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A Brief Translation of the Vernacular Essay on Encouraging Bodhicitta

A Brief Translation of the Vernacular Essay on Encouraging Bodhicitta

Master An in Qing Province

Vernacular translation by Master Faxuan

Unworthy, foolish, ordinary monks and real sages, weeping blood, repenting, prostrating, and praying to the public, as well as the pure and trustworthy men and women in this world, only wish to be merciful and listen to my humble words. I have heard that: the key to entering Buddhism is to make aspirations; the most urgent task in practice is to make vows. If the vow is established, all living beings can be saved; if the bodhicitta is initiated, the Buddha way can be achieved. If you don’t develop a great bodhicitta and establish a firm vow, you will still be in reincarnation even after dusty kalpas; even if you do practice, it will always be futile!

Therefore, the “Avatamsaka Sutra” says: “Forgetting the mind of bodhicitta and cultivating all kinds of virtuous dharmas is called demon karma.” Even if this is true for a while, how much more so if you have never aroused your mind for bodhicitta? Therefore, I know that if you want to learn the Tathagata’s vehicle, you must first make the Bodhisattva’s great vow, and you cannot delay it. However, there are many differences in the power of making aspirations, and there are many appearances. If you don’t specify the statement in detail, how can you approach the practice? Today, it is simply for the public to say. There are eight appearances of mindfulness, so-called evil, righteous, true, false, big, small, partial, and round!

What are the names of evil, right, true, false, big, small, partial, and round? There are some practitioners in the world who do not explore their own minds when practicing, but know how to pursue external affairs, or to seek benefits and support, or to be famous and famous, or to desire happiness in this world, or to expect good retribution in the future. If it is motivated, it is called “evil”.

Neither pursuing profit, fame, nor greed for pleasure or rewards, but only for the sake of escape from life and death, and to achieve Bodhi, such a heart is called “righteousness”.

Seek the Buddha’s way upwards between thoughts, and transform all living beings downwards in the heart. Hearing that the Buddha’s way is far away, one does not feel timid; seeing the difficulty of living beings does not feel tired. It’s like climbing a mountain with ten thousand feet, and you must reach the top before stopping; it’s also like climbing a nine-story tower, you must reach the top of the tower before resting, such a heart, it is called “truth”.

Don’t repent if you have sins, don’t get rid of faults, be dirty inside but clean outside, be diligent at first but be lazy in the end. Although there are good intentions, they are mostly mixed with fame and fortune; although there are good deeds, they are also polluted by criminal karma.

The power of my vows will only be exhausted when the world of sentient beings is exhausted; the power of my vows will only be fulfilled when the path of Bodhi is accomplished. If this is the case, it is called “great”.

Observing the Three Realms and the Six Paths is like a prison, seeing the cycle of life and death as a hostile family, and only expecting to escape from life and death, and not wanting to enter the Three Realms of life and death to save others. Such a heart is called “small”.

If you see living beings outside of your own mind, and follow the Buddha way; wish to save all living beings, and wish to become Buddha way. The thoughts of all kinds of dharmas such as merits and achievements are not forgotten, and the knowledge and views of self and others are not lost. If this is the case, it is called “bias”.

If you can understand that your own nature is all living beings, you are willing to save yourself. The self-nature is the Buddha way, so you are willing to achieve it. I don’t see a law, there is nothing apart from my own mind. With a heart as vast as the sky, make the vows of the sky, perform the actions of the sky, and realize the fruit of the sky. There is also no such thing as emptiness. If it is motivated, it is called “circle”.

Knowing the difference between these eight kinds of aspirations, you will know how to examine your own mind; knowing how to examine and cut off your aspirations, you will know what should be eliminated and what should be grasped;

What is it called “inspection”? This is to say that we should think about the thoughts that come out of me. Among these eight kinds, are they evil or righteous? True or false? Is it big or small? Is it partial or circular?

What does it mean to get rid of grasping? The so-called removal of evil, removal of falsehood, removal of smallness, removal of bias. Take positive, take true, take big, take round. Such an aspiration is called the true bodhicitta!

