Practices and Vows of
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

Chapter Forty, New Edition

Another praise goes like this:

Amitabha Buddha’s body is the color of gold.
His hallmarks, attributes, and radiance have no equal.
The white hair curl (urna) is like five Sumeru Mountains.
His violet eyes are clear, pure, and as vast as the four great seas.
The transformation Buddhas within his light are innumerable.
The multitude of transformation Bodhisattvas are also boundless.
His forty-eight vows take living beings across.
With lotuses of nine grades he causes them all to reach the Other Shore.

Amitabha Buddha’s body is the color of gold. The teaching-host of the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West, Amitabha Buddha, has a body that is golden. His hallmarks, attributes, and radiance have no equal. His 32 Hallmarks, 80 Subsidiary Attributes, and his all-pervasive radiance are beyond compare. The white hair curl (urna) is like five Sumeru Mountains. How big is the white hair curl between Amitabha Buddha’s eyebrows, which emits light? It is as big as five Sumeru Mountains. How big are Amitabha Buddha’s eyes? His violet eyes are clear, pure, and as vast as the four great seas. His immaculate violet colored eyes are as large as the four great seas. If his eyes are so tremendous, just think how magnificent the Buddha’s body must be!

The transformation Buddhas within his light are innumerable. Within Amitabha Buddha’s light he has created by transformation so many Buddhas that they are measureless and boundless in number. The multitude of transformation Bodhisattvas are also boundless. He has also created by transformation many Bodhisattvas. He not only creates many transformation Buddhas, but also many Bodhisattvas. Not only Bodhisattvas, but Shravakas have also been created. He has not only created Shravakas, but he has also created Those Enlightened to Conditions and measureless and boundless living beings within the six paths of existence.

His forty-eight vows take living beings across. Amitabha Buddha has forty- eight vows with which he liberates all living beings. With lotuses of nine grades he causes them all to reach the Other Shore. The lotus flowers are divided up into nine grades. And each of these nine are further divided into nine grades as well. Therefore, nine times nine makes eighty-one grades in all. Each of these eighty-one grades of lotus flowers is able to lead living beings to the Other Shore of Nirvana. That is, they are reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This is just a small example of praising the Tathagatas, which is the second practice of merit and virtue that one should cultivate.

In the Vajra Sutra it says, “The Tathagata: there is no place that he comes from, and also no place that he goes, therefore he is called Tathagata (literally: one who comes thus).” Tatha means “thus” or “suchness” and represents stillness. Gata means “to come” or “to return” and represents movement. One can say that the Tathagata seems to have come, yet his basic substance is unmoving. He is said to come, yet he has not come from anywhere. He is said to go, yet he doesn’t go anywhere. “Thus” refers to noumenon and “Come” refers to phenomena. This is also the state of the non-obstruction of phenomena and noumenon mentioned in the Sutra.

This Sutra mentions four Dharma-realms: the Dharma-realm of phenomena, the Dharma-realm of noumenon, the Dharma-realm of the non-obstruction of noumenon and phenomena, and the Dharma-realm of the non-obstruction of phenomena and phenomena.

Tathagata represents the Dharma-realm of the non-obstruction of noumenon and phenomena, and it is also one of the ten titles of a Buddha.

The third is to extensively cultivate making offerings. “Extensively” literally means vastly and greatly. “Cultivate” means to put into practice. That is to extensively cultivate making offerings. There are many types of offerings of Dharma. One can use one’s body to make offerings, or one may use one’s mind to make offerings, or one may use both body and mind to make offerings.

What’s meant by using one’s own body to make offerings? An example of this is the two assemblies of followers who renounce the householder’s life and become Bhikshus or Bhikshunis. In this way they use their own bodies to make an offering to the Buddhas. These people utilize their bodies to do Buddhist activities and cultivate the Buddha-dharma. Not only can one use one’s own body to make offerings, one can also use one’s mind. You use a sincere heart to cultivate the Buddha-dharma by bowing to the Buddhas and reciting the Sutras every day without ever forgetting. Further, one always likes to do things for Buddhism; one delights in practicing the Buddha-dharma. This is called offering with one’s body and mind.

