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The Buddha Of Mercy
Milton says:
Virtue may be assailed, but never hurt;
Surprised by unjust force, but not enthralled.
But evil on itself shall back recoil,
And mix no more with goodness. If this fail,
The pillared firmament is rottenness,
And earth's base built on stubble.
The world is built on the foundation of morality, which is another
name for Universal Spirit, and moral order sustains it. We human
beings, consciously or unconsciously, were, are, and will be at work
to bring the world into perfection. This idea is allegorically
expressed in the Buddhist sutra,[FN#177] which details the advent of
a merciful Buddha named Maitreya in the remote future. At that time,
it says, there will be no steep hills, no filthy places, no epidemic,
no famine, no earthquake, no storm, no war, no revolution, no
bloodshed, no cruelty, and no suffering; the roads will be paved
smoothly, grass and trees always blooming, birds ever singing, men
contented and happy; all sentient beings will worship the Buddha of
Mercy, accept His doctrine, and attain to Enlightenment. This
prophecy will be fulfilled, according to the sutra, 5,670,000,000
years after the death of Shakya Muni. This evidently shows us that
the Mahayanist's aim of life is to bring out man's inborn light of
Buddha-nature to illumine the world, to realize the universal
brotherhood of all sentient beings, to attain to Enlightenment, and
to enjoy peace and joy to which Universal Spirit leads us.
[FN#177] See Nanjo's Catalogue, Nos. 204-209.
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