..續本文上一頁 expiation, and our minds to repent sincerely and undertake not to repeat them. Once we have repented, we should put a complete stop to our ev il m ind and conduct, to the point where mind and objects are empty. Only then will there be true repentance… We should also vow to foster the Triple Jewel, rescue and liberate all sentient beings, atone for our past transgressions, and repay the “four great debts,” which are the debt to the Triple Jewel, the debt to our parents and teachers, the debt to our spiritual friends, and finally, the debt we owe to all sentient beings.

　　Through this repentant mind, our past transgressions will disappear, our virtues will increase with time, leading us to the stage of perfect merit and wisdom. Only when we practice with such a repentant m ind can we be said to have “developed the Bodhi Mind.”

　　Point 6: The Mind of no Retreat

　　Although a practitioner may have repented his past transgressions and vowed to cultivate, his habitual delusions and obstructions are not easy to eliminate, nor is the accumulation of merits and virtues through cultivation of the six paramitas and ten thousand conducts necessarily easy to achieve. Moreover, the path of perfect Enlightenment and Buddhahood is long and arduous, full of hardship and obstructions over the course of untold eons. It is not the work of one or two life spans. For example, the Elder Sariputra [one of the main disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni] had reached the sixth “abode” of Bodhisattvahood in one of his previous incarnations and had developed the Bodhi Mind practicing the Paramita of Charity. However, when an externalist (non-Buddhist) asked him for one of his eyes and then, instead of using it, spat on it and crushed it with his foot, even Sariputra became angry and retreated from the Mahayana mind.

　　We can see, therefore, that holding fast to our vows is not an easy thing! For this reason, if the practitioner wishes to keep his Bodhi Mind from retrogressing, he should be strong and firm in his vows. He should vow thus: “Although this body of mine may endure immense suffering and hardship, be beaten to death or even reduced to ashes, I sha l not, in consequence, commit wicked deeds or retrogress in

　　my cultivation. ” Practicing with such a non-retrogressing m ind is ca led “developing the Bodhi Mind. ”

　　***

　　The six cardinal points summarized above are sine qua non for those who aspire to develop the Bodhi Mind. Those who do not earnestly practice on this basis will never attain Buddhahood. There are only two roads before us: revolving in Birth and Death, or liberation. Although the way to liberation is full of difficulties and hardships, each step leads gradually to the place of light, freedom, peace and happiness. The way of Birth and Death, while temporarily leading to blessings in the celestial and human realms, ultimately ends in the three Ev il Paths, subjecting us to untold suffering, with no end in sight.

　　Therefore, fe low cultivators, you should develop a m ind of strong perseverance, marching forward toward the bright path of great Bodhi. The scene of ten thousand flowers vying to bloom in the sky of liberation will be there to greet you!

　　4) Teachings on the Bodhi Mind

　　The sutras have expounded at length on the Bodhi Mind, as exemplified in the fo lowing excerpts from the Avatamsaka Sutra:

　　In such people arises the [Bodhi Mind] – the mind of great compassion, for the salvation of all beings; the m ind of great kindness, for unity with all beings; the m ind of happiness, to stop the mass misery of all beings; the altruistic mind, to repulse all that is not good; the mind of mercy, to protect from all fears; the unobstructed mind, to get rid of all obstacles; the broad mind, to pervade all universes; the infinite mind, to pervade all spaces;…

《Notes - by Van Hien Study Group》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…