n the afternoon of March 15, the fifth session of "Zhi Jiang Wen Dao" (Exploring the Way along Zhijiang) in 2024 — Zhejiang Buddhist Association's Prajna Lecture Hall — commenced at Hangzhou Buddhist Academy. Venerable Master Guangquan, the President of Zhejiang Buddhist Association and the Abbot of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, delivered a lecture entitled "Analysis of Exhortation to Resolve Upon Bodhi by Master Xing’an". The lecture was presided over by Venerable Master Yuntong from the Education and Training Department of Zhejiang Buddhist Association.
After introducing the life of Master Xing’an (1686–1734, the 11th Patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land School), Venerable Master Guangquan combined with the eight different aspects mentioned in Exhortation to Resolve Upon Bodhi to guide the selection of aspirations. He further elaborated on the ten causes and conditions for generating the Bodhi mind listed in the text, enabling the audience to deeply understand the significance of cultivating the Bodhi mind in the study and practice of Buddhism.
Venerable Master Guangquan pointed out that the Bodhi mind is the aspiration to seek the path of Buddha and to benefit all sentient beings, requiring us to pursue personal liberation with the spirit of altruism. Therefore, it is essential to discern the intention: not seeking personal gain, fame, or reputation, not craving for pleasures and rewards, but aspiring for enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Such an aspiration is considered correct. To continuously seek the path of Buddha without hesitation, tirelessly benefitting sentient beings without weariness, is considered genuine. To aspire until all sentient beings are liberated, until the path to enlightenment is complete, is considered great. To generate an aspiration, make vows, take actions, and realize results in accordance with the principle of emptiness and without any appearance of emptiness to be grasped, is considered perfect. Cultivating such a Bodhi mind that is correct, genuine, great, and perfect is indeed not an easy task; it requires constant contemplation and recollection of the kindness of the Buddha, parents, and teachers, as well as the ten causes and conditions for the enduring presence of the true Dharma. Based on this Bodhi mind, which combines wisdom and compassion, self-benefit and benefiting others, one can deeply understand the profound meaning of the Dharma and directly attain enlightenment and awakening. Venerable Master Guangquan encouraged the audience to let go of arrogance and attachments, overcome laziness and doubts, and truly achieve the sublimation and transcendence of life in the process of studying and practicing Buddhism.