Another way in which one can offer with one’s body and mind is as a householder. Although unable to become a monastic, one takes the time in one’s busy daily life to bow to the Buddhas. One goes to the temple, lights incense, and bows in worship to the Buddha.

If one doesn’t have time to go to the temple, then in one’s home, with utmost earnestness, one can light incense and bow to an image of the Buddha or visualize that one is worshipping the Buddha. Perhaps one must do this in one’s home because the temple is far away or because of some other circumstances.

One can make offerings of incense, flowers, fruit, or new clothes, or one can light oil lamps or candles. Although there are many ways to make offerings, there are basically ten types of offerings. These in turn can expand into a hundred kinds, a thousand kinds, or even ten thousand kinds. When making offerings before one Buddha, we visualize that we are making offerings to all of the measureless and boundless numbers of Buddhas throughout the entire Dharma-realm. You might contemplate, “Before each Buddha, I manifest a body that makes offerings to every single one.” Visualizing in this way is called making offerings in the entire Dharma-realm, which in turn creates merit and virtue that is equal to the entire Dharma-realm. One thus attains wisdom identical to the Dharma-realm. Then one has achieved the fruition and stature that is the same as the Dharma-realm. To extensively cultivate making offerings means that one expends all of one’s energy to make offerings. One uses as much strength as one possesses to make offerings to the Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva cultivates this, the third practice.

The fourth is to repent of karmic obstacles and reform. To repent is to feel remorse for past mistakes, that is the offenses one created in the past. To reform means to refrain from making transgressions in the future. To repent is to change one’s past mistakes and to reform means to create no moral transgressions in the future. The process is to cut off evil that has already arisen and to prevent future evil from arising. Reform also means to further increase good that has already arisen and to cause good that has not yet arisen to be produced. One can also say that this is to cause good that has already arisen to continue unabated and to enable good that has not yet arisen to increase without cease. This is what to repent and reform means.

When we talk about karmic obstacles, there are three types of obstacles: karmic obstacles, retribution obstacles, and affliction obstacles. Repenting of karmic obstacles and reforming also includes repenting of and reforming retribution obstacles and affliction obstacles.

There are many types of karma, but in general, there are three types, which are body, mouth, and mind. The karma created by the body includes killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Killing or taking life on a coarse level is murdering a large life-form. On a fine level it is exterminating a very subtle form of life like an ant, mosquito, or a fly. This is coarse and subtle killing. There is also killing in one’s thoughts, which means that in your mind you have the thought of killing. Even though you have not actually committed the act of killing, yet you have already transgressed the moral precepts in your nature and that is considered a violation of the Bodhisattva Precepts. Following the criteria of the Bodhisattva precepts, the causes of killing, the supporting conditions of killing, the dharmas of killing, and the karma of killing are all violations of the moral precepts.

Stealing is the same way. For example, in large terms this would be to steal another person’s country. In smaller terms it would be to steal one’s citizens. In even more subtle terms this would be to steal a needle, a thread, a blade of grass or a piece of wood belonging to someone else. In general, to take someone else’s property when it has not been given to you is stealing.

Sexual misconduct also has gross and subtle variations. The subtle violation extends to even having a thought of lust, thus making your own nature impure. The three karmas of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct are like this.

There are three evils in thought. They are greed, hatred, and delusion. One creates bad karma with thoughts of greed, hatred, and delusion. There are four evils of the mouth. They are frivolous speech, false speech, harsh speech, and divisive speech. Therefore, there are various ways in which one creates karmic transgressions. Now we should resolve to repent and reform. We should vow not to make the same mistakes again, nor should we create new transgressions. This is called, “to repent of karmic obstacles and reform.”

How do we repent and reform? Before the Buddha, one should be deeply sorry and distressed, feeling that in the past one has really made mistakes. One should shed tears in bitter sorrow before the Buddha, and while weeping, repent and vow to reform. If you sincerely repent and reform, your karmic obstacles will naturally be extinguished.

