The Great Vows in Verse
The Buddha told Ananda, “After the bhiksu Dharmakara finished declaring his vows, he spoke in verse: Making vows to transcend the world, I will definitely attain the unsurpassed bodhi. If my vows are not fulfilled, I swear not to attain samyak-sambodhi. If I am not a great almsgiver who, For innumerable kalpas, universally relieves all those in poverty and suffering, I vow not to attain samyak-sambodhi. After I attain Buddha bodhi, My renown will spread [to worlds] in the ten directions. If there are those who never hear my name, I vow not to attain samyak-sambodhi. Leaving behind desires and keeping the right mindfulness, I will train in the Brahma way of life with pure wisdom. Resolved to attain the unsurpassed bodhi, I will become the teacher to gods and humans. I will display vast radiance with my spiritual power, Universally illuminating innumerable lands, To dispel the darkness of the three afflictions And rescue those in tribulations. I will open their wisdom-eye And dispel the darkness of their blindness. I will close the evil life-paths And open the door to the good life-paths. When my meritorious work is completed, My awesome radiance will shine in the ten directions. The double luminosity of the sun and the moon will be eclipsed And the light of the skies will be withdrawn. I open the Dharma store to the multitudes And lavish upon them the treasure of merits. In the midst of the multitudes, I expound the Dharma with the lion’s roar. I make offerings to all Buddhas, Fully developing my roots of virtue. I wish to unfold my wisdom in full, To become the hero in the Three Realms, Like the Buddha, whose immeasurable wisdom Penetrates everything everywhere. I wish that the power of my merit May equal that of the Supreme Honored One. If my vows are to bear fruit, The Thousandfold World will be moved, And gods in the open sky Will shower splendid flowers.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “As soon as the bhiksu spoke these stanzas, the earth quaked in six different ways, and the sky rained wonderful flowers down upon him. Music sprang up in the sky, praising, ‘He will definitely attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.’ Then the bhiksu Dharmakara completely fulfilled these great vows. Truly he transcended the world, for he deeply delighted in nirvana.”
Let me first translate this part of the scripture into vernacular Chinese. The Buddha told Ananda that at that time, after reciting his great vows one by one in front of the public, bhiksu Dharmakara summarized them in verse: I make vows to form a sublime Pure Land that transcends all worlds and I will definitely attain the unsurpassed bodhi. If my vows are not fulfilled, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood and I swear not to enjoy great nirvana alone. For innumerable kalpas, if I am not a great almsgiver who, universally relieves all those in poverty and suffering, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood. After I attain Buddhahood, the renown of my world will spread to worlds in the ten directions. If there is only one world that never hears the name of my world, I would not think that I have completed Buddhahood. In time to come, leaving behind desires and bad habits, I will keep the right mindfulness to deeply reflect on my every thought and action. Resolved to attain the unsurpassed bodhi, I will train in the Brahma way of life to purify the six roots and become the teacher to gods and humans. All beings wishing to put an end to reincarnations may take refuge in me. I will display vast radiance with my spiritual power, universally illuminating innumerable lands, to dispel the darkness of the three woeful Paths of afflictions and rescue those in tribulations. I will open the wisdom-eye of sentient beings and driving away the darkness of their blindness after removing their confusion and desperation. I will close the evil life-paths and open the door to the good things and good fruit. When my meritorious work is completed and every vow fulfilled, my awesome radiance will shine in the ten directions, not inferior to the double luminosity of the sun and the moon and the light of the skies will be withdrawn. I open the store of the original nature to the multitudes and equally lavish upon them the treasure of my merits. In the midst of the multitudes, I expound the Dharma of all things in their real aspect with the lion-voice of Buddhas. I will make offerings to all Buddhas in the ten directions of the past, present and future, fully developing my roots of virtue. I wish to perfect my wisdom and fulfil all my vows to become the hero in the Three Realms. I wish that, like Buddhas, whose immeasurable wisdom penetrate everything and whose light illuminates everywhere, the power of my merits may equal that of the World Sovereign King Buddha. If my vows are to bear fruit and my words are true and not false, a great chiliocosm will be moved, and gods in the open sky who hear my vows made in all sincerity will shower splendid flowers.
