SAMANTABHADRA BODHISATTVA’S NINTH GREAT VOW: CONSTANTLY ACCEDING TO THE NEEDS OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS
Master Jun Hong Lu: Samantabhadra Bodhisattva‘s ninth great vow is ‘To constantly comply with the needs of sentient beings’. Think about it, there are no alternative means other than complying with sentient beings, be it in our Buddhism practice, conducting ourselves as a righteous person or as a Bodhisattva.
Nowadays, people like to set themselves against others, opposing whatever others say or do. They are as if thinking, “Whatever you do, I must go against you, because if I don’t, my ego will be hurt”. Is this not a sign of mental illness?
That is why, we must strive to “benefit all sentient beings” with a heart of great compassion and equanimity. In other words, as long as the matter at hand benefits sentient beings, you must facilitate it.
When a person possesses such an accommodating spirit of the Bodhisattva, would there be family quarrels in his home? Would there be family conflicts? This is what being ‘morally driven’ is all about. If you are rude to and angry at others, you are deemed to lack moral character. A person’s moral character is nurtured through cultivation.
You must use a heart of equanimity to treat every person and matter. In addition, you must serve and provide for all sentient beings. This means when I promise to do something for you, or when I help you with something, I am providing for you. Do you see how great Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s vow is? Are you willing to make the same vow?
On the other hand, when you think, “This person is annoying and disgusting. I do not want to see him” and many things seem to irritate you, how can you have such determination? How can you help and provide for others? In this way, can you even say that you ‘comply with the needs of sentient beings’?
In addition, the last saying goes, “Respect your parents as you will to the Buddha, and treat them equally with no distinction whatsoever”. This means you should start from respecting your parents, then everyone in the society and all the way to the Buddha, without bias.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 11 Chapter 15
< About Making Great Vows