The fifth is to follow and rejoice in merit and virtue. To follow means to comply or go along with. To rejoice in means to take delight in. Merit is the merit that is created, and virtue is the virtue that one does. To follow and rejoice in can mean to have others follow and rejoice in the merit and virtue that you create, or you follow and rejoice in the merit and virtue of others. If you wish to repent of karmic obstacles and reform, then you must follow and rejoice in merit and virtue. That is, you should create various types of virtue. When you repent of karmic obstacles and reform, you may not be able to totally extinguish your karmic obstacles. Thus, you should create all kinds of merit and virtue. By doing this you are also repenting of karmic obstacles and reforming. Repenting of karmic obstacles is the same as following merit, and vice versa.

If they are the same, why have a separate fifth vow? The fourth vow is to solely practice repenting of karmic obstacles and reforming. Once you do that, you should also sincerely cultivate the fifth vow of following and rejoicing in merit and virtue. This includes doing good deeds. That is to say you follow goodness and refrain from creating offenses.

How does one follow and rejoice in good merit and virtue? It means you wish to do beneficial things for others. What does creating merit mean? It means to do more things for the public good. The Chinese character for merit （功） consists of the radical for work (工) with the character for effort （力） added to it. This means that you must exert some effort to create merit, to do things for the public good. At the present time, most of these activities that are done for the public good are undertaken by the government. In the past, governments were not involved in projects like repairing bridges and roads. One creates merit by doing things for the community at large. These deeds have lasting benefit and are visible to everybody. Each person can see who is responsible for doing these good things.

For example, let’s say you have several buildings constructed for a school, and on the main entrance of each building there is a plaque with your name on it. This is creating merit. Virtue is that which is acquired in one’s heart through practice. Doing good things that delight your heart is virtue. Unlike merit-making actions, these kinds of virtuous deeds may not be known by others.

There is apparent virtue and hidden virtue. When you create apparent virtue, it causes ordinary people to be very happy. It’s very evident to them. Hidden virtue is doing things that benefit everyone, yet people are unaware of it. For example, last night I mentioned that if you had spiritual powers you could invisibly help all living beings, yet none of them would know about it.

This vow is to follow and rejoice in merit and virtue. You do good deeds that you want others to emulate. In this case, others follow and rejoice in your merit and virtue. When you are aware of other’s good deeds, you should expend your effort to assist them in doing these deeds. This is to follow and rejoice in merit and virtue.

Ultimately this vow refers to following and rejoicing in the merit and virtue of all living beings in the Dharma-realm. You help them do all the good things that they like to do. This includes following and rejoicing in the merit and virtue of the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas, the Shravakas, Those Enlightened to Conditions, and all living beings. What is following the Buddha’s merit and virtue? For example, you lecture on the Sutras and speak the Dharma to teach and transform living beings.

If you teach and promote the practice of the Six Perfections and myriad practices, that is following and rejoicing in the merit and virtue of the Bodhisattvas. If you teach people to cultivate the 12 Links of Conditioned Origination, that is to follow and rejoice in the merit and virtue of Those Enlightened to Conditions. If you enable everyone to know about the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths, then that is to follow and rejoice in the merit and virtue of the Shravakas. If any living being in the six paths of existence follows and rejoices in the merit and virtue of gods and humans, he will cultivate the five moral precepts and the ten good karmas. Therefore, in elucidating to follow and rejoice in merit and virtue there are infinite kinds. This is just a general explanation.

The sixth is to request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma. What is the “Wheel of Dharma”? Wheel, literally a circular wheel, is able to vanquish demons of the heavens and those of heterodox paths, and thereby enable the Proper Dharma to remain in the world for a long time.

