Vairochana

Chapter Six

 

Sutra:

“At that time, as soon as the pure youth Great Awesome Light saw that Thus Come One attain Equal and Proper Enlightenment, he manifested the power of spiritual penetrations and immediately attained the samadhi of mindfulness of the Buddha, called ‘door to the boundless sea treasury’; he immediately attained the great kindness called ‘rescuing and liberating, tempering and taming by universally according with living beings’; he immediately attained the great compassion called ‘cosmic cloud covering all states’;

he immediately attained the great joy called ‘the treasury of the awesome power of all Buddhas’ sea of merit and virtue’; he immediately attained the great renunciation called ‘the dharma nature’s purity, which is equal to the void’; he immediately attained the prajna paramita called ‘the Dharma Realm’s pure body of the self nature which is apart from filth’; he immediately attained the spiritual penetration called ‘unobstructed brilliance that universally adapts and manifest’; he immediately attained the skill in debate called ‘skillful deep entry to the origin apart from filth’; he immediately attained the light of wisdom called ‘the pure treasury of all Buddhadharmas, and of ten thousand Dharma-doors such as those he attained complete penetration.

“Then the pure youth Great Awesome Light, relying on the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength, and for the sake of all of his retinue, spoke verses saying:

Commentary:

“At that time, that pure youth Great Awesome Light, who is also referred to in this chapter as Great Awesome Light Bodhisattva and the Prince Great Awesome Light, saw that Thus Come One, Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna, attained unsurpassed, equal and proper enlightenment. And at that very moment, he manifested the power of great spiritual penetrations, and he also immediately attained concentration from being mindful of the Buddha. The samadhi of mindfulness of the Buddha is referred to as the ‘door to the boundless sea treasury.’ Since this samadhi of mindfulness of the Buddha is the door to all other samadhis, it is the King of all samadhis. He immediately attained the samdhi of dharani, that which unites all dharmas and holds limitless meanings. This Dharani is the ‘profound source of the dharma’s power of great wisdom.’ The prince gained the strength of great wisdom, which he deeply entered.

And then, “He immediately attained the samadhi of great compassion called ‘cosmic cloud covering all states.’ This samadhi of great compassion is likened to a huge cloud encompassing every possible kind of state. He immediately attained the great joy called ‘the treasury of the awesome power of all Buddhas’ sea of merit and virtue’; he immediately attained the great renunciation called ‘the dharma nature’s purity, which is equal to the void.’ He also attained that samadhi of great giving and then was able to “renounce what is impossible to renounce.” The samadhis of Kindness, Compassion, and Joy, together with this samadhi of Renunciation, make up the Four Unlimited Minds of a Buddha.

Moreover, “He immediately attained the prajna paramita, the wisdom which reaches the other shores, called ‘the dharma realm’s pure body of the self-nature which is apart from filth,’ in which the self-nature is separated form all defilement and the Dharma Realm is pure. “Filth” refers to vulgarity and corruption, foulness and meanness. Here, “apart from filth” refers to a separating which is beyond even the concept of separation. This is because if one is aware that one is apart from filth, that means there is still filth remaining.

In this case, however, the self-nature of one’s own Dharma-body is completely clear and clean.

He immediately attained the samadhi of spiritual penetration called ‘unobstructed brilliance that universally adapts and manifests; he immediately attained the samadhi of skill in debate called ‘skillful deep entry to the origin apart from filth’; he immediately attained the samadhi of the light of wisdom called ‘the pure treasury of all Buddhadharmas,’ and of ten thousand dharma-doors such as those he attained complete penetration. There were as many as ten thousand Dharma-doors similar to all the samadhis just mentioned which Pure Youth Great Awesome Light was able to directly and thoroughly penetrate without obstruction.

“Then the pure youth Great Awesome Light, relying on the Buddha’s awesome spiritual strength, and for the sake of all of his retinue, spoke verses saying his praises of the Buddha and to briefly describe the Buddha’s states.

