aware of it; we did not know our folly, we now see it clearly. It is because a light from without has entered our hearts, and enlightened our minds. The Great Mercy of the Tathāgata has looked upon us: the Tathāgata has enlightened us with His Boundless Light and caused it to come over us; and where His Light is, there He is Himself,
When we thus stand in the presence of the Tathāgata, we are absolutely naked before Him. It is of no use for us to trick ourselves out with specious adornment, and try to deceive Him: He cannot be thus deceived. All we can do is to take ourselves at our real worth and without dissimulation of any kind, "just as we are," as sinners, as wicked men, as ignorant and foolish, and, taking our stand on that confession of an upright heart, to claim the great Mercy of the Tathāgata, as it is held up before our eyes in the Great Name which he has made His own. In the light of that Mercy shining on an upright heart we may see reflected our own Nature and that of the Tathāgata
