Practitionersshould make vows with the utmost sincerity and always act in accordance with those vows.
We should emulate the actions of all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and saints of the past, and resolutely correct our past mistakes and not follow our bad habits.
Practitioners should make vows with the utmost sincerity and always act in accordance with those vows. It's not about making a vow and then forgetting it within five minutes; that's as good as not making a vow at all. We need to figure out why we made the vow. It shouldn't be merely a formality or a routine; that would be a grave mistake and violate the principles of one's vow. Everyone who makes a vow should recite it daily to remind and spur themselves on to achieve the highest level of goodness and perfection, thus fulfilling their initial intention.
Because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas earnestly make vows and practice accordingly, they attain the supreme enlightenment. If we truly strive to fulfill every vow, without the slightest falsehood, then we too will become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The Buddha is a being of great wisdom, while we are beings of great ignorance. If we wish to learn great wisdom, we must take the Buddha's mind as our own and the Buddha's vows as our own. We must always be compassionate, joyful, and equanimous, enduring what is difficult to endure and doing what is difficult to do. We must do everything in accordance with truth in order to receive a true response. Therefore, we must pay special attention to making vows!
Amitabha Buddha made forty-eight great vows, thus creating the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and embracing all sentient beings. We should emulate the actions of past Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and sages, earnestly repenting of our past mistakes, not protecting our shortcomings, and not following our habitual tendencies and faults. This is called turning away from defilement and aligning with enlightenment; otherwise, it is turning away from enlightenment and aligning with defilement.
If one has the courage to correct their mistakes, face reality, accept trials, and withstand them, then they will achieve success. Don't let your ego be too strong or your self-importance too heavy. We must recognize that our true nature is bright and upright, the so-called "round and bright, naked and without a trace" true heart. This true nature has no bad habits or faults, so don't place your Buddha-nature on the material things that are merely a combination of the four elements.
Why do we stray from truth and pursue falsehood? Why do we abandon the essential for the trivial? It's because we don't recognize our own true nature. Our true nature is without any defilement, pure and clear, like a bright mirror; it reflects what comes, and when it goes, it returns to its original clarity.
Dear friends! If a cultivator cannot correct their faults, it is as if they have not cultivated the Tao at all. As the saying goes, "At fifty, one realizes the errors of the forty-nine." Those who have this awareness are wise, and their future is undoubtedly limitless—a truly bright future. If one is unaware of right and wrong, then one will live a muddled life, merely pursuing empty fame and false goodness, and being misled by worldly desires. Such a person is truly pitiful!
The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is now a place of enlightenment, illuminated by light and protected by ten thousand Buddhas. We hope that everyone can remove the darkness in their hearts and illuminate it with the light of wisdom so that ignorance and afflictions can be swept away. We must be especially careful about this!