Question: What is the self-nature?

Answer: The self-nature is identical to the Buddha-nature. The Buddha-nature is what is true and real. A person does not become enlightened by employing the five skandhas: form, feeling, perception, impulses, and consciousness. We have to come to the realization of the emptiness of the five skandhas; we have to turn around and go back to the source—to understand our own minds and see our own natures.

Sutra:

Even once in inconceivable kotis of kalpas,
An enlightened master, a guide for all worlds, is hard to meet.
Fortunate are the living beings of this land,
For now they get to see a second Buddha.

Universally emitting great light, the Buddha’s body
Its form and marks limitless, most pure
Extensively covers all lands like a cloud,
Everywhere praising the Buddhas’ merit and virtue.

The light brings joy to all where it shines,
Completely ridding those beings of suffering,
And causing them all to be reverent and kind:
Thus does the Thus Come One’s self-mastery function.

Commentary:

Even once in inconceivable kotis of dkalpas, an enlightened master, a guide for all worlds, is hard to meet. This first line of verse refers to an extremely long period of time—millions of aeons. During that long a period of time, it is very difficult to encounter even a single Buddha. As it’s said,

The Supremely Revered Lord,
The Thus Come One,
Honored in the World,
Is not easy to meet
In a million kalpas.

It’s difficult to meet “an enlightened Master, a guide for all worlds,” and all the living beings born in the World Universal Sound get to meet this Good and Wise Advisor, this Enlightened Master, this Supreme Teacher.

Fortunate are the living beings of this land. The living beings of this world of the Buddha Sumeru Supreme Cloud of a Mountain of Merit and Virtue are all fortunate indeed, for now they get to see a second Buddha. Because of good roots nurtured in the past and because of their virtuous conduct, they now get to see a second Buddha come into their world. Thus they should give rise to great joy.

Universally emitting great light, the Buddha’s body—his form and his thirty-two marks and eighty fine and subtle characteristics—are limitless, infinite, and each one is distinctively adorned and most pure. The light he emits pervades the Dharma Realm and extensively covers all lands like a cloud. The Buddha has reached a state of purity in which he is everywhere praising the Buddhas’ merit and virtue. Within the brilliant light he emits transformation Buddhas, who further emit wonderful sounds from inside the cloud—sounds praising and lauding the merit and virtue of all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three periods of time.

The light brings joy to all where it shines, completely ridding those beings of suffering. All those living beings who receive the Buddha’s light bring forth great happiness and are totally relieved of all their sufferings and difficulties. The light is also able to cause them all to be reverent and kind. With these verses, the Pure Youth Great Awesome Light is exhorting: “All of you within my retinue should now produce minds of reverence, great compassion, great giving, great joy, and great renunciation. Thus does the Thus Come One’s self-mastery function; now you will be able to bring forth the great resolve for Bodhi and diligently cultivate the Unsurpassed Way to ascend to the other shore. The Buddha’s light bestows such blessings. That is how the Thus Come One’s self-mastery functions.

Sutra:

Clouds of inconceivable transformations come forth,
Forming a limitless net of bright hues
That spreads over all lands in the ten directions:
Thus do the Buddha’s spiritual penetrations manifest.
Fromhis every pore, he emits clouds of light,
Which put forth sublime sounds that pervade empty space,
And even illumine the gloom of the hells,

Completely extinguishing hell beings’ sufferings.
The Thus Come One’s voice—wondrous
Pervades ten directions,
Completely extending to every language,
It accords with all beings’ wholesome strength from the past:
Thus do the great master’s spiritual transformations function.

Commentary:

Clouds of inconceivable transformations come forth. From within the light that the Buddha emits come forth inconceivable images and sounds, forming a limitless net of bright hues. The cloud releases boundless lights of brilliant, vivid colors, which form into a net of light that spreads over all lands in the ten directions. There is not a single Buddhaland throughout the ten directions where the light does not extend. Thus do the Buddhad’s spiritual penetrations manifest—they have that kind of wonderful function.