After the Buddha became a Buddha, he made three turnings of the Dharma Wheel of the Four Noble Truths in order to rescue the first five Bhikshus. Turning the Wheel of Dharma means to speak the Dharma. If you request the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Shravakas, Those Enlightened to Conditions, Arhats or Dharma-masters to speak the Dharma, that is to request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

For example, every day before we lecture on the Sutras, two Dharma- masters or two lay-people come up and formally request the Dharma. This is to request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma, which is one of the practices of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. What good comes from requesting the turning of the Wheel of Dharma? If there is a person who turns the Wheel of Dharma in our world, then the demon-kings will not dare to manifest in our world. If no one turns the Wheel of Dharma, then the demon-kings will openly appear in the world.

When the Wheel of Dharma is turned because of your request, you have generated merit and virtue. This also includes to follow and rejoice in merit and virtue. By your requesting Dharma, you will enable your wisdom to unfold. This is due to the fact that by requesting a Dharma- master to speak the Dharma for the people, you are benefiting everyone. Therefore, these ten great vows are interrelated. For example, if one wishes to repent of karmic obstructions and reform, then one should follow and rejoice in merit and virtue. If you follow and rejoice in merit and virtue, you should request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

Turning the Wheel of Dharma is not only lecturing the Dharma and Sutras, it includes all the activities that you do for Buddhism. For example, now in this lecture hall, you see people printing the lectures. That is turning the Wheel of Dharma. Transcribing the lectures is also turning the Wheel of Dharma. Now you are tape recording the lectures, translating them, and taking notes as well. Each of these activities is turning the Wheel of Dharma. By taking notes you will remember them more clearly. Then in the future, you will be able to explain them for others. By doing this you are preparing to turn the Wheel of Dharma. When we read the Sutras, recite the Sutras, or bow to the Sutras, we are turning the Wheel of Dharma. Therefore, turning the Wheel of Dharma does not merely refer to one type of activity.

Again, turning the Wheel of Dharma includes anything that you do in Buddhism that benefits others. Even the written Chinese verses in front of us are turning the Great Wheel of Dharma. Whether it is lecturing the Sutras every evening or our daily meditation sits, everything we do here is turning the Wheel of Dharma. If you understand this, then it is requesting that the Wheel of Dharma be turned. What if you don’t realize this? Then when you do this work you feel it’s too wearisome, strenuous, and difficult. This is being afraid to turn the Wheel of Dharma.

The seventh is to beseech the Buddhas to remain in the world. The Buddha comes into the world, dwells in the world, and then wishes to enter Parinirvana. When the Buddha is in the world it is just like having the sun whose light shines upon the entire earth. But when the Buddha enters Parinirvana, the world becomes enveloped in darkness. Therefore, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva makes a great vow to “beseech the Buddhas to remain in the world.” This means you request the Buddha to not enter Parinirvana, but to always dwell in the world. Because the Buddha fulfills the wishes of living beings, if all living beings beseech the Buddha to remain in the world, then he will not enter Parinirvana. What will happen if you don’t beseech him to remain in the world? When he is finished teaching and transforming all the beings that should be taught by him, he will enter Parinirvana. Therefore, we should beseech the Buddhas to remain in the world.

The eighth is to always follow and learn from the Buddhas. This is to emulate and follow the Buddha and learn the Buddha-dharmas at all times. We should not fear learning Buddha-dharmas, even though they are numerous. The more you learn, the more wisdom you will have. For example, why did the Venerable Ananda have such an exceptional memory? It is said, “Buddha-dharmas as great as the waters of the ocean flowed into Ananda’s mind.” Buddha-dharmas are analogous to the waters of the vast ocean. All were able to enter into the mind of Ananda. Venerable Ananda in life after life had focused on erudition, and consequently, his memory-power was superb. Within “to always follow and learn from the Buddhas” is the implication that you do not become negligent, lax, or muddled. Rather you “diligently cultivate moral precepts, samadhi-concentration, and wisdom and extinguish greed, hatred and delusion.” You energetically cultivate morality, concentration, and wisdom. And you eliminate the three poisons, which are thoughts of greed, hatred, and delusion. If you are able to do this, then you are always following and learning from the Buddhas.

