Vow To Preach (the Virtue of) and To Praise (the Glory of) the Tathagatas
“The Ten Great Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra”, Avatamsaka Sutra
The Second Vow: To Preach (the Virtue of) and To Praise (the Glory of) the Tathagatas
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 Second Vow:
Again, O Noble-minded Man, what signifies “to preach (the virtues of) and to praise (the glories of) the Tathagatas”? It means that in the smallest dust-motes of all the worlds of the ten directions, and the three periods of time throughout the Dharma-circles and the empty space, upon each speck of dust, there the Buddhas are dwelling, equal in number to the smallest specks of dust of all the worlds. And each Buddha is surrounded by an assembly of Bodhisattvas, as wide as the ocean.
I shall apply my profound insight and my temporal knowledge to fathom them till I thoroughly understand, then will I praise them with my oration, as though it was with the angelic and eloquent tongues of the Goddess (Sarasvati). Each tongue emitting a boundless ocean of all forms of sound, each voice emitting a boundless ocean of all forms of speech, proclaiming the ocean of the merits of all Tathagatas. Such praises shall continue without cessation through endless time and the limitless realms of the Dharma-worlds.
My praises will cease when 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 all the things from the void of space even to the sorrows of beings are ended. But all the things from the void of space even to the sorrows of beings are endless: so also are my praises endless; thought succeeding thought without interruption; and in bodily, vocal, and mental deeds without weariness.
Commentary
The second vow is to “Praise the Tathagatas or ‘Thus Come One’”. Since, the first vow is “To respect all Buddhas” why don’t we rephrase them as one, “Praise and respect all Buddhas”? There is a profound meaning within these two vows.
“Respect all Buddhas” applies to behavior. When considering the form, we are to show respect for everybody, regardless of whether they are good or bad. Also, we are to respect all laws whether they are accepted or heretical.
“Praise the Tathagatas” applies to nature. So, there is a difference. We admire the good but not the bad, although we respect the latter as well. And therein lies the difference.
In the Avatamsaka or Flower Adornment Sutra, Sudhana understood this very well. He respected and praised nearly every one of the fifty-three spiritual guides he visited. However, three of them he respected but did not praise; Fasumiduo, Shenrepoluomen, and Ganluhuowang. The first was a prostitute and symbolized lust or greed. The second was a heretic and symbolized ignorance. The third was hot-tempered and symbolized anger, punishing those who caused him the slightest offense by plunging them into boiling oil or driving them into a hill of daggers. These three symbolized the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. To Sudhana, the three were to be respected but not praised. So, we see that praise is linked to virtue.
Only good characteristics and accepted laws deserve praise. But we still respect all beings and things because respect reflects purity of mind and the virtue of respecting others equally. We respect heretical beliefs while we praise accepted ones such as Christianity, which helps raise people to the heaven realms. This is not achieving the perfect, complete enlightenment, but it is infinitely better than heretical beliefs that will lead people to fall into the three lower realms. So, we praise Christianity. However, we never praise cults for they encourage people to commit wrongdoings.
We can see that there is a big difference between the first and second vows although both come from a pure and perfect intention.
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
