Composed by the
Venerable Master Hua on January 31, 1987 at Gold Mountain
Monastery
We bow to the Buddha and recite the Buddha's name in order to be
reborn in the Land
of Ultimate Bliss.
Everyone knows that Amitabha Buddha is the host in the Western Land
of Ultimate Bliss. Guanyin Bodhisattva is the figure to the left of
Amitabha Buddha, and Great Strength Bodhisattva is the figure to
his right. They both help Amitabha Buddha to propagate the
Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation.
Today we are going to talk about
Great Strength Bodhisattva. Why is he called Great Strength
Bodhisattva? Because he has great strength. How great? When he
raises his hands or takes a step he shakes the entire three
thousand great thousand world system.
There are countless worlds in the
three thousand great thousand world system. A sun, a moon,
one Mount Sumeru, and one
set of four continents together make up one world system. A
thousand suns, a thousand moons, a thousand Mount Sumerus, and a
thousand sets of four continents together make up one "small"
thousand world system. A thousand small world systems make up a
"middle-sized" world system. A thousand middle-sized world systems
make up a "large" world system. Nowadays, sending a rocket to
another planet isn't anything extraordinary. Moving from this
planet to another planet is just a small step within the three
thousand great thousand world system. It's nothing much to talk
about.
Great Strength Bodhisattva moves his
hands and feet and shakes the entire three thousand great thousand
world system. Not only does he shake the earth, but he smashes and
shakes all the six desire heavens and the demon king's palace as
well. So this Bodhisattva can't walk or gesture casually. He can't
be like us and wave his arms or stamp his feet with joy. If he just
moved his hands and feet slightly, the entire three thousand great
thousand world system would vibrate. If this Bodhisattva danced
around a bit, the whole three thousand great thousand world system
would be destroyed. But because he has samadhi, he keeps unmoving
and is always in samadhi in the Land of
Ultimate Bliss.
This Bodhisattva belonged to the
retinue of Amitabha Buddha. He followed Amitabha Buddha in leaving
the home-life and in cultivating life after life. So when Amitabha
became a Buddha, he accompanied him to help him propagate the
Buddhadharma.
Because he vigorously cultivated the
Dharma-door of recitation, he could achieve the samadhi of reciting
the Buddha's name. Since he had perfected his cultivation of merit
and virtue, he received a prediction from the Buddha. The Buddha
predicted that in the future he would be named Skillfully Dwelling
Merit and Virtue Treasury King Thus Come One. His title will be
Skillfully Dwelling Merit and Virtue Treasury King Buddha. This
Bodhisattva's wisdom light shines everywhere. It can break through
the darkness and ignorance of all living beings.
Great Strength Bodhisattva
cultivated the Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation. The first method
of the Dharma door of Buddha-recitation is holding the name
Buddha-recitation. How does one practice it? Holding the Buddha's
name means reciting "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha..."
Great Strength Bodhisattva does not recite the Buddha's name only
after having accomplished Buddhahood in this life. Throughout
countless kalpas, in life after life, he has been cultivating the
Dharma- door of Buddha-recitation, and the Buddha-recitation
Samadhi. What does samadhi mean? Samadhi means proper
concentration, which comes from Buddha-recitation. After proper
reception, he obtained samadhi, and thus obtained the benefit that
he could recite to the point of being mindful without confusion. So
in the Buddha-recitation of holding the name, you need only recite
the words "Namo Amitabha Buddha."
We should think it over, what are
Great Strength Bodhisattva and Guanyin Bodhisattva doing? They are
mindful of the Buddha, and so are Manjushri Bodhisattva and
Universal Worthy Bodhisattva. Earth Store Bodhisattva is also
reciting the Buddha's name. All day long these four great
Bodhisattvas are mindful of the Buddha. Even as Bodhisattvas who
have already obtained the fruition, they are still mindful of the
Buddha, so how much the more should we ordinary people be so. We
should hold and recite the Buddha's name.
So we should not take this
Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation lightly. We shouldn't say, "Oh,
that's just for silly old people; me, I'm smart and educated, I
don't need to recite the Buddha's name." If you say you are wise,
are you wiser than Guanyin Bodhisattva, Great Strength Bodhisattva,
Manjushri Bodhisattva, Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, or Earth Store
Bodhisattva? Is your wisdom greater than the wisdom of these
Bodhisattvas? They are all reciting the Buddha's name. Is your
eloquence greater than that of Manjushri Bodhisattva, Universal
Bodhisattva, Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, Earth Store Bodhisattva, or
Great Strength Bodhisattva? Can you surpass them? Are your
spiritual penetrations greater than theirs? Don't think that the
scientists putting together a rocket and sending it off to space is
something very wonderful. This is happening because now everyone
can manufacture these things. We have now reached the level where
we have the knowledge and understanding to make this happen.
