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 ...

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche taught about the ten jewels of the Kadampa masters. The Kadampa masters of old gave instructions on how to leave behind all concerns for this life when practicing genuine dharma, instructions called the ten ultimate jewels [phugs nor bcu]. They are: ’discarding, joining and achieving’ [bud bsnyegs thob gsum], the four pointers [gtad sa bzhi], and the three vajras [rdo rje gsum].

These ten ultimate jewels of the Kadampa masters set the standards for genuine practitioners who aspire to attain enlightenment in one lifetime. Those practitioners are called ’those who have given up all worldly activities’ [bya bral ba / ’jig rten gyi bya ba dang bral ba]. The Indian master Atīśa brought these instructions to Tibet.

Discarding, joining and attaining [bud bsnyegs thob gsum]:

Discard the company of humans.
Join the company of dogs.
Attain the company of the gods.

Discard the company of humans [mi gral nas bud]: A yogin like this is no longer counted as an ordinary human. Milarepa said,

“When I look at people, I think they are crazy; when people look at me, they think I am crazy.”

By not maintaining ordinary relationships, the yogin chooses to leave the community of human beings. A true yogin does not follow the social conventions of human beings. Ordinary human beings commit many wicked deeds trying to protect their families [gnyen skyong] and fighting with their enemies [dgra ’dul].

A yogin who maintains social ties with ordinary worldly beings must adjust to their thoughts and behavior [bsam spyod]. Ordinary beings are completely in the thrall of the five afflictions, the five mind poisons [nyon mong dug lnga], such as desire [’dod chags], aversion [zhe sdang], ignorance [gti mug], arrogance [nga rgyal], and jealousy [phrag dog]. Following social patterns based on these five poisons would lead the yogin to forsake genuine dharma practice, preventing the attainment of complete enlightenment in this lifetime.

Normally we rely on others [gzhan la ltos], reasoning in this way:

“Oh, if I do not visit him, he will be angry; if I do not give her something, she will be upset.”

We believe that maintaining relationships is a good thing. The great masters like Milarepa, Longchenpa, Jigme Lingpa and Paltrül Rinpoche, however, did not consider friendships, clothing, riches and food to be important. They had no dinner parties to attend, no friends to please with gifts, no worries about whether or not they were respected within the community. Not relying on others, they were not pulled away from their practice. They relied upon awareness practice alone and had no interest other than attaining enlightenment in this very lifetime.

Externally, avoid the distraction of saṃsāric activities. Internally, do not let your mind stray from your practice. If you can give up outer and inner distractions, your mind will be very clear [dvangs ba]. In this clear state of mind, meditation, renunciation, compassion, devotion and so forth will come very easily. To achieve this, you should stay in seclusion. Once you have truly recognized buddha nature, have confidence in the instructions of your root guru and do not run after every teacher or teaching. Stay by yourself and practice.

Join the company of dogs [khyi gral bsnyegs]: A true yogin has abandoned all concepts of pure and impure.

He would eat with dogs. Not becoming happier if treated nicely, a yogin also does not become depressed if he is ignored. Like a stray street dog, he is an object for neither praise nor blame.

He keeps a low profile, wears ragged clothes, begs for food and has no interest in being well thought of. Worldly success, fine clothes, sumptuous food and good repute he would consider as defects.

He is beyond hope and fear, having attained the view of equanimity.

He stays hidden from people. If praised, he is not elated, and if blamed he is not depressed. Such a yogin knows that fame and honor are stains of Māra. Other people do not even notice his existence. Nobody would expect anything from such a yogin, nor would he expect anything from anybody else.

He remains a hidden yogin.

Attain the company of the gods [lha gral thob pa]: Such a yogin has given up all attachment to the eight worldly concerns. Despite a human body, his mind is enlightened, and thus, he has reached the company of the gods. Ordinary beings are involved in the eight worldly concerns, and by virtue of this involvement they have joined the company of demons [’dre gral]. A yogin has only one aim in life—to attain perfect enlightenment.

To realize this aim he practices tirelessly day and night. Only practicing the divine dharma [lha chos], he has reached the seat of practice [nyams len gyi gdan thob]. The phrase ’having attained the company of the gods’ means that the yogin is totally immersed in dharma practice [chos kyi nang la tshud].

The four pointers [gtad sa bzhi]:

Direct your mind to the dharma.
Conduct your dharma practice in poverty.
Stay poor until you die.
Die in a lonely cave.

