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Chapter 3 continues with verses that explain the remainder of the limbs or branches of the supreme worship that began in chapter 2: rejoicing in virtue, the request that the teachers should turn the wheel of the Dharma, the prayer that the teachers might not pass into nirvana, and the dedication of one's roots of virtue for the sake of others.
Across chapters 2 and 3, Śāntideva explains the process of accumulating merit through the practices of the supreme worship (anuttara-pūja), which includes eight sections or "branches." Chapter 2 has already covered the first four of these (the branches of offering, homage, refuge, and confession).
Chapter 3 now covers the remaining branches, which include the branches of rejoicing in merit, requesting the teachers to turn the wheel of Dharma, supplicating them not to enter nirvana, and the branch of dedicating virtue to the complete enlightenment of all beings.
5. Rejoicing
The first verses of chapter 3 cover rejoicing in the different kinds of virtue. A very important point to be noted in relation to this branch of the supreme worship is that we rejoice not only in the causal action of the actual virtue itself but also in the positive results that follow from that virtue.
The great fourteenth-century Kadampa master Gyalse Tokme Zangpo divides the branch of rejoicing into two: rejoicing in ordinary virtues and rejoicing in supramundane virtues, or those which are beyond worldly virtues.[1]
Within these categories the text identifies three main types of virtues to rejoice in: that done for more worldly aims, which leads at best to a higher rebirth in cyclic existence; that done for the purpose of attaining liberation from samsara and the resultant state of an arhat; and that virtue done for the highest purpose of unsurpassed enlightenment and the resultant state of omniscient buddhahood. We rejoice in these virtues as a cause, but we also rejoice in the positive results of those virtues.
Rejoicing in Ordinary Virtues and the Result of Higher Rebirth
Śāntideva first mentions rejoicing in both the causes and results of ordinary virtues, which are the virtues leading to higher status within samsara.
With joy I celebrate the virtue that relieves all beings
From the sorrows of the states of loss,45According to the Buddhist teachings, the experience of beings in saṃsāra falls into six broad categories, states, or realms. Birth in these worlds is the fruit of past karma or action. There are three unfortunate states (the states of loss referred to in this verse) in which suffering predominates over every other experience: that of animals, hungry ghosts, and beings in the hells. There are three fortunate realms where suffering is mitigated by temporary pleasures, namely, the heavens of the gods, the realms of the asuras or demigods, and the human condition. The misery of beings in the lower realms is compounded by the fact that their ability to create the positive energy necessary to propel them into higher existences is very weak, while negativity abounds.
Exulting in the happy states enjoyed
By those who yet are suffering.46Shāntideva rejoices in the condition of beings in the higher saṃsāric realms of human beings, asuras (demigods), and gods. In all these states, the experience of happiness and pleasure is possible even though they are never beyond the possibility of suffering.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 47 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
sdug bsngal ngal bso'i dge ba dang /_/
sdug bsngal can dag bder gnas la/_/
dga' bas rjes su yi rang ngo /_/
So what kind of virtue are we rejoicing in here? It is the virtue that provides relief for all the suffering sentient beings wandering in cyclic existence. Providing relief from samsara is within the "liberation" of finding temporary relief from the need to experience the sufferings of the lower realms. This is not a true liberation but an attainment of the happiness of higher status within samsara, such as birth in the human or god realms. In this case there is a temporary liberation from the much more extreme sufferings of the hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals.
The object of our rejoicing is the ordinary virtue which acts as a cause in relieving sentient beings of lower realm sufferings such as intense heat, cold, or hunger. This would be equivalent to the merit accrued by a person of lower scope or capacity within the perspective of the three kinds of scope or being as found in the lamrim, or stages of the path, practices.
Rejoicing in Virtue Leading to Mere Liberation
Śāntideva then moves on to rejoicing in the cause and the results of the paths associated with a person of middling capacity or scope. This would be equivalent to the merit accrued by a person of lower scope or capacity.
I revel in the stores of virtue,
Cause of gaining the enlightened state,
And celebrate the freedom won
By living beings from the round of pain.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 47 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
de la rjes su yi rang ngo /_/
lus can 'khor ba'i sdug bsngal las/_/
nges par thar la yi rang ngo /_/
Then we specifically rejoice in the accumulation of both merit and wisdom, which is the cause for the liberation of the hearers and solitary realizers. This state, which is the domain of the arhats, is the liberation from karmic actions and the mental afflictions that is mentioned in the famous line from Nāgārjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā), where it says the following:
Release occurs when action and defilements cease.
Actions and defilements are derived from thoughts,
And these come from the mind’s construction.
Emptiness is what arrests them. (MMK 18.5)[2]
The great Nyingma master Khenpo Kunpal, who was one of Patrul Rinpoche's principal disciples, describes the results of such virtue, which we also rejoice in.
With regard to the results of such virtue, beings are definitively freed from birth, sickness, old age, and death, and all the other sufferings of the three worlds of existence. They achieve the state of the various levels of the Shravakas on the paths of learning (stream-enterer, once-returner, and non-returner) and the condition of Arhats on the path of no-more-learning. For them the ocean of blood and tears has dried up, the mountains of bones have been leveled. Remembering the qualities of realization and elimination attained by such beings, for whom gold is as valuable as a lump of earth, Shantideva has faith in them and rejoices.[3]
As Khenpo Kunpal points out, it is not only the rejoicing in the cause that leads to this form of liberation but also rejoicing in the resultant qualities of this liberation that leads to the complete cessation of samsaric suffering.
Rejoicing in the Causes and Resultant State of Full Enlightenment
Śāntideva then turns his attention to rejoicing in both the causes of, and the resultant state of, the Mahāyāna path:
And in the Buddhahood of the protectors I delight
And in the grounds of realization47From the moment when, through a direct realization of emptiness, the path of seeing is entered, and throughout the path of meditation until the point where perfect Buddhahood is attained, the progress of the Bodhisattva passes through ten bhūmis or ‟grounds” of realization. Bodhisattvas residing on these grounds are considered noble beings (Tib. ʼphags pa), who have passed beyond the world in the sense that henceforth they can no longer fall back into the ordinary condition of saṃsāra. This two-line stanza does not appear in the extant Sanskrit version. For an explanation of the five paths of accumulation, joining, seeing, meditation, and no more learning, see Treasury of Precious Qualities, pp. 301–304. of the Buddhas’ heirs.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 47 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
skyob pa rnams kyi byang chub dang /_/
rgyal sras sa la'ang yi rang ngo /_/
He rejoices in the final goal or result of the practice of bodhisattvas on the Mahāyāna path, definite goodness, which is the fully omniscient state of buddhahood. This complete and perfect enlightenment, achieved by all the buddhas, is endowed with the infinite qualities of elimination and realization. It is the state that is manifest by all the ultimate protectors of beings and which is replete with all the Buddha's unique qualities, including the three bodies of the Buddha—the form body (rūpakāya), the complete enjoyment body (saṃbhogakāya), and the emanation body (nirmāṇakāya). He also rejoices in the qualities of the paths and grounds of the bodhisattvas, which help us attain that final ultimate state.
