1he Way of Lhe 8odhlsauva

1. 1he Lxcellence of 8odhlchlua

Pomage Lo all 8uddhas and 8odhlsauvas.
1.
1o Lhose who go ln bllss,23 Lhe dharmakya26 Lhey possess, and all Lhelr helrs,27
1o all Lhose worLhy of respecL, l reverenLly bow.
Accordlng Lo Lhe scrlpLures, l shall now ln brlef descrlbe
1he pracuce of Lhe 8odhlsauva dlsclpllne.
2.
Pere l shall say noLhlng LhaL has noL been sald before,
And ln Lhe arL of prosody l have no sklll.
l Lherefore have no LhoughL LhaL Lhls mlghL be of beneL Lo oLhers,
l wroLe lL only Lo hablLuaLe my mlnd.
3.
My falLh wlll Lhus be sLrengLhened for a llule whlle,
1haL l mlghL grow accusLomed Lo Lhls vlrLuous way.
8uL oLhers who now chance upon my words
May proL also, equal Lo myself ln forLune.
4.
So hard Lo nd Lhe ease and wealLh28
Whereby Lhe alms of belngs may be galned.
lf now l fall Lo Lurn lL Lo my proL,
Pow could such a chance be mlne agaln?
3.
!usL as on a dark nlghL black wlLh clouds,
1he sudden llghLnlng glares and all ls clearly shown,
Llkewlse rarely, Lhrough Lhe 8uddhas' power,
vlrLuous LhoughLs rlse, brlef and LranslenL, ln Lhe world.
6.
vlrLue, Lhus, ls weak, and always
Lvll ls of greaL and overwhelmlng sLrengLh.
LxcepL for perfecL bodhlchlua,
WhaL oLher vlrLue ls Lhere LhaL can lay lL low.
7.
lor many aeons deeply ponderlng,
1he mlghLy Sages29 saw lLs beneLs,
Whereby unnumbered muluLudes
Are broughL wlLh ease Lo supreme [oy.
8.
1hose who wlsh Lo crush Lhe many sorrows of exlsLence,
Who wlsh Lo quell Lhe paln of llvlng belngs,
Who wlsh Lo have experlence of a myrlad [oys
Should never Lurn away from bodhlchlua.
9.
Should bodhlchlua come Lo blrLh
ln Lhose who suer, chalned ln prlsons of sa!sra,
ln LhaL lnsLanL Lhey are called Lhe chlldren of Lhe 8llssful Cne,
8evered by all Lhe world, by gods and humanklnd.
10.
lor llke Lhe supreme subsLance of Lhe alchemlsLs,
lL Lakes our lmpure esh and makes of lL
1he body of a 8uddha, [ewel beyond all prlce.
Such ls bodhlchlua. LeL us grasp lL rmly!
11.
Slnce Lhe boundless wlsdom of Lhe only gulde of belngs
erfecLly examlned and percelved lLs prlceless worLh,
1hose who wlsh Lo leave Lhls sLaLe of wanderlng
Should hold well Lo Lhls preclous bodhlchlua.
12.
All oLher vlrLues, llke Lhe planLaln Lree,
roduce Lhelr frulL, buL Lhen Lhelr force ls spenL.
Alone Lhe marvelous Lree of bodhlchlua
ConsLanLly bears frulL and grows unceaslngly.
13.
As Lhough Lhey pass Lhrough perlls guarded by a hero,
Lven Lhose welghed down wlLh dreadful wlckedness
Wlll lnsLanLly be freed Lhrough havlng bodhlchlua.
Why do Lhose who fear Lhelr slns noL have recourse Lo lL?
14.
!usL as by Lhe re LhaL wlll desLroy Lhe world,
CreaL slns are surely and aL once consumed by lL.
lLs beneLs are Lhus unbounded
As Lhe Wlse and Lovlng Lord30 explalned Lo Sudhana.
13.
8odhlchlua, Lhe awakened mlnd,
ls known ln brlef Lo have Lwo aspecLs:
llrsL, asplrlng, bodhlchlua ln lnLenuon,
1hen acuve bodhlchlua, pracucal engagemenL.
16.
As correspondlng Lo Lhe wlsh Lo go
And Lhen Lo semng ouL,
1he wlse should undersLand respecuvely
1he dlerence LhaL dlvldes Lhese Lwo.
17.
lrom bodhlchlua ln lnLenuon
CreaL resulLs arlse for Lhose sull Lurnlng ln Lhe wheel of llfe,
?eL merlL does noL rlse from lL ln ceaseless sLreams
As ls Lhe case wlLh acuve bodhlchlua.
18.
lor when, wlLh lrreverslble lnLenL,
1he mlnd embraces bodhlchlua,
Wllllng Lo seL free Lhe endless muluLudes of belngs,
ln LhaL lnsLanL, from LhaL momenL on,
19.
A greaL and unremlmng sLream,
A sLrengLh of wholesome merlL,
Lven durlng sleep and lnauenuon,
8lses equal Lo Lhe vasLness of Lhe sky.
20.
1hls Lhe 1aLhgaLa,31
ln Lhe suLra Subhu requesLed,32
Sald wlLh reasoned argumenL
lor Lhose lncllned Lo lesser paLhs.
21.
lf wlLh klndly generoslLy
Cne merely has Lhe wlsh Lo sooLhe
1he achlng heads of oLher belngs,
Such merlL knows no bounds.
22.
no need Lo speak, Lhen, of Lhe wlsh
1o drlve away Lhe endless paln
Cf each and every llvlng belng,
8rlnglng Lhem unbounded excellence.
23.
Could our faLher or our moLher
Lver have so generous a wlsh?
uo Lhe very gods, Lhe "l#hls,33 even 8rahm34
Parbor such benevolence as Lhls?
24.
lor ln Lhe pasL Lhey never,
Lven ln Lhelr dreams,
Wlshed someLhlng llke Lhls even for Lhemselves.
Pow could Lhey do so for anoLher's sake?
23.
1hls alm Lo brlng Lhe beneL of belngs,
A beneL LhaL oLhers wlsh noL even for Lhemselves,
1hls noble, [ewelllke sLaLe of mlnd
Arlses Lruly wondrous, never seen before.
26.
1hls paln-dlspelllng dra,
1hls cause of [oy for Lhose who wander Lhrough Lhe world,33
1hls preclous amLude, Lhls [ewel of mlnd-
Pow shall we calculaLe lLs merlL?
27.
lf Lhe slmple LhoughL Lo be of help Lo oLhers
Lxceeds ln worLh Lhe worshlp of Lhe 8uddhas,
WhaL need ls Lhere Lo speak of acLual deeds
1haL brlng abouL Lhe weal and beneL of belngs?
28.
lor belngs long Lo free Lhemselves from mlsery,
8uL mlsery lLself Lhey follow and pursue.
1hey long for [oy, buL ln Lhelr lgnorance
uesLroy lL, as Lhey would Lhelr foe.
29.
8uL Lhose who ll wlLh bllss
All belngs desuLuLe of [oy,
Who cuL all paln and suerlng away
lrom Lhose welghed down wlLh mlsery,
30.
Who drlve away Lhe darkness of Lhelr lgnorance-
WhaL vlrLue could be maLched wlLh Lhelrs?
WhaL frlend could be compared Lo Lhem?
WhaL merlL ls Lhere slmllar Lo Lhls?
31.
lf someone who reLurns a favor
ls deservlng of some pralse,
Why need we speak of 8odhlsauvas,
1hose who do good even unsollclLed?
32.
eople pralse as vlrLuous donors
1hose who wlLh conLempL supporL
A few wlLh plaln and ordlnary food:
A momenL's gl LhaL feeds for only half a day.
33.
WhaL need ls Lhere Lo speak of Lhose
Who long besLow on counLless muluLudes
1he peerless [oy of bllssful 8uddhahood,
1he ulumaLe fulllmenL of Lhelr hopes?
34.
All Lhose who harbor evll ln Lhelr mlnds
AgalnsL such lords of generoslLy, Lhe 8uddha's helrs,
Wlll sLay ln hell, Lhe mlghLy Sage has sald,
lor ages equal Lo Lhe momenLs of Lhelr mallce.
33.
8uL [oyous and devoLed LhoughLs
Wlll yleld abundanL frulLs ln greaLer sLrengLh.
Lven ln greaL Lrouble, 8odhlsauvas
never brlng forLh wrong, Lhelr vlrLues naLurally lncrease.
36.
1o Lhem ln whom Lhls preclous [ewel of mlnd
ls born-Lo Lhem l bow!
l go for refuge Lo Lhose sprlngs of happlness
Who brlng Lhelr very enemles Lo perfecL bllss.
2. Confesslon
1.
1o Lhe 8uddhas, Lhose Lhus gone,
And Lo Lhe sacred uharma, spoLless and supremely rare,
And Lo Lhe 8uddha's osprlng, oceans of good quallues,
1haL l mlghL galn Lhls preclous amLude, l make a perfecL oerlng.36
2.
l oer every frulL and ower,
Lvery klnd of heallng dra,
And all Lhe preclous gems Lhe world conLalns,
WlLh all pure waLers of refreshmenL,
3.
Lvery mounLaln wroughL of preclous [ewels,
All sweeL and lonely foresL groves,
1he Lrees of paradlse adorned wlLh blossom,
1rees wlLh branches bowed wlLh perfecL frulL,
4.
1he perfumed fragrance of dlvlne and oLher realms,
All lncense, wlshlng Lrees, and Lrees of gems,
All crops LhaL grow wlLhouL Lhe uller's care,
And every sumpLuous ob[ecL worLhy Lo be oered,
3.
Lakes and meres adorned wlLh loLuses,
uellghuul wlLh Lhe sweeL-volced crles of waLerblrds,
And everyLhlng unclalmed and free
LxLendlng Lo Lhe marglns of Lhe boundless sky.
6.
l hold Lhem all before my mlnd, and Lo Lhe mlghLy Sage, Lhe greaLesL of our klnd,
And Lo hls helrs, l make a perfecL oerlng.
Subllme reclplenLs, compasslonaLe lords,
C Lhlnk of me wlLh love, accepL Lhese gls of mlne!
7.
lor, desuLuLe of merlL, l am very poor,
l have no oLher wealLh. And so, proLecLors,
?ou whose wlse lnLenuons are for oLhers' good,
ln your greaL power, recelve Lhem for my sake.
8.
LnllghLened ones and all your 8odhlsauva helrs,
l oer you my body LhroughouL all my llves.
Supreme courageous ones accepL me LoLally.
lor wlLh devouon l wlll be your slave.
9.
lor lf you wlll accepL me, l wlll be
undaunLed by sa!sra and wlll acL for belngs' sake.
l'll leave behlnd Lhe evlls of my pasL,
And ever aer Lurn my face from Lhem.
10.
A baLhlng chamber excellenLly fragranL,
WlLh even oors of crysLal, radlanL and clear,
And graceful plllars shlmmerlng wlLh gems,
All hung abouL wlLh gleamlng canoples of pearls-
11.
1here Lhe bllssful 8uddhas and Lhelr helrs
l'll baLhe wlLh many a preclous vase,
Abrlm wlLh waLer fragranL and dellghuul,
All Lo frequenL sLralns of melody and song.
12.
WlLh cloLhs of unexampled quallLy,
WlLh spoLless, perfumed Lowels l wlll dry Lhem,
And oer splendld scenLed cloLhes,
Well-dyed and of surpasslng excellence.
13.
WlLh dlerenL garmenLs, llghL and supple,
And a hundred beauuful adornmenLs,
l wlll grace subllme SamanLabhadra,37
Ma.[ugho#ha, Lokeshvara, and Lhelr kln.
14.
And wlLh a sumpLuous fragrance whlch
ervades a Lhousand mllllon worlds,
l wlll anolnL Lhe bodles of Lhe mlghLy Sages,
Cleamlng brlghL llke burnlshed gold rened and cleansed.
13.
l place before Lhe mlghLy Sages, perfecL ob[ecLs of my worshlp,
Clorlous owers llke loLus and mandrav,
1he uLpala, and oLher fragranL blossoms,
Worked and Lwlned ln lovely scenLed garlands.
16.
l wlll oer swelllng clouds of franklncense,
Whose amblenL perfume ravlshes Lhe mlnd,
And varlous foods and every klnd of drlnk,
All dellcacles worLhy of Lhe gods.
17.
l wlll oer preclous lamps
Arranged ln rows on loLuses of gold,
A carpeL of sweeL owers scauerlng
upon Lhe level, lncense-sprlnkled ground.
18.
1o Lhose whose very naLure ls compasslon
l wlll glve vasL palaces, resoundlng wlLh falr pralse,
All decked wlLh preclous pearls and beauLeous pendanL gems,
Cleamlng [ewels LhaL deck Lhe ampllLude of space.
19.
lalr and preclous parasols adorned wlLh golden shas,
All bordered round wlLh hems of preclous [ewels,
uprlghL, well-proporuoned, pleaslng Lo Lhe eye,
Agaln, all Lhls l glve Lo all Lhe 8uddhas.
20.
May a hosL of oLher oerlngs,
And clouds of ravlshlng sweeL melody
1haL solaces Lhe paln of llvlng belngs
Arlse and consLanLly ablde.
21.
May ralns of owers and every preclous gem
lall down ln an unceaslng sLream
upon Lhe !ewels of Sacred uharma,38
lmages and all supporLs for oerlng.
22.
!usL as Ma.[ugho#ha and Lhe llke
Made oerlng Lo all Lhe Conquerors,
l do llkewlse Lo all Lhe 8uddhas our proLecLors,
And Lo all Lhelr 8odhlsauva chlldren.
23.
1o Lhese vasL oceans of good quallues
l oer pralse, a sea of alrs and harmonles.
May clouds of Luneful eulogy
Ascend unceaslngly before Lhem.
24.
1o 8uddhas of Lhe pasL, Lhe presenL, and all fuLure ume,
And Lo Lhe uharma and Subllme Assembly,
WlLh bodles many as Lhe gralns of dusL
upon Lhe earLh, l wlll prosLraLe and bow.39
23.
1o shrlnes and all supporLs
Cf bodhlchlua l bow down,
1o abboLs who LransmlL Lhe vows, Lo every learned masLer,
And Lo all subllme pracuuoners of uharma.
26.
unul Lhe essence of enllghLenmenL ls reached,
l go for refuge Lo Lhe 8uddhas.
Also l Lake refuge ln Lhe uharma
And ln all Lhe hosL of 8odhlsauvas.
27.
1o perfecL 8uddhas and Lo 8odhlsauvas,
ln all dlrecuons where Lhey may reslde,
1o Lhem who are Lhe soverelgns of greaL mercy,
l press my palms LogeLher, praylng Lhus:
28.
ln Lhls and all my oLher llves,
Whlle Lurnlng ln Lhe round wlLhouL beglnnlng,
8llndly l have broughL forLh evll,
And lnclLed oLhers Lo commlL Lhe same.
29.
uecelved and overmasLered by my lgnorance,
l have Laken pleasure ln such sln,40
And seelng now Lhe blame of lL,
C greaL proLecLors, l confess lL earnesLly!
30.
WhaLever l have done agalnsL Lhe 1rlple Cem,
AgalnsL my parenLs, Leachers, and Lhe resL,
1hrough force of my delemenLs,
ln my body, speech, and mlnd,
31.
All Lhe evll l, a slnner, have commlued,
All Lhe wlcked deeds LhaL cllng Lo me,
1he frlghuul Lhlngs LhaL l conLrlved
l openly declare Lo you, Lhe Leachers of Lhe world.
32.
lL may be LhaL my deaLh wlll come Lo me
8efore my evll has been cleansed.
Pow Lhen can l be freed from lL?
l pray you, qulckly granL me your proLecuon!"
33.
We cannoL LrusL Lhe wanLon Lord of ueaLh.
1he Lask compleLe or sull Lo do, he wlll noL walL.
ln healLh or slckness, Lherefore, none of us can LrusL
Cur eeung, momenLary llves.
34.
And we musL pass away, forsaklng all.
8uL l, devold of undersLandlng,
Pave, for sake of frlend and foe allke,
rovoked and broughL abouL so many wrongs.
33.
8uL all my foes wlll cease Lo be,
And all my frlends wlll cease Lo be,
And l wlll also cease Lo be,
And llkewlse everyLhlng wlll cease Lo be.
36.
All LhaL l possess and use
ls llke Lhe eeung vlslon of a dream.
lL fades lnLo Lhe realms of memory,
And fadlng, wlll be seen no more.
37.
And even ln Lhe brlef course of Lhls presenL llfe,
So many frlends and foes have passed away,
8ecause of whom, Lhe evlls l have done
Sull lle, unbearable, before me.
38.
1he LhoughL came never Lo my mlnd
1haL l Loo am a brlef and passlng Lhlng.
And so, Lhrough haLred, lusL, and lgnorance,
l have commlued many slns.
39.
never halung nlghL or day,
My llfe dralns consLanLly away,
And from no oLher source does lncrease come.
Pow can Lhere noL be deaLh for such as me?
40.
1here l'll be, prosLraLe upon my bed,
And all around, my famlly and frlends.
8uL l alone shall be Lhe one Lo feel
1he cumng of Lhe Lhread of llfe.
41.
And when Lhe heralds of Lhe ueadly klng41 have grlpped me,
WhaL help Lo me wlll be my frlends and kln?
lor Lhen llfe's vlrLue ls my one defense,
And Lhls, alas, ls whaL l shrugged away.
42.
C proLecLors! l, so llule heedlng,
Pardly guessed aL horror such as Lhls-
And all for Lhls brlef, LranslenL exlsLence,
l have done so many evll Lhlngs.
43.
1he day Lhey Lake hlm Lo Lhe scaold,
Where Lhey wlll Lear o hls llmbs,
A man ls changed, Lransgured by hls fear:
Pls mouLh ls dry, hls eyes sLarL from hls brow.
44.
no need Lo say how sLrlcken l shall be
When overcome and slck wlLh dreadful fear,
l'm selzed by forms so horrlble Lo see,
1he frlghuul servanLs of Lhe Lord of ueaLh.
43.
Who can glve me safe proLecuon
lrom Lhls horror, from Lhls frlghuul dread?
And Lhen l'll search Lhe four dlrecuons,
Seeklng help, wlLh panlc-sLrlcken eyes.
46.
8uL ln Lhose four dlrecuons no proLecuon shall l nd.
And l shall slnk lnLo despalrlng woe.
no refuge wlll Lhere be for me,
AL such a ume, whaL shall l do?
47.
1hus, from Lhls day forward l Lake refuge
ln Lhe 8uddhas, guardlans of belngs,
Who labor Lo proLecL all wanderers,
1hose mlghLy ones who scauer every fear.
48.
And ln Lhe uharma Lhey have reallzed ln Lhelr hearLs,
Whlch drlves away Lhe Lerrors of sa!sra,
And ln all Lhe hosL of 8odhlsauvas
Llkewlse l wlll perfecLly Lake refuge.
49.
Crlpped by dread, beslde myself wlLh angulsh,
1o SamanLabhadra l wlll glve myself,
My body l myself wlll glve
1o Ma.[ugho#ha, genLle and melodlous.
30.
1o hlm whose deeds of mercy never fall,
My lord AvaloklLa,
l cry ouL from depLhs of mlsery,
roLecL me now an evlldoer!"
31.
now Lo Lhe noble one, kshagarbha,
And Lo k#hlugarbha, from my hearL l call.42
1o all proLecLors, greaL, compasslonaLe,
l cry Lo Lhem ln search of refuge.
32.
1o va[rapa$l l shall y,
lor aL Lhe slghL of hlm
All vengeful Lhlngs llke ?ama's hosL
Lscape ln Lerror Lo Lhe four dlrecuons.
33.
lormerly your words l have Lransgressed,
8uL havlng seen Lhese Lerrors all around,
l come Lo you for refuge praylng:
Swlly drlve away my fear!
34.
lor lf, alarmed by common allmenLs,
l musL lmplemenL Lhe docLor's words,
WhaL need Lo speak of when l'm consLanLly broughL low
8y llls llke lusL and faulLs a hundredfold?
33.
And lf, by one of Lhese alone,
1he dwellers ln Lhe world are all Lhrown down,
And lf no oLher remedy exlsLs,
no oLher heallng elsewhere Lo be found
36.
1han words of Lhe all-knowlng docLor,
Whlch uprooL our every lll,
1he LhoughL Lo Lurn on hlm deaf ears
ls ab[ecL and conLempuble sLupldlLy.
37.
Along a small and ordlnary cll
lf l musL plck my way wlLh speclal care,
WhaL need Lo speak of LhaL long-lasung chasm
lunglng Lo Lhe depLhs a Lhousand leagues?
38.
1oday, aL leasL, l shall noL dle."
So rash Lo lull myself wlLh words llke Lhese!
My dlssoluuon and my hour of deaLh
Wlll come Lo me, of Lhls Lhere ls no doubL.
39.
Who can glve me fearlessness,
WhaL sure escape ls Lhere from Lhls?
lL's cerLaln LhaL l'm golng Lo dle,
So how can l relax, my mlnd aL ease?
60.
Cf llfe's experlence, all seasons pasL,
WhaL's le Lo me, whaL now remalns?
8y cllnglng Lo whaL now ls here no more,
My Leacher's precepLs l have dlsobeyed.
61.
And when Lhls llfe ls le behlnd,
And wlLh lL all my klLh and kln,
l musL seL ouL on sLrange paLhs all alone:
Why make so much of all my frlends and foes?43
62.
Pow lnsLead can l make sure
1o rld myself of evll, only cause of sorrow?
1hls should be my one concern,
My only LhoughL boLh nlghL and day.
63.
1he wrongs LhaL l have done
1hrough lgnoranL sLupldlLy:
All acuons evll by Lhelr naLure44
And Lransgresslons of Lhe precepLs,
64.
learlng all Lhe palns Lo come
l [oln my palms and ceaselessly prosLraLe,
And everyLhlng l wlll confess
ulrecLly ln Lhe slghL of my proLecLors.
63.
l pray you, guldes and guardlans of Lhe world,
1o Lake me as l am, a slnful man.
And all Lhese acuons, evll as Lhey are,
l promlse l wlll never do agaln.
3. 1aklng Pold of 8odhlchlua
1.
WlLh [oy l celebraLe Lhe vlrLue LhaL relleves all belngs
lrom Lhe sorrows of Lhe sLaLes of loss,43
Lxulung ln Lhe happy sLaLes en[oyed
8y Lhose who yeL are suerlng.46
2.
l revel ln Lhe sLores of vlrLue,
Cause of galnlng Lhe enllghLened sLaLe,
And celebraLe Lhe freedom won
8y llvlng belngs from Lhe round of paln.
3.
And ln Lhe 8uddhahood of Lhe proLecLors l dellghL
And ln Lhe grounds of reallzauon47 of Lhe 8uddhas' helrs.
4.
1helr enllghLened amLude, an ocean of greaL good,
1haL seeks Lo place all belngs ln Lhe sLaLe of bllss,
And every acuon for Lhe beneL of belngs:
Such ls my dellghL and [oy.
3.
And so l [oln my hands and pray
1he 8uddhas who reslde ln every quarLer:
klndle now Lhe uharma's llghL
lor Lhose who grope, bewlldered, ln Lhe dark of paln!
6.
l [oln my hands beseechlng Lhe enllghLened ones
Who wlsh Lo pass lnLo nlrv$a:
uo noL leave us wanderlng ln bllndness,
SLay among us for unnumbered ages!
7.
1hrough Lhese acuons now performed48
And all Lhe vlrLues l have galned,
May all Lhe paln of every llvlng belng
8e wholly scauered and desLroyed!
8.
lor all Lhose alllng ln Lhe world,
unul Lhelr every slckness has been healed,
May l myself become for Lhem
1he docLor, nurse, Lhe medlclne lLself.
9.
8alnlng down a ood of food and drlnk,
May l dlspel Lhe llls of LhlrsL and famlne.
And ln Lhe aeons marked by scarclLy and wanL,49
May l myself appear as drlnk and susLenance.
10.
lor senuenL belngs, poor and desuLuLe,
May l become a Lreasure ever-plenuful,
And lle before Lhem closely ln Lhelr reach,
A varled source of all LhaL Lhey mlghL need.
11.
My body, Lhus, and all my goods besldes,
And all my merlLs galned and Lo be galned,
l glve Lhem all and do noL counL Lhe cosL,
1o brlng abouL Lhe beneL of belngs.
12.
nlrv $a ls aualned by glvlng all,
nlrv$a ls Lhe ob[ecL of my sLrlvlng,
And all musL be surrendered ln a slngle lnsLanL,
1herefore lL ls besL Lo glve lL all Lo oLhers.
13.
1hls body l have now reslgned
1o serve Lhe pleasure of all llvlng belngs.
LeL Lhem ever klll, desplse, and beaL lL,
uslng lL accordlng Lo Lhelr wlsh.
14.
And Lhough Lhey LreaL lL llke a Loy,
Cr make of lL Lhe buu of every mockery,
My body has been glven up Lo Lhem.
Why should l make so much of lL?
13.
And so leL belngs do Lo me
WhaLever does noL brlng Lhem ln[ury.
Whenever Lhey may Lhlnk of me,
LeL Lhls noL fall Lo brlng Lhem beneL.
16.
And lf ln my regard Lhey have
A LhoughL of anger or respecL,
May Lhese sLaLes always be Lhe cause
Whereby Lhelr good and wlshes are fullled.
17.
All Lhose who sllghL me Lo my face
Cr do Lo me some oLher evll,
Lven lf Lhey blame or slander me,
May Lhey aualn Lhe forLune of enllghLenmenL!
18.
May l be a guard for Lhose who are proLecLorless,
A gulde for Lhose who [ourney on Lhe road.
lor Lhose who wlsh Lo cross Lhe waLer,
May l be a boaL, a ra, a brldge.
19.
May l be an lsle for Lhose who yearn for land,
A lamp for Lhose who long for llghL,
lor all who need a resung place, a bed,
lor Lhose who need a servanL, may l be Lhelr slave.
20.
May l be Lhe wlshlng [ewel, Lhe vase of wealLh,
A word of power and Lhe supreme heallng,
May l be Lhe Lree of mlracles,
lor every belng Lhe abundanL cow.
21.
