Hsuan Hua - opinions

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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Dan74
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Dan74 »

:shrug:
People do hold some freaky beliefs and when one sifts through thousands of pages of talks, one is bound to find something. It may have been dementia talking, for what I know.

All I tried to day is that this preoccupating with some troubling stuff one said at some stage is itself troubling. Whether a politician or a monk, we should look at the actions, first and foremost, IMO.
_/|\_
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Coëmgenu »

Like the actions of the mouth: speech?

Just saying..... actions speak. That's why we're talking about his actions.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Dan74
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Dan74 »

OK, C, we can agree to disagree.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Coëmgenu »

I'm just saying, 'we shouldn't focus on speech, we should focus on action,' doesn't make any sense.

People are already focussing on his actions, namely those of his mouth. That's why everyone's talking about this.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Ceisiwr »

Dan74 wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:23 pm :shrug:
People do hold some freaky beliefs and when one sifts through thousands of pages of talks, one is bound to find something. It may have been dementia talking, for what I know.

All I tried to day is that this preoccupating with some troubling stuff one said at some stage is itself troubling. Whether a politician or a monk, we should look at the actions, first and foremost, IMO.
Fair enough if it’s dementia but if it’s a persistent lifelong belief then it’s perfectly reasonable to point it out. If a monk preaches good things but occasionally says that blacks and whites shouldn’t mix then its not unreasonable if people point out that type of thinking.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Dan74
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Dan74 »

Ceisiwr wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:39 pm
Dan74 wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:23 pm :shrug:
People do hold some freaky beliefs and when one sifts through thousands of pages of talks, one is bound to find something. It may have been dementia talking, for what I know.

All I tried to day is that this preoccupating with some troubling stuff one said at some stage is itself troubling. Whether a politician or a monk, we should look at the actions, first and foremost, IMO.
Fair enough if it’s dementia but if it’s a persistent lifelong belief then it’s perfectly reasonable to point it out. If a monk preaches good things but occasionally says that blacks and whites shouldn’t mix then its not unreasonable if people point out that type of thinking.
I agree. And even with our teachers, whom we hold in very high esteem, we should abrogate our critical faculties and blindly share all their beliefs, IMO.
_/|\_
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Ceisiwr »

Dan74 wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:51 pm
Ceisiwr wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:39 pm
Dan74 wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 6:23 pm :shrug:
People do hold some freaky beliefs and when one sifts through thousands of pages of talks, one is bound to find something. It may have been dementia talking, for what I know.

All I tried to day is that this preoccupating with some troubling stuff one said at some stage is itself troubling. Whether a politician or a monk, we should look at the actions, first and foremost, IMO.
Fair enough if it’s dementia but if it’s a persistent lifelong belief then it’s perfectly reasonable to point it out. If a monk preaches good things but occasionally says that blacks and whites shouldn’t mix then its not unreasonable if people point out that type of thinking.
I agree. And even with our teachers, whom we hold in very high esteem, we should abrogate our critical faculties and blindly share all their beliefs, IMO.
Can’t tell if that’s sarcasm or not 🤷🏻‍♂️
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Coëmgenu »

I think there was a "not" missed.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Dan74
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Dan74 »

Coëmgenu wrote: Wed May 13, 2020 7:00 pm I think there was a "not" missed.
ooops, yes.

trying to not be too negative, you see...

:embarassed: :D
_/|\_
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

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Probably my testimony will make no difference to those who did not know Master Hua. I did know him and took refuge under him in 1979. He was a bodhisattva and a mighty power for goodness. He was utterly selfless and lived only to help & heal others.

http://www.cttbusa.org
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

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Will wrote: Wed May 20, 2020 2:54 pm Probably my testimony will make no difference to those who did not know Master Hua. I did know him and took refuge under him in 1979. He was a bodhisattva and a mighty power for goodness. He was utterly selfless and lived only to help & heal others.

http://www.cttbusa.org
Unless you are gay, apparently. Although, to give him the benefit of the doubt he could still have had the best intentions despite having these crazy ideas about gays and a conspiracy theory of a homosexual agenda.

I’m not looking to undermine civilisation and the only religion I’m a part of is Buddhism ;) :)
Last edited by Ceisiwr on Wed May 20, 2020 3:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Ceisiwr »

Homosexual behavior, especially, is behavior that will put an end to nations and humanity. What does it mean by putting an end to nations? Someone who practices homosexuality will not care about their country, so that country will disintegrate. Homosexuals do not procreate, so the human race will vanish! This kind of behavior is forbidden by national law, universal law, and natural law. Those who do will fall into the hells no matter who they are. Every one of us must know this.

People cannot be oblivious to the basic responsibilities of human beings, otherwise we cannot even compare to animals. Notice how animals do not engage in homosexual behavior. Some may argue that same-sex lab rats practice homosexuality, but that is because you force these rats. Has anyone confined you so that you are only with those of your sex and make you practice homosexuality? This kind of behavior defies creation; it is wrong. Cultivators must be normal and not psychologically deranged."
:? :alien:

I’m surprised that he couldn’t see the gaping hole opening up before him with this:
Homosexuals do not procreate, so the human race will vanish!
Considering that he was a celibate monk.
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Ceisiwr »

How should we cultivate? We must first let go of our desires and put and end to love. That is, people should avoid having too close or too distant of a relationship. Being too distant and you're not liked; being too close and you're being emotional, which means that you cannot cultivate.