This delight extends to the unfathomable ocean of bodhicitta, the mind which inspires the bodhisattvas.
Their enlightened attitude, an ocean of great good,
That seeks to place all beings in the state of bliss,
And every action for the benefit of beings:
Such is my delight and joy.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 47 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
thugs bskyed dge ba rgya mtsho dang /_/
sems can phan par mdzad pa la/_/
dga' bas rjes su yi rang ngo /_/
It also encompasses the actual implementation of the altruistic activities and conduct that are inspired by that amazing mindset. These are the six perfections and the four ways of gathering disciples (bdus bzhi), which are done purely for the welfare of sentient beings.
6. Requesting the Turning of the Dharma Wheel
The fifth branch of the supreme worship is an extremely important aspect of the activities inspired by bodhicitta, that of turning the wheel of the Dharma. There are many ways, both direct and indirect, for the buddhas and bodhisattvas to help sentient beings relieve and be relieved of their suffering. However, the most effective of all of these is to teach the precious Buddhist teachings, and therefore it is considered an integral part of the supreme worship that we request the buddhas in all directions to turn the wheel of Dharma.
And so I join my hands and pray
The Buddhas who reside in every quarter:
Kindle now the Dharma’s light
For those who grope, bewildered, in the dark of pain![p.48]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 47 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
thal mo sbyar te gsol ba ni/_/
sems can sdug bsngal mun 'thoms la/_/
chos kyi sgron me sbar du gsol/_/
This practice is connected with the time just after the Buddha's enlightenment. Having discovered the deepest truth of reality, which led to his complete awakening, the Buddha remained silent for seven days, thinking that there would be no benefit to teaching. He felt this truth was so profound that no one would be able to understand it. Expressing this experience in verse, he exclaimed the following words:
"Profound, peaceful, stainless, lucid, and unconditioned—
Such is the nectar-like truth I have realized.
Were I to teach it, no one would understand,
So I will silently remain in the forest.[4]
This incident is narrated in The Sūtra of The Appeal of Brahmā (Pāli. Brahmāyācana Sutta: SN 6.1).
This principle I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the astute. But people like clinging, they love it and enjoy it. It's hard for them to see this topic; that is, specific conditionality, dependent origination. It's also hard for them to see this topic; that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment. And if I were to teach this principle, others might not understand me, which would be wearying and troublesome for me.[5]
As the Buddha was reflecting in this way, Brahmā Sahampati, one of the most senior of the Mahābrahmās living in the Brahmā realm, knew what the Buddha was thinking and thought the following:
Alas! The world will be lost, the world will perish! For the mind of the Realized One, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha, inclines to remaining passive, not to teaching the Dhamma.[6]
He requested the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma as the sūtra says, urging him to see that there would be those who would understand.
Sir, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They're in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching. There will be those who understand the teaching![7]
Continuing, the sūtra says the following:
Then the Buddha, understanding Brahmā's invitation, surveyed the world with the eye of a Buddha, out of his compassion for sentient beings. And the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not.
It's like a pool with blue water lilies, or pink or white lotuses. Some of them sprout and grow in the water without rising above it, thriving underwater. Some of them sprout and grow in the water reaching the water’s surface. And some of them sprout and grow in the water but rise up above the water and stand with no water clinging to them.
In the same way, the Buddha saw sentient beings with little dust in their eyes, and some with much dust in their eyes; with keen faculties and with weak faculties, with good qualities and with bad qualities, easy to teach and hard to teach. And some of them lived seeing the danger in the fault to do with the next world, while others did not.
When he had seen this he replied in verse to Brahmā Sahampati:
"Flung open are the doors to the deathless! Let those with ears to hear commit to faith. Thinking it would be troublesome, Brahmā, I did not teach the sophisticated, sublime Dhamma among humans."
Then Brahmā Sahampati, knowing that his request for the Buddha to teach the Dhamma had been granted, bowed and respectfully circled the Buddha, keeping him on his right, before vanishing right there.[8]
Thrangu Rinpoche adds some additional reasons as to why the Buddha remained silent immediately after his enlightenment. In his commentary, he says that one reason was to show how difficult it is to teach the Dharma. If the teachings were given out too easily, then there would be less appreciation for their value in general and less appreciation of the depth and complexity of what the Buddha had discovered in particular. He also cites another very important aspect of requesting teachings—that of allowing those who request teachings to accumulate great merit.[9]
Khenpo Kunpal reminds us of how we should think as we make the request for teachings and also of the results of such practice.
When we make such prayers, we should consider that the Buddhas promise to turn the wheel of the Doctrine. If we make such a request, the result will be that in all our lives, we will not entertain false views and wrong opinions, and we will never be separated from the light of the sublime teaching. This indeed, so it has been said, is the reason for making such a request.[10]
A last important contextual point relating to the request for teachings is that there are many other universes where the buddhas reside. In some of those universes the Buddhas do not teach. Therefore, as an auspicious cause, we ask the buddhas of the three times, residing in all directions, to teach the sublime Dharma to help dispel the ignorance of all sentient beings.
7. Requesting the Buddhas Not to Pass into Nirvana
The sixth branch of the supreme worship involves supplicating the buddhas to remain for countless eons to act as guides for all sentient beings who are lost on the road.
I join my hands beseeching the enlightened ones
Who wish to pass into nirvāṇa:
Do not leave us wandering in blindness,
Stay among us for unnumbered ages!
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
thal mo sbyar te gsol ba ni/_/
'gro 'di ldongs par mi 'god cing /_/
bskal pa grangs med bzhugs par gsol/_/
Blinded by the darkness of ignorance which obscures our ability to differentiate between the paths of practice that need to be taken up and those which need to be discarded, we request the buddhas to remain until samsara ends to open our wisdom eye.
We may wonder how it could be that great beings like the buddhas could be able to extend their lifespan? Khenpo Kunpal relates a history of the Buddha to clarify how this is possible.
