Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication: Difference between revisions

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 {{PullBcaVerses|10.27}}
-The verses themselves are self-explanatory but one can feel the deep compassion and emotions, the empathy and understanding that Śāntideva has for the whole gamut of human beings’s sufferings.
+The verses themselves are self-explanatory, but one can feel the deep compassion and emotions, the empathy and understanding that Śāntideva has for the whole gamut of human beings' sufferings.
-The verses are reminiscent of lines from a poem by the famous Japanese Buddhist master and hermit- poet, Ryokan who said:
-“O, that my priest’s robe were wide enough to gather up all the suffering people in this floating world.”
-It is important, however, that dedications are not just made for freedom from the manifest sufferings. Eventually to avoid all these sufferings mentioned above sentient beings will have to align themselves with the spiritual path and strive to overcome their afflictions and ignorance. That is the only hope of avoiding suffering in the long-term. Therefore, Śāntideva also dedicates his merit that sentient beings will also become immediately leave aside their non-virtue and engage in the path that leads to perfect peace:
- And thus by all the merit I have gained,
+The verses are reminiscent of lines from a poem by the famous Japanese Buddhist master and hermit-poet Ryokan, who said: "O, that my priest's robe were wide enough to gather up all the suffering people in this floating world."<ref>source citation.</ref>
-May every being, leaving none aside,
-Abandon all their evil ways
- Embracing goodness now and ever more.   (10.31)
- From bodhichitta may they never separate,
+It is important, however, that dedications are not just made for freedom from the manifest sufferings. Eventually, to avoid all these sufferings mentioned above sentient beings will have to align themselves with the spiritual path and strive to overcome their afflictions and ignorance. That is the only hope of avoiding suffering in the long-term. Therefore, Śāntideva also dedicates his merit that sentient beings will also immediately leave aside their nonvirtue and engage in the path that leads to perfect peace:
- And constantly engage in Bodhisattva actions.
-May they be accepted as disciples by the Buddhas,
-Drawing back from what is demons’ work.   (10.32)
+{{PullBcaVerses|10.31;10.32}}
 There are also dedications for the monastic communities:
- In monasteries, temples, and the like,
+{{PullBcaVerses|10.42;10.43}}
-May reading and reciting widely flourish.
-May harmony prevail among the Saṅgha;
-May its purposes be all fulfilled.   (10.42)
- May ordained monks, intent upon the practice,
+The monastic communities form an extremely important role in the transmission of the Dharma. Śāntideva therefore makes fervent prayers that monastic institutions of all kinds will flourish and that they always have harmony. And for those monks who choose a life away from large monastic centers and seek the solitude recommended in chapter eight, he prays that they find perfect places in which their meditation can proceed without interference.
-Find perfect places for retreat in solitude,
-Abandon every vagrant thought,
- And meditate with trained and serviceable minds.   (10.43)
- The monastic communities form an extremely important role in the transmission of the Dharma. Śāntideva therefore makes fervent prayers that monastic institutions of all kinds will flourish and that they have always harmony. And for those monks who choose a life away from large monstic centres, and seek the solitude recommended in chapter eight, for them he prays that they find perfect places in which their meditation can proceed without interference.
+{{PullBcaVerses|10.58}}
- And now to Mañjughoṣha I prostrate,
+The chapter concludes with Śāntideva's verse of dedication to Mañjughoṣa and to his gurus.
- Whose kindness is the wellspring of my good intent.
-And to my virtuous friends I also bow
- Whose inspiration gave me strength to grow.   (10.58)
+Mañjuśrī's kindness enabled Śāntideva to give up on all his attachments to the worldly life and to make a sincere effort in the virtuous practices of learning, contemplation, and meditation. It was particularly because of Mañjuśrī, the wish to cultivate bodhicitta and then the urge to compose this text arose in Śāntideva, and so he pays his respects and offers his body, speech, and mind up in homage.
-The chapter concludes with Śāntideva's verse of dedication to Manjughosha and to his gurus.
