Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.
It’s time to start over on this story of two children whose efforts purify their father so that he can understand the Dharma by faith. These kids, Pure-Store and Pure-Eyes by name, had many merits before any of this started.
The two sons had great supernatural powers, merit , virtues and wisdom. A long time ago, they had already practiced the Way which Bodhisattva should practice. They had already practiced the dana-paramita, the sila-paramita, the ksanti-pararnita, the virya-paramita, the dhyana-paramita, the prajna-paramita, and the paramita of expediency. They also had already obtained [the four states of mind towards all living beings:] compassion, loving-kindness, joy and impartiality. They also had already practiced the thirty-seven ways to enlightenment. They had done all this perfectly and clearly. They also had already obtained the samadhis of Bodhisattvas: that is, the samadhi for purity, the samadhi for the sun and the stars, the samadhi for pure light, the samadhi for pure form, the samadhi for pure brightness, the samadhi for permanent adornment, and the samadhi for the great treasury of powers and virtues. They had already practiced all these samadhis.
On the topic of the four states of mind, the Daily Dharma from July 26, 2015, offers this:
They also had already obtained [the four states of mind towards all living beings:] compassion, loving-kindness, joy and impartiality.
The Buddha gives this description in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sutra of two boys who had been the previous lives of Medicine-King and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattvas. These four states of mind are those which allow to see the world for what it is and bring true benefit for all beings. Any living being is capable of them. Their opposites: cruelty, indifference, misery and prejudice, are never what we aspire to, even though we find ourselves in them far too often. But even these states can be used as an indication that we are not seeing things for what they are, and lead us back to a true curiosity and appreciation for what we have.
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