Selected Lectures on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (130)

Original text: 大王。彼无边称王。复更思惟。以我所有。善根力故。令四天下。普雨妙花。作是念已。于四天下。降雨种种。上妙天花。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, King Anantakīrti again gave rise to this thought: "By the power of the roots of goodness I possess, let wondrous flowers rain down throughout the four continents." After giving rise to this thought, all kinds of supremely wondrous celestial flowers rained down throughout the four continents, as numerous as rainfall. The flowers on Earth are not beautiful enough; compared with the celestial flowers in the heavens, they appear rather coarse, whereas the celestial flowers in the heavens are exceedingly wondrous and sublime, their fragrance and colors far more magnificent than those of the human world. Even so, King Anantakīrti's act in this way also consumed an enormous amount of his own merit. He cashed out all the merit he had cultivated in the presence of immeasurable Buddhas, leaving no savings behind. Once there are no savings left in the tathāgatagarbha, his merit vanishes, and nothing he does can be accomplished. Therefore, we who study Buddhism must not casually deplete our own merit; we should enjoy blessings as little as possible and reserve them for the attainment of Buddhahood.