Renunciation of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Assembly
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is able to benefit sentient beings in three main areas. First, to save them from the seven types of sufferings; second, to treat them for the three poisons and third, to respond to their two types of requests. He is also able to reach out to sentient beings and expound the Dharma according to their level of understanding.
Besides having great compassion in liberating sentient beings, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also possesses great wisdom to look deeply into the Five Aggregates and realize their intrinsic empty nature. This enables him to alleviate the sufferings of sentient beings. This is the content of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra.
From the arising of the Bodhicitta, the practice of the Six Paramitas and the cultivation of merit and wisdom, all these are the concrete manifestations of compassion and wisdom of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Equipped with deep faith and vow, compassion and perfect wisdom, all of which are the content of Bodhisattva practice, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has reached the final stage of the Bodhisattva Path.
A bodhisattva is someone with Bodhicitta. Mahayana Buddhists are layman bodhisattvas. Learning from the Buddha and cultivating towards Buddhahood should be our ideal aspiration. Thus, we should emulate the spirit of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, to cultivate faith and vow, compassion and perfect wisdom, spread the Dharma to benefit sentient beings and liberate all sentient beings before becoming a Buddha. Then, how do we start practising? As Master Yin-Shun had said, “If we can extend our loving-kindness and protection universally to all living beings, then the cultivation of our mind will be in line with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s great compassion.”
