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 ...

What is the cause for this human body endowed with the eight freedoms and ten advantages? Our present body results from our good karma [las]. Karma refers to positive or negative actions that create positive or negative results; it is created by our mind [sems].

To attain a human body one must carry through three kinds of virtuous karma [dge ba’i las gsum]:

  1. keeping discipline [tshul khrims srung ba],
  2. gathering merit [bsod nams bsags pa], and
  3. making aspirations [smon lam gdab pa].

Many people find these three positive activities difficult to develop and very difficult to practice. Therefore, beings have a hard time attaining a human body. Their negative tendencies are so strong that they have no capacity to accumulate positive thoughts and feelings.

If we create the karma of perfect discipline [tshul khrims rnam par dag pa], we gather the karma for attaining a human body. The minimum discipline required to attain a human body in the next life is the ’discipline of giving up harming others’ [gzhan gnod spong ba’i tshul khrims]. Thus, one should not harm others but should practice patience. If you lead a peaceful live without anger, you will gain a beautiful body in your next life. Moreover, if your mind is truly at ease and peaceful, in this life as well people will see the goodness in your face, even though you are not a particularly handsome person.

Discipline must be aided by the practice of the six transcendental perfections [pha rol tu phyin pa drug]. Among these, the practice of generosity is indispensable for attaining a favorable human condition. People who have practiced sufficient discipline to attain a human body but who have not practiced any generosity will be reborn in very miserable human conditions without the opportunity to practice the dharma. The other five transcendental perfections must also be practiced to some extent.

The second condition for attaining a human body is gathering merit [bsod nams bsags pa]. The Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra teaches the perfect methods for gathering merit in the second and third chapters. The gathering of merit through the practices of the ’seven branches’ [yan lag bdun pa] is explained in great detail in those chapters.

The third condition for attaining a human body is aspiration [smon lam]. Only through aspirations will one meet the dharma in one’s next life. Aspirations are of utmost importance. Even if you have attained rebirth as a very rich and healthy person, you will not be able to practice the dharma unless you have made many aspirations in former lifetimes. Many people have gathered merit in former lifetimes but have failed to make aspirations.

Therefore, you should repeat this famous aspiration by Longchenpa everyday at the end of your practice session:

Throughout all lifetimes, wherever I may be born,
May I obtain the seven qualities of the higher realms.
May I meet the dharma immediately after taking birth
And have the freedom to practice it properly.

/ gang du skyes pa’i skye ba thams cad du /
/ mtho ris yon tan bdun ldan thob par shog /
/ skyes ma thag tu chos dang ’phrad gyur nas /
/ tshul bzhin bsgrub pa’i rang dbang yod par shog /

May I please my sublime masters
And practice the dharma day and night.
Having received the dharma, may I accomplish its innermost essence
And traverse the ocean of worldly existence in that very life.

/ der yang bla ma dam pa mnyes byas nas /
/ nyin dang mtshan du chos la spyod par shog /
/ chos thob nas ni snying po’i don bsgrub te /
/ tshe des srid pa’i rgya mtsho brgal bar shog /

Within the world may I perfectly teach the sublime doctrine
And never become weary and tired of accomplishing the welfare of others.
May all beings simultaneously attain buddhahood
Through my vast and impartial service to others.

/ srid par dam pa’i chos rab ston byed cing /
/ gzhan phan bsgrub la skyo ngal med par shog /
/ rlabs chen gzhan don phyogs ris med pa yis /
/ thams cad phyam gcig sangs rgyas thob par shog //

Even if you do not know how to practice the dharma, at least you should know how to make aspirations. Through an aspiration such as this, you guarantee that you will meet the dharma again in your next life and that you will be endowed with the seven qualities of the higher realms [mtho ris yon tan bdun].

According to Mipham Rinpoche these are: longevity [tshe ring ba], absence of disease [nad med pa], a beautiful body [gzugs bzang ba], good fortune [skal ba bzang ba], high caste [rigs mtho ba], great wealth [nor mang ba], and great intelligence [shes rab che ba].[1] The higher realms refer to the three higher realms of humans, gods and asuras.

If you abstain from taking life, you will have a long life. Abstaining from beating and abusing beings, you will be free from illness. Always maintaining patience, you will have a beautiful body. Having good fortune means that you will succeed [lam ’gro] at whatever you plan to do. You will not encounter obstacles [bar chad med pa] or unfavorable conditions [rkyen ngan pa] in your life and will be able to easily accomplish your wishes. In particular, you will be successful in your dharma practice. All this covers the meaning of ’having good fortune’ [skal bzang].

If you have intensely practiced meditation [bsam gtan] in past lifetimes and have always paid respect [gus zhabs] to your teachers, you will experience good fortune in this life. ’High caste’ means that you come from a well-educated family, who imparted to you proper values.

A high caste does not refer to royalty or celebrity. It means that your family is of noble mind and does not follow a perverted occupation such as being a mercenary, a butcher, a thief, and so on. If one happens to be born into a family that practices improper livelihood, one will naturally be affected by the negative environment. Diligence in former lifetimes leads to rebirth in a high caste. Great generosity in former lifetimes leads to great wealth in this life. If you have practiced the dharma in former lifetimes, you will be endowed with great intelligence.

Make aspirations to meet the dharma immediately on taking rebirth. Once you have met the dharma, please [thugs mnyes pa byed pa] your master. At best make the offering of practice [rab sgrub pa’i mchod]; second best, serve your master with your body and speech [’bring lus ngag gi zhabs tog]; at the very least, you should please your master with material offerings [zang zing gi mchod pa]. Dedicate yourself to dharma practice day and night.

Having received the dharma, strive to practice the quintessential teachings and transcend the ocean of saṃsāra in this very lifetime. Pray that once you have gone beyond saṃsāra you will be able to teach the dharma and work tirelessly for the welfare of others. Pray that through your vast [rgya chen po / brlabs chen po] and impartial [phyogs ris med pa] service to others, all beings may be simultaneously established on the level of perfect buddhahood. You should recite this perfect aspiration again and again. Aspiration is a very powerful volitional action and has great karmic force.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

mi pham mkhas ’jug, page 176.

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