How to Develop the Bodhicitta of Will
(Bodhicitta Series Part III)

CW39_No.110

Under the guidance of the Buddhist Yogi C. M. Chen
Written by Yutang Lin

To avoid unnecessary repetitions, we assume that our readers have already studied Yogi C. M. Chen's "How to Develop the Bodhicitta."

1. Some Clarifications

1.1 The Bodhicitta in the Consequence position should consist of Mercy, Compassion, Joy and Renunciation. Mercy in the sense of giving all sentient beings pleasure and the causes of pleasure. Compassion in the sense of relieving all sentient beings of their suffering and its causes. Joy in the sense of sharing with all sentient beings the non-duality of pleasure and Sunyata. Renunciation in the sense of the great equality of Maha-mudra. Thus, it is clear that Bodhicitta consists of both Wisdom and Compassion in balance. Hence, Bodhicitta is not just compassion and should not be confused with the latter.

1.2 The Bodhicitta of Will belongs to the Causal position. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have developed their great vows as their first step on the path toward Full-Enlightenment. The function of these great vows is to set a goal and thus guide the practitioner along the way. It is very important that these great vows should not be led astray by worldly considerations.

Some people, lacking the proper understanding of the above, might consider the development of great vows as self-deceiving. They might ask: "How could any ordinary person ever fulfill all those miraculous wishes?" Consequently, they refuse to develop or adopt any great vow.

This kind of person should consider the example set by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas well. According to the sutras, Amitabha Buddha developed 48 great vows when he was a Bhiksu. To fulfill these great vows when he developed them was far beyond his ability. But he stuck to the goal as set by his great vows and continuously practiced Buddha Dharma for countless kalpas. As a result of his determination and efforts, the Western Pure Land has become the refuge for countless beings who have followed his example. Similarly, the Healing Buddha has 12 great vows, Manjusri and Samantabhadra have 10 great vows each, Avalokitesvara has 32 great vows, etc. May all our readers who have not developed their own great vows yet, soon follow these examples.

1.3 The Bodhicitta of Will may be developed in three ways which are traditionally analogized as that of a shepherd, boatman and prince. One may wish to attain full Enlightenment only after all other sentient beings have done so (that of a shepherd), at the same time with others (that of a boatman), or before others (that of a prince). Usually the shepherd type is regarded as the most respectable among the three, although the other two types are equally valid.

From the point of view of the three-yanas-in-one, one should make the following distinction: For the Mahayana, the shepherd type and the boatman type are equally valid, but the former is more respectable than the latter. For the Vajrayana, the proper type is only that of a prince. A Vajrayana practitioner should aim at achieving Full Enlightenment within this life in this body so that he may effectively and ultimately save all sentient beings before long. The precious teachings of the Vajrayana belong to the Consequence position. The initiations of the Vajrayana in reality give the disciples the seed of Buddhahood which is like being born in the Buddha Palace. As a Prince of Dharma, a Vajrayana practitioner should leave all worldly things behind and devote his whole life in solid practices, with the hope that he may soon become a Buddha.

2. Great Vows of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas

In order to learn to develop our own Bodhicitta of Will, let's look at the examples set by the Great Vows of some Buddhas or Bodhisattvas:

