Part 4
At the kingdom Vast and Great, seeking Dharma from the Elder Utpala. Traveling south to meet Good Knowing Advisors, until he sees the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara on Potalaka Mountain. He is expounding the Teaching of Great Kindness and Compassion, and surrounded by innumerable Bodhisattvas. He says to Good Wealth,
‘Good Man, I have accomplished a Bodhisattva’s Liberation Door of the Conduct of Great Compassion… ‘I vow that all living beings who are mindful of me, or recite my name, or see my person, will be completely spared and removed from all apprehension and terror.’
Good Wealth continues his journey and obtains the Dharma Doors of the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas.

Annotation
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva represents one of the main pillars of (Mahayana) Buddhism, which is Great Compassion. He is known as Gwan Shr Yin Pu’sa in Chinese and Contemplator of the World’s Sounds in English. We discussed a little about compassion earlier in section twenty-five.
This post-modern world is suffocating from a serious lack of compassion.

A verse says,
‘So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind
When just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs.’

Mencius said,
‘All men have a mind, which cannot bear to see the suffering of others..If now men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.. From this case we may perceive that he who lacks the feeling of commiseration is not a man; that he who lacks a feeling of shame and dislike is not a man; and that he who lacks a feeling of modesty and yielding is not a man; that he who lacks a sense of right and wrong is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of human-heartedness. The feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and yielding is the beginning of propriety. The sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Man has these four beginnings, just as he has four limbs… Since all men have these four beginnings in themselves, let them know how to give them full development and completion. The result will be fire that begin to burn, or a spring, which has begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to protect all within the four seas. If they are denied that development, they will not suffice even to serve one’s parents.’

Compassion stems from a gentle-heart, and gentleness stems from a kind heart. A gentleman is described in this way,
‘A gentleman tries to banish from his bearing all traces of violence and arrogance, to remove from his actions all insincerity, to purge from his speech all vulgarity and impropriety… A gentleman is one who never inflicts pain, his great concern being to make everyone at ease and at home. He is tender towards the bashful, gentle towards the distant, and merciful towards the absurd. A gentleman has a sensitive heart, which cannot bear to see suffering in others.’

One gives rise to compassion when one sees living beings undergoing suffering, creating evil karma and sunk in confusion. The Buddha explains that before one attains the Way, that is called compassion because it is limited, it can waver, one cannot save all living beings, and one does not respond to living beings with wisdom. However, after one has attained the Way, one can save all living beings with wisdom, and it is then called Great Compassion. The Buddha told Sujata,
It is said, ‘Kindness can bring happiness, and compassion can alleviate suffering.’

Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua explained in his commentary,
‘Kindness is the mother-substance of good roots. Without kindness, it would be impossible for good roots to grow… Kindness and compassion are the most important virtues that cultivators must have. If you use a kind heart to practice giving, such giving reaps boundless merit and virtue. If you hold precepts with a kind heart, your precepts carry boundless merit and virtue. If you can cultivate patience with a kind heart, that patience has boundless merit and virtue. If you apply kindness and compassion to the practice of vigor, the merit and virtue of your vigor are boundless. If you cultivate dhyana concentration with a kind and compassionate heart, the merit and virtue of your concentration will soon be realized. If you cultivate the perfection of Prajna wisdom with a kind and compassionate heart, Prajna will constantly manifest its light…
‘Kindness is just the Buddha; the Buddha is simply kindness. Kindness is the Great Vehicle Dharma door. The Dharma door of the Great Vehicle does not go beyond kindness. If you have kindness, you are cultivating the Bodhi Path, for the Bodhi Path is just kindness.’

The queen Samavati was the lay disciple who was foremost in the practice of loving-kindness. In the book on the ‘Great Disciples of the Buddha,’ it describes Samavati in this way;
‘She could feel sympathy for all beings and could suffuse everyone with loving-kindness and compassion.’ At one time the king, in the midst of his fury had, ‘reached for his bow and arrow and shot at Samavati, but through the power of her loving-kindness the arrow rebounded from her without doing any harm.’

Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva represents the profound compassion of all Buddhas and Great Bodhisattvas. He is known as the ‘Bestower of Fearlessness,’ and one who fulfills the wishes of living beings. In the Shurangama Sutra, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva explained how he cultivated the nature of hearing and obtained perfect penetration. He describes his thirty-two response bodies, which he manifests in order to teach, transform, and help living beings. He revealed how he is able to bestow fearlessness upon living beings and how he obtained the inconceivable virtues.

IIn the Avatamsaka Sutra he told Good Wealth that he has attained the Bodhisattva’s Conduct Door of Great Compassion.
In the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, chapter twenty-five is on the Universal Door of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. If someone is in danger, or terrified, if that person can be mindful of and very sincerely recite the name of Avalokiteshvara / Gwan Shr Yin Bodhisattva, that person will obtain a response and be saved. If your faith and sincerity is sufficient, there will be a response.
Gwan Yin Bodhisattva is especially skillful in compassionately according with the wishes of living beings in order to influence them to change from bad to good and from good to better. He has supreme wisdom and samadhi-power as well. Hence he can accord with living beings without being taken across by them. He fulfills the wishes of living beings in order to make them happy so that he can speak Dharma for them later. Although he always grants the wishes of living beings, he really hopes that they will all eventually cultivate ultimate Dharmas. Bodhisattvas always try to fulfill the wishes of living beings but living beings do not think of fulfilling the wishes of Bodhisattvas.

Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua says,
   As we recite the name of Gwan Yin Bodhisattva, we  shouldn’t cling to greedy notions…
There is a Gwan Shr Yin Bodhisattva inside the mind of every living being. As we recite and recollect Gwan Yin Bodhisattva, we’re simply recollecting the Gwan Yin Bodhisattva inside our minds.

IIn thought after thought we have no doubt:
Gwan Shr Yin is pure and Sagely.
In times of suffering, agony, danger, and death,
He is our Refuge and Protector.
The Dharma Flower Sutra
   Chapter 25