Mahayana Aspiration · Practitioner Version¶

This version is for cultivators and researchers. It contains complete original quotations, organized under the six-section logical framework, with full source citations.

Entry Overview¶

The Mahayana Aspiration is the vow to abandon oneself and devote one's entire being to the work of liberating all sentient beings — a vast aspiration that transcends personal salvation and holds all living beings in mind. The Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration is the vow to walk the path of the Greatest Creator and all Buddhas and Tathāgatas, guiding all beings to the state of formless thinking and into the Hundun state of mind. In the Lifechanyuan system, the Mahayana Aspiration is the foundational qualification for Chanyuan Celestials, a prerequisite for attaining supreme enlightenment wisdom, and the fundamental path through which achieving others and achieving oneself are unified.

I. Core Definition¶

What is the Mahayana Aspiration, and what is the Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration? The vow to abandon oneself and devote one's entire being to the work of liberating all sentient beings is the Mahayana Aspiration — the aspiration of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha and Bodhisattva Guanyin, for example, is the Mahayana Aspiration. The vow "I will not become a Buddha until Hell is empty" is the Mahayana Aspiration. The vow to walk the path of the Greatest Creator, the Tathāgata, and all Buddhas — guiding all beings to the state of formless thinking and into the Hundun state of mind — is the Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration. Those who have made the Mahayana or Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration can understand the meaning of the Diamond Sutra.

(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming a Buddha Chapter · Inconceivable Karmic Reward)

The eight characteristics of a Bodhisattva: 1. Transcending the mundane, possessing perfect human nature. 2. Aspiring to the highest vehicle, always holding all living beings in mind. 3. Relieving difficulties and dangers, without craving merit or reward. 4. Transmitting Buddha-wisdom universally, liberating all those with karmic affinity. 5. Giving without attachment to form, not dwelling in sound, sight, scent, or taste. 6. Rooted in formlessness, thoroughly understanding the Dharma of no-self. 7. Full of loving-kindness, giving oneself to nurture all LIFE. 8. Pure in faith, taking only the Buddha as the supreme.

(Chanyuan Corpus · Becoming a Buddha Chapter · Bodhisattvas and Buddhas)

II. How to Make the Mahayana Aspiration¶

First, place yourself in the position of "father" or "mother" to all people in the world — remember, in your heart, not on your lips or in language. Then imagine that every person on earth is a child you cherish: people of white, black, and yellow races are all your beloved; Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Communists and all others are your family. You want all your family members to live in harmony, to be happy and joyful, to respect and not destroy nature, to eat well, dress well, and rest well, and to be filled with hope and expectation for the future. To think in this way is to have made the Mahayana and Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration.

Second, place yourself in the position of "son" or "daughter" to all peoples of the world. People of every nation are the parents who raised us, the loved ones with whom we are intimately connected. We must honor them, share their worries and burdens, and not seek anything from them — instead, think of how to offer more filial devotion. Learn the spirit of the dairy cow: it eats grass, yet from itself it gives fresh, sweet milk to nourish its parents. To do this is to have made the Mahayana and Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration. Of course, to aspire to guide all your "children" and "parents" to the Elysium World to enjoy the endless joy and eternity of LIFE — that is an even higher expression of the Mahayana and Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration.

(Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Practice Chapter · Gather True Essence and True Spirit, Develop Great Talent and Virtue)

III. The Behavioral Mark of the Mahayana Aspiration — Purposeless Giving and Total Service¶

Giving without purpose is something ordinary people cannot do. People in the world always give with utilitarian intent — having given, they hold an expectation: to achieve their goal, to realize their ideal. But the giving of those who hold the Mahayana Aspiration has no purpose. They simply give, never expecting to receive anything or attain any goal.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind Chapter · Give Without Purpose)

In this human world, a person's greatest value and most perfect character is expressed in service to all living beings. A person's breadth, level, and moral character are measured entirely by the quality and quantity of their service to all beings. Among all the theories and practice methods under heaven, the one of deepest value and most direct expression of the meaning of life and the path of LIFE's elevation is total, wholehearted service to all living beings. Only those who give their entire being to serving all living beings have the qualification to go to Heaven.… At the moment a person resolves inwardly to cease calculating personal gain and loss, and pours their entire body, mind, and spirit into the boundless work of serving all living beings — at that very instant they enter the company of the divine, the Buddha, the celestials, and the sages, and have utterly set foot on the road to Heaven.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Heart-Mind Chapter · Pour Your Finite Life into the Infinite Work of Serving All Living Beings)

