The fourth vow.
Master says if we can practice the first 3 vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva regularly, we are indeed very good. But, in the event of challenges surfacing during execution of the 3 vows, we shall remember to REPENT. We should repent for our past, present and future misdeeds. Sounds funny at first, didn’t we?
I had quite a lengthy, serious discussion with my wife just now. It is not that we seldom have discussions; just that we seldom talked serious subjects for a long period in an uninterrupted environment. I was sort of complaining of my work. In the final rush to the implementation of GST, I have to attend to the needs and queries of my clients, both existing and potential.
I have a friend who is quite cost conscious. He wants to seek my assistance as he knows my area of specialisation. We had a few brief discussions on this GST topic and I thought I had him with me after those rounds. I was about to meet up with him recently to formally assess his company accounts to prepare him for GST compliance when I found out that he was sort of not really adhering to what I have already mentioned to him earlier. He came up with some reasoning that he heard something from his friend that things can be done differently. My first response to that was not that pleasant. In my mind, I was thinking why did he ask me for advice if he is not going to listen. I was trying to assist him in my personal capacity, not as a business dealing.
Then my wife reminded me of Master’s teachings. If we have already done everything to our best abilities but the results still don’t bend our way, that there is only one solution ~ REPENT. To repent misdeeds and evil karmas. Hearing that, I could immediately felt something warm flowed into my heart. My earlier discomfort and stiff feelings vanished instantly. She was right!! As a practising Buddhist, we should neither feel angry nor sad when things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to be. We only have to remind ourselves (instead of blaming ourselves and others) to repent.
智洪合十
[Repentance is seen as very important factor to improve our ways of thinking, behavior and emotion. Below is the Traditional Repentance Verse from "The Practices & Vows of Samantabadra Bodhisattva" (Avatamsaka Sutra, Chapter 40):
For all the evil deeds I have done in the past,
Created by my body, speech and mind,
From beginningless greed, hatred and delusion,
I now know shame and repent them all.
You may recite this when you are doing repentance.]