There's nothing special to it. But the wonderful functioning of the
spiritual penetrations of Guanyin Bodhisattva, Great Strength
Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Universal Worthy Bodhisattva,
and Earth Store Bodhisattva are way beyond our imagination and
conception, and they are all reciting the Buddha's name. So the
Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation is unsurpassed, it is the most
supreme one. It saves you energy, time, and money. You don't have
to spend anything, all you have to do is recite "Namo Amitabha
Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha...," and then you can become a
Buddha.
In the Dharma-ending Age, all the
Sutras will disappear and become extinct. Only the Amitabha Sutra
will still remain in this world for a hundred years, and it will
take across countless people. When the Amitabha Sutra is extinct,
only the six syllables of "Namo A-mi-to-fo" (Homage to Amitabha
Buddha) will be left in this world, and they will remain for one
hundred years. After a hundred years, there will be no Buddhadharma
in this world, and only the four syllables "A-mi-to-fo" (Amitabha
Buddha) will remain for another one hundred years. After this, the
Buddh-dharma will disappear completely, and at that time no one
will understand what the Buddhadharma is. Nobody will know anything
about it. So the Dharma-door of Buddha-recitation is the most
wonderful one. Because of this Great Strength Bodhisattva as well
as the other Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas all recite the Buddha's
name.
Holding the name Buddha-recitation
means holding and reciting the Buddha's name, which is very
convenient, very easy. It saves your money and your energy. It is
the most direct method.
The second method of recitation is
contemplating an image Buddha-recitation. You only need to
contemplate Amitabha Buddha's thirty-two marks and eighty minor
characteristics. Contemplate his golden-hued body and his adornment
with the special marks of a Buddha. Not to mention his other marks,
his white hair-mark light can shine around five Mount Sumerus, which
means his white light is as high as five Mount Sumerus.
Amitabha's eyes are as wide as the four great seas--can you imagine
that? His eyes are as large as four great seas, have you ever seen
that? And how big do you think his body is? It won't be easy to
describe. You could say his body is as huge as a gathering of
hundreds of thousands of millions of planets. If you can figure it
out by contemplating Amitabha Buddha's image, you will attain the
Buddha-recitation Samadhi.
If you wish to obtain the
Buddha-recitation Samadhi, first you should purify your three
karmas of body, mouth, and mind. You cannot recite the Buddha's
name and scold people at the same time; you cannot be mindful of
the Buddha and think about other things recklessly at the same
time, or have any evil thoughts. If your body is involved in
killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; if your mouth is involved
in loose speech, false speech, harsh speech, or double-tongued
speech; and your mind is filled with greed, hatred, and stupidity,
your three karmas are impure. Your three karmas being pure means
that your body is without the karma of killing, stealing, or sexual
misconduct; your mouth is free from the four evil karmas of loose
speech, false speech, harsh speech, and double-tongued speech; and
your mind has none of the three poisons of greed, hatred, and
stupidity. Then the three karmas of body, mouth, and mind are pure.
If you are able to purify your three karmas, reciting the Buddha's
name is like throwing a pearl into muddy water so that the muddy
water becomes clear. Recitation of the Buddha's name enters a
confused mind--originally you have a lot of false thoughts--but if
you can recite the Buddha's name in the middle of these false
thoughts, the false thoughts will gradually merge with the sound of
the Buddha-recitation and slowly they will become
Buddha-recitation. So there is a saying:
When the water-clearing pearl is tossed in muddy water,
The muddy water will certainly become clear.
When the Buddha's name enters a confused mind,
The confused mind will certainly become a Buddha.
Contemplating and thinking
Buddha-recitation. Contemplation means that you contemplate and
think about the Buddha, whether you are walking, standing, sitting,
or lying down. This method also consists of the contemplation of
the Buddha's wonderful and adorned marks. Contemplating an image
means that you face the Buddha's image and contemplate
it.
There is also real mark
Buddha-recitation. Real mark also means investigating Chan.
Investigating Chan, real mark, has no mark. Real mark has no mark
and yet it contains all marks. If you say there's nothing there, it
still contains everything; if you say there's something there,
there is nothing. When you reach this kind of a state, you will
naturally understand the principle of real mark. Real mark:
reciting and yet not reciting, not reciting and yet reciting. The
wind can't blow you about, the rain can't fall on you. When you
reach the state of real mark Buddha-recitation, you can't help
reciting. If you want to recite, you won't be aware of it; if you
don't want to recite, you won't be aware of it, either. In this
kind of samadhi, one can practice Buddha-recitation in samadhi. If
you can attain this level, you will definitely be reborn in the
Land of Ultimate Bliss and will see the Buddha when your lotus
flower opens.
