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no one, the Buddha excepted, could effectively ad- which means they all have the capacity to change
dress the problem? It is my personal view that the and attain enlightenment. The single thought and the
motivation of all those thinkers never really left this mind’s true nature are of the same substance as the
world: Their knowledge is the knowledge of the con- Buddha, but although he attained enlightenment, we
ditioned only, and as such bound by obstacles. In remain confused. There neither was an increase be-
consequence, the arguments cannot be settled and a cause of his enlightenment, nor is there a decrease be-
full understanding can not be reached in that man- cause of our ignorance and confusion. These are val-
ner. For full development of the mind, understanding ues related to material. Due to his enlightenment, the
the world of phenomena alone is not enough. The Buddha was in complete harmony with nature, but we
Bodhi, or the fully awakened mind, encompasses suffer greatly because of our conflict-ridden attitude
immeasurable spheres and countless universes. To due to ignorance. The Buddha’s mind was exactly of
attain that status, we must relinquish attachment and the same substance, but he delighted in Dharma, freed
sophistry and eradicate the barrier of the known; only himself from all conditioning, applying his mind as
then can we get an unencumbered view. When we boundless compassion and remembering all sentient
have achieved that, our defilements will drop off by beings moment by moment.
themselves. Dear friends, do not think for a moment
these states of mind are remote from daily suffering, Sentient beings, on the other hand, use their mind for
secluded as they appear to be in happy and unhap- different purpose. Ignoring their mind which has the
py states. We should understand that if we want to same substance and the same standing that of the Bud-
resolve the common varieties of suffering as well as dha, they choose the small form of their bodies, hold
the accompanying attachment to happiness, we must that form to be their true self and endure unspeakable
transcend both. Presently the question is, what is suffering as a result of it. Because they seek the out-
meant by “transcend”? Abandoning the usual types ward form, they end up empty handed. For countless
of suffering as well as one’s attachment to happiness kalpas, sentient beings have been searching outside
does not imply not caring. In the words of an ancient their mind and have produced innumerable karmas
sage, “Buddhadharma is just plain, ordinary food. because of ignorance. Because we are unenlightened,
When we teach it , it is just plain talk about commit- we assume that the causes of our suffering are not in
ment.” our minds, but outside, perceiving ourselves as the
victims of circumstances. As we gradually come to
If there is one feature that may be said to character- understand the motivation of all buddhas, knowing the
ize all of the Buddha’s teaching, it is boundless equa- defilement of ignorance is exceedingly heavy among
nimity and a wholehearted commitment to guide all
sentient beings to a speedy awakening. A mind of
equanimity and a great vow both are rooted in har-
mony and their range is boundless. When combined,
they are jointly called the great compassion. We un-
derstand a mote of dust is minute, and the world is
immense. Our perception of the world usually places
closest to us other people, some distance away are
sentient beings, and all of them interface, interrelate
and interact moment to moment in the flow of life that
never ceases. Such is the meaning of equality in the
Buddhist context. All sentient beings possess a mind

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