What A Bodhisattva
Does： Thirty-Seven Practice
(Translated from Tibetan)
Ngulchu Thogme
Translated by Constance Wilkinson and Kiki
Ekselius
Buddhist
Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods
Vol.
II No. I & II (1989)
Copyright
1989 by Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods
Namo
Lokeshwaraye:
I
bow down continually with body, speech, and mind
Out
of respect for the supreme teacher
And
Avalokiteshvara, the pretector.
Though
seeing that phenomena neither come nor go,
They
strive one-pointedly for the benefit of beings.
The
fully-enlightened buddhas.
The
source of benefit and happiness,
Have
come about from having accomplished the holy dharma.
This,
in turn, depends on knowing what to do,
So
I shall explain what are the practice of bodhisattvas.
1.
Once
having gained the free, well-favored human birth,
So
hard to come by and so powerful,
Persevering
steadily, night and day, to free yourself
And
others from he ocean of samsara-
To
listen, reflect and meditate
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
2.
Toward
friends-passion like turbulent water;
Toward
enemies-hatred like raging fire;
Obscured
by ignorance-forgetting what should and should not be done-
To
leave behind one's homeland
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
3.
When
bad circumstances are left behind,
The
obscuring emotions and beliefs gradually subsibe,
Without
distractions,
Persistence
toward virtue increases naturally,
As
awareness clears, certainty in dharma arises-
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
4.
At
death, the visiting consciousness leaves behind the body
Like
a guest leaving guest-house-
Leaving
behind loved ones to whom one has long been close,
Leaving
behind wealth gained through effort.
Thus,
to give up this life's concerns
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
5.
People
you are with who increase the three poisons,
Who
weaken the practices of listening, reflecting, meditating,
Who
undermine loving-kindness and compassion-
To
give up bad friends
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
6.
Those
you depend on who put an end to vices,
Who
make good qualities increase like the waxing moon-
Holding
these spiritual friends even more dear
Than
you own body-
This
is the practice of a bodhisattva.
7.
Who
can the gods of this world assist
When
they are themselves trapped in samsara's prison?
Thus,
when you seek help, taking the genuine refuge
Of
the Three Jewels
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
8.
The
Buddha said, "The result of negative actions
Is
the suffering of the lower realms so difficult to bear".
Therefore,
not to commit evil acts
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
9.
The
happiness of the three worlds is like dew
On
a blade of grass, vanishing in an instant.
Striving
for the supreme stste-
Liberation
which never changes-
Is
the practice of bodhisattva.
10.
What's
the point of personal happiness
When
every mother so affectionate in an instant.
From
beginning less time
Is
suffering? Thus, in order to liberate
Infinite
numbers of sentient beings,
Generating
bodhicitta
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
11.
Without
exception,
All
suffering comes of wanting happiness for yourself;
Perfect
buddhas are born from wishing to benefit others.
Thus,
truly exchanging your own happiness
for
the suffering to others
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
12.
Even
if someone, from great want, steals all your wealth
Or
has someone else steal it, dedicating to the thief
Your
body, your enjoyments, and your merit-
Past,
present, and future-
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
13.
Even
if someone cuts your head off
For
having done nothing wrong,
To
take on that person's negativities
Through
the power of compassion
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
14.
Even
if someone slanders you, and
Broadcasts
it throughout a billion universes,
To
speak of that person's good qualities
With
caring mind
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
15.
Even
if someone insults you
In
the middle of a gathering,
Pointing
out your hidden faults-
Bowing
down respectfully, seeing that person
As
a spiritual friend,
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
16.
Even
if someone regards you as an enemy,
Though
you've cared for him as you would your own child,
Being
especially affectionate toward him
As
would a mother whose child is taken ill
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
17.
Even
if someone, your equal or less
Treats
you with contempt out of arrogance,
Putting
him above you respectfully,
As
you would your teacher,
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
18.
Even
though you may be penniless,
Continually
despised by men, terribly ill,
Stuck
down by harmful forces,
To
take onto yourself
All
the evil acts and sufferings of beings-
Without
losing heart-
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
19.
