Chapter: Initiation of the Bodhisattvas’ Great Resolve (Phẩm Phát Khởi Chí Nguyện Vui Thích của Bồ Tát), Volume 91.

Guidance: Master Bennie (Ân sư Bennie).
Lecturer: Chơn Ngộ (LE THI MY TRANG).
Organization: Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated Australia.

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1. INTRODUCTION: THE FRUSTRATION OF THE STAGNANT PATH

In the journey of spiritual cultivation, many practitioners encounter a devastating plateau. Despite years of keeping precepts, attending retreats, and studying the scriptures, they find themselves “stuck.” The clarity of mindfulness slips away, replaced by a growing attraction to worldly noise and an inexplicable heaviness in practice.

This spiritual paralysis is not a modern malaise but an ancient diagnostic reality described in the Ratnakuta Sutra. The scripture depicts sixty high-level Bodhisattvas who stood before the Buddha and wept, overcome by the realization that their senses had become darkened, their wisdom “blind,” and their ability to practice virtuous laws virtually nonexistent. They were “multi-heard” and disciplined, yet they were spiritually failing. This document explores the “Hidden Architecture” revealed by the Buddha to explain how high-level practitioners fall into such states of spiritual “dullness,” and how the echoes of past malice create the “scars” that obstruct our liberation today.

2. TAKEAWAY 1: THE PARADOX OF “JOYFUL MALICE” (THƯỚNG DUYỆT TÂM)

The Buddha identifies a specific, counter-intuitive psychological state as the primary catalyst for spiritual obstruction: Thướng duyệt tâm—or “Exultant Malice.” Unlike simple anger, which may feel like a burden, Thướng duyệt tâm refers to the feeling of extreme joy, exultation, and satisfaction one feels while venting, insulting, or slandering others.

From a specialist’s perspective, this is a perverted “flow state.” The practitioner feels a sense of relief—as if a blockage has been cleared—after humiliating another. However, this “high” of venting is the very mechanism that seals heavy karmic debt. By mistaking the relief of the ego for the health of the soul, the practitioner creates a “functional inversion” where harming others becomes the source of their greatest satisfaction.

“At that time, the Buddha told the Bodhisattvas: ‘O virtuous men! You should stand up; do not grieve or give rise to great sorrow anymore. In the past, you created evil karma; toward sentient beings, you used joyful and exuberant hearts (thướng duyệt tâm) to scold, humiliate, cause obstacles of affliction, and harm them.'”

3. TAKEAWAY 2: THE TRAP OF SACRED PRIDE

The Ratnakuta Sutra details a profound warning regarding 500 Bodhisattvas under the Buddha Krakucchanda. These were not worldly sinners; they were “well-learned” (multi-heard), strictly observed the pure precepts, and practiced the rigorous Dhutanga (austere practices). Their downfall was not a lack of virtue, but the weaponization of it.

By becoming attached to their own “sacred” status, they fueled their ego with their merits. This attachment triggered what Master Bennie describes as an “Automatic Misfortune Program” (Chương trình xúi quẩy tự động). When a practitioner uses their knowledge to look down on the “unlearned,” or their strict precepts to judge the “lax,” they are feeding the Five Poisons (Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Pride, Doubt) with spiritual fuel. The program is “automatic” because once pride is rooted in virtue, it inevitably seeks to destroy the virtue of others to maintain its own perceived height.

4. TAKEAWAY 3: THE DEVASTATING COST OF ENVY AND SLANDER

The most catastrophic activation of the “Automatic Misfortune Program” occurs when envy is directed at those preaching the Dharma. The scripture recounts how practitioners, jealous of the fame and offerings received by two Dharma Preachers (Pháp sư), falsely accused them of “lustful acts.” This was not a victimless gossip; the slander caused the disciples of these monks to doubt their teachers, effectively severing their virtuous roots and halting their spiritual progress.

