Selected Lectures on the Father and Son Compendium Sutra

King, you should think thus: How can I become the eyes for gods and humans, the illumination in the long night, the ferryboat in the river of craving, and the guide in perilous places? For those without refuge, I shall become their sovereign. Having crossed over myself, I shall help others cross over. Having attained liberation myself, I shall liberate others. Having attained peace and security myself, I shall bring peace and security to others. Having realized Nirvana myself, I shall enable others to realize it. King, you should not regard the present worldly enjoyments—wealth, pleasures, and mastery over the five desires—as real. The faculties are like illusions; the sense objects are like dreams. Do not cling with greedy attachment to forms, sounds, scents, tastes, or tactile sensations, for such craving can never be satisfied.

A Bodhisattva should vow: "Having crossed over myself, I shall help others cross over." Only after one has crossed over oneself can one help others cross over. If a Bodhisattva has only the intention to save others but remains trapped in the sea of suffering within the cycle of rebirth, one lacks the power to liberate sentient beings. For example, someone who has never traveled to a distant place of beautiful scenery cannot lead others there to enjoy it. They might get lost along the way and naturally fail to reach the destination. Therefore, one must first have been to the scenic place, witnessed its beauty firsthand, and clearly understood the path before one can lead others there. This is the principle of "crossing over oneself before helping others cross over."

A Bodhisattva should vow: "Having attained liberation myself, I shall liberate others." Only by liberating oneself can one liberate others. Only when one possesses the ability to transcend the Three Realms and is no longer bound by them can one guide others onto the path of liberation. Without having attained liberation oneself, one does not know the true path to liberation and cannot lead sentient beings onto it.

A Bodhisattva should vow: "Having attained peace and security myself, I shall bring peace and security to others." The Buddha has reached the other shore of Nirvana, attaining the ultimate bliss of Nirvana's extinction, and both body and mind have found peace and security. To save sentient beings and bring them peace, the Buddha returns to the Three Realms, yet remains at ease and unbound, unconfused and unfettered by the realms of the five desires and six dusts in the Saha World. Only then can the Buddha guide sentient beings to gradually attain peace and security. Shakyamuni Buddha came to the Saha World, manifested the eight phases of a Buddha's life, and was born as Prince Siddhartha. Though surrounded by the five desires, the prince's mind had long transcended these worldly realms. Unstained by any state, his mind was at peace and secure, never confused or deluded in any situation. He was able to renounce all worldly desires and familial attachments, resolutely leaving home to cultivate the path. After attaining enlightenment, he began to liberate countless sentient beings. Bodhisattvas should likewise emulate the deeds of the Buddhas, diligently cultivating to attain peace and security of body and mind, and then bring peace and security to countless sentient beings. If one's own mind has not yet attained peace and security, if greed and attachment persist, one can easily become confused amidst the five desires and six dusts, thereby creating unwholesome karma and suffering incessantly. In such a state, how can one bring peace and security to others when one cannot even find it oneself?