From his every pore, he emits clouds of light, which put forth sublime sounds that pervade empty space. The clouds that form from the Buddha’s light universally pervade the cosmos; from inside those clouds come glorious Dharma sounds, as awesome as thunder. And the clouds of light even illumine the gloom of the hells. They illumine all the dark places, without exception, in the three evil destinies where light ordinarily does not penetrate, so that all beings in the three evil realms—the hells, the hungry ghosts, and the animals—are relieved of their sufferings.

The Thus Come One’s voice—wondrous—pervades ten directions. From inside that vast cloud of light, the thundercloud sound and the great thundercloud sound manifest—that is, the wonderful sounds of the Thus Come One—which permeate the Dharma Realm throughout the ten directions, completely extending to every language. The Buddha’s sound can be understood by the native of all those lands. His words do not need to be translated; they simply adapt to the language of the living beings in any given country. Therefore, it is said:

The Buddha proclaims the dharma with a single sound;
Living beings, each according to its kind, obtain liberation.

It accords with all beings’ wholesome strength from the past. The Buddha speaks in whatever language accords with the living beings in any given country. He comtemplates those living being to see what good roots they had planted in past lives which would make its possible for them to now be illuminated by the Buddha’s light. Thus do the great master’s spiritual transformations function. The Great Master’s the Thus Come One’s, spiritual changes and transformations can accomplish all those things—that is their wonderful function.

Sutra:

The vast sea of multitudes is limitless and boundless;
The Buddha manifests among them all, as he turns- universally, without exhaustion
The wonderful Dharma Wheel,
Taming and tempering the masses of beings.
The might of the Buddha’s spiritual penetrations is boundless.
As he enters and appears in all kshetras.
The Well Gone One, with wisdom unobstructed,
Achieves proper enlightenment to benefit beings.

Commentary;

The vast sea of multitudes is limitless and boundless; the Buddha manifests among them all. Right after the Buddha accomplished Buddhahood, he proceeded to teach living beings. “The vast sea of multitudes” which “is limitless and boundless” refers to all those living beings of every country in every Buddhaland. The Buddha appears before each and every one of them. His purpose in coming is to teach and transform all living beings. As he turns—universally, without exhaustion—the wonderful dharma wheel. He pervasively and continuously travels to all Buddhalands to the ends of empty space and the Dharma Realm, turning without exhaustion the wonderful Dharma Wheel, taming and tempering” here does not mean that the Buddha uses oppressive force to subdue living beings—he doesn’t beat them into submission. “Then how does he tame and temper them?” you may ask. He simply contemplates the causes and conditions of each living being in order to determine what method of teaching would inspire them. He considers what Dharma-doors should be used to teach them, and then he employs the Dharma-doors suitable to them.

According to the causes and conditions,
He speaks the Dharma.

For each living being, he speaks the Dharma that is specifically appropriate to that living being. Since the root natures of living beings are all different, he must speak the Dharma in different ways. He does so in much the same way one would combine the five flavors—bitter, hot, sour, sweet, and salty—to serve a meal to everyone’s liking.

For example, if a living being likes sour food, the Buddha gives him a little taste of something sour. Having eaten it, he is delighted, and once he happy, the Buddha in his kindness comes to teach him, to tame and temper him. Does a living being like to eat sweet things? Does another one like to drink fruit juice? Is sugar the favorite food of another? Suppose the Buddha gives that one a little sugar to eat? Having his sweet-tooth satisfied, that living being becomes well-disposed toward his teacher. If another being likes to eat bitter things, the Buddha gives him a little something bitter to eat. If another living being likes hot things, he gives him a little something hot to eat. If another likes salty things, he gives him a little something salty to eat. He uses that method to tame and temper living beings so that he can teach them.