Direct your mind to the dharma [blo phugs chos la gtad]: As you have achieved a precious human body, put all your interest and energy into the teachings. Do not waste your energy and time with other things. Decide to practice for your entire life and never abandon dharma practice, no matter what happens. Concentrate all your energy on dharma alone. Do not waste any time with worldly activities of ordinary relationships, creating a family, making a career and so forth. These activities are all based on the eight worldly concerns.

Practicing the dharma is not a far distant aim, only accessible to high yogins. Dharma practice happens in one’s mind. The genuine yogin practices the instruction of ’knowing one—freeing all’ [gcig shes kun grol]. He has received the instructions of the Great Perfection [rdzogs pa chen po], the essence of all the eighty-four thousand teachings of the Buddha. These instructions enable the yogin to practice the genuine recognition of mind essence, the buddha nature, the one point that frees all.

Conduct your dharma practice in poverty [chos phugs sprang la gtad]: Do not become rich. Do not waste time accumulating [bsog], maintaining [bsrung] and increasing [’phel] wealth. Do not become a servant of your wealth. If you serve money and wealth, you will never succeed in accomplishing the teachings. That is the reason for a life of poverty, a life without distractions. Poverty means you have a place for retreat, clothes to wear and enough to eat and drink; no more, no less.

A true practitioner does not aspire to riches nor does he strive for fame. He does not follow any worldly aims. Such a yogin knows that these basic requirements are enough [chog shes] for living a lifetime dedicated to practice. As long as one limits oneself to these basic requirements, one will be able to practice genuine dharma. The moment you begin looking for more, Māra has entered your mind.

Stay poor until you die [sprang phugs shi la gtad]: Remain a poor practitioner all your life. Do not in your later years become a business person. Do not revert to a life of distractions. Remain a simple and humble practitioner until the end. Many practitioners stay in retreat in the mountains for a few years and then become famous, have many students and become rich. A true practitioner should stay poor all his life. Paltrül Rinpoche said that a true practitioner of the Longchen Nyingtig tradition never aims to reach high positions. Thus, a practitioner does not seek the approval and praise of other people nor does he get upset by unjust criticism from others. He remains low key all his life.

Never lose the thought, “I might die tonight.” Although we know that we must die, we still expect longevity. Be aware that the time of death is uncertain. People die while walking, talking, sitting, eating or sleeping. You as well could die at any moment. Really take that to heart. There is no time to waste. Every minute could be your last. Think,

“Death comes now; my time is up. There is nothing left to do but practice.”

With this attitude you will accomplish the teachings. Otherwise, you will not.

Wherever you are, you are subject to separation from loved ones. You might meet with enemies. You might get sick. In any case you must die eventually. Whatever is born must die. Whatever is hoarded must be dispersed. Whatever is joined must be separated. Whatever is built will be destroyed.

If you want deeply felt renunciation to arise [gdeng nas nges ’byung skye ba], reflect on the pointlessness [snying po med pa] of saṃsāric existence.

Think like this,

“Worldly life is pointless; having friends is pointless; having enemies is pointless; wealth and riches are pointless; fame and fortune are pointless. Wherever I look I see only the pointlessness of saṃsāra.”

Seeing the pointlessness of saṃsāra a vivid suffering arises in one’s mind [sems sdug lhung nge ’ong ba de]. This suffering is called ‘weariness’ or ‘sadness’ [skyo shas]. If one gives rise to the wish to be liberated from this weariness, then that is called ‘renunciation’ [nges ’byung]. Delusion is taking what is pointless to be meaningful.

If you have little weariness [skyo shas chung ba] toward saṃsāra, contemplate the defects of the three realms of saṃsāra and generate a mindset of renunciation [nges ‘byung]. When you clearly see the sufferings of the beings in the six realms, weariness [skyo shas] or sadness [sems pham pa] will naturally arise in your mind, and you will naturally develop the wish to become free from the sufferings of saṃsāra. The wish to be free [bral ‘dod kyi blo] from suffering is called ‘renunciation’ [nges ‘byung]. Renunciation also includes the wish to enter into the practice of the dharma.

Die in a lonely cave [shi phugs grog stong la gtad]: Die alone in a cave, a ravine, on a mountain ridge, or other places where a genuine yogin would die. The place where a yogin dies has not been built upon; it does not require maintenance or ownership. A yogin is free from worries like,

“What will happen to my body when I die? What will happen to my wealth when I die? To whom should I give my property?”