The ninth is to constantly conform with living beings. “Constantly” means constant and unchanging. “Conform” means to follow or accord with. That is to conform to the conditions and states of living beings. Living beings are totally confused and topsy-turvy. Does this mean that you should always conform with living beings’ confusion? Living beings are basically quite ignorant. Should you go down the same road of delusion? To always conform with living beings means that you follow the same mannerisms as them in order to rescue them while “going against the flow.” What does this mean? Living beings are totally confused. Their confusion is analogous to water flowing to the east, and you steer your ship so it’s going west. That is called “going against the flow.”

If you merely go along with living beings, you cannot become a Buddha. If you wish to become a Buddha, you cannot follow living beings. So why does Samantabhadra Bodhisattva want to “constantly conform with living beings?” As was just explained above, he wants to go against the flow to bring living beings into conformity. That is to go against the flow to rescue them. This is to say, “Going against the flow of the six-sense objects of worldly people and entering the flow of the Dharma-nature of the sages.” This is to always conform with living beings.

On the other hand, if you go along with living beings in an improper way, then when they want to create bad karma, you will go along with them and create bad karma too. If you, as a Bodhisattva, constantly conform with living beings in an improper way, then when they create bad karma, you go along and create transgressions. Living beings give rise to delusion and then create bad karma. They create bad karma and then have to undergo the retribution. So does this mean that you also generate delusion, create bad karma, and undergo the retribution? Wouldn’t this be the same as a living being? If you do this, you will have changed to become a common living being.

To make it clear, to constantly conform with living beings means that you never become weary or annoyed with conforming with living beings in order to teach and transform them. You wish to cause living beings to “turn away from ignorance and return to enlightenment.” Thus they can leave the path of delusion and become enlightened. To always conform with living beings is the paramita of vigor. The paramita of vigor means that you never become fed up with living beings who create offenses, regardless of how great their offenses are. You do not say, “Oh! You living beings have created so many karmic offenses! I’m not going to rescue you! Just go ahead and fall into the hells!” The Bodhisattva never has this kind of thought. Even though living beings create karmic offenses, Bodhisattvas have a heart of loving-kindness, compassion, rejoicing, and equanimity. With these they rescue living beings. This is the paramita of true vigor.

When Shakyamuni Buddha was on the stage of creating the causes for becoming a Buddha, he was practicing the paramitas of giving and vigor. Once while cultivating the spiritual path in the mountains, it snowed for many days, so the entire mountain was blanketed in snow. A mother tiger with cubs went searching for something to eat, but was unable to find anything. Both the mother and her cubs were on the verge of starvation. They were so weak that they were unable to walk. Then Shakyamuni Buddha thought, “I’ll give my body to the tigers. After they eat my flesh, I vow that they will bring forth the Bodhi-mind and realize the unsurpassed path.” Then he covered his head with his clothes and threw himself off the mountain so he landed right next to the tigers. Thus he sacrificed his body for the tigers. This is an example of the way Shakyamuni Buddha complied with living beings and practiced the paramitas of giving and vigor.

Constantly conforming with living beings requires that we rescue them. We shouldn’t think, “Samantabhadra Bodhisattva says we must constantly conform with living beings. Some of them ingest disorienting drugs. I should join them and take some of these confusing drugs. Some drink alcohol. I should conform with them and have some wine. Others engage in befuddled conduct. I will go along and engage in the same behavior.” This is not what is meant by conforming with living beings. Rather it means to pull them out of the mud, thereby enabling them to conform with you in practicing the spiritual path. Don’t misconstrue that conforming with living beings means that you run off and do what they do. Otherwise, running hither and thither, you will lose your own home and no longer recognize your own hometown.

In Chinese this vow is literally to constantly conform with living beings, but when translating it into English you should change it to always or constantly have living beings conform with you. This is changing the order of the Chinese words. My way of explaining this as “living beings conforming with you” is most consonant with the Dharma.

