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 ...

Khenpo Ape’s Advice On Studying The Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra

The Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is the most practice-oriented of all the Indian Buddhist treatises and texts.[1] It contains all the necessary key points a practitioner needs to know and is relatively easy to study and understand. The Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is a text to be practiced and not simply studied. Genuine understanding comes about only through practicing the teachings. As Atiśa said, “Intense study brings only some understanding. Practice, however, brings great understanding.”

The Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra can be practiced according to the ‘sequence of meditation’[2] as taught in the manuals written by Rongtönpa[3] and Paltrül Rinpoche. Following these manuals, the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is practiced in a particular order and is used as a text for ‘mind-training’.[4]

From the viewpoint of a beginner the best way to access the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is as follows: Choose one stanza of the text and make the commitment to practice it. At first think about the meaning of this particular teaching and then try to apply it in your daily activities. At the very moment when afflictions such as ignorance, anger, desire, jealousy or miserliness arise, apply the stanza you are practicing to the situation. By gradually incorporating more stanzas into your daily practice, you will eventually know the entire text by heart and will be able to apply each respective stanza to the appropriate situation. That is the benefit that accrues from memorizing the text.

Merely recalling the appropriate stanza in situations when your mind is ablaze with afflictions will allow the power of the words of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra to pacify the situation. Understanding the text’s meaning increases its capacity to tame afflictions. The full power of each stanza does not manifest through simply remembering it one time in a difficult situation. These teachings must be practiced again and again, and constantly applied to one’s daily life. This approach to taming the mind is called ‘mind-training’.[5]

The only way to truly overcome all afflictions is through practicing the view of emptiness. Practicing the skillful means of compassion, patience and so forth overcomes afflictions to some extent, but not completely. Practitioners should undertake mind-training embraced with the view of emptiness as taught in the traditions of Madyamaka, Mahāmudra or Mahāsandhi. Practice the view of emptiness according to the oral instructions of your root guru and let your bodhicitta motivation and bodhisattva conduct be guided by the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. According to Mipham Rinpoche, the view of Prasaðgika Madyamaka[6] as taught in the ninth chapter of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra and the view of the Great Perfection are identical. Another crucial text for any practitioner who wants to develop certainty in the view is Madhyamakāvatāra.[7] For the best results, practitioners should combine the study and practice of these texts with the direct instructions of their masters.[8]

A beginning student of Buddhism should first study the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra root text, receiving a direct commentary on it from a qualified scholar. A direct commentary on the root text brings out the power of the text itself more strongly than any written commentary can and gives the student a far easier entry into the spirit of the text. The wordiness of written commentaries often disempowers the root text, preventing its power from shining through. To teach a Tibetan commentary to a complete beginner might overwhelm the student with too many words and concepts.

Only a student who already has a sound understanding of the root text should study a Tibetan commentary with his teacher. The Sakya School favors the following four Tibetan commentaries: those written by Sönam Tsemo[9] (1142-1182), Lhopa Kunkhyen Rinchen Pal,[10] Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo[11] (1312-1375) and Sazang Mati Penchen Jamyang Lodro[12] (1294-1376). These four commentaries are all based on Indian commentaries as well as on the explanations of each author’s personal teacher.

Tibetan scholars prefer to begin by studying commentaries on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra that were written by Tibetans since they are easier to understand than translated Indian commentaries. All major commentaries written by Tibetan authors make frequent references to the Indian commentaries, which are considered to be the most authoritative source material.

Once you have gained a solid understanding of your own school’s explanation tradition, you should also study the commentaries of other schools and definitely the Indian commentaries, of which Prajñākaramati’s[13] (950-1030) is the most important.

When expounding the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra root text, the teacher should carefully prepare each teaching session he is going to give. He should reflect on each stanza he intends to teach. He should consult other commentaries to facilitate a broader perspective on the root text and should moreover, consider carefully how to present his explanation to the students. During the actual teaching session, however, he should be so well-prepared that he need not look at any commentary but can fluently explain the root text in a very clear and detailed manner. This is the classical teaching style of the scholars of old. Covering the same topic first in detail and then as a summary is extremely helpful for the students.

