Bodhisattvacharyavatara

by Andreas Kretschmar | 246,740 words

The English translation of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara (“entering the conduct of the bodhisattvas”), a Sanskrit text with Tibetan commentary. This book explains the bodhisattva concept and gives guidance to the Buddhist practitioner following the Mahāyāna path towards the attainment of enlightenment. The text was written in Sanskrit by Shantideva ...

(3) The combined explanation of the terms overcoming and realization, as included in the third interpretation of the term ’sugata’, is perfectly or completely gone [ma lus pa’am rdzogs par gshegs pa] and means the Buddha has attained the supreme qualities of perfect overcoming and perfect realization without the slightest degree of anything remaining to be attained. He has perfectly ’overcome’ [spongs pa] all that there is to overcome, namely the truth of suffering [sdug bsngal gyi bden pa] and the truth of origination [kun ’byung gi bden pa].

The Buddha has also perfectly realized all that there is to ’realize’ [rtogs pa], namely the relative truth [kun rdzog gyi bden pa] and the absolute truth [don dam gyi bden pa]. Therefore, he has perfectly or completely gone. There is not even the slightest degree of anything remaining to be overcome or realized. Therefore, the example is that of a vase filled to the brim.

What must be overcome are the obscurations of afflictions [nyon mongs pa’i sgrib pa] and the obscurations of cognition [shes bya’i sgrib pa]. The Buddha has overcome both, including their most subtle aspects. What must be realized is the wisdom of the twofold knowledge [mkhyen pa gnyis]: the wisdom of knowing the natural state as it actually is [gnas lugs ji lta ba mkhyen pa’i ye shes], and the wisdom of knowing all there is to know [shes bya ji snyed pa mkhyen pa’i ye shes]. The Buddha has realized the ultimate wisdom [ye shes mthar thug pa] and has thus reached omniscience. Absolutely nothing remains to be attained.

In his manner of having thus gone [gshegs tshul], the Buddha has completely surpassed the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas with his perfect qualities of overcoming and realization. Though they will not fall back into saṃsāra, they have not completely developed all qualities of ’overcoming’ and ’realization’ and are therefore only partially [nyi tshe ba / chung chung] realized.

A simple interpretation of the term ’sugata’ [bde bar gshegs pa] follows. As he has gone to the blissful level of buddhahood, based on the blissful cause of the precious bodhicitta, he is called the ’sugata’, ’the one who has gone to bliss’ [rgyu bde ba byang chub sems rin po che la brten nas ’bras bu bde ba sangs rgyas kyi go ’phang la gshegs pa].

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