The Ten Infinite Vows of a Bodhisattva

All Buddhas descend into the world to universally deliver sentient beings, manifesting the Eight Appearances of Accomplishing the Way. The content must be firmly remembered: descending from the Tushita Heaven, entering the womb, dwelling in the womb, birth, renunciation, accomplishment of the Way, turning the Dharma wheel, and nirvana. Therefore, a Buddha must necessarily be a renunciant, belonging to the monastic order, not a layperson. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Buddha teaches bodhisattvas to generate the Ten Boundless Vows. One of these vows is that a bodhisattva must possess vast spiritual powers; this is an essential requirement. Without spiritual powers, one not only cannot achieve one's own realization but also cannot deliver sentient beings. However, it is best to cultivate spiritual powers after attaining the Bodhisattva grounds. Cultivating them after awakening is still very difficult, and it is not recommended to cultivate spiritual powers before that.

If the magnanimity of a bodhisattva’s mind is too small, they cannot generate such vast vows. Even if generated, they cannot be fulfilled. The scale of a bodhisattva’s undertakings is determined by the magnitude of their mind. For each sentient being in the future, there is only one thing to do: self-liberation and liberating others. Life after life is solely this matter, all are Buddha’s work, with no pursuit of any worldly concerns within the three realms. Therefore, we must now train our minds to strive not to cling to worldly appearances, not to pursue personal worldly benefits, not to compete with others for the sake of worldly survival interests. This includes wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, sleep; form, sound, smell, taste, touch; including family, relatives, and dependents—absolutely everything. Mentally relinquish as much as possible. When the mind is thus emptied and purified, it becomes vast. When it expands to the extent of the Tathagatagarbha, the ultimate state is reached.

Only when the realm of sentient beings is exhausted will my vow be exhausted. Can the realm of sentient beings be exhausted? When will it be exhausted? I recall someone in the Buddhist scriptures asking the Buddha whether the realm of sentient beings can be exhausted, whether sentient beings can be completely delivered. The Buddha seemed not to answer. It was not that the Buddha did not know or could not answer, but rather that the number of sentient beings is truly boundless, beyond count. The task of each bodhisattva is extremely arduous; even after becoming a Buddha, one must forever remain busy with the work of delivering sentient beings. The sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions are immeasurable and boundless. Worlds without Buddhas, without bodhisattvas, without the Buddha Dharma are also exceedingly numerous. The sentient beings in those worlds suffer greatly, waiting for us bodhisattvas to resolve to deliver them.

When we gain the ability to deliver sentient beings in the future, everything must be considered for the sake of sentient beings. Do not compete for personal selfish gains. If bodhisattvas fight fiercely, even to the point of bloodshed, over issues concerning their respective dependents or matters of reputation and status, what about those sentient beings? Where has the great bodhicitta vow made in the past gone? We must strive to generate vast vows now, so that in future lives we do not forget or lose the bodhicitta mind. Everything is for accomplishing our own path and achieving the deliverance of sentient beings, not for worldly benefits.

If the virtuous roots and merits of sentient beings are not mature, they cannot encounter the Buddha Dharma. We should all strive to plant as many virtuous roots as possible for sentient beings, enabling their virtuous roots to mature sooner. If the virtuous roots of sentient beings are immature and they lack merit, even if a Buddha stands before them, it is of no use. If the realm of sentient beings were exhausted, with no more sentient beings, what use would Buddha lands serve? Buddhas establish countless Buddha lands precisely for the purpose of delivering sentient beings. If there are no sentient beings, would a Buddha still retain a form and abide in the world? Then they would no longer retain a form, and Buddha lands would also be useless. Therefore, looking at the future scenario, what is there for us to compete over now? All dharmas are empty; they can be temporarily used as needed. There is no necessity for greed or attachment.