He causes living beings who are stubborn to stop being so stubborn, the greedy and stingy ones to stop being greedy and stingy, the hateful ones to stop being hateful, those who are lustful to stop being lustful, those who seek benefit to stop seeking benefit, and those who like to get afflicted to stop getting afflicted. In that way he is able to “tame and temper the masses of beings.”

The might of the Buddha’s spiritual penetrations is boundless. He is free of outflows and discriminations, as he enters and appears in all kshetras. Throughout all the Buddhalands of the ten directions to the ends of empty space and the Dharma Realm, he constantly manifests. The well gone one, with wisdom unobstructed: “ Well Gone One” is one of the ten titles shared by all Buddhas. The Buddha achieves proper enlightenment to benefit beings. Because of his wish to benefit all living beings, he accomplishes Buddhahood.

Sutra:

All should be greatly happy at heart
Jump for joy in adoration—yet display
Deepest reverence, for
Now we will go to the Buddha’s abode,
And upon seeing the Buddha, your many
Sufferings will cease.

Bring forth the mind of transference
And aspire toward Bodhi;
Hold kind thoughts toward all living creatures.
Fully dwelling in Universal Worthy’s vows,
We’ll attain the self-mastery of the Dharma King.

Commentary:

All should be greatly happy at heart – jump for joy in adoration – yet display deepest reverence. When you go to see the Buddha, you should all be ecstatic. Worship, cherish, and protect the Buddha, and in your hearts you should give rise to great joy. At the same time you should be well behaved and respectful toward the Buddha, for now we will go to the Buddha’s abode. The Prince Great Awesome Light is now admonishing his retinue: You should all accompany me to see the Buddha. But when we get there, you can’t be casual and unruly. How should one act when visiting a Buddha? One should be orderly, attentive, and reverent. And upon seeing the Buddha, your many sufferings will cease. When we awaken and are able to see all the Buddha’s transformations, all our karmic obstructions will melt away, and our afflictions and suffering will also be gone without a trace. All the myriad sufferings will vanish.

Bring forth the mind of transference and aspire toward bodhi, when we get to see the merit and virtue of the Buddha, we should wake up and go down the straight road. We should hold kind thoughts toward all living creatures— maintain an attitude of kindness and compassion for all living beings. We should always regard them all with impartiality and sympathy. Fully dwelling in universal worthy’s vows— we will all bring forth the resolve to emulate the great conduct and vows of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva and tread the Bodhisattva Path, and then— we’ll attain the self-mastery of the Dharma King. We all ought to attain great comfort and ease, just like the Buddha.

Sutra:

Disciples of the Buddha, when the Pure Youth Great Awesome Light spoke those verses, relying on the Buddhas’ spiritual might, the sound of his voice was unobstructed and could be heard absolutely everywhere throughout all worlds. Limitless living beings brought forth the Bodhi resolve.

Commentary:

Universal Worthy Bodhisattva again calls out with a single sound, “All of you disciples of the Buddha, when the Pure Youth Great Awesome Light, the Dharma Prince, spoke those verses, he was relying on all the Buddhas’ great, awesome spiritual might; the sound of his voice was unobstructed, and could be heard absolutely everywhere throughout all worlds, even reaching to lands as many as dust motes. Limitless living beings brought forth the Bodhi resolve. At that time, all those living beings who were able to hear those verses gave rise to a resolve for great enlightenment, the great Bodhi mind.

Sutra:

“Then the Prince Great Awesome Light, together with his father and mother and his entire retinue, as well as limitless hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of other living beings, circumambulated the Buddha in a continuous procession. Above the Buddha, jeweled clouds massed together, forming a canopy which extended throughout empty space. Together, the prince and his retinue gathered around the Buddha Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna.

“Then, that Buddha, for their sakes, spoke the Sutra of the Pure Adornment of the Substance-Nature of the Dharma Realm, together with Sutras as many as dust motes in seas of worlds as its retinue.

