To generate and cultivate one's own Bodhi Mind is the fundamental principle in the learning and practice of Buddhadharma, the chief goal of which is to achieve Buddhahood. One can never hope to become Buddha if one does not generate and embrace his own Bodhi Mind. Moreover, only if one succeeds in becoming Buddha will he gain the power to convert all sentient beings. If one lives in the world and does any good whatsoever, he should gain some merit; but if he generates and cultivates his own Bodhi Mind, he will gain great merit. The Avatamsaka Sutra shows us that generating and cultivating one's own Bodhi Mind will gain him many merits, such as those listed in the various categories that follow.
I-TEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like seed, produces all Buddhadharma.
The Bodhi Mind, like a fertile field, grows all Pure Dharmas in the minds of sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a vast pool, holds all the things of the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like pure water, washes away all defilements.
The Bodhi Mind, like the wind, blows without obstacle throughout the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like a conflagration, burns away all wrong views.
The Bodhi Mind, like the bright sun, illuminates the whole world.
The Bodhi Mind, like the full moon, shines on all Pure Dharmas in the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like a lamp, illuminates all sorts of dark thoughts.
The Bodhi Mind, like clear eyes, recognizes and discriminates among all dangerous and all safe places in the world.
II-NINE KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a broad way, allows all beings to enter the City of Wisdom.
The Bodhi Mind, like right belief, helps all beings reject wrong thought.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great vehicle, carries all Bodhisattvas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great palace, is the appropriate place in which to practice Samadhi and holds all Buddhadharmas in safekeeping.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great garden, is a place where one can play and enjoy Dharma happiness.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great house, gives security and stability to all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a haven of return and rest, benefits all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a haven of return and rest, is depended on by all Bodhisattvas.
III-TWELVE KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a kindly father, teaches and guides all Bodhisattvas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a kindly mother, begets all Bodhisattvas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a nurse-teacher, rears and educates all Bodhisattvas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a good, wonderful, faithful friend, completes and benefits all Bodhisattvas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a king, surpasses all Two-Vehicle people.
The Bodhi Mind, like an emperor, has all the freedom it wishes.
The Bodhi Mind, like the vast oceans, contains all kinds of merits.
The Bodhi Mind, like great Mount Sumeru, creates equality in the minds of all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like the cakravala, contains all the numberless worlds.
The Bodhi Mind, like a snowy mountain, produces all kinds of wisdom-medicine.
The Bodhi Mind, like fragrant mountain flowers; produces all kinds of fragrant merits.
The Bodhi Mind, like vast, infinite space, is possessed of boundless wonderful merits.
IV-THIRTEEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a lotus-flower, is not defiled by any worldly thing.
The Bodhi Mind, like a wise trained elephant, is gentle and without coarseness.
The Bodhi Mind, like a fine horse, gallops away from all evil influences.
The Bodhi Mind, like a master that tames, controls and cherishes all his charges, protects all Mahayana Dharma.
The Bodhi Mind, like good medicine, cures all ills and purifies all defilements.
The Bodhi Mind, like a trap, can catch and halt all evil thoughts.
The Bodhi Mind, like a Vajra, pierces through all the things of the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like a fragrance-box, contains all the fragrant merits in the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like wonderful flowers, creates joy for all who encounter it.
The Bodhi Mind, like white Candana, removes distress so that one's feelings become clean and clear.
The Bodhi Mind, like black Agaru, permeates all the Dharmadhatus.
The Bodhi Mind, like the Medicine King, can cure or eliminate all defilements and disease.
The Bodhi Mind, Agada, draws out the painful arrows of illusion.
V-TEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like Sovereign Sakra, surpasses all other lords.
The Bodhi Mind, like Vaisravana, eliminates all the suffering of the poor.
The Bodhi Mind, like the Heaven of Merit, is adorned with all kinds of merits.
The Bodhi Mind, like an intricately decorated robe, adorns all kind of merits.
The Bodhi Mind, like the annihilating fire at the end of a Kalpa, consumes all the phenomena of the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like the good root of non-being-born, is the medicine that produces all Buddhadharmas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a dragon-pearl, dissolves all the poisons of defilement.
The Bodhi Mind, like the Cintamani, supports all poor beings of the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like a vase of merit, satisfies all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a fruitful tree, can, at will, rain down all kinds of adornments.
VI-THIRTEEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a goose-down coat, repels the cold defilements of birth and death.
The Bodhi Mind, like a glistening, white blanket of snow, originally has a pure, immaculate nature.
The Bodhi Mind, like a sharpened plough, cuts through and ploughs up the karmic fields of all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a Narayana, destroys all enemies who grasp the ego-view.
The Bodhi Mind, like a swift arrow, pierces all suffering.
The Bodhi Mind, like a sharp spear, strikes right through the armor of defilement.
The Bodhi Mind, like hard armor, protects all reasonable minds.
The Bodhi Mind, like a sharp sword, cuts away all major obstacles and defilemtns.
The Bodhi Mind, like a sharp sword, cuts through the armor of arrogance.
The Bodhi Mind, like the pennant of a fearless general, subdues all demonic trouble.
The Bodhi Mind, like a sharp, whirring saw, topples and cuts to bits the whole tree of ignorance.
The Bodhi Mind, like sharp ox teeth, strips down and chews up the whole tree of suffering.
The Bodhi Mind, like military arms, defends against all kinds of hard, cruel suffering.
VII-ELEVEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like an inexhaustible treasury, produces and pays out merits endlessly.
The Bodhi Mind, like a fountain, gushes up the water of wisdom without exhaustion.
The Bodhi Mind, like a bright mirror reveals all Dharma doors.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great lotus, is not defiled by any evil or dirty thing.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great river, gushes forth all Dharmas to nourish, receive and convert all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great Dragon-King rains down all kinds of wonderful Dharmas.
The Bodhi Mind, like the root of life, holds the great Compassion-Body of Bodhi.
The Bodhi Mind, like sweet dew, is safe and abides forever.
The Bodhi Mind, like vast net, catches and holds all the sentient beings of the world.
The Bodhi Mind, like tight, strong ropes, binds and holds all sentient beings until they are converted.
The Bodhi Mind, like a hook-and-bait, catches and draws up all living beings out of the abyss of ignorance.
IX-THIRTEEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like the Agara, treats and cures all illnesses.
The Bodhi Mind, like a disinfectant, sterilizes the infections and poisons of greed and delusion.
The Bodhi Mind, like holding and chanting a Mantra, neutralizes and eliminates all the poisons of perversion.
The Bodhi Mind, like strong wind turns, blows swiftly land clears away all the fog and obstacles of delusion.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great continent, contains all the precious germs of the Enlightened Mind.
The Bodhi Mind, like the nature of a good seed, produces and sprouts all kinds of Pure Dharma.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great house, contains all the lasting, secure, dependable merits f the Dharma.
The Bodhi Mind, like a busy market, is the place of trade of all Bodhisattvas
The Bodhi Mind, like a medicine of smelted gold, eliminates all dirty defilements and cures all diseases.
The Bodhi Mind, like sweet honey, possesses the taste of all merits.
The Bodhi Mind, like the right path or way, leads all Bodhisattvas to the entrance of the City of Wisdom.
The Bodhi Mind, like a strong container, holds all kinds of radiant Pure Dharmas.
The Bodhi Mind, like timely rain, washes away all the dust of defilement.
X-EIGHT KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a handsome residence, is a place for all Bodhisattvas to dwell and abide in.
The Bodhi Mind, like the most brilliant diamond, instantly and radiantly outshines the dull fruit of liberation achieved by a Sravaka during a lifetime of practice.
The Bodhi Mind, like a pure Vaidurya, has a bright, clean nature with no defilements.
The Bodhi Mind, like a precious green jewel of an emperor, surpasses all the wisdom of Sravakas and Pratyeka-Buddhas.
The Bodhi Mind, like a nighwatchman's drum, awakens all sentient beings from their distressful nightmare.
The Bodhi Mind, like clear, pure water, is originally clear, pure and bright.
The Bodhi Mind, like Jambunada-Suvarna, spartles, reflecting all good actions in the world.
XI-TEN KINDS OF MERIT
The Bodhi Mind, like a secure, peaceful haven, does not reject anyone who returns.
The Bodhi Mind, like justice, benefits all sentient beings and rids them of every defilement and banishes loneliness.
The Bodhi Mind, like the most wonderful, fortunate condition, lets the mind abide in true happiness always.
The Bodhi Mind, like a great assembly giving alms, fills to overflowing the minds of all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like an underground treasure house, holds and keeps safe all the Buddhadharma.
The Bodhi Mind, like the net of Indra, catches and filters out all the defilements of Asuras.
The Bodhi Mind, like the World Honored Victorious One, surpasses the minds of all sentient beings.
The Bodhi Mind, like the wind of Varuna, blows away all obstacles to conversion.
The Bodhi Mind, like the fire of Indra, bums away all delusions and bad habits.
The Bodhi Mind, like Buddha's Caitya, receives all the offerings of the world.
ALL MERITS ARE EQUAL
Good men and good women! The Bodhi Mind, indeed, contains all these aforementioned countless merits. However, you should understand that all Dharmas and all Merits are, in reality, equal. Why? Just because the Bodhi Mind produces all the actions of the Bodhisattvas, and because all the Tathagatas of the three periods issue from the Bodhi Mind. Therefore, good men and good women, if one has the mind of Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, then he will surely attain the Dharma of Superior Merits and hold the key to the Tao of Wisdom.
THE TEN ARTICLES OF FAITH OF CH'AN MASTER CH'EH WUH
1) Believe that after birth must come death.
2) Believe that life is impermanent.
3) Believe that the wheel of transmigration is a dangerous way.
4) Believe that suffering is long-term and constant.
5) Believe that the Buddha's words are not false.
6) Believe that the Pure Land really exists.
7) Believe that if one wishes to be born in the Pure Land, he really can be born there.
8) Believe that if one is born in the Pure Land, he will never regress.
9) Believe that it is possible Buddha in this present lifetime.
10) Believe that all Dharmas are created by Mind.