In the later part of the Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims that in the world of the five evils, the five pains and the five burns, the highest virtue for Bodhisattvas is to refrain from following the crowd to do evil amid sufferings and pains. The scripture also says that “He abandoned his kingdom and throne, wealth, and women to practice the six paramitas and teach others to practice them as well. He taught and transformed innumerable sentient beings, setting them on the Way to the unsurpassed enlightenment. He manifested himself as elders, laypeople, people with a great family name, or dignitaries, as kings in the ksatriya caste or Wheel-Turning Kings, and as god-kings of the six desire heavens or even god-kings of Brahma heavens. He always reverently offered the four necessities, namely, food, clothing, bedding, and medicine, to all Buddhas. Such merit is beyond description and acclaim.”
Bhiksu Dharmakara shall not attain Buddhahood until he fulfils every vow and successfully forms the Pure Land of Bliss. Therefore, Bhiksu Dharmakara must constantly transmigrate in worlds in the ten directions for immeasurable kalpas as a Bodhisattva, in the process of which he has experienced the pain and joy, desires and habits, feeling of gains and losses, the fear of life and death, etc. of different beings. He has been elders, laypeople, people with a great family name, or dignitaries, as kings in the ksatriya caste or Wheel-Turning Kings, and as god-kings of the six desire heavens or even god-kings of Brahma heavens. He has endured all the hardships that sentient beings have endured, thus acquiring the power of endurance to tolerate any sufferings. He has enjoyed all the pleasures enjoyed by the devas. But neither hardships nor pleasures can let him abandon his original vow to form a world of ultimate bliss for all beings. He abandons his kingdom and throne, wealth, and women and he will not get lost in a life of pleasure, forgetting the vows he has made. He has been practicing Bodhisattva path for immeasurable kalpas, cultivating the six paramitas, namely, ksanti, (patience under insult) virya, (zeal and progress) dhyana, (meditation or contemplation) prajna (wisdom, or the power to discern reality or truth). He assisted Buddhas in teaching innumerable sentient beings according to Buddha’s views. He always reverently offers to all Buddhas. Having done many charitable and pious deeds, the scripture says, he breathes a fragrant and clean breath, like utpala flowers. The pores of his body emit sandalwood scent, which suffuse innumerable worlds. The scent comes from a person who is devoid of any baser emotions and evil thoughts and who often eulogizes Tathagata and willingly acquiesce in all meritorious deeds of sentient beings. Due to the power of his wish, for countless lives, his heart is filled with the well-being of infinite beings, so that his fragrance can spread everywhere and permeate infinite worlds. Manifested from his hands are inexhaustible treasures, clothing, food and drink, and adornments, such as splendid flowers, incense, and stately vessels with which to make offerings to Buddhas. His facial features are even and comely and his appearance superb. This is the result of the cultivation of charity, offerings and correct Samadhi for immeasurable kalpas based on the correct view of Anatman (egolessness). His supernatural powers have surpassed those of gods because they are not just brought about by Correct Samadhi, but also by his altruistic actions and complete merits.
Of course, when reading this passage, we’d better not overlook the correct views held by Bhiksu Dharmakara during his practice. The original text is: “He abided in the Three Samadhis: emptiness, no appearance, and no wish. With no act and no arising in his mind, he saw that dharmas are illusory.” All dharmas are illusory and animitta (formless, without sign) -these are common catchphrases from Zen Buddhism. We are so told that in practicing we should detach from all forms because we have been attached to forms. In the process of detachment, you are not to cast away your physical or mental spheres, or in your mind you conceive a state of emptiness and inaction, which leads to one-sided dogma of emptiness. The right view shall be upheld all the time that “all phenomena are in nature void, therefore, there is no form to be detached from.” At the same time, it is necessary to be on the alert for one’s thoughts and desires, to break away from one’s narrow and limited ideas, Bodhisattva must know to do something good even though it may be small and widely accumulate merits and virtues. This is, in reality, the process of a Bodhisattva’s detachment from form. When doing meritorious deeds, one should observe the non-reality of birth and extinction and all Dharmas are illusory, so the practitioner performs various deeds with no act and no wish arising in his mind.
Bhiksu Dharmakara has made 48 vows and if he is constantly concerned about his unfulfilled wishes, he will definitely experience anxiety and never be able to attain Buddha’s fruit and those great vows will become a heavy burden on him. Therefore, a Bodhisattva had better view his own great wishes as “no wish” according to the right view of “emptiness”, observing the non-reality of birth and extinction and the illusory nature of all phenomena. Without the right views and insight, all the good deeds are only good deeds, which can only be rewarded with good karma, into supplies for liberation that a Bodhisattva can be dependent on for the final attainment of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi and for the final formation of the Pure Land in Bhiksu Dharmakara’s case, providing sentient beings with limitless practical benefits. Without right views, Bhiksu Dharmakara would carry his 48 great vows as if carrying 48 great mountains on his shoulders.
When it comes to understanding “the void”, I remember when we were studying <The Diamond Sutra>, a fellow practitioner said that since everything was empty and formless and all conditioned dharmas were like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, then to do evil was also like dreams and bubbles as long as no traces of evil-doing linger in the heart. Guided by such a wrong view, he indulged in his desires and habits, doing whatever he pleased. As a result, the fruits of evil ripened. He asked me, “isn’t it everything like a dream, illusions, bubbles and shadows? Why bad consequences got me?” I answered, “truly, bitter fruit is also like a dream, illusions, bubbles and shadows. So is your feeling. You experience being hurt by others and suffer a lot. But you can also wipe out the trace of being hurt in your heart.” He said, “How can this be possible?” When he does harm to others, he sees “the emptiness” in his willful action, regarding everything as a dream and bubbles without materiality, leaving no trace in his heart. But when bad karma matures into bitter fruits he refuses to see everything as a dream because the pain is too intense to tolerate. It is impossible for him to wipe out the traces of being hurt in his heart. He is not able to use “non-self” to calm himself down, instead, it rankles in his heart so terribly that he seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. If a Bodhisattva learns the right view of “the void” in this way, he is not a true Bodhisattva. A true Bodhisattva must cultivate all good dharmas with no attachment. He has an insight into and takes good care of his own desires and habits, never given to indulgence in his own desires and habits. He abstains from harming himself as well as harming others. He will not condone his own, finding excuses for himself in the face of karmic retributions, instead, he will be accountable for what he has done.