IV. Mahayana vs Hinayana — Chanyuan Celestials Are Mahayana Cultivators¶

Chanyuan Celestials are first and foremost cultivators who hold the Mahayana Aspiration — not Hinayana cultivators concerned only with themselves. The Mahayana Aspiration is expressed in the work of opening the Lifechanyuan Era for humanity. Chanyuan Celestials must bring all of humanity into the Lifechanyuan Era. The construction of Chanyuan rests on steadfast faith in the Greatest Creator, on the firm conviction that we can open the Lifechanyuan Era for humanity, on our Mahayana Aspiration, on the courageous and capable spirit of Chanyuan Celestials, and on their outstanding wisdom to lead humanity.

(Guide's Other Articles · 2009 · Cherish the Name Chanyuan Celestial)

A person with lofty ideals, a person who has made the Mahayana Aspiration, a disciple of Christ, a disciple of the Buddha, a Communist, a true cultivator — right now, they should cast aside everything, overcome every difficulty, and pour themselves wholeheartedly into the selfless struggle for the wellbeing of all humanity. If not now, then when?

(Xuefeng Corpus · Encouragement Chapter · Leave Behind the World of Red Dust)

V. The Mahayana Aspiration and Cultivation — Humility and Aspiration as Twin Wings¶

Simply put, I hope Chanyuan Celestials will humble themselves and make the Mahayana Aspiration. Without humility, one is headstrong — unable to govern oneself or walk the path of holistic thinking. Without the Mahayana Aspiration, it is difficult to attain supreme enlightenment wisdom, and one cannot encompass the entire universe, the entire earth, and all of humanity within one's thinking.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Chapter · Responses to Questions, Part 1)

Chanyuan Celestials must not only have the capacity to resolve their own challenges, but also the capacity to resolve the challenges facing humanity. Therefore, Chanyuan Celestials must hold the Mahayana Aspiration; must embody the spirit of enduring hardship, perseverance, courage, and selfless dedication; must cultivate a broad, cheerful, optimistic, active, joyful, and free-and-easy state of mind; must have the courage to overcome every difficulty without being daunted, pressing steadily toward the ultimate goal; and must embody the qualities of truth, goodness, beauty, love, faith, and sincerity.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan Chapter · What You Must Know Before Applying to Be a Chanyuan Celestial)

The path that Chanyuan Celestials walk is destined to be thorny, for the end of this path connects to a vast vision and a great goal. But it is also a path of light — no path is more magnificent or glorious. It is a path only those who have established great faith, cast aside the self, and hold the Mahayana Aspiration can walk. No matter how difficult or perilous the road, follow the Guide to its end. The day you burn yourself out completely is the moment of rebirth.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Chapter · Xuefeng's Responses to Questions from the Celestials)

VI. The Karmic Reward of the Mahayana Aspiration — Achieving Others Is Achieving Oneself¶

The process of achieving others is precisely the process of achieving oneself. The more people you help to achieve, the greater your own achievement. The more people a person serves, the greater their own accomplishment will be. The reason Jesus and Śākyamuni became divine and attained Buddhahood is that the number of beings they served was immense. Whether I, Xuefeng, ultimately succeed depends entirely on whether the Chanyuan Celestials succeed. When they succeed, I will inevitably succeed. The more Chanyuan Celestials who succeed, the greater my success.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Prose Chapter · Achieving Others Is Achieving Oneself)

The Buddha Śākyamuni taught us to make the Mahayana Aspiration and the Supreme-Vehicle Aspiration. Jesus Christ taught us to seek only the Kingdom of God and think of nothing else — not to worry about what we shall eat or wear tomorrow. For those who follow the teachings of the divine, the Buddha, the celestials, and the sages, money is not a great motivator. It is the pursuit of a beautiful ideal life that ignites the vitality and wisdom of their LIFE.

(Xuefeng Corpus · Encouragement Chapter · Which Is More Effective — Financial Incentives or Ideal Incentives?)

Formless Giving · No-Self, No-Form · Selfishness and Selflessness · Humility · Gratitude · Mission · Becoming a Celestial Being and a Buddha · Letting Go · Soul Garden