Having last month considered what happens when Universal Sage Bodhisattva emits a bright light from the white curl between his eyebrows, we consider the first stage of contemplating the bodhisattva Universal Sage

Seeing the bodhisattvas at that moment, the practitioner’s body and mind will fill with joy, and he or she should then pay homage to them and address them, saying:

“Most merciful and compassionate ones: Out of sympathetic concern for me, expound the teachings for my benefit!”

When the practitioner says these words, the bodhisattvas will then speak in unison – each expounding the pure teachings found in the Great Vehicle sutras and reciting verses in praise of the practitioner. This is said as beginning the first stage of contemplating the bodhisattva Universal Sage.

Having perceived these things, the practitioner should then concentrate on the Great Vehicle unceasingly day and night. In dreams while sleeping, the practitioner will see Universal Sage expounding the teachings for his or her benefit, which will ease and comfort the practitioner’s mind exactly as though he or she were awake. Even so, the bodhisattva will say these words as well:

“In the parts you have taken to heart and kept, you have forgotten this phrase; you have made a mistake in this verse.”

Hearing Universal Sage Bodhisattva’s comments at such times, the practitioner will deeply grasp their meaning and objective and, without forgetting, will always keep them in memory. His or her mind will gradually increase in clarity as day after day passes in this way.