I think one really needs to have meditation to hear the soundless sound or the sound of meditation to really understand "entering into the self, transcending while not separating from the self. Returning the hearing to hear self-nature.
Self-nature means our own every individual's own Buddha-nature which is "emptiness" and which is non-attachment, neither existence nor non-existence.
Buddhism teaches about negating the self without losing the self; namely, it means non-attachment to the self, transcending while not separating from the self. This reflects the idea of “entering into the stream while renouncing the object”, or “returning the hearing to hear self nature”.
In this video, Master Sheng Yen shared about the difference between Buddha and God. "In Buddhism, ""sin"" is the bad karma one brings from one's past lives since beginningless time; it reflects the idea of causality, or cause and effect. To eliminate our karma and change our fate, only we can resolve our karmic hindrances but not Buddha.The Buddha can only teach us how to resolve our karmic hindrances.
From Wikipedia on Hungry Ghost Festival
The timing and origin story of the modern Ghost Festival, however, derive from the apocryphalMahayanascripture known as the Yulanpen or Ullambana Sutra. In it, Mulian (i.e., the discipleMoggallāna) asks the Buddha about how he can relieve the suffering his mother is enduring in her present incarnation as a hungry ghost. Prior to his enlightenment, both of this parents had died. His clairvoyance had found his father's new incarnation in the heavenly realms but his mother had been greedy with money he had left her, refusing to help the monks who passed by, and she had been reborn into Avīci, the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts or Pretas. These had ravenous appetites but could not eat, either because food burst into flames upon their touch or because their throats were too thin and fragile. Mulian is informed that a tray of food offered to the community of monks and nuns at the time of their return from the summer retreat (i.e., on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month) will prompt them to offer prayers that will benefit 7 generations of his ancestors.[5] In his case, his mother was raised from the status of a hungry ghost and was reborn as a dog owned by a rich family. He then raised her to humanstatus by giving food and new robes to 500 monks.
This video on Karma- the notion of cause and effect is by Venerable Master Sheng Yen. I enjoy listening to his teaching.
From this video;
This " three periods of time" is not three literal periods of time. There are three periods of the past, three periods of the present , three periods of the future and the duration of these three periods can be long or short.
How long? It could be forever, an infinite past and a boundless future. That is called " three periods of time". As for the period, the duration can be short; the previous second, the next second and the current second are three periods of time.
The three periods are a space of time. As physical objects moving in time, our movement in space has a temporal connection; that is the previous point; the present point and the point to come, This becomes the three periods of time.
As living beings going through the life process, we are certainly subject to causes and effects.
So whatever we do and experience in this lifetime, we must take responsibility in the future.
Today's consequences are from causes a long long time ago which generated consequences and then these again become causes. When there is a consequence, it becomes a cause.
This 2h movie on Surangama Sutra specifically on how Buddha correcting Ananda's wrong view. The following interaction between the Buddha and Ananda (Buddha's cousin) starts from about 1h 35 min.
Thus I have heard
The bright essence of consciousness is our non-arising, non-perishing (everlasting True Mind). It is our [True basis] to Buddhahood. Ananda if you want to truly understand the [Wondrous path] to Buddhahood and eventually break free from the cycle of birth and death, there must be True Understanding.
Ananda, do you see it?
Yes indeed Bhagavan.
What did you see?
I saw the Bhagavan raise his arm and bend his fingers into a fist that sends forth light, dazzling my mind and eyes.
What did you use to see?
The Assembly and I used the eyes to see.
Ananda, you do not have the True Understanding, otherwise you would not have replied that you had seen the Bhagavan raised his arm and bent his fingers into a fist that sent forth light dazzling your mind and eyes.
Bhagavan I don't understand.
Indeed you have not understand. Ananda you are using your eyes to see my fist. But I was asking about which mind you had used to perceive the dazzling brightness of the fist.
Bhagavan, it took me great effort to understand the principles of the two fundamentals. But why is Bhagavan revisiting it? I am utterly puzzled.
Ananda, when I asked you earlier about the location of the mind, it was to let you understand that the illusory mind which causes the cycle of birth and death is without a location. All your repeatedly wrong conclusions were rebutted and proven.
That the illusory mind has a location that the illusory mind has a solid substance are all ridiculous. And now I am asking you what exactly is the mind? But you have stopped at your initial perception that the eyes can see the attributes while the mind admires and not move forward. (眼见胜相， 心生喝仰).
Ananda if you don't understand the True Mind and continue to use the illusory thinking, it will only prolong the miserable and unceasing cycle of birth and death, transmigrating in the 6 realms of existence, and forever unable to get out.
Let me ask you again, which is your inherent True Mind?
Bhagavan ever since the Bhagavan questioned the location of the mind up to now, I have been using the mind to investigate and search. It is this mind which is able to infer, used to investigate, search and seize on condition, that is my True Mind.
Ananda that is not your True Mind.
If it is not my True Mind, then what is it?
Ananda, Your so-called mind that can investigate and search is merely your perception of false appearances based on delusory objects giving rise to (distinguishing) and illusory thinking. Such (false thoughts) and illusory feelings have continuously been deluding and confusing you about your True nature and since time without beginning till now been like a son(taking a thief as his father) mistaking the (illusory nature) as the true nature. As such, you have lost touch with your inherent (everlasting) true mind and fallen into the recurring cycle of birth and death, suffering, perplexity, entanglement, despair , depression, worrie, resentment and other types of torment unable to be comfortable and happy.
Ananda, the Tathagata has often explained that All phenomena that arise are only manifestation of the mind. This means that all forms of causes and effects from as large as a whole world to as minute as a mote of dust come from the contemplation of the True Mind resulting in the manifestation of the various phenomena.
Ananda that is to say that the illusory mind is our consciousness that subjectively discriminate when it perceives external phenomena whereas the True mind is the one that is able to contemplate and reveal the essential nature and fundamentals of all phenomena.