!usL llke Lhe earLh and space lLself
And all Lhe oLher mlghLy elemenLs,
lor boundless muluLudes of belngs
May l always be Lhe ground of llfe, Lhe source of varled susLenance.
22.
1hus for everyLhlng LhaL llves,
As far as are Lhe llmlLs of Lhe sky,
May l be consLanLly Lhelr source of llvellhood
unul Lhey pass beyond all sorrow.
23.
!usL as all Lhe 8uddhas of Lhe pasL
Pave broughL forLh Lhe awakened mlnd,
And ln Lhe precepLs of Lhe 8odhlsauvas
SLep-by-sLep abode and Lralned,
24.
Llkewlse, for Lhe beneL of belngs,
l wlll brlng Lo blrLh Lhe awakened mlnd,
And ln Lhose precepLs, sLep-by-sLep,
l wlll ablde and Lraln myself.
23.
1hose who Lhus wlLh clear lnLelllgence
1ake hold of Lhe awakened mlnd wlLh brlghL and lucld [oy,
1haL Lhey may now lncrease whaL Lhey have galned,
Should ll Lhelr hearLs wlLh pralses such as Lhese:
26.
1oday my llfe has glven frulL.
1hls human sLaLe has now been well assumed.
1oday l Lake my blrLh ln 8uddha's llne,
And have become Lhe 8uddha's chlld and helr.
27.
ln every way, Lhen, l wlll underLake
Acuvlues bemng such a rank.
And l wlll do no acL Lo mar
Cr compromlse Lhls hlgh and faulLless llneage.
28.
lor l am llke a bllnd man who has found
A preclous gem lnslde a heap of dusL.
lor so lL ls, by some sLrange chance,
1haL bodhlchlua has been born ln me.
29.
1hls ls Lhe supreme dra of lmmorLallLy
1haL slays Lhe Lord of ueaLh, Lhe slaughLerer of belngs,
1he rlch unfalllng Lreasure-mlne
1o heal Lhe poverLy of wanderers.
30.
lL ls Lhe soverelgn remedy
1haL perfecLly allays all maladles.
lL ls Lhe Lree LhaL glves rellef
1o Lhose who wander wearlly Lhe paLhways of exlsLence.
31.
lL ls Lhe unlversal brldge LhaL saves
All wanderlng belngs from Lhe sLaLes of loss,
1he rlslng moon of Lhe enllghLened mlnd
1haL sooLhes Lhe sorrows born of Lhe aMlcuons.
32.
lL ls Lhe mlghLy sun LhaL uuerly dlspels
1he mlsLy lgnorance of wanderlng belngs,
1he creamy buuer, rlch and full,
1haL's churned from mllk of holy Leachlng.
33.
Llvlng belngs! Wayfarers upon llfe's paLhs,
Who wlsh Lo LasLe Lhe rlches of conLenLmenL,
Pere before you ls Lhe supreme bllss.
Pere, C ceaseless Lravelers, ls your fulllmenL!
34.
And so, Loday, wlLhln Lhe slghL of all proLecLors,
l summon belngs, calllng Lhem Lo 8uddhahood.
And, ull LhaL sLaLe ls reached, Lo every earLhly [oy!
May gods and demlgods and all Lhe resL re[olce!"
4. Carefulness
1.
1he chlldren of Lhe Conqueror who Lhus
Pave rmly grasped Lhls bodhlchlua,
Should never Lurn aslde from lL,
SLrlve never Lo Lransgress lLs dlsclpllnes.
2.
WhaLever was begun wlLhouL due heed,
And all LhaL was noL properly concelved,
AlLhough a promlse and a pledge were glven,
lL ls rlghL Lo reconslder: Shall l acL or noL?
3.
?eL whaL Lhe 8uddhas and Lhelr helrs
Pave scruunlzed ln Lhelr greaL wlsdom,
l myself have probed and scruunlzed.
Why should l now procrasunaLe?
4.
lor lf l blnd myself wlLh promlses
8uL fall Lo carry ouL my words ln deed,
1hen every belng wlll have been beLrayed.
WhaL desuny musL lle ln sLore for me?
3.
lf ln Lhe Leachlngs lL ls sald
1haL Lhose who ln Lhelr LhoughLs lnLend
1o glve a small and palLry Lhlng buL Lhen draw back
Wlll Lake reblrLh as hungry splrlLs,
6.
Pow can l expecL a happy desuny
lf from my hearL l summon
Wanderlng belngs Lo Lhe hlghesL bllss,
8uL Lhen decelve and fall Lhem?
7.
As for Lhose who, loslng bodhlchlua,
Lead oLhers noneLheless Lo llberauon,
karmlc law ls lnconcelvable
And only undersLood by Lhe CmnlsclenL.30
8.
1hls fallure, for Lhe 8odhlsauva,
ls Lhe gravesL of all downfalls.
lor should lL ever come Lo pass,
1he good of every belng ls Lhrown down.
9.
And anyone who, for a slngle lnsLanL,
PalLs Lhe merlL of a 8odhlsauva
Wanders endlessly ln evll sLaLes,
8ecause Lhe welfare of all belngs ls reduced.
10.
uesLroy a slngle belng's [oy
And you wlll work Lhe ruln of yourself.
no need Lo speak of brlnglng low
1he [oy of belngs lnnlLe as space lLself!
11.
And Lhose who clrcle ln sa!sra,
Mlxlng powerful downfalls
WlLh Lhe power of bodhlchlua back and forLh,
Wlll long be hlndered from Lhe 8odhlsauva grounds.
12.
And so, accordlng Lo my promlse,
l wlll acL auenuvely.
lrom Lhls day forLh, lf l now fall Lo sLrlve,
l'll fall from low Lo even lower sLaLes.
13.
SLrlvlng for Lhe beneL of all LhaL llves,
unnumbered 8uddhas have already llved and passed away.
8uL l, by vlrLue of my slns, have falled
1o come wlLhln Lhe compass of Lhelr heallng works.31
14.
And Lhls wlll always be my loL
lf l conunue Lo behave llke Lhls,
And l wlll suer palns and bondage,
Wounds and lacerauon ln Lhe lower realms.
13.
1he appearance of Lhe 8uddhas ln Lhe world,
1rue falLh and Lhe aualnmenL of a human form,
An apuLude for good: all Lhese are rare.
When wlll Lhey come Lo me agaln?
16.
1oday, lndeed, l'm hale and well,
l have enough Lo eaL and l am noL ln danger.
8uL Lhls llfe ls eeung, unrellable,
My body ls llke someLhlng brley lenL.
17.
And yeL Lhe way l acL ls such
1haL l shall noL regaln a human llfe!
And loslng Lhls, my preclous human form,
My evlls wlll be many, vlrLues none.32
18.
Pere ls now my chance for wholesome deeds,
8uL lf l fall Lo pracuce vlrLue,
WhaL wlll be my loL, whaL shall l do,
8ewlldered by Lhe sorrows of Lhe lower realms?
19.
never, Lhere, performlng any vlrLue,
Cnly ever plllng up my slns,
And for a hundred mllllon ages,
l'll noL even hear of happy desunles.33
20.
1hls ls why Lord 8uddha has declared
1haL llke a LurLle LhaL perchance can place
lLs head wlLhln a yoke adrl upon Lhe mlghLy sea
1hls human blrLh ls dlmculL Lo nd!
21.
lf Lhrough Lhe evll acuon of a slngle lnsLanL
l musL spend an aeon ln Lhe hell of unrelenung aln,
1he evlls ln sa !sra sLored from ume wlLhouL beglnnlng-
no need Lo say LhaL Lhey wlll keep me from Lhe sLaLes of bllss!
22.
And mere experlence of such paln
uoes noL resulL ln belng freed from lL.
lor ln Lhe very suerlng of such sLaLes,
More evll wlll occur, and Lhen ln greaL abundance.
23.
1hus, havlng found Lhls momenL of reprleve,
lf l now fall Lo Lraln myself ln vlrLue,
WhaL greaLer folly could Lhere ever be?
Pow more could l beLray myself?
24.
lf havlng undersLood all Lhls,
l'm sLupldly despondenL sull,
1hen aL Lhe momenL of my deaLh,
My sorrows wlll be black lndeed.
23.
And when my body burns so long
ln res of hell so unendurable,
My mlnd, Lhere ls no doubL, wlll also be LormenLed,
8urned ln res of unendurable regreL.
26.
lor lL's as lf by chance LhaL l have galned
1hls sLaLe so hard Lo nd, whereln Lo help myself.
lf now, whlle havlng such dlscernmenL,
l am once agaln conslgned Lo hell,
27.
l am as lf benumbed by sorcery,
As lf reduced Lo LoLal mlndlessness.
l do noL know whaL dulls my wlLs.
C whaL ls lL LhaL has me ln lLs grlp?
28.
Anger, lusL, Lhese enemles of mlne,
Are llmbless and devold of faculues.
1hey have no bravery, no cleverness,
Pow Lhen have Lhey reduced me Lo such slavery?
29.
1hey dwell wlLhln my mlnd
And aL Lhelr pleasure ln[ure me.
All Lhls l suer meekly, unresenung-
1hus my ab[ecL pauence, all dlsplaced!
30.
lf all Lhe gods and demlgods besldes
1ogeLher came agalnsL me as my foes,
1hey would be powerless Lo Lhrow me down
1o res of hell of unrelenung aln.
31.
And yeL Lhe mlghLy end of my aMlcuons
lllngs me ln an lnsLanL headlong down
1o where Lhe mlghLy lord of mounLalns34
Would be burned, lLs very ashes all consumed.
32.
C my enemy, aMlcuve passlon,
Lndless and beglnnlngless companlon!
no oLher enemy lndeed
ls able Lo endure so long!
33.
All oLher foes LhaL l appease and walL upon
Wlll show me favors, glve me every ald,
8uL should l serve my dark deled emouons,
1hey wlll only harm me, draw me down Lo grlef.
34.
lf Lhus my anclenL and unceaslng foes,
1he wellsprlng only of my growlng paln,
Can lodge so safe wlLhln my hearL,
Pow can l llve so bllLhe and fearless ln Lhls wheel of llfe?
33.
And lf Lhe [all guards of Lhe prlsons of sa!sra,
1he buLchers and LormenLors of lnfernal realms,
All lurk wlLhln me ln Lhe web of cravlng,
WhaL [oy can ever be my desuny?
36.
l wlll noL leave Lhe ghL unul, before my eyes,
1hese enemles of mlne are all desLroyed.
lor lf, aroused Lo fury by Lhe meresL sllghL,
lncapable of sleep unul Lhe scores are seuled,
37.
roud buL wreLched rlvals, desuned all Lo suer when Lhey dle,
Wlll draw Lhe baule llnes and do Lhelr besL Lo wln,
And careless of Lhe paln of cuL and LhrusL,
Wlll sLand Lhelr ground refuslng Lo glve way,
38.
no need Lo say LhaL l wlll noL lose hearL,
8egardless of Lhe hardshlps of Lhe fray.
lrom Lhls day forLh l'll sLrlve Lo crush
1hese foes whose very naLure ls Lo brlng me paln.
39.
1he wounds lnlcLed by Lhe enemy ln fuule wars
Are aunLed by Lhe soldler as a prlze.
So ln Lhe hlgh endeavor, for so greaL a Lhlng,
Why should l be dlsmayed by hurL or ln[ury?
40.
When shers, buLchers, farmers, and Lhe llke,
lnLendlng [usL Lo galn Lhelr llvellhood,
Wlll suer all Lhe mlserles of heaL and cold,
Why, for belngs' happlness, should Lhose llke me noL bear Lhe same?
41.
When l pledged myself Lo free from Lhelr aMlcuons
8elngs who ablde ln every reglon,
SLreLchlng Lo Lhe llmlLs of Lhe sky,
l was myself noL free from such delemenLs.
42.
1o speak llke LhaL, noL knowlng my capaclLy,
Were Lhese noL, Lruly, buL a madman's words?
More reason Lhen for never drawlng back
Abandonlng Lhe ghL agalnsL deled aMlcuon.33
43.
1hls shall be my all-consumlng passlon.
lllled wlLh rancor l wlll wage my war!
uelemenL of Lhls klnd wlll halL delemenL
And for Lhls reason lL shall noL be spurned.
44.
8euer lf l perlsh ln Lhe re,
8euer LhaL my head be severed from my body
1han ever l should serve or reverence
My morLal enemles, deled emouons.
43.
Common foes, when drlven from Lhe sLaLe,
8eLreaL and base Lhemselves ln oLher lands,
And musLer all Lhelr sLrengLh Lhe beuer Lo reLurn.
8uL enemy aMlcuons are wlLhouL such sLraLagems.
46.
Mlserable delemenLs, scauered by Lhe eye of wlsdom!
Where wlll you now run, when drlven from my mlnd?
Whence would you reLurn Lo do me harm?
8uL oh, my mlnd ls feeble. l am lndolenL!
47.
uelemenLs are noL ln Lhe ob[ecL,
nor wlLhln Lhe faculues, nor somewhere ln beLween.
And lf noL elsewhere, where ls Lhelr abode,
Whence Lhey lnlcL Lhelr havoc on Lhe world?
1hey are slmple mlrages, and so Lake hearL!
8anlsh all your fear and sLrlve Lo know Lhelr naLure.
Why suer needlessly Lhe palns of hell?
48.
1hls ls how l should reecL and labor,
1haL l mlghL apply Lhe precepLs Lhus seL forLh.
WhaL lnvallds ln need of medlclne
lgnored Lhelr docLor's words and galned Lhelr healLh?
3. vlgllanL lnLrospecuon
1.
1hose who wlsh Lo keep Lhe Lralnlngs
MusL wlLh perfecL self-possesslon guard Lhelr mlnds.
WlLhouL Lhls guard upon Lhe mlnd,
1he Lralnlngs cannoL be preserved.
2.
Wanderlng where lL wlll, Lhe elephanL of mlnd,
Wlll brlng us down Lo LormenL ln Lhe hell of unrelenung aln.
no worldly beasL, however wlld and crazed,
Could brlng upon us such calamlues.
3.
lf, wlLh mlndfulness' rope,
1he elephanL of mlnd ls LeLhered all around,
Cur fears wlll come Lo noLhlng,
Lvery vlrLue drop lnLo our hands.
4.
1lgers, llons, elephanLs, and bears,
Snakes and every hosule foe,
1hose who guard Lhe prlsoners ln hell,
ChosLs and ghouls and every evll wralLh,
3.
8y slmple blndlng of Lhls mlnd alone,
All Lhese Lhlngs are llkewlse bound.
8y slmple Lamlng of Lhls mlnd alone,
All Lhese Lhlngs are llkewlse Lamed.
6.
lor all anxleLy and fear,
And paln ln boundless quanuLy,
1helr source and wellsprlng ls Lhe mlnd lLself,
As Pe who spoke Lhe LruLh declared.
7.
1he helllsh lnsLrumenLs Lo LorLure llvlng belngs-
Who lnvenLed Lhem for such lnLenL?
Who has forged Lhls burnlng lron ground,
Whence have all Lhese demon-women sprung?36
8.
All are buL Lhe osprlng of Lhe slnful mlnd,
1hls Lhe mlghLy Sage has sald.
1hroughouL Lhe Lrlple world37 Lherefore
1here ls no greaLer bane Lhan mlnd lLself.
9.
lf LranscendenL glvlng ls
1o dlsslpaLe Lhe poverLy of belngs,
ln whaL way-slnce Lhe poor are always wlLh us-
Pave former 8uddhas pracuced lL?
10.
1ranscendenL glvlng, so Lhe Leachlngs say,
ConslsLs ln Lhe lnLenuon Lo besLow on every belng
All one owns, LogeLher wlLh Lhe frulLs of such a gl.
lL ls lndeed a mauer of Lhe mlnd lLself.
11.
Where could belngs, shes, and Lhe resL,
8e placed Lo keep Lhem safe from belng kllled?
uecldlng Lo refraln from every harmful acL
ls sald Lo be LranscendenL dlsclpllne.
12.
Parmful belngs are everywhere llke space lLself.
lmposslble lL ls LhaL all should be suppressed.
8uL leL Lhls angry mlnd alone be overLhrown,
And lL's as Lhough all foes had been subdued.
13.
1o cover all Lhe earLh wlLh sheeLs of leaLher-
Where could such amounLs of skln be found?
8uL wlLh Lhe leaLher soles of [usL my shoes
lL ls as Lhough l cover all Lhe earLh!
14.
And Lhus Lhe ouLer course of Lhlngs
l myself cannoL resLraln.
8uL leL me [usL resLraln my mlnd,
And whaL ls le Lo be resLralned?
13.
A clear lnLenL can frucufy
And brlng us blrLh ln such as 8rahm's realm.
1he acLs of body and of speech are less-
1hey do noL generaLe a llke resulL.
16.
8eclLauons and ausLerlues,
Long Lhough Lhey may prove Lo be,
lf pracuced wlLh dlsLracLed mlnd,
Are fuule, so Lhe knower of 8eallLy has sald.
17.
All Lhose who fall Lo undersLand
1he secreL of Lhe mlnd, Lhe greaLesL of all Lhlngs,
AlLhough Lhey wlsh for [oy and sorrow's end,
Wlll wander Lo no purpose, uselessly.
18.
1herefore l wlll Lake ln hand
And well proLecL Lhls mlnd of mlne.
WhaL use Lo me are many dlsclpllnes,
lf l can'L guard and dlsclpllne my mlnd?
19.
When ln wlld, unruly crowds,
l'm careful and auenuve of my wounds,
Llkewlse, when ln evll company,
1hls wound, my mlnd, l'll consLanLly proLecL.
20.
lor lf l carefully proLecL my wounds
8ecause l fear Lhe paln of mlnor ln[urles,
Why should l noL proLecL Lhe wound LhaL ls my mlnd,
lor fear of belng crushed beneaLh Lhe clls of hell?38
21.
lf Lhls ls how l acL and llve,
1hen even ln Lhe mldsL of evll folk,
Cr even wlLh falr women, all ls well.
My sLeady keeplng of Lhe vows wlll noL decllne.
22.
My properLy, my honor-all can freely go,
My body and my llvellhood as well.
And even oLher vlrLues may decllne,
8uL never wlll l leL my mlnd regress.
23.
All you who would proLecL your mlnds,
MalnLaln your mlndfulness and lnLrospecuon,
Cuard Lhem boLh, aL cosL of llfe and llmb,
l [oln my hands, beseechlng you.
24.
1hose dlsabled by lll healLh
Are helpless, powerless Lo acL.
1he mlnd, when llkewlse cramped by lgnorance,
ls lmpoLenL and cannoL do lLs work.
23.
lor Lhose who have no lnLrospecuon,
1hough Lhey hear Lhe Leachlngs, ponder Lhem, or medlLaLe,
Llke waLer seeplng from a leaklng [ar,
1helr learnlng wlll noL seule ln Lhelr memorles.
26.
Many are endowed wlLh [oyful dlllgence.
1hey're learned also and lmbued wlLh falLh,
8uL Lhrough Lhe faulL of lacklng lnLrospecuon,
1hey wlll noL escape Lhe sLaln of sln and downfall.
27.
Lack of lnLrospecuon ls a Lhlef,
lL sllnks behlnd when mlndfulness abaLes.
And all Lhe merlL we have gaLhered ln
lL sLeals, and down we go Lo lower realms.
28.
uelemenLs are a band of robbers
Looklng for Lhelr chance Lo ln[ure us.
1hey sLeal our vlrLue, when Lhelr momenL comes,
And bauer ouL Lhe llves of happy desunles.
29.
1herefore from Lhe gaLeway of my mlnd
My mlndfulness shall noL have leave Lo sLray.
And lf lL wanders, lL shall be recalled
8y LhoughLs of angulsh ln Lhe lower worlds.
30.
1hrough fear, and by Lhe counsels of Lhelr abboLs,
And sLaylng ever ln Lhelr Leacher's company-
ln Lhose endowed wlLh forLune and devouon
Mlndfulness ls culuvaLed easlly.
31.
1he 8uddhas and Lhe 8odhlsauvas boLh
ossess unclouded vlslon, seelng everyLhlng:
All lles open Lo Lhelr gaze,
And llkewlse l am always ln Lhelr presence."
32.
Cne who has such LhoughLs as Lhese
Wlll galn devouon and a sense of fear and shame.
lor such a one, Lhe memory of 8uddha
8lses frequenLly before Lhe mlnd.
33.
When mlndfulness ls sLauoned as a senunel,
A guard upon Lhe Lhreshold of Lhe mlnd,
lnLrospecuon wlll be llkewlse Lhere,
8eLurnlng when forgouen or dlspersed.
34.
lf aL Lhe ouLseL, when l check my mlnd,
l nd LhaL lL ls LalnLed wlLh some faulL,
l shall be sull and self-possessed,
unmovlng llke a plece of wood.
33.
l shall never, vacanLly,
Allow my gaze Lo wander all around,
8uL raLher wlLh a focused mlnd
Wlll always go wlLh eyes casL down.
36.
8uL LhaL l may relax my gaze,
l'll someumes ralse my eyes and look around.
And lf Lhere are some people sLandlng ln my slghL,
l'll look aL Lhem and greeL Lhem wlLh a frlendly word.
37.
And yeL, Lo spy Lhe dangers on Lhe road,
l'll scruunlze Lhe four dlrecuons one by one.
And when l sLop Lo resL, l'll Lurn around
And look behlnd me, back along my way.
38.
l wlll survey Lhe land, ln fronL, behlnd,
And carry on or else reLrace my sLeps.
ln every ume and place Lherefore
l'll know my needs and acL accordlngly.
39.
My body shall remaln llke Lhls."
Lmbarklng Lhus upon a glven course,
lrom ume Lo ume l'll verlfy
lnqulrlng how my body ls dlsposed.
40.
1hls rampanL elephanL, my mlnd,
Cnce ued Lo LhaL greaL posL, reecuon on Lhe 1eachlngs,
MusL now be waLched wlLh all my sLrengLh
1haL lL mlghL never sllp away.
41.
1hose who sLrlve Lo masLer concenLrauon
Should never for an lnsLanL be dlsLracLed.
1hey should always waLch Lhelr mlnds, lnqulrlng,
Where ls now my mlnd engaged?"
42.
When Lhls becomes lmposslble,
ln case of danger or fesuvlLy, l'll acL as lL seems besL.
lor lL ls LaughL LhaL rules of dlsclpllne
May be relaxed ln umes of generoslLy.39
43.
When someLhlng has been planned and sLarLed on,
Auenuon should noL drl Lo oLher Lhlngs.
WlLh LhoughLs xed on Lhe chosen LargeL,
1haL and LhaL alone should be pursued.
44.
8ehavlng ln Lhls way, all Lasks are well performed,
And noLhlng ls achleved by dolng oLherwlse.
lf Lhus we acL, Lhe secondary delemenL,
Lack of lnLrospecuon, wlll noL grow.
43.
And lf you nd yourself engaged
ln dlerenL klnds of polnLless conversauon
And curlous slghLs, Lhe llke of whlch abound-
8e rld of all dellghL and LasLe for Lhem.
46.
And lf you nd you're grubblng ln Lhe soll,
Cr pulllng up Lhe grass or Lraclng ldle pauerns on Lhe ground,
8ememberlng Lhe precepLs of Lhe 8llssful Cne,
ln fear, resLraln yourself aL once.
47.
And when you feel Lhe wlsh Lo move abouL,
Cr even Lo express yourself ln speech,
llrsL examlne whaL ls ln your mlnd.
lor sLeadfasL ones should acL correcLly.
48.
When Lhe urge arlses ln your mlnd
1o feellngs of deslre or angry haLe,
uo noL acL! 8e sllenL, do noL speak!
And llke a log of wood be sure Lo sLay.
49.
And when your mlnd ls wlld or lled wlLh mockery,
Cr lled wlLh prlde and haughLy arrogance,
Cr when you would expose anoLher's secreL gullL,
1o brlng up old dlssenslons or Lo acL deceluully,
30.
Cr when you wanL Lo sh for pralse,
Cr crluclze and spoll anoLher's name,
Cr use harsh language, sparrlng for a ghL,
lL's Lhen LhaL llke a log you should remaln.
31.
And when you yearn for wealLh, auenuon, fame,
A clrcle of reLalners servlng you,
And when you look for honors, recognluon,
lL's Lhen LhaL llke a log you should remaln.
32.
And when you are lncllned Lo overlook anoLher's need
And wanL Lo geL Lhe besL Lhlng for yourself,
And when you feel Lhe urge Lo speak,
lL's Lhen LhaL llke a log you should remaln.
33.
lmpauence, lndolence, falnLhearLedness,
And llkewlse arrogance and careless speech,
AuachmenL Lo your slde-when Lhese arlse,
lL's Lhen LhaL llke a log you should remaln.
34.
Lxamlne Lhus yourself from every slde.
1ake noLe of your delemenLs and your polnLless eorLs.
lor Lhus Lhe heroes on Lhe 8odhlsauva paLh
Selze rmly on such faulLs wlLh proper remedles.
33.
WlLh perfecL and unyleldlng falLh,
WlLh sLeadfasLness, respecL, and courLesy,
WlLh consclenuousness and awe,
Work calmly for Lhe happlness of oLhers.
36.
LeL us noL be downcasL by Lhe warrlng wanLs
Cf chlldlsh persons quarrellng.
1helr LhoughLs are bred from conlcL and emouon.
LeL us undersLand and LreaL Lhem lovlngly.
37.
When acung lrreproachably,
lor our sake or Lhe sake of oLhers,
LeL us always bear ln mlnd Lhe LhoughL
1haL we are self-less, llke an apparluon.
38.
1hls supreme freedom of a human llfe,
So long awalLed, now aL lasL aualned!
8eecung always Lhus, malnLaln your mlnd
As sLeady as Sumeru, klng of mounLalns.
39.
lf, C mlnd, you wlll noL be aggrleved,
When vulLures wlLh Lhelr love of esh
Are Lugglng aL Lhls body all around,
Why are you so besoued wlLh lL now?
60.
Why, C mlnd, do you proLecL Lhls body,
1aklng lL Lo be your own?
?ou and lL are each a separaLe enuLy,
Pow ever can lL be of use Lo you?
61.
Why, C foollsh mlnd,
uon'L you approprlaLe a clean form carved ln wood?
