Peaceful Practices of the Mind

[Peaceful Practices] means maintaining the right mental attitude while expounding the Dharma. There are four points.

  1. A Bodhisattva must not be jealous of others, or flatter them, or deceive them.
  2. He or she should not despise anyone who studies the Way to Buddhahood by any other method, speak ill of them, or point out their faults.
  3. He or she should not disturb or perplex those who seek any of the Three Vehicles (“hearers,” self-enlightened Buddhas, or practicers of the Way Of the Bodhisattvas), and never tell them, “You are far from enlightenment. You cannot attain the knowledge of the equality and differences of all things because you are licentious and lazy in seeking enlightenment. “
  4. A Bodhisattva should not get involved in meaningless quarrels with the followers of other schools of thought (p. 218).  Instead of getting bogged down in stupid arguments, a Bodhisattva should have great compassion toward all living beings. He should look upon all the Buddhas as his loving parents, and upon all the Bodhisattvas as his great teachers. He or she should expound the Dharma to all living beings without showing any partiality (p. 218-219).
Introduction to the Lotus Sutra