The Perfection of Determination - Eight qualifications II

“(7) Extreme dedication (adhikara): extreme devotion.

The aspiration only succeeds for one endowed with the aforesaid qualities

who at the time has such strong devotion for the Buddhas

that he is prepared to relinquish his very life for them.”

  During the Bodhisatta’s life as Sumedha, people were clearing the way for the Buddha Dipankara, but since they were not yet ready, Sumedha threw himself on the road so that the Buddha would tread on him instead of walking on the mud.
As to the eighth qualification, we read:

“ (8) Strong desire (chandata): wholesome desire, the wish for accomplishment.

One possessed of the aforesaid qualities must have strong desire, yearning,

and longing to practise the qualities issuing in Buddhahood.

Only then does his aspiration succeed, not otherwise.”

  This shows us the Buddha’s great compassion. Due to his great compassion we still have the opportunity to listen to the Dhamma today. We read further on about the aspiration of the Bodhisatta who is endowed with these eight factors:

“Its characteristic is rightly resolving to attain the supreme enlightenment.

Its function is to yearn, ‘Oh, may I awaken to the supreme perfect enlightenment,

and bring well-being and happiness to all beings!’

It is manifest as the root-cause for the requisites of enlightenment.

Its proximate cause is great compassion,

or the achievement of the necessary supporting conditions.

Since it has as its object the inconceivable plane of the Buddhas

and the welfare of the whole immeasurable world of beings,

it should be seen as the loftiest, most sublime and exalted distinction of merit,

endowed with immeasurable potency,

the root-cause of all the qualities issuing in Buddhahood.

Simultaneous with its arising,

the Great Man enters upon the practice of the vehicle to great enlightenment,

mahabodhiyanapatipatti.

He becomes fixed in his destiny, irreversible,

and therefore properly gains the designation ‘bodhisattva’.

His mind becomes fully devoted to the supreme enlightenment in its completeness,

and his capacity to fulfil the training in the requisites of enlightenment becomes established.”
Here we see the Buddha’s great compassion for all of us. We do not need to fulfill immensely difficult tasks, compared in the texts to crossing the world-systems that are extremely hot, or going through a jungle of thorny creepers; we do not need to accumulate the perfections for as long as an incalculable period and a hundred thousand aeons.