When formerly the Buddha was requested by the upasaka Chunda not to pass into nirvana, he extended his life for three months. Likewise, although from the point of view of the ultimate truth, the Buddhas residing in the pure fields of the ten directions do not "enter nirvana," it may be that some Buddhas—once they have completed their work for beings—wish for various reasons to display their passing. Therefore, Shantideva joins his hands and prays them not to leave in blindness the infinite mass of beings, whose eyes of moral discrimination are darkened by the cataracts of ignorance. In order that they might further explain what behavior is to be adopted and what is to be eschewed, Shantideva requests the Buddhas not to pass into nirvana, but to remain for many countless kalpas. And as we also make such prayers, we should consider that the Buddhas accept them and agree to remain among us.[11]
This passage reveals to us an important perspective in relation to requesting the buddhas and the teachers not to pass into nirvana. From a conventional perspective, the buddhas are born into a particular world system to help guide those particular beings, and at the end of their lives they then pass into nirvana. But from an ultimate perspective, buddhas do not get born, nor do they actually enter nirvana. Since the buddhas have already crossed over to the "deathless," and since they are already permanently abiding in the state of nirvana, ultimately there is no coming or going. At the level of conventional appearance, however, they do appear in these ways according to different beings' karma.
8. Dedication of Merit for the Welfare of Others
The seventh branch of the supreme worship is the dedication of all the merits accumulated for the welfare of all beings. Gyalse Tokme Zangpo, in his commentary An Ocean of Excellent Explanation, describes the general purpose of dedication in the following way:
All those practices that I have done, from offerings up until requesting the buddhas to remain, whatever virtues I have accumulated, may that clear away all the suffering of all beings.[12]
Khenpo Kunpal reminds us of the main purpose of dedication.
In the Mahayana, dedication is generally made with a view to achieving great enlightenment. But in the present instance, in order to be inspired with bodhichitta, it is necessary to train oneself in the four immeasurable attitudes or simply in compassion. For this is said to be the root of bodhichitta. One is therefore inclined to think that dedication is perhaps taught here as an aspect of compassion.[13]
Thrangu Rinpoche describes this seventh branch as being both a dedication and aspiration, and in relation to aspiration he helps us to understand that making great effort is crucial.
We may be able to achieve bodhicitta and we may not be able to achieve bodhicitta. For example, if we pray very strongly that a flower will grow out of a table, this will never happen. It’s not possible to make that happen no matter how strongly we pray for it. Having developed the aspiration to have a flower grow, we must make an effort towards accomplishing it. The initial desire in itself is not sufficient because effort is also needed. We need to find a pot, fill it with earth, plant the seed, water it, and so forth. What we pray for will only be achieved through our personal effort.[14]
Dedication to Eliminate General Suffering
First, there is a general dedication that all the suffering of all sentient beings be scattered.
Through these actions now performed48The reference here is to the seven traditional actions of accumulating merit, often expressed in a verse formula known as the ‟seven-branch prayer.” These actions are homage, offering, confession, rejoicing in all good actions, the request for teaching, the request that the teachers remain in the world and not pass into nirvāṇa, and dedication. The first three actions formed the content of the previous chapter; the remaining four are expressed here in the opening stanzas of chap. 3. See Crosby and Skilton, pp. 9–13, for a description of the ‟sevenfold supreme worship.”
And all the virtues I have gained,
May all the pain of every living being
Be wholly scattered and destroyed!
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
dge ba bdag gis bsags pa gang /_/
des ni sems can thams cad kyi/_/
sdug bsngal thams cad bsal bar shog_/
All the merit that we have created from these branches of practice—of going for refuge, making offerings, paying homage, confessing our negativity, rejoicing in virtue, requesting the turning of the Dharma wheel, and requesting the buddhas not to pass into nirvana—is dedicated to the welfare of all other sentient beings. We must not make this dedication with thoughts for our personal benefit—not for our own long life, health, and freedom from sickness, not for wealth and resources, nor even our own personal liberation. Instead, we should dedicate all this accumulated merit so that it may become a cause for the clearing away of all the suffering and pain of all beings.
Dedication to Eliminate the Suffering of Sickness
The next verses are beautiful poetic expressions of dedication for the relief of particular aspects of beings' suffering, similar in sentiment to those verses found in the final dedicatory chapter of the text. There are many forms of suffering which are subsumed into the suffering of birth, sickness, old age, and death. But, because in one sense the suffering of sickness can be considered the worst amongst them, the suffering of sickness is specifically mentioned.
To help cure all these different sicknesses of all beings, Śāntideva makes an aspirational prayer in the following way:
For all those ailing in the world,
Until their every sickness has been healed,
May I myself become for them
The doctor, nurse, the medicine itself.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
nad sos gyur gyi bar du ni/_/
sman dang sman pa nyid dag dang /_/
de yi nad g.yog byed par shog_/
Śāntideva prays that he may become the very medicine itself that directly cures the illnesses, that he may act as the physician who diagnoses beings' diseases and prescribes the medicine, and that he may act as a nurse for those patients without a nurse.
It may seem strange to us to think of becoming the actual medicine or the Buddha becoming a medical physician, but Khenpo Kunpal explains the historical context of this.
Beings, the object of Shantideva's compassion, are afflicted by these ailments, and therefore until such time as they are cured of their sickness, he prays that he himself might become a perfect medicine to heal them. How he might do so is illustrated in the stories of the Buddha's earlier incarnations when on various occasions he saved the lives of others. For example, when he was King Padma, he willingly took birth as a rohita fish and cured the epidemic from which his subjects were suffering. Indeed, generally speaking, all the medicines that exist have manifested thanks to the compassionate blessing of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. And so Shantideva prays that he might become a physician like Khye'u Chubep, able to instruct beings and provide them with medicinal remedies. Moreover, our Teacher himself tended a sick monk, changed his bedding, and used a bamboo strigil to remove the excrement with which he had fouled himself. And since the Buddha made it a rule that we too should serve and care for the sick, Shantideva prays that he might himself become a nurse for those who are ill. We too should look after those who are ill and never neglect them.[15]
Dedication to Eliminate the Suffering of Hunger
There are also verses about clearing away the suffering of thirst and hunger by showering down a rain of food and drink.
Raining down a flood of food and drink,
May I dispel the ills of thirst and famine.
And in the aeons marked by scarcity and want,49A reference to the antarakalpa, an age of extreme decline figuring in the ancient Indian conception of temporal sequences, in which the quality of human life is gradually reduced until the age of ten years marks the summit of growth and capacity. It is a time of extreme instability and famine.
May I myself appear as drink and sustenance.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
bkres dang skom pa'i gnod pa bsal/_/
mu ge'i bskal pa bar ma'i tshe/_/
bdag ni zas dang skom du gyur/_/
Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, in his commentary to the Bodhicaryāvatāra, explains what the "aeons marked by scarcity and want" refers to.
