“Let’s awake the Buddhahood within yourself” for “Peace in All Adversities”. You may hear of one of the greatest expression of Buddhahood is the Great Vows to save all sentient beings of Buddha, Boddhisattva.
Buddha had said: “I am the already Buddha. Other living beings are the ongoing Buddhas.” It is the ultimate truth because of thanks to waking the Buddhahood within each of living beings, they can improve their Buddhahood and become Buddha.
Thus, on the Dharma pathway of a Buddhist, the prerequisite thing for us to do is to awake our Buddhahood. We realize it first. Moreover, we have to awake our Buddhahood. Finally, applying the Buddhahood within yourself into the way you think, speak, and act in daily life.
Because life is a two-sided coin, we can’t separate all suffering and adversities from our life.
However, If you can awake and improve Buddhahood, as a result, you can find: “Peace in All Adversities.”
First of All, What is Buddhahood in Buddhism?
Simply, Buddhahood is the inside nature of all sentient beings. It means everyone is born with the good seed of character inside. This is care and compassion for others. One of the greatest writers of all times, Shakespeare, mentioned:
“Yet doe I feare thy Nature, It is too full o’ th’ Milke of humane kindnesse.”
From Shakespeare’s Macbeth, 1605.
Buddhahood in Buddhism is as the same as the milk of human kindness. This is the great loving compassion and kindness within yourself.
Have you ever wondered why the eyes of children shine like a diamond? The reason is their soul is pure and full of care for others. Likewise, Buddhahood is the ultimate nature of all sentient beings. It lays inside our heart. It reminds us to do good things but to avoid bad things. No matter how cruel someone is, Buddhahood is still within his mind. However, it is temporarily covered by other bad seeds.
As a normal person, our Buddhahood is also challenged through times. In other words, our pure soul with kindness and loving compassion is not the same as it was when we were a child.
That is the reason why innumerable Buddhas, Bodhisattvas had made Great Vows to save all of the sentient beings in five realms of reincarnations. And the first thing they do is to save the soul of sentient beings in the world. It means, to awake the Buddhahood within the soul of all sentient beings.
In short, Buddhahood is the ultimate nature of all of us. It is always beside you and the main duty of your Dharma pathway is to awake the Buddhahood within yourself. As a result, you will find it peaceful no matter what diversities you have to face throughout your life.
To What Extent Is Buddhahood Important? A Story about Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Saving A Man in The Hell Realm
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva or the Bodhisattva of the Hell Realm is the great Bodhisattva in Buddhism. Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva had strongly made one Great Vow.
“Only when the hell realms are empty, do I become the Buddha.”
This Great Vow means Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva had been keeping on saving all of the sentient beings in the hell realms. Of course, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva can’t become the Buddha in the present because there are a large number of the ones with bad karmas in the hell realms.
I have heard of the story about Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva saving a man in the hell realm.
“Once a day, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva went in the hell realm to find the ones who can still be saved.
There were a lot of men in this hell realm. They saw Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. One man asked for help.
He said: “Please help me to get out of this hell realm.”
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva answered: “When you were alive, did you do any good thing?”
This man thought about it for a while. As he had made many bad karmas when he was alive, he found it a difficult to answer.
After such a long time, he answered: “The only good thing I had done in my life is to save a spider from falling into the water.”
Then, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva told this spider to save this man. The spider came and dropped its silk to pull this man up. This man held the spider’s silk tightly. However, other men also catched up the silk and climed up. This man got angry and pushed them. Finally, all of them fell down into the hell realm again.”
How important the Buddhahood is? Here is the answer, from this story.
- The Great Buddhahood is the motivation for Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva to practice the Boddhisattva-pathway. In other words, the Great Buddhahood is the requirement for becoming Buddha.
- Improving the Buddhahood and following the Boddhisattva-pathway is the great way for you to attain peace and get closer to Nirvana. Let you learn from Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva. His Great Buddhahood is always ready for sentient beings, although sentient beings in the hell realm.
- A small good seed of Buddhahood can save your life. On the contrary, a small bad seed of Anger can hit you down. A man is saved by his only one good behavior — saving a spider’s life. However, because of his lacking kindness, his selfishness and anger had hit him down.
- You are the owner of Buddhahood within yourself. It motivates you to plant good karmas or make bad karmas. Being the great owner of the Buddhahood also means to be the owner of karma.
- To become the Buddha, Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva have to go through the darkest place in all planes of existence. Buddhahood is also planted and expressed in the adversities.
