6th Condition to Arise Bodhi Mind
Being Mindful of the Suffering of Life and Death
Master Xing’an (1686–1734), the 11th Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land School, has composed “An Inspiration to Give Rise to the Bodhi Mind” when he experienced sudden enlightenment and generated the great vows of enlightenment for all sentient beings.
Master Xing’an emphasized the importance of generating the true Bodhi mind and making a vow in cultivation, urging that our goal is to be reborn in the Western Pure Land and then we will return to this world to liberate other sentient beings.
An Inspiration to Give Rise to the Bodhi Mind
Sixth Criterion: Being mindful of the suffering of life and death
Why should we be mindful of the suffering of life and death?
For endless kalpas, we and all sentient beings have been trapped in the cycle of birth and death and have not been liberated. We have been born in heaven and on earth, here and there, ten thousand times, ascending and falling in an instant. One moment we are in heaven; the next, we are back on earth.
Then follows a fall to hell, as an animal or a hungry ghost. We leave the gate of darkness at dawn and return at dusk. The moment we are released from an iron jail, we return immediately.
As we climb up a mountain of knives, no skin is left unscarred; as we climb up a tree of swords, our flesh is shredded to pieces. Hot iron can relieve no hunger; swallowing it burns the stomach, liver and intestines. Boiling copper can quench no thirst; drinking it chars the flesh and bone. We may be sawed in half, but the body comes back together again.
When the wind blows, one is resurrected. In the midst of the fierce fire in hell, who could tolerate the moans of pain? In the hot frying pan, all one hears is the cry of suffering.
In the freezing hell, the skin turns blue like a lotus bud while the flesh cracks open, exposing wounds like a red lotus blossom. In one night, those in hell experience death and birth ten thousand times.
In one morning, they experience the pain and suffering of one hundred years in the human world. Are we not overburdening the jailers? Who would believe the King of Hell’s admonishment?
When we suffer, we know that is suffering, but no regret can help. Once out of the trap, we are doing the same as before. Whipping the donkey, who can know the sorrow of our mother? Slaughtering a swine, who can tell the pain of a father? Even a nobleman, such as King Wen of Zhou, did not know he was eating his own son’s flesh. All of us are the same.
Lovers in previous lives might now be enemies. Foes in previous lives might be our families today. Our mother in previous lives might now be our bride. The father-in-law in previous lives might be today’s groom.
If one knew this with the knowledge of past lives, one would indeed feel shame. If one could see this with heavenly eyes, one would find it ridiculous.
We spend ten lunar months hiding in the midst of filth and feces, then in an instant we descend in a path of blood and pus in a pitiable state.
As children we cannot distinguish between east and west; while we are adults, we learn some knowledge, then greed arises. In a moment, aging and sickness come to us. In a flash, impermanence arrives and death comes.
In the midst of wind and fire, our consciousness decays. Our spirit and blood become exhausted, and our skin and flesh wither and dry up from the outside in.
We feel as if every single hair is piercing us, and every pore is a cut by knife. When a turtle is being cooked in a broiler, removing its shell is easy; when our consciousness departs from our body, it is much more difficult than that.
The mind is the host of impermanence; it is like a merchant who travels everywhere. Our bodies have no fixed form; they are like houses that one frequently moves into and out of. The number of bodies we have had is greater than all the specks of dust in the universe. The number of tears we have shed when taking leave is greater than the waves of the four seas. The bones that were once mine pile up higher than a mountain. The heaps of corpses could cover the entire earth.
If it were not for the Buddha’s discourse, who would ever hear and see such a truth? If it were not for reading the sutras, who could ever awaken and understand?
Just as before, we harbor desire and are confused by ignorance. The only thing we are afraid of is undergoing thousands of lives across myriad kalpas, making the same mistakes again and again. A human body is difficult to obtain but easy to lose. This good opportunity goes by fast, and it is difficult to get it back.
On the road of darkness, once separated, we will not meet for a long time. With the unwholesome karmic effect of the three lower realms, one reaps what one sows. The suffering is beyond words. Who would stand in for us?
The mere mention of it brings chills to one’s heart.
Thus, we should get out of the cycle of birth and death, escape from the sea of craving and desire, and bring liberation to others and ourselves so that everyone can reach the other shore. This is no doubt the noblest deed. This is the sixth cause and condition for the initiation of Bodhi mind.
Continued …
Seventh criterion: Having respect for our own spiritual being
Ten Causes and Conditions that Help Initiate the Bodhi Mind
The Bodhi mind is the king of all wholesomeness, yet there must be some causes and conditions that lead one to set one’s mind on Bodhi. Here are ten causes and conditions that help one to initiate the Bodhi mind.
- Being mindful of the Buddha’s deep kindness.
- Being mindful of our parents’ deep kindness.
- Being mindful of our teachers’ deep kindness.
- Being mindful of our benefactors’ deep kindness.
- Being mindful of all sentient beings’ deep kindness.
- Being mindful of the suffering of life and death.
- Having respect for our own spiritual being.
- Being repentant of karmic hindrances.
- Aspiring toward rebirth in the Pure Land.
- Being mindful of the importance of preserving the right Dharma for a long time.
The above is excerpted from the masterpiece “An Inspiration to Give Rise to the Bodhi Mind” (勸發菩提心文) authored by Master Xing’an 省庵大師 (1686–1734), originally composed in Chinese and was translated into English. Translation credits to Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center.
