type
status
date
slug
summary
tags
category
icon
password
AI summary
Long ago, in a time beyond measure, there was a king named Dharmakara in the land of Wonderful Joy. His father was the Wheel-Turning King Moon-Like, and his mother was the Exceptionally Beautiful One. During this era, a Buddha known as Lokesvararaja (the 53rd Buddha after Dipankara) appeared in the world.
When King Dharmakara heard the Buddha's teachings, his heart filled with joy and his mind opened. Inspired, he awakened to the supreme Bodhi mind. Renouncing his royal position, he followed Lokesvararaja Buddha and became a monk, receiving the name Dharmakara Bhikshu. His aspiration was to relieve the suffering of all beings, and he made great vows to this end. From the very beginning of his spiritual journey, he was fond of unique practices and aimed to achieve the highest enlightenment. He especially wished to grant supreme happiness and benefits to those suffering in the sea of misery, as only this could satisfy his heart's desire.
After careful consideration, Dharmakara realized that to achieve his goal, he needed to first establish an exceptionally blissful world to guide all beings. He also determined to create a simple practice that all beings could easily follow to be reborn in his pure land.
However, Dharmakara was unsure which Buddha's land was the most extraordinary and which practice was the simplest to achieve his great vow. So he approached the Buddha again, bowed respectfully, and knelt with palms joined. After praising the Buddha, he said, "I have awakened the mind of supreme enlightenment. Please, World-Honored One, explain to me the majestic pure lands of all Buddhas in the ten directions and their methods of practice. After hearing this, I will cultivate accordingly to fulfill my vows and swiftly attain enlightenment to save all beings from suffering."
Moved by Dharmakara's noble aspirations and wisdom, Buddha Lokesvararaja thoroughly explained various practices and described in detail the realms of 2.1 billion Buddha lands. Through the Buddha's inconceivable power and Dharmakara's sincere wish, all these Buddha lands appeared before him. Overjoyed by what he learned, Dharmakara made a supreme vow. He carefully selected the best qualities from these lands, discarding the inferior ones, and found that the Western Pure Land was the most extraordinary and appealing. From past practices, he meticulously chose the easiest method, concluding that reciting the Buddha's name was the most convenient approach.
Dharmakara then told the Buddha, "I have chosen the adornments for my Buddha land and the pure practices." The Buddha said, "You may now proclaim them to bring joy to the great assembly." Dharmakara replied, "Please listen carefully to my vows," and proceeded to make 48 great vows before the Buddha, establishing a new Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss to guide beings of all levels. Each vow was meant to adorn the Pure Land and save all sentient beings.
Dharmakara deeply contemplated that if his pure land wasn't exceptionally sublime, few would aspire to be reborn there, or it might be difficult to cultivate. Even if the pure land was extraordinary, without proper methods, it wouldn't attract many beings seeking rebirth. How then could he fulfill his great vow? Thus, he decided to establish the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss as the ultimate destination for all beings and promote the practice of Buddha-name recitation as the means for all to achieve rebirth there.
Such an unprecedented endeavor required immense vows and power to accomplish. Therefore, Dharmakara awakened the great Bodhi mind and, relying on his original vow-power, practiced diligently for countless eons. He cultivated tirelessly, never retreating from good deeds. Sometimes born as a king, sometimes as a wealthy person, a monk, or a heavenly being, he always made offerings to all Buddhas with four kinds of gifts, widely cultivated myriad practices, and planted numerous roots of virtue. He even practiced extremely difficult austerities, doing what was hard to do and enduring what was hard to endure. This demonstrates Dharmakara's incredible determination.
In a distant past world called Santi-rana during the Bhadrakalpa, the presiding Buddha was named Ratnagarbha. At that time, Dharmakara was a wheel-turning king. Buddha Ratnagarbha prophesied, "In the future, you will become a Buddha named Amitayus (Infinite Life), and your world will be called Sukhavati (Land of Bliss), a pure and peaceful realm."
It's important to understand that Dharmakara Bhikshu's achievement of this extraordinary vow was not the result of cultivation for just one, two, or even hundreds of thousands of eons. It took countless eons of long-term practice to accomplish these inconceivable merits and virtues that now adorn the supreme Western Pure Land. At present, he has fully achieved this great work and has been teaching and guiding beings in the Land of Ultimate Bliss for ten eons. Why shouldn't we make an early vow to seek rebirth there, instead of willingly remaining intoxicated dreamers drifting in the sea of birth and death?
Loading...