Though
well-known and well-respected,
As
rich as Vaishravana,
Having
seen that worldly wealth and glory is essenceless,
To
be free of arrogance
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
20.
When
the inner enemy, one's own anger, remains uncontrolled.
Seeking
to subdue outer enemies only makes more of them.
Therefore,
to tame your own mindstream with the forces
Of
loving kindness compassion
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
21.
Desire
is like drinking salt water-
The
more you indulge, the more craving increases,
Letting
go immediately
Whatever
makes attachment arise
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva
22.
apparent
phenomena, all of them,
Are
fabrications of mind;
The
innate nature of mind
Is
separate from mind's fabrications.
Having
seen this,
To
be uninvolved with dualistic perception
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva
23.
When
you happen on beautiful objects,
The
practice of a bodhisattva
Is
to forgo attachment by viewing them
As
lovely but unreal as summer rainbows.
24.
Taking
illusory appearance as real
Is
exhausting, like going through
The
death of one's own child
In
a dream-
Our
many sufferings are like that.
Thus,
to regard as fantasy
The
unlovely happenings of life
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
25.
Those
who want enlightenment
Must
give even their bodies, if needed,
Not
to mention giving external things,
To
give generously-
Without
hope or reward
Or
hope of result-
Is
the practice of a bodhisattvas.
26.
Without
discipline,
You
can't even achieve benefit for yourself,
So
wanting to benefit others is just a joke.
Thus,
to maintain a discipline
That
is free of attachment to this world
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
27.
All
that is hurtful is like a jewel-treasure
To
the bodhisattva who wants the pleasure of virtue.
Thus,
to cultivate patience
Without
anger or resentment
Toward
anyone at all
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
28.
Although
sravakas and pratyekabuddhas
Accomplish
benefit for themselves alone,
They
strive as though putting out a fire in their hair.
To
make efforts from which are born
Good
qualities which benefit all beings
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
29.
The
obscuring emotions and beliefs
Are
completely conquered by vipassyana
Which
has been integrated fully with shamatha.
Understanding
this, to practice stable meditation states
Beyond
the four states of mental absorption
Of
the formless realm
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
30.
Since
perfect enlightenment cannot be obtained
Through
the five paramitas without insight,
Cultivating
insight which is free of concepts, and
Endowed
with threefold purity and skillful means
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
31.
If
you don't examine your own confusion,
You
may become a charlatan
In
the guise of a dharma practitioner.
Therefore,
always looking into your own confusion
And
then leaving it behind
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
32.
Due
to the strength of the obscuring emotions and beliefs,
Speaking
of the faults of bodhisattvas.
Defiles
oneself, Thus, not to speak
Of
the faults of others on the Mahayana path
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
33.
The
activities of hearing, reflecting, meditating
Become
defiled by arguing over goods and services.
Giving
up attachment to friends' and donors' households
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
34.
By
speaking harshly, a bodhisattva's conduct become defiled
And
other sentient beings are disturbed.
Therefore,
to give up harsh words
That
displease the minds of others
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
35.
Once
you become used to dense states and primitive beliefs
And
habituated to the obscuring emotions,
They
are hard to reverse with antidotes.
Therefore,
wielding the weapon of mindfulness,
To
conquer these obscuring mental states (such as desire, and so on)
Immediately,
as they arise,
Is
the practice of a bodhisattva.
36.
In
short:
Whatever
you do, wherever you are,
Look
into your state of mind.
By
keeping continuous mindful awareness
It
is the practice of a bodhisattva
To
accomplish benefit for others.
37.
It
is the practice of bodhisattvas
To
dedicate the merit accomplished through their efforts
By
means of completely pure insight
Free
of concepts of giver, receiver, and gift
In
order to clear away the suffering of sentient beings.
For
the sake of those wishing to train on the bodhisattva path
I
have presented these thirty-seven bodhisattva practices
Based
on the meaning related in the sutras, tantras, and treatises
In
accord with the words of the holy ones.
Although
due to my small training and low intellect
This
was not composed in a way that would please scholars
I
think these bodhisattva practices are unmistaken
Since
they rely on the sutras and sacred teachings.
