Bodhi Light International
  • Home
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Live Stream
    • Temple Activities
    • FoQi
    • ChanQi
    • Online Classes
    • Relics
  • Calendar
  • Dharma
    • Download Audio & Slides >
      • Sutra Lectures >
        • Avatamsaka Sutra
        • Six Patriarch Sutra
        • Heart Sutra
        • Vajra Sutra
        • Amitabha Sutra
        • Earth Store Sutra
        • Medicine Master Sutra
        • The Bequeathed Teaching Sutra
        • The Sutra in 42 Sections
      • Dharma Talks Archive
      • Chan Meditation Archive
      • Fo Qi Archive
      • Chan Qi Archive
      • Outreach Archive
    • Ceremonies
    • Dharma Blog
    • Q&A
  • Practices
    • Practices
    • Training Program
    • Cultivation Stories
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Chan Handbook
    • Pure Land Handbook
  • About
    • Statement of Faith
    • Location
    • Contact
    • Master YongHua
    • Contribution
    • Sponsorship
  • Languages
    • Tiếng Việt
    • 한국어
    • 中文首页
    • Español
    • Portuguese

Listening to Sutra Lecture Recording

3/16/2011

 
Question:

Is it proper to listen to Sutra lecture recordings while driving, working, or walking?
​
DT, Cerritos, California 
Answer:

Sutra lectures are very formal events. Before each lecture, we’d perform a Dharma request procedure in order to:
  1. Benefit all living beings by requesting the Dharma transmission. After all, the Mahayana spirit in cultivation is to ultimately help others.
  2. Remind ourselves that we need to pay attention to show our respect and gratitude. Our ability to absorb the teachings correlates directly to our level of concentration. We’ve noticed that quite a few of our participants entered samadhi during the Sutra lectures.

That’s why a purist would frown at listening to Sutra lecture recordings while engaging in other activities.

We feel that one should be more flexible and accord with the conditions (environment). Therefore, it’s better to listen to those recordings while driving, working, or walking, etc., if it replaces other not useful activities such as daydreaming.

However, please make sure to pay attention to the task at hand. For example, if you enter samadhi while driving and listening to the recordings, it may cause more harm than good.

Furthermore, we assume that when you mentioned “while working”, you meant while at work. For example, a night watchman at work, a computer operator at her console, etc., all these instances require minimal mental processing and thus the mind can register the lecture materials. Even so, keep in mind that the materials can only be efficiently registered in proportion to the concentration level. 

    Categories

    All
    42 Hands & Eyes
    49-day Dharma
    Abortion
    Chan & Meditation
    Deviant Sex Precept
    Healing Illnesses
    Karmas & Repentance
    Leaving Home Life
    Medicine Master Buddha Dharma
    Non Buddhist Practice
    Personal & Family Issues
    Proper Dharma
    Pureland & Rebirth
    Tantric & Mantras

    Archives

    October 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    RSS Feed

RELATED LINKS

Temple Locations
MahaStupa


​
​© 2010 – 2023 Chanpureland.org 

Subscribe

Join our mailing list today!
Join Now
  • Home
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Live Stream
    • Temple Activities
    • FoQi
    • ChanQi
    • Online Classes
    • Relics
  • Calendar
  • Dharma
    • Download Audio & Slides >
      • Sutra Lectures >
        • Avatamsaka Sutra
        • Six Patriarch Sutra
        • Heart Sutra
        • Vajra Sutra
        • Amitabha Sutra
        • Earth Store Sutra
        • Medicine Master Sutra
        • The Bequeathed Teaching Sutra
        • The Sutra in 42 Sections
      • Dharma Talks Archive
      • Chan Meditation Archive
      • Fo Qi Archive
      • Chan Qi Archive
      • Outreach Archive
    • Ceremonies
    • Dharma Blog
    • Q&A
  • Practices
    • Practices
    • Training Program
    • Cultivation Stories
  • Publications
    • Publications
    • Chan Handbook
    • Pure Land Handbook
  • About
    • Statement of Faith
    • Location
    • Contact
    • Master YongHua
    • Contribution
    • Sponsorship
  • Languages
    • Tiếng Việt
    • 한국어
    • 中文首页
    • Español
    • Portuguese