Embedded Files
The following terms recur throughout the work. They are presented here to prevent misunderstanding and over-simplification.
Aspect
Aspect (相)
An aspect refers to a mode of appearance or function, not an essence.
Aspects arise dependently and are not fixed identities.
True Aspect (实相)
The true aspect is the actual nature of all phenomena, free from distortion, conceptual fixation, or duality.
It is not a hidden substance, but reality seen without obstruction.
Mental Aspect (心相)
Mental aspects are patterns of perception, thought, and reaction that shape experience.
They condition suffering when unexamined and dissolve through insight.
Karmic Aspect (业相)
Karmic aspects are the ripened conditions of past actions, manifesting as circumstances, tendencies, or obstacles.
They are functional, not punitive.
Concepts
Expedient Means (方便)
Expedient means refer to context-appropriate teaching and action, not compromise or deception.
They function to lead beings gradually toward true understanding.
One Buddha Vehicle (一佛乘)
The One Vehicle affirms that all beings will ultimately attain Buddhahood.
Differences in path or capacity are provisional, not final.
Actions
Receiving and Upholding (受持)
To receive and uphold means:
accepting the teaching inwardly
maintaining it through conduct
protecting it through practice and transmission
It is active responsibility, not passive belief.
Repentance (忏悔)
Repentance is the restoration of correct view and conduct.
It is neither self-blame nor emotional release, but ethical and cognitive realignment.
Vow Power (愿力)
Vow power is the continuity of intention across time, sustaining practice beyond emotion, circumstance, or personal capacity.
In the Lotus tradition, vow power is what allows practice to endure in the latter age.
Page updated
Report abuse