Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication

Chapter 10 - Dedication

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The understanding and practice of bodhicitta depends on the knowledge of the stories, key concepts, texts, and people associated with it. Explore these various aspects to gain a better understanding of bodhicitta, the desire to seek the ultimate happiness for all sentient beings.

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We come to the last chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra.

At the beginning of the text, the first chapter sets the scene for the path of the bodhisattvas by presenting the benefits of developing the mind of enlightenment, bodhicitta. Inspired by the qualities of this vast vision, the wish to act only for the welfare of other beings, we start the process of generating bodhicitta where it has not previously arisen.

The middle eight chapters directly or indirectly cover the six perfections. These come under the umbrella of the other two stages of practice—preventing the decline of arisen bodhicitta and ensuring its continual increase.

All these amazing practices of the bodhisattva, whether we train in them mentally or actually implement them practically, create a vast amount of merit. The immense positivity of this mindset, and the actions of body and speech which naturally stem from it, spur us on in our quest to be of maximum benefit to others.

This positive potential is often talked about in terms of the two accumulations—the accumulation of merit and the accumulation of wisdom. The goal of all practices within Buddhism is to gather these two accumulations.

But this positive potential needs to be protected. It is like a seed that has been planted but will wither if we neglect to water and nurture it. Likewise, we need to take great care with this huge positive potential that we have amassed. Just as we protect the newly unfolding bodhicitta from declining, so we must protect this vast collection of merit from going to waste.

The way praised as most effective in protecting this merit is to dedicate it all—without any thought of our own reward—for the welfare of all beings and their temporary and ultimate happiness.

Here, at the end of the text, there is a series of extremely beautiful verses dedicating all of this virtue for the welfare of all the different kinds of living beings. These verses contain a series of dedicated vows (praṇidhāna), almost like empathic prayers, that hope for the relief of other beings' suffering and the accomplishment of their desire for all forms of happiness.

Śāntideva takes each realm of existence, starting with those reborn in the lower realms, and dedicates his merit to the beings in each of these realms so that they might find immediate relief from their specific sufferings.

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: joy, happiness, and ease. The beauty of the verses is matched only by the sincerity of Śāntideva's wishes.

And may the naked now be clothed, And all the hungry eat their fill. And may those parched with thirst receive Pure waters and delicious drink.

Verse 10.19

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 166
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.

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གཅེར་བུ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་གོས་དག་དང་། །

བཀྲེས་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཟས་དང་ནི། ། སྐོམ་པ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་ཆུ་དག་དང་། །

བཏུང་བ་ཞིམ་པོ་ཐོབ་པར་ཤོག །

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.

Verse 10.23

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 166
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.

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འགྲོན་པོ་དག་ནི་ཐམས་ཅད་ལ། །

ཕྱོགས་རྣམས་ཐམས་ཅད་བདེ་བར་ཤོག ། གང་གི་དོན་དུ་འགྲོ་བྱེད་པ། །

དེ་འབད་མི་དགོས་འགྲུབ་གྱུར་ཅིག །

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.[p.167]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
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.

Verse 10.24

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 166
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.

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གྲུ་དང་གྲུ་ཆེན་ཞུགས་པ་རྣམས། །

ཡིད་ལ་བསམ་པ་གྲུབ་གྱུར་ཏེ། །[p.129]Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa (1990)
Slob dpon zhi ba lha and Mkhan po kun dpal. Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa rtsa ba dang 'grel pa. Khreng tu'u: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1990. ཆུ་ཡི་ངོགས་སུ་བདེར་ཕྱིན་ནས། །

གཉེན་དང་ལྷན་ཅིག་དགའ་བར་ཤོག །

There are also 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.

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.

Verse 10.27

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 167
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.

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མི་དལ་ཀུན་ལས་ཐར་བ་དང་། །

དད་དང་ཤེས་རབ་བརྩེར་ལྡན་ཞིང་། ། ཟས་དང་སྤྱོད་པ་ཕུན་ཚོགས་ནས། །

རྟག་ཏུ་ཚེ་རབས་དྲན་གྱུར་ཅིག །

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.

