e
BU
DDHANET'SBOOK LIBRA
RY
E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net
Web site: www.buddhanet.net
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
Ven. Master Chin Kung
To Understand
Buddhism
2
Table of Contents
“TO UNDERSTAND BUDDHISM”
Excerpts From a Talk by Venerable
Master Chin Kung................................................ 3
Chapter One: A Virtuous and Perfect Education.... 3
Chapter Two: The Goal of the Buddha’s Teaching 8
Chapter Three: Symbolism and the Arts .............. 18
Chapter Four: The Five Guidelines of Practice
The Three Conditions ........................................ 26
The Six Harmonies ............................................ 34
The Three Learnings .......................................... 37
The Six Paramitas or Principles ......................... 40
The Ten Great Vows of Universal Worthy
Bodhisattva ........................................................ 45
THE TEN RECITATION METHOD............................... 51
GLOSSARY............................................................... 53
THE SUTRA OF AMITABHA’S PURITY....................... 62
DEDICATION OF MERIT............................................ 63
PLACES TO CONTACT:.............................................. 64
MASTER CHIN KUNG’S PHOTO................................. 65
3
“To Understand Buddhism”
Excerpts From a Talk by Venerable
Master Chin Kung
Australia, January, 1996
Chapter One:
A Virtuous and Perfect Education
Today, we see an increasing number of people around
the world starting to practice Buddhism. However, not
many people truly understand what Buddhism is.
Therefore, this becomes a very important topic. What
exactly is Buddhism? We need to understand it clearly.
Buddhism is a most virtuous and perfect education
directed by the Buddha towards all sentient beings in
the nine realms. How can we tell that Buddhism is an
education? First, we can tell from the way we call
Buddha Shakyamuni our “Original Teacher” that he is
the founder of Buddhism and that we are his students.
From this, it is very apparent that the Buddha an