The cost of this spiritual sabotage was mathematically precise and terrifying:

• The Primary Sentence: They endured 6 million years (sixty hundred thousand) in the Avici Hell and 4 million years (forty hundred thousand) in the Samjiva (Constant Resurrection) Hell, followed by further eons in the Black Cord and Flaming Hells.
• Residual Karma (Dư nghiệp) vs. Scars (Tàn nghiệp): Master Bennie distinguishes between the “primary illness” (Hell) and the “scar” (Tàn nghiệp). Even after the hell-sentence is served, the “scar” remains on the soul in the human realm for 500 lifetimes. These scars manifest as:
  • Being born blind, dull-witted, or with deficient senses (the “mark” of the wound).
  • Living in poverty-stricken “borderlands” lacking food and clothing.
  • Being chronically despised, deceived, or hated by others without apparent cause.

5. TAKEAWAY 4: SPIRITUAL SYMPTOMS AS KARMIC FEEDBACK

To the Spiritual Life Coach, these ancient descriptions serve as a diagnostic checklist for “Karmic Obstruction.” If your practice feels stagnant, you may be experiencing the residual feedback of past malice.

The Diagnostic Checklist:

• Functional Inversion: Being “slow and dull” in righteous work or Dharma study, but becoming “fast and energetic” when engaging in worldly gossip or bad behaviors.
• The Pull of Noise: A compulsive attraction to worldly chatter, entertainment, and “noise” over the silence of meditation.
• Loss of Mindfulness: Constantly “doing what shouldn’t be done and forgetting chánh niệm (mindfulness).”
• Demonic Winds: Moments of wisdom or insight arise, only to be immediately extinguished by the “demonic winds” of the urge to eat, sleep, and indulge.
• Wisdom Paralysis: The inability to “take in” the Dharma, even when it is clearly explained.

6. CONCLUSION: HEALING THE SCARS OF THE SOUL

Spiritual failure is rarely a lack of effort; it is often the presence of an obstruction. As the Master notes, the “scar” remains even after the “illness” is cured. These scars—blindness, dullness, or the inclination to forget mindfulness—are the human-level manifestations of ancient “joyful malice.”

The first step toward recovery is the courage to recognize these symptoms not as personal failings, but as karmic feedback. By acknowledging that our pride or our tendency to humiliate others has created our own “blindness,” we can begin the process of sincere repentance. We must ask ourselves: Are we currently using our “goodness” to feed our ego, or are we bowing before the Buddha to finally heal the root disease of the soul?

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7. APPENDIX: FULL SCRIPTURE TEXT & DAILY RESOLVE

Scripture Excerpts (The Great Ratnakuta Sutra)

“Because of these evil karmas, you stayed in the Avici Hell for sixty hundred thousand years. The residual karma not yet exhausted, you stayed in the Samjiva Hell for forty hundred thousand years… Dying from there and being reborn as a human, for five hundred lifetimes you were born blind without eyes. Because of residual karma (Tàn nghiệp), wherever you were born, you were often muddled and dull, forgetting mindfulness, obscuring virtuous roots, with little merit, and possessing an ugly and deficient form. People did not like to look at you; you were often slandered, despised, teased, deceived, and hated.”

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Daily Resolve: Repenting Evil Karma of Slander & Restoring Pure Mindfulness (Based on the Initiation of the Bodhisattvas’ Great Resolve — Ratnakuta Sutra)

Nam Mo Shakyamuni Buddha. Nam Mo Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Nam Mo Maitreya Bodhisattva.

