There's a Guanshiyin Bodhisattva inside the mind of every living being. Every day we recite Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's name. But what does "Guanshiyin Bodhisattva" mean? "Guan" means "to contemplate", to contemplate all the sounds in the world. To contemplate also means to look. But it doesn't mean looking at things outside; it means looking into the minds of living beings. It's looking to see which living being is free of random thoughts. Once those thoughts are gone and the mind is empty, then one can become enlightened. Therefore, a line of verse states: "People have gathered from the ten directions to study the unconditioned." All of the good men and good women who've come together in this assembly from the ten directions are cultivating "unconditioned dharmas." Reciting the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is also an unconditioned dharma. Being unconditioned means "there is nothing done and yet there is nothing left undone." This unconditioned dharma is a method for helping us get rid of random thoughts.
When you recite "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva" Guanshiyin Bodhisattva is also mindful of you; there is a mutual mindfulness. It is like when you are thinking about your family members and they are also thinking about you. From limitless eons in the past Guanshiyin Bodhisattva and we have been relatives in Dharma. When did this time begin? What time am I talking about? I'm talking about a time that began with Amitabha Buddha. Amitabha Buddha is the Teaching Host in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. He is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's teacher and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva helps Amitabha Buddha to propagate the Pure Land Dharma door. We are the Dharma brothers of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva is the elder brother of all living beings who have not yet been born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. We living beings are his younger siblings. If I explain it this way, then we become very close relatives. So we are mindful of our brother, and our brother also keeps us in mind. We are Guanyin Bodhisattva's younger brothers, and Guanyin Bodhisattva is our elder brother.
Someone is saying. "How can Guanshiyin Bodhisattva be my elder brother? Doesn't that make me too exalted?" Not only does Guanyin Bodhisattva regard us as his younger brothers he treats all living beings as his younger brothers. Otherwise why would he listen to our sounds and come rescue us from our suffering'? When we living beings get ourselves into trouble, why would Guanshiyin Bodhisattva want to help us out? It's because he sees that all living beings are just the same as his own hands and feet, his own flesh and bones. For this reason, Guanyin Bodhisattva fears neither trouble nor difficulty, and comes to rescue all the living beings who are suffering here in this Saha World. Therefore, none of us should forget our Dharma brother. When we mindfully recite "Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva " one time, Guanyin Bodhisattva is also mindful of us.
When we call out to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, we're calling our elder brother. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva then calls out to his younger brothers who are future Bodhisattvas and future Buddhas. If we can regard Guanshiyin Bodhisattva in this way, we'll be even more sincere. We should recite the name of our Dharma brother as sincerely as we can. Don't miss this chance! But as we recite the name of Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, we shouldn't let our heads droop down. We should lift our heads up and recite with courageous, heroic vigor. Don't appear listless or apathetic. When Guanshiyin Bodhisattva sees our spirit, he'll say to us, "Quickly take my hand!" Then he'll take us toward the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Someone else may be idly thinking, "Why is Guanshiyin Bodhisattva looking, looking, looking all day long? And why am I not allowed to look at anything at all?" You should know that your looking and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva's looking aren't the same. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva looks inside, but you look outside. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva looks at his own nature. He has every living being on his radar screen. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva knows all the idle thoughts that living beings are indulging in. Guanshiyin is always looking at his inner radar. Therefore, the things he looks at and the things you took at are not the same. Because some living beings are far away from him, even a thousand hands and a thousand eyes are not enough. He wants to look at limitless numbers of living beings, but he cannot see them all. For this reason he "reverses the light to reflect within." He turns his hearing back and listens to his own nature. He looks at the living beings of his self nature. He wants to know the pain and suffering they are experiencing, then he goes to save those living beings. On the other hand you are looking outside, forgetting all about your inherent wisdom. That's why I said your looking and his looking are different.