People should therefore maintain a [safe] distance. Regardless of whether you are male or female, you must remember not to practice homosexual behavior. Neither monastics nor laity can engage in these acts. If so, you will definitely enter the hells in the future. Regardless of how much education or status you may have, engaging in homosexual behavior is intolerable to the world. Why? It is because you have flouted the natural order of creation, the laws of yin and yang, the norm. Regardless of who it is, you must change quickly. If you do not change, you will fall into the hells.

Homosexual behavior, especially, is behavior that will put an end to nations and humanity. What does it mean by putting an end to nations? Someone who practices homosexuality will not care about their country, so that country will disintegrate. Homosexuals do not procreate, so the human race will vanish! This kind of behavior is forbidden by national law, universal law, and natural law. Those who do will fall into the hells no matter who they are. Every one of us must know this.

People cannot be oblivious to the basic responsibilities of human beings, otherwise we cannot even compare to animals. Notice how animals do not engage in homosexual behavior. Some may argue that same-sex lab rats practice homosexuality, but that is because you force these rats. Has anyone confined you so that you are only with those of your sex and make you practice homosexuality? This kind of behavior defies creation; it is wrong. Cultivators must be normal and not psychologically deranged. We must have proper knowledge and proper views to practice the proper Dharma. Without proper knowledge and proper views, we cannot practice the proper Dharma. Speaking of which, by being off by a hair's width at the beginning, we miss the mark by thousands of miles. Every Buddhist absolutely cannot make this mistake.


Q: Venerable Master, I, disciple, have a question regarding homosexuality. Homosexuals in contemporary American society can marry; a man can marry another man and a woman can marry another woman. They do not give birth to children so they adopt. They raise kids despite acting contrarily to universal principles. Venerable Master, what kind of impact will this have on the future of the society-at-large?

Venerable Master: This country will perish; the human race will end altogether. This is the stirring of monsters and demons, ghosts and goblins. They make people abnormal so that everyone dies in the end. When every country around the world condones homosexuality, the world is finished, destroyed.

If we do not have proper knowledge and proper views, not only are we inhuman, but we are no better than animals! Remember, we must bear in mind what is right and what is wrong. You must know what is the right way to be human and what is the wrong way; that way you can be a decent human being.

Homosexuality contradicts procreation and is a form of sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct is forbidden according to Buddhism. The Five Precepts prohibiting killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants must be followed. If homosexuality becomes legal, then the human race will vanish. Why will it vanish? Heaven will punish us. Homosexuals exist due in part to the influence of a certain religion. This religion used to be underground and did not dare to promote homosexuality openly, but now that we're in an age where Dharma is on the decline, all kinds of strange phenomenon are happening. Consequently, these people protest, join parades, and lobby for legalizing homosexuality. This is essentially an omen for doomsday. We should know this because if everyone recognizes this as a fault, people may live a little longer. Otherwise, everyone will face cataclysm, a catastrophe of inordinate proportion that brings death to all. Since all the perversities and wickedness in our world now are too awful for words, people who still feel that this time and age is not bad might be crazy people, more or less.
What nonsense.

:alien:
“Knowing that this body is just like foam,
understanding it has the nature of a mirage,
cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Coëmgenu »

Ceisiwr wrote: Wed May 20, 2020 3:31 pm Homosexuals exist due in part to the influence of a certain religion. This religion used to be underground and did not dare to promote homosexuality openly, but now that we're in an age where Dharma is on the decline, all kinds of strange phenomenon are happening.
Ven Xuānhuà exists due in part to the influence of a certain religion. This religion used to be underground and did not dare promote emptiness openly, but now that we're in an age where Dharma is on the decline, all kinds of strange phenomena are happening.

AFAIK Ven Xuānhuà's principle claim to fame is that he was allegedly a great dhyānin, not necessarily a great philosopher.

The City of 10,000 Buddhas monastery celebrated his parinirvāṇa when he died, meaning that they believed him to be a complete Buddha. Seems a bit hyperbolic, but what can you do? I guess a lot of people really liked him.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Hsuan Hua - opinions

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Christopherxx wrote: Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:37 am Hi guys

We have a Hsuan Hua associated monastery in the area and I have been curious about it. I have heard that this teacher was very influential in trying to help reconcile Theravada and Mahayana. That he donated the land that became the Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

I was just wondering if anyone knew more about him then is listed in Wikipedia. It's very scarce. Doesn't really tell much about his teachings or the doctrines and such around the association.

Thanks everyone!
Since I took refuge under Master Hua over 40 years ago, I knew him slightly. "Slightly" because his wisdom, compassion and virtue are deeper than deep. He is a blessing to all whose minds & hearts are open.

Here is recent little sample of his teachings. It is a very cheap booklet too.

http://www.buddhisttexts.org/one-thought.html
Good and evil have no fixed form. It's as easy to turn from doing bad to doing good as it is to flip over the hand from the back to the palm. It's simply up to us to do it. Master Hsuan Hua.
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