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In order for bodhisattvas to give of their body, possessions, and virtues for the sake of all sentient beings, they must learn to guard and protect them. Chapter 2–7 discusses the various practices bodhisattvas can engage in to accomplish this. Such practices include finding and following a suitable teacher, studying the sūtras and following the precepts and ethical discipline taught therein, protecting the body from harm, upholding one's virtue by avoiding transgressions, etc.
Concise Summary of Essential Points
Having discussed the general ways of protecting one's body, possessions, and virtues, the third chapter delves into the actual topic of protection. Śāntideva states, "What is the protection of the body in this case? It is the avoidance of harm."[1] The specific case, he points out, is the case of an upholder of Dharma and how the body of such a person should be protected by avoiding harm. Citing The Treasury of Space Sūtra (Skt. Gaganagañjasūtra), he explains how an upholder engages with joy in seeking Dharma even at the cost of one's life, ignoring all kinds of hardships, and propagates Dharma out of intense love and compassion. He lists the humble, peaceful, and joyful conduct such an upholder of Dharma adopts and the effort such a person makes to teach Dharma to others. He also quotes The Sacred Dharma of White Lotus Sūtra (Skt. Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra), which recommends that the upholder of Dharma live in clean environment without distraction and avoid familiarity with kings, princes, courtiers, outcastes, alcohol sellers, non-Buddhists, arrogant people, undisciplined monks, boisterous nuns, unreliable laities, women, homosexuals, brides and girls at home, pig dealers, butchers, masseuses, musicians, and so forth. It is clear Śāntideva is thinking of the monastic audience of his writing in these recommendations. "When the wise teach Dharma to women, never travel with them alone or laugh with them,"[2] goes one specific piece of advice, which we also find in Śāntideva's other work, The Way of the Bodhisattva.
In discussing other types of harm to the upholder of Dharma, Śāntideva brings up the acts of Māra, the evil force, by referring to the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras. The evil force works to harm the upholder of Dharma by bringing down shooting meteors or forest fires so as to scare the bodhisattva and diminish his or her courage to work for other beings. The evil force distracts the bodhisattva by making him or her lose the hope of spiritual development, think of teachers, parents, friends, and relatives, think of thieves or of food and clothes. The evil force makes the teacher, who is teaching Dharma, and the disciple, who is listening, have conflicting interests and plans to disrupt the teachings. He also lists many other ways the evil force engages to harm the upholder of Dharma by citing The Treasury of Space Sūtra and The Questions of Sāgaramati. In brief, any circumstance in which the bodhisattva is discouraged from doing virtuous activities which serve the benefit of oneself and others but is encouraged to engage in nonvirtuous actions or remain in solitude with diffidence and a narrow mind, engaged in small activities such as being a caretaker who is told that he or she does not have the diligence to be a bodhisattva, such a situation is an act of the evil force. Anyone promoting such action is the evil force in the disguise of a righteous teacher. In pursuing the path of the bodhisattva, one must engage with the diligence of an unwary mind and unwary body, adopting what is known as the consistent diligence of a bodhisattva, and taking up great difficulties such as even giving one's own flesh. Yet, it is not proper to let one's body be used before one is ready, as it could lead to the bodhisattva becoming dejected and remorseful. Thus, according to The Treasury of Space Sūtra, it is a work of the evil force to expect the gift of the body or its parts before the bodhisattva is ready to give them. The body, like a beautiful medicinal plant with roots and seeds, should not be unnecessarily harmed.
Furthermore, Śāntideva cites The Jewel Cloud Sūtra (Skt. Ratnameghasūtra) to present the many ways through which one can avoid the works of the evil force, one of which is to avoid many types of nonvirtuous teachers. The sūtra also mentions the cordial and compassionate manner in which to avoid the nonvirtuous teachers without hate and contempt as people of different interests and temperaments. Following this, the text lists the four white dharmas and the four dark dharmas as presented in The Jewel Heap Sūtra (Skt. Ratnakūṭasūtra). These four white and dark dharmas are often enumerated as the main dos and don'ts of the bodhisattva precept. The four dark dharmas include:
- Deceiving venerable figures, such as abbots, teachers, and masters.
- Causing remorse where there is no need for remorse and guilt.
- Criticizing and defaming persons who have entered the noble path.
- Cheating other sentient beings.
The four white dharmas, which function as an antidote to the dark dharmas, are:
- Not speaking falsehoods, even at the cost of one's life or as a joke.
- Being sincerely benevolent to all beings without deception.
- Praising and applauding bodhisattvas.
- Encouraging beings on the superior path when they are ready.
Many more sūtras are cited to elaborate on the dos and don'ts of bodhisattvas, making references particularly to monastic life and its affairs. A monk-teacher or meditator is valued more than a monastic administrator or steward, who must offer timely provisions to the meditator or arrange things for the teacher to deliver the teachings. These directives are followed by a long list of cases showing how monk-administrators or officials were born in unhappy rebirths and states of misery due to their abuse of monks and monastic resources in their previous lifetimes. The last passages in this chapter highlight how monks, particularly monastic officials with institutional power and resources, must be cautious to not abuse their positions and misuse monastic resources, lest they will go through serious karmic consequences.
Additional resources
Here we need to think about what would be particularly useful to the student/reader at this point. Link to key terms found in chapter one? Any thoughts?
The Way of the Bodhisattva
The Compendium of Training