Pow ls lL L Lo guard
An unclean englne for Lhe maklng of lmpurlLy?
62.
llrsL, wlLh mlnd's lmaglnauon,
Shed Lhe coverlng of skln,
And wlLh Lhe blade of wlsdom, sLrlp
1he esh from o Lhe bony frame.
63.
And when you have dlvlded all Lhe bones,
And searched rlghL down amld Lhe very marrow,
?ou yourself should ask Lhe quesuon:
Where ls Lhe essenual core?
64.
lf, perslsung ln Lhe search,
?ou see no underlylng essence,
Why do you proLecL wlLh such deslre
1he body LhaL you now possess?
63.
lLs lLh you cannoL eaL, C mlnd,
lLs blood llkewlse ls noL for you Lo drlnk,
lLs lnnards, Loo, unsulLable Lo suck-
1hls body, whaL Lhen wlll you make of lL?
66.
And yeL lL may lndeed be kepL
As food Lo feed Lhe vulLure and Lhe fox.
1he value of Lhls human form
Lles only ln Lhe use you make of lL.
67.
WhaLever you may do Lo guard and keep lL,
WhaL wlll you do when
1he ruLhless Lord of ueaLh
Wlll selze and Lhrow lL Lo Lhe dogs and blrds?
68.
lf servanLs who cannoL be seL Lo work
Are noL rewarded wlLh supplles and cloLhlng,
Why do you susLaln wlLh such greaL palns
1hls body, whlch, Lhough nourlshed, wlll abandon you?
69.
So pay Lhls body due remunerauon,
And Lhen be sure Lo make lL work for you.
8uL do noL lavlsh everyLhlng
Cn whaL wlll noL brlng perfecL beneL.
70.
8egard your body as a vessel,
A slmple boaL for golng here and Lhere.
Make of lL a Lhlng LhaL answers every wlsh
1o brlng abouL Lhe beneL of belngs.
71.
8e Lhe masLer of yourself
And have an ever-smlllng counLenance.
8ld yourself of scowllng, wraLhful frowns,
And be a Lrue and honesL frlend Lo all.
72.
uo noL, acung lnconslderaLely,
Move chalrs and furnlLure so nolslly around.
Llkewlse do noL open doors wlLh vlolence.
1ake pleasure ln Lhe pracuce of humlllLy.
73.
Perons, caLs, and burglars
Achleve whaL Lhey lnLend
8y golng sllenLly and unobserved.
Such ls Lhe consLanL pracuce of a sage.
74.
When useful admonluons come unsoughL
lrom Lhose wlLh sklll ln counsellng Lhelr fellows,
Welcome Lhem wlLh humble grauLude,
And always sLrlve Lo learn from everyone.
73.
ralse all whose speech ls worLhy.
Say, ?our words are excellenL!"
And when you nouce oLhers acung well,
Lncourage Lhem ln Lerms of warm approval.
76.
LxLol Lhelr quallues dlscreeLly,
When Lhey're pralsed by oLhers, pralse Lhem Loo.
8uL when Lhe quallues Lhey pralse are yours,
8eecL upon Lhelr sklll ln recognlzlng quallues.
77.
1he goal of every acL ls happlness lLself,
1hough, even wlLh greaL wealLh, lL's rarely found.
So Lake your pleasure ln Lhe excellence of oLhers.
LeL Lhem be a hearuelL [oy Lo you.
78.
8y acung Lhus, ln Lhls llfe you'll lose noLhlng,
ln fuLure llves, greaL bllss wlll come Lo you.
Wrongdolng brlngs noL [oy buL paln,
And ln Lhe fuLure dreadful LormenL.
79.
Speak coherenLly, approprlaLely,
Clear ln meanlng, pleasanLly.
8ld yourself of cravlng and averslon,
Speak genLly wlLh moderauon.
80.
When you look aL oLhers Lhlnk
1haL lL wlll be Lhrough Lhem
1haL you wlll come Lo 8uddhahood.
So look on Lhem wlLh frank and lovlng hearLs.
81.
Always red by hlghesL asplrauon,
Laborlng Lo lmplemenL Lhe anudoLes,60
?ou wlll reap greaL vlrLues ln Lhe eld of excellence
And ln Lhe elds of beneLs and sorrow.61
82.
Acung Lhus wlLh falLh and undersLandlng,
?ou should always underLake good works.
And ln whaLever acuons you perform,
?ou should noL be dependenL on anoLher.
83.
1he perfecuons,62 glvlng and Lhe resL,
rogress ln sequence, growlng ln lmporLance.
1he greaL should never be abandoned for Lhe less,
And oLhers' good should be regarded as supreme.
84.
1herefore undersLand Lhls well,
And always labor for Lhe beneL of belngs.
1he CompasslonaLe Cne farslghLedly permlLs,
1o Lhls end, even whaL has been proscrlbed.63
83.
LaL only whaL ls needful,
Share wlLh Lhose who have embraced Lhe dlsclpllne,
WlLh Lhose who are defenseless or have fallen lnLo evll sLaLes.
Clve everyLhlng excepL Lhe Lhree robes of rellglon.
86.
1he body, used Lo pracuce sacred Leachlngs,
Should noL be harmed ln meanlngless pursulLs.
8y acung Lhus Lhe wlshes of all belngs
Wlll swlly and compleLely be aualned.
87.
1hey should noL glve up Lhelr bodles
Whose compasslonaLe LhoughLs are noL yeL pure.
8uL leL Lhem be surrendered when, boLh now and ln Lhelr fuLures llves,
CreaL beneL ls Lhereby galned.
88.
uo noL Leach Lhe uharma Lo Lhe dlsrespecuul:
1o Lhose who, Lhough noL slck, wrap cloLhs around Lhelr heads,
1o Lhose who carry weapons, sLas, or parasols,
1o Lhose who are wlLh covered heads.
89.
1o Lhose upon Lhe lower paLhs do noL explaln Lhe vasL and deep,64
nor LuLor women unaccompanled by men.
And every uharma, hlgh or low,63
Lxpound wlLh equal reverence.
90.
1hose sulLed Lo Lhe Leachlngs of greaL scope
Should noL be lnLroduced Lo lesser paLhs.
1he rules of conducL you should noL neglecL
nor lead asLray wlLh Lalk of suLras and of manLras.66
91.
When you splL and Lhrow away
?our LooLh sucks, you should cover Lhem.67
And lL ls wrong Lo foul wlLh urlne and wlLh oLher lLh
1he elds and waLer L for publlc use.
92.
When eaung, do noL gobble nolslly,
nor sLu and cram your gaplng mouLh.
And do noL slL wlLh legs ouLsLreLched,
nor coarsely rub your hands LogeLher.
93.
uo noL Lravel, slL, or sLay alone
WlLh women of anoLher house.68
And all LhaL you have seen, or have been Lold,
1o be a cause of scandal-LhaL you should avold.
94.
noL rudely polnung wlLh your nger,
8uL raLher wlLh a reverenL gesLure showlng
WlLh Lhe whole rlghL hand ouLsLreLched-
1hls ls how Lo lndlcaLe Lhe road.
93.
uo noL wave your arms wlLh uncouLh gesLures.
Lxpress yourself lnsLead wlLh unobLruslve slgns,
WlLh genLle sounds and nger snaps.69
lor acung oLherwlse ls lmpollLe excess.
96.
Lle down Lo sleep ln Lhe preferred dlrecuon,
ln Lhe posLure of Lhe 8uddha when he passed lnLo nlrv$a.
And rsL wlLh vlgllance declde
1haL you'll be qulck Lo rlse agaln.
97.
1he acuons of Lhe 8odhlsauva
Are unbounded, so Lhe 1eachlngs say.
Cf Lhese, unul Lhe goal ls won,
Lmbrace Lhe pracuces LhaL purlfy your mlnd.
98.
8eclung Lhrlce by day and Lhrlce by nlghL,
1he SuLra ln 1hree Secuons,70
8elylng on Lhe 8uddhas and Lhe 8odhlsauvas,
urlfy Lhe resL of your Lransgresslons.
99.
Wherever and whenever and whaLever you are dolng,
lor your sake or Lhe sake of oLhers,
lmplemenL wlLh dlllgence
1he Leachlngs glven for LhaL slLuauon.
100.
1here ls lndeed no eld of knowledge
1haL Lhe 8uddhas' osprlng should noL learn.
lor Lhose who are well-versed ln all Lhese ways,
1here ls no acuon desuLuLe of merlL.
101.
ulrecLly, Lhen, or lndlrecLly,
uo noLhlng LhaL ls noL for oLhers' sake.
And solely for Lhelr welfare dedlcaLe
?our every acuon Lo Lhe galnlng of enllghLenmenL.
102.
never, aL Lhe cosL of llfe or llmb,
lorsake your vlrLuous frlend, your Leacher,
Learned ln Lhe docLrlne of Lhe Mahyna,
Supreme ln 8odhlsauva dlsclpllne.
103.
Learn how Lo auend upon your guru
As descrlbed ln Shrl Sambhava's llfe.71
1hls and oLher Leachlngs of Lhe 8uddha
?ou should undersLand by readlng ln Lhe suLras.
104.
lndeed wlLhln Lhese suLras all Lhe pracuces are found,
1herefore read and sLudy Lhem.
1he SuLra of Lhe Lssence of Lhe Sky72
ls Lhe LexL LhaL should be sLudled rsL.
103.
All LhaL musL be pracuced consLanLly
ls clearly and exLenslvely explalned
WlLhln Lhe ulgesL of All ulsclpllnes,73
So Lhls ls someLhlng you should read repeaLedly.
106.
lrom ume Lo ume, for sake of brevlLy,
ConsulL Lhe ulgesL of Lhe SuLras.74
And Lhose Lwo works peruse wlLh dlllgence
1haL noble ngr[una has composed.
107.
WhaLever ln Lhese works ls noL proscrlbed
8e sure Lo underLake and lmplemenL.
And whaL you nd en[olned Lhere, perfecLly fulll,
And so proLecL Lhe mlnds of worldly belngs.
108.
Lxamlnlng agaln and yeL agaln
1he sLaLe and acuons of your body and your mlnd-
1hls alone denes ln brlef
1he malnLenance of waLchful lnLrospecuon.
109.
8uL all Lhls musL be acLed ouL ln LruLh,
lor whaL ls Lo be galned by mouLhlng syllables?
WhaL lnvalld was ever helped
8y merely readlng ln Lhe docLor's Lreauses?
6. auence
1.
All Lhe good works gaLhered ln a Lhousand ages,
Such as deeds of generoslLy,
And oerlngs Lo Lhe 8llssful Cnes-
A slngle ash of anger shauers Lhem.
2.
no evll ls Lhere slmllar Lo anger,
no ausLerlLy Lo be compared wlLh pauence.
SLeep yourself, Lherefore, ln pauence,
ln varlous ways, lnslsLenLly.
3.
1hose LormenLed by Lhe paln of anger,
never know LranqullllLy of mlnd-
SLrangers Lhey wlll be Lo every pleasure,
1hey wlll nelLher sleep nor feel secure.
4.
Lven Lhose dependenL on Lhelr lord
lor graclous gls of honors and of wealLh
Wlll rlse agalnsL and slay
A masLer who ls lled wlLh wraLh and haLe.
3.
Pls famlly and frlends he grleves,
And ls noL served by Lhose hls gls auracL.
no one ls Lhere, all ln all,
Who, belng angry, llves aL ease.
6.
All Lhese llls are broughL abouL by wraLh,
Cur sorrow-bearlng enemy.
8uL Lhose who selze and crush Lhelr anger down
Wlll nd Lhelr [oy ln Lhls and fuLure llves.
7.
Cemng whaL l do noL wanL,
And all LhaL hlnders my deslre-
ln dlsconLenL my anger nds lLs fuel.
lrom Lhls lL grows and beaLs me down.
8.
1herefore l wlll uuerly desLroy
1he susLenance of Lhls my enemy,
My foe who has no oLher purpose
8uL Lo hurL and ln[ure me.
9.
So come whaL may, l'll noL upseL
My cheerful happlness of mlnd.
ue[ecuon never brlngs me whaL l wanL,
My vlrLue wlll be warped and marred by lL.
10.
lf Lhere's a remedy when Lrouble sLrlkes,
WhaL reason ls Lhere for de[ecuon?
And lf Lhere ls no help for lL,
WhaL use ls Lhere ln belng glum?
11.
aln, humlllauon, lnsulLs, or rebukes-
We do noL wanL Lhem
LlLher for ourselves or Lhose we love.
lor Lhose we do noL llke, lL's Lhe reverse!
12.
1he cause of happlness ls rare,
And many are Lhe seeds of suerlng!
8uL lf l have no paln, l'll never long for freedom,
1herefore, C my mlnd, be sLeadfasL!
13.
1he karna folk and Lhose devoLed Lo Lhe Coddess,73
Lndure Lhe meanlngless ausLerlues
Cf belng cuL and burned.
So why am l so umld on Lhe paLh of freedom?
14.
1here's noLhlng LhaL does noL grow llghL
1hrough hablL and famlllarlLy.
umng up wlLh llule cares
l'll Lraln myself Lo bear wlLh greaL adverslLy!
13.
uon'L l see LhaL Lhls ls so wlLh common lrrlLauons:
8lLes and sungs of snakes and les,
Lxperlences of hunger and of LhlrsL,
And palnful rashes on my skln?
16.
PeaL and cold, Lhe wlnd and raln,
Slckness, prlson, beaungs-
l'll noL freL abouL such Lhlngs.
1o do so only aggravaLes my Lrouble.
17.
1here are some whose bravery lncreases,
AL Lhe slghL of Lhelr own blood,
Whlle some lose all Lhelr sLrengLh and falnL
When lL's anoLher's blood Lhey see!
18.
1hls resulLs from how Lhe mlnd ls seL,
ln sLeadfasLness or cowardlce.
And so l'll scorn all ln[ury,
And hardshlps l wlll dlsregard!
19.
When sorrows fall upon Lhe wlse,
1helr mlnds should be serene and undlsLurbed.
lor ln Lhelr war agalnsL deled emouon,
Many are Lhe hardshlps, as ln every baule.
20.
1hlnklng scorn of every paln,
And vanqulshlng such foes as haLred:
1hese are explolLs of vlcLorlous warrlors.
1he resL ls slaylng whaL ls dead already!
21.
Suerlng also has lLs worLh.
1hrough sorrow, prlde ls drlven ouL
And plLy felL for Lhose who wander ln sa!sra,
Lvll ls avolded, goodness seems dellghuul.
22.
l am noL angry wlLh my blle and oLher humors-
lerule source of suerlng and paln!
So why should llvlng belngs glve oence,
1hey llkewlse are lmpelled by clrcumsLance?76
23.
AlLhough Lhey are unlooked for, undeslred,
1hese llls aMlcL us all Lhe same.
And llkewlse, Lhough unwanLed and unsoughL,
uelemenLs noneLheless lnslsLenLly arlse.
24.
never Lhlnklng, now l wlll be angry,"
eople are lmpulslvely caughL up ln anger.
lrrlLauon, llkewlse, comes
1hough never plans Lo be experlenced!
23.
All delemenLs of whaLever klnd,
1he whole varleLy of evll deeds
Are broughL abouL by clrcumsLances:
none ls lndependenL, none auLonomous.
26.
Condluons, once assembled, have no LhoughL
1haL Lhey wlll now glve rlse Lo some resulL.
nor does LhaL whlch ls engendered
1hlnk LhaL lL has been produced.
27.
1he prlmal subsLance, as Lhey say,
And LhaL whlch has been called Lhe self,
uo noL arlse deslgnedly,
And do noL Lhlnk, l wlll become."
28.
lor LhaL whlch ls noL born does noL exlsL,
So whaL could wanL Lo come Lo be?
And permanenLly drawn Loward lLs ob[ecL,
lL can never cease from belng so.77
29.
lndeed! 1hls self, lf permanenL,
ls cerLalnly lnerL llke space lLself.
And should lL meeL wlLh oLher facLors,
Pow could Lhey aecL lL, slnce lL ls unchanglng?
30.
lf, when condluons acL on lL, lL sLays [usL as lL was before,
WhaL lnuence have Lhese condluons had?
1hey say LhaL Lhese are agenLs of Lhe self,
8uL whaL connecuon could Lhere be beLween Lhem?78
31.
All Lhlngs, Lhen, depend on oLher Lhlngs,
And Lhese llkewlse depend, Lhey are noL lndependenL.
knowlng Lhls, we wlll noL be annoyed
AL Lhlngs LhaL are llke maglcal appearances.
32.
8eslsLance," you may say, ls ouL of place,
lor whaL wlll be opposed by whom?"
1he sLream of sorrow ls cuL Lhrough by pauence,
1here ls noLhlng ouL of place ln our asseruon!
33.
1hus, when enemles or frlends
Are seen Lo acL lmproperly,
8emaln serene and call Lo mlnd
1haL everyLhlng arlses from condluons.
34.
lf Lhlngs could be accordlng Lo Lhelr wlsh,
no suerlng would ever come
1o anyone of all embodled belngs,
lor none of Lhem wanLs paln of any klnd.
33.
?eL carelessly, all unaware,
1hey Lear Lhemselves on Lhorns,
And ardenL ln pursulL of wlves and goods,
1hey sLarve Lhemselves of nourlshmenL.
36.
Some hang Lhemselves or leap lnLo Lhe vold,
1ake polson or consume unhealLhy food,
Cr by Lhelr evll conducL
8rlng desLrucuon on Lhemselves.
37.
lor when aMlcuon selzes Lhem,
1hey even slay Lhemselves, Lhe selves Lhey love so much.
So how can Lhey noL be Lhe cause
Cf oLhers' bodlly dlsLress?
38.
AlLhough we almosL never feel compasslon
lor Lhose who, Lhrough delemenL,
8rlng abouL Lhelr own perdluon,
WhaL purpose does our anger serve?
39.
lf Lhose who are llke wanLon chlldren
Are by naLure prone Lo ln[ure oLhers,
1here's no reason for our rage,
lL's llke resenung re for belng hoL.
40.
And lf Lhelr faulLs are eeung and conungenL,
lf llvlng belngs are by naLure mlld,
lL's llkewlse senseless Lo resenL Lhem-
As well be angry aL Lhe sky when lL ls full of smoke!
41.
AlLhough lL ls Lhelr sucks LhaL hurL me,
l am angry aL Lhe ones who wleld Lhem, sLrlklng me.
8uL Lhey ln Lurn are drlven by Lhelr haLred,
1herefore wlLh Lhelr haLred l should Lake oence.
42.
ln [usL Lhe same way ln Lhe pasL
l lL was who ln[ured llvlng belngs.
1herefore lL ls rlghL LhaL ln[ury
Should come Lo me Lhelr LorLurer.
43.
1helr weapons and my body-
8oLh are causes of my LormenL!
1hey Lhelr weapons, l my body brandlshed,
Who Lhen ls more worLhy of my rage?
44.
1hls body-runnlng sore ln human form-
Merely Louched, lL cannoL sLand Lhe paln!
l'm Lhe one who grasped lL ln my bllnd auachmenL,
Whom should l resenL when paln occurs?
43.
We who are llke chlldren
Shrlnk from paln, buL love lLs causes.
We hurL ourselves Lhrough our mlsdeeds!
So why should oLhers be Lhe ob[ecL of our rage?
46.
And who lndeed should l be angry wlLh?
1hls paln ls all my own conLrlvlng-
Llkewlse all Lhe [anlLors of hell
And all Lhe groves of razor Lrees!79
47.
1hose who harm me rlse agalnsL me-
lL's my karma LhaL has summoned Lhem.
And lf Lhrough Lhls Lhese belngs go Lo hell,
ls lL noL l who brlng Lhelr ruln?
48.
8ecause of Lhem, and Lhrough my pauence,
All my many slns are cleansed and purled.
8uL Lhey wlll be Lhe ones who, Lhanks Lo me,
Wlll have Lhe long-drawn agonles of hell.
49.
1herefore l am Lhelr LormenLor!
1herefore lL ls Lhey who brlng me beneL!
1hus wlLh whaL perverslLy, pernlclous mlnd,
Wlll you be angry wlLh your enemles?
30.
lf a pauenL quallLy of mlnd ls mlne,
l shall avold Lhe palns of hell.
8uL Lhough lndeed l save myself,
WhaL of my foes, whaL faLe's ln sLore for Lhem?
31.
lf l repay Lhem harm for harm,
lndeed Lhey'll noL be saved Lhereby.
My conducL wlll ln Lurn be marred,
AusLerlLy of pauence broughL Lo noLhlng.
32.
8ecause Lhe mlnd ls bodlless
lL cannoL be desLroyed by anyone.
8ecause of mlnd's auachmenL Lo Lhe body,
1hls body ls oppressed by paln.
33.
Scorn and hosule words,
And commenLs LhaL l do noL llke Lo hear-
My body ls noL harmed by Lhem.
WhaL reason do you have, C mlnd, for your resenLmenL?
34.
1he enmlLy LhaL oLhers show me,
Slnce ln Lhls or fuLure llves
lL cannoL acLually devour me,
Why should l be so averse Lo lL?
33.
erhaps l Lurn from lL because
lL hlnders me from havlng whaL l wanL.
8uL all my properLy l'll leave behlnd,
Whlle slns wlll keep me sLeady company.
36.
8euer far for me Lo dle Loday,
1han llve a long and evll llfe.
Powever long Lhe days of Lhose llke me,
1he paln of dylng wlll be all Lhe same.
37.
Cne man dreams he llves a hundred years
Cf happlness, buL Lhen he wakes.
AnoLher dreams an lnsLanL's [oy,
8uL Lhen he llkewlse wakes.
38.
And when Lhey wake, Lhe happlness of boLh
ls nlshed, never Lo reLurn.
Llkewlse, when Lhe hour of deaLh comes round,
Cur llves are over, wheLher brlef or long.
39.
1hough we be rlch ln worldly goods,
uellghung ln our wealLh for many years,
uespolled and sLrlpped as Lhough by Lhleves,
We musL go naked and wlLh empLy hands.
60.
erhaps we'll clalm LhaL by our wealLh we llve,
And llvlng, gaLher merlL, dlsslpaung evll.
8uL lf we are aggresslve for Lhe sake of proL,
Won'L our galns be evll, all our merlLs losL?
61.
And lf Lhe alm for whlch we llve
ls Lhereby wasLed and undone,
WhaL use ls Lhere ln llvlng Lhus,
When evll ls Lhe only consequence?
62.
And lf, when people slander us,
We clalm our anger ls because Lhey ln[ure oLhers,
Pow ls lL we do noL resenL
1helr slander when lL's almed aL someone else?
63.
And lf we bear wlLh Lhls anupaLhy
8ecause lL's due Lo oLher facLors,
Why are we lmpauenL when Lhey slander us?
uelemenL, aer all, has been Lhe cause of lL.
64.
Lven Lhose who vlllfy and undermlne
1he Sacred uocLrlne, lmages, and sLupas
Are noL proper ob[ecLs of our anger.
8uddhas are Lhemselves unLouched Lhereby.
63.
And even lf our Leachers, relauves, and frlends
Are now Lhe ob[ecL of aggresslon,
All derlves from facLors, as we have explalned.
1hls we should percelve and curb our wraLh.
66.
8elngs suer ln[ury allke
lrom llfeless Lhlngs as well as llvlng belngs.
So why be angry only wlLh Lhe lauer?
8aLher leL us slmply bear wlLh harm.
67.
Some do evll Lhlngs because of lgnorance,
Some respond wlLh anger, belng lgnoranL.
Whlch of Lhem ls faulLless ln such acLs?
1o whom shall error be ascrlbed?
68.
lnsLead, why dld Lhey acL ln umes gone by
1haL Lhey are now so harmed aL oLhers' hands?
Slnce everyLhlng depends on karma,
Why should l be angry aL such Lhlngs?
69.
1hls l see and Lherefore, come whaL may,
l'll hold fasL Lo Lhe vlrLuous paLh
And fosLer ln Lhe hearLs of all
An amLude of muLual love.
70.
now when a bulldlng ls ablaze
And ames leap ouL from house Lo house,
1he wlse course ls Lo Lake and lng away
1he sLraw and anyLhlng LhaL spreads Lhe re.
71.
And so, ln fear LhaL merlL mlghL be all consumed,
We should aL once casL far away
Cur mlnd's auachmenLs:
1lnder for Lhe ery ames of haLe.
72.
ls lL noL a happy chance lf when, condemned Lo deaLh,
A man ls freed, hls hand cuL o ln ransom for hls llfe?
And ls lL noL a happy chance lf now, Lo escape hell,
l suer only Lhe mlsforLunes of Lhe human sLaLe?
73.
lf even Lhese, my presenL palns,
Are now beyond my sLrengLh Lo bear,
Why do l noL casL o my anger,
Cause of fuLure sorrows ln lnfernal LormenL?
74.
lor sake of galnlng all LhaL l deslred,
A Lhousand umes l underwenL
1he LorLures of Lhe realms of hell-
Achlevlng noLhlng for myself and oLhers.
73.
1he presenL aches are noLhlng Lo compare wlLh Lhose,
And yeL greaL beneLs wlll come from Lhem.
1hese Lroubles LhaL dlspel Lhe paln of wanderers-
lL's only rlghL LhaL l re[olce ln Lhem.
76.
When oLhers Lake dellghL
ln glvlng pralse Lo Lhose endowed wlLh LalenLs,
Why, C mlnd, do you noL nd
A [oy llkewlse ln pralslng Lhem?
77.
1he pleasure LhaL ls galned Lherefrom
lLself glves rlse Lo blameless happlness.
lL's urged on us by all Lhe holy ones,
And ls Lhe perfecL way of wlnnlng oLhers.
78.
8uL Lhey're Lhe ones who'll have Lhe happlness," you say.
lf Lhls Lhen ls a [oy you would resenL,
Abandon paylng wages and reLurnlng favors.
?ou wlll be Lhe loser-boLh ln Lhls llfe and Lhe nexL!
79.
When pralse ls heaped upon your quallues,
?ou're keen LhaL oLhers should be pleased Lhereby.
8uL when Lhe compllmenL ls pald Lo oLhers,
?ou feel no lncllnauon Lo re[olce as well.
80.
