Because of knowing grief and pain, also giving rise to loving-kindness and compassion, encouraging all to be one and the same, with revulsed renunciation of this Sahā World.
— Verses On Sorrow And Joy (1)
As Great Master Hóngyī’s (弘一大师) (1880–1942) famous last written words, he wrote ‘悲欣交集：见观经。’ While there are many interpretations of what he was trying to say with the first four words, most neglect the significance of the last three smaller words by the side, which say ‘See the Contemplation Sūtra‘. Even when it comes to reading of the first four words, much is lost in incomplete ‘translation’. While these words do not arise in the above sūtra, the related sentiments do, as we shall see.
Ānanda tidied his robes, and within the great assembly, joined his palms and prostrated. His mind’s traces were completely clear, with sorrow and joy mixed together. Desiring to benefit all future sentient beings thus, he prostrated and spoke to the Buddha, ‘Great compassionate World-Honoured One, I have now already awakened to the Dharma Door for accomplishing Buddhahood, and on this cultivation of practice within, attained that without doubts and confusion. I often hear the Thus Come One thus speak, that “Those with themselves yet to attain deliverance, who first deliver others, are with Bodhisattvas’ aspiration. Those self-awakened already, who are able to perfectly awaken others, are Thus Come Ones, who manifest in the world.” I, although yet to be delivered, aspire to deliver all of the Dharma-Ending Age’s sentient beings.
World-Honoured One, all these sentient beings, will leave the Buddha to gradually become distant. Evil teachers who speak the false Dharma, will be like the Ganges River’s sands. Desiring to gather their minds to enter Samādhi, how should they be enabled to peacefully establish places to realise the path, to be far from all demonic matters, and for the Bodhi Mind attain non-retrogression?’
To summarise, with mixed feelings (which will be further defined below), Ānanda respectfully told the Buddha that although he has clear faith in the Buddha path, but yet to be liberated, he wishes to be a Bodhisattva, to liberate all in this present era, when the Right Dharma (正法) will be diminishing steadily. This is so as we will be physically farther and spiritually further away from the Buddha, while those who mispresent his teachings will become innumerable.
He then requested for (what turned out to be moral) teachings (based on the Four Heavy Precepts [四重戒]) for deepening concentration, so as to set up pure places to practise the Dharma, that enable non-backsliding progress towards Buddhahood. [As taught by the Buddha in the Immeasurable Life Sūtra《无量寿经》, in this age, the most enduring will be the Pure Land teachings, which lead to birth in the purest place possible, that enables the swiftest progress to complete enlightenment.]
As we can see in the second line, which described Ānanda’s seemingly conflicting yet combined emotions, ‘悲欣交集’ is ‘with sorrow and joy mixed together.’ Although the word ‘悲’ arising in many Buddhist texts refers to ‘compassion’, as in the context of ‘慈悲’, which is ‘loving-kindness and compassion’, the opposite of joy is sorrow, not compassion. Yet, such sorrow does arise due to compassion for others, not grief over personal matters only. Indeed, according to a dictionary, ‘悲欣’ means ‘悲伤与喜悦’, ‘sorrow and joy’. Thus, although Ānanda was joyful for his confidence in the Buddha’s teachings, he also felt sorrow for those who might not encounter them. However, he did not wallow in pointless sadness or misery, as his compassion spurred him to seek teachings for freeing all from sorrow.
Now that the first four words are understood, let us look at their essence in the context of the Contemplation Sūtra. Its key protagonist is Queen Vaidehī (韦提希夫人), who expressed great sorrow in the Preface Section (序分):
Then, Vaidehī, subject to imprisonment already, became worried, wan and sallow. From afar towards Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, to the Buddha she paid homage, and made this statement, ‘The Thus Come World-Honoured One, when in the past, often sent Ānanda, to come and console me. I now am worried, with the World-Honoured One’s majesty, having no way to attain sight of it. May you send Maudgalyāyana and Honoured One Ānanda for me, to meet one another.’ Having made this statement already, sorrowfully weeping and raining tears, from afar towards the Buddha she prostrated.
To summarise, due to being jailed by her son Prince Ajātaśatru (阿阇世太子), just like her husband King Bimbisāra (频婆娑罗王) was, Vaidehī became depressed and weak, but still had enough presence of mind and energy to pray to the Buddha, beseeching him to send Maudgalyāyana and Ānanda to comfort her with the Dharma on his behalf. The key word that sums up her emotions is ‘sorrow[fully]’ (悲). Similar to Ānanda in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, her grief was not limited to her personal woes, as she also requested for more of the Pure Land teachings on the behalf of all beings out of compassion, including us in this Dharma-Ending Age. In a later part of the sūtra, this is stated:
Then, Vaidehī to the Buddha said, ‘World-Honoured One, those like me now, with the Buddha’s power thus, see that land. If after the Buddha’s Parinirvāṇa, of all sentient beings’ kinds, the defiled and evil, unvirtuous, and those by the Five Sufferings bothered, how should they see Amitā[bha] Buddha’s Land Of Ultimate Bliss?’
Note: The Five Sufferings (五苦) are the (i) Physical Sufferings (身苦) of (1) birth (生), (2) ageing (老), (3) sickness (病) and (4) death (死), and the Mental Sufferings (心苦) of (ii) separation from the beloved (爱别离), (iii) meeting the hated (怨憎会), (iv) not attaining the sought (求不得) and (v) blazing of the Five Aggregates (五蕴炽盛) (of forms [色], feelings [受], perceptions [想], mental formations [行] and consciousness [识]).
Near the end of the sūtra, in the Attainment Of Benefits’ Section (得益分) is this which stated Vaidehī’s great joy:
When speaking these words, Vaidehī with her five hundred maids, having heard that the Buddha said, immediately then saw the Land Of Ultimate Bliss’ vastness and lengths of its forms, attaining sight of the Buddha’s body and the two Bodhisattvas. Their minds gave rise to joy, praising that never before had. Suddenly opening to understanding with great awakening, reaching Non-Arising’s Forbearance [i.e. non-retrogression]. The five hundred maids gave rise to Anuttara Samyak Saṃbodhi’s mind, and aspired to be born in that land. The World-Honoured One predicted that all will be reborn there.
The above joy was reiterated in sūtra’s Transmission Section (流通分):
The Buddha told Ānanda, ‘You should well uphold this spoken. Those upholding this spoken, are thus those upholding Immeasurable Life Buddha’s name [i.e. Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛)].’ The Buddha, when speaking these words, Honoured One Maudgalyāyana, Honoured One Ānanda, Vaidehī and others, hearing that the Buddha said, all had great joy.
Thus, by ‘with sorrow and joy mixed together’ (悲欣交集), Great Master Hóngyī was most probably expressing, similar to Vaidehī, his sorrowful (悲伤) yet empathetic compassion (悲悯) for sentient beings still suffering, who have yet to experience the joy (欣喜) and rejoice (欣幸) of connecting to Āmítuófó, which he already attained. Beyond merely describing his feelings, he could be said to be asking all to pay attention to the Buddha’s conclusive teaching above — ‘You should well uphold this spoken. Those upholding this spoken, are thus those upholding Immeasurable Life Buddha’s name [i.e. Āmítuófó].‘ This would be most fitting of his compassionate character, that made him a Great Master.
因知欣幸， 亦生慈悲， 劝众一同， 欣求极乐。
— 悲欣偈 (2)
Because of knowing rejoice, also giving rise to loving-kindness and compassion, encouraging all to be one and the same, with joyful seeking of the Pure Land Of Ultimate Bliss.
