Vow To Make Abundant Offerings for the Veneration to the Buddhas
“The Ten Great Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra”, Avatamsaka Sutra
The Third Vow: To Make Abundant Offerings for the Veneration to the Buddhas
When Kumara Sudhana asked the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra:
“What course shall we follow, O Holy One, to fulfill all these virtues, from ‘paying homage to Buddhas’ to ‘dedicating one’s own merits’ to all beings”?
Below is the sutra text of the Third Vow:
Again, O Noble-minded Man, what is meant by “abundant offerings out of veneration to the Buddhas”? It means that in the smallest dust-motes of the Buddha-domains of the Dharma-circles and of the empty space, and of the ten directions and three periods of time, in each speck of dust exists the Buddhas, equal in number to the smallest dust-motes of all worlds.
Each Buddha is surrounded by an ocean-wide assembly of Bodhisattvas, in whom, I have profound faith and reverent understanding through the power of the Vows of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.
I will offer them the most rare and wondrous gifts such as the flowery clouds, garland-clouds, heavenly music-clouds, celestial tapestry-clouds, angelic garment-clouds; all kinds of heavenly perfumes, scented balms, aromatic incenses, aromatic powders, each equal in quantity to Mount Sumeru (the king of mountains).
I will present lighted lamps of various kinds, such as the cream lamps, the oil lamps, and the lamps of sweet perfumes. The wick of each lamp being in size as Mount Sumeru, and the burning oil of each as great as the water of the ocean. Ceaselessly will I offer such gifts, in veneration.
O Noble-minded Man, among all gifts, the crown of them is the gifts of Dharma. Such gifts are called: the offering of “Following the instructions (of all Buddhas), the offering of benefits for all beings, the offering of taking upon oneself the suffering of others, the offering of fostering the root of merit diligently, the offering of swerving not, from the Bodhisattva vows; and the offering of departing not, from the love of the Bodhicitta.”
O Noble-minded Man, truly the merit to be derived from the offering of (material) gifts, such as those enumerated, are infinite; yet, in comparison with a single thought of Dharma (they are as nothing). Those merits (derived from material offerings), would not be equal to a hundredth part (of the merit of a thought of Dharma); nay, not to a hundred thousandth part of koties, of nayutas, of kalans, and of upannishads. And why? Because the Dharma is held in the highest esteem by all the Tathagatas. Moreover, all Buddhas are begotten from the Dharma, through the perfecting of their conduct in accordance with it. If the Bodhisattvas make offering to the Dharma (to the Buddhas) then their offerings to the Tathagatas are completed. Thus do the Bodhisattvas present the truest offering of gifts to the Tathagatas.
My offering of such great and noble gifts to the Buddhas will only cease if the void of space is ended, (or) the spheres of beings are ended, (or) the karmas of beings are ended, (or) the sorrows of beings are ended. But as all the things from the void of space to the sorrows of all beings are endless; so also will my offering to Buddhas endless. Thought succeeding thought without interruption, in bodily, vocal, and mental deeds without weariness.
Commentary
The primary characteristic of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva is an immeasurably broad and compassionate mind, which in Mahayana Buddhism is considered as the perfect function of the self-nature.
Ordinary Bodhisattvas have seen to their self-nature, but it is partial, not perfect. Only the virtuous character of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva is perfect. All his vows are directed to all beings in the universe. Herein lies the difference between Universal Worthy Bodhisattva and ordinary Bodhisattvas who practice just the Six Paramitas.
An offering to one Buddha is an offering to all Buddhas. His offerings are not only made to Buddhas but also to sentient and non-sentient beings. Therefore, one is all, and all is one. With this great broad-mindedness, we can attain the non-discriminatory and boundless perfection.
Universal Worthy Bodhisattva told us that of all the many kinds of offerings, that of the teachings is supreme. However, only the Buddha’s teachings can help sentient beings break through confusion and delusion, to uncover the perfect self-nature, to become enlightened. No other kind of offering can do this. As Buddhism is an education, we are to honor the teacher and revere his or her teachings. Only in this way, can we attain perfect, complete enlightenment.