May those who lose their way and wander In the wild find fellow travelers. And safe from threat of thieves and savage beasts, May they be tireless and their journey light.

Verse 10.25

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 167
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.

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མྱ་ངན་ལམ་གོལ་འཁྱམས་པ་རྣམས། །

འགྲོན་པོ་དག་དང་ཕྲད་གྱུར་ནས། ། ཆོམ་རྐུན་སྟག་སོགས་འཇིགས་མེད་པར། །

མི་ངལ་བདེ་བླག་འདོང་བར་ཤོག །

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.

Verse 10.26

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 167
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.

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དགོན་སོགས་ལམ་མེད་ཉམ་ང་བར། །

བྱིས་པ་རྒན་པོ་མགོན་མེད་པ། ། གཉིད་ལོག་མྱོས་ཤིང་རབ་མྱོས་རྣམས། །

ལྷ་དག་སྲུང་བ་བྱེད་པར་ཤོག །

May everyone have unrestricted wealth Just like the treasury of space, Enjoying it according to their wish, Without a trace of harm or enmity.

Verse 10.28

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 167
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.

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ཐམས་ཅད་ནམ་མཁའ་མཛོད་བཞིན་དུ། །

ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ཆད་པ་མེད་པར་ཤོག ། རྩོད་པ་མེད་ཅིང་འཚེ་མེད་པར། །

རང་དབང་དུ་ནི་སྤྱོད་པར་ཤོག །

May beings destitute of splendor, Be magnificent and bright. And those who suffer from deformity Acquire great beauty and perfection.

Verse 10.29

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 167
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.

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སེམས་ཅན་གཟི་བརྗིད་ཆུང་ངུ་གང་། །

དེ་དག་གཟི་བརྗིད་ཆེན་པོར་ཤོག ། དཀའ་ཐུབ་ཅན་གང་གཟུགས་ངན་པ། །

གཟུགས་བཟང་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་གྱུར་ཅིག །

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 benefit to all sentient life until all beings are liberated.

And now as long as space endures, As long as there are beings to be found, May I continue likewise to remain To drive away the sorrows of the world.

Verse 10.55

[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
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.

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ཇི་སྲིད་ནམ་མཁའ་གནས་པ་དང་། །

འགྲོ་བ་ཇི་སྲིད་གནས་གྱུར་པ། ། དེ་སྲིད་བདག་ནི་གནས་གྱུར་ནས། །

འགྲོ་བའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སེལ་བར་ཤོག །

This verse encapsulates the vast commitment of bodhisattvas to the welfare of all beings. Their vow is to remain not just for this life but for all lives. As long as sentient beings remain trapped by afflictive emotions and karmic webs—continually cast back into the terrifying prison of samsara—the bodhisattvas pledge to remain to dispel their suffering.

This last chapter is primarily an explanation of how to train in the generosity of giving away one's body, possessions, and roots of virtue for the purpose of others. Taking each object of dedication, they are transformed with strong aspiration into the temporary and ultimate objectives of prayer.

In his commentary to the root text, Gyaltsap Je condenses the intent of this whole chapter down into the following single verse:

Whatever virtue there is from listening, contemplating and meditating, Whether it is the mere virtue of prostration or offering, To make all virtues inexhaustible and to increase them, I adorn them effortfully with dedication. This is the condensed explanation.^[1]

The chapter concludes with a verse of dedication and thanks to Mañjuśrī, who was the empowering condition for Śāntideva to compose this text, and to his gurus, whose kindness inspired him to engage in the way of life of the bodhisattva.

↑ Fedor Stracke, trans., The Entrance for the Children of the Conquerors - A Commentary on the Introduction to the Actions of Bodhisattvas, Chapter Ten: The Dedication: An Explanation of the Training in the Generosity of Giving Away Body, Possessions, and Roots of Virtue for the Purpose of Others, by Gyaltsab Rinpoche (N.p.: HappyMonksPublication, 2016), 22, https://happymonkspublication.org/product/bodhisattvacharyavatara-chapter-1-10-commentary/.