Commentary:

“Then, at that time, that Prince, Great Awesome Light, also known as Great Awesome Light Bodhisattva, together with his father and mother, his brothers and sisters and all those in his entire retinue, as well as limitless hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of other living beings, circumambulated the “Buddha in a continuous procession, from left to right, front to back, in a clockwise direction. Above the Buddha, jeweled clouds massed together, forming a canopy which extended throughout empty space. Different kinds of jeweled canopies and adornments were spread out in the shape of a canopy. Together, the prince and his retinue gathered around the Buddha good king adorned with eyes of prajna. That whole throng of people, en masse, bowed to that Buddha.

“Then, that Buddha, Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna, for their sakes, spoke an especially wonderful and meaningful sutra. It was called the sutra of the pure adornment of the substance-nature of the Dharma Realm, which is another name for the Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra. “Dharma Realm” is synonymous with “Great Means Expansive”, “Substance-nature” is synonymous with the “Buddha”, the “Purity” referred to is exactly that of the “Flower Adornment”, and the “Sutra” is the very sutra we are listening to now. The Buddha Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna—Thus Come One—specifically for the sake of Great Awesome Light, spoke the /great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra—he spoke for him The Sutra of the Pure Adornment of the Substance-nature of the Dharma Realm, together with sutras as many as dust motes in seas of worlds as its retinue.

Sutra:

“Upon hearing that Sutra, all in that great assembly accomplished the lucid wisdom known as ‘entry into all pure expedients’, they accomplished the ground known as ‘the light of leaving filth’; they accomplished the wheel of paramita known as ‘manifesting the adornments in which all worlds delight’; they accomplished the increasing and expanding wheel of practice known as ‘universally entering all Buddhalands with limitless light from pure views’;

they accomplished the motivating wheel of conduct known as ‘the bright curtain cloud of blessings and virtue from leaving filth’; they accomplished the wheel of certification from compliant entry known as ‘the vast, great light of the deepening inclination toward practice, known as ‘the adornment of great wisdom’; they accomplished the wisdom sea of anointing the crown known as effortless cultivation of ultimately wonderful views’; they accomplished the manifestation of vast brilliance known as ‘reflections on the sea of the merit’; they accomplished the power of pure wisdom from bringing forth vows known as ‘the treasury of faith and understanding from the strength of limitless vows.’

“Then, that Buddha, for the sake of Great Awesome Light Bodhisattva, further spoke verses, saying:

Commentary:

“Upon hearing that sutra, the Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra, all in that great assembly accomplished the lucid wisdom known as ‘entry into all pure expedients’; they accomplished the ground known as ‘the light of leaving filth.’ Each one of those in the great assembly accompanying Great Awesome Light accomplished positions among the Ten Grounds. “The Grounds” refers to the Ten Grounds among the Bodhisattvas’ stages of practice. There are ten individual grounds. The Ground of Leaving Filth is the second one. At this point, some in the assembly attained that ground.

This can also be interpreted as referring to how each of the Grounds brings attainment of the Light of Leaving Filth, because of their increasing levels of purity. Therefore, some in that assembly were also reaching others of the Grounds, all the way up to the Tenth Ground. The accomplishment of any of the Grounds can be known as ‘the light of leaving filth.’ Although it is called “leaving filth,” it means that one has already left it, and so one emits that kind of light.

“They accomplished the wheel of paramita, which is a Sanskrit word that is translated as “reaching the other shore,” that is, going from the shore of birth and death, crossing the torrent of afflictions, and ascending the other shore of Nirvana. That’s what is meant by turning the Wheel of Paramita, known as ‘manifesting the adornments in which all worlds delight’ – appearing in all worlds with a cheerful and kind disposition toward all living beings, and thereby adorning those worlds.’

