It Depends on How You Set Your Mind

For anything in the world to be accomplished, the mind must first be set.

If someone wishes to accomplish something, they must engrave that wish deep in the heart and keep working steadily. A passing wish that is thought of for a moment and then forgotten, and a vow that is kept deep in the mind and practiced to the end, cannot have the same result.

Prayer is the same.

What matters is not praying once or twice with an earnest heart, but continuing without losing that mind. When the mind wavers, prayer also wavers; when the mind is firm, prayer gains strength.

Practice is also like this.

The Buddha taught that everyone possesses Buddha-nature, but not everyone immediately becomes a Buddha. This is because the path to Buddhahood also depends on how one sets the mind.

“I will certainly practice and gain wisdom.” “I will certainly benefit sentient beings.” “I will certainly follow the path of the Buddha.”

When this vow and aspiration are firm, practice gains strength, and as that strength accumulates, one moves toward awakening.

The Avatamsaka Sutra says, “All things are made by mind alone.” This means that everything is created by the mind.

When the mind is weak, even the road looks far away. When the mind is strong, we find a way even through difficulty. When the mind wavers, we retreat before small obstacles; when the mind is firm, even great trials become nourishment for practice.

In the end, prayer is mind, practice is mind, and becoming a Buddha is also mind. The path to becoming a Buddha is not somewhere far away; it depends on what kind of mind we bring forth at this very moment.

That is why old masters said,

“To arouse the mind is itself practice, and practice is itself the beginning of awakening.”

If you hold an earnest wish, do not let it go until the end. If you wish for Buddhahood, do not lose the mind of Buddhahood.

When the mind is decided, the way opens; when the vow is firm, conditions gather; when the aspiration continues, what is wished for is finally accomplished.

The power of prayer comes from the mind, and the power of practice also comes from the mind. When we bring forth a great mind, life also grows larger; when we establish a great vow, the path to awakening opens. Therefore, the most important thing is not the environment, but how we set the mind.