Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

ead that the Buddhas cannot save those who have no
connecting conditions with them, I cried out in sorrow. I
thought then: "I must make a vow about this." So many
Buddhas have passed and yet they have not been able to
save so many unfortunate beings who are without even
an evil connecting condition. Even with such a bad
condition, people may be saved. There was, for instance,
the officer who persecuted Padmasambhava. When that
officer died, he was reborn in one of the hells. But
because he had established some connection, when
Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava's consort, found out
that he was in hell she was able to rescue the
unfortunate officer and effect his salvation. A good
condition is good, but a bad connecting condition is
better than none. An aspiration to save those with no
connecting condition is not to be seen among the
ancient vows. Certainly there are many things to do as a
bodhisattva, but this particularly is my great work.
Vows must always be remembered and never forgotten.
If one forgets them, they cease to be vows.
Mr. Chen then told the listener and transcriber:
"You have read many books and have a good
foundation of Buddhist knowledge, so you can make
some vows. You practice Buddhadharma as well, so
you, too, must formulate some. Most people cannot
make them as they lack the necessary knowledge
and neophytes easily make the wrong sort of vows."
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