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<h4>Dedication for the hell realm beings</h4> | <h4>Dedication for the hell realm beings</h4> | ||
Śāntideva begins his dedications to others with the beings in the realm | Śāntideva begins his dedications to others with the beings in the realm of saṃsāra with the most intense suffering. Verses 4 to 15 make dedications for the benefit of the beings who have been reborn in the absolute terror and misery of the hell realms. Śāntideva recognizes a variety of terrible states that beings experience in these realms and beautifully expresses his wish for their freedom from this excruciating pain: | ||
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Not only does he wish for their release from these sufferings, but he dedicates for the transformation of these sufferings into their opposite of bliss and happiness. He imagines a hail of weapons and lava transformed into a rain of flowers, the pits of hell becoming fragrant lotus ponds, and in the place of iron hills which crush beings on all sides, he imagines instead temples where the buddhas dwell. | |||
Dedication for the | <h4>Dedication for the animal realm beings</h4> | ||
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|quote-text=And may the stooping animals be freed | |||
From fear of being preyed upon, each other’s food. (Verse 10.16ab) | |||
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It is said that the animal realm is generally characterized by ignorance. There are certain exceptional cases where animals show unique mental capabilities, but in general animals lack sophisticated cognitive abilities. Crucially, they are nearly always unaware of any consequence to their actions. They are therefore unable to comprehend what would be necessary to abandon to follow the path to liberation, and what actions to take up in service of the path. | It is said that the animal realm is generally characterized by ignorance. There are certain exceptional cases where animals show unique mental capabilities, but in general animals lack sophisticated cognitive abilities. Crucially, they are nearly always unaware of any consequence to their actions. They are therefore unable to comprehend what would be necessary to abandon to follow the path to liberation, and what actions to take up in service of the path. | ||
Some animals have been born through unusual karmic ripening in situations of great comfort and luxury. But the majority of the wild world is usually prey to uninterrupted suffering. The domesticated animals we see around us, especially the pets of humans, lead lives which are not representative of life in the animal realm. In the wild most creatures are in constant terror of losing their life. The threat of direct predators is ever-present and we see with our own eyes how creatures are in a constant state of agitation. They concern themselves only with immediate needs such as food, shelter, and mates. | Some animals have been born through unusual karmic ripening in situations of great comfort and luxury. But the majority of the wild world is usually prey to uninterrupted suffering. The domesticated animals we see around us, especially the pets of humans, lead lives which are not representative of life in the animal realm. In the wild most creatures are in constant terror of losing their life. The threat of direct predators is ever-present and we see with our own eyes how creatures are in a constant state of agitation. They concern themselves only with immediate needs such as food, shelter, and mates. | ||
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