Property:SanskritTranslation
From Bodhicitta
This is a property of type Text.
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An Objector Interjects: is it not true that as long as I am alive, by means of my fortune and possessions I will be able to cultivate the good and destroy sin?
The Author Replies: Do you mean to say that in this way the good would not be lost and evil will not increase, when you get angry, moved by desire for gain? +
If the one single purpose of my life is lost, then what good is a life that only brings evil? +
An Objector Interjects: No, what I mean to say is that I feel hatred toward one who denigrates me because his ill will leads many living beings to perdition.
The Author Replies: Why are you not angry then in the same way with those who insult others? +
You are patient with those who show little love to others, when their disfavor has been produced by others, but you are not patient with those who insult you, though this also has been produced by a third factor: the afflictions. +
Equally absurd is my hatred toward those who harm or desecrate images and shrines, or disparage the true dharma, for neither buddhas nor their disciples and teachings suffer injury. +
Put an end to your anger toward those who harm your teachers, relatives, and loved ones, etc., by understanding, as before, that their aggression is born from causes and conditions beyond their control. +
Whether it is due to a conscious or an unconscious cause, sorrow is inevitable for all embodied beings; it is found in all sentient beings. Therefore, accept it patiently. +
Due to their delusion, some offend, others, equally deluded, become angry at the offense; which of the two will we consider free of guilt? And whom will we declare guilty? +
Why did you do what you did in the past, so that now you find yourself tormented by others in this way? All beings act under the influence of their past deeds; who are you to change this? +
Still, because I understand this, I will devote my efforts to good, so that all of these beings will carry thoughts of mutual amity. +
Discontent arises whenever our desire is contradicted or the undesirable occurs. When hatred receives its nourishment from discontent, it gathers strength and destroys me. +
It is like a house on fire—if the flames start spreading to another house, one removes the straw or any other flammable items. +
In the same way, one should abandon at once all those things that could fuel the fire of hatred in the mind—for fear that the very substance of merit might be burnt. +
Wouldn't it be fortunate if a man condemned to death were freed after only cutting his hand? Would it not be equally fortunate if one were to suffer pain in this life instead of ending up in hell? +
If you are not able to withstand even the insignificant pain of today, why don’t you destroy anger, which is after all the cause of suffering in hell? +
Thus, because of my own anger I have suffered in the hells thousands of times, but I did not achieve anything for myself or others with this suffering. +
My present pain is nothing comparable to the pains of hell, and it will produce great benefits. It is reasonable that I rejoice in this suffering, which will free the whole world from its suffering. +
If others find joy and happiness in praising a person who excels in virtue, why don’t you also rejoice, oh mind, in praising him? +
This practice will bring you an intense delight which is blameless, the source of<span class="smw-highlighter pagebreaks" data-type="8" data-state="inline" data-title="Page number from:" title="417" tabindex="0"><span class="smwtticon pagebreak note text-80">[p.417]</span><span class="smwttcontent"><big>[[How to Be a Bodhisattva: Introduction to the Practice of the Bodhisattva Path (The Bodhicaryāvatāra)]]</big> <br> <span class="muted">Gómez, Luis O., trans. "How to Be a Bodhisattva: Introduction to the Practice of the Bodhisattva Path (''The Bodhicaryāvatāra'')." In ''Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism'', edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr., 395–441. New York: Norton, 2017.</span></span></span> further happiness. The virtuous themselves do not object to it. It is the best way to attract others to the path. +
If what you do not like about praising others is that only the other person is pleased by it, then you object to all rewards, even that of payment for services, in which case you have also rejected the future reward of your present effort. +