In the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni, which sutra is the most important? In the Sui and Tang dynasties, over a thousand years ago, great Buddhist scholars studied and compared all of the sutras from Buddha Shakyamuni’s forty-nine years of teaching. They agreed that the Flower Adornment Sutra was the most important. So the Flower Adornment Sutra was commonly acknowledged as the perfect teaching. The scholars then made comparisons between the Infinite Life Sutra and the Flower Adornment Sutra and concluded that the Infinite Life Sutra was higher than the Flower Adornment Sutra. They explained that the Flower Adornment Sutra and the Lotus Sutra are the two most important. In Chinese Buddhism, they are called the “First Vehicle Perfect Teachings”. Both function as the guide to the Infinite Life Sutra. Therefore, the Infinite Life Sutra is really the number one teaching.
When I first read this, I was very pleased because it agreed with personal experience. It was the Flower Adornment Sutra that guided me to Pure Land Buddhism. I lectured on this sutra for seventeen years. Later, I only lectured on the “Chapter of Universal Worthy’s Conduct and Vows” from the Flower Adornment Sutra. During these seventeen years, I deeply comprehended the meaning of the Ten Great Vows of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva in guiding beings to the Western Pure Land. This Pure Land is the essence and the final destination of the Flower Adornment. From this experience, I realized that the ancient masters were right.
So we know what is the best and most important among all of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings. However, it was only after Mr. Lian-Ju Xia, a Buddhist layman, edited a compilation of the five versions of the original translations of the Infinite Life Sutra that we could enjoy a perfect benefit. The great project of editing such an extensive literary collection demonstrated that Mr. Xia was not an ordinary person, but rather the manifestation of a Great Bodhisattva. This great being felt compassion for the sentient beings in our world, which revealed that the opportunity for many beings to attain Buddhahood, had matured. Thus, he manifested in our world to compile the sutra versions and propagate the Pure Land method during our Dharma-Ending Age.
When I visited Beijing, a student of Mr. Xia presented me with a photo of his teacher. Upon returning to Taiwan, I printed an enlarged copy of the photo. Although it is not very clear due to repeated duplication, an amazing phenomenon is apparent. Behind Mr. Xia’s head the image of a Buddha appears. Light is emitting from this image as well as from below his shoes. Although the photo has been reduplicated many times, we can still clearly see that the image over Mr. Xia’s head is that of a Buddha sitting on his lotus seat. We placed the photo in a prominent position to express our gratitude to this great Bodhisattva for having given us such a gift and for guiding us in our cultivation and propagation of Buddhism.
The Infinite Life Sutra is the most important sutra for helping all beings to attain Buddhahood. It contains forty-eight chapters. Which chapter is number one? Of all the chapters, chapter six is the most important. It tells us of Buddha Amitabha’s Forty-eight Vows. When we read the Infinite Life Sutra, we see that Buddha Shakyamuni accorded with these vows when he introduced the history and background of the Pure Land.
Which of these vows is number one? The great scholars and monks in ancient China agreed that the eighteenth vow is number one. It tells us that ten recitations of Buddha Amitabha’s name will result in birth into the Pure Land. In my early years of study, I questioned whether the Buddha had the ability to help a person to immediately become a Buddha, even if they were doomed to birth in the Avici Hell, the lowest of the hell realms. If Buddha was unable to accomplish this, then his wisdom and ability were limited and saying that he had all virtues and perfect abilities was a compliment rather than a fact. However, if the Buddha was capable of helping such a person become a Buddha, then I would believe that he was really perfect in wisdom and capable and thus worthy of our admiration. This question remained unanswered until after I read the forty-eight vows of Buddha Amitabha in the sutra. Then I realized that the Buddha’s wisdom and virtuous character are indeed perfect and universal.
The Buddha is indeed capable of helping a person who has committed serious offenses to become a Buddha. The question lies in whether or not the person believes and accepts. If not, then the fault lies with the individual, not the Buddha. So, after reading the Infinite Life Sutra we know that anyone who sincerely practices the recitation method will surely succeed.
