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The Sutra on Limitless Meanings
Chapter
Three - The Ten Merits and Virtues
In the third chapter, the Bodhisattva Great Adornment praises
this teaching of the Dharma, and asks four questions:
The Buddha praises the questions and answers that
the Sutra comes from the abode of the Buddhas, goes to all living beings that
inspire the Bodhi mind, and remains in the place where all Bodhisattvas
practice. Then the Buddha tells of the Sutra’s ten inconceivable powers to produce
its
limitless merits and virtues:
1. The First Virtue:
It makes those that
have not inspired the mind inspire the mind.
It makes the merciless inspire
kindness & benevolence
It makes those that take life inspire greatness of
compassion
It makes the jealous inspire acceptance and sympathetic joy for
others
It makes those with a mind of craving and attachment inspire
equanimity
It makes the stingy and greedy inspire generosity and
charity
It makes the arrogant and conceited inspire the mind that embraces
the precepts
It makes the hateful and angry inspire patience and
endurance
It makes the lazy and negligent inspire diligence
It makes the
distracted and confused inspire mental (meditative) concentration
It makes
the foolish and deluded inspire spiritual wisdom and insight
It makes those not
interested in saving others save others
It makes those practicing the ten
evils practice the ten virtues
It makes those who wish for the conditional
aspire to that which is unconditional
It makes those that regress in
spiritual progress stop regressing
It makes those with afflictions inspire
non-affliction
It makes those with emotional distress inspire its
extinction
2. The Second Virtue:
If one hears this Sutra but once, or
even a single phrase of it, and penetrates and realizes its limitless meanings,
from this single seed hundreds of other will grow, and from these hundreds more,
and so on until there will be countless good spiritual roots. Therefore it has
the name ‘Limitless Meanings’.
3. The Third Virtue:
Having heard the
Sutra and penetrated its limitless meanings, one will become fearless in the
realm of mortality (Life & Death) and, with bravery and compassion for
others, one will carry the treasure of enlightenment on one’s shoulders, which
is carrying living beings on one’s shoulders all the way out of this realm of
mortality. One will be like the captain of a ferry boat, carrying others across
to the other shore of Nirvana but remaining tied to the shore of ignorance, old
age, sickness and death (Samsara) because of the 108 kinds
of emotional distress. This is practicing the Sutra as it is preached.
4.
The Fourth Virtue
When one hears the Sutra even once, or even part of it, and
attains the bravery and compassion as described above, even though one is not
fully enlightened, one will have joined the true ranks of the Bodhisattvas, and
the Buddhas will teach and guide one. One will hear the Buddhas, obey them, and
interpret the Dharma for others as called for. It is like a young prince who not
yet able to manage the royal business but is revered by the King, the Queen and the
people. The King (the Buddha) and the Queen (the Sutra) came together and the
Prince (the Bodhisattva) is their offspring. The King and Queen always stay and
converse with him with deep love and affection because he is their child. The
Bodhisattvas are also like this - they hear the Sutra once, twice, innumerable
times and they come to shake the whole spiritual realm of the world even though
they do not yet realize the ultimate truth. They are admired by all living
beings even though they cannot yet teach the Dharma with the noble voice that is
like a roll of thunder. They come to deeply know the secrets of the Buddhas and
will always be protected by them. They will always be
enveloped in affection because they are beginners in learning.
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Since July 9, 2001