?ou who wanL Lhe happlness of belngs
Pave wlshed Lo be enllghLened for Lhelr sake.
So why should oLhers lrk you when
1hey nd some pleasure for Lhemselves?
81.
And lf you clalm Lo wlsh LhaL belngs
8e enllghLened, honored by Lhe Lrlple world,
When peuy marks of favor come Lhelr way,
Why are you so dlscomforLed?
82.
When dependenLs who rely on you,
1o whom you are obllged Lo glve supporL,
llnd for Lhemselves Lhe means of llvellhood,
Wlll you noL be happy, wlll you once agaln be angry?
83.
lf even Lhls you do noL wanL for belngs,
Pow could you wanL 8uddhahood for Lhem?
And how can anyone have bodhlchlua
Who ls angry when anoLher prospers?
84.
lf someone else recelves a gl,
Cr lf LhaL gl sLays ln Lhe benefacLor's house,
ln nelLher case wlll lL be yours-
So, glven or wlLhheld, why ls lL your concern?
83.
All your merlL and Lhe falLh of oLhers,
All your sLerllng quallues-why Lhrow Lhem all away?
noL holdlng onLo whaL mlghL brlng you rlches,
1ell me, why are you noL angry aL yourself?
86.
noL only do you feel no sorrow
lor Lhe evlls you have done,
?ou even wlsh Lo maLch yourself
WlLh Lhose whose merlL has been earned!
87.
lf unhapplness befalls your enemles,
Why should Lhls be cause for your re[olclng?
1he wlshes of your mlnd alone,
Wlll noL ln facL conLrlve Lhelr ln[ury.
88.
And lf your hosule wlshes were Lo brlng Lhem harm,
Agaln, whaL cause of [oy ls LhaL Lo you?
Why, Lhen l would be saused!"-are Lhese your LhoughLs?
ls anyLhlng more rulnous Lhan LhaL?
89.
CaughL upon Lhe hook, unbearable and sharp,
CasL by Lhe sherman, my own delemenLs,
l'll be ung lnLo Lhe cauldrons of Lhe plL,
And surely bolled by all Lhe [anlLors of hell!
90.
venerauon, pralse, and fame
Serve noL Lo lncrease merlL or my span of llfe,
8esLowlng nelLher healLh nor sLrengLh
And noLhlng for Lhe body's ease.
91.
lf l am wlse ln whaL ls good for me,
l'll ask whaL beneL Lhese brlng.
lor lf lL's enLerLalnmenL l deslre,
l mlghL as well resorL Lo alcohol and cards!80
92.
l lose my llfe, my wealLh l squander,
All for repuLauon's sake.
WhaL use are words, and whom wlll Lhey dellghL
When l am dead and ln my grave?
93.
Chlldren can'L help crylng when
1helr sand casLles come crumbllng down.
My mlnd ls so llke Lhem
When pralse and repuLauon sLarL Lo fall.
94.
ShorL-llved sound, devold of lnLellecL,
Can never ln lLself lnLend Lo pralse me.
l say LhaL lL's Lhe [oy LhaL oLhers Lake ln me,
lL's Lhls LhaL ls Lhe cause of my dellghL.
93.
8uL whaL ls lL Lo me lf oLhers Lake dellghL
ln someone else, or even ln myself?
1helr pleasure's Lhelrs and Lhelrs alone.
no parL of lL ls felL by me.
96.
lf l am happy aL Lhe [oy of Lhose who Lake dellghL,
1hen everyone should be a source of [oy Lo me.
When people Lake dellghL ln oLhers
Why am l noL happy aL Lhelr pleasure?
97.
1he sausfacuon LhaL ls mlne
lrom Lhlnklng, l am belng pralsed,"
ls unaccepLable Lo common sense
And noLhlng buL Lhe anucs of a sllly chlld.
98.
ralse and compllmenLs dlsLracL me,
Sapplng my revulslon wlLh sa!sra.
l sLarL Lo envy oLhers Lhelr good quallues
And Lhus all excellence ls rulned.
99.
1hose who sLay close by me, Lhen,
1o damage my good name and cuL me down Lo slze-
Are surely Lhere proLecung me
lrom falllng lnLo realms of grlef.
100.
lor l am one who sLrlves for freedom.
l musL noL be caughL by wealLh and honors.
Pow could l be angry wlLh Lhe ones
Who work Lo free me from my feuers?
101.
1hey, llke 8uddha's very blesslng,
8ar my way, deLermlned as l am
1o plunge myself headlong ln sorrow:
Pow can l be angry wlLh Lhem?
102.
l should noL be lrrlLaLed, saylng,
1hey are obsLacles Lo my good deeds."
lor ls noL pauence Lhe supreme ausLerlLy,
And should l noL ablde by Lhls?
103.
And lf l fall Lo pracuce pauence,
Plndered by my own shorLcomlngs,
l myself creaLe lmpedlmenLs
1o merlL's causes, yeL so close aL hand.
104.
lf someLhlng does noL come Lo be when someLhlng else ls absenL,
And does arlse, LhaL facLor belng presenL,
1haL facLor ls lndeed lLs cause.
Pow can lL, Lhen, be sald Lo hlnder lL?
103.
1he beggars who arrlve aL proper umes
Are noL an obsLacle Lo generoslLy.
We cannoL say LhaL Lhose who glve Lhe vows
Are hlndrances Lo ordlnauon!
106.
1he beggars ln Lhls world are numerous,
AssallanLs are comparauvely few.
lor lf l do no harm Lo oLhers,
CLhers do no ln[ury Lo me.
107.
So, llke a Lreasure found aL home,
1haL l have galned wlLhouL faugue,
My enemles are helpers ln my 8odhlsauva work
And Lherefore Lhey should be a [oy Lo me.
108.
Slnce l have grown ln pauence
1hanks Lo Lhem,
1o Lhem lLs rsL frulLs l should glve,
lor of my pauence Lhey have been Lhe cause.
109.
And lf l say my foes should noL be honored
Slnce Lhey dld noL mean Lo sumulaLe my pauence,
Why do l revere Lhe Sacred uharma,
Cause lndeed of my aualnmenL?
110.
1hese enemles consplred Lo harm me," l proLesL,
And Lherefore should recelve no honors."
8uL had Lhey worked Lo help me llke a docLor,
Pow could l have broughL forLh pauence?
111.
1hanks Lo Lhose whose mlnds are full of mallce
l engender pauence ln myself.
1hey Lherefore are Lhe causes of my pauence,
llL for venerauon, llke Lhe uharma.
112.
And so Lhe mlghLy Sage has spoken of Lhe eld of belngs
As well as of Lhe eld of Conquerors.
Many who broughL happlness Lo belngs,
Pave passed beyond, aualnlng Lo perfecuon.
113.
1hus Lhe sLaLe of 8uddhahood depends
Cn belngs and on 8uddhas equally.
WhaL klnd of pracuce ls lL Lhen
1haL honors only 8uddhas buL noL belngs?
114.
noL ln Lhe quallues of Lhelr mlnds
8uL ln Lhe frulLs Lhey glve are Lhey allke.
ln belngs, Loo, such excellence resldes,
And Lherefore belngs and 8uddhas are Lhe same.
113.
Cerlngs made Lo Lhose wlLh lovlng mlnds
8eveal Lhe emlnence of llvlng belngs.81
MerlL LhaL accrues from falLh ln 8uddha
Shows ln Lurn Lhe 8uddha's emlnence.
116.
AlLhough noL one of Lhem ls equal
1o Lhe 8uddhas, who are oceans of perfecuon,
8ecause Lhey have a share ln brlnglng forLh enllghLenmenL,
8elngs may be llkened Lo Lhe 8uddhas.
117.
lf of such a gaLherlng of supreme excellence
A uny parL appeared ln cerLaln belngs,
1he Lhree worlds made ln oerlng Lo Lhem
Would be a very llule Lhlng.
118.
Slnce Lhere lles ln belngs a share
ln brlnglng forLh Lhe supreme and enllghLened sLaLe,
8y vlrLue of Lhls parlLy alone
lL's rlghL LhaL l should reverence Lhem.
119.
1he 8uddhas are my Lrue, unfalllng frlends.
8oundless are Lhe beneLs Lhey brlng Lo me.
Pow else may l repay Lhelr goodness
8uL by maklng llvlng belngs happy?
120.
8y helplng belngs we repay Lhe ones
Who sacrlce Lhelr llves for us and plunge lnLo Lhe hell of unrelenung aln.
Should belngs Lherefore do greaL harm Lo me,
l'll sLrlve Lo brlng Lhem only beneL.
121.
lor Lhose who have become my lords,
AL umes, Look care noL even of Lhelr bodles.
Why should l, a fool, behave wlLh such concelL?
Why should l noL become Lhe slave of oLhers?
122.
8uddhas are made happy by Lhe [oy of belngs.
1hey sorrow, Lhey lamenL when belngs suer.
8y brlnglng [oy Lo belngs, Lhen, l please Lhe 8uddhas also,
8y woundlng Lhem, l wound Lhe 8uddhas Loo.
123.
!usL as Lhere's no sensual dellghL
1o please Lhe mlnd of one whose body burns ln re,
1here ls no way Lo please Lhe greaL compasslonaLe ones
Whlle we ourselves are causes of anoLher's paln.
124.
1he damage l have done Lo belngs
Saddens all Lhe 8uddhas ln Lhelr greaL compasslon.
1herefore, all Lhese evlls l confess Loday
And pray LhaL Lhey wlll bear wlLh my oences.
123.
1haL l mlghL re[olce Lhe 8uddhas' hearLs,
PenceforLh l wlll be masLer of myself, Lhe servanL of Lhe world.
l shall noL seek revenge Lhough crowds may Lrample on my head or klll me.
LeL Lhe Cuardlans of Lhe world re[olce!
126.
1he greaL compasslonaLe lords conslder as Lhemselves82
All belngs-Lhere's no doubL of Lhls.
1hose whom l percelve as belngs are 8uddhas ln Lhemselves,
Pow can l noL LreaL Lhem wlLh respecL?
127.
1hls very Lhlng ls pleaslng Lo Lhe 8uddhas' hearLs
And perfecLly secures Lhe welfare of myself.
1hls wlll drlve away Lhe sorrows of Lhe world,
And Lherefore lL wlll be my consLanL work.
128.
lmaglne LhaL Lhe sLeward of a klng
uoes ln[ury Lo muluLudes of people.
1hose wlLh clear, farseelng eyes
uo noL respond wlLh vlolence even lf Lhey can.
129.
lor sLewards, aer all, are noL alone.
1hey are supporLed by Lhe klngly power.
1herefore l wlll noL desplse
1he feeble belngs Lormenung me.
130.
1helr allles are Lhe guardlans of hell
And also Lhe compasslonaLe 8uddhas.
1herefore llvlng belngs l wlll graufy
As sub[ecLs mlghL placaLe a wraLhful klng.
131.
And yeL, Lhe palns of hell Lo be endured
1hrough maklng llvlng belngs suer-
Could Lhese ever be unleashed on me
8y all Lhe lre of such a klng?
132.
And even lf LhaL klng were pleased,
LnllghLenmenL he could noL glve Lo me.
lor Lhls wlll only be achleved
8y brlnglng happlness Lo belngs.
133.
no need Lo menuon fuLure 8uddhahood,
Achleved Lhrough brlnglng happlness Lo belngs.
Pow can l noL see LhaL glory, fame, and pleasure
Lven ln Lhls llfe wlll llkewlse come?
134.
lor pauence ln sa!sra brlngs such Lhlngs
As beauLy, healLh, and good renown.
lLs frulL ls greaL longevlLy,
1he vasL conLenLmenL of a unlversal klng.
7. ulllgence
1.
1hus wlLh pauence l wlll sLrlve wlLh dlllgence.
lor ln such dlllgence enllghLenmenL ls found.
lf no wlnd blows, Lhen noLhlng surs,
And nelLher ls Lhere merlL wlLhouL dlllgence.
2.
ulllgence means [oy ln vlrLuous ways.83
lLs conLrarles have been dened as lazlness,
An lncllnauon for unwholesomeness,
uefeausm and self-conLempL.
3.
A LasLe for ldle pleasure
And a cravlng for repose and sleep,
no qualms abouL Lhe sorrows of sa!sra:
Lazlness lndeed ls born from Lhese.
4.
Snared by Lhe Lrapper of deled emouon,
Lnmeshed and Laken ln Lhe Lolls of blrLh,
Agaln you've sLrayed lnLo Lhe maw of ueaLh.
WhaL ls lL? Pave you sull noL undersLood?
3.
uon'L you see how, one by one,
ueaLh has come for all your klnd?
And yeL you slumber on so soundly,
Llke a bualo beslde lLs buLcher.
6.
All Lhe paLhs of lghL are blocked,
1he Lord of ueaLh now has you ln hls slghLs.
Pow can you Lake such pleasure ln your food,
And how can you dellghL Lo resL and sleep?84
7.
ueaLh wlll swoop on you so swlly.
CaLher merlL ull LhaL momenL comes!
lor even lf you Lhen Lhrow o your lndolence,
WhaL wlll you do when Lhere ls no more ume?
8.
1hls l have noL done, and Lhls l'm only sLarung.
And Lhls-l'm only halfway Lhrough . . ."
1hen ls Lhe sudden comlng of Lhe Lord of ueaLh,
And oh, Lhe LhoughL Alas, l'm nlshed!"
9.
?ou'll look upon Lhe faces of your hopeless frlends,
1helr LearsLalned cheeks, Lhelr red and swollen eyes
(lor such wlll be Lhe depLhs of Lhelr dlsLress),
And Lhen you'll see Lhe heralds of Lhe ueadly Lord.
10.
1he memory of former slns wlll LorLure you,
1he screams and dln of hell break on your ears.
WlLh very Lerror you wlll foul yourself.
WhaL wlll you do ln such dellrlum?
11.
lf, llke a llvlng sh LhaL LwlsLs and wrlLhes,
?ou are so Lerrled whlle sull allve,
WhaL need Lo speak of paln unbearable
ln hells creaLed by pasL evll deeds?
12.
Pow can you remaln aL ease llke Lhls
When you have done Lhe deeds LhaL lead
1o conLacL on your Lender baby-esh
Cf bolllng llqulds ln Lhe hell of LxLreme PeaL?
13.
So LesLy and Lhln-sklnned, you wanL resulLs wlLhouL endeavor-
Many are Lhe Lroubles now ln sLore for you!
1hough ln Lhe grlp of deaLh, you are behavlng llke a god,83
And suerlng, alas, wlll beaL you down!
14.
So Lake advanLage of Lhls human boaL.
lree yourself from sorrow's mlghLy sLream!
1hls vessel wlll be laLer hard Lo nd.
1he ume LhaL you have now, you fool, ls noL for sleep!
13.
?ou Lurn your back upon Lhe Sacred uocLrlne,
Supreme [oy and boundless source of bllss.
Why dellghL ln mere exclLemenL,
ln dlsLracuons LhaL wlll cause you mlsery?
16.
uo noL be downcasL, buL marshal all your powers,
Make an eorL, be Lhe masLer of yourself!
racuce Lhe equallLy of self and oLher,
racuce Lhe exchange of self and oLher.86
17.
Ch, buL how could l become enllghLened?"
uon'L excuse yourself wlLh such despondency!
1he 8uddha, who declares Lhe LruLh,
Pas Lruly spoken and proclalmed
18.
1haL lf Lhey brlng forLh sLrengLh of perseverance,
Lven bees and les
And gnaLs and grubs wlll galn
Supreme enllghLenmenL so hard Lo nd.
19.
And lf, by blrLh and llneage of human klnd,
l'm able Lo dlsungulsh good from lll
And do noL leave aslde Lhe 8odhlsauva deeds,
Why should l noL aualn Lhe sLaLe of 8uddhahood?
20.
1haL l musL glve away my llfe and llmbs
Alarms and frlghLens me"-lf so you say,
?our Lerror ls mlsplaced. Confused,
?ou fall Lo see whaL's hard and whaL ls easy.
21.
lor myrlads of ages, measureless, uncounLed,
?our body has been cuL, lmpaled,
8urned, Lorn-for umes pasL numberlng!
?eL none of Lhls has broughL you 8uddhahood.
22.
1he hardshlps suered on Lhe paLh Lo 8uddhahood
Are llmlLed ln Lhelr exLenL
And llkened Lo Lhe paln of an lnclslon
Made Lo cure Lhe harms of lnward llls.
23.
And all our docLors cure dlsease
8y means of bluer remedles.
Llkewlse, Lo desLroy a vasL amounL of paln,
We should be pauenL wlLh our llule hurLs.
24.
And yeL Lhe Supreme Pealer does noL use,
Llke Lhem, Lhese common remedles.
WlLh ways of exLreme Lenderness
Pe sooLhes away lnLense and boundless suerlng.
23.
Cur gulde lnsLrucLs us Lo begln
8y glvlng vegeLable greens or oLher llule Lhlngs,
1haL laLer, sLep-by-sLep, Lhe hablL once acqulred,
We may be able Lo donaLe our very esh.
26.
lor when we Lruly feel
Cur bodles are no dlerenL from Lhe glven herbs,
WhaL hardshlp can Lhere be
ln glvlng up, rellnqulshlng, our very esh?
27.
Sln has been abandoned, Lhus Lhere ls no paln,
1hrough havlng wlsdom Lhere ls no more sorrow.
lor so lL ls LhaL mlnd and body boLh
Are ln[ured by false vlews and slnfulness.
28.
MerlL ls Lhe Lrue cause of Lhe body's ease,
Whlle happlness of mlnd ls had Lhrough undersLandlng.
WhaL can sadden Lhose who have compasslon,
Who remaln wlLhln sa!sra for Lhe sake of belngs?
29.
lor Lhrough Lhelr power of bodhlchlua,
lormer slns are LoLally consumed,
And merlL, ocean-vasL, ls gaLhered ln,
lL's Lherefore sald LhaL Lhey excel Lhe Shrvakas.87
30.
MounLed on Lhe horse of bodhlchlua,
Whlch puLs Lo lghL all mournful wearlness,
WhaL lucld person could be ln despalr
roceedlng ln Lhls way from [oy Lo [oy?
31.
1he forces LhaL secure Lhe good of belngs,
Are asplrauon, sLeadfasLness, rellnqulshmenL, and [oy.
Asplrauon grows Lhrough fear of suerlng
And conLemplauon of Lhe beneLs Lo be aualned.
32.
1herefore leavlng everyLhlng LhaL ls adverse Lo lL,
l'll labor Lo lncrease my dlllgence,
1hrough asplrauon and self-condence, rellnqulshmenL and [oy,
8y sLrengLh of earnesL appllcauon and exeruon of conLrol.
33.
1he boundless evlls of myself and oLhers-
l musL brlng Lhem all Lo noLhlng,
Lven Lhough a slngle of Lhese llls
May Lake unnumbered ages Lo exhausL!
34.
And lf l nd wlLhln myself
no slgn LhaL faulLs are even sLarung Lo be cleansed,
Why does my hearL noL bursL asunder,
uesuned as l am for boundless paln?
33.
Cood quallues for my and oLhers' sake,
1hough Lhey be many, l musL now accompllsh,
Lven Lhough for each of Lhem
l musL endeavor for unnumbered ages.
36.
AcqualnLance l have never galned
WlLh even parL of such greaL quallues.
lL ls lndeed amazlng LhaL l render meanlngless
1hls llfe LhaL somehow l have galned.
37.
Cerlngs Lo Lhe 8uddhas l have never made,
no feasLs were ever held Lhrough my donauons,
no works have l accompllshed for Lhe 1eachlngs,
1he wlshes of Lhe poor l le unsaused.
38.
l have noL saved Lhe frlghLened from Lhelr fear,
1he wreLched l have noL consoled.
My moLher's paln, her womb's dlscomforL:
1hese alone are my accompllshmenLs.
39.
My fallure Lo asplre Lo uharma
now and ln Lhe pasL
Pas broughL me Lo my presenL derellcuon.
Who Lherefore would spurn such asplrauon?
40.
Asplrauon, so Lhe Sage asserLed,
ls Lhe rooL of every klnd of vlrLue.
Asplrauon's rooL ln Lurn
ls consLanL medlLauon on Lhe frulLs of acuon.
41.
1he body's palns, anxleues of mlnd,
And all my fears of varlous klnds,
1o be deprlved of whaL l wanL-
Such ls Lhe harvesL of my slnful deeds.
42.
8uL lf my acLs are good, slncerely lnLended,
1hen no mauer where l Lurn my sLeps,
1he merlL galned wlll honor me
WlLh lLs resulung beneLs.
43.
8uL lf, Lhrough seeklng happlness, my deeds are wrong,
no mauer where l Lurn my sLeps,
1he knlves of mlsery wlll cuL me down,
1he wage and reLrlbuuon of a slnful llfe.
44.
1hrough vlrLue l wlll resL wlLhln Lhe cool hearL of a fragranL spreadlng loLus,
WlLh splendor nurLured by Lhe sweeL words of Lhe Conqueror.
1hen from Lhe loLus opened ln Lhe Sage's llghL, ln supreme form l wlll arlse
1o dwell, Lhe bllssful 8uddha's helr, ln presence of vlcLorlous Cnes.88
43.
Cr else as wages of my many slns, my skln compleLely ayed,
l shall be uuerly broughL low
8y creaLures of Lhe Lord of ueaLh, who on my body pour a llquld bronze all
melLed ln Lhe dreadful blaze.
And plerced by burnlng swords and knlves, my esh
ulsmembered ln a hundred parLs wlll fall upon Lhe whlLe-hoL lron ground.
46.
1herefore l wlll asplre and Lend Lo vlrLue,
And sLeep myself ln lL wlLh greaL devouon.
And wlLh Lhe meLhod sLaLed ln Lhe va[radhva[a,89
l wlll Lraln ln condenL assurance.
47.
LeL me rsL conslder my reserves-
1o sLarL or noL Lo sLarL accordlngly.
lL mlghL be beuer noL Lo sLarL,
8uL once begun, l should noL Lhen wlLhdraw.
48.
lor lf l do such Lhlngs, Lhe pauern wlll reLurn
ln laLer llves, and sln and paln wlll grow.
And oLher acuons wlll be le undone
Cr else wlll bear a meager frulL.
49.
Acuon, Lhe aMlcuons, and ablllLy:
1hree Lhlngs Lo whlch my prlde should be dlrecLed.90
l wlll do Lhls, l myself, alone!"
1hese words dene my prlde of acuon.
30.
Cverpowered by Lhelr mlnds' aMlcuons,
Worldly folk are helpless Lo secure Lhelr happlness.
Compared wlLh Lhose who wander, l am able!
1hls Lherefore shall be my Lask.
31.
When oLhers glve Lhemselves Lo low behavlor,
WhaL shall be my sLance ln Lhelr regard?
ln any case, l'll noL be arroganL,
My besL way ls Lo glve up such concelL.
32.
When Lhey nd a dylng serpenL,
Lven crows behave llke soarlng eagles.
1herefore lf l'm weak and feeble-hearLed,
Lven llule faulLs wlll sLrlke and ln[ure me.91
33.
8uL lf, depressed, l glve up Lrylng,
Pow can l galn freedom from my ab[ecL sLaLe?
8uL lf l sLand my ground wlLh proud resolve,
lL wlll be hard for even greaL faulLs Lo auack me.
34.
1herefore wlLh a sLeadfasL hearL
l'll geL Lhe beuer of my weaknesses.
8uL lf my falllngs geL Lhe upper hand,
My wlsh Lo overcome Lhe Lrlple world ls laughable lndeed.
33.
l wlll be vlcLor over all,
And noLhlng shall prevall and brlng me down!"
1he osprlng of Lhe Llon, Lhe Conqueror,
Should consLanLly ablde ln Lhls self-condence.92
36.
1hose whom arrogance desLroys
Are Lhus deled, Lhey lack self-condence.
1hose who have Lrue condence escape Lhe foe,
Whlle oLhers fall lnLo Lhe power of an evll prlde.
37.
When arrogance lnaLes Lhe mlnd,
lL draws lL down Lo sLaLes of mlsery-
Cr rulns happlness, should human blrLh be galned.
1hus one ls born a slave, dependenL for one's susLenance,
38.
Cr feeblemlnded, ugly, wlLhouL sLrengLh,
1he buu and laughlngsLock of everyone.
1hese asceucs" pued up wlLh concelL!
lf Lhese you call Lhe proud, Lhen Lell me who are wreLched?
39.
1hose who uphold prlde Lo vanqulsh prlde, Lhe enemy,
Are Lruly proud, vlcLorlous, and brave.
And Lhey who sLem Lhe lncrease of LhaL evll prlde,
erfecL, accordlng Lo Lhelr wlsh, Lhe frulL of vlcLory for belngs.
60.
When l am beleaguered by delemenLs,
l wlll sLand and face Lhem ln a Lhousand ways.
l'll noL surrender Lo Lhe hosL of Lhe aMlcuons
8uL llke a llon l wlll sLand amld a crowd of foxes.
61.
Powever greaL may be Lhelr perll,
eople wlll by reex guard Lhelr eyes.
And llkewlse l, whaLever dangers come,
MusL noL fall down beneaLh delemenL's power.
62.
8euer for me Lo be burned Lo deaLh,
And beuer Lo be kllled, my head cuL o!
AL no ume wlll l bow and scrape
8efore LhaL foe of mlne, deled emouon.93
62a.
1hus ln every ume and place
l wlll noL wander from Lhe wholesome paLh.
63.
Llke Lhose who Lake greaL pleasure ln Lhelr games,
WhaLever Lask Lhe 8odhlsauvas do,
LeL Lhem devoLe Lhemselves wlLhouL reserve,
WlLh [oyfulness LhaL never knows saueLy.
64.
eople labor hard Lo galn conLenLmenL
1hough success ls very far from sure.
8uL how can Lhey be happy lf Lhey do noL do
1hose deeds LhaL are Lhe source of [oy Lo Lhem?
63.
And slnce Lhey never have enough of pleasure,
Poney on Lhe razor's edge,
Pow could Lhey have enough of merlL,
lrulLs of whlch are happlness and peace?
66.
1he elephanL, LormenLed by Lhe noonday sun,
Wlll dlve lnLo Lhe waLers of a lake,
And llkewlse l musL plunge lnLo my work
1haL l mlghL brlng lL Lo compleuon.
