The following is an excerpt from Now is the Time to Practice, chapter 5: “All Obstacles Disappear.”
Perceiving the boundless ocean of merit,
Samantabhadra holds nothing for himself.
Jeweled lotus flowers fall like rain;
all obstacles disappear.
For most of my life, I’ve lived inland, among streams and lakes. I visited the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans once each as I grew up; both were special occasions. I then had the joy of living near oceans in both northern California, USA, and later in Cambodia. Although I love both, there is a different feeling between dangling my feet in an Ozarks’ stream and wading into the waters of an ocean that stretch across the entire horizon. Having felt the immensity of that expanse certainly gives a more profound meaning to the image of the vast ocean of suffering that we glimpsed when reflecting on Quan Âm.
But this same image – the unfathomable size and power of an ocean – is flipped in other Buddhist scriptures and stories. While an ocean of suffering captures for us the experience of being overwhelmed, swallowed up, and left frantically hoping for shore by the hardships of life, the ocean of merit captures for us the boundless potential for wise and compassionate action. In the Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, it is the merits and virtues of the Buddhas that are infinite. Samantabhadra explains that, if each atom in the universe represented a kalpa of time (about 16 million years), there still wouldn’t be enough time to proclaim the boundless virtues of the Buddhas.
That boundlessness arises from the Ten-fold Paramita, the gateway to the Other Shore and basis of bodhisattva practice. Each of the ten practices flow from the first, to pay homage to all Buddhas. Moving through the aspirations, the practitioner grows in understanding and cultivation of the path. The more we understand what the Buddhas and their Awakening means, the more the heart-mind itself inclines to Awakening. There is no need for coercion, for example, when it comes to honestly recognizing and letting go of the unwholesome acts that hold us back, or from recognizing and celebrating the wholesome acts of others. The heart-mind opens with such generosity that it cannot view anyone as beyond the reach of this wisdom and compassion, including ourselves.
‘I’ll be a doctor for anyone who is sick,’ the Bodhisattva of Great Action proclaims. ‘I’ll guide anyone who has lost their way. I’ll make sure the poor find hidden treasures. All Buddhas hold this Great Heart in common. This Great Compassion brings forth the Bodhi-heart, and the Bodhi-heart brings forth Enlightenment.’ He compares it to a huge tree in the desert. Even if no water is in sight, the roots go down deep, and the tree still flourishes with leaves, flowers, and fruit.
This all leads to the tenth and greatest aspiration, to dedicate these merits to all beings – that all of us together, without exception, will realize the Bodhi Mind. So, while the suffering of the six realms is great, this practice is up to the task. If “space is boundless,” Samantabhadra says, “so also is my homage.” If suffering arising from greed, hatred, delusion, and the like is boundless, so are the wholesome qualities that arise through skillful acts of body, speech, and mind. And even when all the karma and all the suffering of all beings comes to an end, this Heart of Great Compassion never will. This brings us back to the first vow; for when we act with the Heart of Great Compassion for all beings, that is the greatest homage we can offer to the Buddhas.
In the Lotus Sutra, Samantabhadra’s arrival is greeted with music and a gentle rain of jeweled lotus flowers. Countless bodhisattvas accompany him. He vows to protect all who take up that teaching and assures them they are planting “deep roots of good merit.” We all have different experiences. For some of us, it is much easier to see the vast ocean of suffering than it is to see the boundless ocean of merit. But Samantabhadra’s vows offer a pathway to train our actions of body, speech, and mind, and to find for ourselves that the Heart of Great Compassion is indeed more than enough: to bring about an end of every suffering and to bring forth the Bodhi Mind in every being. The roots go deep. The water is there. The practice is possible. Samantabhadra’s vow includes me, a blossom on a mighty tree of Great Compassion. I, too, vow to cultivate it.
Reflect:
-Call to mind both images: the ocean of suffering and the ocean of merit. How do you relate to each? How do the two images relate to each other?
-Samantabhadra is called the Bodhisattva of Great Action. What are some ways in which his vows reflect that name?
-How does the analogy of the Great Tree provide both hope and guidance for cultivating the bodhisattva path, even in difficult conditions?
-Why is it that, when we act with the Heart of Great Compassion for all beings, that is the greatest homage we can offer to the Buddhas?
Practice:
-Contemplate the ten vows made by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. How does (or might) each vow find expression in your life? In what ways does each vow connect back to the first, paying homage to all Buddhas?
-In order to glimpse the boundless ocean of merit even in difficult circumstances, consider using the “What Went Right” practice. Being careful not to minimize, deny, or repress suffering, reflect on the following question: “What had to go right in order for me to notice what went wrong?”
-Another version of this “What Went Right” practice is to bring your attention to some relationship, object, or experience that you may take for granted. For example, if you enjoy the benefit of access to clean drinking water: “What had to go right in order for me to be able to assume this water was safe to drink?”
-Place a reminder of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, such as a picture or statue, where you will see it each day. Pause and recite a simple aspiration, such as: May I and all beings bring forth the Heart of Great Compassion.