Eastern Gate of Great Departure 東門之菩提心 (4 張相片)
當年菩薩悉達多辭親割愛,駕馭白馬,毅然而去的地方就是這兒,淨飯王國的東門城,菩薩擇此門飛躍,所以者何?東方乃太陽所生之處,表菩提心也。善財童子,百城煙水,參聖方所,亦先云:我已先發菩提心云云。故云:菩提心猶如大地,能生一切諸善法故。菩薩於此東門出發,理事不二,所云甚是。
This is the place where Siddhartha Gautama
riding his white horse Kanthaka, left his palace life on search for
Enlightenment ---- Eastern Gate of King Suddhodana's Palace. Bodhisattva chose
Eastern Gate for the Great Departure has its significance and implications.
East is where the Sun rising, it means Bodhicitta rising. Sudhana Kumara who
was determined to search for Dharma in 53 occasions once said "I have
initiated Bodhicitta ..... " There is saying "Bodhicitta is like
Earth Ground where any and all Dharma is sourced from ".