THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLIA’S FOUR-LINE VERSE

May palms be joined in every world in kindness, compassion, joy, and giving.

May all beings find security in friendship, peace, and loving care.

May calm and mindful practice seed patience and equanimity deep.

May we give rise to spacious hearts and humble thoughts of gratitude.

The four-line verse in the Sutra of Mahayana’s Mind Contemplation in this Life (transliteration) says, “Exhort all sentient beings to make this vow: By the four-line verse of the true Dharma, I will help all sentient beings find the bodhi mind.  This is called the true paramita.” Because the four-line verse is naturally eloquent, it can be extremely easy to remember as well as understand.  In the history of Buddhism, it was apparent that the Buddha himself and many sages of the past constantly used four-line verses to facilitate the learning process of practitioners and the application of the dharma in real life. Some familiar verses include “Sloka of the Seven Buddhas”; “Four Supremes”; “Before Meals”; “Transference of Merits,” etc. Nonetheless, as we progress through time, we need to revitalize with new verses in order to sustain the great tradition of Buddhism as well as remind ourselves of our mission in life, especially as BLIA members.  As such, the “BLIA four-line verse” is practical and applicable as a moral code in which our responsibilities are based. The four-line verse of BLIA is essentially illustrated as follows:

  1. May palms be joined in every world in kindness, compassion, joy, and giving: In all Buddhist schools of thought, aspiration is the key to cultivation. If we aspire toward eating, the food will taste especially good.  If our aspiration is in sleeping, we will feel comfortable when we wake up. If we are aspired in sweeping the floor, the end result will undoubtedly be a job well done. If our aspiration is in writing, we will definitely write with joy. Within the practice of Buddhism, the “Four Infinite Minds” are being referred to as the profound state of kindness, compassion, joy, and giving with equanimity.

An act of kindness brings true happiness whereas feeling empathic toward others alleviates suffering. Therefore, being compassionate is an essential trait for all practitioners. Sages and devout practitioners of ancient times practiced selflessness in their aspiration of rendering help to others. Throughout the history of Buddhism, these revered masters left behind legacies of true compassion to guide future generations. In addition, the importance of compassion was further accentuated in an old Chinese saying that "in every household exists a Buddha in Amitabha, and a bodhisattva in Avalokitesvara." Amitabha Buddha receives with compassion every sentient being to his pure land whereas Avalokitesvara answers every call of affliction and brings salvation to those who suffer. Traditionally, the Chinese have utmost reverence for them and never stop providing offerings of incense and emulating their spirit of great compassion.

With regard to joyous giving, it is a fundamental Buddhist virtue, for nothing is paralleled to experiencing true joy in this world! During his discourses, Sakyamuni Buddha always applied the effectiveness and beauty of stanzas and analogies to bring joy to his audience. Similarly, Vimalakirti was so tactful and charismatic that even celestial beings came with joy to listen to his preaching. Evidently, the presence of the smiling Maitreya Buddha in front of most Buddhist temples reflects the intrinsic joy that is innate in us all. Essentially, therefore, one of the primary responsibilities of monastics is to spread joy to others.  Like sages of the past, we should do as such in order to give joy to others through saying only kind words and behaving in a respectful manner. Voluntarily serving others and wishing others well are also ways to gain joy and spread its seeds to others.

In our every attempt to help others, it is extremely difficult to nurture a mind of compassion while we still possess a strong sense of egoism. When we give with attachment, our merit is not genuine, hence our virtue remains hindered. As BLIA members, we must learn to unconditionally give happiness, relief, and joy and to expand our heart without restrictions.  Eventually, we will succeed in our endeavor, be it an adversity, a difficult task, or dealing with people.

        2. May all beings find security in friendship, peace and loving care: Our blessings and good fortune in this lifetime are the result of our own karmic deeds from the past. Like money in the bank, we will deplete our savings if we do not know how to treasure our blessings. We need to know how to save and not be wasteful of our resources.  Naturally, the state of our good fortune varies from person to person; however, the basic principle is that we need to observe frugality and appreciate all that we have.

An ancient saying states that we should “treasure our blessings rather than accumulate them.”  When we learn to treasure our good fortune, more will naturally come our way.  During recent years, as our economy flourished with the advancement of modern technology, people became habitually wasteful.  In the end, when natural disaster strikes, our globe will face a scarcity of resources. As we become increasingly aware of the dire state of global affairs, we will begin to acknowledge and appreciate even a piece of paper, a pencil, a crystal clear water droplet, or a fresh vegetable leaflet. Such is consciousness of our blessings and good fortune!

Besides treasuring our blessings, we need to build positive ties with people in general. Having good affinities with all people is an extremely gracious trait. Like water, our friendly ties can negate ill causes and deeds. And, like oil that flows smoothly and evenly, our good relationships with others will sustain without impediments.  As we are aware, the differences in people are vast.  Some people are generally well-liked, yet there are many who are despised by others. The latter are usually unpopular and subsequently ostracized by others.  These people lead a lonely life due to their inability to connect positively with others.

There are many ways that we can create positive connections with others. We may help others by means of monetary contributions or perhaps inspire them with some encouraging words.  Similarly, we may be able to utilize our expertise to assist people in gaining skills and knowledge.  Even a positive acknowledgement like nodding our head, providing a smile, offering a word of kindness, or performing an act of sincerity will be sufficient to make a connection.

