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Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

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make our second obeisance. This is just the Dharma of<br />

sunyata personified <strong>and</strong> according to the exoteric<br />

tradition, there is no such being. However, since<br />

prajnaparamita is feminine in gender, because the<br />

Buddhas are produced by the Truth (that is, by the<br />

Dharma of perfect wisdom), so Prajnaparamita is like a<br />

mother to the Buddhas. In these ways, the outer<br />

teachings treat the perfection of wisdom. But in the<br />

Vajrayana, there are many descriptive texts for<br />

visualizing Prajnaparamita as a being, <strong>and</strong> here she is<br />

really regarded as the mother of the Buddhas. We must<br />

therefore offer her our praise <strong>and</strong> worship.<br />

Third comes Bhadanta Nagarjuna, a great <strong>Buddhist</strong><br />

philosopher very wise in the teachings of sunyata, who<br />

promoted the Vajrayana so well. His knowledge was not<br />

only theoretical, for he attained the Moonlight samadhi<br />

<strong>and</strong>, as you must know, the moon is a sign of bodhicitta<br />

(identified with sunyata).<br />

B. What is the Distinction between Mahayana <strong>and</strong><br />

Hinayana?<br />

1. First come some negative explanations:<br />

a. "Great" <strong>and</strong> "small" do not mean "inner" <strong>and</strong> "outer"<br />

in the sense of "inside" or "outside" the Buddhadharma.<br />

In China, scholars who criticize the Hinayana have<br />

usually maintained this, but I do not agree. The<br />

Hinayana teaches voidness <strong>and</strong> so cannot be called<br />

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