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Chapter 1918: Chapter 1916: The Legend of My Vow to Become a Buddha (2)

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Upon taking refuge in Buddha, may all sentient beings understand the Great Tao and cultivate the supreme mind; upon taking refuge in Dharma, may all sentient beings deeply delve into the sutras, with wisdom as vast as the ocean; upon taking refuge in the monk, may all sentient beings lead the masses harmoniously and without hindrance, uniting with the southern saints.

The revered Universal Virtue Mahas Bodhisattva narrates that he once served as Dharma Prince with the Tathagata of countless Ganges River sands. Buddhas from ten directions have taken Universal Virtue as an example, teaching Bodhisattvas to practice Universal Virtue Actions. To cultivate Universal Virtue Actions, one must first comprehend the ocean of the Vairocana nature, and then enter the Universal Virtue Action door.

Buddha asked about perfection, and Universal Virtue replied: Initially, the root cause lies solely in auditory cognition. As thoughts are distinguished, wisdom shines brightly, illuminating all beings, achieving great freedom. If elsewhere, beyond sand-worlds of the Ganges River, there is a sentient being who initiates Universal Virtue Actions in their heart, I, Universal Virtue, will immediately ride the Six-tusked White Elephant, manifesting thousands of forms, appearing before the initiator. Even if due to profound obstacles they cannot see me, I will secretly bless them, offering protection and comfort, ensuring their wishes are fulfilled.

Supreme Buddha

White Preface: The revered Universal Virtue Mahas Bodhisattva posed four questions to the assembled Great Bodhisattvas and all beings in the degenerate age:

In Putian City, at the grand solemn Buddha figure—Universal Virtue Bodhisattva faced the Supreme Buddha with four questions:

(1) How should practitioners of Mahayana, upon hearing of the clear and pure realm of consummate enlightenment, cultivate?

(2) If sentient beings understand the illusory nature, both the body and mind are illusory, how can one refine the illusion with illusion?

(3) If all illusory natures are completely eradicated, then there is no mind—who is there to cultivate?

(4) If all beings, during the cycle of birth and death, perpetually dwell in illusion without realizing it, how can the illusory mind achieve liberation?

Supreme Buddha answered the first question: Mahayana practitioners should completely distance themselves from all illusory and false realms. Master Yuan Ying believed the word ’distance’ itself is the method of cultivation, utilizing the power of tranquility and insight. First, cessation of all attachments, extinguishing emotions and thoughts, then observing all dharmas as empty and false. With this power of tranquility and insight, one distances themselves from all illusory and false realms.

Supreme Buddha answered the second question: Mahayana practitioners should not only distance themselves from the illusion realm but also from the ’illusory mind’ that distances itself from the illusion realm. This leads to the state where all sensory roots are extinct and all dust is cleared.

Supreme Buddha answered the third question: Mahayana practitioners, after distancing themselves from the illusory mind, must also distance themselves from the ’illusory wisdom’ that knows the illusory mind. If attached to illusory wisdom after distancing from the illusory mind, this becomes the affliction of the heart, thus one must further distance.

Supreme Buddha answered the fourth question: Mahayana practitioners, after distancing from illusory wisdom, if there remains an element of distance (emptiness) in the heart, must also distance from it. Ultimately, achieving no more distance, thus eradicating all illusion.

Supreme Buddha spoke in one breath of four levels of distancing: distancing from the realm, from the mind, from wisdom, and from emptiness—layer by layer stripped away, elevating step by step, progressing from shallow to profound, distinctly arranged until all illusions are utterly extinguished and tranquility appears.

Sworn vow to protect the sutra

The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha stated in the assembly at Ling Mount, during the teaching of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, Universal Virtue, together with countless Bodhisattvas from the treasure adorned Buddha Country, came to listen and receive it. Universal Virtue proposed: After the Tathagata’s extinction, how can virtuous men and women obtain this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma? The answer was: If one can accomplish the following four points, he will surely attain this sutra. (1) Being remembered by the Buddhas; (2) Planting the foundation of various virtues; (3) Entering the correct and constant meditation gathering; (4) Cultivating the mind to save all sentient beings.

