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BSPG News and Meeting (No. 176)
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Edited by Stony Brook Buddhism Study and Practice Group

Meeting
303 Student Activities Center
Thursday, 4/11/02, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Please be on time!

Words from the Suttas/Sutras
"Now, why are they called meritorious dharmas? Because they are fundamental religious duties, by practicing which all men, devas, Arhats, Pratyeka Buddhas, and Supremely Enlightened Buddhas attain their respective fruits. Therefore they are called meritorious dharmas. These meritorious dharmas are the ten meritorious deeds. What are they? They are:- abstinence forever from killing, stealing, unchaste conduct, lying, slandering, harsh language, frivolous talks, covetousness, anger, and wrong views....

Your Majesty, let me give an illustration. As all towns, districts and villages have their foundation on the ground, and as all herbs, grass, flower, wood and forest are grown from the earth; similarly, all men and devas maintain their footing upon these ten meritorious ways which form the principal base of all merits and upon which, all fruits of Arhatship; and Pratyeka Buddhaship are to be attained and the whole career of a Bodhisattva and the whole system of the Buddha Dharma are to be accomplished." --The Buddhabhasita Dasabhadra Karmamarga Sutra (Sutra Spoken by Buddha on the Way of Ten Meritorious Deeds)

Quote of the Week
"Spiritual practice is based on experiential exploration and discovery that has to be pushed just as far into the inner world as science pushes its explorations into the outer world. That experience is always fresh, and it's ceaselessly renewed. It also brings along with it no shortage of obstacles and happenings of all sorts. It's not a matter of using ready-made formulae but of experiencing the teachings in the present moment, knowing how to use life's good and bad circumstances, dealing with all the thoughts of all kinds that arise in the mind, and understanding for oneself the chain reactions they cause and how to set oneself free from that process. True innovation is to know how to use every instant in life for the goals one's set oneself."--Matthieu Ricard in "The Monk and the Philosopher"

The Three Storey House
(adapted from the Sutra of One Hundred Parables)

Once upon a time, and a long time ago it was, there was a rich but ignorant  merchant called Richone. One day he went to visit Richtwo, another rich merchant who was widely known for his three storey house. Richone was greatly amazed when he looked down from the balcony on the third floor. He thought, "I am as wealthy as Richtwo, if he could build a house this tall, there is no reason why I can't do the same. I want it... I want it... I want it!"

When he got home, he immediately hired a builder to start the project.

The next day, the construction crews began to dig the land for the foundation. Richone was puzzled and went to see what was going on.

"We are building the foundation for the three storey house that you want us to build." The builder told him. "Once we finish with the foundation, we will build the first floor, the second floor, and then the third floor. Don't you worry, we will build a solid foundation so that your house will last a thousand years!"

"Wait a minute! What are you talking about? I just want the third floor right away and I want it to be one foot taller than Richtwo's house. I don't even want the second and the first floors, let alone the foundation!"

"But we can't build the third floor without the lower floors and the foundation."

"Oh yeah? In that case, you are fired! I will hire someone competent to do it." Richone yelled indignantly.

It turned out that nobody was able to build a house with no foundation, and Richone became the laughing stock of the town.
 

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