Love and Compassion are the Best Languages for Interaction with All Beings
Buddha-nature knows no boundaries. Yet in our worldly lives, we erect countless divisions—of culture, ideology, class, and geography. These separations arise from delusion, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness. They obscure our innate Buddha-nature, and thus give rise to much suffering and hardship.
The wheel of rebirth is driven by the momentum of karma, and this Saṃsāric cycle is born of ignorance and mistaken action. Yet, the moment we awaken, that cycle may be brought to an end. The Buddha’s compassionate teachings transcend distinctions of race, class, and faith, and offer guidance to our bewildered lives toward a path of clarity. We recite the ten names of Buddha, but we must know that Buddha has more than ten names: "Tathāgata, the Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened, Accomplished in Conduct and Understanding, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Supreme One, Tamer of Beings, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honoured One. Buddha has millions of names. The name of every sentient being is the name of Buddha, and within every being dwells the heart of a Buddha.
It is my vow to share the truth of the Buddha’s awakening to all corners of the world — to different regions, cultures, and religions. This is not limited to humans alone, but extends to animals, hungry ghosts, and all those tormented inhabitants in the realms of hell, for I hold unwavering faith that they, too, innately possess Buddha-nature.
However, the acts of spreading love, of understanding love, of accepting love are not instantaneous — they unfold as a process. Every sentient being has its own nature, and every life unfolds in its own unique way with its distinct karmic journey. It is precisely because of this diversity that we must discover a corresponding language to reach each sentient being — one that allows them to open their hearts to me, to accept me, and even to accept my aid. There is one language, wordless yet boundless, that all beings can understand—whether they be human, beast, hungry ghost, or sentient beings in hell — and that is the language of your love. Compassion is the most eloquent of all expressions; which, even in silence, soothes the anguish and sorrow that burden sentient hearts.
The Dharma does not stand apart from worldly insight. From the perspective of one who has awakened, all phenomena are expressions of Dharma. We must awaken not beyond the world, but within the worldly experience — seeing Buddha-nature in the blossoming of spring, the quietness of autumn moonlight, and perceiving the Dharma in all things humble and ordinary and the original purity of all existence. In doing so, we let compassion and wisdom manifest in our own lives, and the eternal spirit of the Buddha be passed on to innumerable other beings.
