The mind and conduct of a bodhisattva cannot be fathomed by sentient beings

The mental conduct of bodhisattvas cannot be fathomed by sentient beings; especially for bodhisattvas who practice esoteric conduct, their mental conduct is beyond the comprehension of sentient beings. For example, when Śākyamuni Buddha was a bodhisattva, he once killed a man. This man was about to kill the five hundred bodhisattvas on board a ship. When the Buddha learned of this, in order to protect the man from falling into the Avīci hell, he killed him with immensely profound compassion, sparing him from creating the karma of hell, and was willing instead to fall into hell himself and suffer the painful retribution on account of it. There are also other such instances illustrating the compassionate and skillful means by which Buddhas and bodhisattvas deliver sentient beings, which cannot all be told one by one; otherwise, sentient beings with heavy afflictions would use them as an excuse to commit evil karma.

To judge whether a person is good or evil, one cannot merely look at a person's outward behavior at the moment; one must mainly look at a person's mental conduct and state of mind—what the purpose of his actions is and what results they can achieve. Such wisdom is generally not possessed by ordinary people, whereas the great bodhisattvas can grasp the proper measure and timing, and can skillfully know what to accept and what to reject, and the appropriate means. Sentient beings can only see surface phenomena, not the essence, and do not know the true purpose. Therefore, in many matters, bodhisattvas cannot plainly tell sentient beings, because sentient beings are unable to understand, their wisdom being shallow and crude.

In order to deliver sentient beings, bodhisattvas lie hidden among them, manifesting as butchers, as prostitutes, as patrons of brothels, as gamblers, mingling with sentient beings—their sole purpose being to rescue sentient beings from the fiery pit of birth and death. As long as they can save and deliver sentient beings, bodhisattvas do not hesitate to sully their own names, do not shrink from the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of sentient beings, and do not hesitate to pay any price. How many people can perceive the compassionate mental conduct of bodhisattvas, who endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens?