2Ven Master Xue Wu 20220223 11 《Without this foundation, you cannot achieve anything in Buddhism》

However, why we have this order of learning is we might waste our energy if we skip steps. Every Bodhisattva is actually well-rounded and perfect. That means they have everything, they encompass everything but what they represent is the order of learning for us. Each of them is trying to tell us, trying to teach us to reach the same perfection, the same well-roundedness, to get to the highest level of attainment, if we follow, we will get there.
So today among the values that each of the Four Great Bodhisattvas represent, you cannot (skip one), if you lack one out of the four, your attainment is not perfect, that means you cannot reach Buddhahood. You cannot leave one behind because people of the world, what they lack the most are the values these Four Great Bodhisattvas represent.
Us Buddhists want to be wise, so we chant Amituofo but without Manjushri Bodhisattva, we cannot, also if you want to be as wise as Manjushri Bodhisattva, without the foundation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, you can't get to that level or if you want to be as compassionate as Guanyin Bodhisattva or Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, but without wisdom, your compassion will not be perfect, you will not use it in the right way. Like when you walk, it requires two legs to walk properly. If you lack one leg, you can't walk properly.
So, now we know these Four Great Bodhisattvas are equally important in our life. They all represent something we need to have a happy life, they all have high wisdom.
Since we now understand that they are well-rounded, they are perfect, where do we begin?
The order of learning is: The first one is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva or Dizang, direct translation: Earth Treasure. We begin with him. When we learn Buddhism, we start from there.
If you ask Buddha: Where do I begin, Buddha, in learning your Dharma? He will point out: Learn the spirit of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Why? It is because this Bodhisattva has infinite wisdom, merits and skills. Of all the Buddhas from all directions, from the past, present and future, why do we begin with him among so many choices to learn from? Why do we begin with him among everyone?
Like for us, Pure Land practitioners, if we depart from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s spirit, value, you cannot go to the Pure Land. Without this foundation, there's no Pure Land for us. Buddha told us: we begin with Him, from what value he represents, they are not just there for us to offer incense and flowers.
What do they represent? Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents our root, our heart, the ground that we stand on, no matter what method you practice, without Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s value in you, the basic (value) that he represents, like the character, if your character doesn't have that value as a basis, you could not reach the highest attainment which is Buddhahood: Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, (Unsurpassed) Equally Perfect Enlightenment.
It is because without his foundation, you cannot achieve anything in Buddhism. No matter how well you chant Amituofo, how frequently you chant Amituofo or any other methods of Buddhism, without his value imbued in your character, your action, speech, thought, you can't have a guarantee (to be reborn in) the Pure Land. That's why he represents the root. Without a root, how can a tree have fruits? Without roots, where are the stems? Where are the branches? Where are the fruits? Where are the flowers?
How do we live in this world without our parents, how do we survive? They gave us this (life), like our parents provide us with everything: food, shelter, love, family love and all that. Without these, how do we grow properly? So they are like the roots. The case is when we are very, very successful in our business with a lot of money, with a lot of results, however (if you) compare your achievements in this society to your own parents towards you, it is not comparable.
1643 Their spirit and kindness is immeasurable. So this is why we say Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva represents the root.
If you want to learn Buddhism, you need to begin with filial piety, how to (show our) love and respect towards our parents. That's the first step and that's what he's trying to tell us through his example.
Being human, we also need to learn how to be respectful towards our teachers. These are very important factors and we will explain them in detail.
The 49 years of Buddha’s teachings all follow this core value. 49 years of his speeches were all about this foundation. You can say it is an annotation of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra《地藏菩薩本願經》.
1806 Look at the era nowadays, if we look at our friends, people around us, observe carefully, friends, relatives, people in this era, especially right now, in this time, including ourselves, why is our affliction so heavy? Why do we find trouble in chanting Amituofo? Have we grown our wisdom?
So number one is we are severely afflicted. After chanting for so many years, we still feel restless in the face of all of the turbulent times in society and our family as well.