I vow to rely on the power of the Ratnakuta Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra, on behalf of all sentient beings sinking in the evil karma of slander and the Three Obstructions, to make these great resolves:

I. Thorough Repentance of Past Evil Karma “I vow for all sentient beings to clearly understand the disease of heavy karmic obstruction: the six senses are darkened, virtuous laws are scarce, liking noise and excitement, discussing worldly affairs, indulging in sleep, engaging in idle talk, being preoccupied with trivialities, and all kinds of attachments. I vow for all sentient beings to thoroughly repent the sin of using a joyful heart to scold, humiliate, obstruct, and harm others. I vow for all sentient beings to escape the state of ‘doing what shouldn’t be done and forgetting mindfulness,’ and to no longer exchange a moment of exultant malice for millions of years in Avici Hell.”

II. Vowing to Eradicate Pride & Attachment to Merit “I vow that all sentient beings, though they may be well-learned, keep precepts, or practice austerities, shall not give rise to pride, arrogance, or heedlessness. I vow that all sentient beings will not, because of small achievements, give rise to envy or slander Dharma Teachers or Spiritual Friends who have more offerings and fame than themselves. May they realize that using merit to fuel the Five Poisons is the creation of the ‘Automatic Misfortune Program.'”

III. Vowing to Overcome Residual Karma & Restore the Six Senses “I vow for all sentient beings to escape the states of blindness, deficiency, ugliness, and dullness left by the scars of residual karma. I vow for all sentient beings no longer to be born in poor and lowly borderlands, lacking food and clothing, or being despised, deceived, and hated by others. I vow that they shall no longer be driven by the ‘winds of karma’ to retreat from the path.”

IV. Vowing to Cherish the Right Dharma & Approach Great Wisdom “I vow for all sentient beings to always cherish every moment of hearing the Dharma, not letting the light of wisdom that has just arisen be blown out by demonic winds of eating, sleeping, and entertainment. I vow for all sentient beings to have enough courage to discard vain pride and bow before the Buddha’s feet to seek healing for the root disease of the soul.”

Guiding Teacher: Master Bennie Spirit

Chinese Editor: Ven. Yinyue (LiCheng Li)

Vietnamese Translator: Ven. Chon Ngo (Grace Spirit)

English Editor: English Editor: Gemini & Anonymous

Introduction: Why awakening is Key in Modern Meditation

In today’s fast-paced world, more people than ever are turning to meditation to find peace and liberation from stress. However, many of them embark on this spiritual journey without a clear roadmap, are unaware of the profound mental and physical transformations involved.

These series are shared to address a critical need: providing a safe and grounded roadmap for practitioners. While meditation is able to unlock extraordinary inner potential (The Luminous True Mind), it can also lead to significant risks if misunderstood. These articles aim to help you distinguish between genuine progress and the illusions that possibly lead to mental instability. This is not just a study of phenomena, but a manual for safely spiritual awakening.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

I. Phenomena When Humans Break Through Material Limitations

1. Physical Transcendence of External Obstacles
2. Clear Perception of the Body’s Internal Structure
3. Hearing the Sound of Dharma Teaching in the Air
4. Manifestation of Sacred Lands of the Gods
5. Simultaneous Appearance of Holy Realms Without Mutual Obstruction
6. Ability to See Objects in a Dark Room
7. Breakthrough of Barriers Among Internal and External Elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Wind)
8. Simultaneous Appearance of Gods, Holy Realms, Ordinary People, and Ordinary Scenes
9. Perception of All far away Things (Clairvoyance)
10. Perceiving Various Transformations of Physical Form
11. Summary

II. The Process of Transcending Confusion, Loss, and Delusion of Thought

1. Gradual Expansion of the Compassionate Mind (Eliminating Suffering)
2. Gradual Expansion of the Mind of Growth
3. Initial Experience of the State of Emptiness
4. Initial Experience of Wisdom of Concentration (Samadhi)
5. Entering a Deeper State of Emptiness
6. Attaining the State of Ease in Body and Mind
7. Initial Experience of Superior Understanding and Insight
8. Mastering The Natural Process of Meditation
9. Profound Experience of the State of Emptiness
10. Fully Inner Experience of the Peaceful State of Meditation
11. Summary

