“I vow to glorify the qualities of all the Tathagatas.” Samantabhadra

“In the moment in which you are solidifying and reifying someone into a ‘thing,’ look at it and put it down…that is the way to praise the Tathagata…when we practice the dharma.” Guo Gu

There are 10 honorific titles of the Buddha that reveal the merit, honor and wisdom of the Buddha. Guo Gu uses these 10 names to steer us deeper into our practice, beginning with the first, Tathagata, meaning “thus come, thus gone.” In Buddhism it refers to things as they are. It’s an honorific that encapsulates the Buddha’s teachings challenging the dualistic ideas with which we try to reify things. All beings have this Buddha nature within, and the challenge is to transcend the ways in which we try to pigeonhole our experiences into having/lacking, coming/going, arising/ceasing and existing/not existing and attain the freedom of no self. Like "a bird that is flying in the vast open sky or a fish that swims in clear limpid water. The bird does not question the sky. The sky is its home, and water is the domain of the fish." Such freedom. We are all swimming in the freedom of our domain.

The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, outlined in the Avatamsaka Sutra, are profound principles for those on the path to Buddhahood. These vows represent a complete path of dedication, compassion, and commitment to benefiting all beings. They provide a framework for practice that not only transforms the self but also brings wisdom and compassion into the world.

The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra

1. To pay homage to all the Buddhas
2. To glorify the qualities of all the Tathagatas
3. To make ample offerings to all the Buddhas
4. To confess and repent of all one's misdeeds
5. To rejoice in the merits of others
6. To always request the preaching of the Dharma
7. To entreat enlightened beings to remain in the world
8. To always study the teachings of the Buddha
9. To always respond to sentient beings according to their various needs
10. To dedicate all merits to sentient beings that they may achieve Buddhahood.

Join the Tallahassee Chan Center online for live meditations and discussion Monday through Thursday, at 7:30 PM EST. Learn more at https://tallahasseechan.org/events/.