This document provides an introduction and overview of Buddhism and meditation from the Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple. It includes basic Buddhist terms like the five aggregates, four elements, twelve links of causation. It also discusses the ten schools of Chinese Buddhism and gives an overview of samatha (calm abiding) meditation, including the nine stages of calming abiding and techniques to overcome the five hindrances. Finally, it discusses upcoming meditation classes on topics like the eightfold path and ten realms.

1. Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple 加拿大佛教會 湛山精舍 禪修學佛入門 Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation 2011/05/14

2. Buddhist Association of Canada Cham Shan Temple ná mó fó tuó 南 無 佛 陀 Namo Buddha ná mó dá mó 南 無 達 摩 Namo Dharma ná mó sēng qié 南 無 僧 伽 Namo Sangha

3. Basic Terms 5 aggregates (skandhas) 4 elements 6 sense organs, 6 sense objects, 6 sense consciousness 12 links of causation (nidāna) 4 noble truths 8 fold path 6 paramitas 4 persuasions 3 / 5 vehicles 10 realms

4. Basic Terms 10 Chinese schools Life story of the Buddha Buddhist History in India Buddhist History in China Practice

5. The Ten Schools of Chinese Buddhism: 1. Reality School or Kosa School or Abhidharma School.2. Satysiddhi School or Cheng-se School. 3. Three Sastra School or San-lun School.4. The Lotus School or T'ien-t'ai School 5. The Garland School or Hua-yen School or Avatamsaka School. 6. Intuitive School or Ch'an School or Dhyana School.7. Discipline School or Lu School or Vinaya School. 8. Esoteric School or MiSchool or Mantra School.9. Dharmalaksana School or Wei-ShiSchool or Fa-siang School.10. Pure-land School or Sukhavati School or Ching-t'u School. 中国的佛教共分十宗，分别是：俱舍宗、成实宗、三论宗、天台宗、华严宗、唯识宗、律宗、禅宗、净土宗、密宗。

6. The following topics are for the upcoming Saturday Meditation Class: May 14 - Five Iniquities of Mundane World presented by Elena Morelli May 21 - Eight Fold path presented by Shirley Lew May 28 - Ten realms presented by Winnie Tsang June 4 - Ten Virtuous Actions by Brandilee June 11 - Heart Sutra Started by Shengguang Shi and 3/5 Vehicles

7. Meditation禪修 Towards a Liberated and Enlightened Life 煩惱輕智慧長

8. Samatha – Calm Abiding How to train our monkey mind? Use tools to progress in nine stages of calming abiding i.e. mindfulness and vigilance Use methods discribed in “Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment” by Atisha. To be successful in calm abiding and the perfect concentration, you need to begin with six collections of causes/conditions.

9. Six Collection of Causes/Conditions to Samatha Abiding in a harmonious or a conducive place To have fewer desires To be content To be free of the hustle and bustle of a lot of different activities. To be able to protect well whatever resolution one has taken. ["pure morality" or moral discipline.] Reduce one’s attachment to objects of desire.

10. Nine Stages of Calming Abiding 九住心 Placement - Monk chasing elephant and monkey 內住 Fixation with some continuety續住 Patch-like placement 安住 Close placement or Good fixation 近住 Becoming disciplined 調順 Pacifying or becoming peaceful 寂靜 Fully pacifying 最極寂靜 Becoming single-pointed 專住一趣 Fixed absorption or meditative equipoise 等持

11. Five Hindrances 1) Laziness; 2) Forgetting the Object; 3) Sinking and excitement; 4) Not applying the antidotes; 5) Over-application of the antidotes.

12. Antidotes 1) faith; 2) aspiration; 3) perseverance; 4) blissful pliancy of mind; 5) mindfulness; 6) introspection; 7) vigilance 8) applying the antidotes; 9) non-application of antidoteswhen they’re not necessary.

14. Why cling to the arrows that shot at you? Insults Wounds Time heals you see. Why hold so tightly Do these things define you? Do these things set you free? Why inject yourself with these poisons of the mind Anxiety Greed Anger Despair Poisonous By Jeniffer Edwards

15. Why not let them go Set them free. Accept the choices you have And your responsibilities. Accept all that is, rather than "as it should be" For what does define "you" What will set you free What if you never find great meaning What if, in not clinging, You find stillness Calm Honesty Health Peace and Happy Poisonous By Jeniffer Edwards

16. The five defilements of the world五濁,五渾,五滓 The defilement of the trends of the present age; 劫濁 the kalpa in decay (kalpa-kaṣāya), when it suffers deterioration and gives rise to the ensuing form; An impure eon. The impure or turbid kalpa, when the age of life is decreasing and all kinds of diseases afflict men. (Skt. kalpa-kaṣāya; Tib. duskyisnyigs ma) The defilement of mistaken views 見濁 (dṛṣṭi-kaṣāya); The defilement of afflictions 煩惱濁 (kleśa-kaṣāya); The defilement of being a sentient being 衆生濁 (sattva-kaṣāya) in consequence human miseries increase and happiness decreases; The fourth of the five periods of decay, sattvākaṣāya, when all creatures are stupid and unclean. [cmuller; source(s): Soothill] The defilement of having a lifetime 命濁 (āyus-kaṣāya) human life time gradually diminishes to ten years.

17. Four Eons 四劫 The four eons of a world; the periodical gradual destruction of a universe: (1) 成劫 eon of formation; (2) 住劫 eon of existing; (3) 懷劫 eon of destruction, (4) 空劫 eon of nothingness.

18. The five defilements of the world associated with the kalpa of persistence 住劫 The second and third defilements are described as the turbiditiy濁 itself and the fourth and fifth its results. According to the Bodhisattvabhūmi-sūtra,[菩薩地持經 ] the corruption of the age occurs when there is a change for the worse, such as the outbreak of famine, epidemic, and warfare. The corruption of views occurs when views become based on unskillful teachings and wrong thinking. The corruption of public morality occurs when violence and fighting, and lies and fraud are accepted. The corruption of human character occurs when there is loss of respect for seniors, no fear of punishment in the afterlife, virtues and almsgiving are not practiced, and the precepts and regulations are not obeyed. The corruption of shortening lifespan occurs when the lifespan of human beings becomes limited to a hundred years.

19. EON An eon is the period of time it takes for a universe to come into being and then disintegrate again. But the point is that at the same time one is progressing on this path, one has great loving kindness and compassion for others and is doing wonderful things to benefit others.It is explained that it takes a very long time to progress along the Mahayana path but the fact is time does not really exist; it is not real. There is no such thing as time. In fact, a short period of time and a long period of time are fundamentally the same. They are just like time in a dream. In a dream it does not matter if you think it is a long time or a short time; there is really no difference at all between them.

20. From Lotus Sutra法華經 “Shariputra舍利弗, in the worlds of the ten directions, there are not even two vehicles, how much the less three. Shariputra, all Buddhas appear in the world of the five evil turbidites, that is, the kalpa turbidity, the affliction turbidity, the living beings turbidity, the view turbidity, and the life turbidity. So it is, Shariputra, that in the time of the confusion of the kalpa turbidity, living beings are heavy-laden with impurities; because they are stingily, greedy, envious, and jealous, they develop unwholesome roots. For this reason, all the Buddhas, by means of the power of expedient devices, within the One Buddha Vehicle, make discriminations and speak of three. (Hinayana, Mahayaha, Tantrayana)

21. Questions and Comments 討論 www.ChamShanTemple.org www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com ShengguangShi@hotmail.com Shengguang Shi 釋聖光 Tom Cheung 張相棠 Kam Cheung 張仁勤 Dennis Yap 葉普智