Universal Virtue once again expressed at the gathering: After the World-Honored One’s five hundred years have passed away, if someone accepts and upholds this scripture, I will protect them, remove their suffering and distress, and ensure their peace and stability. Whether in motion or standing, if this person recites this scripture, I will ride the Six-tusked White Elephant King with the Great Bodhisattva and visit their place, offering protection and comfort to their heart. If they sit and contemplate this scripture, I will again ride the Elephant King to them. If they forget a phrase or verse while reading the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I will teach them, read with them, allowing them to see my form, and experience great joy. If any monk, nun, layman, or laywoman accepts, upholds, recites, and transcribes this scripture with undivided focus for full twenty-one days, I will ride a white elephant surrounded by infinite Bodhisattvas. Manifesting in the form beloved by all beings, I will appear before them to expound the Dharma. If one accepts, upholds, memorizes, and comprehends its meaning and practice according to its teachings, this person practices the Universal Virtue acts and shall receive blessings of the touch of the Tathagata’s head. If they only transcribe it, at the end of their life, they shall be reborn in the Trayastrimsha Heaven. If they understand its meaning and practice appropriately, at life’s end, they shall ascend to the Tushita Heaven, the realm of Maitreya Bodhisattva.

The Shizun praised the protective spirit of Universal Virtue, ”You have achieved unimaginable merits, profound compassion. From ages past, you have developed the Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind and have made this vow of Divine Skills to protect this scripture.”

Esoteric Interpretation

In esoteric teachings, this Bodhisattva represents the mind of enlightenment, akin to the Vajra Hand, Vajrasattva, and the All-conquering Bodhisattva. The Mahavairocana Tantra comments on Universal Virtue by explaining ’Universal’ signifies pervading everywhere, while ’Virtue’ signifies supreme goodness. By will arising from enlightenment and by actions, body, speech, and mind pervasively benevolent, encompassing multitudinous virtues, hence named Universal Virtue.

In both the esoteric mandalas of the Vajra and Womb Realms, this Bodhisattva is always listed. In the Vajra Realm Mandala, Universal Virtue is one of the sixteen venerable ones of the Fortunate Eon, situated at the lowest position among the northern four Bodhisattvas, secret name Universal Absorbing Vajra, samaya form as sword form. In the Womb Realm Mandala, he is placed in the Central Flower Terrace and Manjushri Hall. In the Central Flower Terrace, he sits on the southeastern thousand-petal lotus, his body white, wearing the five Buddha treasure crown, left hand’s thumb and forefinger holding a lotus, on which resides a flame-surrounded sharp sword, right hand extends with palm open, ring and little fingers bent, samaya form as lotus on sword, secret name True Self Vajra. In the Manjushri Hall, located behind Manjushri to the right, left hand holds a blue lotus, with a Three-pronged Vajra Pestle on it, right hand five fingers stretched, palm outward, thumb, forefinger and middle finger snapping, ring and little fingers upright before chest, samaya form as lotus on three prongs, secret name True Self Vajra.

Additionally, there are practitioners who use Universal Virtue Yanming Bodhisattva as the principal deity for rituals, known as Manjusri Life Extension Method. Universal Virtue Bodhisattva possesses the qualities of enhancement and life extension, when entering the realm of life-extending samadhi, he becomes Manjusri Yanming Bodhisattva, a deity honored by esoteric practitioners during the Manjusri Life Extension Method.

According to esoteric texts, if beings can practice and beseech this Bodhisattva according to the Dharma, they will ’never fall into the three evil realms, certainly increase lifespan. They will have no fear of premature or short life, nor fear nightmares, curses, or demonic images. Neither will they be harmed by water, fire, weapons, or poison.’ Additionally, they can ’obtain great fortune and wisdom, supreme will perfect. Positions rise eminently, wealth and treasures manifest as desired. If seeking offspring and intelligence, all wishes fulfilled.’ These religious functions derive from the innate vow of Manjusri Yanming Bodhisattva.

Manjusri Yanming Bodhisattva also has the other names ’Great Peaceful and Not Void Samadhi True Bodhisattva’ and ’Vajrasattva.’ The former indicates this Bodhisattva’s equal vow to bestow great benefits and peace to sentient beings. The latter indicates possessing ’immutable wisdom, able to crush all afflictions, like vajra.’ Besides the manifestation of these qualities through the vow’s power, they also result from blessings of the Ten Directions Buddhas. According to esoteric literature, the World-Honored One once summoned Buddhas from worlds in the Ten Directions, as countless as grains of sand in the Ganges River, to illuminate Universal Virtue Bodhisattva, thus he received the heart seal of all Buddhas, to benefit all sentient beings.

Manjusri Yanming Bodhisattva’s iconographic forms include two-armed and twenty-armed representations. According to the scriptures, the two-armed images depict ’a child as full as the moon, crowned with the five Buddha treasures, right hand holding a Vajra Pestle, left hand grasping a summoning Vajra Bell. Seated on a thousand-petal treasure lotus, below the lotus a King White Elephant. The Elephant King steps on a vajra wheel, beneath which are five thousand elephant groups.’ The twenty-armed form is entirely golden yellow, adorned with the five wisdom crowns, with ten hands each on both sides, each holding different magic artifacts, seated on the thousand-petal lotus, beneath which are four white elephants, differing from the two-armed form with its five thousand group elephants beneath.

