Translated By Tony Qin
I once asked Elder Jianru, “The Buddha taught eighty-four thousand Dharma paths. Why did you choose the difficult path of the Peacock Wisdom King Dharma to study and promote?” The venerable master replied with deep sincerity, “Sentient beings in this Saha world are suffering greatly. There are too many natural disasters, human-caused calamities, strange illnesses, and plagues in the world today. The Peacock Wisdom King Dharma can address these issues in the present world.”
As Buddhist disciples, we have daily practices to follow. So, how should we cultivate the Peacock Wisdom King Dharma? Elder Jianru once taught, “The Peacock Wisdom King Dharma should be a supplementary practice. No matter which path you follow, the Peacock Wisdom King will provide an empowering influence.”
We understand clearly that Buddha recitation is a straightforward path to spiritual cultivation. To transcend the cycle of birth and death, we must be reborn in the Pure Land to continue our practice until we attain Buddhahood. Therefore, many Buddhist disciples choose the Pure Land School as their main practice and dedicate themselves to diligently chanting the Buddha’s name every day. However, due to past karmic obstacles and negative actions in this life, when one strives to practice, various challenges may arise, such as illness, disturbances from non-human beings, and other obstacles. These distractions can lead to frustration, making it difficult to maintain the focus required for Buddha recitation.
How, then, does the Peacock Dharma lead to rebirth in the Pure Land? It is well known that the Peacock Dharma possesses powerful virtues to eliminate poisons. While the text does not elaborate extensively on its philosophical meaning, it emphasizes the three poisons—greed, anger, and ignorance—that bring harm to sentient beings. As stated in the sutra: “Greed, anger, and ignorance are the three poisons of this world. All Buddhas have eradicated them, and the poison of falsehood has been dispelled.” These poisons are destructive; greed, anger, and ignorance can undermine our virtuous aspirations and are therefore called poisons. These poisons are potent: on a small scale, they harm the body, damage health, and sever the roots of compassion; on a larger scale, they affect the environment, disrupt the earth’s ecosystem, and even destroy the Dharma body and the life force of wisdom. They are the root of all harm and suffering, causing individuals to commit various evil deeds, fall into the three lower realms, and endure countless painful results, thus perpetuating the cycle of Samsara.
The sutra also says: “May I have peace at night, and peace during the day, at all times, with the protection and care of all Buddhas.”
The sutra mentions that the past seven Buddhas, as well as various other celestial beings, also rely on the Buddha Mother Wisdom King mantra. Each of them has a specific incantation uniquely dedicated to them, which is included and recited within the sutra. This sutra gathers the powers of practitioners from all realms, eliminating poisons and harmful influences in the world, preventing them from troubling sentient beings. It highlights the extraordinary blessings of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and various practitioners, helping us to remove obstacles in our practice, or at least lessen their impact, thus accelerating our progress on the primary path of cultivation.
Although the Peacock Wisdom King Sutra does not explicitly mention attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, we can still use the practice of the Peacock Wisdom King Dharma as a means to accumulate the resources and favorable conditions necessary for such a rebirth. Regardless of whether we practice the Peacock Wisdom King Dharma or other paths, the final dedication of merit always includes key aspirations: eliminating present-life obstacles, generating the bodhi mind, attaining rebirth in the Western Pure Land, and accumulating the resources for eventual Buddhahood. Therefore, we must have confidence in the Peacock Wisdom King Dharma. With its noble and powerful ability to dispel poisons, this practice is ultimately aligned with the long-term goal of achieving Buddhahood.