This bodhicitta is the king of all virtuous dharmas, and there must be causes and conditions before it can be initiated. Now when it comes to the causes and conditions for generating bodhicitta, there are about ten kinds. What are the ten types? One, because of the great kindness of chanting Buddha. Both, remember the kindness of your parents. The third is to read the teacher’s kindness. Fourth, remember the favor of the benefactor. Fifth, remember the kindness of all beings. Sixth, think about life and death. Seventh, respect your own spirit. Eighth, repenting of karmic failures. Ninth, seeking to live in the Pure Land. The tenth is to make the Dharma live for a long time.

What is the cause and condition for chanting Buddha’s great kindness? Shakya Tathagata, the leader of my Saha religion, first aroused the mind of Bodhi. For the sake of all living beings, I practiced the path of Bodhi. After going through countless kalpas of sand in the Ganges River, I suffered all kinds of hardships and hardships. When I created karma, the Buddha was merciful and merciful, and taught me with various methods, but I was overwhelmed by ignorance and didn’t know how to believe, accept and uphold it. When I fell into hell, the Buddha felt sad again, and always wanted to take the suffering of hell on my behalf, but my karma was so heavy that I couldn’t be rescued. When I was born in the human realm, the Buddha used innumerable convenience and skill to make me plant good roots. The Buddha is like this, in the life after life of our six realms of reincarnation, he follows and chases me, without any momentary thought of giving up temporarily in his heart.

When the Buddha was born in this saha world, I was still immersed in the three evil ways; now I am fortunate enough to be reborn as a human being, and the Buddha has passed away. What is the sin of being born in the Dharma-ending world? Is He Fude able to join the ranks of monks and monks? What kind of karma is it that does not see the golden body of the World Honored One? How lucky to meet Buddha’s relic? If you think deeply about yourself, if you didn’t plant good roots in the past, how could you hear the Buddhadharma. If you have never heard of the Dharma, how can you know that you are always receiving the great kindness of the Buddha. The kindness and virtue of the Buddha cannot be compared even with the vastness of the mountains! If it is not for arousing a great bodhicitta, practicing the bodhisattva way, establishing the Buddhadharma, and saving sentient beings. Even if you smash yourself to pieces, how can you repay the Buddha’s great kindness? It is the first cause and condition for arousing bodhicitta!

What is the reason for remembering the kindness of parents? Mourning for my parents, who gave birth to me toil, conceived in October, and breastfed for three years. When I was a baby, I changed my dirty and damp clothes into clean clothes all day long. I swallow the bitter food by myself, chew the sweet food finely, and then spit it out to feed me. It was hard to grow up, and I was expected to inherit the style of the family, support and serve my parents, and worship my ancestors.

Now that we have become monks, we are called disciples of Shakya World Honored One in a pretentious manner, and we are ashamed to be called monks. They can neither provide delicious food for their parents, nor can they perform sacrifices and visit graves of ancestors in the past dynasties. Parents cannot support their food, drink and body when they are alive, and they cannot guide the gods of their parents when they die. Filial piety in the world is a great loss, and filial piety in the world has no real benefits. If the two paths of filial piety in the world and the world are lost, it is difficult to escape the felony of disobedience to filial piety.

If you think like this, you can only practice the Buddha way for hundreds of kalpas and thousands of lives. In the ten directions and three times, all living beings are saved. Not only the parents of the whole life, but the parents of the life after life can get relief. Not just one’s parents, but everyone’s parents can be exalted. It is the second cause and condition for arousing bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition for remembering the teacher’s kindness? Although my parents can give birth to me and raise me, if there are no teachers in the world, they will not be able to understand etiquette, righteousness and morality. If there is no teacher who is beyond the world, it is impossible to understand the Buddhadharma. If you don’t know etiquette and righteousness, you will be like a different kind of animal; if you don’t understand Buddhism, you will be different from ordinary people in the world. Now we have a rough understanding of etiquette and righteousness, a little understanding of Buddhism, the cassock can cover the body, and the precepts can stain the body and mind. All these great graces are obtained from the teacher.

If you pursue the Hinayana fruit position, you can only benefit yourself; today, for the Mahayana Dharma, I wish to benefit all people. Then the two kinds of teachers, the mundane and the supramundane, can all benefit greatly. It is the third cause and condition for arousing bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition for remembering the grace of the benefactor? The resources we rely on today are not owned by ourselves. The gruel and food for the second season, the clothes for the four seasons, the medicine for the disease, and the food and drink for the body, these are all from the strength of others, and used for my own benefit. The benefactor does his best to cultivate himself, but it is still difficult to make ends meet; I sit quietly and accept food, but I am still not satisfied. The benefactor toiled day and night in spinning and weaving, and his life was still difficult; I had more than enough good clothes, how could I know how to be thrifty and cherish them. The benefactor used the fluffy grass and bamboo fence as his door, and spent his whole life running around and disturbing; I had a vast house and a wide garden, and I roamed freely until the end of my life.

Is it safe to use the fatigue of the donor to provide for my comfort? Is it smooth to use other people’s money to saturate one’s own body? If it is not for the combination of compassion and wisdom, and the dual strictness of blessing and wisdom, so that the benevolent donors can be contaminated with the grace of Buddhism, and all living beings receive the gift of the Three Jewels, even if it is a grain of rice or an inch of silk, we will have our part in repaying the kindness in the future. It is difficult to escape the retribution of karma, which is the fourth cause and condition for generating bodhicitta!

What is the reason for thinking of the kindness of all beings? This means that I and all living beings have been each other’s parents and have virtuousness to each other since the beginningless great kalpa. Today, although we are in a coma after several lifetimes, and we don’t know each other, but judging from the principles of Buddhism, how can we fail to serve sentient beings. Today’s beasts with fur and horns, how do they know that they were not their children in the past? How would you know that the squirming and flying insects were not my father? I often see some people who left their parents when they were young, and when they grow up, they even forget their parents’ appearance. What’s more, it is the karma of the parents in the past life, and now it is difficult to recall the surname Zhang and Jiang in the previous life.

The parents of the past are now screaming in pain under the hell, drifting in the midst of hungry ghosts, who knows the pain and suffering? To whom should he complain about his hunger and weakness? Although I can’t see it with my own eyes, I can’t hear it, but he must always pray for salvation and relief. It’s not that the scriptures can’t state these things. Without an enlightened being like the Buddha, it’s impossible to say such teachings. How can a foolish person with evil views understand this matter. Therefore, the bodhisattva views the ants as the parents of the past lives and the future Buddhas. He wants to benefit them and thinks about how to repay their kindness. It is the fifth cause and condition for generating bodhicitta.

What is the cause and condition of thinking about life and death? This means that I and all living beings have been in the cycle of life and death since the beginningless great kalpa, and have not yet been liberated. Sometimes in the human world, sometimes in the sky, or in the world of Saha, or in other lands, there are thousands of ways to come and go, and exaltation and sinking are only in a moment. One moment for heaven, another moment for human beings, and another moment for hell, animals, and hungry ghosts.

The black gate of the underworld just leaves in the morning, and it returns at nightfall; the iron cave of hell leaves for a while, and then enters again soon. When climbing the knife mountain, the whole body has no intact skin; when climbing the sword tree, any square inch of flesh and blood will be cut. Hot iron pills cannot quench hunger, but one must swallow them and the liver and intestines will rot; melted molten copper cannot quench thirst, but one has to drink them and the bones and flesh will be ruined. The sharp saw of the underworld cuts it apart, and the severed limbs are severed and then reconnected; the clever wind of hell blows it, and even though it is dead, it will be resurrected and continue to suffer.

In the burning city, who can bear to hear the screams and howls; in the iron pan of the frying pan, but hear the screams of pain. When the freezing hell begins to freeze and freeze, the body will turn green like a green lotus flower with pistils; when it is frozen to the extreme, the flesh and blood will burst, and the whole body will turn red like a red lotus blossom. The events of death and resurrection overnight, life and death, are often experienced thousands of times in hell; the pain of a single day is unbearable, as if a hundred years have passed in the world. Frequently trouble the jailers to torture them tiredly, but who believes in the teachings of Laozi Yan Luo. Knowing the pain when being punished for a crime, even if you feel remorse in your heart, you can’t recover the past evil karma;

When whipping donkeys and horses to make them bleed, who knows the sorrow of our mother in the past life; when leading pigs and sheep to the slaughterhouse, how can we understand the pain of our father in the past life. Even if you eat the flesh of your own son, you can’t understand it, even if you are as wise as King Wen of Zhou. If you kill and eat your parents in the past without knowing each other, this is the case for ordinary people. The relatives and family members who were loving in the past are now hostile families and opposing each other; The former mother is now a married couple, and the old father-in-law is now a husband. If you observe it with the wisdom of fate, it is really shameful and disgraceful; if you look at it with the supernatural power of the divine eye, it is really ridiculous and pitiful.

It is really sad to live here for ten months in the feces of the large and small intestines. It’s a pity to be born upside down in a pus-filled birth canal. When you are young, you are ignorant and ignorant, and you can’t even distinguish the direction of east and west; when you grow up, with a little knowledge, greedy thoughts will arise. In a blink of an eye, aging and sickness will come to seek each other, and in an instant, impermanent death will come again. At the end of life, the wind and fire clashed, and the spiritual consciousness collapsed and scattered; the essence and blood of the body gradually dried up, and the skin and muscles gradually dried up from the outside. At the time of death, there is not a single pore that does not look like being pierced by a sharp needle, and wherever there is a hole, it is like being cut by a knife. When the tortoise is about to be cooked, it is relatively easy to shed its shell; but when the human mind wants to escape, it is more difficult to leave the body than to shed the shell.

The deluded minds of all beings have no permanent master, just like merchants running around everywhere; the reincarnation of all beings has no definite shape, just like changing houses. Turning the world into the number of dust spots, it is difficult to exhaustively count the physical bodies that have lived and died in the six realms; even the waves of the four great seas cannot count the tears that have been shed for countless kalpas to part with their loved ones. The dead bones accumulated from generation to generation are more than the high mountains; the endless corpses from many lifetimes are more than the vast land. If you had never listened to the Buddha’s French in the past, who would have seen or heard such things? If you haven’t read Buddhist scriptures, how do you know this kind of truth, and how have you ever realized it? Maybe still as greedy and obsessed as before! I’m afraid that in thousands of kalpas and thousands of lives, not only one step is wrong, but everything is wrong.

Human life is rare but easy to lose, and good times are easy to disappear but hard to get back. The road of life and death is boundless, the days of parting are long and long, and the evil retribution of the three paths has to be borne by oneself alone. This kind of grief is really beyond words, but who can replace it? Speaking of this place, can you not feel chilled?

Therefore, we should cut off the flow of life and death as soon as possible, leave the sea of ​​love and desire, and help others by ourselves, so as to reach the other shore of liberation together. The inconceivable and extraordinary meritorious deeds of countless kalpas lie in the effort of this life. It is the sixth cause and condition for arousing bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition of respecting one’s own spirit? This means that our present and present one mind, our true nature, are indistinguishable from the nature of Sakyamuni Tathagata. Yunhe, the World Honored One, has already achieved enlightenment since immeasurable kalpas; but we are in a coma, still living and dying as ordinary beings. And the Buddhas and World Honored Ones have infinite supernatural powers and wisdom, and their merits and virtues are solemn; while we have infinite karma and troubles, life and death entanglements. Mind and nature are equal, but enlightenment is vastly different. Are we not ashamed when we meditate quietly?

Our true nature is like a priceless jewel, buried in the mud, treated like rubble, and not cared for. Therefore, we should use immeasurable good methods to deal with our afflictions. Only when one is meritorious in cultivating virtue can one’s inherent virtue be manifested. It is like a precious pearl taken out of the mud and washed, hung on a broad banner, capable of penetrating into the pure light, reflecting and covering all things. Only in this way can it be said that we live up to the teachings of the Buddha and do not violate our own spirit. It is the seventh cause and condition for arousing bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition of repenting karma? It is said in the scriptures that committing a small crime of tujiluo will be like the four heavenly kings who live 500 years and fall into hell. Such a small crime can still get such a retribution; let alone other serious crimes, the retribution is really unspeakable! Today, in our daily life, we often violate the precepts in every action and behavior; between meals and drinking water, we frequently violate the rules of Shiluo. It can be said that the faults committed in one day are immeasurable; what’s more, the crimes committed in a lifetime, since the past kalpas, are even more indescribable!