However,
Since it is hard for a person of low intellect like myself
To
understand in depth the vast conduct of bodhisattva
I
ask patience of the holy ones
With
any errors of writing, logic, and so forth
By
this merit, may all sentient beings
By
means of the supreme absolute and relative bodhicetta
Become
like lord Avalokitesvara
Who
dwells beyond the extremes of nirvana and samsara.
This
was composed in the jewel cave of Ngulchu by Tsunpa thogme,
who
teaches authentic scriptures and reasonings in order to
benefit
himself and sentient beings.
Glossary
the
three poisons-passion, aggression, ignorance
bodhicitta-the
wish to attain enlightenment for all sentient beings. as well as practices
done to a achieve this.
Vaishravana-the
god of wealth
Sravakas
and pratekyabuddhas- followers of the Theravada who practice in order to
attain the nirvana of an arhat, a state in which, although one has not reached
complete enlightenment, one is no longer reborn in samsara.
Shamatha-includes
various analytic and resting meditations done to realize the empty nature,
and, ultimately, the nondual true nature of mind.
Vepassyansa-includes
various analytic and resting meditations done to realize the empty nature,
and, ultimately, the nondual true nature of mind.
the
six paramitas-generosity, discipline, patience, diligence meditation, insight.
the four states of mental absorption-meditative states which are
characteristic of beings in the formless realm, whose rebirth in that realm is
a result of various stable, balanced meditations. They are called: 1) space
without end 2) consciousness without end 3) no perceptions 4)samsara's highest
point.
threefold
purity-when one has embraced practice with the sixth paramita (insight), one
ceases to conceive of the three elements (actor,act, what is acted upon) as
real entities.
Notes
on this translation
We
have done out best to render these verses in ordinary, easily-intelligible
English, trying to translate accurately from meaning to meaning rather than
doing a more literal, word for word version. This has been done in an attempt
to bring out the poem's primary teaching function. Of course, it is a
provisional translation at best, particulary bearing in mind that translation
of Dharma texts from Tibetan into western languages is still in its infancy-at
least by comparison to the translation of Dharma texts from Sanskrit into
Tibetan, which took several hundred years. In any case, we hope it may be of
some benefit.
Some
clarifications follow
Verse-1-
What is literally "great vessel", a standard metaphor for the
precious human birth which has the power to carry one cross the ocean of
samsara, is here rendered as the "free, well-favoured human birth"
is" so powerful"
Verse-3-
"Nyon mongs" (Skt. Klesha) includes in its 6 root and 20 branches
rather a wide variety of obscured states of mind. The 6 principal ones are:
attachment; hatred; arrogance; and , variously, basic unwareness [ma rig pa]
or a dense menta! state] thi mug]; doubt [the tsom], for example, doubt as the
truth of karma, cause and effect, and so on; and obscured viewpoints [Ita
ba nyon mong can], for example, to regard the ephemeral skandhas as comprising
a real individuals, belief in "me" and "mine", and so on.
We
have rendered this t4erm variously as "the obscuring mental states",
"the obscuring emotions and beliefs", and, in one case have used a
long formula (see verse 35), with ma rig pa and thi mug (as well as some
branch states) as "dense mental states", and the tson and Ita ba
nyon mong can as "primitive beliefs about reality". We hope readers
will be king enough to bear w3ith our difficulties in translating this term.
Verse-4-
"At the time of death" is implied but not present in the Tibetan.
Verse-22-
Here the complex term
tshan
ma, a subtle dualism of labelling thoughts and subtle preconceptions has been
rendered as "dualistic perception" for reasons of brevity within the
rhythmic context of the line.l
The
translators wish to express their thanks to Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche,
under whose guidance the translation was completed.
We
would also like to thank gelong Konchok Tenzing and gelongma Ngawang Chodron
for their kindness in reviewing the manuscript, and for their very valuable
suggestions.
Translated
by Constance Wilkinson and Kiki Ekselius, members of the Marpa Institute of
Translation. English translation 1989 by Constance Wilkinson and Kiki Ekselius.