In the aeons at the end of time, like the aeon of degeneration, there come the aeons such as the age of illness, the age of famine, and the age of warfare. In the intermediate aeon of these, the age of famine, when famine bringing an end to everything, may I appear in front of those (beings) and myself become the very food they need to eat, and the very drink for their thirst.[16]
Dedication to Eliminate the Suffering of Poverty
Śāntideva also expresses his heartfelt desire to become an inexhaustible treasure of whatever is wished for by the poor and destitute.
For sentient beings, poor and destitute,
May I become a treasure ever-plentiful,
And lie before them closely in their reach,
A varied source of all that they might need.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
bdag ni mi zad gter gyur te/_/
yo byad mkho dgu sna tshogs su/_/
mdun na nye bar gnas gyur cig_/
Mind Training for the Sake of Others
Verses 11 to 22 present the practice of mind training. The main purpose of this form of mind training is to reduce our ego-clinging and especially the attachment to our body and possessions that stems from that egotistical view. In his commentary, Minyak Kunzang Sonam describes this mind training as the substantial cause for the development of bodhicitta.[17]
In this first verse in the section on mind training, Śāntideva encourages us to give up everything, whether it be our possessions, our merit, and even our body for the happiness and welfare of all beings.
My body, thus, and all my goods besides,
And all my merits gained and to be gained,
I give them all and do not count the cost,
To bring about the benefit of beings.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 48 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
ཕངས་* ཕོངས in the source text. པ་མེད་པར་བཏང་བར་བྱ། །
lus dang de bzhin longs spyod dang /_/
dus gsum dge ba thams cad kyang /_/
sems can kun gyi don bsgrub phyir/_/
phangs * phongs[ in the source text.] pa med par btang bar bya/_/
There are many forms of mind training. Therefore, here, Patrul Rinpoche explains clearly what the focus of this mind training is.
Then with the verses of mind training, beginning with verse 11, train your mind by dedicating—without any hesitation—your own body, possessions and all your past, present and future virtues towards the benefit of sentient beings. Develop the heartfelt aspiration that this may become a cause for the unsurpassable wellbeing of beings everywhere, on both a temporary and ultimate level.[18]
Patrul Rinpoche makes an important point here. We do not just wish to give away all these things solely for the ultimate welfare of beings, their attainment of full enlightenment. That is, of course, the final goal. However, until that time it is important that we dedicate ourselves to giving away as much as we can for other beings' shorter-term and more temporary wishes and happiness.
Verses 18 to 21 provide us with some of Śāntideva's most stirring thoughts on what it means to dedicate ourselves to the welfare of others.
May I be a guard for those who are protectorless,
A guide for those who journey on the road.
For those who wish to cross the water,
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 49 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
May I be an isle for those who yearn for land,
A lamp for those who long for light;?Tibetan addition to the canonical text in the translation source text
For all who need a resting place, a bed;
For those who need a servant, may I be their slave.[p.50]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 49 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
mar me 'dod la mar me dang /_/
gnas mal 'dod la gnas mal dang /_/
bdag ni lus can bran 'dod pa/_/
kun gyi bran du 'gyur bar shog_/
May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of wealth,
A word of power and the supreme healing,
May I be the tree of miracles,
For every being the abundant cow.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 50 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
rigs sngags grub dang sman chen dang /_/
dpag bsam gyi ni shing dag dang /_/
lus can rnams kyi 'dod 'jor gyur/_/
Just like the earth and space itself
And all the other mighty elements,
For boundless multitudes of beings
May I always be the ground of life, the source of varied
sustenance.
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nam mkha' bzhin du rtag par yang /_/
sems can dpag tu med pa yi/_/
rnam mang nyer 'tsho'i gzhir yang shog_/
This beautiful expression of Śāntideva's wish to be of help to sentient beings in whatever way he can is indeed very moving. He wishes that he may become anything that will be of benefit, whether that be in the short-term or the long-term. These verses reveal a form of mind training that counteracts our clinging attachment to self, that self-cherishing mind which places ourselves at the center of importance in our lives and disregards others. To reduce our self-indulgence, Śāntideva prays that he may become a guide for the protectorless, a lamp for light, and an island for those who yearn for land. In the last line, in a beautiful expression of giving himself away completely to others, Śāntideva even wishes that he may be the physical elements, indeed the very ground of life itself.
Pema Karpo raises a doubt in relation to verse 21: since it seems that bodhisattvas cannot literally turn into things such as the air and other elements, could it be that this aspirational prayer has no meaning?[19]
In answer to this question, The Teaching of Akṣayamati (Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra) says the following:
"They give up their bodies, accumulations of the four elements, through the power of observation, as they see the benefit in this. They think, 'This body of mine may perish for all kinds of matters related to any being. The four outer elements—the element of earth, the element of water, the element of fire, and the element of wind—provide beings with various kinds of pleasure in various forms, in various manners, through various objects, in various amounts, through various necessities, and through various enjoyments. In just the same way, I will fully turn this body, which is an accumulation of the four elements, into something that exists for the enjoyment of living beings in various ways, in various forms, in various manners, through various objects, in various amounts, through various necessities, and through various enjoyments.'[20]
In relation to this last verse, great Geluk master Gyaltsap Je Darma Rinchen, in his commentary The Entrance for Children of the Conquerors, references The Heap of Jewels Sūtra (Ratnakūṭa) to indicate its meaning.
"Bodhisattvas work for the welfare of sentient beings like the five elements."[21]
Lastly, and continuing with the same theme in verse 22, Śāntideva makes an ardent wish to serve all beings until they reach nirvana.
Thus for everything that lives,
As far as are the limits of the sky,
May I be constantly their source of livelihood
Until they pass beyond all sorrow.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 50 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ toggle Tib. ]
[ tib / wyl ]
དེ་བཞིན་ནམ་མཁའི་མཐས་གཏུགས་པའི། །
སེམས་ཅན་ཁམས་ལ་རྣམ་ཀུན་ཏུ། །
ཐམས་ཅད་[p.22]Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa (1990) Slob dpon zhi ba lha and Mkhan po kun dpal. Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa. Khreng tu'u: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1990. མྱ་ངན་འདས་བར་དུ། །
བདག་ནི་ཉེར་འཚོའི་རྒྱུར་ཡང་ཤོག །
de bzhin nam mkha'i mthas gtugs pa'i/_/
sems can khams la rnam kun tu/_/
thams cad [p.22]Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa (1990) Slob dpon zhi ba lha and Mkhan po kun dpal. Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa. Khreng tu'u: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1990. mya ngan 'das bar du/_/
bdag ni nyer 'tsho'i rgyur yang shog_/
This last verse on mind training is summarized by Gyaltsap Je as follows:
Likewise, may I also become the cause for the livelihood of all the realms of sentient beings, which extend to the edge of space, by benefiting them in infinite ways, until they go beyond misery.[22]
The Actual Vow of Bodhicitta
Having exhorted the benefits of the precious mind of bodhicitta in chapter 1 and then covered the eight practices associated with the supreme worship in chapter 2 and the first half of chapter 3, we are now ready to engage in the actual ceremony of taking hold of bodhicitta. This is the heart of the first section of Śāntideva's text, the section on generating bodhicitta where it has not previously arisen.