No one gives anything to the yogin, and no one takes anything from him. He is completely free and independent.

The time of death is the most important moment of life, and at that time independence is crucial; any attachment or worry could spoil it. If you die surrounded by your friends and family, they will only cause distraction at the moment of death. Alone in a little retreat hut or cave, you will easily remember the instructions of your kind root guru about what to do at the moment of death. No one will be there to cause any distractions, such as doctors or relatives who fuss over your body.

Even though a yogin cannot totally leave everything behind and go to the mountains, he should still try to cut all his attachments to this life. The main point is to cut through all attachment and clinging [zhen pa dang chags pa].

When Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo visited Lhasa, he uttered an unusual aspiration before the Jowo statue, “Without any master above me, any servants below me, without friends or enemies, may I die in a remote hermitage” [yar la blon med mar la g.yog med phar ltos dgra med tshur ltos gnyen med par dben pa’i ri khrod nyid du ’chi ba shog]. Consider this the king among all aspirations.

The three vajras [rdo rje gsum]:

Start out with the vajra of no discouragement.
End with the vajra of no need to be ashamed (of faults).
Live with the vajra of pure wisdom.

Start out with the vajra of no discouragement [bshol thebs med pa’i rdo rje sngon la btang]: Not being discouraged means ignoring even your father, mother, relatives or friends if they try to prevent you from practicing dharma. Even though they pressure you into worldly activities, even if they threaten your life, never lose heart. A practitioner entering into dharma practice needs that resolve and strength of mind. If your guru tries to impede your practice, that is the only occasion when you should ignore his command. Be as unchanging as a vajra in your resolve to practice dharma. Know that genuine practice will attract many obstacles, but never be discouraged. Let nothing keep you away from your practice.

Every practitioner will have moments when his mood is down, and he is not inspired to practice. Recognize these moods as a blessing of your guru. Be happy and invite them. Do not try to repress them but look at them and try to see their essence. Uninspired states will quickly vanish if you welcome them as part of your practice. Do not be discouraged by your moods. Apply the supreme techniques for enhancement and for removal of obstacles: genuine devotion to your root guru, heartfelt compassion to all sentient beings, and the recognition of buddha nature.

End with the vajra of no need to be ashamed of faults [nongs khrel med pa’i rdo rje rjes la bzhag]: Do not end up as many practitioners do, very diligent at the outset and becoming diligent business people later in their lives. They cultivate close ties with their friends and relatives and fight with their enemies, behaving worse than ordinary worldly people. They put all their effort into making money, hoarding riches and becoming famous and will die full of regret and shame.

A proverb states:

“The new practitioner does not put his trust in gold. The old practitioner picks up scraps from the road.”

The new practitioner is very enthusiastic about the dharma, thinking,

“Everything is impermanent. I might die soon. What is the use of gold, money or riches? I will give it all away.”

After a couple of years of practice, however, he realizes that he has not developed genuine renunciation. Feeling that his practice has not progressed, he decides to return to worldly activities. Since he has had a lot of time to think, he is more clever and more single-minded about making money than previously. He has become a so-called ’old practitioner’, who thinks,

“This piece of leather by the roadside can still be used for something. I will pick it up, mend it and sell it for profit.”

Thus practitioners collect what even dogs would not touch.

Sadly, this happens to many practitioners. They do not progress on the path because they have not developed heartfelt renunciation [gdeng nas nges ’byung mi skye]. They do not feel revulsion toward saṃsāra [’khor ba la zhen mi log]; they do not take impermanence to heart [mi rtag pa rgyud la mi skye]. From the very beginning of dharma practice, a real practitioner needs the strong and unchanging resolve not to end up like this, a resolve unchanging as a vajra. A true practitioner does develop renunciation and revulsion, does take impermanence to heart.

Live with the vajra of pure wisdom [rnam dag ye shes rdo rje rang dang ’grogs]: The vajra of pure wisdom is nothing other than awareness wisdom [rig pa’i ye shes], the natural state of mind [sems kyi gnas lugs]. Awareness wisdom has not the slightest impurity; it is unchanging like a vajra.

A genuine practitioner dedicated to recognizing awareness all the time would waste not even a moment on something else.

A genuine practitioner simply sits down to practice, utterly unshakeable in his determination to attain enlightenment in this very life through the practice of recognizing awareness wisdom. Such a practitioner has no other interest. He has gained confidence in the recognition of awareness. This ends Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche’s teachings on the ten jewels of the Kadampa masters

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