“They accomplished the increasing and expanding wheel of practice. This refers to a kind of benefit from the Dharma—practice that progressively accelerates like a spiral, and it’s known as ‘universally entering all Buddhalands with limitless light from pure views.’ Universally they enter every dust mote in all Buddhalands. There are none that they do not enter.’

“They also accomplished the motivating wheel of conduct, the wheel of being inclined toward Bodhi conduct, known as ‘the bright curtain cloud of blessings and virtue from leaving filth.’; they accomplished the wheel of certification from compliant entry.’ Through compliance one enters and attains the wheel of having been certified to Wonderful Enlightenment. That wheel is “known as ‘the vast, great light of the seas of all Dharmas’; they also accomplished the ever-deepening inclination toward practice.’ Step-by-step one goes deeper into and more exhaustively increases and expands one’s Bodhi practices. This is known as ‘the adornment of great wisdom.’

“They also accomplished the wisdom sea of anointing the crown. This refers to the state of the Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment. Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattvas are like princes who will one day be anointed as Kings. They serve as the Dharma Princes; the Buddha is the Dharma King. Accomplishing the wisdom sea of Anointing the Crown refers to attaining the fruition of an Equal Enlightenment Bodhisattva. It is known as effortless cultivation of ultimately wonderful views.’ Effortless cultivation is cultivating without cultivating, which means one does what has to be done but is not attached to the doing of it. Effortless cultivation brings certification without certification. This does not mean one can certify oneself or that certification by a Bright-eyed Advisor is not necessary. Rather, it means that although the necessary certification is sought and given, there is no attachment to having been certified. This describes cultivation of the great, ultimate, effortless Way, from having attained the vision of wonderful wisdom.

“They also accomplished the manifestation of vast brilliance known as ‘reflections on the sea of the Thus Come Ones’ merit and virtue universally shimmering.’ They also accomplished the power of pure wisdom from bringing forth vows known as ‘the treasury of faith and understanding from the strength of limitless vows.’

“Then, that Buddha, Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna Thus Come One, for the sake of great Awesome Light Bodhisattva, further spoke verses, saying:

Sutra:

Good indeed, you ocean of wisdom, merit, and virtue!
Having brought forth the mind to tend toward great Bodhi,
You should like all Buddhas become inconceivable
A universal place of reliance for all beings.

You have already brought forth vast, sea-like wisdom;
Pervasively you comprehend every Dharma.
Marvelous skill-in-means you should use, to enter
The infinite state of the Buddhas’ conduct.

Having seen the cloud of all Buddhas’ merit and virtue
And ascended the ground of inexhaustible wisdom,
Having entered the sea of paramitas of expedients
you, O one of great renown, will perfect them.

Expedient doors of gathering in and upholding you’ve obtained,
As well as the doors of inexhaustible eloquence.
You have cultivated every kind of practice and vow.
Now you should accomplish incomparable, vast wisdom.

Commentary:

With those verses, the Good King Adorned with Eyes of Prajna Buddha gave the Dharma Prince Great Awesome Light a prediction. Once again, the Prince is being praised in verse, when the Buddha says, Good indeed, you ocean of wisdom. Great Awesome Light Bodhisattva, you’re really good! Your merit and virtue are complete and full, and your wisdom and blessings are also complete and full. From having brought forth the mind to tend toward great bodhi, you should like all Buddhas become inconceivable. In the near future you will directly attain Buddhahood and the inconceivable states of the Buddhas. And after you have accomplished Buddhahood, you will become a universal place of reliance for all living beings. They will rely on you and cultivate.

You have already brought forth vast, sea-like wisdom—as deep as the sea—and pervastively you can comprehend each and every dharma. You can deeply enter the Sutra Treasury and pervasively realize the True Mark of all dharmas. Marvelous skill-in-means you should use, to enter the infinite state of the Buddhas’ conduct. You will enter the Buddhas’ limitless and boundless states of cultivation and practices.’

