Peaceful Action, Open Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh

Author:Thich Nhat Hanh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parallax Press
Published: 2010-08-16T00:00:00+00:00

In the past, this bodhisattva had made offerings to his teacher, the Buddha Pure and Bright Excellence of the Sun and Moon. Now he has returned in order to be near his teacher again. Because of the deep connection between teacher and disciple established in a former life, the bodhisattva was born again in the land of this Buddha in order to be able to meet his teacher of old. This is the path of devotion, gratitude, and loyalty exemplified by the practice of Medicine King Bodhisattva.

The Buddha Pure and Bright Excellence of Sun and Moon responded, “Wonderful, you have returned just in time. Tonight I will enter nirvana. I will cease manifesting as a Buddha and I now entrust the Buddhadharma to you. You will stay here to continue my mission, maintaining and offering the teachings of the wonderful Dharma to all living beings throughout the universe.”

Just as the practice of Never Disparaging Bodhisattva had a specific function, to remind people of their inherent Buddha nature and potential Buddhahood, Medicine King represents another aspect of practice—the practice of devotion, dedication, and love. Without devotion and constancy you cannot go very far or deep. Without this kind of affection and dedication it is quite difficult to gain insight. This is why it is very important to establish good relationships with our Sangha brothers and sisters and our teachers. We should not underestimate the practice of devotion, but devotion alone is not enough—it must go together with the practice of meditation, of looking deeply, and the practice of compassion in action. The great bodhisattvas presented in the action dimension of the Lotus Sutra offer us examples of the many ways and forms of practice through which we can become the hands and arms of the Buddha in the world.

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