It is said that there were eighty-four thousand virtues of perfection practised by all Bodhisattvas, but they are no more than so many leaves and branches growing from the one stem of pure-heartedness.
-Soyen 1987,78
from Simple Zen by C.Alexander Simpkins PH.D, Annellen Simpkins PH.D
From the one stem of pure-heartedness....is there such a thing as a pure heart? we all think we are pure-hearted. In India we are all brought up to believe there is goodness in everyone much like we believe the Ganga to be pure and have curative properties. We have so much faith in it, even if it may carry deadly pollutants, it is sacred!
So is the notion of a 'pure heart' the same with us? an illusion? or is the 'pure-heart' like the Bodhi seed, buried deep somewhere waiting to germinate, to grow into a tree , a forest of enlightenment.
Dunno ......till then it is enough to try and be pure.
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