Having seen the cloud of all Buddhas’ merit and virtue—you have already drawn near to and made offerings to all Buddhas. You have perceived the vastness of the cloud of all Buddhas’ merit and virtue and ascended the ground of inexhaustible wisdom, and having entered the sea of paramitas of expedients—skill-in-means—you, O one of great renown, will perfect them. You will have lived up to your reputation and will become a Buddha; as an eminent personage, you will attain the fruit position.’

Expedient doors of gathering in and upholding you’ve obtained. You abide in the Dharani-door of the many various expedients, as well as the doors of inexhaustible eloquence. You also obtained the wisdom of limitless, boundless, unobstructed eloquence. You have cultivated every kind of practice and vow, and so now you should accomplish incomparable, vast wisdom. You shall accomplish the wisdom of Unsurpassed, Proper, Equal, and Right Enlightenment.

Question by Disciple:

Last night and again tonight we heard about how Great Awesome Light Bodhisattva first brought forth the Bodhi resolve. The Venerable Master has often said that the time of the initial resolve is especially important. Now we have just heard about how Great Awesom Light receives a prediction. My question is, how and at what time does one bring forth the Bodhi resolve? Does this occur at some time during the course of one’s cultivation? Or is this something that happens just as a person first begins to cultivate?

Answer by the Venerable Master Hua:

The Bodhi resolve arises when, during the course of one’s cultivation, one is most single-minded. Buddhahood is accomplished while one is right here in the World, and it may occur any time throughout several hundreds of thousands of myriads of aeons. Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated for three great asamkhyeya kalpas. And how long is a single limitless length of time—that is how it is translated from the Sanskrit. That means Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated for three limitlessly vast expanses of time.

Therefore, in the Avatamsake Sutra we are told how at the time of first bringing forth the resolve, one accomplishes Proper and Equal Enlightenment. When one is singleminded to the utmost, the Bodhi resolve suddenly comes forth, and one attains Buddhahood. It can also happen in one’s mind during the course of one’s walking the Bodhi Path. In cultivating the Six perfections and the Myriad Practices, one is also bringing forth the Bodhi mind. When one is non-retreating to the point that one would never turn back, one is also bringing forth the Bodhi mind.

By being vigorous day and night, one is also bringing forth the Bodhi mind. For example, those who live at the Way-place here do Morning Recitation, work all day long, and then when evening comes, they forget about sleep—even after working so hard all day. That’s all part of bringing forth the Bodhi resolve. Therefore, you should all be attentive and don’t reject these aspects of bringing forth the Bodhi resolve—don’t neglect them. Use whatever skill you have in your cultivation, and consider the Bodhi resolve to be your personal responsibility and your responsibility toward others. In that way, you will be vigorous in your work. That is how one can be a superior and lofty person.

Sutra:

You have already brought forth an ocean of vows,
And have already entered the sea of samadhis.
You’ll perfect every kind of spiritual penetration,
As well as the inconceivable Dharmas of all Buddhas.

Encompassing the Dharma Realm—beyond imagining—
Your vast, expansive, profound mind has been made pure;
You are able to see all Buddhas throughout the ten directions.
Now separate from filth, you adorn the infinite seas of kshetras.

Commentary:

You have already brought forth an ocean of vows. Because you have continually brought forth all sorts of vows, in each and every world and in life after life these vows abound, until they have become an ocean of vows. And you have already entered the sea of all the various samadhis.

You’ll perfect each and every kind of the mighty, awesome spiritual penetrations, as well as the inconceivable dharma- doors of all Buddhas.

Encompassing the dharma realm—beyond imagining – your vast, expansive, profound Bodhi mind has been made pure, your wisdom is profound, and you are graced with purity. You are able to see all Buddhas throughout the ten directions, and now already spearae from filth, you adorn the infinite seas of kshetras. Your have reached that state where each and every one of all Buddhalands is free of filth and adorned.

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