欲拔一切众生苦故，
作愿摄取一 切众生，
共同生彼安乐佛国。
是名菩萨巧方便回向成就。— 婆薮槃头菩萨
《往生论》Desiring to pull out all sentient beings’ suffering thus, making vow to gather and receive all sentient beings, to together be born in that Buddha Land Of Peace And Bliss. This is named as Bodhisattvas’ skilful dedicating’s accomplishment.
— Vasubandhu Bodhisattva
(Rebirth Treatise)
In Great Master Tánluán’s (昙鸾大师) Rebirth Treatise’s Commentary《往生论注》, he taught the following on the supreme Bodhi Mind (菩提心: Bodhicitta) — ‘This unsurpassable Bodhi Mind, is the same as (a) the mind with the vow to become a Buddha. This mind with the vow to become a Buddha, is the same as (b) the mind to deliver sentient beings. This mind to deliver sentient beings, is the same as (c) the mind to gather and receive sentient beings to be born in the Pure Buddha Land. Therefore, those who vow for birth in that Pure Land Of Peace And Bliss, must give rise to the unsurpassable Bodhi Mind.’ (此无上菩提心，即是 (a) 愿作佛心；愿作佛心，即是 (b) 度众生心；度众生心，即 (c) 摄取众生生净佛国土心。是故愿生彼安乐净土者，要发无上菩提心也。)
The following notes should assure that all who wish to give rise to Common Bodhicitta (通途菩提心), yet are unsure of doing so via committing to the Bodhisattva Precepts (菩萨戒), practices and vows (行愿), can still do so, just by encouraging themselves and others to reach Āmítuófó’s (阿弥陀佛) Pure Land (净土), which already is unsurpassable Bodhicitta at work.
[Note 1: To summarise, to reach Pure Land, there must be the Bodhi Mind, which is the aspiration to become a Buddha, for guiding beings to Pure Land, to also become Buddhas. Even if the aspiration to become a Buddha and to guide others is not yet strong, it will be fully strengthened when Pure Land is reached. As long as one is agreeable with going to Pure Land for this purpose, one can be said to have this aspiration already. Even if not directly agreeable, one should at least be receptive (i.e. not rejective) towards nurturing this aspiration.
Note 2: To simplify understanding of the commentary’s teaching, (a) the unsurpassable Bodhi Mind (无上菩提心) = (b) the mind with the vow to become a Buddha (愿作佛心) = (c) the mind to deliver sentient beings (度众生心) = (d) the mind to gather and receive sentient beings to be born in the Pure Buddha Land (摄取众生生净佛国土心).
As (a) = (b) = (c) = (d), therefore (a) = (d) directly too. Thus, (d) to guide beings (who include oneself) to Pure Land is already expressing of (a) unsurpassable Bodhicitta. This is so even if still in this world as an ordinary being now, yet to be in Pure Land, yet to have ‘graduated’ from Pure Land as a realised Bodhisattva, and yet to be a Buddha. (Of course, being enlightened will make guiding much more efficient due to increased skilfulness.)
While (b) to seek the Buddha path above (上求佛道) and (c) to transform sentient beings below (下化众生) are classic twin definitions of Common Bodhicitta, with the fulfilling of them seemingly like a tall order, those who have already nurtured the Three Provisions (三资粮) of Faith, Aspiration and Practice (信愿行), and are able to explain them, can encourage others to nurture these Three Provisions too. Doing so is to fulfil (d), which already is fulfilling of Bodhicitta. Even if not personally teaching, but guiding others to be taught by teachers, this has equivalent effects.
Even without any Bodhisattva vows formally committed to in a ceremony to express Bodhicitta conventionally, since successful guiding of others to reach Pure Land guarantees their Buddhahood most swiftly, this is definitely unsurpassable Bodhicitta at work. (Anything less in effect cannot be said to be unsurpassable.) This is as if ‘short-circuiting’ the process to bridge the gap backwards, from (d) reaching (a) directly, while still fulfilling the essence of (b) and (c), covering the ‘distance’ required.
While this might seem like an easy way to still express Bodhicitta, without doing other ‘more’ elaborate deeds, it is paradoxically also not so easy in the first place, to have personally nurtured enough of the Three Provisions (over the course of many past lives, and finally in this present life), to be able to inspire others to nurture them too. Even if there is ease of doing so now, this ease that came with forgotten difficulties did not come easily.
This is also the paradox of Pure Land Practice being the Easy Practice Path (易行道), yet difficult to have Faith (and Aspiration) in in the first place, if lacking sincere learning and Practice. (This makes the easiest path the most ‘difficult’ to embrace.) Thus, we should not take the precious Pure Land teachings and our understanding of them for granted. Just as we should be enthusiastic to keep learning and practising them, we should be eager to keep sharing them too, to urge others to keep doing the same.
Note 3: To personally seek Pure Land birth is to have unsurpassable Bodhicitta, as it is to faithfully aspire to reach Pure Land with Practice, through which one will definitely become a Buddha most swiftly, who will deliver beings to Pure Land, to also become Buddhas most swiftly.]
深信发愿，
即无上菩提。— 净土宗九祖蕅益大师
《佛说阿弥陀经要解》With profound Faith giving rise to the Aspiration [to be born in Āmítuófó’s Pure Land], this is the unsurpassable Bodhi [Mind].
— Pure Land Tradition’s 9th Patriarch Great Master Ǒuyì
(Essential Explanation Of The Sūtra In Which The Buddha Speaks On Amitā[bha Buddha])
Related Articles:
Putting All Before One With The Unsurpassable Skilful Means Leads Fastest To Buddhahood
以后其身为最速成佛之无上方便
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2023/08/putting-all-before-one-with-the-unsurpassable-skilful-means-leads-fastest-to-buddhahood
What Is Unsurpassable Bodhicitta?
何为无上菩提心？
https://purelanders.com/2020/06/27/what-is-unsurpassable-bodhicitta
