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We should not for even a moment hinder the merit and activities of the bodhisattvas, as we will then be harming the ability of that bodhisattva to accomplish the welfare of beings. | We should not for even a moment hinder the merit and activities of the bodhisattvas, as we will then be harming the ability of that bodhisattva to accomplish the welfare of beings. | ||
In his commentary, Sonam Tsemo explains this verse by saying that our own ability to work for the welfare of others is also harmed by our creating an obstacle to the intention and activities of a bodhisattva. | In his commentary, Sonam Tsemo (1142–1182), the second of the five founding patriarchs of the Sakya tradition, explains this verse by saying that our own ability to work for the welfare of others is also harmed by our creating an obstacle to the intention and activities of a bodhisattva. | ||
{{QuoteCite | {{QuoteCite | ||
|quote-text=Those who interrupt another's merit create a karmic obscuration for themselves, and it is impossible to benefit others through such an obscuration. Therefore, nothing will prevent them going to the lower realms.<ref>Adrian O'Sullivan, trans., ''Bodhicaryāvatāra with Commentary'' (Los Angeles: Dechen Foundation, 2019), 98.</ref> | |quote-text=Those who interrupt another's merit create a karmic obscuration for themselves, and it is impossible to benefit others through such an obscuration. Therefore, nothing will prevent them going to the lower realms.<ref>Adrian O'Sullivan, trans., ''Bodhicaryāvatāra with Commentary'' (Los Angeles: Dechen Foundation, 2019), 98.</ref> | ||
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<h4>Conscientiousness with Regard to Precious Human Rebirth through Reflection on How Hard It Is to Obtain</h4> | <h4>Conscientiousness with Regard to Precious Human Rebirth through Reflection on How Hard It Is to Obtain</h4> | ||
We may often look at our lives with the perspective that there is something missing, that we have bad luck, or that things don’t go well for us. Although we have met the Buddhist path, we may fall prey to procrastination and be plagued by thoughts such as "If I get a chance in the future, I will try to do some practice at that time." According to Śāntideva, these thoughts are dangerous and cause us to ignore the tremendous opportunity that we currently hold in our hands. | |||
The next section of this chapter, from verses 15 to 20, explains how rare and fortunate life in the human realm is, and even more so a human life that is endowed with the freedoms and endowments [LINK to main terms] of a precious human rebirth [LINK to main terms]. | |||
Śāntideva impresses upon us how fortunate our current situation is and how very hard it is to obtain. If we wish to obtain this precious state again in the future, we must be aware of all our actions of body, speech, and mind, and for this we need conscientiousness. | |||
Gyalse Tokme Zangpo mentions three important points in relation to obtaining this precious human rebirth: (1) that it is hard to obtain, (2) that there are the faults if we do not obtain it, and (3) that we must break the habit of not exerting ourselves when we have obtained it.<ref>Ngul Chu Tokme Zangpo, ''An Ocean of Excellent Explanation'' (Varanasi: Sakya Students Union, 2003), 171.</ref> | |||
The opportunity provided by a precious human rebirth is extremely rare. The qualities of it are very rare, which is because gathering together the causes for it are rare. As Śāntideva explains in the following verse: | |||
{{PullBcaVerses|4.15}} | |||
Sonam Tsemo [LINK to text pdf. P 100] elaborates on this point in his commentary to the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' in the following way: | |||
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|quote-text=The arising of a Tathāgata is the attainment of endowment based upon other. Faith in the remaining teachings and obtaining a human birth are explained as endowments of oneself, as well as freedoms. The conditions for cultivating virtue are the mental basis. They are rare, i.e. they are acquired infrequently.<ref>O’Sullivan, ''Bodhicaryāvatāra with Commentary'', 100.</ref> | |||
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The root text highlights three particular factors which make our current situation such a rare opportunity: (1) the fact that a Buddha has entered into this world system, (2) the fact that the teachings still remain and we have faith in them, and (3) the fact that we have obtained a precious human body with freedoms and advantages. Because of these three fortunate circumstances, we have the great fortune to be able to engage in virtue. | |||
Khenpo Kunpal [LINK to text pdf p.190] explains this as follows: | |||
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|quote-text=These factors refer respectively to the circumstantial advantages, the individual advantages, and the freedom to practice the Dharma (consisting in the absence of eight conditions in which there is no leisure to implement the teachings). It is indeed extremely rare to find oneself in a situation in which all favorable circumstances are gathered and from which all adverse conditions are absent—a situation, in other words, in which it is possible to practice virtue.<ref>Fletcher and Blankleder, ''Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'', 149</ref> | |||
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It is said to be supremely rare to be born in a world system where the Buddha has manifested and where the teachings still remain. Such statements can be found, for example, in ''The White Lotus of the Holy Dharma Sūtra'' (Skt. ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra''). | |||
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|quote-text='Bhikṣus, it is very difficult to find the appearance of the tathāgatas.' Why is that? For those beings, it is possible that they may see a tathāgata after many hundred thousands of quintillions of eons, and it is possible that they will not.<ref>Peter Alan Roberts and team, trans., ''The White Lotus of the Good Dharma'', ''Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra'', Toh 113 (84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2023), 15.11, https://read.84000.co/translation/UT22084-051-001.html?#UT22084-051-001-2203.</ref> | |||
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In Padma Karpo's commentary there is a long section in the first chapter where he discusses the qualities of a precious human rebirth and the tremendous value that it carries. | |||
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|quote-text=This perfect human physical support possesses eighteen qualities of freedom and endowment. Freedom refers to being free of the unconducive side of the eight unfree states, and endowment means to be endowed with the complete set of ten conducive conditions. With this human body, which is extremely difficult to obtain, a person can achieve what is meaningful for beings, which is to attain buddhahood. So if we do not accomplish the benefit that this support offers us, which is to arouse mind of enlightenment, how could we come upon such a perfect support again in the future, since we have been wandering in samsara from beginning less time until now?<ref>Pema Karpo, ''A Lamp for the Middle Way: A Commentary on the Bodhisattvacharyavatara'', ''Spyod 'jug gi 'bru 'grel dbu ma'i lam gyi sgron ma (Kathmandu: Shree Gautam Buddha Vihara, 2017), page# (e-book), https://dharmacloud.tsadra.org/library/?post_types=book,book_author&search-terms=A+Lamp+for+the+Middle+Way:+A+Commentary+on+the+Bodhisattvacharyavatara&subjects=any&view=list/</ref> | |||
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