Everyone possesses the capacity for great mercy. The saint Vimalakirti and butchers and executioners alike have this capacity.
Everywhere in the world can be found the same genuine mood that accords with Nature – be it in a magnificent mansion or a humble cottage.
It is just greed that destroys the capacity for great mercy, and fleshly emotions that lock up the genuine mood. Men miss the way to salvation when such an opportunity stares them in the face. A single step in the wrong direction leads them as far from the right path as if a thousand miles intervened.
人人有个大慈悲，维摩屠刽无二心也；处处有种真趣咏，金屋茅舍非两地也。只是欲闭情封，当面错过，便咫尺千里矣。
Notes
Innate equality beyond identity
This passage from Cai Gen Tan articulates that compassion is not exclusive to the “virtuous” but rooted in every heart. This “shared heart” defies prejudice — mercy is humanity’s common essence, differing only in whether awakened or obscured.
Joy beyond circumstance
Life’s delight depends not on wealth but on perceiving the present. This “non-dual realm” rejects materialism — true joy is life’s inherent nature, differing only in whether seen with clarity.
The barrier within: Why we lose the essence?
Life’s innate beauty (compassion, joy) is ever-present, obscured solely by our own desires and emotions.
- Reduce needless cravings;
- Release negative feelings.
When the mind clears, we discover:
- Compassion awaits not in distant quests — but in empathizing with others;
- Delight hides not in far-flung pursuits — but in cherishing daily life.
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