67.
lf lmpalred by weakness or faugue,
l'll lay Lhe work aslde, Lhe beuer Lo resume.
And l wlll leave Lhe Lask when lL's compleLe,
All avld for Lhe work LhaL's nexL Lo come.
68.
As seasoned ghLers face Lhe swords
Cf enemles upon Lhe baule llne,
l'll llghLly dodge Lhe weapons of delemenL,
And sLrlke my enemy upon Lhe qulck.
69.
lf, ln Lhe fray, Lhe soldler drops hls sword,
ln frlghL, he swlly Lakes lL up agaln.
So llkewlse, lf Lhe arm of mlndfulness ls losL,
ln fear of hell, l'll qulckly geL lL back!
70.
!usL as polson lls Lhe body,
8orne on Lhe currenL of Lhe blood,
Llkewlse evll, when lL nds lLs chance,
Wlll spread and permeaLe Lhe mlnd.
71.
l wlll be llke a frlghLened man, a brlmmlng oll-[ar ln hls hand,
And menaced by a swordsman saylng,
Splll one drop and you shall dle!"
1hls ls how pracuuoners should hold Lhemselves.
72.
!usL as a man would swlly sLand
lf ln hls lap a serpenL were Lo gllde,
lf sleep and leLhargy beseL me,
l wlll speedlly repulse Lhem.
73.
Lvery ume, Lhen, LhaL l fall,
l wlll reprove and chlde myself,
1hlnklng long LhaL by whaLever means
Such faulLs ln fuLure shall no more occur.
74.
AL all umes and ln any slLuauon,
Pow can l make mlndfulness my consLanL hablL?
1hlnklng Lhus l wlll deslre
1o meeL wlLh Leachers and fulll Lhe proper Lasks.
73.
8y all means, Lhen, before l sLarL some work,
1haL l mlghL have Lhe sLrengLh sumclenL Lo Lhe Lask,
l wlll recall Lhe Leachlngs upon carefulness
And llghLly rlse Lo whaL ls Lo be done.
76.
!usL as axen Lhreads wa Lo and fro,
lmpelled by every breaLh of wlnd,
So all l do wlll be achleved,
ConLrolled by movemenLs of a [oyful hearL.
8. MedlLauve ConcenLrauon
1.
Culuvaung dlllgence as [usL descrlbed,
ln concenLrauon l wlll place my mlnd.
lor Lhose whose mlnds are slack and wanderlng
Are caughL beLween Lhe fangs of Lhe aMlcuons.
2.
ln sollLude, Lhe mlnd and body
Are noL Lroubled by dlsLracuon.
1herefore leave Lhls worldly llfe
And LoLally abandon menLal wanderlng.
3.
8ecause of loved ones and deslre for galn,
We fall Lo Lurn away from worldly Lhlngs.
1hese, Lhen, are Lhe rsL Lhlngs Lo renounce.
1he prudenL should conducL Lhemselves llke Lhls.
4.
eneLrauve lnslghL [olned wlLh calm abldlng
uuerly eradlcaLes aMlcLed sLaLes.
knowlng Lhls, rsL search for calm abldlng,
lound by people who are happy Lo be free from worldly ues.
3.
8elngs, brlef, ephemeral,
Who sLrongly cllng Lo whaL ls also LranslenL,
Wlll caLch no gllmpse of Lhose Lhey love
lor many Lhousands of Lhelr fuLure llves.
6.
noL seelng Lhem, Lhelr mlnds wlll have no [oy,
1hey Lherefore wlll noL resL ln equanlmlLy.
8uL even lf Lhey see Lhem, Lhey are noL conLenL-
And as before, Lhe paln of longlng sLays.
7.
lf l crave for oLher belngs,
A vell ls casL upon Lhe perfecL LruLh.
Wholesome dlsllluslon94 melLs away,
And nally Lhere comes Lhe sung of paln.
8.
My LhoughLs are all for Lhem,
And Lhus my llfe ls frluered by.
My famlly and frlends all change and pass, for whom
1he changeless uharma ls casL ouL.
9.
lor lf l acL llke chlldlsh belngs,
Sure lL ls LhaL l shall fall Lo evll desunles.
So why do l keep company wlLh lnfanLs,
Who lead me Lo a sLaLe so far from vlrLue?
10.
Cne momenL frlends,
1he nexL, Lhey're bluer enemles.
Lven pleasanL Lhlngs arouse Lhelr dlsconLenL:
Crdlnary people-lL ls hard Lo please Lhem!
11.
A beneclal word and Lhey resenL lL,
1urnlng me lnsLead from whaL ls good.
And when l close my ears Lo whaL Lhey say,
1helr anger makes Lhem fall Lo lower sLaLes.
12.
!ealous of superlors, Lhey vle wlLh equals,
roud Lo Lhose below, Lhey sLruL when pralsed.
Say someLhlng unLoward, Lhey seeLhe wlLh rage.
WhaL good was ever had from chlldlsh folk?
13.
keep company wlLh Lhem and whaL wlll follow?
Self-aggrandlzemenL and scorn for oLhers,
1alk abouL Lhe good Lhlngs" of sa!sra-
Lvery klnd of vlce ls sure Lo come.
14.
Cnly ruln can resulL
lrom such a llnk beLween myself and oLhers.
lor Lhey wlll brlng no beneL Lo me,
And l ln Lurn can do Lhem noLhlng good.
13.
1herefore ee Lhe company of chlldlsh people.
CreeL Lhem, when you meeL, wlLh smlles
1haL keep on Lerms of common courLesy,
WlLhouL lnvlung lnumaLe relauons.
16.
Llke bees LhaL geL Lhelr honey from Lhe owers,
1ake only whaL wlll serve Lhe pracuce of Lhe uharma.
1reaL everyone llke new acqualnLances
And keep yourself from close famlllarlLy.
17.
Ch l am rlch and well respecLed,
LoLs of people Lake dellghL ln me."
nourlsh such complacency and laLer,
Aer deaLh, your fears wlll sLarL!
18.
lndeed, C foollsh and aMlcLed mlnd,
?ou wanL and crave for all and everyLhlng.
All Lhls LogeLher wlll rlse up
As paln lLself, lncreased a Lhousandfold.
19.
Slnce Lhls ls so, Lhe wlse have no auachmenLs,
lrom such cravlngs fear and angulsh come.
And x Lhls rmly ln your undersLandlng:
All LhaL may be wlshed for wlll by naLure fade Lo noLhlng.
20.
lor people may have galned greaL wealLh of rlches,
Ln[oylng repuLauon, sweeL renown.
8uL who can say where Lhey have gone Lo now,
WlLh all Lhe baggage of Lhelr gold and fame?
21.
Why should l be pleased when people pralse me?
CLhers Lhere wlll be who scorn and crluclze-
And why despondenL when l'm blamed,
Slnce Lhere'll be oLhers who Lhlnk well of me?
22.
So many are Lhe leanlngs and Lhe wanLs of belngs
1haL even 8uddha could noL please Lhem all-
Cf such a wreLch as me no need Lo speak!
l'll glve up such concerns wlLh worldly Lhlngs.
23.
eople scorn Lhe poor who have no wealLh,
1hey also crluclze Lhe rlch who have lL.
WhaL pleasure can derlve from keeplng company
WlLh people such as Lhese, so dlmculL Lo please?
24.
ln klndness chlldlsh belngs Lake no dellghL
unless Lhelr own deslres are saused.
A chlldlsh person, Lhus, ls no Lrue frlend.
1hls Lhe 1aLhgaLas have declared.
23.
ln woodlands, haunL of sLag and blrd,
Among Lhe Lrees where no dlssenslon [ars,
lL's Lhere l would keep pleasanL company!
When mlghL l be o Lo make my dwelllng Lhere?
26.
When shall l deparL Lo make my home
ln cave or empLy shrlne or under spreadlng Lree,
WlLh, ln my breasL, a free, unfeuered hearL,
Whlch never Lurns Lo casL a backward glance?
27.
When mlghL l ablde ln such a place,
A place unclalmed and ownerless,
1haL's wlde and unconned, a place where l mlghL sLay
AL llberLy, wlLhouL auachmenL?
28.
When mlghL l be free of fear,
WlLhouL Lhe need Lo hlde from anyone,
WlLh [usL a begglng bowl and few belonglngs,
uressed ln garmenLs coveLed by none?
29.
And golng Lo Lhe charnel ground,
When shall l compare
My body wlLh Lhe dry bones Lhere,
So soon Lo fall Lo noLhlng, all allke?
30.
1hls form of mlne, Lhls very esh
ls soon Lo glve ouL such a sLench
1haL even [ackals won'L come close-
And LhaL lndeed ls all lL wlll become.
31.
1hls body, now so whole and lnLegral,
1hls esh and bone LhaL llfe has knlL LogeLher,
Wlll drl aparL, dlslnLegraLe,
And how much more wlll frlend deparL from frlend?
32.
Alone we're born, alone we come lnLo Lhe world,
And when we dle, alone we pass away.
no one shares our faLe, and none our suerlng.
WhaL need have l of frlends" who hlnder me?
33.
Llke Lhose who [ourney on Lhe road,
Who pause and lodge along Lhe way,
8elngs on Lhe paLhways of exlsLence
Selze upon Lhe lodglng of Lhelr blrLh.
34.
unul Lhe ume comes round
When four men carry me away,
Amld Lhe grlef of worldly folk-
1lll Lhen, l wlll away and go lnLo Lhe foresL.
33.
1here, wlLh no befrlendlng or begrudglng,
l wlll sLay alone ln sollLude,
Consldered from Lhe ouLseL as already dead,
1hus, when l dle, a source of paln Lo none.
36.
1hen Lhere wlll be no one sLandlng by
ln Lears and mournlng, Lhus Lo Lrouble me.
And no one wlll be Lhere dlsLracung me
lrom Lhlnklng of Lhe 8uddha and Lhe pracuce.
37.
1herefore ln Lhese lovely gleamlng woods,
WlLh [oy LhaL's marred by few concerns,
Where menLal wanderlng wlll cease,
l wlll remaln ln bllssful sollLude.
38.
8ellnqulshlng all oLher asplrauons,
locuslng myself on one lnLenL alone,
l'll sLrlve Lo sull my mlnd
And, calmlng lL, Lo brlng lL Lo sub[ecuon.
39.
ln Lhls and ln Lhe worlds Lo come,
ueslre's Lhe parenL of all woe:
ln Lhls world, kllllng, bonds, and wounds,
And ln Lhe nexL, Lhe hells and oLher palns.
40.
?ou send your go-beLweens, boLh boy and mald,93
WlLh many lnvlLauons for Lhe prlze,
Avoldlng, ln Lhe quesL, no sln,
no deed LhaL brlngs an lll renown,
41.
nor acLs of frlghuul rlsk,
nor loss and ruln of possesslons-
All for pleasure and Lhe perfecL bllss,
1haL uLmosL peneLraung klss
42.
Cf whaL ln LruLh ls noLhlng buL a heap of bones
uevold of self, wlLhouL auLonomy!
ls Lhls Lhe only ob[ecL of deslre and lusL?
Sooner pass beyond all suerlng and grlef!
43.
WhaL palns you wenL Lo [usL Lo ll her face,
Per face LhaL modesLly looked down,
Whlch, looked upon or noL before,
Was always wlLh a vell concealed.
44.
1haL face for whlch you langulshed so . . .
Well, here lL ls, now nakedly exposed.
1he vulLures have uncovered lL for you Lo see.
WhaL's Lhls? ?ou run away so soon?
43.
1haL whlch once you [ealously proLecLed,
Shlelded from Lhe eyes of oLher men,
Why, mlser LhaL you are, don'L you proLecL lL,
now LhaL lL's Lhe food of graveyard blrds?
46.
Look, Lhls mass of human esh,
ls now Lhe fare of carrlon beasLs-
And you would deck wlLh garlands, sandalwood, and [ewels,
1he food and provender of oLhers?
47.
Look agaln, Lhls heap of bones-
lnerL and dead. Why, whaL are you so scared of?
Why dld you noL fear lL when lL walked around,
!usL llke a rlsen corpse propelled by some sLrange lnuence?
48.
?ou loved lL once, when cloLhed and draped lL was.
Well, now lL's naked, why do you noL wanL lL?
Ah, you say, your need ls no more Lhere,
8uL why dld you embrace lL, all bedecked and covered?
49.
lrom food, a slngle source, come equally
1he body's lLh and necLar of Lhe mouLh.
So why are you dellghLed by sallva,
And yeL repelled by excremenL?
30.
1aklng no dellghL ln plllows
Made of couon so Lo Louch,
?ou clalm Lhe human form emlLs no sLench.
8efooled by lusL, lLs lLh you do noL recognlze!
31.
Lusuul one, befuddled by deslre,
8ecause you cannoL copulaLe wlLh lL,
?ou angrlly nd faulL wlLh couon,
So Lhough lL may be Lo Louch!
32.
And lf you have no love of lLh,
Pow can you coddle on your lap
A cage of bones ued fasL wlLh slnews,
lasLered over wlLh Lhe mud of esh?
33.
ln facL you're full of lLh yourself,
?ou wallow ln lL consLanLly.
lL ls lndeed [usL lLh LhaL you deslre,
And Lherefore long for oLher sacks of lL!
34.
8uL lL's Lhe skln and esh l love
1o Louch and look upon."
1hen why do you noL wlsh for esh alone,
lnanlmaLe and ln lLs naLural sLaLe?
33.
1he mlnd LhaL you perhaps deslre,
?ou cannoL hold or look upon.
WhaLever you can hold or see ls noL Lhe mlnd-
Why copulaLe wlLh someLhlng lL ls noL?
36.
1o fall Lo grasp Lhe unclean naLure
Cf anoLher's esh ls noL perhaps so sLrange.
8uL noL Lo see Lhe lLhy naLure
Cf oneself ls very sLrange lndeed!
37.
Why does Lhe mlnd, lnLenL on lLhlness,
neglecL Lhe fresh young loLus blossom,
Cpened ln Lhe sunllghL of a cloudless sky,
1o Lake [oy raLher ln a sack of dlrL?
38.
And slnce you're dlslncllned Lo Louch
A place or ob[ecL grlmed wlLh excremenL,
Why do you wlsh Lo Louch Lhe body
Whence such excremenL has come?
39.
And lf you have no cravlng for lmpurlLy,
Why wlll you now embrace and klss
WhaL comes from such an unclean place,
Lngendered llkewlse from an unclean seed?96
60.
1he uny feud worms LhaL come from lLh-
?ou have no love of Lhem.
And yeL you're lusung for a human form,
lrom lLh arlsen and repleLe wlLh lL.
61.
1oward your own lmpurlLy
ulsgusL you do noL feel,
And yearnlng and aLhlrsL for lLh,
?ou long for oLher sacks of lL!
62.
leasanL subsLances llke camphor,
8lce, and fresh green herbs-
uL Lhem ln your mouLh and splL Lhem ouL:
1he earLh lLself ls fouled Lhereby!
63.
lf sull you doubL such lLhlness,
1hough lL ls very plaln for all Lo see,
Co o lnLo Lhe charnel grounds,
Cbserve Lhe feud bodles Lhere abandoned.
64.
When Lhelr sklns are peeled away,
?ou feel greaL horror and revulslon.
now LhaL you have undersLood,
Pow can you sull Lake [oy ln such a Lhlng?
63.
1he scenL LhaL now perfumes Lhe skln
ls sandalwood and noLhlng else.
?eL how ls lL LhaL one Lhlng's fragrance
Causes you Lo long for someLhlng else?
66.
ls lL noL besL Lo have no lusL
lor someLhlng LhaL by naLure sunks?
1he worldly crave beslde Lhelr purpose-
Why do Lhey anolnL Lhelr esh wlLh pleasanL scenLs?
67.
lor lf Lhls scenL ls sandalwood,
Pow can lL be Lhe perfume of Lhe body?
Pow ls lL LhaL Lhe fragrance of a Lhlng
lnduces you Lo crave for someLhlng else?
68.
WlLh lanky halr, wlLh long nalls overgrown,
WlLh dlrLy LeeLh all reeklng wlLh Lhe sunk of sllme,
1hls body, naked, as lL ls, unLended-
ls lndeed a horror Lo behold!
69.
Why go Lo such excess Lo clean and pollsh
WhaL ls buL a weapon LhaL wlll ln[ure you?
1he cares LhaL people squander on Lhemselves ln lgnorance
Convulse Lhe unlverse wlLh madness.
70.
When you saw Lhe heaps of human bones,
?ou felL revulslon ln Lhe charnel ground.
And wlll you Lake dellghL ln clues of Lhe dead
lrequenLed by such skeleLons LhaL llve and move?
71.
WhaL's more, possesslon of anoLher's lLh
ls noL Lo be acqulred free of charge.
All ls aL a prlce: exhausuon ln Lhls llfe,
And ln Lhe nexL, Lhe suerlng of hell!
72.
1o gaLher rlches young boys are unable,
And whaL can Lhey en[oy when Lhey're full grown?
1he whole of llfe ls spenL ln galnlng wealLh,
8uL Lhen Lhey're old-Loo old Lo sausfy Lhelr lusL!
73.
Some are wreLched ln Lhelr greaL deslre,
8uL worn ouL by Lhelr daylong work,
1hey go home broken by faugue
1o sleep Lhe slumbers of a corpse.
74.
Some, wearled by Lhelr Lravels far from home,
MusL suer separauon from Lhelr wlves
And chlldren whom Lhey love and long Lo see.
1hey do noL meeL wlLh Lhem for years on end.
73.
Some, ambluous for prosperlLy,
noL knowlng how Lo geL lL, sell Lhemselves.
Papplness eludes Lhelr grasp and polnLlessly
1hey llve and labor for Lhelr masLers.
76.
Some sell Lhemselves, no longer free,
ln bondage, slavery Lo oLhers.
And, desuLuLe, Lhelr wlves glve blrLh
WlLh only Lrees for shelLer, ln Lhe wlld.
77.
lools decelved by cravlng for a llvellhood
ueclde LhaL Lhey wlll make Lhelr forLune
ln Lhe wars, Lhough fearful for Lhelr llves.
And seeklng galn, lL's slavery Lhey geL.
78.
Some, as Lhe resulL of cravlng,
Pave Lhelr bodles slashed, lmpaled on polnLed sLakes.
Some are wounded, run Lhrough by Lhe lance,
Whlle some are puL Lo deaLh by re.
79.
1he paln of galnlng, keeplng, and of loslng all!
See Lhe endless hardshlps broughL on us by properLy!
lor Lhose dlsLracLed by Lhelr love of wealLh
1here ls no chance for freedom from Lhe sorrows of exlsLence.
80.
1hey lndeed, possessed of many wanLs,
Wlll suer many Lroubles, all for very llule:
1hey're llke Lhe ox LhaL pulls Lhe carL
And caLches blLs of grass along Lhe way.
81.
lor sake of such a palLry Lhlng,
Whlch ls noL rare, whlch even beasLs can nd,
1ormenLed by Lhelr karma, Lhey desLroy
1hls preclous human llfe so hard Lo nd.
82.
All LhaL we deslre ls sure Lo perlsh,
Cn whlch accounL we fall Lo helllsh paln.
lor whaL amounLs Lo very llule
We musL suer consLanL and exhausung wearlness.
83.
WlLh buL a mllllonLh parL of such vexauon
LnllghLenmenL lLself could be aualned!
1hose who crave are plagued far more Lhan Lhose engaged upon Lhe paLh,
?eL 8uddhahood ls noL whaL Lhey aualn!
84.
8eecL upon Lhe palns of hell and oLher evll sLaLes!
Weapons, res, and polsons,
?awnlng chasms, hosule foes-
none ls on a level wlLh our cravlngs.
83.
So, revolLed by our lusL and wanung,
LeL us now re[olce ln sollLude,
ln places empLy of all conlcL and delemenL:
1he peace and sullness of Lhe foresL.
86.
Pappy Lhose lnLenL on oLhers' good,
Who roam ln pleasanL places formed of masslve sLone,
8efreshed by moonllghL's sandal-scenLed beams,
8y genLle woodland breezes sooLhed!
87.
ln caves, beneaLh Lhe Lrees, ln houses le abandoned,
May we llnger long as we mlghL wlsh.
8ellnqulshlng Lhe paln of guardlng our possesslons,
LeL us llve ln freedom, unconned by cares.
88.
1o have such llberLy unmarred by cravlng,
Loosed from every bond and ue-
A llfe of such conLenLmenL and such pleasure,
Lven lndra would be pressed Lo nd!
89.
8eecung ln such ways as Lhese
upon Lhe excellence of sollLude,
aclfy compleLely all dlscurslveness
And culuvaLe Lhe mlnd of bodhlchlua.
90.
SLrlve aL rsL Lo medlLaLe
upon Lhe sameness of yourself and oLhers.97
ln [oy and sorrow all are equal,
1hus be guardlan of all, as of yourself.
91.
1he hand and oLher llmbs are many and dlsuncL,
8uL all are one-Lhe body Lo be kepL and guarded.
Llkewlse, dlerenL belngs, ln Lhelr [oys and sorrows,
Are, llke me, all one ln wanung happlness.
92.
1hls paln of mlne does noL aMlcL
Cr cause dlscomforL Lo anoLher's body,
And yeL Lhls paln ls hard for me Lo bear
8ecause l cllng and Lake lL for my own.
93.
And oLher belngs' paln
l do noL feel, and yeL,
8ecause l Lake Lhem for myself,98
1helr suerlng ls mlne and Lherefore hard Lo bear.
94.
And Lherefore l'll dlspel Lhe paln of oLhers,
lor lL ls slmply paln, [usL llke my own.
And oLhers l wlll ald and beneL,
lor Lhey are llvlng belngs, llke my body.
93.
Slnce l and oLher belngs boLh,
ln wanung happlness, are equal and allke,
WhaL dlerence ls Lhere Lo dlsungulsh us,
1haL l should sLrlve Lo have my bllss alone?
96.
Slnce l and oLher belngs boLh,
ln eelng suerlng, are equal and allke,
WhaL dlerence ls Lhere Lo dlsungulsh us,
1haL l should save myself and noL Lhe oLhers?
97.
Slnce Lhe paln of oLhers does no harm Lo me,
l do noL shleld myself from lL.
So why Lo guard agalnsL my" fuLure paln,
Whlch does no harm Lo Lhls, my presenL me"?
98.
1o Lhlnk LhaL l wlll have Lo bear lL"
ls ln facL a false ldea.
lor LhaL whlch dles ls one Lhlng,
WhaL ls born ls someLhlng else.
99.
lL's for Lhe suerers Lhemselves," you'll say,
1o shleld Lhemselves from ln[urles LhaL come!"
1he paln felL ln my fooL ls noL my hand's,
So why, ln facL, should one proLecL Lhe oLher?
100.
1rue, lL's lnadmlsslble," you'll say,
lL happens slmply Lhrough Lhe force of ego-cllnglng."
8uL whaL ls lnadmlsslble for oLhers and myself
Should be dlscarded uuerly!
101.
Conunua and gaLherlngs, so-called,
Llke garlands and llke armles, are unreal.
So Lhere ls no one Lo experlence paln
lor who ls Lhere Lo be lLs owner"?
102.
Suerlng has no possessor,"
1herefore no dlsuncuons can be made ln lL.
Slnce paln ls paln, lL ls Lo be dlspelled.
WhaL use ls Lhere ln drawlng boundarles?
103.
8uL why dlspel Lhe palns of all?"
?ou cannoL argue ln Lhls way!
lf my" paln ls removed, so Loo should LhaL of oLhers."
lf Lhelrs ls noL, Lhen nelLher should be mlne.
104.
Compasslon makes us feel such paln," you say,
So why should we make eorLs Lo engender lL?"
8uL Lhlnklng of Lhe suerlngs of belngs,
Pow can you regard as greaL Lhe smarL of your compasslon?
103.
And lf Lhrough such a slngle paln
A muluLude of sorrows can be cured,
Such paln as Lhls all lovlng people
SLrlve Lo fosLer ln Lhemselves and oLhers.
106.
1hus Supu#hpachandra,99
knowlng LhaL Lhe klng would cause hlm harm,
uld noLhlng Lo escape from Lrlbulauon,
1haL Lhe palns of many should be ended.
107.
1hose whose mlnds are pracuced ln Lhls way,
Whose [oy lL ls Lo sooLhe anoLher's llls,
Wlll venLure lnLo hell of unrelenung aln
As swans sweep down upon a loLus lake.
108.
1he ocean-llke lmmenslLy of [oy
Arlslng when all belngs wlll be freed,
Wlll Lhls noL be enough? Wlll Lhls noL sausfy?
1he wlsh for my own freedom, whaL ls LhaL Lo me?
109.
1he work of brlnglng beneL Lo belngs
Wlll noL, Lhen, make me proud and self-admlrlng.
1he happlness of oLhers ls lLself my sausfacuon,
l do noL expecL anoLher recompense.
110.
1herefore [usL as l defend myself
lrom even sllghL dlsparagemenL,
ln [usL Lhe same way wlLh regard Lo oLhers,
l should llkewlse have a mlnd proLecuve and compasslonaLe.
111.
1he drop of sperm and blood100 belonged Lo oLhers.
?eL, Lhrough sLrong hablLuauon,
l came Lo have ln lLs regard a sense of l,"
1hough, ln lLself, lL ls devold of enuLy.
112.
And so, why noL ldenufy
AnoLher's body, calllng lL my l"?
And vlce versa, why should lL be hard
1o Lhlnk of Lhls my body as anoLher's?
113.
ercelvlng now Lhe faulLs possessed by l,"
1he ocean of good quallues LhaL are ln oLher,"
l shall lay aslde all love of self
And galn Lhe hablL of adopung oLher belngs.
114.
!usL as hands and oLher llmbs
Are LhoughL of as Lhe members of a body,
Can we llkewlse noL conslder oLhers
As Lhe llmbs and members of a llvlng whole?
113.
!usL as ln connecuon wlLh Lhls form, devold of self,
My sense of l" arose Lhrough sLrong hablLuauon,
Why should noL Lhe LhoughL of l,"
1hrough hablL, noL arlse relaLed Lo anoLher?
116.