Having understood the importance and qualities of this mind of enlightenment and having begun the process of accumulating merit and purifying ourselves through practices such as the supreme worship, we now need to take hold of bodhicitta. It is now time for us to make a concrete commitment to this central pillar of the Mahāyāna path.
For the main ceremony of taking hold of bodhicitta, Patrul Rinpoche encourages us to request the great beings for their attention.
Secondly, for the main part, begin by requesting the buddhas and bodhisattvas to grant their attention:
All you buddhas who dwell in the ten directions All you great bodhisattvas on the ten levels, All you great teachers, the vajra-holders, Turn your mind towards me, I pray![23]
In the next two verses of the chapter, verses 23 and 24, Śāntideva gives us the actual words that we can recite in order to affirm our commitment to orient ourselves toward enlightenment for the welfare of all, which is the essence of this precious mind of bodhicitta.
Just as all the Buddhas of the past
Have brought forth the awakened mind,
And in the precepts of the Bodhisattvas
Step-by-step abode and trained,
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 50 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 50 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
byang chub sems ni bskyed bgyi zhing /_/
de bzhin du ni bslab pa la'ang /_/
rim pa bzhin du bslab par bgyi/_/
Gyaltsap Je provides some further context to these words as follows:
When the previous tatagatas generated the mind, they initially generated the supreme wishing bodhicitta in front of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and then, to take the bodhisattva vows, they generated the engaging bodhicitta. Subsequently they trained and remained in the gradual bodhisattva trainings.
Likewise I, for the temporary and ultimate benefit of sentient beings, either in front of an actual preceptor with pure bodhisattva vows, or in front of invoked buddhas and bodhisattvas, upon the request for attention, shall generate the wishing mind of enlightenment. Likewise, I shall train and remain in the gradual trainings upon having generated the engaging mind.
Repeat the verses three times, either after the preceptor, or, if there is none, after the invoked buddhas and bodhisattvas.[24]
This provides us with the basic framework of how to think and visualize as we recite the verses.
There is a lot of discussion in the commentaries about the last two lines of verse 23 in Śāntideva’s root text, where he says, "And in those precepts, step-by-step, I will abide and train myself." This discussion touches on whether taking hold of the two types of bodhicitta happens sequentially or simultaneously. Patrul Rinpoche asserts that they are both taken simultaneously, stating, "And then take the vows of aspiration and action simultaneously, by reciting the following verses three times."[25]
Gyaltsap Je does not present the taking hold of the two kinds of bodhicitta as happening simultaneously. Rather, he asserts that they need to be done in a sequential way, with aspiring bodhicitta being taken before the engaged bodhicitta. He also states that they do not need to be done in two completely different ceremonies but can be done together in one ceremony.
To take the engaging mind after having first taken the wishing mind, and then training in the wish to practice the perfections, is the supreme method that accords with the differences in different persons. It is also suitable to take the two minds sequentially in one ceremony.
The way of taking them and so forth one can know from the earlier mentioned treatises of great teachers. I shall not elaborate on it here.[26]
Gyaltab Je makes an interesting point in relation to the taking hold of engaging bodhicitta and taking the engaging vows of bodhicitta. He refutes the idea that the meaning of "step-by-step" has the meaning that they need to be separate ceremonies.
Others posit the meaning as having a separate ceremony for the generation of the engaging mind and the engaging vows. This is also incorrect according to any of the great pioneers.[27]
The great Sakya master Sonam Tsemo, the fourth Sakya throneholder whose father was the Sakya patriarch Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, in his commentary to the Bodhicaryāvatāra, discusses at great length the details of taking hold of bodhicitta and taking the bodhisattva vows. In that commentary he raises a doubt about whether a ritual is needed or not.
Without a proper ritual, can bodhicitta be generated or not? If not, when an attitude of wishing to attain enlightenment for the benefit of beings arises without a ritual, the essential characteristic of generating bodhicitta would nevertheless be satisfied, so it is an exaggeration to say one must receive the proper ritual. If bodhicitta can be generated without the ritual, is the procedure of going through the ritual not meaningless?[28]
Continuing in his commentary, Sonam Tsemo asserts that a ritual is not needed and that bodhicitta can be developed through other conditions.
Yet, if one does not receive the proper ritual, bodhicitta can arise from other conditions. What are those other conditions? There are three:
1. The cause—meditation on compassion 2. The root—stabilizing faith 3. Other supports of bodhicitta[29]
For this third condition, he states that relying on the prātimokṣa vows, where we cease to do harm to others, can constitute this third condition.
Sonam Tsemo continues to raise a further doubt—if no formal ritual is required, then is there any purpose to the ritual? He answers this doubt by explaining the advantages of having a formal ritual in front of a preceptor.
Since bodhicitta can arise even without a formal ritual, is there any purpose to receiving the ritual? There is a purpose. By generating bodhicitta oneself or in the presence of another in this way, self-respect and shame become causes of its not deteriorating and of its stability.[30]
Khenpo Kunpal also touches on this in his commentary, stating that while taking the vows in the presence of a teacher is best, one can still receive the vows in the absence of a teacher if certain conditions are met.
To take the vow from a fully qualified teacher is the best way to engender within oneself a moral conscience and a sense of propriety with regard to the observance of the vow. It is said, however, that if one is unable to take the vow from an authentic master, if nevertheless one pronounces it in the presence of the three representations [of the Buddha's body, speech, and mind], or of a visualized field of refuge of the Mahayana, one does indeed receive the vow.[31]
There is also some debate about when the vows are actually taken, and in his commentary Khenpo Kunpal gives several presentations of this.