In general in Tibet, Buddhist treatises and texts were taught only to monks. This was because Buddhist knowledge was handed down exclusively in monastic communities. Texts like the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra were taught in a shedra, a place for the study of Buddhist philosophy. The main purpose of a shedra is to practice ‘the wheel of reading, study and contemplation’ from among the three wheels of conduct.[14] A shedra primarily focuses on the study of ‘the inner science of Buddhist philosophy’ from among the five major and minor sciences.[15] Some shedras only teach Buddhist philosophy, while others also include the major and minor sciences in their curriculum.

Formerly, in East Tibet shedras did not exist as separate institutions within the main monasteries. Study was conducted at the monastery itself. Later on, monks began to have the chance to specialize either in Buddhist studies in the shedra, in meditation in the retreat center, or to simply focus on performing their various duties at the monastery.

A practitioner of Buddhism must by all means practice ‘the wheel of reading, study and contemplation’ and ‘the wheel of meditation to overcome (afflictions)’. At the time of the Buddha, these two wheels were the main activity of practitioners. In those days it was the responsibilty of the sponsors to perform ‘the wheel of work and activities’, which meant building dwelling places and monasteries for the saṃgha. The monks practiced study, contemplation and meditation[16] in order to tame their minds. The Kadampas of old did not build monasteries or stūpas. They focused completely on study and meditation. In fact, they believed that building monasteries creates obstacles for the practice of dharma.

Paltrül Rinpoche broke with the tradition of teaching Buddhist treatises exclusively to monastic communities. He was the first Buddhist master in Tibet who began teaching the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra to huge crowds of lay people. While the audience may not have understood the subtle meaning of the entire text, Paltrül Rinpoche taught so as to make the major points easy to understand. When teaching a non-scholastic audience, one must condense the meaning and present it repeatedly in simple language, illustrating points through everyday examples and stories. In old Tibet many faithful and devoted lay people were kept from studying the genuine dharma since few teachers made the effort to explain the dharma in easy terms to non-scholars.

The practice of the dharma is based on discipline.[17] On this basis you engage in study, contemplation and meditation. Without study and contemplation you will not be able to meditate successfully. On the other hand, study without meditation will not lead to liberation. All three—study, contemplation and meditation—must be practiced as a unity.[18] Without maintaining discipline, your mind will be unable to develop the qualities arising from study, contemplation and meditation.

Study means receiving the teachings from a qualified teacher. Contemplation means thinking about the teachings, asking questions, dispelling all doubts and finally gaining certainty about the meaning of the teachings. Śamathā meditation[19] is taught in the eighth chapter of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra and vipaśyanā meditation[20] in the ninth chapter.

For those who are not ordained monks, discipline requires maintaining the precepts of a Buddhist lay practitioner.[21] The bodhisattva vows[22] are indispensible for practicing the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. Every serious student of this text should receive the bodhisattva precepts from a qualified master.

Generally, for ordained monks there are four defeating offenses, four parājikas[23] that immediately destroy all precepts of a monk. These four defeating offenses cannot be amended and lead to expulsion from the saṃgha. The offender will not be able to reach the state of an arhat during this life.

If a bodhisattva commits either the one,[24] the four[25] or the eighteen root downfalls,[26] discussed by Khenpo Kunpal in great detail in chapter four, he or she can repair his breaches through confession and through supplication to the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha.[27] Once a practitioner has received the bodhisattva precepts he should continue to take them daily through his personal liturgy practice. These precepts are the discipline that a bodhisattva must keep if he wishes to succeed in his practice of study, contemplation and meditation on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra.

I believe that the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is perfectly suited to teach a beginning practitioner how to tame his or her mind. One must read, comtemplate and meditate on the teachings of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra over and over again. Each time one can gain new insight. My teacher Dezhung Tulku Ajam Rinpoche[28] told me that only through practicing the text could one improve one’s understanding of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. By practicing the teachings of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra, wisdom-knowledge that arises from meditation[29] will increase and thus one’s understanding of the text will become deeper and deeper. I believe that for any practitioner of Mahāyāna the study and practice of the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra is indispensible since this text encapsulates the Mahāyāna teachings.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

bstan bcos dang gzhung

[2]:

bsgom rim

[3]:

rong stong pa

[4]:

blo sbyong

[5]:

blo sbyong

[6]:

dbu ma thal gyur ba

[7]:

dbu ma la ’jug pa

[8]:

bla ma’i gdams ngag

[9]:

Sönam Tsemo [bsod nams rtse mo] wrote a famous commentary on the Bodhisattva caryāvatāra. See bsod nams rtse mo ’grel pa.