Legendary Story

Universal Virtue Bodhisattva, with infinite vows, manifests in numerous realms, teaching all sentient beings according to circumstances. According to historical records: The ancient virtuous master Shide of Buddhism in China was an incarnation of Universal Virtue Bodhisattva. At Guoqing Temple in Tiantai Mountain, Zen Master Feng Gan once traveled along Chicheng Road, heard a child crying in the bushes, approached and noticed a child about ten years old. Inquiring his name, the child answered: ’I have no family, no name, no surname.’ Moved by his plight, Zen Master Feng Gan brought him back to Guoqing Temple, entrusting him as a tea servant in the storehouse. Since he was found, he was named Shide.

Due to Shide’s intelligence and agility, three years later he was promoted to manage offerings at the dining hall, as well as handle distribution-related tasks. One day, finding no one around, he audaciously sat opposite the venerated statue and ate, even rebuking the saint image for being small-minded and burnt out. Observed by Keeper Lingyi Zen Master, he was reprimanded for disrespecting the sacred statue, thought possibly insane, removed from his offering positions, and assigned to the kitchen to wash dishes. He often placed extra food in a bamboo tube for his close friend, Han Shanzi.

Once, when birds were eating the offerings of flowers and fruits at the temple, Shide took a staff and struck the mountain god idol enshrined in the temple, accusing it of failing to protect the temple and being unworthy of monastic offerings. That night, all temple monks dreamt of the mountain god complaining: ’Shide struck and cursed me.’ Lingyi Zen Master inspected the god statue and indeed found staff marks, realizing Shide’s extraordinary background.

Shide and Han Shanzi frequently interacted and often spoke of the Buddhist Law to others. Yet people did not believe them and instead ridiculed, scorned, or even attacked them. Han Shanzi once asked Shide: ’The world reviles, deceives, insults, ridicules, belittles, despises, or hates us; how should we respond?’ Shide answered: ’We can only endure, ignore, avoid, be patient, respect them, not pay attention. In a few years, you’ll see.’

Later, entrusted with cattle herding duties, one day coinciding with the temple’s half-month ceremonial of Precepts Recitation, Shide drove a herd of cattle to the Dharma hall’s door, leaning and laughing heartily: ’Ah, sigh, gathering like this as if playing a role, how so?’ The Precepts Monk, disturbed by his irreverence, scolded: ’Madman disrupting my precepts administering.’ Seeing the anger arise, Shide recited: ’No anger is precept, pure mind is renunciation; my nature and yours aligned, all Dharma without difference.’ The Precepts Monk, angered further by his frivolous demeanor, descended to beat Shide, demanding he remove the cattle.

Shide said: ’I’m not driving the cattle out; these cattle were the knowing monks of previous lives, all ordained, you don’t believe, see me call them out.’ He then called to the cattle: ’Former Dharma Preceptor Hongjing, come forth.’ A white ox mooed and passed. He continued: ’Former Provisioner Guangchao, come forth,’ a black ox responded. Shide called once more: ’Zhisui Jingben, come forth,’ another bull responded, and finally, Shide led a cow saying: ’In the past, without holding precepts, human face with bestial heart, summoning this retribution, who to blame for? Buddha’s power great but you fail to repay the Buddha’s grace.’

From then on, the monks recognized Shide not as an ordinary mortal, no longer deemed him insane. On account of Zen Master Feng Gan, an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha, telling Magistrate Qiu that Hanshan and Shide were incarnations of Manjusri and Universal Virtue, divine traces revealing again, and they both left Guoqing Temple, their whereabouts hence unknown.

Manjusri and Universal Virtue, two great personages, one the mother of all Buddhas, the other the eldest son, sharing the lineage, often engage in fulfillment of Buddha’s endeavors before Buddhas in the Ten Directions, playing among humans, often together. During Emperor Chunxi’s reign, Manjusri Bodhisattva appeared as the Precepts Instructor at Doushuai Temple, and simultaneously, Universal Virtue manifested as a daughter of the Zhou family, the seventh in line, widely called Zhou Qiniang. From birth exhibiting mysterious signs, growing up she refused marriage, begged daily in the markets, lodging under Pujiquiao at night, frequently accompanying the Precepts Instructor, her marvelous conduct unfathomable. Misunderstood by contemporaries, mocked as mad. A sage later sang: ’Precepts Instructor Manjusri, Zhou woman Universal Virtue, shoulder to shoulder, immortalized through ages.’ Only then did contemporaries realize the Bodhisattva’s incarnation. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendations or monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)