2.1 The 48 Great Vows of Amitabha Buddha developed when he was a Bhiksu named Dharmakara:

If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be hell beings, hungry ghosts and animals in my Pureland, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would fall again into the three lower realms after their death, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would be of pure gold color, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would be of equal shape and color (some beautiful and some ugly), then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not know fully their past lives, or at least know everything that would have been in billions nayutas kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Heavenly Eye, or at least see billions nayutas Purelands of Buddhas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Heavenly Ear, or at least hear the teachings of billions nayutas Buddhas and adhere to all these teachings, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Wisdom of Reading others' minds, or at least know the mind of all sentient beings in the Purelands of billions nayutas Buddhas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not have the Supernatural Feet, or at least be able to pass billions nayutas Purelands of Buddhas in a flash of thought, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would have any attachment to one's body, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet heavenly beings in my Pureland would not dwell in the Right Samadhi, and would not attain Nirvana for sure, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet my brightness would be measurably limited and could not shine upon at least billions nayutas of Buddha-Purelands, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet my life span would be measurably limited and could not last for at least billions nayutas kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the number of Sravakas in my Pureland would be countable and even could be counted by all sentient beings in a great chiliocosm turning into Pratyekabuddhas and working together for hundreds and thousands of kalpas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the life spans of heavenly beings in my Pureland would be uncountably long, unless it is otherwise according to their own will. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be any heavenly being in my Pureland who would hear even just the name of any wrong doing, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all uncountably many Buddhas in the ten directions would call my name in praise, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then any sentient being in any one of the ten directions who would earnestly believe and willingly wish to be born in my Pureland, even if for only the duration of ten thoughts, would be born there. Otherwise, I would not attain Full Enlightenment. With the only exception of those sentient beings who either have committed the five deadly sins or have censured the Right Dharma.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet I and all my people would not encircle and appear before all those sentient beings at the end of their lives in the ten directions who would have developed the Bodhicitta, have accumulated all kinds of merits and have earnestly vowed to be born in my Pureland, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet there would be any sentient being in any one of the ten directions who would have heard my name, have dwelt his thoughts upon my Pureland, have cultivated all kinds of virtuous deeds and have turned the merits toward the wish to be born in my Pureland, whose very wish would not be satisfied, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet not all heavenly beings in my Pureland would have completely developed the thirty-two physical marks of a cakravati, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then all those Bodhisattvas who would come from other Buddha-lands to be born in my Pureland, would eventually achieve Eka-jati-prati-Buddha, unless according to their fundamental vows, for the sake of all sentient beings, they would wear the armor of Great Vows, accumulate all virtuous deeds, emancipate all beings, visit all Buddha-lands in order to practice the path of Bodhisattvas, give offerings to Buddhas in the ten directions, instruct and convert innumerably many sentient beings and settle them on the insuperable right path of Truth, surpass the ordinary tracks, carry out the functions of each Bodhisattva Bhumi, and practice without delay the virtues of Samantabhadra. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland in my Grace would make offerings to all Buddhas, and yet they could not reach each one of the countless billion nayutas Buddha-lands during one meal time, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha and the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would display their virtuous deeds before all Buddhas, and yet they could not obtain everything as they would wish to make the offerings, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland could not preach the All Encompassing Wisdom, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would not have the body of Vajra Narayana, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then in my Pureland all heavenly beings and everything would be clean, beautiful, lustrous, of extraordinary colors and shapes, and wonderful beyond description. If the numbers or names of all these wondrous beings and things in my Pureland could be clearly distinguished by some sentient beings, even those who have the Heavenly Eyes, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, even those of little merits, could not know and see the countless lusters and the four-million-li height of the Bodhi-tree thereof, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland could not obtain wisdom or the ability to debate, after they had been taught the Sutras and had read and preached them, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would be of limited Wisdom or ability to debate, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then my land would be clean and pure, and all the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions could be seen from my Pureland, just like looking at the image of one's face in a clear mirror. If this would not be the case then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then everything in my Pureland, from the ground up to the sky, the palaces, the tall buildings, the ponds and brooks, the trees and flowers would be made of countless varieties of jewels and hundreds and thousands of kinds of incense. Their ornaments would be wondrous beyond those of heavenly beings, and their fragrances would spread through all the worlds in the ten directions, and Bodhisattvas who would have smelled them would all practice the Buddha's Way. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then all sentient beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions, upon their bodies being touched by my brightness, would become softer and tender in body and mind than heavenly beings. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet all sentient beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions, upon hearing my name, would not obtain the Dharma Patience of Non-born of Bodhisattvas and the various deep Dharanis, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions there would be some women who would have heard my name, become happy and faithful, developed Bodhicitta, become tired of a female body and yet would obtain a female form again after her death, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions would hear my name and, after their death, would constantly practice the Pure conducts until they become fully Enlightened. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then all heavenly beings in the countless and inconceivable worlds of Buddhas in the ten directions would hear my name and show their respect by doing the five-point touch-down prostration, become happy and faithful, and practice the ways of Bodhisattvas. All heavenly beings and human beings would also show respect. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then heavenly beings in my Pureland would get instantaneously clothing they desire, wondrous clothing that would be in accordance with the Dharma as Lord Buddha has praised, and the clothing would naturally be put on them. If there would be tailoring, dyeing or washing, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the happiness of heavenly beings in my Pureland would be inferior to that of a leakless Bhiksu, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, whenever they would desire to see the countless, wondrous Purelands of Buddhas in the ten directions, instantaneously would have their wishes fulfilled. They would see all the Purelands reflected in the jewel trees, just like looking at the image of their faces in a clear mirror. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, from the moment that they would hear my name until they would become Buddhas, would have defective faculties or lack some faculties, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would obtain the Samadhi of Pure Liberation, and as they would dwell in this Samadhi and think of making offerings to countless and inconceivable Buddhas, the world-honored ones, it would be accomplished instantaneously without their leaving the Samadhi. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would be born in noble families after their death. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would become happy and actively practice the Bodhisattva ways and accumulate all the virtuous deeds. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands, having heard my name, would obtain the Samadhi of Universal Equality, and they would dwell in this Samadhi until they become Buddhas, in the meanwhile they would constantly see all countless and inconceivable Tathagatas. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, then the Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would naturally hear the Dharmas that they would desire according to their Great Vows. If this would not be the case, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would not instantaneously attain Avaivartika (the stage of No Regress), then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.
If I would become a Buddha, and yet the Bodhisattvas in other Purelands upon hearing my name would not instantaneously obtain the First, Second, and Third Dharma Patience, nor could they instantaneously attain No Regress in all Buddha Dharmas, then I would not attain Full Enlightenment.

2.2 From the Great Compassion Vow of Avalokitesvara there arises His 32 Great Vows:

To those beings who should be liberated by a Buddha, I would appear in a Buddha body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Individual Enlightenment, I would appear in an Individual Enlightenment body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Pratyekabuddha, I would appear in a Pratyekabuddha body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Sravaka, I would appear in a Sravaka body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Brahma, I would appear in a Brahma body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Indra, I would appear in an Indra body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Isvaradeva, I would appear in an Isvaradeva body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Mahesvara, I would appear in a Mahesvara body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Heavenly Great General, I would appear in a Heavenly Great General body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by one of the four Heavenly Kings, I would appear in one of the four Heavenly Kings body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by the prince of a Heavenly King, I would appear in the prince of a Heavenly King body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a human king, I would appear in a human king body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Elder, I would appear in an Elder body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a kulapati, I would appear in a kulapati body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a government official, I would appear in a government official body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Brahman, I would appear in a Brahman body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Bhiksu, I would appear in a Bhiksu body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a Bhiksuni, I would appear in a Bhiksuni body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Upasaka, I would appear in an Upasaka body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an Upasika, I would appear in an Upasika body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an empress, queen, wife of an official or female official, I would appear in an empress, queen, wife of an official or female official body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a virgin boy, I would appear in a virgin boy body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a virgin girl, I would appear in a virgin girl body and preach Dharma

To those beings who should be liberated by a deva, I would appear in a deva body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a naga, I would appear in a naga body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a yaksa, I would appear in a yaksa body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a gandharva, I would appear in a gandharva body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by an asura, I would appear in an asura body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a kinnara, I would appear in a kinnara body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a mahoraga, I would appear in a mahoraga body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a human, I would appear in a human body and preach Dharma.

To those beings who should be liberated by a non-human, I would appear in a non-human body and preach Dharma.

2.3 The 10 Great Vows of Manjusri, the Dharma Prince, which were developed billions nayutas asankhya-kalpas ago:

If any one of the Tathagatas in the countless, limitless Buddha-lands in the ten directions which are perceived by my hindrance-free Heavenly Eye would not have been persuaded by me to develop a determined Bodhicitta, taught and guided by me to practice sharing, obedience, patience, refined progress, dhyana and wisdom, up to the Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi granted by me, then I should not attain Bodhi. And I should fulfill this vow and then attain Insuperable Bodhi.
My Buddha-land would consist of as numerous Buddha worlds as the sands of the river Ganges and be adorned with countless wondrous jewels dispersed. If this would not be the case, then I would never attain Insuperable Bodhi.
In my Pureland there should be a Bodhi-tree which would be as big as ten great chiliocosms and its brightness would shine throughout this Pureland.
After I would have sat under the Bodhi-tree, I would realize Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. And then, until I would go into Nirvana, I would not leave this seat, however, my transformation would go to countless innumerable Buddha-lands in the ten directions and preach Dharma to sentient beings.
There would be not even women's names in my Pureland, only Bodhisattvas who would have abandoned the dirt of sorrows and accumulated the pure conducts. At the moment of their birth they would wear the monk's robe, sit crosslegged and appear suddenly. My Pureland would be filled completely with such Bodhisattvas, and there would be not even the names of Sravakas or Pratyekabuddhas except those Sravakas or Pratyekabuddhas who are the transformations of the Tathagata to go into the ten directions to preach the Dharma of Three-yanas to sentient beings.
In the Pureland of Amitabha Buddha, the Joy in Dharma is food. But in my Pureland, as a Bodhisattva would begin to have the thought of eating, then at once, hundreds of delicacies would fill the bowl in his right hand, and he would then think thus: if this has not been offered to the Buddhas in the ten directions and given to poor and sorrowful sentient beings, hungry ghosts and the like to satisfy them, then I am determined that I should not partake of it myself. Upon this thought he would obtain the five supernatural powers and be able to fly in the sky without any difficulty to the countless, innumerable Buddha-lands in the ten directions, making food offerings to Buddhas and Sravakas, giving food roundly to poor or suffering sentient beings and also preaching Dharma to them to set them free from eager attachments, and then at the instant of a thought would return to his original place.
The Bodhisattvas in my Pureland, at the time of their birth, would have in their hands various fine clothing according to their needs and intentions, clean, new, monk's robes of proper sizes. Then they would think thus: if this clothing has not been offered to the Buddhas in the ten directions, then I should not wear it myself. At this instant of a thought, they would have visited countless Buddha-lands in the ten directions, made offerings of these fine clothings to all the Buddhas and returned to their original places. Then they would wear the clothing themselves.
The Bodhisattvas in my Pureland would share all the treasures and utensils they would obtain with all the Buddhas and Sravakas. Only after the offerings have been completed, would they partake of them themselves. Besides, in my Pureland there would not be the eight hardships nor the evil things. There would be neither sins nor prohibitions, never sorrows nor displeasures.
My Pureland would consist of accumulations of countless wondrous jewels, adorned with countless Muni wondrous jewels dispersed. These Muni jewels would never have been in the ten directions and would be rarely obtainable. The names of such jewels could not all be mentioned in a koti years. Those Bodhisattvas who would like to see my Pureland made of gold would see it made of gold; those silver, silver. And yet seeing gold would not be affected by others' seeing silver. Likewise would be the cases for preferring to see it made of crystal, lapis lazuli, carnelian, red pearls or countless other jewels. All these visions would not interfere with one another. Likewise would be the cases for preferring to see it made of sandlewood incense, agaru incense or red sandlewood incense, etc. They would each see what each would prefer to see. Besides, in this Pureland the light of Sun, Moon, Muni, stars or fire, etc. would not be used for illumination. The Bodhisattvas would each illuminate one thousand billions nayutas Buddha-lands with the brightness of his body. Again, in this Pureland, day would be when the flowers are open and night, closed. Time and seasons would come and go just as the Bodhisattvas would like them to, and yet there would never be cold Winter nor hot Summer, nor old age, sickness and death. If the Bodhisattvas, as they would like it, would want to attain Bodhi, then they would go to the other Buddha-lands, die in the Tusita Heaven, and then descend and be born and attain Bodhi. There would be no Nirvana in this Buddha-land. The sound of hundreds and thousands of kinds of music would, although not appearing in any form, be heard in the sky. This music would not yield those sounds of lustful love, but only those of the paramitas, Buddhas Dharmas, Sanghas, or the teachings for Bodhisattvas. The Bodhisattvas would hear all the wondrous Dharmas that they could understand. Besides, the Bodhisattvas would, upon the desire to see Buddha, wherever they would be, whether they would be walking, sitting or standing, instantaneously see All-Would-See Tathagata sitting under the Bodhi-tree. If the Bodhisattvas would have any doubt about Dharma, upon seeing that Buddha, without waiting for explanations, the web of doubts would be broken and they would understand thoroughly the meaning of the Dharma.
There are countless, innumerable hundreds, thousands, billions nayutas Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones that I have perceived. All the merits and ornaments of all their Buddha-lands would be put into my Buddha-land, except those pratyekabuddhas, sravakas and the Five Turbidities, etc.

2.4 The 10 Great Vows of Samantabhadra:

I would make prostrations before all Buddhas to show my respect for them.
I would praise all the Tathagatas.
I would make offerings roundly and generously.
I would confess and repent my sins.
I would rejoice in the merits of others.
I would request turnings of the Dharma Wheel.
I would plead for Buddhas to stay in this world.
I would constantly follow the teachings of Buddha.
I would constantly serve and help all sentient beings.
I would always dedicate my merits to all sentient beings.

3. General Principles for Developing One's Own Vows of Bodhicitta

3.1 In the Avatamsaka Sutra, Lord Buddha taught us the ten merits of Will-paramita as follows:

These ten merits set a standard for the Holy Karmas of All Buddhas. Hence, we may develop our own great vows according to this standard.

Furthermore, we would like to emphasize the following principles:

Bodhicitta of Will is altruism but not egoism. It aims at benefitting all sentient beings, without any selfish considerations involved. Thus, our great vows should be formulated not just for ourselves, but for all sentient beings. Just like all sutras were ruled by Lord Buddha to begin with the phrase "Thus I have heard..." to ensure authenticity. We may begin our great vows with the phrase "May I and all sentient beings..." to ensure that our vows are not ego-centric.
Bodhicitta is cosmic in the Buddhist sense. For our great vows there should be no limit in space or time. They should take into consideration any sentient being in any space at any time. And they are meant to be adhered to by us in any space all the time. In the Buddhist sense, when we say in any space, the whole Dharmadhatu is included, and when we say all the time, past, present and future are all included. How could we adhere to our vows even before we have formulated them ? In the absolute sense. there is no real boundary between past and present, nor between present and future. Time is a continuum without a beginning or end. Thus, our vows once made should be adhered to in Time which is past, present and future, three-in-one. In the relative (ordinary) sense, we should evaluate our past activities, speeches and thoughts according to our vows, and reform ourselves accordingly.
How could we adhere to our vows for all the time to come? Take for example the sixteen reincarnations of His Holiness Karmapa, which prove that it is indeed possible to carry out one's vows life after life. Thus one should adhere to one's great vows earnestly and steadfastly for the rest of one's life so that they will guide one even after the end of this lifetime.
Bodhicitta of Will aims at Full Enlightenment, hence it should emphasize the extra-mundane. The very first step is to learn thoroughly the teachings of the whole system of Buddhism. The second step is to digest these teachings well until one has firmly established one's Right View, according to the Dharma. The third step is to develop one's own Great Vows based on the Right View.
To develop one's Bodhicitta one should think of one's mind, body and speech as forming a bridge between Buddhas and sentient beings. We constantly pray that Buddha's Wisdom and Compassion will manifest through our Dharma activities, and thereby benefit sentient beings that we come in contact with. We also pray constantly to the Buddhas for their speedy salvation of all sentient beings who are suffering in the Ocean of Sorrows.
Our Bodhicitta of Will should be aware of the special turmoils of our times. It would not do just to adopt the Great Vows of ancient Buddhas or Bodhisattvas as our own. From automobile accidents to nuclear warfare, there are so many new kinds of suffering that we are afraid of which the ancients did not need to worry about. Hence, we should develop special vows to help ease these sufferings.
Our Bodhicitta of Will may take the special circumstances of an individual into consideration and then generalize it to a class of beings. For example, if one becomes disabled due to industrial or traffic accidents, then one, instead of being overwhelmed by one's misfortunes, may develop special vows to help in whatever way one still can, all beings with functional difficulties. Another example, a barber may develop the vow that: "May I and all sentient beings cut down all the Sorrows" and whenever he is cutting hair or trimming beards, visualize that with the hairs, all the Sorrows are being cut down. These kinds of vows may bring one's daily activities into correspondence with Bodhicitta, and may serve as an intermediate step toward full development of the Bodhicitta of Will.

3.2 As guided by the general principles stated above, I developed a year ago, five vows of Bodhicitta in Chinese for myself which were then improved by Yogi Chen. Below is my translation of my five vows: (It is given here as an example of applications of the general principles.)

May virtuous gurus remain with us and those departed return soon!
May perversive views and violence soon become extinct, and Dharma spread without hindrance!
May all beings proceed diligently on the path toward Buddhahood and achieve the goal before death!
May the Great Compassion flourish in all beings and never regress until they reach perfect Buddhahood!
May the Great Wisdom thrive in all beings and never regress until they reach perfect Buddhahood!

May our readers soon develop their own Great Vows and thereby make concrete their Bodhicitta of Will!

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How to Develop the Bodhicitta of Will (Bodhicitta Series Part III)

CW39_No.110

Under the guidance of the Buddhist Yogi C. M. Chen Written by Yutang Lin

1. Some Clarifications

2. Great Vows of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas

3. General Principles for Developing One's Own Vows of Bodhicitta

How to Develop the Bodhicitta of Will
(Bodhicitta Series Part III)

Under the guidance of the Buddhist Yogi C. M. Chen
Written by Yutang Lin