Lotus friend: a friend like a lotus Those practice mindfulness of Buddha by reciting Buddhas name repetitively call each other lotus friend, which is in fact the most auspicious, beautiful and venerable addresses. One will be happy and satisfied with a friend like a lotus once in a life; and it is the greatest praise and compliment for us when we are addressed as a lotus friend. A lotus is born from mud without being contaminated. If a friendship is determined by whether you have money or not, then it is contaminated by the money; if it is determined by whether you have power or not, then it is contaminated by the power; if it is determined by whether the other side is submitted to me or not, then it is contaminated by the affection; if it is determined by whether the other side agrees with me or not, then it is contaminated by the views and doctrines; if it is determined by whether we contact with each other constantly or not, then it is contaminated by the time. It will be qualified as a lotus friend only if the friendship will not change according to the difference of rich and poor, noble or lowly, love or hatred, submission or opposition, befriend with each other, help each other without giving up, the friendship remains without aging and become even newer as time goes by. Will there be a friend like a lotus in the world? If we can be the lotus friend of the sentient beings, then we will not only be free from the contamination of various worldly benefits, but also free from the contamination of the birth and death, time and space. That will only be the Buddha and bodgisattva! In The Sūtra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life it is said: knowing that the one who remembers that Buddha is the White Lotus among people, whom the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthama consider an excellent friend. White lotus is the supreme among the lotuses. Buddha takes the one remembering Buddha as a lotus and the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthama as the friend of the lotus, so there comes the addresses of lotus friend. Therefore, the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthama are the first addresses for lotus friend. As an ordinary person full of vexations and the contamination of the three poisons of craving, hatred and ignorance, do we possess enough virtues like a lotus? How can we be qualified to be called lotus friend as the Bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthama ? We feel so moved and ashamed! In the contrast, if we can make a universal vow to wish all sentient beings remember Buddha and accomplish Buddha hood, without consideration of whether they are rich or poor, noble or lowly, love or hatred, submission or opposition, and keep this in mind constantly, then that is the virtue of lotus, and we will be qualified as a lotus friend. Namo Amitabha_/\_
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 15:21:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015