In the earlier example of Master Di-Xian and the student who so successfully chanted “Namo Amituofo” for three years, the student knew in advance when he would be born into the Pure Land. He told the woman who brought his food daily, that she need not bring it the following day. After he passed away from this world, he remained in a standing position for three days waiting for his master to come to make final arrangements. His birth into the Pure Land was into the highest level. His accomplishment is proof of the eighteenth vow, which explains to us that this birth can be accomplished with just the recitations of “Amitabha”.
Anyone who firmly believes in this method surely has good roots, great merits and virtues. The Infinite Life Sutra explains that the monk’s rebirth after such a short time of practice was due to his having made offerings to innumerable Buddhas in previous lifetimes. as a result, he was able to believe and practice. Without his good roots from previous lifetimes, he would not have been able to believe regardless of what his teacher had said.
The name of Buddha Amitabha contains infinite meanings. It is the name of the universe, so it includes everything. If we want to know the meaning of the name, we can read the Infinite Life Sutra, the explanation of the name. If we want to understand the Infinite Life Sutra we can read the Flower Adornment Sutra, for it is a detailed explanation of the Infinite Life Sutra. If we want to understand the Flower Adornment Sutra we can read the entire Great Canon for it is the detailed explanation of the Flower Adornment Sutra. By using this method to understand the sutras, we will know that the merit and virtue of the name of Buddha Amitabha are truly extraordinary.
This name alone contains all of Buddhism as well as all laws throughout the universe. Therefore, to chant this name is to chant all sutras. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there was a famous monk Ciyun Guan-ding. Among his many works is the Directory to the Visualization Sutra, which tells us that when we seek escape from disasters we can resort to reciting sutras, chanting mantras, or drawing divination slips. However, if a person has committed grave wrongdoings then the only thing that will work is to recite “Namo Amituofo”. From this, we understand that this is the best method to follow when facing disaster. Many people do not know this so they resort to other methods. Therefore a person who is ill may recite the Medicine Master Sutra and when faced with disaster may recite the “Universal Door Chapter”. This person does not know that the merits and virtues of Buddha Name Recitation make it the number one method.
Then why didn’t Buddha Shakyamuni tell us so directly? Why did he teach us so many sutras and methods? Because many people do not believe in the Buddha Name Recitation Method. So, he kept the finest method for last. This is similar to what we see in the Taiwan Palace Museum. Most people consider the beautiful jade collection of the Qing Dynasty, to be more valuable than the bronze ware, which resembles pieces of metal, not realizing the bronze ware is the most valuable part of the collection in the museum. Similarly, most people do not realize the true value of Buddha Name Recitation. So, the Buddha had to teach all the sutras to guide sentient beings to the Pure Land.
Master Shan Dao told us that the only purpose for all Buddhas to manifest in the world is to tell us of the original vows of Buddha Amitabha. Today, we can truly understand, cultivate, and propagate the Pure Land method. Truthfully, this is due to the support of the Triple Jewels. Also, the opportunities today for sentient beings to achieve attainment are very good. In the past five to six years, millions of copies of the Infinite Life Sutra have been printed and spread throughout the world. I have traveled around the world introducing and recommending this sutra. Many people have liked and accepted it. Seeing you here working and practicing so earnestly, I am very pleased and feel that my hard work has been rewarded. Therefore, if we can practice and widely propagate this method, then I can say that we have perfectly fulfilled the vow to “Make Offerings Extensively”.
The methods used by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are infinite in number. They are the display of great compassion and lead to birth into the Pure Land. For example, Universal Worthy Bodhisattva is the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Also Zhuen Ti Bodhisattva, one of the great patriarchs of Tibetan Buddhism, is a manifestation of Guan Yin Bodhisattva. Both Universal Worthy Bodhisattva and Guan Yin Bodhisattva urge us to seek birth into the Western Pure Land. We ordinary people discriminate between Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism, but Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with their perfect freedom and non-discriminatory minds do not discriminate among the different schools. All eight-four thousand methods lead to the same goal. With this understanding, we will naturally respect all methods and schools.
Resources:
The Practices and Vows of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, Chapter 40, Avatamsaka Sutra
Commentary on The Ten Great Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, excerpted from the book, Buddhism: The Awakening of Compassion and Wisdom