The actual moment when the vow is received is at the third repetition of the formula. And at that time, one should have the conviction that the vows of bodhichitta in intention and action are obtained within one's mind. According to the teaching of the master Sagaramegha, one receives the vow of bodhichitta in intention with the first repetition and the vow of bodhichitta in action with the second repetition. The third repetition serves to confirm the reception of both vows. It is at that moment that one should be sure that one has received the vow.[32]
At the end of this section on taking hold of bodhicitta, Khenpo Kunpal gives the Nyingma school's presentation of what it means to "train step-by-step":
In the Nyingma exegesis, the expression "step-by-step" is understood in light of the Subahuparipriccha-sutra, that is to say, as meaning "from time to time" or "little by little." Since it is impossible to train in the vast, ocean-like conduct of the Bodhisattvas from the very beginning, it is clearly stated that one should train in it "step-by-step." We find in the Shikshasamucchaya that one should train in the precepts according to one's strength. Consequently, if one trains step-by-step and according to one's capacity, in the precepts of the Bodhisattvas, one's ability to observe the precepts will be gradually enhanced.[33]
Training in the conduct of the bodhisattvas is a long process. Right now, with these verses, we take hold of the two forms of bodhicitta. We should rejoice, but we must also be diligent and remember to refresh our Mahāyāna practice by taking the vow of bodhicitta at all times and in all circumstances. It is not just something to engage in once. Rather, it is something that needs continual perseverance.
Conclusion of the Chapter
In verses 26 to 33, Śāntideva encourages us to cultivate joy for ourselves. Verses 26 and 27 are famous and are usually recited after the ceremony of taking hold of bodhicitta.
“Today my life has given fruit.
This human state has now been well assumed.
Today I take my birth in Buddha’s line,
And have become the Buddha’s child and heir.[p.51]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 50 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 51 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
rigs dang mthun pa'i las brtsams te/_/
skyon med btsun pa'i rigs 'di la/_/
rnyog par mi 'gyur de ltar bya/_/
Śāntideva rejoices in the fact that he has been born with this precious human body and that, endowed with this mind of enlightenment, his life now has meaning. He warns us not to waste one's freedoms and endowments and encourages us by saying, "Now you have become the heir of the buddhas. Now it is possible for us to attain buddhahood."
Śāntideva promises from now on that he will do only what is beneficial and never act in ways which are contrary to the precepts of the bodhisattvas and which would pollute this unstained lineage coming down to him from Lord Buddha himself.
Śāntideva continues this section on joy in the attainment of bodhicitta with a series of verses about the amazing power and qualities of the awakening mind, which serve as an inspiration for us, once we have taken hold of this incredible mind.
Sonam Tsemo divides this part of the root text on the qualities of bodhicitta into three sections as follows:
1. The power to dispel suffering 2. The power to dispel obscurations 3. The power to establish benefit and happiness[34]
In terms of the power to dispel suffering, there are five kinds of suffering to dispel: (1) the power to dispel the suffering of death and poverty, (2) the power to dispel the suffering of sickness and fatigue, (3) the power to dispel the suffering of bad rebirths and the power to dispel afflictive obscurations, (4) the power to dispel cognitive obscurations and the power to establish benefit, and (5) the power to establish happiness.
The Power to Dispel the Suffering of Death and Poverty
Śāntideva explains how bodhicitta is the destroyer of the Lord of Death and how it leads beings to the deathless ground.
This is the supreme draft of immortality
That slays the Lord of Death, the slaughterer of beings,
The rich unfailing treasure-mine
To heal the poverty of wanderers.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 51 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
bdud rtsi'i mchog kyang 'di yin no/_/
'gro ba'i dbul ba sel ba yi/_/
mi zad gter yang 'di yin no/_/
Khenpo Kunpal expands on the first two lines of this verse, explaining what is meant by immortality.
The Bodhisattvas set forth the Dharma according to the aspirations of beings. In doing so, they crush the demon Yama, who is the bringer of death for every being without exception. Their bodhichitta is thus the draft of immortality that places beings in the undying peace of enlightenment. As it is said in the Uttaratantra-shastra:
For those who gain immortal peace, The demon, death, no longer stirs.[35]
Śāntideva also describes bodhicitta as an inexhaustible treasure of both material things and of the Dharma, which eliminates the poverty of beings. Khenpo Kunpal explains the unique context of this statement as follows:
Furthermore, on the eighth ground of realization, Bodhisattvas have power over material things. They are able to dispel the poverty of beings. Bodhichitta therefore is the "sky-treasure" itself, a great mine of inexhaustible riches.[36]
The Power to Dispel the Suffering of Sickness and Fatigue
Śāntideva describes how bodhicitta is also the supreme medicine that thoroughly pacifies all the diseases of migrators, and particularly the afflictions. It is also like a tree of fruit under which migrators on their weary samsaric path can find a cool place of rest.
It is the sovereign remedy
That perfectly allays all maladies.
It is the tree that gives relief
To those who wander wearily the pathways of existence.
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sman gyi mchog kyang 'di yin no/_/
srid lam 'khyams * phongs[ in the source text.] shing dub pa yi/_/
'gro ba'i ngal bso'i ljon shing yin/_/
The Power to Dispel the Suffering of Bad Rebirths and the Power to Dispel Afflictive Obscurations
Śāntideva also calls bodhicitta the universal bridge, which helps beings to cross over from the lower realms to the higher realms. The second half of the verse refers to the ability of bodhicitta to remove one of the two major obscurations, the afflictive obscurations.
It is the universal bridge that saves
All wandering beings from the states of loss,
The rising moon of the enlightened mind
That soothes the sorrows born of the afflictions.
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sgrol bar byed pa'i spyi stegs yin/_/
'gro ba'i nyon mongs gdung sel ba'i/_/
sems kyi zla ba shar ba yin/_/
With respect to the first two lines, Khepo Kunpal explains how bodhicitta acts as this bridge.
And for beings of lesser scope, the Bodhisattvas teach the path of virtue tending to happiness (in samsara)—the avoidance of negative actions and the practice of positive ones. Thus they liberate them from the states of loss and place them in the higher realms, in the conditions of celestial and human joy. Bodhichitta is consequently like a kind of palanquin, the universal bridge or causeway for everyone, in that it liberates beings from the lower realms. It is therefore described as a foundation for all paths because, in order to reach the ultimate goodness of liberation as envisaged in any of the three vehicles, it is necessary to be established first in the higher realms.[37]
The Power to Dispel Cognitive Obscurations and the Power to Establish Benefit
It is the mighty sun that utterly dispels
The misty ignorance of wandering beings,
The creamy butter, rich and full,
That’s churned from milk of holy teaching.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 51 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
dpyis 'byin nyi ma chen po yin/_/
dam chos 'o ma bsrubs pa las/_/
mar gyi nying khu phyung ba yin/_/
The first two lines of this verse indicate how bodhicitta is like a great sun that is not only able to help us overcome the obscuration of the afflictions but also the more subtle cognitive obscurations, which prevent us from being able to see both conventional and ultimate truth simultaneously. The next two lines of this verse use the analogy of bodhicitta as a creamy rich butter, which has been churned from the vast array of the Buddha's teachings. Sonam Tsemo explains these last two lines in this way:
Churning the milk of the holy dharma indicates ascertaining the meaning of the explanans, experiencing the excellent teachings. The fresh butter indicates liberation by seeing the truth.[38]
The Power to Establish Happiness
In the last verse of this section, which expresses the joy Śāntideva himself feels at having generated bodhicitta, he calls out to beings who wander ceaselessly on the paths of conditioned existence to come and enjoy the supreme state of bliss.