III. Breaking Through the Limitations and Obstacles of Perception (The World of Formation)

1. Initial Mastery of All Methods to Achieve One’s Noble Desires
2. Freely Manifesting, Transforming, and Moving
3. Truly Knowing the Thoughts Within Another Person’s Mind of other people (Mind-Reading)
4. Observing and Understanding the Beginning and End of All Transformations in the Universe
5. Temporarily Altering the Physical Form of Others
6. Temporarily Attaining Transcendent Powers
7. Predicting the Future (Precognition)
8. Mastery of All Types of Transformations
9. Ability to Enter the Essence of Emptiness
10. Freely Changing Physical Appearance and Age
11. Summary

IV. Overcoming Obstacles Across Eighty Thousand Kalpas While Being Limited by Current Realms and Self-Righteousness

1. Concluding That Everything Has No Cause After Precise Observation
2. Concluding That Everything Exists Eternally After Precise Observation
3. Concluding That Things are Both Eternal Permanent and Impermanent After Precise Observation
4. Concluding That the Universe Is Both Finite and Infinite After Precise Observation
5. Concluding That Things Both Exist and Do Not Exist After Thorough Observation
6. Perceiving the Existence of Life After Death After Thorough Observation
7. Perceiving the Non-Existence of Life After Death After Thorough Observation
8. Concluding That Life After Death Both Exists and Does Not Exist After Thorough Observation
9. Concluding the Total Annihilation After Death After Thorough Observation
10. Identifying Five Types of Nirvana After Thorough Research and Observation
11. Summary

V. Overcoming the Obstacles and Limitations of Habitual Tendencies

VI. Conclusion

Installment Episode I: Preface – The Inherent Wisdom of the Spirit

In today’s fast-paced world, more people than ever are turning to meditation to find peace and liberation from stress. However, many embark on this spiritual journey without a clear roadmap, unaware of the profound phenomena — and potential risks — that can arise when practicing incorrectly.

We are pleased to introduce the first installment from “Phenomena in the Process of Activating Inner Potential” by Master Bennie. This series serves as a vital guide for the modern practitioner. It explains that while we all possess an inherent “Luminous True Mind” capable of extraordinary insight, these experiences must be approached with a grounded and guarded perspective. Without proper understanding, one can easily fall into the trap of “delusion and attachment,” leading to mental confusion rather than true enlightenment.

PREFACE

The Essence of Spiritual Wisdom and Transcendent Powers

Every sentient being inherently possesses the wisdom of the spirit. Yet, because we constantly chase illusions, pursue errors, and stubbornly insist on our own “correctness,” we leave no room for the inherent wisdom of the Holy Spirit. If one abandons illusions, delusions, and attachments, all wisdom will naturally manifest![1]

The Holy Spirit—also known as Nirvana, Suchness (Tathatā), Liberation, the Mysterious Pearl, or the Spiritual Mind—are all different names for the Mind. When the spiritual mind manifests, there is nothing it cannot do.[2]

The wisdom of an ordinary person is able to see what has already happened, but cannot see what is about to happen.[3] There are multiple types of wisdom, and each could be defined precisely.[4]

For instance, the Six Higher Transcendent Powers (Abhijñā) include:[5]

• Divya-caksu: The ability to see according to one’s will (Divine Eye).
• Divya-srotra: The ability to hear according to one’s will (Divine Ear).
• Para-citta-jnana: The ability to know the psychology of others at will (Mind-reading).
• Purva-nivasa: The ability to understand the details of life’s past journeys.
• Rddhividha: The ability to change all things according to one’s will (Miraculous Powers).
• Asrava-ksaya: The ability to use the light of wisdom to illuminate everything (Extinction of Defilements).

The term “Proof” (Zheng) means to verify or to confirm.[6]

Perhaps many believe that Buddhism does not advocate for transcendent powers, often citing Confucian concepts of “strange forces” or the Buddha’s historical reprimand of the nun Uppalavanna (Lian Hua Se) to argue against them.

