Venerable Shinhong Shih’s Dharma Quotes
心宏法师 | 甘露法语
菩萨的四种精进力
The Four Powers of a Bodhisattva’s Diligence
The Bodhisattva should train his mind within the four powers of diligence.
(1) A Bodhisattva is extensively adorned when he aspires to perform great vows for benefitting all sentient beings by the pure dharma - this is known as the “Power of Great Aspiration”.
(2) In order to allow the mind to be mindful and rest in universal compassion, the Bodhisattva takes upon the cumulative tasks of learning the Buddhist dharma, developing the right views, realizing the inherent Buddha nature. This is known as the “Power of Universal Compassion”.
(3) With a mind that aims to master the “Power of Ultimate & Inherent Wisdom”, Bodhistattvas need to continuously engage in wholesome deeds to develop virtuous roots for all sentient beings as well as for oneself over a long period of time.
(4) Only through “the Power on the constant and conscientious efforts to engage in meritorious acts”, the Bodhisattva would be able to truly teach and cultivate various beings.
Therefore, the complete above four types of these powers will indeed bring the achievement of the Bodhisattva Path.
The Four Powers of a Bodhisattva’s Diligence
习气分三类
Three types of habitual tendencies
Every individual will have habitual tendencies which one had accumulated over infinite eons. Habitual tendencies are habits that have developed into predispositions.
These are generally divided into three types of habitual tendencies:
(1) The first type of habit is where the individual would personally realize that he has certain habits.
(2) Others who may know of such habits when even the individual would personally be unaware of them.
(3) There are some habits where both others and the individual are unaware of them in advance.
The individual would only realize these hidden habits when the effect of karma allows them to surface.
Three types of habitual tendencies
放生与护生的意义
The Significance of Liberation and Protection of Lives
It is very important to take note of the point that the complete attainment of merits in the liberation and protection of lives should be generated from within our minds that are motivated by compassion, undefiled intentions and wisdom. How do we generate this mindset?
(1) Firstly, generate a pure motivation that one does not desire to gain any benefits or harbour any ulterior motives. The true act of liberating lives does not permit one to place an advance order for the lives that one wishes to set free.
(2) Secondly, generate a motivation that as the favourable conditioning causes arise, takes the appropriate actions.
During the process of releasing lives, it does not matter how many lives you liberate on this day. If you generate great compassion to liberate even one animal from the market, the merits that you had attained through the liberation of lives is wholly complete.
(3) Thirdly, the essential motivation behind the act of liberating lives is universal compassion. We need to contemplate on our acts in liberating lives: Are we really helping these animals by releasing them into an environment that is suitable for them to continue living in?