Diamond Sutra Ceremony
金剛法會

The Diamond Sutra (Diamond of Perfect Wisdom Sutra) is one of the most important scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism. It tells us that the realization of the emptiness of Buddha Nature is the key to reach ultimate perfect wisdom (prajna). It was upon hearing one line from this sutra that the great Sixth Patriarch Huineng achieved enlightenment. That line was “The mind should act without any attachments (應無所住而生其心).”

Prior to 2012, this sutra had always been chanted in Chinese. This year, in order to give the non-Chinese speaking students of the Monastery a chance to better appreciate the profound and precious Diamond Sutra in their study of Zen Buddhism, Ocean Sky held for the first time the chanting of the sutra entirely in English, including the Incense Praise at the start, and Dedication of Merits at the end. By following the English chanting, Filipino cultivators were glad that they could directly realize the significance of emptiness as spoken by Buddha, and helped them to correct all misconceptions that were obstacles to their understanding of true reality.

Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Ceremony
慈悲三昧水懺法會

Ocean Sky chanted The Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance Liturgy as its 2011 year-long Saturday night repentance practice. The liturgy was written during the Tang Dynasty by the Imperial Dharma Master Wuda, who found out first hand that karmic retributions may remain invisible through many rebirths, but must still be repaid.

In the mid-9th century, a traveling monk, Zhixuan, chanced upon another monk who was sick with ugly, smelly sores. Instead of being repulsed like everybody else, Zhixuan tended to the sores with care, and the sick monk got healed completely. Before they separated, the recovered monk gave directions to Zhixuan on how to find him in Jiulong Mountain should the latter encounter any difficulty in the future.

Much later, Zhixuan was proclaimed Imperial Dharma Master Wuda by the Emperor, and was given a high seat from which to give Dharma talk. Gradually, his mind gave rise to pride. It was at this point that a painful tumor shaped like a human face grew on his knee. The tumor would even ask to be fed, causing Wuda unbearable pain. Because no cure was found, Master Wuda looked for the monk, the sage Venerable Kanaka, whom he healed long ago. The sage reassured him that the tumor could be cured by washing it with pure water from a clear spring.

As Master Wuda was about to wash his knee with the pure water, the tumor shouted: “Wait! Let me explain. At around the 2nd century B.C., I was your enemy Chao Cuo, and you were Yuan Ang, who persuaded the Emperor to cut me in half. Before I died, I swore I would seek revenge on you at the first chance. But because you were a virtuous monk who strictly upheld the precepts, I couldn’t harm you for the last ten rebirths. Now, because of your pride, it gave me an opening to seek revenge. But, with the purity of the samadhi water of sage Kanaka, I have been liberated from hatred, and will no longer seek revenge.”
　　
The pure samadhi water cleansed away the face-like tumor, and the longstanding enmity. Master Wuda then wrote the Liturgy of Compassionate Samadhi Water Repentance, which he chanted every day, morning and night. In Ocean Sky, participants chant this liturgy, hoping they can also wash away longstanding feuds and bitterness in their own minds by reflecting inwards and repenting with a mind of purity and gratitude.