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 ...

Text Sections 276-277 / Stanza 23

Even parents, considered to be the most well-meaning beings in the world, as they wish their children to be well and successful, lack bodhicitta of aspiration, the benefiting intention of bodhisattvas, who wish to establish all beings on the level of perfect buddhahood. Parents wish the best for their children, but their aspirations are very limited and concern only this life.

One might say that parents, being unlearned, simply lack knowledge about bodhicitta. The great sages and gods, however, who have the five worldly supernatural perceptions [zag bcas kyi mngon shes lnga], should because of this be knowledgable about bodhicitta. Nethertheless, even the great sages learned in the eighteen great fields of knowledge [rig pa’i gnas chen bco brgyad] and the gods like Brahma, who possess the five worldly supernatural perceptions, lack bodhicitta. While Brahma has compassion and love for those beings that have taken rebirth in his sphere, he does not have this compassion and love for all sentient beings.

The eighteen great fields of knowledge [rig pa’i gnas chen bco brgyad] are:[1]

  1. musical instruments [rol mo],
  2. amorous dalliance [’khrig thabs],
  3. family maintenance [’tsho tshis],
  4. calculation [grangs],
  5. Sanskrit [sgra],
  6. medicine [gso spyad],
  7. rules of behavior [chos lugs],
  8. fine arts [bzo],
  9. martial arts [’phongs],
  10. philosophy [gtan tshigs],
  11. yoga [rnal ’byor],
  12. scholasticism [thos pa],
  13. memorization [dran pa],
  14. predictions based on stars [skar ma’i spyad],
  15. astrology [rtsis mig],
  16. yantra-yoga [’phrul ’khor],
  17. ancient epics [sngon rabs], and
  18. historical analysis [sngon byung rigs].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

shes bya kun khyab bar cha, page 300.

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