My Vow

I have already built for everyone a heavenly ladder for ascending the peak of the Buddhadharma. This ladder is the most direct and most secret passage for obtaining all great wisdom, drawing nearest to the sun and moon—so close that it is almost within arm's reach. As long as your physical and mental strength permit, climb up by yourselves and, looking down from on high, observe the workings of the Buddhadharma, and you will obtain great wisdom. In worldly terms, I have provided this secret passage—how much patent fee and usage fee should I charge to be fair and reasonable? In truth, no matter how much I charged, it would be too little; even if all the jewels in the world were given to me, it would not cover my costs. Since charging any fee now would be inappropriate, and besides, I am not very good at spending money and have no need for so much of it, I shall cast a long line to catch a big fish and collect the greatest and greatest of benefits.

I now make a vow (mantra-vow): whoever receives even a drop of Dharma grace from me shall, throughout the three great immeasurable kalpas of the future, follow in my footsteps, emulate my way, and practice my practice, disregarding any personal benefit, performing the myriad practices of a bodhisattva, and liberating all beings who can be liberated. Even after the three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, they shall likewise spare no toil and disregard all cost, liberating all beings who can be liberated, without the slightest reluctance or resistance.

The vow has been issued, and no one can escape it. It is already too late to run away; even those who ran away in the past cannot escape the power of my vow. All people, whether willing or not, are within the power of my vow and will fulfill it consciously or unconsciously; no matter how many distant kalpas pass, none can escape it. You may slacken for a day, a year, or a lifetime, but you cannot slacken forever under the power of my vow—the power of the vow does not permit it—until you attain buddhahood, until all suffering beings have been liberated.

Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva has not attained buddhahood; as a bodhisattva, He has taught and brought forth seven Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, and may even again, as a bodhisattva, teach and bring forth countless World-Honored Buddhas. But once Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva attains buddhahood, the buddha-land where He resides will cover all buddha-lands, and all buddha-lands will be contained within Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva's buddha-land. As for me, I do not wish to harvest now, nor to receive even a speck of return; I want the greatest and greatest of returns in the future. Those who have received my grace must, for immeasurable kalpas upon immeasurable kalpas, emulate my practice and repay my grace, just as I unconditionally emulate the Buddha's practice and repay the Buddha's grace, without complaint. Even if there are complaints, after grumbling they must still disregard all cost and toil on forever, whether before attaining buddhahood or after.

The power of my vow is a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times greater than the power of Māra's spell. Those who receive my vow are freed from Māra's spell and will never again be disturbed by Māra. The power of my vow subdues Māra's spell, transforming Māra's power into the Buddha's power, which together blesses and supports practitioners on their path—courageous and diligent, never retrogressing!