However, in reality, according to Buddhism, supernatural powers are the most basic condition—the “capital” and the capability—for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to practice loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity to save all sentient beings. If we possess full supernatural abilities, we are able to bring greater benefit to all.[7]

Citations & References

• [1] Avatamsaka Sutra, Vol. 51; 卍 Xuzangjing, Vol. 63, No. 1231.
• [2] 卍 Xuzangjing, Vol. 63, No. 1231, Commentary on the Mind Poem (4 Volumes), Vol. 2, by Master Yanshou of the Song Dynasty.
• [3] Jia Yi, Zhi An Ce (Treatise on Peace and Order).
• [4] Shuowen Jiezi (Ancient Chinese Dictionary).
• [5] Shuowen Jiezi (Ancient Chinese Dictionary).
• [6] Guangya Shigu, Vol. 4.
• [7] Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, Vol. 26, Chapter 83. (CBETA 2023.Q3, T08, no. 223, p. 410c18-26).

[1] Avatamsaka Sutra, Vol. 51; Translated by Shikshananda; Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathagata: “There is no sentient being that does not possess the wisdom of the Tathagata, but because of delusional thoughts and attachments, they do not realize it… If they leave behind delusions, then All-encompassing Wisdom, Natural Wisdom, and Unobstructed Wisdom will manifest.” (Source: 卍 Xuzangjing, Vol. 63, No. 1231).

[2] 卍 Xuzangjing, Vol. 63, No. 1231, Commentary on the Mind Poem (4 Volumes), Vol. 2, by Master Yanshou of the Song Dynasty.

[3] Jia Yi, Zhi An Ce (Treatise on Peace and Order).

[4] Shuowen Jiezi (Ancient Chinese Dictionary).

[5] Shuowen Jiezi (Ancient Chinese Dictionary).

[6] Guangya Shigu, Vol. 4.

[7] Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, Vol. 26, Chapter 83: “Subhuti! When a Bodhisattva-mahasattva practices the Prajnaparamita, they abide in the Transcendent Powers to benefit sentient beings… Just as a bird without wings cannot fly high, a Bodhisattva without supernatural powers cannot teach and transform sentient beings according to their needs.” (CBETA 2023.Q3, T08, no. 223, p. 410c18-26).

Furthermore, the talk explains the meaning of the lion’s roar of Bodhicitta and the image of a zither string made from a lion’s sinew, symbolizing the gentle, enduring strength and the ability to cut off attachments and desires during practice. Finally, the master emphasizes that patience and the inherent flexibility of one’s nature are essential elements for developing Bodhicitta and benefiting all beings.

The dialogue delves deeply into how Bodhicitta’s wisdom can transform karmic obstacles, delusions, and afflictions. It emphasizes the necessity of practicing Mahakaruna (great compassion) to maintain and develop this mind. The master also warns against “leaks” in the mind, such as showing off, seeking recognition, or feigning pity, as these can deplete merit and good karma. He highlights the importance of plugging these holes to achieve true enlightenment and self-mastery.

The discourse also distinguishes between a deep-seated will and complete corruption in practice, emphasizing that even with a strong will, one can still cultivate the Bodhi mind despite feeling discouraged. The master asserts that relying entirely on the compassionate help of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas without personal transformation is futile because merit and the ability to deal with one’s mind can only be developed through one’s own practice. Finally, the master encourages one to personally experience the suffering caused by afflictions, especially greedy attachment, to realize the truth that they only bring harm and not genuine love or benefit.

Dialogues between the master and disciples clarify concepts such as eliminating attachment to sensual pleasures, recognizing and transforming arrogance, and the importance of perceiving that all phenomena are impermanent and arise from conditioning. The master emphasizes the necessity of absolute wisdom and controlling one’s body, speech, and mind to eradicate afflictions and achieve liberation.