Parents and Sons

"Oh, good man! For example, there are parents who have a child. They love that child too much. They give to the child fine clothes and the best dishes as occasion requires, and the child has no feeling of anything lacking. If their child becomes arrogant, and says unpleasant words, they restrain their anger by love; they do not even think to themselves that they have given to the child their own clothes and food. It's the same with the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, too. He sees all beings as his only child. If the child suffers from illness, the parents also suffer. They seek a doctor, medicines and medical care. When the illness is gone, they do not think that healed their son of his illness, and done away with it. It's the same with the Bodhisattva. Seeing that all beings suffer from the illness of defilement, compassion awakens in his mind. And then, he speaks of Dharma. When a person listens to his sermons, all defilements flee. When the defilements are gone, he does not think or says the he has done away the suffering of defilements. If such a thought occurred to him, he would not be able to attain unsurpassed Enlightenment. He just thinks that he once spoke of the Way to a being, and thus cut off the fetter of defilement. The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva experiences no anger or joy towards beings. Why not? Because he practices the Samadhi of the All-Void. On practicing the Samadhi of the All-Void, to whom could the Bodhisattva evince any anger or joy?"


Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 32, on the Bodhisattva Highly-Virtuous King 6.

parents and sons.mp3