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 ...

The great master Tsangpa Gyare [gtsang pa rgya ras] recited and practiced the three wrathful mantras [drags sngags gsum] whenever he had a virtuous thought.

Come what may.
Wherever it leads me it is fine.
I do not need anything but that.

Come what may [ci yongs ba shog]: Whatever happens to me or whatever may come my way does not matter. I have decided that I will practice the dharma. Everything else is no longer my concern. I cannot be dissuaded from practice by my father, mother, brothers, sisters, wife, girlfriend, children, friends or anyone else. My mind is made up. It does not matter if I become sick or even if I die. It does not matter whether or not everything in my life goes well. I will practice the dharma regardless. I will follow up on this virtuous thought that I am having now and will carry it through until I reach perfection.

Many people expect their worldly aims to manifest perfectly in their lives. At the same time they fear that something negative might occur. At no moment in their lives are they free from harboring expectations [re ba] or fears [dogs pa] about what the future might bring. However, the dharma can never be successfully practiced if one clings to hopes and fears. A true practitioner casts away all hopes and fears and keeps on practicing, not concerned with what happens in his life. He is not elated by positve circumstances nor depressed by negative circumstances. He accepts whatever happens.

Wherever it leads me it is fine [gang ltar ’gro ba song]: I have given up all ties to saṃsāra and no longer care what happens to me. It doesn’t matter where I live or whether the circumstances for practicing are perfect or not. I will just follow the dharma, wherever it leads. I don’t care if I get sick while practicing. I don’t even care if I die.

I don’t need anything whatsoever (other than dharma) [cis kyang dgos pa med]: Besides the precious dharma, I don’t need anything whatsoever. A true practitioner has no plans for his life. He has no needs except for the precious teachings. Once he has received these teachings, he devotes himself to practice alone. Such confidence comes about only when one has realized the vajra of wisdom, one’s own awareness wisdom.

These teachings arise from confidence in the view [lta ba’i gdengs]. They are words of highest diligence from someone who has truly understood the preciousness of the dharma. A yogin knows that the dharma will lead to complete enlightenment and therefore does not waste time with anything else. These teachings explain the proper commitment to have when practicing the dharma [chos sgrub pa’i skabs la dam bca’ ba].

Whenever you have a wholesome thought, such as the wish to practice virtue [dge ba sgrub ’dod kyi blo], remember these lines and practice them. You can even recite these three lines as a mantra while you hold on to your intention to practice and carry this resolve to its conclusion.

You should read the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra and its commentary again and again. Every time you read it and ponder its meaning, you will gain new understanding. It is not like a magazine to be read only once. This text needs to be studied repeatedly. The more you study it, the more profound and vast will your understanding become. At best, a practitioner should study this text one or two hundred times. You need to reach a state of penetration where the text and its meaning are indelibly imprinted on your mind.

From my own experience, I know that after reading this text and Khenpo Kunpal’s commentary at least one hundred times, each time a new insight as sweet as molasses arises. You inevitably come to places that you do not understand or are not sure about. They will stay with you and an understanding or insight might pop up when you least expect it, maybe while eating, while taking a walk or while talking to another person. This is the only way to become a true scholar. If you have some kind of understanding on your first reading of the text and think that your initial insight is sufficient, you are really deluding yourself. One hundred times is the absolute minimum. Only then will your understanding deepen.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: