Bring Forth The Bodhi Mind
In the Shurangama Sutra, this mind is called the Supreme Mindfulness, the mind of the utmost right and perfect enlightenment or anuttarasamyaksambodhi. In short, the Bodhi Mind. Why do you have to bring forth the bohdi mind? Because if you don’t practice Bodhicitta, we will be tempted by many things on earth, and you will be bound by your own desire. All ordinary people because of the discrimination, upside down thought, our daily acitivities have been bound. Because the concept of conceptual thoughts, we are bound. We are bound by the things that we are seeing, hearing, or knowing.
When the Buddha told the Shurangama Sutra, the ghosts, demons and devils with their evil minds, they were bound in five places (2 hands, 2 legs and head), because of the mighty power of Shurangama. At that time, there was a Bodhisattva, that want to free the ghost from boundaries, used his power to appear in the hell palace and advised the ghosts to bring forth the Bodhi Mind. It would free them from these boundaries.
How to bring forth the Bodhi Mind? What type of mind is the Bodhi mind?
“Bring Forth the Bodhi Mind” is a general statement. If said meticulously, it includes ten things. The ten things that are spoken here are concrete signs of bodhicitta.
First: When facing sentient beings, start with compassion, with no harming mind
Compassionate mind is the first mind. Dharma takes compassion as the root, the means as the door. All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have great compassion. Without a compassionate minds, it will be hard to deal with sentient beings. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to cultivate one’s own compassionate mind. In compassion, it is vitally important for all sentient beings not having a harmful mind or not having an evil idea. If one wants to hurt another living being, then the genuine benefit to that being is destroyed, there is no longer a compassionate mind.
Second: for sentient beings, having great compassion, without urgent feelings to torment them
Do not oppress sentient beings. Don’t discriminate others, it will lead to negativity. Otherwise your compassion will no longer exists. Compassion means love and concern for others. “Love” means love and happiness, “Concern” means eliminating suffering. We should act like the Tathagata Buddhas, have mercy on all sentient beings. At all time, wherever you are, always helping the sentient beings free from their desire, be enlighten, end suffering, live a happy life! What are the suffering? Suffering in the three realms of reincarnation. Truly helping others to overcome sorrow, expand their wisdom, recite Buddha’s name for rebirth. That’s the real way to escape reincarnation in this lifetime!
Third: for the Dharma of the Buddha, live with no regret, and a mind to keep
For the Buddha’s Dharma, currently if you study the Pure Land method, the dharma consists of 5 sutras and 1 commentary. You must follow those practices and meditate. Despite encountering any accident, even loss of life, you should have no regrets. We still decided not to turn back, not to reform, and remain so steadily in our faith, to firmly keep this discipline. For helping others, show them that these practice are also recommended, encouraged, self-propelled. Teach others to live with the Dharma.
Four: for all dharma, arises mind of forbearance, not embracing attachment
The third mind in the above section is for your choice of practice, just as you practice in the Pure Land method, you believe in that method and the decision does not change. But for the classmates who are not in the same department, that is, those who do not follow the same discipline, not the same sect. You have to be respectful, not talking bad about their practices. Therefore, must “arises the mind of patience”. Arise is to arise to win. Forbearance is acknowledging, accepting, agreeing. Their discipline is also the supreme method, not embracing attachment. Don’t think that your practice is number one, their methods are number two. If you are vindictive, and think others are not equal to you, then you are “praising yourself, criticizing others”.
Five: is not to be greedy, respectful, keeping the mind pure
Living without greed is one of the greatest dharma that Buddha has taught us. As soon as we infested with greed, everything will be ruined immediately. Greed can bring infinite boundless errors. Live without greed. Because of that, a practitioner lives his life as simple as possible. A simple life without any attachment to this world, the mind of separation often arises. It is good for the free mind to flourish. If we live with greed and when Amitabha Buddha comes to pick you up, it will be hard for you to give up attachment. Here, the dharma teaches you to let go of the attachment. These attachment are very troublesome! Also do not take up on appraisal, respect for the attachment. Have to give up desire of gifts acceptance, although others are very reverent, very respectful. If you can get rid of greed, reverence, respect, and fidelity in keeping the mind pure, with happy thought” or the pleasure of peaceful, it is called “the happy dharma”.
Six: Praying to the Buddha, at all time, the mind will not forget
That is the point. The direction of your chanting meditation, at all time, every seconds is still the same. What is your goal? To become a Buddha. “Buddha” is the perfect enlightenment or anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Why do you study Buddhism? Because of that, to become a Buddha, nothing else. When you reach the first stage, that is the level of Arhatship. When you reach the second stage, that is the level of Bodhisattva. When you reach the final stage, that is the level of Buddha. That is your goal, our direction is straight ahead, no other wrong ways. To reincarnate in the Pure Land is also that reason. In this world, there are too many obstacle, it is hard to meditate, not easy to reach enlightenment. You should head to the Pure Land to change your mediation environment. That should be your goal.
