Here it says:
In the past when I recited scriptures I often recited this avaivartika.
What is avaivartika?
We translate it as “Non-retrogression”, never regressing.
All sentient beings that reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, are called avaivartika, which means they will never go backwards. Here talking about never-regressing, there are three meanings in it:
The first is called “Non-retrogression in status”.
You must understand that the status of sentient beings are rising, falling and impermanent. In this Saha World, as beings live within the ordinary realm, their status and rank are all destined to decline eventually.
In the past when I was reading fortunes, my official came to ask me “When will I reach the highest position?”
After calculating, I knew that after one year he would climb to the highest position in the surveying department, but would then fall to the lowest position in less than a year. I told him, “In a year’s time you will become the director.”
But then I continued saying, “However, after a short time, you will.”
Before I finished speaking, he said, “Don’t say any more.”
He said he only needed to know about the highest position. This official of ours did indeed reach the highest position, but because he had done something wrong, when everyone went to look for him he held a pair of scissors and said, “Don’t you all come looking for me, I will end this myself!”
He then picked up the scissors and stabbed himself in the stomach. He committed suicide less than a year after reaching that high position.
This is what Grandmaster meant by “Suddenly falling from the highest place to the lowest place,” and it was to the lowest level of hell.
I’ve seen a lot. Our officials all climb, climb, climb, until they reach the very top, then “bump!” and they come down.
Grandmaster is a veteran of three reigns. I was both an engineering officer and a surveying officer, always a surveying officer-cum-engineering officer. I’ve personally witnessed three officials reach the very top, then fall, then push up and fall another, that one was pushed down again. Politics is also the same, one rises, one is no more, then another rises, then another disappears; it’s all the same.
Therefore there is one advantage of going to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. After you go up you won’t slide down again. It won’t be like us playing on a slippery slope. If the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is like a slippery slope, I won’t be going. This “non-retrogression” means that one will no longer fall back or decline. This is called “non-retrogression in status.”
The second is “Non-retrogression in cultivation.”
Those of us cultivating should be diligent, never regressing in our cultivation, that is non-retrogression in cultivation.
In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, why does it cause you to not regress in cultivation?
Because in that world there is a force that guides you to continue cultivating. It exists in that space, preventing your mind from regressing. What you see is diligent cultivation, what you hear is beautiful cultivation music, what you enjoy is the meditative bliss of cultivation. Because everything is a beautiful guiding force, so your cultivation will not regress.
The third is “Non-retrogression in thoughts of the mind.”
Because your mind has entered into the dharma ocean of the universe, so your mind is boundless, having the same mind as the universe. Most of us have many small, petty thoughts; for example, sometimes we are “clever but not appropriate” [Taiwanese slang], meaning we don’t always get things just right.
Let’s take an example to talk about. If I invite someone to dinner and they don’t come, we might think they look down on us.
“I invited you, and you didn’t come? How arrogant! Must be looking down on me.”
We feel very unhappy in the heart. Next time, even if you invite me ten times, I won’t go.
On the other hand, if I invite you and you come, but you bring ten other people with you and I wasn’t prepared for so many, I would be very unhappy in my heart and show an unhappy expression on my face. Especially if you only bring an ordinary bottle of sake!
In your heart you think to yourself, “I lost big this time. Next time you invite me, I’ll bring a hundred people.”
If someone arrives early and I am not ready yet, I feel uncomfortable in my heart. If they arrive late, I think they are not punctual. Sometimes when guests come, they make a mess here and there, and I become angry in my heart. Some even break valuable antiques. So to achieve perfect harmony is very difficult!
Cultivators are different from ordinary people. As cultivators have vast hearts and minds, therefore they can understand others in any situation. Their minds are always vast, naturally do not regress, this is called “Non-retrogression in thoughts of the mind. ”
If one’s heart is small, one will inevitably encounter troubles in everything one does. If one’s heart is vast, one will be free from troubles in everything one does. Those who study Buddhism will also find themselves free from all kinds of troubles once they reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
It can’t be when they are there, they suddenly think “Oh dear! Everyone has seen Amitabha Buddha, but I’m the only one who hasn’t. I’m furious, I’m going back.”
Or they say, “Yesterday night, Amitabha Buddha told my fellow practitioner a secret dharma, but I was only taught a very small dharma, I’m also furious, I have decided to return and quit.”
These are all regression in thoughts of the mind. When you are in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate bliss, such things no longer exist.
“Non-retrogression in status”, “Non-retrogression in cultivation” and “Non-retrogression in thoughts of the mind. ” These three kinds of non-retrogression are called “Avaivartika.”
Among them are also many buddhas, many bodhisattvas, future buddhas, future bodhisattvas meaning “future successors.” This “future successor” means you should wait there; one day you will definitely have your turn, and your time will come.
Om Mani Padme Hum