1hus when l work for oLhers' sake,
1here'll be no sense of boasung self-congraLulauon.
lL ls [usL as when l feed myself-
l don'L expecL Lo be rewarded!
117.
1herefore [usL as l defend myself
lrom even sllghL dlsparagemenL,
Llkewlse for belngs l shall now grow used
1o have a mlnd proLecuve and compasslonaLe.
118.
1hls ls why Lhe Lord AvaloklLa
CuL of greaL compasslon blessed hls name,
1haL Lhose caughL ln Lhe mldsL of muluLudes
MlghL be released and freed from every fear.101
119.
And so we should be undeLerred by hardshlps,
lor Lhrough Lhe lnuence of use and hablL,
eople even come Lo grleve
lor Lhose whose very names sLruck Lerror ln Lhelr hearLs!
120.
1hose deslrlng speedlly Lo be
A refuge for Lhemselves and oLhers
Should make Lhe lnLerchange of l" and oLher,"
And Lhus embrace a sacred mysLery.
121.
8ecause of our auachmenL Lo our bodles,
Lven llule Lhlngs alarm us.
1hls body, Lhen, Lhls source of so much Lerror-
Who would noL deLesL lL as Lhe worsL of foes?
122.
Wlshlng Lo relleve our bodles' llls,
Cur hungry mouLhs, Lhe dryness of our LhroaLs,
We sLeal Lhe llves of shes, blrds, and deer
And lle ln walL along Lhe road.
123.
And for Lhe sake of proL and posluon
Some Lhere are who even klll Lhelr parenLs,
Cr sLeal whaL has been oered Lo Lhe 1rlple Cem,
8ecause of whlch, Lhey'll burn ln hell of unrelenung aln.
124.
Where are Lhe wlse and prudenL Lhen
Who cherlsh, guard, and serve Lhe body?
Who would noL percelve lL as Lhelr foe,
And as Lhelr foe, regard lL wlLh conLempL?
123.
lf l glve Lhls, whaL wlll be le for me?"
1hlnklng of oneself-Lhe way of evll ghosLs.
lf l keep Lhls, whaL wlll be le Lo glve?"
Concern for oLhers ls Lhe way of heaven.102
126.
lf Lo serve myself l harm anoLher,
l'll suer laLer ln Lhe realms of hell.
8uL lf for oLhers' sake l harm myself,
1hen every excellence wlll be my herlLage.
127.
Wanung whaL ls besL for me-
SLupldlLy, lnferlorlLy, and lower realms resulL!
LeL Lhls be changed, applled Lo oLhers-
Ponors and Lhe realms of bllss wlll come!
128.
Lnslavlng oLhers, forclng Lhem Lo serve me,
l wlll come Lo know Lhe sLaLe of servlLude.
8uL lf l labor for Lhe good of oLhers,
MasLery and leadershlp wlll come Lo me.
129.
All Lhe [oy Lhe world conLalns
Pas come Lhrough wlshlng happlness for oLhers.
All Lhe mlsery Lhe world conLalns
Pas come Lhrough wanung pleasure for oneself.
130.
ls Lhere need for lengLhy explanauon?
Chlldlsh belngs look ouL for Lhemselves,
8uddhas labor for Lhe good of oLhers:
See Lhe dlerence LhaL dlvldes Lhem!
131.
lf l do noL lnLerchange
My happlness for oLhers' paln,
LnllghLenmenL wlll never be aualned,
And even ln sa!sra, [oy wlll y from me.
132.
Leavlng fuLure llves ouLslde Lhe reckonlng,
Lven Lhls llfe's needs are noL fullled:
1he servanLs do noL do Lhelr work,
And masLers do noL pay Lhe wages earned.
133.
Casung far away abundanL [oys
1haL may be galned ln Lhls or fuLure llves,
8ecause of brlnglng harm Lo oLher belngs,
l lgnoranLly brlng myself lnLolerable paln.
134.
All Lhe harm wlLh whlch Lhls world ls rlfe,
All fear and suerlng LhaL Lhere ls,
Cllnglng Lo Lhe l" has caused lL!
WhaL am l Lo do wlLh Lhls greaL demon?
133.
lf Lhls l" ls noL rellnqulshed wholly,
Sorrow llkewlse cannoL be avolded.
lf Lhey do noL keep away from re,
eople can'L escape from belng burned.
136.
1o free myself from harm
And oLhers from Lhelr suerlngs,
LeL me glve myself Lo oLhers,
Lovlng Lhem as l now love myself.
137.
lor l am now beneaLh Lhe rule of oLhers,"
Cf Lhls you musL be cerLaln, C my mlnd.
And now no longer shall you have a LhoughL
1haL does noL wlsh Lhe beneL of belngs.
138.
My slghL and oLher senses, now Lhe properLy of oLhers-
1o use Lhem for myself would be lmproper.
And lL ls llkewlse dlsallowed
1o use my faculues agalnsL Lhelr owners!
139.
1hus senuenL belngs wlll be my chlef concern.
And everyLhlng l see my body has
Wlll all be selzed and oered
lor Lhe use and servlce of all oLher belngs.
140.
1ake oLhers-lower, hlgher, equal-as yourself,103
ldenufy yourself as oLher."
1hen, wlLhouL anoLher LhoughL,
lmmerse yourself ln envy, prlde, and rlvalry.
141.
Pe's Lhe cenLer of auenuon. l am noLhlng.
And, unllke hlm, l'm poor wlLhouL possesslons.
Lveryone looks up Lo hlm, desplslng me,
All goes well for hlm, for me Lhere's only bluerness!
142.
All l have ls sweaL and drudgery,
Whlle he's Lhere, slmng aL hls ease.
Pe's greaL, respecLed ln Lhe world,
Whlle l'm Lhe underdog, a well-known nobody.
143.
WhaL! A nobody wlLhouL dlsuncuon?
noL Lrue! l do have some good quallues.
Compared wlLh some, he's lower down.
Compared wlLh some, l do excel!
144.
My dlsclpllne, my undersLandlng have decllned,
8uL l am helpless, ruled by my delemenLs.
As much as he ls able, he should cure me.
l wlll be submlsslve even Lo hls punlshmenLs.
143.
1he facL ls he does noLhlng of Lhe sorL!
8y whaL rlghL, Lhen, does he bellule me?
WhaL use, Lhen, are hls quallues Lo me-
1hose quallues of whlch he's so possessed?
146.
lndlerenL Lo Lhe pllghL of llvlng belngs,
Who Lread Lhe brlnk of evll desunles,
Pe makes an ouLward show of vlrLues,
And even wanLs Lo vle wlLh sages.
147.
1haL l mlghL excel, ouLsLrlpplng hlm-
Plm, regarded as my peer and equal!
ln conLesLs l wlll cerLalnly secure
My fame and forLune, publlc renown.
148.
8y every means l'll adveruse
My gls Lo all Lhe world,
Lnsurlng LhaL hls quallues
8emaln unknown, lgnored by everyone.
149.
My faulLs l wlll conceal, dlsslmulaLe.
lor l, noL he, wlll be Lhe ob[ecL of devouon,
l, noL he, wlll galn possesslons and renown,
l wlll be Lhe cenLer of auenuon.
130.
l wlll Lake such sausfacuon
ln hls evll deeds and degradauon.
l wlll render hlm desplcable,
1he buu and laughlngsLock of everyone.
131.
eople say Lhls pluful nonenuLy
ls Lrylng Lo compeLe wlLh me!
8uL how can he be on a par
WlLh me, ln learnlng, beauLy, wealLh, or pedlgree?
132.
!usL Lo hear Lhem Lalk abouL my excellence,
My repuLauon on Lhe llps of all,
1he Lhrlll of lL sends shlvers down my splne,
A pleasure LhaL l bask and revel ln!
133.
Lven lf he does have someLhlng,
l'm Lhe one he's worklng for!
Pe can keep enough [usL Lo survlve,
8uL wlLh my sLrengLh l'll sLeal Lhe resL away.
134.
l wlll wear hls happlness away,
l wlll always hurL and ln[ure hlm.
Pe's Lhe one who ln sa!sra
uld me mlschlefs by Lhe hundred!
133.
CounLless ages, C my mlnd,
?ou spenL, deslrlng Lo aualn your alms.
And whaL greaL wearlness lL was,
Whlle your reward was only mlsery!
136.
And Lherefore now mosL cerLalnly
Apply yourself compleLely Lo Lhe good of oLhers.
1he 8uddha dld noL lle ln whaL he sald-
?ou'll see Lhe beneLs LhaL come from lL.
137.
lf lndeed, you had ln former umes
Lmbraced Lhls work and underLaken lL,
?ou could noL sull be lacklng
ln Lhe perfecL bllss of 8uddhahood.
138.
1herefore, [usL as you ldenufy
A drop of oLhers' blood and sperm,
And cllng Lo lL as Lhough lL were yourself,
now Lake senuenL belngs-oLhers-as your self.
139.
now for oLhers you should spy
Cn everyLhlng your body seems Lo have.
SLeal lL, Lake lL all away,
And use lL for Lhe beneL of oLhers.
160.
l lndeed am happy, oLhers sad,
l am hlgh and mlghLy, oLhers low,
l am helped whlle oLhers are abandoned:
Why am l noL [ealous of myself?
161.
Papplness, fulllmenL: Lhese l glve away.
1he paln of oLhers: Lhls l wlll embrace.
lnqulrlng of myself repeaLedly
l wlll Lhus lnvesugaLe my faulLs.
162.
When oLhers are aL faulL, l'll Lake
And Lurn Lhe blame upon myself,
And all my slns, however sllghL,
ueclare, and make Lhem known Lo many.
163.
1he fame of oLhers l wlll magnlfy
1haL lL mlghL Lhus ouLshlne my own.
Among Lhem l wlll be as one who serves,
My lowly labor for Lhelr beneL.
164.
1hls ego ls by naLure rlfe wlLh faulLs,
lLs accldenLal gls l should noL pralse.
WhaLever quallues lL has l'll so conLrlve
1haL Lhey remaln unknown Lo everyone.
163.
All Lhe harm, ln shorL, LhaL ego does
1o lLs advanLage and Lo oLhers' cosL,
May all of lL descend upon lLself,
1o lLs own hurL-Lo oLhers' beneL.
166.
uo noL leL lL sLruL abouL Lhe place,
So arroganL, so overbearlng.
8uL llke a newly wedded brlde,
LeL lL be demure and blushlng, umorous and shy!
167.
uo Lhls!" 8e llke LhaL!" Such Lhlngs don'L ever do!"
lL's Lhus LhaL you wlll brlng lL forclbly Lo heel.
And lf lL oversLeps Lhe mark,
Well Lhen, apply Lhe lash!
168.
And so, C mlnd, lf sull you wlll refuse,
1hough you have been so lengLhlly advlsed,
Slnce every evll has lLs rooLs ln you,
?ou are lndeed now rlpe for punlshmenL!
169.
1he ume when you could do me harm
ls ln Lhe pasL and now ls here no more.
now l see you! Where wlll you escape?
l'll brlng you down wlLh all your haughLy lnsolence.
170.
LeL every LhoughL of worklng for yourself
8e uuerly re[ecLed, casL aslde!
now LhaL you've been sold Lo oLhers,
SLop your whlnlng, be of servlce!
171.
lor lf, Lhrough belng lnauenuve,
l do noL dellver you Lo oLhers,
?ou wlll hand me over, lL ls cerLaln,
1o Lhe guards and [anlLors of hell.
172.
lor Lhls ls how so many umes
?ou have beLrayed me, and how long l've suered!
now my memory ls full of rancor,
l wlll crush your selsh schemes!
173.
And so lL ls LhaL lf l wanL conLenLmenL,
l should never seek Lo please myself.
And llkewlse, lf l wlsh Lo guard myself,
Cf oLhers l should always be Lhe guard.
174.
1o Lhe exLenL Lhls human form
ls cosseLed and saved from hurL,
!usL so, [usL so, Lo LhaL degree,
lL dwlndles Lo a weak and freuul sLaLe.
173.
lor Lhose who slnk Lo such a pass,
1he earLh and all lL holds
Are powerless Lo sausfy.
lor who can glve Lhem all Lhey crave?
176.
1helr hopeless cravlng brlngs Lhem mlsery,
And evll schemes lnvade Lhelr mlnds,
Whlle Lhose wlLh free, unLrammeled hearLs,
Wlll never know an end of excellence.
177.
1herefore for Lhe lncrease of my body's wanLs,
l'll glve no space, no opporLunlLy.
And of possesslons, Lhose Lhlngs are Lhe besL
1haL do noL capuvaLe by Lhelr auracuveness.
178.
uusL and ashes are Lhe body's nal sLaLe-
1hls body whlch, lnerL, ls moved by oLher forces.
1hls form so frlghLenlng and foul-
Why do l so regard lL as my self"?
179.
Allve or dead whaL dlerence does lL make?
WhaL use ls Lhls machlne Lo me?
WhaL dlerence wlll dlvlde lL from a clod of earLh?
Alas LhaL l don'L rld myself of prlde!
180.
1hrough lavlshlng auenuon on Lhls body,
Such sorrow have l broughL myself so senselessly.
WhaL use ls all my wanung, all my haung,
lor whaL lndeed ls llke a log of wood?
181.
WheLher l proLecL and pamper lL,
Cr wheLher lL ls eaLen up by carrlon blrds,
1hls body feels no pleasure, no averslon.
Why Lhen do l cherlsh lL so much?
182.
8esenLmenL when lL ls revlled,
Cr pleasure when lL ls esLeemed,
nelLher of Lhese Lwo my body feels.
So why do l exhausL myself?
183.
lf l say l do lL slnce lL's loved by oLher people,
CLhers whom l Lhus regard as frlends,
Slnce all appreclaLe Lhe bodles LhaL Lhey have,
Why do l noL Lake pleasure ln Lhem Loo?104
184.
1herefore, free from all auachmenL,
l wlll glve Lhls body for Lhe beneL of belngs.
And Lhough lL ls aMlcLed by so many faulLs,
l shall adopL lL as my necessary Lool.
183.
And so, enough of all my chlldlsh ways.
l'll follow ln Lhe fooLsLeps of Lhe wlse,
8ecalllng Lhelr advlce on carefulness,
l'll shun all sleep and menLal dullness.
186.
Llke Lhe 8uddhas' helrs, ln Lhelr compasslon,
l wlll bear wlLh all LhaL should be borne.
lor lf l do noL labor nlghL and day,
When wlll my sorrows reach Lhelr end?103
187.
1hus Lo banlsh all obscurlng vells
l'll bend my mlnd from Lhe mlsLaken paLh,
And consLanLly upon Lhe perfecL ob[ecL
l shall resL my mlnd ln even medlLauon.
9. Wlsdom
1.
All Lhese branches of Lhe uocLrlne
1he LnllghLened Sage expounded for Lhe sake of wlsdom.106
1herefore Lhey musL culuvaLe Lhls wlsdom
Who wlsh Lo have an end of suerlng.
2.
8elauve and ulumaLe,
1hese Lhe Lwo LruLhs are declared Lo be.
1he ulumaLe ls noL wlLhln Lhe reach of lnLellecL,
lor lnLellecL ls sald Lo be Lhe relauve.107
3.
ln llghL of Lhls, wlLhln Lhe world, Lwo klnds of people are observed:
1hose wlLh yoglc lnslghL and Lhe common run of people.
ln Lhls regard, Lhe vlews of ordlnary folk
Are undermlned by yogls who Lhemselves are ln Lhe world108
4.
(WlLhln whose ranks
1he lower, ln degrees of lnslghL, are confuLed by Lhe hlgher)
8y means of Lhe examples LhaL Lhe yogls and Lhe worldly boLh accepL.
And for Lhe sake of Lhe resulL, analysls ls le aslde.
3.
When ordlnary folk percelve phenomena,
1hey look on Lhem as real, and noL lllusory.
1hls, Lhen, ls Lhe sub[ecL of debaLe
Where ordlnary and yogls dler.
6.
lorms and so forLh, whlch we all percelve,
LxlsL by general acclalm buL noL by valld reasonlng.
1hey're false [usL llke, for lnsLance, unclean Lhlngs
8egarded ln Lhe common vlew as pure.
7.
8uL LhaL he mlghL lnsLrucL Lhe worldly,
Cur roLecLor spoke of Lhlngs."
8uL Lhese ln LruLh lack even momenLarlness.
now lf you say lL's wrong Lo clalm Lhe momenLary as relauve,
8.
1here ls no faulL. lor momenLarlness
ls relauve for yogls, buL for worldly belngs, ulumaLe.
Were lL oLherwlse, Lhe common vlew
Could faulL Lhe yoglc lnslghL lnLo corporal lmpurlLy.
9.
1hrough a 8uddha, who ls buL llluslon, how does merlL sprlng?"
As lf Lhe 8uddha were exlsung Lruly.
8uL," you ask, lf belngs are llke llluslons,
Pow, when dylng, can Lhey Lake reblrLh?"
10.
As long as Lhe condluons are assembled,
llluslons, llkewlse, wlll perslsL and manlfesL.
Why, Lhrough slmply belng more proLracLed,
Should senuenL belngs be regarded as more real?
11.
lf one kllls or harms Lhe maglcal llluslon of a man,
1here ls no mlnd ln such a Lhlng and Lherefore Lhere's no sln.
8uL belngs do lndeed have mlrage-llke mlnds,
Sln and merlL wlll, ln consequence, arlse.
12.
1here ls no power ln Lhlngs llke spells,
So mlrage-llke mlnds do noL occur Lhrough Lhem.
llluslons sprlng from varlous causes,
1hus llluslons are of dlerenL klnds.
13.
A slngle cause for everyLhlng
1here never was!
lf ulumaLely, belngs are ln nlrv$a," you wlll say,
8uL relauvely clrcle ln sa!sra,
14.
Lven 8uddhahood reverLs Lo Lhe sa!srlc sLaLe.
So why," you ask, pursue Lhe 8odhlsauva paLh?"
As long as Lhere's no cumng of Lhe causal sLream,
1here ls no halung even of lllusory dlsplays.
13.
8uL when Lhe causal sLream ls severed,
Lven relauve phenomena do noL appear.
lf even LhaL whlch ls decelved does noL exlsL,
WhaL ls lL," you wlll ask, LhaL sees llluslon?"
16.
8uL lf, for you, Lhese same llluslons have no belng,
WhaL, lndeed, ls Lhere Lo be percelved?
8uL ob[ecLs have anoLher mode of belng," you wlll say,
1haL very mode ls buL Lhe mlnd lLself."
17.
8uL lf Lhe mlrage ls Lhe mlnd lLself,
WhaL ls Lhen percelved by whaL?
1he Cuardlan of Lhe World hlmself has sald
1haL mlnd cannoL be seen by mlnd.
18.
ln [usL Lhe same way, he has sald,
1he sword's edge cannoL cuL Lhe sword.
8uL," you say, lL's llke Lhe ame
1haL perfecLly lllumlnaLes lLself."
19.
1he ame, ln facL, can never llghL lLself.
And why? 8ecause Lhe darkness never dlms lL!
1he blueness of a Lhlng by naLure blue," you say,
uepends, unllke a crysLal, upon noLhlng else.
20.
Llkewlse some percepuons
Come from oLher Lhlngs, whlle some do noL."
8uL someLhlng LhaL's by naLure blue has never of lLself lmposed
A blueness on lLs non-blue self.
21.
1he phrase 1he lamp lllumlnaLes lLself"
1he mlnd can know and formulaLe.
8uL whaL ls Lhere Lo know and say
1haL mlnd ls self-lllumlnaung?"
22.
1he mlnd, lndeed, ls never seen by anyLhlng.
And Lherefore, wheLher lL can know, or cannoL know, lLself,
ls llke Lhe beauLy of a barren woman's daughLer:
SomeLhlng LhaL lL's polnLless Lo dlscuss.
23.
8uL lf," you ask, Lhe mlnd ls noL self-knowlng,
Pow does lL remember whaL lL knew?"
We say LhaL, llke Lhe polson of Lhe waLer raL,
lL's Lhrough Lhe llnk wlLh Lhlngs experlenced LhaL memory occurs.
24.
ln cerLaln cases," you wlll say, Lhe mlnd
Can see Lhe mlnds of oLhers, how Lhen noL lLself?"
8uL Lhrough Lhe appllcauon of a maglc balm,
1he eye may see Lhe Lreasure, buL Lhe salve lL does noL see.
23.
lL's noL lndeed our purpose Lo dlsprove
Lxperlences of slghL or sound or knowlng.
Cur alm ls here Lo undermlne Lhe cause of sorrow:
1he LhoughL LhaL such phenomena have Lrue exlsLence.
26.
llluslons are noL oLher Lhan Lhe mlnd," you say,
And yeL you don'L conslder Lhem Lhe same.
Pow could Lhey noL be dlerenL lf Lhe mlnd ls real?
And how can mlnd be real lf you deny a dlerence?
27.
AlLhough lL ls unreal, a mlrage can be seen,
And LhaL whlch sees ls [usL Lhe same.
8uL sa sra musL be ! based on someLhlng real," you say,
Cr else lL ls llke empLy space."
28.
8uL how could Lhe unreal be causally eecuve,
Lven lf lL resLs on someLhlng real?
1hls mlnd of yours ls lsolaLed and alone,
Alone, ln sollLude, and unaccompanled.
29.
lf Lhe mlnd lndeed ls free of ob[ecLs,
All belngs musL be 8uddhas, 1hus-Cone and enllghLened.
And so, whaL purpose can Lhere be
ln saylng Lhus, LhaL Lhere ls Cnly Mlnd"?
30.
Lven lf we know LhaL all ls llke llluslon,
Pow," you ask, wlll Lhls dlspel aMlcuve passlon?
Maglclans may lndeed Lhemselves deslre
1he mlrage-women Lhey Lhemselves creaLe."
31.
1he reason ls Lhey have noL rld Lhemselves
Cf hablLs of deslrlng ob[ecLs of percepuon,
And when Lhey gaze upon such Lhlngs,
1helr apuLude for empuness ls weak lndeed.
32.
8y Lralnlng ln Lhls apuLude for empuness,
1he hablL Lo percelve real Lhlngs wlll be rellnqulshed.
8y Lralnlng ln Lhe LhoughL 1here lsn'L anyLhlng,"
1hls vlew lLself wlll also be abandoned.
33.
1here ls noLhlng"-when Lhls ls asserLed,
no Lhlng ls Lhere Lo be examlned.
Pow can a noLhlng," wholly unsupporLed,
8esL before Lhe mlnd as someLhlng presenL?
34.
When someLhlng and lLs nonexlsLence
8oLh are absenL from before Lhe mlnd,
no oLher opuon does Lhe lauer have:
lL comes Lo perfecL resL, from concepLs free.
33.
As Lhe wlshlng [ewel and Lree of mlracles
lulll and sausfy all hopes and wlshes,
Llkewlse, Lhrough Lhelr prayers for Lhose who mlghL be Lralned,
1he physlcal appearance of Lhe Conquerors occurs.
36.
1he heallng shrlne of Lhe garu&a,
Lven when lLs bullder was long dead,
Conunued even ages Lhence
1o remedy and sooLhe all plagues and venom.
37.
Llkewlse havlng galned Lhe shrlne of vlcLory"
ln accordance wlLh Lhelr deeds for sake of 8uddhahood,
1hough 8odhlsauvas pass beyond all grlef,
1hey yeL can sausfy all ends.
38.
8uL how," you ask, can oerlngs made
1o belngs freed from all dlscurslveness glve frulL?"
lL's sald LhaL wheLher 8uddhas llve or pass beyond,
1he oerlngs made Lo Lhem are equal ln Lhelr merlL.
39.
WheLher you asserL Lhem ln Lhe ulumaLe or relauve,
MerlL, so Lhe scrlpLures say, arlses,
!usL as Lhere wlll be resulLs
When 8uddhas are consldered Lruly real.
40.
We're free," you say, Lhrough seelng Lhe (lour) 1ruLhs-
WhaL use ls lL Lo us, Lhls vlew of empuness?"
8uL as Lhe scrlpLures have Lhemselves proclalmed,
WlLhouL Lhls paLh Lhere can be no enllghLenmenL.
41.
?ou say Lhe Mahyna has no cerLalnLy.
8uL how do you subsLanuaLe your own Lradluon?
8ecause lL ls accepLed by boLh parues," you wlll say.
8uL aL Lhe ouLseL, you yourself lacked proof!
42.
1he reasons why you LrusL ln your Lradluon
May llkewlse be applled Lo Mahyna.
Moreover, lf accord beLween Lwo parues shows Lhe LruLh,
1he vedas and Lhe resL are also Lrue.
43.
Mahyna ls aL faulL," you say, because lL ls conLesLed."
8uL 8uddhlsL LexLs are quesuoned by exLremlsLs,
Whlle 8uddhlsLs also vle among Lhemselves,
And so your own Lradluon you musL now abandon.
44.
1he Lrue monk ls Lhe rooL of uharma,
And Lo be a monk ls dlmculL lndeed.
lL's hard for mlnds enmeshed ln LhoughLs
1o pass beyond Lhe bonds of suerlng.
43.
?ou say Lhere's llberauon ln Lhe lnsLanL
1haL delemenLs are enurely forsaken.
?eL Lhose who from delemenLs are seL free
Conunue Lo dlsplay Lhe lnuence of karma.
46.
Cnly for a whlle," you say. lor lL ls cerLaln
1haL Lhe causes of reblrLh, Lhelr cravlngs, are no more."
1hey have no cravlng, granLed, Lhrough delemenL,
8uL llke Lhelr lgnorance, why should Lhey noL have cravlng undeled?
47.
1hls cravlng ls produced by vlrLue of sensauon,
And sensauon, Lhls Lhey surely have.
ConcepLs llnger sull wlLhln Lhelr mlnds,
And lL ls Lo Lhese concepLs LhaL Lhey cllng.
48.
1he mlnd LhaL has noL reallzed voldness,
May be halLed, buL wlll once agaln arlse,
!usL as from a non-percepLual absorpuon.
1herefore one musL Lraln ln empuness.