In general, all phenomena around us are interconnected.  Therefore, if BLIA members can instill the goodness of treasuring their blessings, there is nothing in this world which cannot be accomplished. To this end, we may bring benefits to others and thus accomplish our bodhicitta vows.

        3. May calm and mindful practice seed patience and equanimity deep: Modern practitioners in general belong to the school of Ch’an or the school of Pure Land, though some prefer to combine both schools of thought in their practice. Whatever route one may choose, however, the destination is ultimately the same. According to the “Chan-Pure Land Tetralemma – A Summary of the Ling-chi School,” Ch’an Master Yung-ming Yen-shou (904-975) articulately stressed that “having Ch’an and Pure Land is like a tiger with horns; one will become a teacher in this lifetime and a Buddha in the next.” If BLIA members could diligently incorporate both schools of thought in their practice for meditation and wisdom, life will be enriched with wholesomeness and harmony.

The root of all sutras stresses that "precepts are the basis for a bodhi mind." Regardless of whether one practices the meditation of Ch’an or the chanting of Pure Land, all schools of thought uphold the principle of precepts as the foundation of their cultivation.  In order to secure the safety of passengers, automobiles must adhere to traffic regulations, while trains travel in correspondence with railway tracks. Similarly, we can protect ourselves and attain peace of mind by adhering to the law.  Basically, criminals serving time in penitentiaries commit a violation against one or more of the five major precepts, i.e. killing, stealing, sexual misbehaving, lying, or drinking alcohol.  If everybody can uphold the five precepts and refrain from violating the rights of others in life, property, trust, and prestige, our world will be a much better place to live in.  People will be healthier without the abuse of drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol.  Treating our physical body well is indeed doing ourselves a favor as well as society at large. In Buddhism, the retreat in Eight Precepts offers lay Buddhists an opportunity to experience a life of cultivation and simplicity.  The observance of Bodhisattva Precepts in moral discipline and doing goods for the benefit of others most positively provides lay Buddhists ease and freeness in their practice.  Nonetheless, our present time is indeed an assembly of good people if everyone can adhere to the practice of pure precepts.  Why should we then seek from afar the Buddhist pure lands?

One of Buddhism’s most striking principles is equality.  The unrest in human affairs in this world is primarily due to the inequality in gender, race, intelligence, age, wealth, power, etc.  The Buddha once said that "all beings have the innate wisdom and virtue of a Tathagatha...” Outwardly, inequality seems apparent everywhere; however, the intrinsic Buddha nature within us still remains unchanged.  If only people realize the basic truth about human equality and are accepting in general, world peace is not inaccessible.

In the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching, it stated that “One who practices patience can be termed as a great person. If one is unable to deal with malicious slander, insult, or ridicule gracefully, then he is far from reaching the wisdom of the true path."  In Buddhism, there are three levels of patience. The first is living patience in which a person understands the basic rule of survival and the strength in dealing with difficult situations.  The second is Dharma patience in which a person understands the universal law and the accepting of responsibilities.  It enables a person to easily shift his/her mind perspective to harmonize according to the situation. Finally, the third is neutralized patience in which the profundity of non-arising and non-ceasing is fully understood.  It transcends a person’s state of mind in freeness and non-attachment in worldly affairs.

        4. May we give rise to spacious hearts and humble thoughts of gratitude: The highest virtues in humans are the elements of humility, gratitude, and aspiring vows.

In terms of humility, it connotes the way we look at our own values as well as the attitude we have toward others.  On a personal level, a humble individual feels inadequate in areas of intelligence, motivation, compassion, and abilities. Toward others, we feel abashed for not being able to care for our parents, friends, country, and society well enough.  If people can be made aware of their own humility, they will most definitely persevere in their endeavors and succeed in uphill battles.  As quoted in the Sutra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teaching, “Knowing humility is most sublime.”

The wealthiest person on earth is one who understands the value of paying gratitude.  In sutra, “A bodhisattva who has taken a vow of saving others must always bear in mind the gratitude due his country, parents, teachers, and the multitude.” We should ask ourselves, without the protection of our country, could we survive? If we lacked the nurturing of our parents, could we be what we are day?  Without the guidance of our teachers, could we still have our knowledge and skills? Traditionally, without the social castes in scholars, farmers, workers, and merchants, could we have the proper clothing, food, shelter, and career?  Basically, are we not dependent on others in order to survive?  Ancient sages said, "For a drop of water, the gratitude is as great as a torrential stream.”  Even a crow possesses the instinct of caring for its young and a sheep understands the need to kneel for milk; how can human beings, as the Buddha’s disciples, not know how to pay gratitude?

Master Sheng-an (1686-1734) wrote in The Aspiration of a Bodhicitta, "To enter the path needs doors – the aspiring mind being the first; to cultivate is an urgent duty – the firm vow being the top. With a firm vow, there are sentient beings that can be saved; with an aspiring spirit, the path of Buddhahood is attainable.”  Throughout history, sages and saints accomplished their goals through their aspiring determination, whereas bodhisattvas relied on it to fulfill their great vows.  Aspiring vows are directions and a driving force for BLIA members to succeed in their endeavors.

May palms be joined in every world in kindness, compassion, joy, and giving.

May all beings find security in friendship, peace, and loving care.

May calm and mindful practice seed patience and equanimity deep.

May we give rise to spacious hearts and humble thoughts of gratitude.

In the Diamond Sutra, the merit from the four-line verse far exceeds the merit gained from our acts of generosity.  It is hopeful that all BLIA members put into practice the BLIA four-line verse and be inspired by the preciousness of the Dharma.