Chapter Eight : Buddhahood 3 The Founding Master said,
“‘Great loving-kindness’ means that, if an innocent child is healthy and robust, giving no trouble to its parents, and if its temperament is gentle and its speech and behavior well mannered, it will arouse much happiness and adoring thoughts in its parents’ minds so that they will love it even more. In the same way, when the Buddha observes all sentient beings, if he sees a person whose temperament is gentle, who is loyal to his country, filial to his parents, affectionate to his siblings, respectful to his teachers, and harmonious with his neighbors, who helps the poor and relieves the sick, who practices the great Way and is making progress toward the wisdom of prajñā, who remains free of thought in his applications, and thus accumulates merit that is free from the outflows, then, overjoyed, he so loves that person that he would guide him even more toward the wholesome path. ‘Great compassion’ means that, if parents see their blundering child hurt itself by poking its eye with its own finger or injure its hand by grabbing the sharp edge of a knife, and cries and throws a fit without knowing why, the parents would then feel such pity and sympathy in their minds that they would want to protect and guide the child even more. In the same way, when the Buddha sees all sentient beings become attached to greed, hatred, and delusion, and thereby bring suffering to their minds and injury to their bodies, creating the causes that could make them fall into unwholesome destinies where they would receive retribution accordingly－and yet they instead blame their punishments on heaven, earth, ancestral spirits, fellow beings, and laws－he then feels extremely sad and feels great pity toward them and tries to guide them with millions of expedients. Such is the Buddha’s great loving-kindness and great compassion. But sentient beings do no realize his grace even though they all live amid his great loving-kindness and great compassion. However, he does not mind their ingratitude, but merely devotes himself to the work of delivering sentient beings over thousands and tens of thousands of kalpas. Therefore, the Buddha is the great teacher of the Way throughout the triple worlds and the compassionate father of the four types of birth.” http://www.wonbuddhism.org/
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