Selected Lectures on the Sūtra of the Collection of Father and Son

Original text:大王。应作是念。我当云何。于人天中。得为眼目。于长夜中。得为照明。于爱河中。得为船筏。于险难处。得为导师。无依怙者。为作主宰。自得度已。复能度他。自解脱已。令他解脱。自得安隐。令他安隐。自证涅槃。复令他证。大王。不应观彼。现在世间。所受富乐。五欲自在。诸根如幻。境界如梦。谓于色境。声香味触。心生贪着。无满足时。

Bodhisattvas should make the vow: "Having crossed over myself, I shall then be able to ferry others across." Only after one has crossed over oneself can one ferry others across. If a bodhisattva has only the intention to save and deliver beings, yet is still within the sea of suffering of saṃsāra, then he has no power to save sentient beings. For example, a person who has never been to a distant place with beautiful scenery cannot lead others there to enjoy the scenery together; he may lose his way halfway and naturally never reach the destination. Therefore, one must first have been to that scenic place, personally beheld its beautiful sights, and become thoroughly familiar with the roads in between before one can lead others there together. This is the principle that only one who has delivered himself can deliver others.

Bodhisattvas should make the vow: "Having liberated myself, I shall enable others to be liberated." Only when one is liberated oneself can one enable others to attain liberation. Only when one has the ability to leave the three realms and is no longer bound by the three realms can one lead others along the correct path of liberation. If one has not attained liberation oneself, one does not know the correct path of liberation and cannot lead sentient beings onto the path of liberation.

Bodhisattvas should make the vow: "Having attained peace and security myself, I shall enable others to attain peace and security." The Buddha has already reached the other shore of nirvāṇa, attaining the ultimate bliss of the quiescence of nirvāṇa, with both body and mind at peace. In order to save sentient beings and bring them peace and security, He returned to the three realms, yet His body and mind remain peaceful and at ease, not deluded or bound by the realms of the five desires and six sense objects of the Sahā world. Only in this way can He guide sentient beings to gradually attain peace and security as well. When Śākyamuni Buddha came to the Sahā world and manifested the eight aspects of attaining the Way, He was born as Prince Siddhārtha, surrounded by the five desires; yet the prince's mind had long since transcended these worldly realms, untainted by any realm of experience. His mind attained peace and security, unconfused and unperverted in any realm, and He was able to renounce all worldly desires and familial affections, resolutely leaving home to cultivate the Way. After attaining the Way, He began to extensively deliver immeasurable sentient beings. Bodhisattvas should likewise emulate the conduct of all Buddhas, diligently cultivating practice to attain peace and security of body and mind, and then bring peace and security to immeasurable sentient beings. If one's own mind has not yet attained peace and security, with greed, attachment, and clinging unceasing, one is easily deluded amid the five desires and six sense objects, and consequently creates unwholesome karma and suffers endlessly. In such a state, one cannot even secure one's own peace and security—how then could one bring peace and security to sentient beings?