The Buddha told Ananda that at that time as soon as the bhiksu Dharmakara spoke these stanzas, the earth quaked in six different ways, and a shower of flowers descend on the hosts of gods. Music sprang up in the sky, and there is a voice of admiration, “Thou wilt be a Buddha in the world.” So, from that time on, as he said, the Bhiksu Dharmakara utterly devotes himself to practicing the Bodhisattva’s path without complaint or regret, fulfilling every great wish he has made. To avoid all these to be mere talk, he works for the maturity of causes and conditions for each of his vows. Devoid of worldly pleasures, he has quieted passions. Truly he transcends the world, and deeply delights in tranquil extinction, until he fulfills all his great wishes and achieves the Buddha’s fruit.
The verse above is an aphoristic conclusion of Bhiksu Dharmakara’s 48 great vows. Lines are simple and you can know them right off. There is no need for further explanation sentence by sentence. In short, Bhiksu Dharmakara expresses verbally that he will surely fulfill every great vow and form the Pure Land that can bring endless benefits to sentient beings in the ten directions. And he hopes that dragons and devas as the guardians of Dharma, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas present, if they hear his sincere words and the great vows he has made, will be moved, and the sky rains wonderful flowers down on him. Here, Bhiksu Dharmakara hopes that dragons and devas as the guardians of Dharma, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas present will be moved and sing high praise for him, in the expectation that they bear witness to his vows made that day, and in the future, they can supervise and urge him not to give up his vows in the face of obstacles and hardships.
We often post text and videos online now, hoping to get likes and attention from others. But what exactly do we post? Will it be a sensational rumor that catches people’s attention, or hearsay gossip, or a video that evokes evil thoughts and leads people astray? Will you engage in cyber violence against things you don’t even know or people you are not familiar with? Be fully aware of our thoughts and actions when posting videos and threads online, and see if we are performing good deeds and cultivating merits and virtues, or accumulating evil karma. It is necessary for us to reflect upon what we really crave for when we pay attention to the numbers of likes and follows from others. When we like and follow something or someone, what we do on line is to click the mouse and give them a small red heart. Now let’s take a look at how dragons and devas as the guardians of Dharma show their “likes and follows” on a grand scale. As soon as Bhiksu Dharmakara spoke these stanzas, the earth quaked in six different ways: clacking, roaring, thundering, shaking, rising, upsurging; and the sky rained wonderful flowers down upon the assembly. Music sprang up in the sky, applauding, “He will definitely attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.” This exclamation is the prophecy of Buddhas bestowed on Bhiksu Dharmakara, as well as the affirmation and protection of dragons and devas as the guardians of Dharma. In the three-dimensional space and time of humanity, such a grandeur scene of showing “likes and follows” is hard to see. But once a person verily makes a vow for the benefits of all living beings and for the world and he/she is motivated by such a clear goal and a firm will to accomplish it, the person definitely will strike a responsive chord in the hearts of all sentient beings, no matter how vulnerable or insignificant his/her life as a human being is. His/her heart will be filled with a shower of flowers. We are currently listening to <Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of Amitayus Buddha>, shall we also in silence send our little red hearts to Bhiksu Dharmakara to show our delight, admiration, and attention to the Hero?
However, in our world, making a vow is easy, but precious and rare are Bodhisattvas who can maintain a sustained motivation and non-stop zeal in fulfilling the vow. I once heard of a person who made some money from doing business and wanted to do something practical for the people in his hometown, so he gave a house to each family in the village. Instead of showing gratitude towards him, they complained that since the boss had earned so much money, he had no reason to give the houses so small, or that the decoration was not what they wanted. I don’t know what the boss thinks in his heart. I believe all sorts of feelings well up in those people ‘s mind who are willing to give and to do good deeds for others when they hear about this incident and they may even not want to do good deeds anymore. Scamming incidents reported in the news are typical examples of taking advantage of other people’s kindness to do evil. Perhaps the scammers lead a poverty-stricken life or they are in need of money to tide over. So, people often express their laments, “A wretched person must have hateful aspects; a detestable person must have bitter past. We feel sad for their misfortune; yet angry for their submission to human weaknesses.” For whatever reason the evil cheat the kind and commit various bad deeds, these behaviors of cruelty, avarice, deception often make Bodhisattvas who newly initiate altruistic intentions lose the motivation and enthusiasm, and even become tired of doing good deeds, feeling that sentient beings are not worth their dedicated efforts. If Bodhisattvas on the Path are disappointed with sentient beings and this world, they are actually frustrated by the desires and habits of sentient beings as well as their own. How can Bodhisattvas be protected from being hurt by desires and habits of sentient beings while doing good deeds and how can they stay motivated and keep enthusiasm?
When Bodhisattvas engage in altruistic actions, they should adhere to “The Three Voids” mentioned by the Buddha in <The Diamond Sutra>: the void of self, the void of good deeds, and the void of the beneficiary. Don’t expect anything in return from sentient beings—be it repayment, understanding, gratefulness or even saying a thank-you. And you shall understand sentient beings’ habits and desires, for example, if you want to protect wild animals, such as tigers, you’d better know first that though it is familiar with you, it will give full play to its tiger’s disposition one day to eat people if they are truly hungry. If you are eaten up by a tiger, you will not be disappointed with the tiger, because you will think it is most careless of you for you do not protect yourself well. Likewise, other animal protectors will not regard tigers as enemies, thinking that tigers and this world are irredeemable. The same applies to people. We do not bother to take offence at tigers, but we may not be so tolerant of humans. It’s because we have expectations and requirements for people and for our peers. We hope he can be as kind and selfless as us, knowing what gratitude, sympathy and understanding is. That is the reason why when we benefit our fellow beings, if we are not acknowledged, or paid the respect that we deserve, we will feel lost, depressed, and even lose the altruistic passion on the Bodhisattvas’ Path.
Secondly, when Bodhisattvas engage in altruistic activities, they must first cut off evil and cultivate goodness. To start with, they must remove their own desires and bad habits, ignorance, and uphold shilas, such as refrain from taking life, stealing, adultery and telling lies in order to attain correct Samadhi. With correct Samadhi one can stop instinctual discrimination and the feeling of being hurt. Otherwise, even if you do not anticipate any returns, sentient beings have requirements and expectation of you. If you do not have Shamatha and Samadhibala, you will be dragged into a state of exhaustion by the people and things you care about. Originally Bodhisattvas want to save sentient beings, but they are eventually drawn into the hell—this is the situation Bodhisattvas have to guard against.
There was once a female senior fellow practitioner who immediately after having made the first bucket of gold of her life bought her single mom a luxuriously decorated house. After a few days of happiness, her mother got upset because the house was too big and cleaning the house became a tiresome job. Her mom had mysophobia, absolutely intolerant of the house being unsanitary, so she got a cleaner paid by the hour to clean the house regularly. But after some time, her mother became unhappy again. The house was big and she felt extremely lonely, so she spent time in looking forward to her daughter’s coming back home every day, hoping she can make phone calls every day. Originally, she worked in another city, but later on she decided to quit her job and went home to accompany her mother. Accompanied by the daughter, the mother’s mood took a turn for the better, but she began to fall ill every now and then. So, she took her mother to see famous doctors all the time. She felt very tired and complained to me, “Why is it so difficult to be a filial daughter and to repay for the love and care given her since her childhood? My mother is now clinging to me like a child, and her temperament becomes extremely eccentric, picky, stingy, nagging, and often afraid of death.” upset and restless. What should I do in such a dilemma? Witnessing her mother’s various desires and habits, she can’t help but argue with her mother sometimes and easily got angry over trivial things. This goes against her original intention of going home to accompany her mother and giving happiness to her mom. She said, “I want to find a nanny to accompany my mother, but I often hear about the cases of nannies’ ill-treatment of the elderly. The idea of handing over my mom to a nanny makes me feel ill at ease, and besides, my mother is unwilling to hire a nanny. My mother’s life was not easy, and I don’t regret giving up my career and entertainment to come back and accompany her. I hope she will have a blessed senectitude, and I have done everything I can to make my mother happy. However, my mother is held up by worries and afflictions. Every day she opens her eyes and begin to fuss about nothing, never satisfied with her life. I am now exhausted both physically and mentally having little sleep and severe hair loss. If this continues, I should also collapse. When I leave my mother I get really concerned about my mother, and when I stay with my mother I get upset and restless. What should I do in such a dilemma?”
