Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication: Difference between revisions

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 For each of those sufferings, he wishes from the depths of his heart that they be instantly gone and that those beings attain the very opposite, all the joys and happiness and ease. The beauty of the verses is matched only by the sincerity of Śāntideva's wishes.
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-And may the naked now be clothed,
+{{PullBcaVerses|10.23}}
-And all the hungry eat their fill.
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-And may those parched with thirst receive
+There are prayers that wish for the spiritual upliftment of sentient beings, that they may be wiser and more compassionate, and that they may more sincerely walk the path.
-Pure waters and delicious drink.   (10.19)
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-May travelers upon the road
-Find happiness no matter where they go,
-And may they gain, without the need of toil,
-The goals on which they set their hearts.    (10.23)
-May those who put to sea in boat or ship,
-Attain the ports that they desire,
-And may they safely come to shore
-And sweet reunion with their kith and kin.   (10.24)Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder (Padmakara Translation Group), trans., The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra, rev. ed. (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006), 166.</ref>
-There are prayers that wish for the spiritual upliftment of sentient beings, that they may be wiser and more compassionate, and more sincerely walk the path.
-May all be freed from states of bondage,
-May they be possessed of wisdom, faith, and love.
-With perfect sustenance and conduct,
-May they always have remembrance of their former lives.   (10.27)
 But there is no sense in the text of holding back from wishing beings more mundane forms of happiness. Personal safety, temporary peace, and even beauty are not beyond the hopes of the bodhisattva.
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-May those who lose their way and wander
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-In the wild find fellow travelers.
+{{PullBcaVerses|10.28}}
-And safe from threat of thieves and savage beasts,
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-May they be tireless and their journey light.   (10.25)<ref>Fletcher and Blankleder, The Way of the Bodhisattva, 140.</ref>
-May children and the aged, and all those without protection
-Wandering in the fearful, pathless wastes,
-Who fall asleep unconscious of their peril,
-Have pure celestial beings as their guardians.   (10.26)
-May everyone have unrestricted wealth
-Just like the treasury of space,
-Enjoying it according to their wish,
-Without a trace of harm or enmity.   (10.28)
-May beings destitute of splendor,
-Be magnificent and bright.
-And those who suffer from deformity
-Acquire great beauty and perfection.   (10.29)<ref>Fletcher and Blankleder, The Way of the Bodhisattva, 141.</ref>
 Wealth and beauty are not things to be singularly chased, but it is not necessary to completely shun them either. Śāntideva is pragmatic. He understands that wealth or influence can do a huge amount of good in the world if they are used in ways that do not harm, and if attachment to them is kept to a minimum.
 Near the end of the chapter, there is a very famous verse which His Holiness the Dalai Lama quotes frequently as one of the sources of inspiration for his motivation to be of maximum welfare for all sentient life until all beings are liberated. The verse is as follows:

Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:07, 9 May 2024