the concept of skillful means and the idea that the intent to help or save justifies the means. 3.3 The Buddha teaches the truth of the universe, which means someone else could figure it out on their own, and there are different paths to obtaining Awakening. 3.4 The Lotus Sutra reveals that the three vehicles of Buddhism ultimately lead to the one vehicle, the Mahayana, showing that all paths ultimately converge. 3.5 The Lotus Sutra contains many popular and interesting stories, including some scary parts. 4. 16:43 🌸 The Buddha presents Nirvana as an attainable goal, all paths lead to the bodhisatta path, and the Lotus Sutra challenges the belief in only one Buddha at a time. 4.1 The Buddha is compared to a magician who conjures a city to give weary travelers rest before continuing their journey. 4.2 The Buddha presents Nirvana as an attainable goal to not intimidate people, but ultimately all paths lead to the bodhisatta path. 4.3 The speaker discusses different feminist critiques of the paternalistic approach to Buddhism and the story of a student who embraced the idea of Buddha as a father figure, as well as the appearance of a jeweled stupa in chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra. 4.4 The speaker discusses a mysterious object mistaken for a spaceship, but it turns out to not be aliens. 4.5 The Lotus Sutra challenges the belief that there can only be one Buddha at a time, suggesting the possibility for all beings to attain Buddhahood and creating a conversation about a worldly pure land. 5. 22:31 🌸 Judas, Devadatta, and David are portrayed as bad guys in traditional texts, but in alternative Buddhist perspectives, they play important roles in the plan to ensure salvation and enlightenment for humanity. 5.1 Judas is portrayed as the bad guy in the New Testament, but in The Gospel of Judas, he is presented as being in on the plan to ensure Jesus' arrest and sacrifice for humanity's sins. 5.2 Buddha's evil cousin, Devadatta, holds a grudge and attempts to harm the Buddha multiple times, but fails. 5.3 David is revealed to possibly be a great teacher and an important part of the Buddhist strategy to save all beings, despite being portrayed as the bad guy. 6. 25:10 📜 The story of the Dragon Princess challenges traditional Buddhist ideas and affirms women, becoming a feminist icon in the Lotus Sutra. 6.1 The second part of the davod chapter discusses the story of the dragon princess, highlighting the theme of someone lowly ending up being very high. 6.2 The Dragon Princess, a non-human, female child, delivers a Jewel to the Buddha, challenging the traditional idea that only human, male adults can become Buddhas. 6.3 The story can be interpreted as challenging or affirming Buddhist misogyny and male chauvinism, and there are different ways to read religious texts. 6.4 Religious texts in East Asian context, particularly the Lotus Sutra, challenge Buddhist misogyny and affirm women, with the dragon princess becoming a feminist icon. 7. 28:56 🌸 The Buddha reveals the concept of the Eternal Buddha and discusses compassion and protection in the Lotus Sutra. 7.1 The Buddha reveals his final form and explains the concept of the Eternal Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. 7.2 Buddha has been teaching the Dharma and guiding beings along the path for limitless cosmic eons, with the story of Prince zarta being just one piece of a much broader picture. 7.3 The Buddha is a cosmic force guiding beings to understand reality, representing ultimate reality in a dynamic form. 7.4 The chapter on aesar in the Lotus Sutra is about compassion and protection for travelers, expectant mothers, women, and children, with the ability to grant the gender of a child when called upon. 7.5 The Lotus Sutra discusses the various forms in which bodhisattvas can appear to help and liberate people from afflictions and dangers. 8. 34:45 🌸 The Lotus Sutra includes chapters dedicated to bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Samantabhadra, who are popular figures in various Buddhist traditions, and monks were government employees tasked with memorizing and reciting sutras for various purposes. 8.1 The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is depicted in various forms and is popular in many Buddhist traditions, with the inclusion of this chapter in the Lotus Sutra contributing to its popularity. 8.2 Chapter 28 of the Lotus Sutra is dedicated to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, who is depicted as the big brother figure and the protector of Lotus Sutra devotees in East Asian traditions. 8.3 Monks in Buddhist contexts were government employees tasked with memorizing and reciting sutras to cure illness, make it rain, extend the emperor's lifespan, and pacify the realm, with the help of samanta badra to remember and recite the texts.

Such clarity and wisdom from ancient world. For all humanity; never started any wars, damns no one, directs no will to power. Whether the story of Siddhartha's life and enlightenment is true or not, the work is written with a rare and superior mind. "May he who illuminated this, illuminate me."

Thank you one million times. 😌😌😌

Thank you professor. Just wanted to let you know how much your introductory videos have taught me. Whatever information/lectures you can continue to share online are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your hard work.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo 🙏

Thank you! This and the Nichiren Buddhism video explained so much for me.

the Buddha himself said " the Heart Sutra" was the ultimate.

@saddha1

11 күн бұрын

Where did he say that?

@RockNow91

2 күн бұрын

@@saddha1 The Heart Sutra. I guess, I don't actually know.

Beautiful and precious introduction. Thank you very much!

Keep it up, thank you very much 🙏🏻🤍

Fantastic talk! Thanks!

Thank you for watching the video. PLEASE JOIN WITH US our Zoom Event ↓↓↓ Introduction to the Heart Sutra With Professor Aaron Proffitt Click ink to the FREE Zoom event 2/24/2024 from 1-2pm (EAT. New York Time) www.ambuddhist.org/events Professor Aaron Proffitt is going to answer questions you may have.

Actually people who study buddhism as academy subject are not supposed to teach it as if they have realised it. They can only pass it as information gathered like news reporter.

Chap. XVI HMMM 🤔

Thank you, - it was not a lie, it simply was not true :) thank you - pratayeka-buddha yana - it does seem to me - that if the aspiration is 'compasion' to all beings, then I believe women are part of 'all beings' so complete compassion to women would be a requisite of - somehow this whole theme about women is just silly to me. bye now

Hello. Nichiren Buddishm we owe it to Nichiren Shu from brought Nichiren Shonin's teachings from. Shoshu and Soka Gakkai ignored it. Why? Japan.