25/08/2026
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒, 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐆
(𝑨 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂̄𝒈𝒂 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒂̄𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒉𝒂 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑩𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒉𝒂𝒔)
Nāga King Sāgara and his children, wives, and servants touched the Buddha's feet and begged for the Buddha's forgiveness for not being able to gather all the universe's wealth and offer to the Buddha, although the Buddha is worth the veneration with unsurpassable merit fields, beyond all the wealth in this universe.
Then the Nāga King asked the Buddha how Bodhisattvas should venerate the Buddha.
To this question, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠:
• Purity of intention is veneration of the Buddha because it is not contrived or deceptive.
• Purity of motivation is veneration of the Buddha because it is the root of virtue.
• The mind without aggression is veneration of the Buddha because it has an equanimous attitude toward all beings.
• Abandoning hypocrisy and flattery is veneration of the Buddha because they are pure conduct.
• Practicing what one preaches is veneration of the Buddha because it does not deceive the world.
• Satisfaction with the family of noble ones and not giving up the qualities of training one has adopted are veneration of the Buddha because they are firm in their determination.
• Taking delight in solitude and turning away from gossip are veneration of the Buddha because they tame the mind.
• Contemplating what one has heard is veneration of the Buddha because it yields an accurate understanding.
• Realizing the absence of self, a being, a life principle, a soul, and personhood is veneration of the Buddha because they are primordially unarisen.
• Understanding empty phenomena, realizing the absence of marks, and being free from wishes are veneration of the Buddha because they actualize the gateways of liberation.
• Understanding this conditionality and eliminating extreme views are veneration of the Buddha because they eliminate the views of eternalism and nihilism.
• Acceptance of the non-arising and unborn is veneration of the Buddha because they are by nature unarisen.
In this way, maneuvering the body, speech, and mind is not pure veneration of the Buddha. Pure veneration of the Buddha is where there is no maneuvering of the body, speech, and mind; where there is no premeditation, no acceptance, no rejection; the purity of the three spheres, the equality of the three times, and the elimination of the three stains, where one does not depend on the three realms, enters the three gateways of liberation, and understands the three forms of knowing.
Furthermore, the Nāga King Sāgara asked the Buddha if offerings to the Buddha with flowers, perfumes, incense, flower garlands, lotions, powders, parasols, banners, pennants, clothing, food, bedding, seats, healing medicine, provisions, cymbals, and instruments also count as a veneration of the Buddha?"
𝐈𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐝𝐡𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠:
With such unsurpassed veneration, one would purify negative karma. However, such veneration is not entirely final, immaculate, or pure. That being said, such acts of virtue do lead to the liberation of the noble ones, which is better than not accumulating any positive virtue. Moreover, Bodhisattvas, who possess these four qualities, venerate the Buddha - (i) gathering the accumulation of merit through not forgetting the mind set on awakening, (ii) gathering the accumulation of wisdom through the mind practicing great compassion, (iii) purifying buddha realms through the mind that is engaged in extraordinary diligence, and (iv) arousing acceptance through arousing the mind set on the profound and vast Dharma. Bodhisattvas possessing these four qualities venerate the Thus-Gone One.