People in the Saha world are born
from wombs; people in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are born
transformationally. People who wish to learn from the Buddha should
spend time studying the Buddhadharma. Don't settle for partial
understanding or be unwilling to learn when you realize you don't
understand something. Don't think that since you can't understand
something thoroughly, you won't even try to understand. Don't have
an attitude of setting up a restricted area for yourself, of not
wanting to go forward. That is simply destroying your future. We
must reach the ultimate point of:
Passing beyond the mountains and
rivers,
there seems to be no road ahead;
Beyond the bright flowers and dark willows
lies another village.
If you can recite to the point of
reciting and yet not reciting, not reciting and yet reciting, you
unite with the Buddha-recitation. Being unconfused, you will
certainly be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and see the
Buddha when your lotus flower opens.
We are now discussing Great Strength Bodhisattva. How can he have
such great strength? Because he has a straight mind. He had
straight mind when he started to cultivate. "The straight mind is
the Way-place." Because he had a straight mind, he could influence
other people to recite the Buddha's name. Helping others to recite
enabled him to become the Dharma protector of Amitabha Buddha.
Being a Dharma protector means helping and protecting one's
teacher's vow power to be accomplished. So Great Strength
Bodhisattva still recites the Buddha's name. He recites and you
also recite, and so his and your Buddha-recitation become one, two
and yet not two. You recite and he recites, both of you recite, so
there is a response with the Way.
When your skill fully ripens, Great
Strength Bodhisattva will welcome you and take you to the Land of
Ultimate Bliss as you wish. Why does he want to take you there?
Because of his great vow power. He wants to protect his master,
since his master has vowed, "After I have accomplished Buddhahood,
if anyone who recites my name were to fail to become a Buddha, I
won't become a Buddha in the first place." So he protects his
master's vow power. If anyone recites the Buddha's name, Great
Strength Bodhisattva has made the vow that he will take that person
to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Applying both self-power and
other-power in this way, one can then attain to the Land of
Ultimate Bliss.
A verse in praise says:
He is as straight as an arrow, his wisdom is god-like;
With vast and great strength he enters the door of
nonobstruction.
Shaking the three thousand world system he subdues
the demon kings;
Living beings take refuge with him and certify to the
wonderful Dharma body.
He is as straight as an arrow: His
mind is straightforward. The straight mind is the Way-place. His
wisdom is god-like: His wisdom is as inconceivable as that of a
god. Vast and great strength: His strength is much greater than
that of any other Bodhisattva. He enters the door of
nonobstruction: He attains the Dharma door of perfect
nonobstruction. Shaking the three thousand worlds system: He shakes
the three thousand great thousand worlds. He subdues the demon
kings: He subdues all demon kings. Living being take refuge with
him: All living beings take refuge with him. And certify to the
wonderful Dharma body: All beings can become Buddhas.
Another verse says:
Amitabha Buddha's light is limitless;
Great Strength Bodhisattva protects this Dharma king.
He guides living beings to return to the Pure Land,
Universally gathering all sentient beings into the Lotus
Land.
The nine grades of lotuses appear in the pools of seven
jewels;
The myriad conducts are perfected in the water of eight
virtues.
Cultivators with faith and vows uphold and recite the name,
And board the boat of wonderful enlightenment
together.
Amitabha Buddha's light is
limitless: Amitabha is a Sanskrit word which means limitless light.
Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless Light is also named Amitayus, the
Buddha of Limitless Life. Great Strength Bodhisattva protects this
Dharma king: Great Strength Bodhisattva has vowed to protect and
uphold the Dharma of Amitabha Buddha, the Dharma king.
He guides living beings to return to the Pure Land: He gathers in
living beings to get them to return to the Pure Land: He has vowed
to gather in all living beings to the Land of Ultimate
Bliss. Universally gathering in all sentient
beings into the Lotus Land: He universally gathers in all creatures
to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
The nine grades of lotuses appear in
the pools of seven jewels: There are nine grades of lotus flowers.
1. superior superior 2. superior middle 3. superior inferior 4.
middle superior 5. middle middle 6. middle inferior 7. inferior
superior 8. inferior middle 9. inferior inferior. Each of the nine
grades also has nine ranks, making eighty-one in all. So the
lotuses appear in the seven-jeweled pool.
The myriad practices are perfected
in the water of eight virtues: The water of eight meritorious
virtues fills the pools. The eight meritorious virtues of this
water are such that the water is 1. pure 2. tepid 3. sweet 4. soft
5. moistening 6. harmonizing 7. banishing hunger and thirst, and 8.
nourishing all roots, and so perfects the myriad practices.
Cultivators with faith and vows uphold and recite the name:
Cultivators of the present day only need to hold and recite the
Buddha's name.
And board the boat of wonderful
enlightenment together: At this time, all of us gather together to
get on Amitabha Buddha's boat of unsurpassed, wonderful
enlightenment. What is the boat of wonderful enlightenment? The
Dharma door of Buddha-recitation. If you can recite the Buddha's
name, in the future you will definitely become a Buddha--this is
the boat of wonderful enlightenment.