Living beings! Wayfarers upon life’s paths,
Who wish to taste the riches of contentment,
Here before you is the supreme bliss.
Here, O ceaseless travelers, is your fulfillment![p.52]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 51 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
bde ba'i longs spyod spyad par 'dod pa la/_/
'di ni bde ba'i mchog tu nyer gnas te/_/
sems can 'gron chen tshim par byed pa yin/_/
In concluding this section Khenpo Kunpal explains how the bodhisattvas, driven by bodhicitta, are reborn in samsara to bring beings to whatever happiness they desire.
To help those who wish to enjoy the pleasure of a temporary and ultimate respite from the sorrows that they suffer, the Bodhisattvas are reborn in samsara through the power of their bodhichitta, and they remain with beings, staying close to them, in order to bring them to the undying state of supreme bliss referred to previously. They are like the people who pitch refreshment tents for the pilgrims traveling through Tsari. Bodhisattvas bring to beings whatever happiness they desire. Thus they satisfy these ceaseless wanderers who are constantly moving toward their deaths without a moment's respite, never finding a place of permanent repose. All this is thanks to bodhichitta. With these words, Shantideva brings into focus the teaching of the previous stanzas.[39]
Rejoicing for Others
In the final verse of chapter 3, Śāntideva takes great joy for other living beings, summoning them to buddhahood but to also have all worldly joys until that final state is reached. He calls on all the gods and demigods to also join in rejoicing with him.
And so, today, within the sight of all protectors,
I summon beings, calling them to Buddhahood.
And, till that state is reached, to every earthly joy!
May gods and demigods and all the rest rejoice![p.53]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006) Page(s) 52 Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
spyan sngar 'gro ba bde gshegs nyid dang ni/_/
bar du bde la mgron du bos zin gyis/_/
lha dang lha min la sogs dga' bar gyis/_/
Gyaltsap Je explains this last concluding verse as follows:
Today, in front of all the protectors, who are the conquerors and their children, I have served migrators the hospitality of a sugata, who completes all ultimate benefit and happiness, and I have also offered the satisfaction of the intermediate happiness of gods and humans until they attain that state.
As such I have offered the supreme of hospitality and from today onwards the gods, demi-gods, serpent kings and so forth should be happy.[40]
Patrul Rinpoche rounds off the chapter on taking hold of bodhicitta by quoting again from the famous verse.
After this, the following aspiration prayer in a single verse can also be recited:
O sublime and precious bodhicitta, May it arise in those in whom it has not arisen; May it never decline where it has arisen, But go on increasing, further and further!
That concludes the section on adopting the bodhicitta attitude in one's mindstream.[41]
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Notes
↑Ngul Chu Tokme Zangpo, An Ocean of Excellent Explanation: A Commentary on Entering into the Conduct of the Bodhisattva, Byang chub sems spa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa'i rtsa ba dang 'grel pa legs par bshad pa'i rya mtsho (Varanasi: Sakya Students Union 2003), 159.
↑Fedor Stracke, trans., The Entrance for the Children of the Conquerors - A Commentary on the Introduction to the Actions of Bodhisattvas. Chapter Three: Taking the Mind of Enlightenment, by Gyaltsab Rinpoche (N.p.: Happy Monks Publication, 2016), 10, https://happymonkspublication.org/product/bodhisattvacharyavatara-chapter-1-10-commentary/. Note that the pagination starts over for every chapter in Stracke's translation. Stracke says this line is from the Stacking of Jewels, interpreted here as the Ratnakūta. However, he does not say which chapter or text (of the 49 that make up the Ratnakuṭa) this statement is located in. My preliminary search of the Kāśyapaparivartasūtra, which is sometimes referred to as the Ratnakuṭa in Indian sources, has been fruitless. Likewise, this statement cannot be located in the Ratnarāśisūtra, or The Mass of Jewels Sūtra, the other potential option, given Stracke's translation of the title.
An "Introduction to Bodhisattva Practice," the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is a poem about the path of a bodhisattva, in ten chapters, written by the Indian Buddhist Śāntideva (fl. c. 685–763). One of the masterpieces of world literature, it is a core text of Mahāyāna Buddhism and continues to be taught, studied, and commented upon in many languages and by many traditions around the world. The main subject of the text is bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the path and practices of the bodhisattva, the six perfections (pāramitās). The text forms the basis of many contemporary discussions of Buddhist ethics and philosophy.
Text
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Lele, Amod. "Śāntideva." In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by James Fieser and Bradley Dowden. Accessed Feb. 11, 2021. https://iep.utm.edu/santideva/.
Tsukamoto, Keisho, Yukei Matsunaga, and Hirofumi Isoda, eds. "Śāntideva." In A Descriptive Bibliography of the Sanskrit Buddhist Literature. Vol. 3, Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, Buddhist Epistemology and Logic, 250–69. Kyoto: Heirakuji-Shoten, 1990.
Lang, Karen. "Śāntideva." In Buddhist Philosophy from 600 to 750 A.D., edited by Karl H. Potter, 137–39. Vol. 21 of Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2017.
Potter, Karl H., David J. Kalupahana, and Michael J. Sweet. "Śāntideva." In Buddhist Philosophy from 600 to 750 A.D., edited by Karl H. Potter, 516–25. Vol. 21 of Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2017.
Potter, Karl H. ed. "Śāntideva." In Bibliography: Part 1, Texts Whose Authors Can Be Dated; Authors Listed Chronologically, 5th through 9th Century. Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Online edition. Last updated Apr 15, 2020. https://faculty.washington.edu/kpotter/xtxt2.htm.
