A Great Vow Dwells Within One Thought
The Avatamsaka Sutra contains a deep teaching: within a single thought, one shows the attainment of perfect awakening everywhere for the sake of all sentient beings. This means that the vow-power and Dharma body of a bodhisattva pervade all worlds of space.
We usually regard one thought lightly. We often hear the teaching that if one thought goes wrong, we can fall into suffering, so we should observe and care for the mind well. Yet a bodhisattva's one thought is far greater and deeper than that.
Within a bodhisattva's one thought is not the wish that only I may do well, but the great vow to lead all sentient beings toward awakening. In that brief instant, compassion, wisdom, and a vow toward the whole Dharma realm dwell together.
So caring for the mind does not end with merely blocking bad thoughts. It is the practice of looking at where one thought is heading, and whether that thought benefits oneself and others together.
Today, do not neglect even a passing thought. If you gather a scattered mind into a great vow, even one small thought can become a seed of practice that brightens life and benefits those around you.
One thought is not light. In an ordinary mind, wandering thoughts come and go, but in a bodhisattva's one thought there is great vow and compassion to lead all sentient beings toward awakening. Today, care well for one movement of mind and turn it toward benefiting yourself and others together.