Let’s take the Five Precepts as an example, nine out of ten people violated it, few of them confessed to it, and most of them kept it silent. The five precepts are called the upasaka precepts at home, and they cannot be fully accepted and upheld, let alone the precepts of novice monks, monks, and bodhisattvas! When asked about his name, he would say that I am a “bhikkhu”; when asked about the truth, he would not be considered an Upasaka! Wouldn’t that be ashamed? You should know that if you do not uphold the precepts of the Buddha, you are fine; if you uphold them, you cannot violate them; If it is not for self-compassion and compassion for others, self-sorrow and sorrow for others, body karma is as earnest as verbal karma, and tears are poured down, universally to all sentient beings, begging for condolences and repentance. Then even after thousands of lives and kalpas, it is difficult to escape the retribution of his sins. It is the eighth cause and condition for generating bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition for living in the Pure Land? This is to say that it is difficult to improve Taoism by cultivating in the land of Saha; but it is very easy for him to become a Buddha once he is reborn in the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Because it is easy in the other land, it is possible to achieve the ultimate Buddhahood in one lifetime; in this world, it is difficult, so it may not be achieved even after many kalpas. It is the sages and sages of the past, everyone is interested in the Land of Ultimate Bliss; thousands of scriptures and theories point to returning to the Western Pure Land everywhere. In the last days, there is no way for sentient beings to practice Buddhism beyond this Pure Land Dharma!

However, the scriptures say that if you have few virtuous roots, you will not be able to go to rebirth, and you can only achieve a lot of merit. If you want to have a lot of merit, there is nothing more to do than to hold the name; if you want to have more good roots, then there is no better way to initiate a broad Bodhicitta. Therefore, it is better to recite the holy name temporarily than to give alms for a hundred years; to develop a broad heart is better than to practice for a long time. Because reciting the Buddha’s name is originally a wish to become a Buddha, if the great bodhicitta is not aroused, then why is it necessary to recite the Buddha’s name? Bodhicitta is originally for practice, if you don’t go to the Western Pure Land, even though you have aspirations, you will easily lose them. Therefore, it is necessary to sow the seeds of bodhicitta, and to use the pure land of Buddha-resurrection as a plow for plowing, so that the path and fruit will naturally grow. Take the boat of Amitabha Buddha’s great vows and enter the sea of ​​rebirth in the pure land, then the western bliss is determined to be reborn. It is the ninth cause and condition for generating bodhicitta!

What is the cause and condition for the Dharma to live for a long time? This means that I, the World Honored One, Shakya, have practiced the path of Bodhi for the sake of all living beings since immeasurable kalpas. Difficult to do can be done, unbearable can be endured, because the ground is perfect and the fruit position is perfect, so it can achieve the Buddha way. Now that the World Honored One has become a Buddha and the cause and condition for saving sentient beings has been fulfilled, he enters Nirvana. Now the true dharma and the like dharma have all been extinct, and only the causes and conditions of the final dharma remain. Although there are scriptures, there are no people who can spread them, so everyone can’t distinguish between right and wrong, can’t tell right from wrong, competes with each other, and pursues fame and fortune. In the surging world, there are people who distinguish others from themselves and pursue fame and fortune. I don’t know who the Buddha is? What is the law? What is the name of the monk? It is unbearable to say that Buddhism has declined so far. Whenever I think about it, I burst into tears unconsciously!

As a disciple of the Buddha, I cannot repay the Buddha’s kindness. I will not benefit myself internally, nor benefit others externally. I will not benefit the society of the present age while I am alive, and will not benefit the people of future generations when I die. Although the sky is tall, it cannot cover me. Although the land is vast, it cannot bear me. Who is the most serious sinner but me? So the pain in his heart was unbearable, but there was nothing he could do. Immediately, he forgot his own humbleness, and suddenly felt big. Although it is impossible to restore the doom of the Dharma at this time, it is decided to try to protect the Dharma in the next life. That is why, together with all good friends, we went to the place where the World Honored One relics were made, sincerely repented, and established this dharma assembly. Initiate forty-eight great vows, wishing to save all living beings; vowing to be a Buddha with a deep heart for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. Starting from today, to the end of the future, after the body of this life, I vow to return to the world of Anyang. After ascending to the Ninth Grade Lotus Flower in the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, he will return to the Saha World, so that the Buddha’s sun will be brightened again, and the Dharma will be unfolded again; the sea of ​​monks can clarify this world, and the people will be educated in the Eastern Saha. The catastrophe of the eradication of Buddhism can be delayed even further, and the righteous Dharma can live in the world for a long time. This is my true painstaking effort. It is the tenth cause and condition for generating bodhicitta!

If the ten kinds of causes and conditions are fully understood, the eight dharmas that arouse the bodhicitta can all be understood. Today, everyone can obtain this human body, live in the land of Huaxia, the six roots are not missing, and the four elements of the body are healthy and light. I can also have confidence in the Dharma, and fortunately there are no demonic obstacles. What’s more, today we have left home, received full precepts, met the Daoist temple, heard the Dharma, looked at the Buddha’s relics, and learned to practice repentance. It is worth meeting good friends and having a special destiny. If you don’t make such a big heart today, when will you wait?

I only hope that the public, who will remember my ignorance and sincerity, and have pity on my painstaking efforts, can make this wish together and initiate this heart together. Those who have not made up their minds should make up their minds now, those who have made up their minds should let them grow, and those who have grown up should make their thoughts continue. Don’t be timid because you are afraid of difficulties, and don’t be frivolous because you think it is easy. Don’t want to be fast but not long, and don’t be brave because of slack. Don’t be timid and lethargic, and don’t expect to wait according to the rules. Don’t be afraid to make aspirations all the time because of your own stupidity, let alone despise yourself because you don’t have the distinction of becoming a Buddha because of your shallow roots.

For example, when planting a tree, after a long period of cultivation, the roots of the tree will become shallower and become deeper day by day. Another example is sharpening a knife. After a long period of sharpening, the blunt knife will naturally become sharp. How can a tree not be planted because its roots are shallow, and let itself dry up; a knife should be rendered useless by not grinding it because it is blunt. And if one suffers through practice, it is especially painful if one does not know how to slack off. Practice is to work hard for a short time, and to be free and happy for countless kalpas; to be slack is to be safe for one life, but to suffer for many kalpas and many lives. What’s more, if you use the Western Pure Land as your boat, why worry about turning back? And when Hua Kai sees that the Buddha regards lifelessness as endurance, there is no need to worry about hardships and difficulties. You should know that sinners in hell have aroused bodhicitta in the past kalpas; how can a Buddha who is a human being know how to make great vows in this life?

The coma since the beginningless kalpa, the past can no longer be remonstrated; now the awakening, the future can still be traced. It is certainly pitiful to be ignorant but not enlightened; it is especially regrettable if one knows but does not act. If one is afraid of the suffering of hell, diligence will naturally arise; if one can remember the speed of impermanence, one will not be able to slack off. In addition, we must take the Dharma as the spur and good friends as the guides, make troubles and never leave, and rely on the Dharma and good friends for life. If so, there is no need to worry about losing it!

Don’t say that a fleeting thought is trivial and unimportant, and don’t say that empty but intangible aspirations are of no benefit. If the mind is sincere, things will come true; if the aspiration is strong, the practice will be far-reaching. The void is not big, but the king of the heart is the biggest. The diamond is not strong, but the power of vows is the strongest. If the public can really not abandon my words, then Bodhi’s family members will marry from now on; the clan alliance of the lotus society will be good from now on. What I wish in my heart is to hope that everyone can be born in the Pure Land together, see Amitabha Buddha together, teach and transform all living beings together, and achieve the Supreme Enlightenment together. So how do we know that our future thirty-two signs and adornments of a hundred blessings don’t start from today’s bodhicitta and great vows? I would like to encourage the public together, if so, I will be lucky! As luck would have it!