Sometimes, if you feel a little tired, let you listen to Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva’s mantra.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkOrJ7yhftA [/embedyt]
How to Awake The Buddhahood to Find “Peace in All Adversities”?
We are all normal sentient beings. Of course, we tend to get angry, unhappy easily. In other words, we are the victims of our Greed, Hatred, and Illusion. We are not perfect ones, thus we should learn to awake our Buddhahood within ourselves.
The key word for you is: “Peace in All Adversities.”
Life is a two-sided coin. We can’t always prevent the sufferings from appearing in our life. However, we can choose the suitable attitude for each and every adversity we face.
It is about the Buddhahood: let us live with calmness and kindness.
Hereby some useful tips you can try:
Practicing One Day of Calmness
On this day, you spend time for yourself. No string attached with others. Just chant in your mind: “Namo Amida Buddha.” By chanting in your mind like this, you are looking for the help of Amida Buddha. By this way, you also clean the dust in the mirror of your soul. Or, you can consider practicing Buddhism meditation. It is really helpful for those who are looking for finding the purity and calmness within the soul. It is really the great beginning for those who look forward to achieving the goal “Peace in All Adversities.”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLVkuj26nY[/embedyt]
Giving is Receiving: An Timeless True
Making virtues to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha is the great way to show your Buddhahood. Besides that, in your daily life, you can also practice giving without any effort. For examples:
- Giving someone a chance to say apologize.
- Making a donation to charity.
- Loving children and animals.
- Talking about nice things to a stranger or sharing useful knowledge with others.
- Don’t get mad by the drunk ones.
- Inspiring others by your good energy.
The art of giving is to give with pleasure. You feel totally comfortable because you really love to making a favor for others.
Practicing Loving-Kindness Meditation
Practicing loving-kindness meditation is a great way for you to improve loving compassion or Buddhahood. For both yourself and others people. In Pali language, its name is “Metta Bhavana”. For detail, “Metta” means “kindness” or “loving compassion”. And “Bhavana” means “cultivation”.
Hereby the short guidance to practice loving-kindness meditation:
First of all, let start with respect and loving-kindness for yourself. Feeling the peace and love inside yourself. You can tell yourself nice words such as: “May I be happy.” The only thing you need to this in this step is to send the signals of nice treatment and cares for yourself.
Secondly, moving your attention to others. You should practice thinking about these types of person.
- Someone really cares for you.
- Your close friend or a family member.
- A person whom you neither like nor dislike — a “neutral” person in your social network.
- Your enemy or someone whom you really hate.
- All beings in the world.
You transfer the feeling of love for yourself to them. For each person, you spend about 3–5 minutes to think and fill your soul with love for them.
Finally, thinking about all the best wishes for them. For examples. you can chant or think like these:
“May they be fine. And may they be alright.
May they be healthy. And may they be strong.
May they be peaceful. And may they be joyful.
May they be happy. And may they be free from all suffering and pains.”
It is great for you to practice loving-kindness meditation every day. After a short time of practicing, you will find it peaceful and your loving compassion for yourself and others is developed. Finally, even though how much difficulty you have to face in your life, you can also find “Peace in All Adversities” as you have had well prepared before.
Maintaining Positive Attitude in All Adversities
Again, life is a two-sided coin. Both happiness and suffering are temporary. In fact, life will always send you some unexpected gifts. And you are the one who will decide how you react to all adversities in your life. Having a bright outlook on life or being negative, it depends on you. If you feel really hurt now, let you believe that this emotion will no sooner or later disappear. At a higher level of spiritual development, you will be totally able to be the great owner of your feeling as well as all behaviors in adversities.
In sum, Buddhahood is really the good seed for the Nỉrvana tree. You plant it and take care of it well every day, no matter you are in the beautiful days or the stormy nights.
Let’s learn from our Buddha — The World Honored One. Buddha is the Greatest One with Greatest Buddhahood.
Let’s learn from Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva — The Boddhisattva of the hell realm: going through the darkest place to find each seed of Buddhahood inside sentient beings.
Kindness and Great Compassion is not only in the comfortable conditions. The Buddhahood inside ourselves is awakened, nourished, developed, and challenged in all adversities. Therefore, if you’re in extreme suffering somedays, let you think that it is really such a great opportunity for you to climb upon the spider’s silk so as to escape from the hell realm. Be patient. Having a bright outlook on life. Encouraging others to change for a better life. As the result, you will find “Peace in All Adversities.” Of course, in this way, you will get closer to Nirvana, as the same as Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva is going on Boddhisattva-pathway to become Buddha.