+In Andrew Skilton's translation from the Sanskrit it says:
-Manjushri’s kindness enabled Śāntideva give up on all his attachments to the worldly life and urge him to make sincere effort in the virtuous practices of learning, contemplation, and meditation. Particularly because of Manjushri wish to cultivate bodhicitta and then the urge to compose this text arose in Śāntideva, and so he pays his respects and offers his body, speech and mind up in homage.
+{{QuoteCite
-In Andrew Skilton’s translation from the Sanskrit it says:
+		|quote-text=I bow down to Manjughosa
-I bow down to Manjughosa
 through whose inspiration my mind turns to good.
- I honour the spiritual friend
+I honour the spiritual friend
-through whose inspiration it grows strong.   (10.58)
+through whose inspiration it grows strong. (''Verse 10.58'')
+}}
+This translation gives the feel of how Mañjughoṣa's influence was the initial cause which helped turn Śāntideva's mind to good. Once turned in a positive direction, his gurus then helped him to build on this inspiration and make firm in his mind the realizations related to hearing, contemplation, and meditation.
+Khenpo Kunpal says of this homage to the gurus:
+{{QuoteCite
+		|quote-text=In the same vein he prostrates respectfully to the holy beings thanks to whose kindness he was able to take monastic ordination and receive the bhikshu vows—the same beings who spread and propagate the Dharma of transmission and realization, namely, the ordaining abbot Jinadeva and the other teachers of the glorious monastery of Nālandā and elsewhere. To all his spiritual teachers, therefore, Śāntideva bows down.<ref>Pelden, ''The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 436.</ref>
+}}
+This provides us with the link back to Śāntideva's history—his gurus and the tradition of Nālandā.
-This translation gives the feel of how Manjughosa’s influence was the initial cause which helped turn Śāntideva's mind to good. Once turned in a positive direction, his gurus then helped him to build on this inspiration and make firm in his mind the realizations related to hearing, contemplation, and meditation.
+He continues:
+{{QuoteCite
+		|quote-text=In the same way, we too should consider as our teachers all those through whose kindness our minds have absorbed some of the qualities of the Dharma of transmission and realization. And remembering their kindness, we too should respectfully reverence them in thought, word, and deed.
+<ref>Pelden, 436.</ref>
+}}
+We should always be reminded that while these are personal reflections of Śāntideva on his experiences of training, they are also an indirect form of advice for ourselves. This is true of the text as a whole, where in the first chapter although he says the text was only composed to familiarize his mind with the topics, inadvertently his audience also gain a complete instruction on the way of the bodhisattva.
+For us also it is important to continually remember the kindness of our teachers. Through them we have received the inspiration to turn our minds toward the Buddhist path. And it is through their continued support and guidance that we traverse the road that leads to buddhahood.
-Khenpo Kunpal says of this homage to the gurus:
-In the same vein he prostrates respectfully to the holy beings thanks to whose kindness he was able to take monastic ordination and receive the bhikshu vows—the same beings who spread and propagate the Dharma of transmission and realization, namely, the ordaining abbot Jinadeva and the other teachers of the glorious monastery of Nālandā and elsewhere. To all his spiritual teachers, therefore, Śāntideva bows down.
-This provides us with the link back to Śāntideva's history  - his gurus and the tradition of Nālandā.
-He continues:
-In the same way, we too should consider as our teachers all those through whose kindness our minds have absorbed some of the qualities of the Dharma of transmission and realization. And remembering their kindness, we too should respectfully reverence them in thought, word, and deed. {LINK to text]
-We should always be reminded that whilst these are personal reflections of Śāntideva on his experiences of training, they are also an indirect form of advice for ourselves. This is true of the text as a whole, where in the first chapter although he says the text was only composed to familiarize his mind with the topics, inadvertently his audience also gain a complete instruction on the way of the bodhisattva.
-For us also it is important to continually remember the kindness of our teachers. Through them we have received the inspiration to turn our minds towards the Buddhist path. And it is through their continued support and guidance that we traverse the road that leads to Buddhahood.

Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:32, 8 November 2023