sep 11

1.
Flower Garland Sutra- Buddha reiterates:
Thus, although the experience of enlightenment is sudden, one must still engage in a long process of cultivation in order to remove the deep-rooted seeds of the false view of the substantial self that has become ingrained over a period of innumerable kalpas. Even though one suddenly realises that the dharmakya, the true mind, is identical with Buddha, still, since for inumerable kalpas one has deludedly clung to the four elements as constituting oneself so that this view has become second nature and is difficult to do away with all at once, so, one must cultivate oneself on the basis of this experience of enlightenment. When one has reduced it and further reduced it until there is nothing to reduce, then it is called tha attaining of Budhhahood

2.
The Flower Garland Sutra
When we realise the nature of the self, you realise the nature of the universe. Your whole way of perceiving yourself and the universe is completely transformed. This allows you to realise your own strength, and it allows you to impart strength to others, and there is no choice in the doing of that. To realise yourself immediately reveals the fact that there was never a distinction between yourself and all sentient beings. That's what the Buddha realised: all sentient beings are enlightened. He realised that he was all sentient beings, the whole catastrophe, all of it. It excludes nothing- not a single molecule, not a most distance galaxy. And he realised that when you effect one speck of dust in this universe, you effect the entire universe-past, present, and future.

3.
Repent immediately when you commit a misdeed, feeling shame when you realise that you have done something wrong: this the character of a great person. When you correct your failings in this way, constantly renewing yourself by reflecting on your mind, bad karma will disappear and you will always live accordance with your true nature.
Commentary
True repentence means first to regret the misdeed you have committed and then to vow not to repeat it in the future. Being ashamed of yourself means to objectively reflect on yourself inside and to manifest some change on the outside. In any event, mind is originally empty and completely still, so there is actually no place where bad karma can remain.
~ The mirror of Zen

4.
There are those who study only words speech, who may seem to be enlightened when they open their mouths to speak. In reality, however, when faced with everyday situations, they become so flustered that they do not know what to do. This shows the difference between the nature of words and the nature of actions.
Commentary
This expands on the main point of the proceeding section: the danger of self-deception. Our words must accord with our deeds, speech and actions must be one. Only in this way can we distinguish truth from falsehood.

5.
This story was told to me by my mother when I was a little kid. At that time I hardly understood what she was saying. There was a old woman who suffered most of the time and her family members left her one at a time. She was living alone. She used to go to temple every morning to do her prayers and chanting. She could not bear to see other people having a better life and developed hatred and jealousy in her heart. She loved to scold and accuse people for no proper reasons. She was full of anger and hatred all the time.

One fine day she met an old master coming to the temple from elsewhere. She started to consult the master and asked why she was having such an unfortunate life.

The master looked at her carefully and said," The eyes are the window leading to your heart. From there I could fire burning all the time in the heart. What ever merits you have accumulated through your prayers and chanting all the years have been burnt away by your anger of fire. Whatever good karma you have in the past life have been abused by yourself. So now you live a very miserable life where all your family members and friends are avoiding you. If you want to attain a better rebirth, go and repent all the wrongs you have been committed and I will initiate you to take a refuge from buddha."