08/04/2026
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's Birth Anniversary: A Paradigm of Vows and Wisdom 🙏
Today marks the Birth Anniversary of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva! Let us together learn about the profound and extensive vows of this Great Vow King. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is one of the Three Sages of Huayan, renowned for his "Ten Great Vows and Practices," serving as a model for practicing the Bodhisattva path.
Who is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva?
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, is an attendant of Vairocana Buddha, symbolizing the three virtues of Reason (理), Concentration (定), and Practice (行). He is often mentioned alongside Manjushri Bodhisattva (who symbolizes the three virtues of Wisdom (智), Insight (慧), and Realization (證)), emphasizing the equal importance of understanding and practice—the integration of theory and action. Manjushri rides a golden lion, while Samantabhadra rides a six-tusked white elephant, together guiding sentient beings towards enlightenment.
Samantabhadra's Ten Great Vows: Our Guide to Practice
During his cultivation on the causal ground, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva made Ten Great Vows, which illuminate the direction of our practice. These vows are not only the essence of the Bodhisattva path but also goals we can emulate in our daily lives:
1.
To Worship All Buddhas: This signifies respect for the dignity of all beings, as all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. To worship all Buddhas is to respect the dignity of all sentient beings, just as Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta said, "I dare not despise you, for you shall all become Buddhas." This embodies respect for dignity.
2.
To Praise the Tathagatas: This is the giving of wholesome speech. While giving wealth, justice, righteousness, and Dharma can be challenging, giving wholesome speech is easily achievable. The Buddha, during his causal practice, cultivated the method of praise, which allowed him to attain Buddhahood earlier than Maitreya Bodhisattva. This shows the importance of praising others and giving wholesome words.
3.
To Make Extensive Offerings: This is the practice of forming good connections. In learning the Dharma, making offerings to parents, teachers, and the Triple Gem can involve various types of offerings (e.g., two, three, four, or ten kinds). Regardless of the type, offerings are the best way to form connections and communicate. Even the great assembly residing in the Pure Land rises every morning to "fill their robes with wondrous flowers to offer to ten trillion Buddhas in other directions," highlighting the importance of offerings and forming good connections in the process of learning the Dharma.
4.
To Repent of Karmic Obstacles: This is self-reflection in daily life. Sentient beings often commit irreparable transgressions through their physical, verbal, and mental actions. Therefore, it is necessary to purify body and mind through "repentance by action," "repentance by visualization," and "repentance of non-arising." For example, Devadatta, who committed the five heinous crimes during the Buddha's time, was ultimately saved through repentance. Thus, self-reflection and repentance in daily life are crucial.
5.
To Rejoice in Merits: This is the purification of the mind. Believers learning Buddhism cultivate and sow seeds, hoping for future harvests in the field of blessings. However, accumulating merits requires a joyful and pure intention. Even a small intention can lead to merits through actions, words, and thoughts. For instance, Visakha, whose mind was filled with joy upon hearing the Dharma, rejoiced and offered a pearl robe, which led to the construction of a monastery. This illustrates the fruitful outcome of rejoicing in merits through mental purification.
6.
To Request the Turning of the Dharma Wheel: This is the propagation of truth. The Dharma is the ship that saves the world; therefore, the Dharma wheel must be constantly turned to benefit sentient beings. Initially, the Buddha accepted the invitation of Anathapindika to teach in Jetavana, which allowed the Dharma to spread throughout the five kingdoms of ancient India.
7.
To Request the Buddhas to Remain in the World: This is the respectful treatment of sages. Requesting the Buddhas to remain in the world is extremely important for humanity. When the Buddha attained enlightenment, he initially felt that the truth of dependent origination he had realized would not be understood by worldly beings and wished to enter Nirvana. However, due to the earnest request of Brahma, the Buddha, out of compassion for sentient beings, began to teach the Dharma, demonstrating and benefiting them, allowing sentient beings to see the light of truth.
8.
To Constantly Follow the Buddha's Teachings: This is the pursuit of wisdom. As the saying goes, "He who stays near vermilion gets stained red; he who stays near ink gets stained black." The ten great disciples and the 1,250 great bhikkhus were all constant followers of the Buddha. By constantly accompanying the Buddha, they quickly attained sainthood. This shows the importance of following the wise and constantly learning from the Buddha.
9.
To Accord with Sentient Beings: This is the respect for public opinion. The Buddha's actions were very democratic. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Prince Sudana understood the Buddha's intention, valued the opinions of the masses, and did not go against their wishes, all demonstrating the spirit of according with sentient beings.
10.
To Universally Dedicate All Merits: This is the harmonization of the Dharma realm. To achieve a harmonious state in the Dharma realm, one must "dedicate oneself to others," "dedicate affairs to principle," and "dedicate causes to effects," transforming defilement into purity, evil worlds into good Dharma, wrong views into right paths, and birth and death into nirvana. When the world of the Dharma realm achieves harmony, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's great vows will be perfectly fulfilled.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is a symbol of the vows and practices of Mahayana Buddhism, and a behavioral model for practicing the Bodhisattva path. By combining Samantabhadra's vows and practices with Manjushri's wisdom, we integrate action and theory, thereby ultimately perfecting the Mahayana Buddhist path.
