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This being so, there is no need to speak of the result that will occur when one embraces monastic ordination and observes all the precepts without impairment. One will accomplish perfectly the goals of this and future existences both for oneself and others. The benefits that ensue are inconceivable.<ref>Blankleder and Fletcher, ''Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 429-30.</ref> | This being so, there is no need to speak of the result that will occur when one embraces monastic ordination and observes all the precepts without impairment. One will accomplish perfectly the goals of this and future existences both for oneself and others. The benefits that ensue are inconceivable.<ref>Blankleder and Fletcher, ''Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 429-30.</ref> | ||
}} | |||
Śāntideva goes on to pray that he will remain healthy for the sake of practice, living a life sustained only by simple alms. But he also prays that, until he reaches buddhahood, he will have a peaceful living environment which is supportive of the practice of virtue. | |||
{{PullBcaVerses|10.52}} | |||
There then comes one of the most famous verses in the whole of ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' and one that is quoted regularly by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as one of the greatest inspirations of his life: | |||
{{PullBcaVerses|10.55}} | |||
This beautiful stanza sums up the solemn and heartfelt pledge of bodhisattvas: as long as beings remain trapped in the cycle of samsaric existence, they themselves will also remain in order to help drive away their pain and suffering and guide them on the path of wisdom that leads to liberation from all suffering. | |||
}} | }} | ||
<h4>Dedication for the Propagation and Prosperity of the Buddha's Doctrine</h4> | |||
The chapter concludes with Śāntideva's verse of dedication to Mañjughoṣa and to his gurus. Mañjuśrī's kindness enabled Śāntideva to give up all his attachments to worldly life and to make sincere effort in the virtuous practices of learning, contemplation, and meditation. | |||
{{PullBcaVerses|10.58}} | |||
Particularly because of Mañjuśrī, the wish to cultivate bodhicitta and the urge to compose the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' arose in Śāntideva, and so he pays his respects and offers his body, speech, and mind up in homage. In Crosby and Skilton's translation from the Sanskrit, we read the following: | |||
{{QuoteCite | |||
|quote-text=I bow down to Mañjughoṣha | |||
through whose inspiration my mind turns to good. | |||
I honour the spiritual friend | |||
through whose inspiration it grows strong. (10.58)<ref>Crosby and Skilton, ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', 143.</ref> | |||
}} | |||
This translation gives the feel of how Mañjughoṣa's influence was the initial cause that 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 the following 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 Nalanda and elsewhere. To all his spiritual teachers, therefore, Shantideva bows down.<ref>Blankleder and Fletcher, ''Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 436.</ref> | |||
}} | |||
This provides us with the link back to Śāntideva's history—his gurus and the tradition of Nalanda. Khenpo Kunpal continues by saying that | |||
{{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>Blankleder and Fletcher, ''Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 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. In the first chapter, although he says the text was only composed to familiarize his mind with the topics, inadvertently his audience also gains 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. | |||
Revision as of 15:33, 14 May 2024
Dedication for the Propagation and Prosperity of the Buddha's Doctrine
The chapter concludes with Śāntideva's verse of dedication to Mañjughoṣa and to his gurus. Mañjuśrī's kindness enabled Śāntideva to give up all his attachments to worldly life and to make sincere effort in the virtuous practices of learning, contemplation, and meditation.
And now to Mañjughoṣha I prostrate, Whose kindness is the wellspring of my good intent. And to my virtuous friends I also bow Whose inspiration gave me strength to grow.
Page(s) 171
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.
Particularly because of Mañjuśrī, the wish to cultivate bodhicitta and the urge to compose the Bodhicaryāvatāra arose in Śāntideva, and so he pays his respects and offers his body, speech, and mind up in homage. In Crosby and Skilton's translation from the Sanskrit, we read the following:
I bow down to Mañjughoṣha through whose inspiration my mind turns to good. I honour the spiritual friend through whose inspiration it grows strong. (10.58)[1]
This translation gives the feel of how Mañjughoṣa's influence was the initial cause that 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 the following 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 Nalanda and elsewhere. To all his spiritual teachers, therefore, Shantideva bows down.[2]
This provides us with the link back to Śāntideva's history—his gurus and the tradition of Nalanda. Khenpo Kunpal continues by saying that
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.[3]
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. In the first chapter, although he says the text was only composed to familiarize his mind with the topics, inadvertently his audience also gains 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.