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Learn About Śāntideva's Texts

Bodhicaryāvatāra
The Way of the Bodhisattva

An "Introduction to Bodhisattva Practice," the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is a poem about the path of a bodhisattva, in ten chapters, written by the Indian Buddhist Śāntideva (fl. c. 685–763). One of the masterpieces of world literature, it is a core text of Mahāyāna Buddhism and continues to be taught, studied, and commented upon in many languages and by many traditions around the world. The main subject of the text is bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the path and practices of the bodhisattva, the six perfections (pāramitās). The text forms the basis of many contemporary discussions of Buddhist ethics and philosophy.

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Śikṣāsamuccaya
The Compendium of Training

The Compendium of Training is an anthology of excerpts from the Mahāyāna sūtras that discusses the bodhisattva path and principles in much greater length and detail., Śikṣāsamuccaya (T. Bslab pa kun las btus pa; C. Dasheng ji pusa xue lun; J. Daijōjū bosatsugakuron; K. Taesǔng chip posal hak non 大乘集菩薩學論). In Sanskrit, "Compendium of Training," a work by the eighth-century Indian Mahāyāna master Śāntideva. It consists of twenty-seven stanzas on the motivation and practice of the bodhisattva, including bodhicitta, the six perfections (pāramitā), the worship of buddhas and bodhisattvas, the benefits of renunciation, and the peace derived from the knowledge of emptiness (śūnyatā). The topic of each of the stanzas receives elaboration in the form of a prose commentary by the author as well as in illustrative passages, often quite extensive, drawn from a wide variety of Mahāyāna sūtras. Some ninety-seven texts are cited in all, many of which have been lost in their original Sanskrit, making the Śikṣāsamuccaya an especially important source for the textual history of Indian Buddhism. These citations also offer a window into which sūtras were known to a Mahāyāna author in eighth-century India. The digest of passages that Śāntideva provides was repeatedly drawn upon by Tibetan authors in their citations of sūtras. Although Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra and Śikṣāsamuccaya both deal with similar topics, the precise relation between the two texts is unclear. Several of the author's verses appear in both texts and some of the sūtra passages from the Śikṣāsamuccaya also appear in the Bodhicaryāvatāra. One passage in the Bodhicaryāvatāra also refers readers to the Śikṣāsamuccaya, but this line does not occur in the Dunhuang manuscript of the text and may be a later interpolation. (Source: "Śikṣāsamuccaya." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 821. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)

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Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra

The bodhisatva Akṣayamati arrives in our world from the buddha field of the buddha Samantabhadra. In response to Śāriputra's questions, Akṣayamati gives a discourse on the subject of imperishability. In all, Akṣayamati explains that there are eighty different aspects of the Dharma that are imperishable. When he has given this explanation, the Buddha praises it and declares it worthy of being spread by the countless bodhisatvas gathered there to listen. (Source: 84000)

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Sāgaramatiparipṛcchāsūtra

Heralded by a miraculous flood, the celestial bodhisattva Sāgaramati arrives in Rājagṛha to engage in a Dharma discussion with Buddha Śākyamuni. He discusses an absorption called "The Pristine and Immaculate Seal" and many other subjects relevant to bodhisattvas who are in the process of developing the mind of awakening and practicing the bodhisattva path. The sūtra strongly advises that bodhisattvas not shy away from the afflictive emotions of beings—no matter how unpleasant they may be—and that insight into these emotions is critical for a bodhisattva's compassionate activity. The sūtra deals with the preeminence of wisdom and non-grasping on the path. In the end, as a teaching on how to deal with māras, the sūtra illuminates the many pitfalls possible on the path of the Great Vehicle. (Source: 84000)

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Spyod 'jug bsngo le'i nyams len zin tho

