Asked to write something about the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, Hakuin penned: “Even if the rivers and seas all receded and became dry land,/ Her vow to save all sentient beings still would never cease.” In other words even if the world turns upside down and seas become mountains and mountains seas, (which has actually happened), even if what is beyond imagining occurs, even, then, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion will not fall into thinking only of her self but will remain dedicated to the welfare of All — so deep and fundamental is her Great Vow.
Zen practice doesn’t care who we know or what our salary or social standing might be. It’s an iron mountain or, as Western fairy tales have it, a glass hill. We try, we fail, we try again. Through trying, failing, getting back up and trying again, Zen practice becomes genuine and we ourselves, authentic, authentically ourselves. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s own great Vow matured through such heart-felt failure — which is rather hopeful indeed.
Books —
Complete Poison Blossoms from a Thicket of Thorn — Norman Waddell
A Zen Life of Bodhisattvas — Rafe Martin
Photo — detail: Avalokitesvara thangka at Endless Path Zendo by Rafe Martin
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