49.
lf all Lhe words recorded ln Lhe suLras
?ou admlL Lo be Lhe 8uddha's perfecL speech,
Why don'L you now accepL Lhe greaLer parL of Mahyna,
WlLh whlch your suLras are ln perfecL harmony?109
30.
lf due Lo [usL a slngle [arrlng elemenL,
1he whole ls held Lo be aL faulL,
Why should a slngle suLra ln agreemenL wlLh your LexLs
noL vlndlcaLe Lhe resL as 8uddha's Leachlng?
31.
Mahkshyapa110 hlmself and oLhers
Could noL sound Lhe depLhs of such a Leachlng.
Who wlll Lherefore say LhaL Lhey're Lo be re[ecLed
!usL because Lhey are noL grasped by you?
32.
1o llnger and ablde wlLhln sa!sra,
lreed from every cravlng and from every fear,
ln order Lo achleve Lhe good of Lhose who lgnoranLly suer:
Such ls Lhe frulL LhaL empuness wlll bear.
33.
1herefore lL ls lncorrecL
1o nd faulL wlLh Lhls vlew of empuness.
And so, wlLh every doubL abandoned,
We should medlLaLe on lL!
34.
AMlcuve passlon and Lhe vell upon cognluon-
1he cure for Lhelr obscurlLy ls empuness.
Pow Lhen shall Lhey noL medlLaLe on Lhls
Who wlsh for swl aualnmenL of omnlsclence?
33.
WhaLever ls Lhe source of suerlng,
LeL LhaL be Lhe ob[ecL of our fear.
8uL voldness wlll allay our every grlef,
Pow could lL be for us a Lhlng of dread?
36.
lf such a Lhlng as l" exlsLs lndeed,
1hen Lerrors, granLed, wlll LormenL lL.
8uL slnce no self or l" exlsLs aL all,
WhaL ls Lhere le for fears Lo Lerrlfy?
37.
1he LeeLh, Lhe halr, Lhe nalls are noL Lhe l,"
And l" ls noL Lhe bones or blood,
1he mucus from Lhe nose and phlegm are noL Lhe l,"
And nelLher ls lL made of lymph or pus.
38.
1he l" ls noL Lhe body's grease or sweaL,
1he lungs and llver llkewlse do noL consuLuLe lL.
nelLher are Lhe lnner organs l,"
nor yeL Lhe body's excremenL and wasLe.
39.
1he esh and skln are noL Lhe l,"
And nelLher are Lhe body's warmLh and breaLh.
1he cavlues wlLhln Lhe frame are noL Lhe l,"
And l" ls noL accounLed for ln slxfold consclousness.
60.
lf Lhe hearlng consclousness ls permanenL,
lL follows LhaL lL's hearlng all Lhe ume.
And lf Lhere ls no ob[ecL, whaL does lL cognlze?
Cn whaL grounds do you call lL consclousness?
61.
lf someLhlng LhaL's unconsclous knows,
lL follows LhaL a suck has knowledge also.
1herefore ln Lhe absence of a Lhlng Lo know,
lL's clear LhaL consclousness wlll noL arlse.
62.
lf Lhe selfsame consclousness deLecLs a form,
AL LhaL ume, why does lL noL hear?
erhaps you say Lhe sound's no longer Lhere.
1hen nelLher ls Lhere consclousness of sound.
63.
Pow could LhaL whlch has Lhe naLure of a sound-percelver
Lver be Lransformed lnLo a form-percelver?
A slngle man," you say, can be boLh son and faLher."
8uL Lhese are merely names, hls naLure ls noL so.
64.
And llkewlse paln," neuLrallLy," and pleasure"
Are nelLher faLherhood nor sonshlp,
And we lndeed have never yeL observed
A consclousness of form percelvlng sound.
63.
8uL llke an acLor," you reply, lL Lakes a dlerenL role and sees."
lf so, Lhls consclousness ls noL a consLanL Lhlng.
And lf lLs laLer mode ls sull Lhe rsL,
1haL's ldenuLy lndeed and never seen before!
66.
8uL lLs dlerenL modes," you say, are qulLe unreal."
lLs essence Lherefore you musL now descrlbe.
?ou say LhaL Lhls ls slmply knowlng.
lL follows LhaL all belngs are a slngle Lhlng.
67.
WhaL has mlnd and whaL does noL have mlnd
Are Lhus ldenucal, for boLh are equal ln exlsung.
lf Lhe dlerenL klnds of mlnd are all unreal,
WhaL common basls can Lhere be for Lhem?
68.
SomeLhlng desuLuLe of mlnd, we hold, ls noL a self.
lor mlndlessness means mauer, llke a vase.
8uL," you say, Lhe self has consclousness when [olned Lo mlnd."
1hen Lhls refuLes lLs naLure of unconsclousness.
69.
lf Lhe self, moreover, ls lmmuLable,
WhaL change ln lL could mlngllng wlLh Lhe mlnd produce?
And selmood we mlghL equally amrm
Cf empLy space, lnerL and desuLuLe of mlnd.
70.
lf self does noL exlsL," you say,
1here ls no llnk connecung acuons wlLh resulLs.
lf when Lhe deed ls done, Lhe doer ls no more,
Who ls Lhere Lo reap Lhe karmlc frulL?"
71.
1he bases of Lhe acL and frulL are noL Lhe same,
ln boLh a self ls wlLhouL scope for acuon.
1hls ls valld boLh for you and us,
WhaL polnL ls Lhere, Lherefore, ln our debaLe?
72.
A cause coLermlnous wlLh lLs resulL"
ls someLhlng qulLe lmposslble Lo see.
And only ln Lhe conLexL of a slngle menLal sLream
Can lL be sald LhaL one who acLs wlll laLer reap Lhe frulL.
73.
1he LhoughLs now passed, and Lhose Lo come, are noL Lhe self,
1hey are no more, or are noL yeL.
ls Lhen Lhe self Lhe LhoughL whlch now ls born?
lf so, lL slnks Lo noLhlng when Lhe lauer fades.
74.
lor lnsLance, we may Lake banana Lrees-
Cumng Lhrough Lhe bers, ndlng noLhlng.
Llkewlse analyucal lnvesugauon
Wlll nd no l," no underlylng self.
73.
lf belngs," you wlll say, have no exlsLence,
Who wlll be Lhe ob[ecL of compasslon?"
1hose whom lgnorance lmpuLes,
lor whose sake we have pledged ourselves.
76.
lf," you ask, Lhere are no belngs, who wlll galn Lhe frulL?"
lL's Lrue! lL ls Lhrough lgnorance LhaL Lhey are sald Lo be!
8uL for Lhe LoLal vanqulshlng of sorrow,
1he goal, whlch lgnorance concelves, should noL be spurned.
77.
1he source of sorrow ls Lhe prlde of saylng l,"
lL's fosLered and lncreased by false bellef ln self.
1o Lhls you may belleve LhaL Lhere ls no redress,
8uL medlLauon on no-self wlll be Lhe supreme way.
78.
WhaL we call Lhe body ls noL feeL or shlns,
1he body, llkewlse, ls noL Lhlghs or lolns.
lL's noL Lhe belly nor lndeed Lhe back,
And from Lhe chesL and arms Lhe body ls noL formed.
79.
1he body ls noL rlbs or hands,
ArmplLs, shoulders, bowels, or enLralls.
lL ls noL Lhe head, and lL ls noL Lhe LhroaL.
WhaL ls Lhe body," Lhen, ln all of Lhls?
80.
lf Lhe body" spreads lLself
And wlLh Lhe members colncldes,
lLs parLs lndeed are presenL ln Lhose parLs.
8uL where does body," ln lLself, ablde?
81.
8uL lf Lhe body," slngle and enure
ls presenL ln Lhe hands and oLher members,
Powever many parLs Lhere are, Lhe hands and all Lhe resL,
?ou'll nd an equal quanuLy of bodles."
82.
lf body" ls noL ouLslde or wlLhln lLs parLs,
Pow ls lL, Lhen, resldlng ln lLs members?
And slnce lL ls noL oLher Lhan lLs parLs,
Pow can you say LhaL lL exlsLs aL all?
83.
1hus Lhere ls no body." lL ls Lhrough llluslon,
WlLh regard Lo hands and oLher parLs, LhaL body" as a nouon ls concelved-
!usL as on accounL of lLs speclc shape
A plle of sLones ls Laken for a man.
84.
As long as Lhe condluons are assembled,
1he body wlll appear Lo be a man.
As long as all Lhe parLs are llkewlse presenL,
A body wlll appear Lhereln.
83.
Llkewlse, slnce lL ls a group of ngers,
1he hand lLself does noL exlsL as such.
And so lL ls wlLh ngers, made of [olnLs-
And [olnLs Lhemselves conslsL of many parLs.
86.
1hese parLs Lhemselves wlll break down lnLo parucles,
And parucles dlvlde accordlng Lo dlrecuon.
1hese fragmenLs, Loo, lack parLless parLs, Lhey are llke space.
1hus even parucles have no exlsLence.
87.
All form, Lherefore, ls llke a dream,
And who wlll be auached Lo lL, who Lhus lnvesugaLes?
1he body, ln Lhls way, has no exlsLence,
WhaL, Lherefore, ls male and whaL ls female?
88.
lf suerlng lLself ls Lruly real,
Why ls [oy noL alLogeLher quenched Lhereby?
lf pleasure's real, Lhen why wlll pleasanL LasLes
noL comforL and amuse a man ln agony?
89.
lf Lhe feellng falls Lo be experlenced,
1hrough belng overwhelmed by someLhlng sLronger,
Pow can feellng" rlghLly be ascrlbed
1o LhaL whlch lacks Lhe characLer of belng felL?
90.
erhaps you say LhaL only subLle paln remalns,
lLs grosser form has now been overmasLered-
Cr raLher lL ls felL as mere pleasure."
8uL whaL ls subLle sull remalns lLself.
91.
lf, because lLs opposlLe ls presenL,
ulscomforL falls Lo manlfesL,
ls noL Lhe clalm LhaL lL's a feellng"
no more Lhan a menLal lmpuLauon?
92.
Slnce so lL ls, Lhe anudoLe
ls medlLauon and analysls.
Absorpuon grown ln elds of Lhelr lnvesugauon
ls lndeed Lhe food and susLenance of yogls.
93.
lf beLween Lhe sense power and a Lhlng
1here ls a space, how wlll Lhe Lwo Lerms meeL?
And lf Lhere ls no space, Lhey form a unlLy,
And Lherefore whaL ls lL LhaL meeLs wlLh whaL?
94.
no peneLrauon can Lhere be of parucle by parucle,
lor Lhey are boLh Lhe same ln lacklng volume.
8uL lf Lhey do noL peneLraLe, Lhey do noL merge,
And lf Lhey do noL merge, Lhere's no encounLer.
93.
lor how could anyone accepL
1haL whaL ls parLless could be sald Lo meeL?
And you musL show me, lf you ever saw,
A conLacL Laklng place beLween Lwo parLless Lhlngs.
96.
Consclousness ls lmmaLerlal,
And so one cannoL speak of conLacL wlLh lL.
A comblnauon, Loo, has no reallLy,
!usL as we have prevlously shown.
97.
lf Lherefore Lhere's no Louch or conLacL,
Whence ls lL LhaL feellng Lakes lLs rlse?
WhaL purpose ls Lhere, Lhen, ln all our Loll,
lor whaL ls lL, lndeed, LhaL LormenLs whaL?
98.
Slnce Lhere ls no sub[ecL for sensauon,
And sensauon, Loo, lacks all exlsLence,
Pow ls cravlng noL arresLed
When all Lhls ls clearly undersLood?
99.
WhaL we see and whaL we Louch
ls sLu of dreams and mlrages.
lf feellng ls colncldenL wlLh consclousness,
lL follows LhaL lL ls noL seen Lhereby.
100.
lf Lhe one arlses rsL, Lhe oLher aer,
Memory occurs and noL dlrecL sensauon.
Sensauon ls wlLhouL percepuon of lLself
And llkewlse, by anoLher lL ls noL percelved.
101.
1he agenL of sensauon has no real exlsLence,
1hus sensauon, llkewlse, has no belng.
WhaL damage, Lherefore, can sensauon do Lo lL-
1hls aggregaLe deprlved of self?
102.
1he mlnd wlLhln Lhe senses does noL dwell,
lL has no place ln ouLer Lhlngs llke form.
And ln beLween, Lhe mlnd does noL ablde:
noL ouL, noL ln, noL elsewhere, can Lhe mlnd be found.
103.
lL ls noL ln Lhe body, yeL ls nowhere else.
lL does noL merge wlLh lL nor sLand aparL-
SomeLhlng such as Lhls does noL exlsL, noL even sllghLly.
8elngs by Lhelr naLure are beyond Lhe reach of suerlng.
104.
lf consclousness precedes Lhe cognlzed ob[ecL,
WlLh regard Lo whaL does lL arlse?
lf consclousness arlses aL Lhe same ume as lLs ob[ecL,
Agaln, regardlng whaL does lL arlse?
103.
lf consclousness comes laLer Lhan lLs ob[ecL,
Cnce agaln, from whaL does lL arlse?
1hus Lhe orlgln of all phenomena
Lxceeds Lhe reach of undersLandlng.
106.
lf Lhls ls so," you say, Lhere ls no relauve,
And Lhen Lhe Lwo LruLhs-whaL becomes of Lhem?
Moreover, lf Lhe relauve derlves from belngs' mlnds,
Pow can Lhey pass beyond Lhelr sorrows?"
107.
8uL LhaL ls [usL Lhe LhoughL of oLhers,
lL ls noL whaL l mean by Lhe relauve.
lf subsequenLly Lhere are LhoughLs, Lhe relauve's sull Lhere,
lf noL, Lhe relauve has ceased lndeed.
108.
1he analyzlng mlnd and whaL ls analyzed
Are llnked LogeLher, muLually dependenL.
lL ls on Lhe basls of convenuonal consensus
1haL all lnvesugauon ls expressed.
109.
8uL when," you say, Lhe process of analysls
ls made, ln Lurn, Lhe ob[ecL of our scruuny,
1hls lnvesugauon llkewlse may be analyzed,
And Lhus we nd an lnnlLe regress."
110.
lf phenomena are Lruly analyzed,
no basls for analysls remalns.
And when Lhe ob[ecL ls removed, Lhe sub[ecL Loo subsldes.
1haL lndeed ls sald Lo be nlrv$a.
111.
1hose who say LhaL boLh are Lrue,
Are hard-pressed Lo malnLaln Lhelr case.
lf consclousness reveals Lhe LruLh of Lhlngs,
Cn whaL grounds, ln lLs Lurn, does consclousness exlsL?
112.
lf knowledge ob[ecLs show LhaL consclousness exlsLs,
WhaL ls lL LhaL shows LhaL Lhey exlsL?
lf boLh subslsL Lhrough muLual dependence,
8oLh wlll Lhereby lose Lhelr Lrue exlsLence.
113.
lf, wlLhouL a son, a man cannoL be faLher,
Whence, lndeed, wlll such a son arlse?
1here ls no faLher ln Lhe absence of a son.
!usL so, Lhe mlnd and ob[ecL have no Lrue exlsLence.
114.
1he planL arlses from Lhe seed," you say,
And Lhrough lL ls Lhe seed deduced.
lL's [usL Lhe same wlLh consclousness arlslng from lLs ob[ecL.
Pow can lL fall Lo show Lhe Lhlng's exlsLence?"
113.
A consclousness LhaL's dlerenL from Lhe planL lLself
ueduces Lhe exlsLence of Lhe seed.
8uL whaL wlll show LhaL consclousness exlsLs,
Whereby Lhe ob[ecL ls lLself esLabllshed?
116.
ln everyday percepuon
1here's a cause for everyLhlng.
1he dlerenL segmenLs of Lhe loLus ower
Arlse from a varleLy of causes.
117.
8uL whaL glves rlse," you ask, Lo such varleLy of causes?"
An even earller varleLy of causes, we declare.
And how," you ask, do causes glve Lhelr frulLs?"
1hrough power, we answer, of precedlng causes.
118.
lf lshvara ls held Lo be Lhe cause of belngs,
?ou musL now dene for us hls naLure.
lf, by Lhls, you slmply mean Lhe elemenLs,
no need Lo ure ourselves dlspuung names!
119.
?eL earLh and oLher elemenLs are many,
lmpermanenL, lnerL, wlLhouL dlvlnlLy.
1rampled underfooL, Lhey are lmpure,
And Lhus Lhey cannoL be a Cod CmnlpoLenL.
120.
1he uelLy cannoL be space-lnerL and unproducuve.
Pe cannoL be Lhe self, for Lhls we have refuLed.
Pe's lnconcelvable, Lhey say-Lhen llkewlse hls creaLorshlp.
ls Lhere any polnL, Lherefore, Lo such a clalm?
121.
WhaL ls lL LhaL he wlshes Lo creaLe?
Pas he made Lhe self and all Lhe elemenLs?
8uL are noL self and elemenLs and he hlmself eLernal?
And consclousness, we know, arlses from lLs ob[ecL.
122.
aln and pleasure have, from all ume, sprung from karma,
So Lell us, whaL has hls ulvlnlLy produced?
And lf Lhere's no beglnnlng ln Lhe cause,
Pow can Lhere be beglnnlngs ln lLs frulLs?
123.
Why are creaLures noL creaLed consLanLly,
lor lshvara relles on noLhlng buL hlmself?
And lf Lhere's noLhlng LhaL he has noL made,
WhaL remalns on whlch he mlghL depend?
124.
lf lshvara depends, Lhe cause of all
ls buL Lhe meeung of condluons and noL lshvara.
When Lhese obLaln, he cannoL buL creaLe,
When Lhese are absenL, he ls powerless Lo make.
123.
lf AlmlghLy Cod does noL lnLend,
8uL yeL creaLes, anoLher Lhlng has forced hlm.
lf he wlshes Lo creaLe, he's swayed by hls deslre.
So even Lhough CreaLor, whaL of hls omnlpoLence?
126.
1hose who hold Lhe permanence of parucles
Were lndeed refuLed earller.
1he S!khyas are Lhe ones who hold
1haL permanenL prak"lu ls Lhe cause of Lhe evolvlng world.
127.
leasure," paln," neuLrallLy," so-called,
Are quallues whlch, when Lhey resL
ln equlllbrlum are Lermed prak"lu."
1he unlverse arlses when Lhls balance ls dlsLurbed.
128.
1hree naLures ln a unlLy are dlsallowed,
And Lhus prak"lu ls wlLhouL exlsLence.
1hese quallues llkewlse do noL exlsL,
lor each of Lhem lndeed ls Lhree.
129.
lf Lhese quallues have no exlsLence,
A Lhlng llke sound ls very far from plauslble!
And cloLh and oLher mlndless ob[ecLs
CannoL be Lhe seaL of feellngs such as pleasure.
130.
8uL," you say, Lhese Lhlngs possess Lhe naLure of Lhelr cause."
8uL have we noL lnvesugaLed Lhlngs" already?
lor you Lhe cause ls pleasure" and Lhe llke,
And yeL from pleasure, cloLh has never sprung!
131.
leasure, raLher, ls produced from cloLh.
lf Lhls ls nonexlsLenL, pleasure llkewlse.
As for permanence of pleasure and Lhe resL-
Well, Lhere's a Lhlng LhaL's never been observed!
132.
lf pleasure and Lhe resL are manlfesLly presenL,
Pow comes lL LhaL Lhey're noL percelved?
And lf you clalm Lhey Lake on subLle form,
Pow ls lL LhaL Lhey are boLh gross and subLle?
133.
lf coarseness ls abandoned, subLleLy assumed,
SubLleLy and grossness boLh lack permanence.
So why noL granL LhaL, ln Lhls way,
All Lhlngs possess Lhe characLer of Lranslence?
134.
lf Lhe coarser aspecL ls none oLher Lhan Lhe pleasure,
lL's clear LhaL pleasure ls lLself lmpermanenL.
lf you clalm LhaL whaL does noL exlsL ln any sense
(8ecause lL has no belng) cannoL manlfesL,
133.
AlLhough you have denled Lhe blrLh of Lhlngs
1haL dld noL prevlously exlsL, lL's Lhls LhaL you're now saylng!
8uL lf resulLs exlsL wlLhln Lhelr cause,
1hose who eaL Lhelr food consume Lhelr excremenL.
136.
And llkewlse wlLh Lhe money Lhey would spend on cloLhlng,
LeL Lhem raLher buy Lhe couon gralns Lo wear!
8uL," you say, Lhe world ls lgnoranL and bllnd.
lor Lhls ls LaughL by 'Lhose who know Lhe LruLh.'"
137.
1hls knowledge musL be presenL ln Lhe worldly Loo!
And lf Lhey have lL, why do Lhey noL see?
lf now you say LhaL whaL Lhe worldly see has no valldlLy,
1hls means LhaL whaL Lhey clearly see ls false.
138.
lf," you ask, Lhere's no valldlLy ln valld knowledge,
ls noL all LhaL lL assesses false?
And Lherefore lL becomes unLenable
1o medlLaLe on voldness, ulumaLe reallLy."
139.
lf Lhere ls no ob[ecL for analysls,
1here can be no grasplng of lLs nonexlsLence.
And so decepuve ob[ecLs of whaLever klnd
Wlll also have a nonexlsLence equally decepuve.
140.
When Lherefore ln one's dream a chlld has dled,
1he sLaLe of mlnd LhaL Lhlnks lL ls no more
SupplanLs Lhe LhoughL LhaL lL ls llvlng sull.
And yeL boLh LhoughLs are equally decepuve.
141.
1herefore, as we see Lhrough such lnvesugauon,
noLhlng ls LhaL does noL have a cause,
And noLhlng ls exlsLenL ln lLs causes
1aken one by one or ln Lhe aggregaLe.
142.
lL does noL come from somewhere else,
nelLher does lL sLay nor yeL deparL.
Pow wlll whaL confuslon Lakes for LruLh
ln any sense be dlerenL from a mlrage?
143.
1hlngs, Lhen, bodled forLh by maglc spells,
And LhaL whlch ls dlsplayed by dlnL of causes-
Whence have Lhese arlsen? we should ask,
And where Lhey go Lo, LhaL we should examlne!
144.
WhaL ls seen when clrcumsLances meeL
And ls noL seen ln absence of Lhe same
ls noL real, lL ls llke an lmage ln a mlrror.
Pow can Lrue exlsLence be ascrlbed Lo lL?
143.
WhaL need ls Lhere for cause
ln someLhlng LhaL's already real?
8uL Lhen, whaL need ls Lhere for cause
ln someLhlng LhaL does noL exlsL?
146.
Lven Lhrough a hundred mllllon causes,
no change Lakes place ln nonexlsLenL Lhlngs,
lor ln LhaL sLaLe of non-Lhlng," how could Lhlngs" occur?
And lnLo whaL could nonexlsLenL Lhlngs Lransform?
147.
Slnce Lhlngs cannoL become when Lhey are nonexlsLenL,
When could such exlsLenL Lhlngs occur?
lor lnsofar as enuues do noL arlse,
nonenuues Lhemselves wlll noL deparL.
148.
And lf nonenuLy ls noL dlspersed,
no chance ls Lhere for enuLy Lo manlfesL.
And enuLy cannoL be changed lnLo nonenuLy,
lor oLherwlse lL has a double naLure.
149.
1hus Lhere are no enuues
And llkewlse Lhere's no ceaslng of Lhe same.
And Lherefore belngs, each and every one,
Are wlLhouL orlgln and never cease.
130.
Wanderlng belngs, Lhus, resemble dreams,
And also Lhe banana Lree, lf you examlne well.
ln ulumaLe reallLy Lhere's no dlsungulshlng
8eLween Lhe sLaLes of sorrow and beyond all sorrow.
131.
WlLh Lhlngs LhaL ln Lhls way are empLy
WhaL ls Lhere Lo galn and whaL Lo lose?
Who ls Lhere Lo pay me courL and honors,
And who ls Lhere Lo scorn and Lo revlle me?
132.
leasure, sorrow-whence do Lhese arlse?
WhaL ls Lhere Lo glve me [oy and paln?
And lf l search Lhelr very suchness,
Who ls cravlng? WhaL ls craved?
133.
Lxamlne now Lhls world of llvlng belngs:
Who ls Lhere Lhereln Lo pass away?
WhaL ls Lhere Lo come, and whaL has been?
And who, lndeed, are relauves and frlends?
134.
May belngs llke myself dlscern and grasp
1haL all Lhlngs have Lhe characLer of space!
8uL Lhose who seek Lhelr happlness and ease,
1hrough dlspuLes or en[oymenLs,
133.
All are deeply Lroubled, or else Lhrllled wlLh [oy.
1hey suer, sLrlve, conLend among Lhemselves,
Slashlng, sLabblng, ln[urlng each oLher:
1hey llve Lhelr llves engulfed ln evll and Lravall.
136.
lrom ume Lo ume Lhey surface ln Lhe sLaLes of bllss,
Abandonlng Lhemselves Lo many pleasures.
8uL dylng, down Lhey fall Lo suer LormenL,
Long, unbearable, ln realms of sorrow.
137.
Many are Lhe chasms and abysses of exlsLence,
Where Lhe LruLh of suchness ls noL found.
All ls conLradlcuon, all denlal,
Suchness ln Lhls world ls noL llke Lhls.
138.
Pere, exceedlng all descrlpuon,
ls Lhe shoreless sea of paln unbearable.
Pere lL ls LhaL sLrengLh ls low,
And llves are lckerlng and brlef.
139.
All acuvlues for sake of llfe and healLh,
8ellef of hunger and of wearlness,
1lme consumed ln sleep, all accldenL and ln[ury,
And sLerlle frlendshlps wlLh Lhe chlldlsh-
160.
1hus llfe passes qulckly, meanlngless.
1rue dlscernmenL-hard lL ls Lo have!
Pow Lherefore shall we ever nd Lhe means
1o curb Lhe fuule wanderlngs of Lhe mlnd?
161.
lurLher, evll forces work and sLraln
1o casL us down lnLo Lhe sLaLes of woe,
Manlfold are false, decepuve Lralls,
And lL ls hard Lo dlsslpaLe our doubLs.
162.
Pard lL ls Lo nd agaln Lhls sLaLe of freedom,
Parder yeL Lo come upon enllghLened Leachers,
Pard, lndeed, Lo Lurn aslde Lhe LorrenL of delemenL!
Alas, our sorrows fall ln endless sLreams!
