Explore/Chapter 2 - Confession of Negativity: Difference between revisions
From Bodhicitta
< Explore
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 76: | Line 76: | ||
Khenpo Kunzang Palden, aka Khenpo Kunpal (1862–1943), in his famous commentary to the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' entitled ''The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', reminds us of the general way in which we take refuge.{{QuoteCite | Khenpo Kunzang Palden, aka Khenpo Kunpal (1862–1943), in his famous commentary to the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' entitled ''The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', reminds us of the general way in which we take refuge.{{QuoteCite | ||
|quote-text=In accordance with the formula "The Buddha is the teacher unsurpassed; the sacred Dharma is the guardian unsurpassed, the Sangha is the leader unsurpassed," the actual protector or refuge for beginners is in fact the Dharma. The Buddha said, "I have taught you the methods that lead to liberation. Practice with diligence; your liberation depends on you."<ref> | |quote-text=In accordance with the formula "The Buddha is the teacher unsurpassed; the sacred Dharma is the guardian unsurpassed, the Sangha is the leader unsurpassed," the actual protector or refuge for beginners is in fact the Dharma. The Buddha said, "I have taught you the methods that lead to liberation. Practice with diligence; your liberation depends on you."<ref>Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder (Padmakara Translation Group), trans., ''The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech'', by Kunzang Pelden (Boston: Shambhala, 2010), 90.</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
The Buddha is telling us that, for beginners, the main refuge is the | The Buddha is telling us that, for beginners, the main refuge is the teaching and one's own realization. But he also makes sure to point out that, although he has revealed the way, walking the path must be done by ourselves. Thus, taking refuge does not involve giving up responsibility to another higher power who will pull us along the path but is a process of relying on someone with deep experience and knowledge and then integrating their advice and teachings into our own lives. As the famous and oft-repeated lines on this say: | ||
As the famous lines | |||
{{QuoteCite | {{QuoteCite | ||
|quote-text=The Sage does not wash sins away with water, | |quote-text=The Sage does not wash sins away with water, | ||
Nor wipe away the pain of beings with his hands. | Nor wipe away the pain of beings with his hands. | ||
His realization he does not transfer to others, | His realization he does not transfer to others, | ||
He frees by showing them the peace of ultimate reality.<ref>''Udānavarga'' | He frees by showing them the peace of ultimate reality.<ref>Although it is somewhat difficult to trace the source of these exact lines, they appear to derive at least in part from the ''Udānavarga'' or Prajñāvarman's commentary on the ''Udānavarga''.</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
There are two main causes of refuge. One is the fear of the suffering which is an inevitable consequence of the negative actions we have done. The other cause is to understand that the Three Jewels have the power to protect us from those sufferings. | There are two main causes of refuge. One is the fear of the suffering which is an inevitable consequence of the negative actions we have done. The other cause is to understand that the Three Jewels have the power to protect us from those sufferings. | ||