Seven: for sentient beings, be respectful, have no inferior minds
What attitude do we use to treat others, to treat all beings? Not to discriminate, the mind must be pure and practice equality.
“Respect”: To all sentient being, pay respect, there is no “inferior mind” or look down others being. “Inferior mind” is contemptuous.
Respect is to respect what? Respect is a virtue. As you can see the ten vows of the Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, his first vow is to pay respect to all of the Buddha. Respect to the Buddha is to respect to all beings as a whole. All of the things on this earth are created thru harmonious conditions. All animal body and our own body are created by harmonious conditions. All living things, like tree are also grown because of the right harmonious condition, good soil, warm water. All material things, table, chair, sofa are created by that way. That is why, when we face others being, animals, face with situation, we pay respect and be respectful. That is the way of study Buddhism.
That mind is the Boddhi mind, the mind of enlightenment. To be enlighten, we must be respectful. If you can’t do that, then you are still upside down, unable to open your mind. The open mind must be respectful to others.
Eight: not attached to the argument, being determined in Bodhi Mind
“Argument” is the study of of Opinion, an worldly speech. Here, the dharma teach us not to “attach”, that doesn’t mean we cannot face and near these study, nor read those book. It means that we should not attached to these studies. If you attach to it, we will slowly develop the love for it. That’s troublesome. Don’t fascinated with it, use it only when needed. If the mind fascinates, takes up attachment, then it is called “bad grace”, and that lead to corruption. Dependent conditions are good because it depends on your merit.
“With the Bodhi mind”, Bodhi is enlightened, doesn’t attach to it! “First” is fascinated, greed at first sight is bad fascination . Do not be fascinated! Enlightenment is not delusion, that is “the mind of determination”.
Nine: planting healthy bases, pure mind without impurities
“Healthy bases” according to the worldly law consists of three things: no greed, no anger, no ignorance, that is called three good roots. All good laws in this earth comes from these there, so called “three good base”. The dharma beyond this world, we often call it the good root of the Bodhisattva. The good roots of a Bodhisattva include only one thing: Diligent effort. You must definitely remember the word “diligence”. Diligence is the most studiousness without interference. We learn the Buddha, practice Pure Land method, with the five sutra and one commentary book, we recite and remember. To benefit other, we share the dharma, that is called is diligent.
“pure mind without impurities” is not combining other methods in your daily meditation. That’s disorder, not diligent. That is why, diligent is the good foundation of a Bodhisattva, so it is certain for us to follow inorder to achieve. This shows entering deep into just one method of practice is very important, be good in just one method is diligent.
Ten: Like other Buddha, leave material things, be mindful
This last sentence is to reach the final stage of enlightenment. At this stage, you must free from attachment, even the image of the Buddha, then your mind is free and clear. When you are able to empty your mind, then you can acheive the free clear mind without disruption. If you cannot do that, and can only fulfill the above 9 minds, then you can only attain the single mind without disruption. In the Diamond sutra:
“All materials in this world are just the illusion”
All physical material things in the Pure Land are also just the illusion, so don’t attach to them.
“Material should be discharge, let alone the non-material things”
The word “discharge” means giving up the idea of attachment, giving up the attachment. Don’t say we have to give up all physical things, even the Bodhisattva Bodhisattva still wear the monk rope. To discharge is to say the mind doesn’t attach to the physical beauty of things, there is no attachment to the physical object.
=======
Now that you have understood the meaning of “Bodhi mind”, please bring forth the Bodhi mind, because Bodhi mind is the first step on your Bodhisattva path. In the Flower Adornment Sutra, the chapter Transcending the World, when the the youth Good Wealth went to see 53 Bodhisattvas, the first sentence he said was,
“Sagely One, I have already brought forth the resolve for anuttarasamyaksambodhi. I seek the Bodhisattva conduct. I heard that the Sagely One is skilled at providing instructions on the Way of all Bodhisattvas. I hope you will tell me how a Bodhisattva studies the Bodhisattva conduct and how he cultivates the Bodhisattva Way.”
That shows us, if you want to practice Bodhisattva way, the first task is to bring forth the Bodhi mind. For us, because of hundred thousand virtue means, we bring forth the Boddhi Mind. Bodhisattva conduct all possible places, because we want to see the Actuality of the dharma. With the Bodhisattva mind, we enters into all realms, for the pure realms of the Buddhas. Helping all of the Buddha, until eradicating the negativity of the air of all sentient beings, then our vows will be fulfilled. That is the method of not giving up bodhicitta, is also a not giving up conduct, in one of the Ten Bodhisattva Conducts.