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Kleśa - Often referred to as poisons, these are a class of disturbing or disruptive emotional states that when aroused negatively affect or taint the mind. Skt क्लेश Tib ཉོན་མོངས་ Ch 煩惱
Āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt आवरण Tib སྒྲིབ་པ་
Āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt आवरण Tib སྒྲིབ་པ་
Nyingma - The Nyingma, which is often described as the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, traces its origin to Padmasambhava, who is said to have visited Tibet in the eighth century. Tib རྙིང་མ་
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Arhat - A person who has reached nirvāṇa by eliminating the three poisons of attachment, hatred and ignorance having followed the path of seeking individual liberation as a Śrāvaka or a Pratyekabuddha. An arhat, thus, is a person who has overcome the cause of rebirth in the cycle of existence and will not take an ordinary birth again. Skt अर्हत् Tib དགྲ་བཅོམ་པ། Ch 阿羅漢
Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt महायान Tib ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ། Ch 大乘
Śūnyatā - The state of being empty of an innate nature due to a lack of independently existing characteristics. Skt शून्यता Tib སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ Ch 空 and 空門
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Saṃbhogakāya - The physical form of a buddha which resides in a pure buddha realm, possesses the marks and tokens of an enlightened being, teaches Mahāyāna teachings to a retinue of Bodhisattvas for eternity. This embodied form of a buddha is the source from which all the forms of emanation originate. Skt संभोगकाय Tib ལོངས་སྐུ། and ལོངས་སྤྱོད་རྫོགས་སྐུ། Ch 報身
Nirmāṇakāya - An fully enlightened Buddha is said to have the power to manifest in many forms in order to help the sentient beings. The emanation body of a buddha, as the third of the three bodies of a buddha, refers to the many forms in which a buddha can manifest and which are accessible to ordinary sentient beings. Buddhist scholars present four types of emanation bodies: emanation as supreme being, emanation as rebirth, emanation as artisan and emanation in diverse forms. Skt निर्माणकाय Tib སྤྲུལ་སྐུ། Ch 化身
Nirmāṇakāya - An fully enlightened Buddha is said to have the power to manifest in many forms in order to help the sentient beings. The emanation body of a buddha, as the third of the three bodies of a buddha, refers to the many forms in which a buddha can manifest and which are accessible to ordinary sentient beings. Buddhist scholars present four types of emanation bodies: emanation as supreme being, emanation as rebirth, emanation as artisan and emanation in diverse forms. Skt निर्माणकाय Tib སྤྲུལ་སྐུ། Ch 化身
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt सूत्र Tib མདོ། Ch 佛经
Sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt सूत्र Tib མདོ། Ch 佛经
Sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt सूत्र Tib མདོ། Ch 佛经
Sūtra - Sūtras mainly refer to the discourses delivered by the Buddha and his disciples, and the Sūtra corpus is one of the three main sets of teachings which form the Buddhist canon. Skt सूत्र Tib མདོ། Ch 佛经
Avidyā - Literally "unknowing," it refers to a lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of the nature of reality. As such, it is considered to be the root cause of suffering and the basis for the arising of all other negative mental factors. Skt अविद्या Tib མ་རིག་པ་ Ch 無明
Bīja - A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. Skt बीज Tib ས་བོན་ Ch 無漏種
Ātman - Though it can simply be used as the expression "I" or "me", in Indian thought the notion of self refers to a permanent, unchanging entity, such as that which passes from life to life in the case of people, or the innate essence (svabhāva) of phenomena. Skt आत्मन् Tib བདག་ Ch 我 and 灵魂
Ātman - Though it can simply be used as the expression "I" or "me", in Indian thought the notion of self refers to a permanent, unchanging entity, such as that which passes from life to life in the case of people, or the innate essence (svabhāva) of phenomena. Skt आत्मन् Tib བདག་ Ch 我 and 灵魂
Gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt गोत्र Tib རིགས་ Ch 鍾姓,種性
Śāntideva (ཞི་བ་ལྷ་). Bodhicaryāvatāra [बोधिचर्यावतार]. byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa [བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ།]. [The Way of the Bodhisattva]. Tengyur, RKTST 3216 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=3216&typ=2.
Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra [आर्याक्षयमतिनिर्देशनाममहायानसूत्र]. 'phags pa blo gros mi zad pas bstan pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo [འཕགས་པ་བློ་གྲོས་མི་ཟད་པས་བསྟན་པ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།]. [The Sūtra of the Teaching of Akṣayamati (84000)]. Translated by Dharmatāśīla, Chih-yen, Pao-yün, Dharmarakṣa. Kangyur, RKTSK 175 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=175&typ=1.
Geluk - The Geluk tradition traces its origin to Tsongkhapa, who propagated a modified version of the Kadampa lojong and lamrim teachings. It is the dominant tradition of Tibet, having established its control of the government under the figure of the Dalai Lama. Tib དགེ་ལུགས་
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ། Ch 菩薩
Sakya - The Sakya tradition developed in the eleventh century in the Khön family of Tsang, which maintained an imperial-era lineage of Vajrakīla and which adopted a new teaching from India known as Lamdre. Tib ས་སྐྱ་
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས། Ch 菩提心
Āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt आवरण Tib སྒྲིབ་པ་
Āvaraṇa - Literally, that which obscures or conceals. Often listed as a set of two obscurations (sgrib gnyis): the afflictive emotional obscurations (Skt. kleśāvaraṇa, Tib. nyon mongs pa'i sgrib pa) and the cognitive obscurations (Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa, Tib. shes bya'i sgrib pa). By removing the first, one becomes free of suffering, and by removing the second, one becomes omniscient. Skt आवरण Tib སྒྲིབ་པ་
Uttaratantra - The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra. Skt उत्तरतन्त्र Tib རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ Ch 寶性論
Kleśa - Often referred to as poisons, these are a class of disturbing or disruptive emotional states that when aroused negatively affect or taint the mind. Skt क्लेश Tib ཉོན་མོངས་ Ch 煩惱
Ratnarāśisūtra [आर्यरत्नराशिनाममहायानसूत्र]. 'phags pa rin po che'i phung po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo [འཕགས་པ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་ཕུང་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།]. [The Mass of Jewels (84000)]. Translated by Surendrabodhi, Ye shes sde, Tao Kung. Kangyur, RKTSK 88 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=88&typ=1.
Śāntideva (ཞི་བ་ལྷ་). Bodhicaryāvatāra [बोधिचर्यावतार]. byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa [བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ།]. [The Way of the Bodhisattva]. Tengyur, RKTST 3216 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=3216&typ=2.
Pāramitā - The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. The six perfections are that of giving, of discipline, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The perfection of skill-in-means, aspirations, power, and pristine wisdom are added to them to make ten perfections. Skt पारमिता Tib ཕར་ཕྱིན། and ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ། Ch 波羅蜜