This is an instruction text to train one's mind in The Dedication Chapter of the Bodhicaryāvatāra. Type of Commentary: notes for practicing how to dedicate according to the Bodhicaryāvatāra
Length: 9
Tradition: Nyingma

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Sarvadharmasvabhāvasamatāvipañcitasamādhirājasūtra

This sūtra, much quoted in later Buddhist writings for its profound statements especially on the nature of emptiness, relates a long teaching given by the Buddha mainly in response to questions put by a young layman, Candraprabha. The samādhi that is the subject of the sūtra, in spite of its name, primarily consists of various aspects of conduct, motivation, and the understanding of emptiness; it is also a way of referring to the sūtra itself. The teaching given in the sūtra is the instruction to be dedicated to the possession and promulgation of the samādhi, and to the necessary conduct of a bodhisattva, which is exemplified by a number of accounts from the Buddha's previous lives. Most of the teaching takes place on Vulture Peak Mountain, with an interlude recounting the Buddha's invitation and visit to Candraprabha's home in Rājagṛha, where he continues to teach Candraprabha before returning to Vulture Peak Mountain. In one subsequent chapter the Buddha responds to a request by Ānanda, and the text concludes with a commitment by Ānanda to maintain this teaching in the future. (Source: 84000)

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Recommended Books Related to Chapter 10

The Blaze of Non-Dual Bodhicittas (Damdul 2019)

The initial idea for this study, reflection and meditation manual took seed in 2004, when I first started to translate for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I found many of the Nalanda texts frequently taught by His Holiness to be very useful; it occurred to me that a compilation of these in the English language would greatly benefit many seekers who might otherwise lack the opportunity to access them. It is only now, after many years of sharing the working drafts of this manual at Tibet House in New Delhi, as well as in many other places that the idea has finally come to fruition.

The book is divided into five parts:

I. Daily Recitation and Practice
II. Selected Texts for Study, Reflection and Meditation
III. Additional Prayers, Vows and Commitments
IV. Daily Dedication Prayers
V. Appendix

Part I and Part IV serve as a useful guide for all, who have an inclination towards dharma practice, but do not know how to start and design a daily practice session. It is also useful for those seekers who might be misguided and surmise that dharma practice comprises only of mantra recitation and so forth, thereby missing its essence.

Part II helps strengthen the practitioner’s dharma practice on the basis of selected compositions of great scholars and yogis. The actual breakthrough in the mental transformation happens through changes in the thought process, for which study and reflection are the cornerstones. Any of these profound texts and short extracts may be selected for study, reflection or meditation, on an on-going basis.

Part III reinforces and rejuvenates dharma practice and to that end, may be undertaken on a regular or occasional basis.

Part V introduces the reader to meditation practices, both shamatha (calm abiding) and vipasyana (special insight), including meditation on the breath, as well as methods to cultivate Bodhicitta and the wisdom of emptiness. While there are many texts on the wisdom of emptiness, the meditation included here is designed for all those who are not thoroughly introduced to this subject and still want to familiarise and habituate themselves with the wisdom of emptiness.

Brief notes, Endnotes and Glossary have been added to help the readers unfold the meanings of the texts with ease. (preface, xiv–xv)

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Puṇya

The positive energy or potential created through performing good deeds, such as generosity or kindness. In Buddhism, accumulating this positive force is seen as essential for finding happiness in future lives, and crucial as a foundation for following the spiritual path.

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Pariṇāmanā

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Bibliography: Works on Chapter 10 - Dedication

[1] Fedor Stracke, trans., The Entrance for the Children of the Conquerors - A Commentary on the Introduction to the Actions of Bodhisattvas, Chapter Ten: The Dedication: An Explanation of the Training in the Generosity of Giving Away Body, Possessions, and Roots of Virtue for the Purpose of Others, by Gyaltsab Rinpoche (N.p.: HappyMonksPublication, 2016), 22, https://happymonkspublication.org/product/bodhisattvacharyavatara-chapter-1-10-commentary/.

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Explore/Chapter 10 - Dedication

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Bibliography: Works on Chapter 10 - Dedication