The tenth is to transfer all merit and virtue. “All” means that one transfers the merit and virtue from every activity that one does. Who do you transfer it to? To all Buddhas. All the merit and virtue that I create during the day is transferred to all Buddhas. Therefore, there’s a verse that says,

I wish that this merit and virtue will beautify the Buddhas’ Pure Lands
Repaying four types of kindness from above,
and rescuing those in the three paths of suffering below.
May those who see or hear this immediately bring forth the Bodhi-mind.
When this body born of retribution passes on,
We will be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

This verse is an example of transferring one’s merit. Transference has two aspects. One is to return, and the other means to go out. You must return back before you can go out. Where do you return to? You transfer all of your merit. I want to take everything that I have done and transfer the merit from being a common person to becoming an Enlightened Sage. That is, as a living being we transfer to all Buddhas. This is transference. Therefore, a common person transfers to become a Sage and living beings transfer to the Buddhas. One transfers from phenomena to noumenon. And one transfers from the Small Vehicle to the Great Vehicle. All of these are forms of transferring merit.

One transfers from oneself to others. What does this mean? Let’s say I have a friend. I transfer all of the merit and virtue that I have created to him and enable him to bring forth the Bodhi-mind, so that he realizes the unsurpassed path. One transfers from phenomena to the noumenon. Although the things I do are visible, the noumenon of transference is invisible. I wish to take the visible merit and virtue I create and transfer it to the infinite, inexhaustible Dharma-realm. From the small, one transfers to the great. Now I follow the Theravada, the Small Vehicle. However, instead of practicing the Dharmas of the Theravada, I cultivate the Dharmas of the Mahayana, the Great Vehicle.

Previously I recited several lines of a verse of transference, which I will now explain. For example, today I’ve finished lecturing the Sutra. Lecturing Sutras is a way of giving Dharma. Indeed, it is the most supreme form of giving. It is even greater than the merit and virtue from giving the seven precious things to all the living beings in a three-thousand great-thousand world system. Although the merit from lecturing Sutras is so tremendous, I do not want it for myself. Why? I wish that this merit and virtue , from lecturing the Sutras and Dharma, turning the wheel of the magnificent Dharma, will beautify the Buddhas’ Pure Lands. I use this merit to adorn and beautify all the Pure Lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions of space. Repaying four types of kindness from above...I repay the various types of kindness bestowed upon me by heaven, the earth, the ruler of the country, and my father and mother, as well as that of my teachers and elders. And rescuing those in the three paths of suffering below. I rescue those undergoing suffering and torment in the three paths of the hells, the hungry ghosts, and animals. May those who see or hear this...If anyone sees me lecturing the Sutras or hears this Dharma, may they immediately bring forth the Bodhi-mind. May everyone quickly bring forth the Bodhi-mind and follow the path of enlightenment. When this body born of retribution passes on...The body that we have now is a body born from retribution. After we no longer have these bodies, we will be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Together we will all be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Sudhana said, “Great Sage! What is the meaning of ‘to worship all Buddhas’ up to and including ‘to transfer all merit and virtue?’” The youth Sudhana heard Samantabhadra Bodhisattva make these ten great vows. Although he already understood them, he was afraid that all of us living beings would still not comprehend these ten magnificent vows. Therefore, the youth Sudhana intentionally asked, “What do you mean by worshipping all Buddhas? What do you mean by praising the Tathagatas? What is it to extensively cultivate making offerings? How does one repent of karmic obstacles and reform? How does one follow and rejoice in merit and virtue? How does one request the turning of the Wheel of Dharma? What does one do to beseech the Buddhas to remain in the world? What does one do to always follow and learn from the Buddhas? How does one constantly conform with living beings? What does it mean to transfer all merit and virtue?”

The youth Sudhana again said to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, “Great Sage!” This means a great Bodhisattva, one with great loving-kindness and compassion who cultivates the path. He asked, “What is the meaning of ‘to worship all Buddhas’ up to and including ‘to transfer all of one’s merit’?” Again, what is meant by worshipping all Buddhas? What is meant by transferring all merit and virtue?

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