I tell her that the origin of human worries lies in habits and desires, ignorance and lack of wisdom. The happiness acquired by relying on external conditions is always changing, and will not last long. I suggest that she teach her mother to recite the name of Amitabha Buddha. If her mother has something to depend and rest upon, and to pursue, she will not rely more and more on her daughter. When there is a ray of hope, there will be light in her heart; otherwise, as she gets older and older, coupled with a lot of medical problems, she suffers a sense of dread and powerlessness. Even if you quit your job, accompanying her all day long, you will not be able to make her happy with your filial piety. What you shall do is to abide in the Bodhisattva path and persist in practicing to gain Samadhibala to some extent. If you are in a situation that every bit of your mother’s bitterness and joy affects you because you care about her, it means that on the Path of Bodhi, you are constantly distracted by the external conditions and if this continues, you will definitely collapse one day. Similarly, even if you do not anticipate any returns when you render help to others, due to the fact that you are still affected by the power of bad habits of these sentient beings, you will be dragged into the abyss of afflictions by the people and things you care about. So, I would highlight the importance again that even if Bodhisattvas do not ask for returns for their devoted efforts, in order not to be beaten by the desires and habits of sentient beings, it is necessary for Bodhisattvas to constantly cultivate their Samadhibala.
Thirdly, <The Diamond Sutra> states that to cultivate all good dharmas with no attachment to all phenomena is to attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. In <Buddha Pronounces the Sutra of Amitayus Buddha>, it is also stated that Buddhas despite their vows to save sentient beings often abide in a state of Samadhi of the void, formlessness and inactivity. However, in the face of sentient beings’ extreme bad habits and desires, Bodhisattvas before their attainment of Buddhahood will get hurt just by defining what is good vs. evil, or righteousness vs. wickedness. Bodhisattvas will undergo countless trials in the long and arduous process of fulfilling their original vows and cultivating all good dharmas. They follow the repeated pattern of “fail and start all over again” and never give up their original great vows and never stop doing good deeds until they fulfil their vows and attain the perfect Buddha’s fruit. For innumerable kalpas they persistently practice the Bodhisattva path.
For example, when Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was practicing the Bodhisattva path on the causal ground, there was a person saying that his mother was seriously ill and needed the Bodhisattva’s one eye to save her life. Since the Bodhisattva had made the great vow of “Being Responsive to Every Request”, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva gave him one of her eyes. But the person complained that he asked for the left eye, but the Bodhisattva gave the right eye to him, saying how could a Bodhisattva make such a low-level mistake? Then he threw that eye onto the ground and crushed it with his foot. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s heart instantly broke into millions of pieces due to disappointment and sadness towards sentient beings, and she had to start from scratch the cultivation. Later, she regenerated One Thousand Hands and One Thousand Eyes, hoping to use them to observe the needs of sentient beings and help them. Of course, this was an extreme case. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva already had attained a very high level of cultivation when giving the eye and the wound did not hurt or bleed. But just consider how precious the eyes can be to a living being. When you give your most precious things to others, will you feel sad and disappointed with the person who repays you with complaints and holds your most precious things so cheap? In truth, now, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in our world bestow Dharma teachings containing wisdom attained through kalpas of practicing the Bodhisattva path and experiencing all the hardships. They do not hesitate to preach Dharma to the sentient beings in worlds in the ten directions who are still in reincarnations. However, many sentient beings, due to their ignorance, leave these teachings in the basket, like the one who treats the eye of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. A Great Bodhisattva like Avalokitesvara who has attained both high-level cultivation and insight is ultimately frustrated by the selfish, merciless sentient beings that know no bottom line. Due to a trace of sadness arising in the heart of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara when she is about to fulfil her great vow, she has to start from the beginning again. So, it is common for a Bodhisattva to fail in the face of the habits and desires of sentient beings when practicing the Bodhisattva path of the six paramitas and all actions of salvation. In spite of repeated failures, Bodhisattvas persevere in the practicing of the Bodhisattva path for innumerable kalpas until they fulfil their original vows and perfect Buddha’s fruit.
Now, let’s continue to look at the Sutra and see how Bhiksu Dharmakara went through tribulations as he practiced the Bodhisattva path for innumerable kalpas to fulfil each of his great vows and form the West Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.