[10]:

Lhopa Kunkhyen Rinchen Pal [lho pa kun mkhyen rin chen dpal] was a direct student of Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyaltshen [sa skya paṇḍita kun dga’ rgyal mtshan] (1182-1251), from whom he received detailed teachings on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. He wrote his commentary on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra as a synopsis [zin bris] of the teachings he had received from Sakya Paṇḍita. See zin bris ’jam dpal zhal lung.

[11]:

In 1338 Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo [bla ma dam pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po] wrote a famous commentary on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. See bsod nams rgyal mtshan ’grel pa.

[12]:

Sazang Mati Penchen Jamyang Lodro [sa bzang ma ti paṇ chen ’jam dbyangs blo gros], also known as Lodro Gyaltshen [blo gros rgyal mtshan], wrote a famous commentary on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra. See sa bzang ’grel chen. He was a direct student of Lama Dampa Sönam Gyaltsen Pal Zangpo [bla ma dam pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po].

[13]:

shes rab ’byung gnas blo gros

[14]:

As taught to the saṃgha by the Buddha, the three wheels of conduct [’khor lo rnam gsum] refer to the three types of activities performed by saṃgha members: 1) the wheel of reading, study and contemplation [klog pa thos bsam gyi ’khor lo]; 2) the wheel of meditation to overcome (afflictions) [spong ba bsam gtan gyi ’khor lo]; and 3) the wheel of work and activities [bya ba las kyi ’khor lo]. The wheel of reading, study and contemplation is practiced in the shedra. The wheel of meditation is practiced in retreat centers [sgrub grva], during the monks’ summer retreat [g.yar gnas] or when conducting rituals in the monastery. The wheel of work and activities is practiced by lineage holders [chos bdag] and sponsors [sbyin bdag] who erect monasteries, shedras, retreat centers, stūpas and the like. It is perfectly acceptable and encouraged for Buddhist lay-practitioners to also practice all three wheels to the best of their ability.

[15]:

The ten sciences [rig gnas bcu] are subdivided into the five greater and five lesser sciences.

The five greater sciences [rig gnas che ba lnga] include the science of arts [bzo rig gnas], medical science [gso ba’i rig gnas], the science of linguistics [sgra’i rig gnas], the science of logic [gtan tshigs kyi rig gnas] and the inner science of Buddhist philosophy [nang don rig pa]. To be learned in the inner science means that one is learned in both sūtra and tantra. The first four of these sciences are also called the ’four common sciences’ [thun mong gi rig gnas bzhi]. The five lesser sciences [rig gnas chung ba lnga] consist of poetics [snyan ngag], synonymics [mngon brjod], prosody [sdeb sbyor], drama [zlos gar] and astrology [skar rtsis].

[16]:

thos bsam sgom gsum

[17]:

tshul khrims

[18]:

thos bsam sgom gsum ya ma bral ba

[19]:

zhi gnas

[20]:

lhag mthong

[21]:

dge bsnyen gyi sdom pa

[22]:

byang chub sems dpa’i sdom pa

[23]:

The four parājikas [phas pham pa bzhi] are murdering a human being [mi gsod pa], telling lies about one’s level of spiritual attainment [mi chos bla ma’i rdzun shod pa], unchaste conduct [mi tshangs spyod pa] and taking what was not given [ma byin par len pa].

[24]:

For bodhisattvas of lowest capacity it is sufficient merely not to forsake the bodhicitta of aspiration and application, as the Mahā-rahasyopāya-kauśalya-sūtra explains.

[25]:

Bodhisattvas of middling capacity must avoid the four root down-falls [rtsa ltung bzhi] such as not giving the dharma or riches due to stinginess and so forth, as explained in the Gṛhapatiugra-paripṛcchā-sūtra.

[26]:

Bodhisattvas of highest capacity must avoid the eighteen root downfalls [rtsa ltung bco brgyad], as explained in the Ākāśa-garbha-sūtra.

[27]:

nam mkha’i snying po

[28]:

sde gzhung sprul sku a ’jam rin po che.

[29]:

sgom las byung ba’i shes rab

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