163.
Alas lndeed LhaL llvlng belngs,
Carrled on Lhe ood of bluer paln,
Powever Lerrlble Lhelr pllghL may be,
uo noL percelve Lhey suer so!
164.
1hey are llke Lhose who baLhe Lhemselves repeaLedly
And Lhen proceed Lo scorch Lhemselves wlLh re.
1hey suer greaLly ln Lhls way,
?eL Lhere Lhey sLay, proclalmlng loud Lhelr bllss.
163.
Llkewlse Lhere are some who llve and acL
As Lhough old age and deaLh wlll never come Lo Lhem.
8uL rsL Lhey're slaln and Lhen Lhere comes
1he dreadful fall lnLo Lhe sLaLes of loss.
166.
When shall l be able Lo allay and quench
1he dreadful heaL of suerlng's blazlng res
WlLh plenLeous ralns of my own bllss
1haL pour Lorrenual from my clouds of merlL?
167.
My wealLh of merlL gaLhered ln,
WlLh reverence buL wlLhouL concepLual LargeL,
When shall l reveal Lhls LruLh of empuness
1o Lhose who go Lo ruln Lhrough bellef ln real exlsLence?
10. uedlcauon
1.
8y all Lhe vlrLue l have now amassed
8y composluon of Lhls book, whlch speaks
Cf enLry Lo Lhe 8odhlsauva way,
May every belng Lread Lhe paLh Lo 8uddhahood.
2.
May belngs everywhere who suer
1ormenL ln Lhelr mlnds and bodles
Pave, by vlrLue of my merlL,
!oy and happlness ln boundless measure.
3.
As long as Lhey may llnger ln sa!sra,
May Lhelr [oy be undlmlnlshed,
May Lhey LasLe of unsurpassed beauLude
ln consLanL and unbroken conunulLy.
4.
1hroughouL Lhe spheres and reaches of Lhe world,
ln helllsh sLaLes as many as Lhere are,
May belngs who ablde Lhere LasLe
1he bllss and peace of Sukhvau.111
3.
May Lhose caughL ln Lhe freezlng lce be warmed,
And from greaL clouds of 8odhlsauvas
1orrenLs raln ln boundless sLreams
1o cool Lhose burnlng ln lnfernal res.
6.
May foresLs where Lhe leaves are blades and swords
8ecome sweeL groves and pleasanL woodland glades.
And may Lhe Lrees of mlracles appear,
Supplanung Lhose upon Lhe hlll of Shlmall.112
7.
And may Lhe very plLs of hell be sweeL
WlLh fragranL pools all perfumed wlLh Lhe scenL of loLuses,
And lovely wlLh Lhe crles of swan and goose
And waLerfowl so pleaslng Lo Lhe ear.
8.
May ery coals Lurn lnLo heaps of [ewels,
1he burnlng ground become an even crysLal oor,
May crushlng hllls become subllme abodes:
Cerlng Lemples, dwelllngs of Lhe 8uddhas.
9.
May Lhe hall of weapons, lava, ery sLones
8ecome henceforLh a raln of owers.
And all Lhe muLual woundlngs wlLh sharp blades
8e now a raln of owers Lhrown ln play.
10.
And Lhose engulfed ln ery valLara$l,
1helr esh desLroyed, Lhelr bones bleached whlLe as kunda owers,
May Lhey, Lhrough all my merlLs' sLrengLh, have godllke forms
And sporL wlLh goddesses ln Mandklnl's peaceful sLreams.113
11.
WhaL fear ls lL," Lhey'll ask, LhaL grlps Lhe henchmen of Lhe ueadly Lord,
Lhe frlghuul vulLures, and Lhe carrlon crows?
WhaL noble sLrengLh ls lL LhaL brlngs us [oy and drlves away our dreadful nlghL?"
And looklng skyward Lhey wlll see Lhe shlnlng form of va[rap$l.
1hen may Lhelr slns be quenched ln [oy and may Lhey go Lo hlm.
12.
And when Lhey see Lhe seeLhlng lava-ood of hell
Lxungulshed ln a raln of blossoms, drenched ln fragranL sLreams,
AL once fullled ln bllss, Lhey'll ask, Pow can Lhls be?"
May Lhen Lhe denlzens of hell behold Lhe Cne Who Polds Lhe LoLus.114
13.
lrlends, Lhrow away your fears and qulckly gaLher here.
lor who ls lL who comes Lo us Lo banlsh dread,
Lhls gleamlng youLh wlLh bound-up halr,
1hls lovlng 8odhlsauva savlng and proLecung every belng,
Whose power relleves all paln, besLowlng [oy?
14.
8ehold Lhe hundred gods who lay Lhelr crowns before hls loLus feeL,
1he raln of owers LhaL falls upon hls head, hls eyes molsL wlLh compasslon,
1he splendor of hls house LhaL echoes pralses of a Lhousand goddesses!"
May Lhose ln hell Lhus cry on seelng Ma.[ugho#ha.
13.
And llkewlse, Lhrough my rooLs of vlrLue,
Seelng 8odhlsauvas llke SamanLabhadra, free from sLaln,
1hose clouds of bllss all laden wlLh a coollng scenLed raln,
May all Lhose langulshlng ln hell come now Lo perfecL [oy.
16.
And may Lhe sLooplng anlmals be freed
lrom fear of belng preyed upon, each oLher's food.
And may Lhe famlshed splrlLs have such [oy
As Lhose who dwell wlLhln Lhe norLhern conunenL.113
17.
And may Lhey be repleLe and saused
8y sLreams of mllk LhaL pour
lrom noble Lord AvaloklLa's hand,
And baLhlng ln lL, may Lhey be refreshed and cooled.
18.
And may Lhe bllnd recelve Lhelr slghL,
And may Lhe deaf begln Lo hear,
And women near Lhelr ume brlng forLh,
Llke Mydevl,116 free from all Lravall.
19.
And may Lhe naked now be cloLhed,
And all Lhe hungry eaL Lhelr ll.
And may Lhose parched wlLh LhlrsL recelve
ure waLers and dellclous drlnk.
20.
May Lhe poor and desuLuLe nd wealLh,
1he haggard and Lhe careworn, [oy.
May Lhose now ln despalr be whole ln mlnd,
Lndowed wlLh sLerllng consLancy.
21.
May every belng alllng wlLh dlsease
8e freed aL once from every malady.
May every slckness LhaL aMlcLs Lhe llvlng
8e wholly and forever absenL from Lhe world.
22.
May Lhose who go ln dread have no more fear.
May capuves be unchalned and now seL free.
And may Lhe weak recelve Lhelr sLrengLh.
May llvlng belngs help each oLher ln klndness.
23.
May Lravelers upon Lhe road
llnd happlness no mauer where Lhey go,
And may Lhey galn, wlLhouL Lhe need of Loll,
1he goals on whlch Lhey seL Lhelr hearLs.
24.
May Lhose who puL Lo sea ln boaL or shlp,
Aualn Lhe porLs LhaL Lhey deslre,
And may Lhey safely come Lo shore
And sweeL reunlon wlLh Lhelr klLh and kln.
23.
May Lhose who lose Lhelr way and wander
ln Lhe wlld nd fellow Lravelers.
And safe from LhreaL of Lhleves and savage beasLs,
May Lhey be ureless and Lhelr [ourney llghL.
26.
May chlldren and Lhe aged, and all Lhose wlLhouL proLecuon
Wanderlng ln Lhe fearful, paLhless wasLes,
Who fall asleep unconsclous of Lhelr perll,
Pave pure celesual belngs as Lhelr guardlans.
27.
May all be freed from sLaLes of bondage,
May Lhey be possessed of wlsdom, falLh, and love.
WlLh perfecL susLenance and conducL,
May Lhey always have remembrance of Lhelr former llves.
28.
May everyone have unresLrlcLed wealLh
!usL llke Lhe Lreasury of space,
Ln[oylng lL accordlng Lo Lhelr wlsh,
WlLhouL a Lrace of harm or enmlLy.
29.
May belngs desuLuLe of splendor,
8e magnlcenL and brlghL.
And Lhose who suer from deformlLy
Acqulre greaL beauLy and perfecuon.
30.
May all Lhe women of Lhe world
Aualn Lhe sLrengLh of mascullnlLy.117
And may Lhe lowly come Lo excellence,
1he proud and haughLy lose Lhelr arrogance.
31.
And Lhus by all Lhe merlL l have galned,
May every belng, leavlng none aslde,
Abandon all Lhelr evll ways
Lmbraclng goodness now and ever more.
32.
lrom bodhlchlua may Lhey never separaLe,
And consLanLly engage ln 8odhlsauva acuons.
May Lhey be accepLed as dlsclples by Lhe 8uddhas,
urawlng back from whaL ls demons' work.
33.
And may Lhese belngs, each and every one,
Ln[oy an unsurpassed longevlLy.
Llvlng always ln conLenLmenL,
May Lhe very name of deaLh be sLrange Lo Lhem.
34.
ln all Lhe Len dlrecuons and on every slde
May groves of wlsh-fullllng Lrees abound,
8esoundlng wlLh Lhe sweeLness of Lhe 1eachlngs,
Spoken by Lhe 8uddhas and Lhelr 8odhlsauva helrs.
33.
And may Lhe earLh be wholesome everywhere,
lree from boulders, clls, and chasms,
llaL and even llke a level palm,
And smooLh llke lapls lazull.
36.
lor many clrcles of dlsclples,
May muluLudes of 8odhlsauvas
Llve ln every land,
Adornlng Lhem wlLh every excellence.
37.
lrom blrdsong and Lhe slghlng of Lhe Lrees,
lrom shas of llghL and from Lhe sky lLself,
May llvlng belngs, each and every one,
ercelve Lhe consLanL sound of uharma.
38.
And always may Lhey come lnLo Lhe presence of Lhe 8uddhas,
And meeL wlLh 8odhlsauvas, osprlng of Lhe same.
WlLh clouds of oerlngs unbounded,
May Lhe Leachers of Lhe world be worshlpped.
39.
May klndly splrlLs brlng Lhe ralns on ume,
lor harvesLs Lo be rlch and plenuful.
May prlnces rule accordlng Lo Lhe uharma,
May Lhe world be blessed wlLh all prosperlLy.
40.
May medlclnes be full of sLrengLh,
May secreL words of power be chanLed wlLh success.
May splrlLs of Lhe alr LhaL feed on esh
8e klnd, Lhelr mlnds lmbued wlLh plLy.
41.
May belngs never suer angulsh.
LeL Lhem noL be slck nor evllly behave.
May Lhey have no fear, nor suer lnsulLs.
Always may Lhelr mlnds be free from sorrow.
42.
ln monasLerles, Lemples, and Lhe llke,
May readlng and reclung wldely ourlsh.
May harmony prevall among Lhe Sa'gha,
May lLs purposes be all fullled.
43.
May ordalned monks, lnLenL upon Lhe pracuce,
llnd perfecL places for reLreaL ln sollLude,
Abandon every vagranL LhoughL,
And medlLaLe wlLh Lralned and servlceable mlnds.
44.
May nuns have all Lhelr wanLs supplled,
May quarrellng and splLe be sLrange Lo Lhem.
LeL all who have embraced monasuc llfe
uphold a pure and unlmpalred observance.
43.
May Lhose who break Lhelr dlsclpllne repenL,
And always may Lhey sLrlve Lo cleanse away Lhelr faulLs.
And Lhus may Lhey acqulre a forLunaLe reblrLh,
Whereln Lo pracuce sLalnless dlsclpllne.
46.
May wlse and learned belngs be revered,
And always be susLalned by alms.
May Lhey be pure ln mlnd,
And may Lhelr fame spread far and wlde.
47.
May belngs never langulsh ln Lhe lower realms,
May paln and hardshlp be unknown Lo Lhem.
WlLh bodles greaLer Lhan Lhe gods,
May Lhey aualn enllghLenmenL wlLhouL delay.
48.
May belngs ume and ume agaln
Make oerlngs Lo all Lhe 8uddhas.
And wlLh Lhe 8uddha's unlmaglned bllss
May Lhey en[oy undlmmed and consLanL happlness.
49.
May all Lhe 8odhlsauvas now fulll
1helr hlgh lnLenuon for Lhe sake of wanderers.
May senuenL belngs now obLaln
All LhaL Lhelr Cuardlans wlsh for Lhem.
30.
And may Lhe Pearers and raLyekabuddhas118
Caln Lhelr perfecL happlness.
31.
And ull, Lhrough Ma.[ugho#ha's perfecL klndness,
l aualn Lhe ground of erfecL !oy,119
May l remember all my llves
And enLer lnLo Lhe monasuc sLaLe.
32.
1hus may l ablde, susLalned
8y slmple, ordlnary fare.
And ln every llfe obLaln
A dwelllng place ln perfecL sollLude.
33.
Whenever l deslre Lo gaze on hlm
Cr puL Lo hlm Lhe sllghLesL quesuon,
May l behold wlLh unobsLrucLed slghL
My own proLecLor Ma.[ugho#ha.
34.
1o sausfy Lhe needs of belngs
uwelllng ln Lhe Len dlrecuons, Lo Lhe marglns of Lhe sky,
May l reecL ln all my deeds
1he perfecL explolLs of Ma.[ushrl.
33.
And now as long as space endures,
As long as Lhere are belngs Lo be found,
May l conunue llkewlse Lo remaln
1o drlve away Lhe sorrows of Lhe world.
36.
1he palns and sorrows of all wanderlng belngs-
May Lhey rlpen wholly on myself.
And may Lhe vlrLuous company of 8odhlsauvas
Always brlng abouL Lhe happlness of belngs.
37.
May Lhe uocLrlne, only cure for sorrow,
Source of every bllss and happlness,
8e blessed wlLh wealLh, upheld wlLh venerauon,
And LhroughouL a vasL conunuance of ume, endure!
38.
And now Lo Ma.[ugho#ha l prosLraLe,
Whose klndness ls Lhe wellsprlng of my good lnLenL.
And Lo my vlrLuous frlends l also bow
Whose lnsplrauon gave me sLrengLh Lo grow.
1hls compleLes Lhe 8odhlsauvacharyavaLara, 1he Way of Lhe 8odhlsauva, whlch was
composed
by Lhe masLer Shnudeva.
1he LexL was LranslaLed, edlLed, and nallzed ln 1lbeLan on Lhe basls of a manuscrlpL
from
kashmlr by Lhe lndlan scholar Sarva[.deva and Lhe monk, LranslaLor, and edlLor
kawa elLsek.
AL a laLer ume, Lhls verslon was revlsed and nallzed ln accordance wlLh Lhe verslon
from
Magadha, LogeLher wlLh lLs commenLary, by Lhe lndlan scholar uharmashrlbhadra
and Lhe
1lbeLan monks, LranslaLors and edlLors, 8lnchen Zangpo and Shkya Lodr.. Sull laLer,
lL was
agaln revlsed and nallzed by Lhe lndlan scholar Sumauklru and Lhe monk,
LranslaLor, and
edlLor ngok Loden Sherab.120
Appendlxes
Appendlx 1
1he Llfe of Shnudeva
Cenerally speaklng, our maln sources for Lhe llfe of Shnudeva are Lhe 1lbeLan
hlsLorlans
8uL.n121and !eLsun 1ranLha.122ln addluon, a shorL accounL (apparenLly a
comblnauon and
abbrevlauon of Lhe prevlous Lwo) ls Lo be found ln Lhe wrlungs of Lhe elghLeenLh-
cenLury 1lbeLan
scholar ?eshe el[or,123and more recenL scholarshlp has broughL Lo llghL a shorL
SanskrlL llfe of
Shnudeva preserved ln a fourLeenLh-cenLury nepalese manuscrlpL.1241he followlng
accounL ls
Laken from 1he necLar of Ma.[ushrl's Speech, a commenLary on 1he Way of Lhe
8odhlsauva by
kunzang elden, who has followed 8uL.n closely, preferrlng hlm Lo 1ranLha, whose
accounL,
however, he musL have known.123
1he auLhor of Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra was Lhe learned masLer and noble 8odhlsauva
Shnudeva,
who possessed ln perfecL measure Lhe Lhree quallcauons necessary for Lhe
composlng of
shsLras.126 Pls llfe was marked by seven exLraordlnary evenLs, ln parucular Lhe facL
LhaL he was
accepLed and blessed by hls supreme yldam delLy, Lhe venerable Ma.[ugho#ha. 1he
seven
exLraordlnary evenLs are llsLed as follows:
1he pleaslng of hls supreme yldam delLy,
1he perfecL deeds aL nland,127
1he heallng of a conlcL, and Lhe Laklng as dlsclples Lhose of sLrange oplnlons,
As well as beggars, unbellevers, and a klng.
1he greaL belng Shnudeva was born ln Lhe souLhern counLry of Saur#h(ra.128 Pe was
Lhe son of
Lhe klng, kaly$avarman, and wenL by Lhe name of Shnuvarman. lrom hls youLh he
was
devoLed Lo Lhe 8uddhas of earller ages, and havlng a naLural amnlLy for Lhe
Mahyna, he held
Lhe Leachers of rellglon and Lhe monasuc order ln greaL respecL. Pe was a benefacLor
Lo all,
masLers and servanLs allke, and he cared mosL Lenderly for Lhe lowly, Lhe slck, and
Lhe desuLuLe.
WlLh hls hearL xed solely upon Lhe ways of enllghLenmenL, he became experL ln
every arL and
sclence. ln parucular, he requesLed Lhe 1lk#h$ama.[ushrl-sdhana129 from a cerLaln
asceuc
mendlcanL. Pe pracuced Lhls and beheld Lhe yldam delLy.
When aL lengLh hls faLher Lhe klng dled, lL was declded LhaL Lhe royal power should
be conferred
on Shnuvarman, and a greaL Lhrone made of preclous subsLances was duly seL ln
place. 8uL ln
hls dreams LhaL nlghL, Lhe prlnce saw Ma.[ugho#ha slmng on Lhe very Lhrone LhaL he
hlmself was
Lo ascend Lhe followlng day. Ma.[ugho#ha spoke Lo hlm and sald:
My dear and only son, Lhls ls my Lhrone,
And l Ma.[ushrl am your splrlLual gulde.
lL ls noL rlghL LhaL you and l should Lake
An equal place and slL upon one seaL.
WlLh LhaL, Shnuvarman woke from hls dream and undersLood LhaL lL would be
wrong for hlm Lo
assume Lhe klngshlp. leellng no deslre for Lhe greaL wealLh of Lhe realm, he
deparLed and enLered
Lhe glorlous monasLery of nland where he recelved ordlnauon from !ayadeva, Lhe
chlef of lLs
ve hundred pa $&lLas, Laklng Lhe name of Shnudeva.130
8egardlng hls lnner splrlLual llfe, he recelved Lhe Leachlngs of Lhe enure 1rlpl(aka
from Lhe
noble Cne [Ma.[ushrl. Pe medlLaLed on Lhem and condensed Lhelr preclous
conLenLs lnLo Lwo
shsLras: Lhe ulgesL of All ulsclpllnes (Shlk#hsamucchaya) and Lhe ulgesL of Lhe
SuLras
(SuLrasamucchaya). 8uL Lhough he galned boundless quallues of ellmlnauon and
reallzauon,131
Lhe oLher monks knew noLhlng of Lhls, and slnce Lo all ouLward appearances hls
behavlor seemed
Lo be resLrlcLed Lo Lhe acuvlues of eaung (bhu[), sleeplng (sup), and sLrolllng around
(ku(l!
gaLa), Lhey gave hlm Lhe nlckname of 8husuku. Such was Lhelr esumaLe of hls
ouLward conducL.
1hls man," Lhey complalned, performs none of Lhe Lhree duues132 requlred of Lhe
monks of Lhls
monasLery. Pe has no rlghL Lo en[oy Lhe food and alms oered ln rellglon Lo Lhe
Sa'gha. We
musL drlve hlm away!"
1helr plan was Lo Lake lL ln Lurns Lo expound Lhe scrlpLures so LhaL, when
Shnudeva's Lurn came
round, he would be embarrassed and run away. 1hey repeaLedly urged hlm Lo
preach, buL on each
occaslon he refused, saylng LhaL he dldn'L know anyLhlng. So Lhey asked Lhe abboL Lo
order hlm,
and when he dld so, Shnudeva lmmedlaLely promlsed Lo glve a Leachlng. AL Lhls, a
few of Lhe
monks began Lo have mlsglvlngs, noL knowlng whaL Lo Lhlnk. ln order Lo puL hlm Lo
Lhe LesL, Lhey
arranged a greaL quanuLy of oerlngs on Lhe ground ouLslde Lhe monasLery. 1hey
lnvlLed a large
congregauon of people and seL up an enormously hlgh llon Lhrone ln Lhelr mldsL.
1hey Lhen senL
for Shnudeva, and mosL of Lhe monks were Lhrown lnLo a confuslon when Lhey
suddenly caughL
slghL of hlm slmng hlgh up on Lhe Lhrone, noL knowlng how he had managed Lo geL
Lhere.
Would you llke me Lo reclLe some well-known Leachlng of Lhe 8uddha?" Shnudeva
asked. Cr
would you prefer someLhlng you have never heard before?"
Lveryone was LhundersLruck. lease Lell us someLhlng compleLely new," Lhey sald.
now Lhe Shlk#hsamucchaya ls Loo long, buL on Lhe oLher hand Lhe
SuLrasamucchaya ls Loo
shorL. So Shnudeva expounded Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra, whlch, Lhough vasL ln
meanlng, ls qulLe
brlef. 1he noble Ma.[ushrl appeared, seaLed ln Lhe sky, and many of Lhe people saw
hlm and had
greaL falLh. Lven more remarkable, when Shnudeva came Lo Lhe beglnnlng of
sLanza 34 of Lhe
nlnLh chapLer, When someLhlng and lLs nonexlsLence boLh are absenL from before
Lhe mlnd . . . ,"
he and Ma.[ushrl began Lo rlse hlgher and hlgher lnLo Lhe sky unul aL lasL Lhey
dlsappeared.
Shnudeva's volce, however, conunued Lo resound so LhaL Lhe Lransmlsslon was
compleLed.
1hose ln Lhe congregauon who possessed exLraordlnary powers of memory wroLe
down Lhe
Leachlng as Lhey had recalled lL, buL Lhey produced LexLs of varylng lengLh: some of
seven
hundred sLanzas, some of a Lhousand, and some of even more. 1he pa$&lLas of
kashmlr
produced a LexL of seven hundred sLanzas ln nlne chapLers, whlle Lhose of cenLral
lndla
(Magadha) came up wlLh a LexL of a Lhousand sLanzas ln Len chapLers. ulsagreemenL
and
uncerLalnLy relgned. Moreover, Lhey dld noL know Lhe LexLs LhaL Shnudeva was
referrlng Lo when
he menuoned LhaL Lhey should read Lhe Shlk#hsamucchaya repeaLedly, and
occaslonally consulL
Lhe shorLer SuLrasamucchaya.133
Aer a ume, lL was dlscovered LhaL Shnudeva was llvlng ln Lhe souLh, aL Lhe sLupa
of
Shrldak#hl$a.134 1wo of Lhe pa$&lLas who had supernormal powers of memory wenL
Lo see hlm,
lnLendlng Lo lnvlLe hlm back. 8uL when Lhey meL hlm, lL proved lnconvenlenL for
Shnudeva Lo
reLurn. neverLheless, ln answer Lo Lhelr lnqulrles, he amrmed LhaL Lhe correcL
verslon
corresponded Lo whaL Lhe scholars of Magadha had produced. As for Lhe
Shlk#hsamucchaya and
Lhe SuLrasamucchaya, he sald LhaL Lhey would nd boLh LexLs wrluen ln a ne
scholarly hand and
hldden ln Lhe roof beam of hls monasuc cell aL nland. Pe Lhen lnsLrucLed Lhe Lwo
pa$&lLas,
glvlng Lhem explanauons and Lransmlsslon.
Shnudeva laLer Lraveled Lo Lhe easL where, Lhrough a demonsLrauon of mlraculous
power, he
resolved a serlous conlcL, creaung harmony and happlness beLween Lhe conLendlng
parues.
Pe also accepLed as hls dlsclples a group of ve hundred people llvlng noL Loo far
wesL of
Magadha, who were holders of sLrange, non-8uddhlsL bellefs. lor Lhere had
occurred a greaL
naLural dlsasLer, and Lhe people were LormenLed by famlne. 1hey Lold Shnudeva
LhaL lf he could
save Lhelr llves, Lhey would respecL hls Leachlngs. 1he masLer Look hls begglng bowl
wlLh cooked
rlce recelved ln alms and, blesslng lL wlLh profound concenLrauon, fed and saused
Lhem all.
1urnlng Lhem from Lhelr uncouLh supersuuons, he lnLroduced Lhem Lo Lhe 8uddha's
uocLrlne.
Some ume aerward, ln Lhe course of anoLher Lerrlble famlne, he resLored Lo llfe
and healLh aL
leasL a Lhousand beggars who were emaclaLed and dylng of sLarvauon.
LaLer, Shnudeva became a bodyguard of klng Arlvlshana, who was LhreaLened by
Machala ln
Lhe easL (l.e., ln Magadha).133 MedlLaung upon hlmself as lnseparable from
Ma.[ugho#ha, he Look
a wooden sword wlLh lLs scabbard and lmbued lL wlLh such Lremendous power of
uharma LhaL, so
armed, he was able Lo subdue any and every onslaughL. Pe broughL abouL such
harmony LhaL he
became Lhe ob[ecL of unlversal respecL. Some people were, however, lnLensely
[ealous of hlm and
proLesLed Lo Lhe klng. 1hls man ls an lmposLer!" Lhey crled. We demand an lnqulry.
Pow could
he posslbly have defended you? Pe has no weapon oLher Lhan a wooden sword!"
1he klng was moved Lo anger and Lhe weapons were examlned one by one. When
Shnudeva
was ordered Lo Lake ouL hls sword, he replled LhaL lL would be wrong Lo do so slnce lL
would
ln[ure Lhe klng.
Lven lf lL harms me," sald Lhe klng, Lake lL ouL!"
Colng o wlLh hlm Lo a sollLary place, Shnudeva requesLed Lhe klng Lo cover one of
hls eyes
wlLh hls hand and Lo look wlLh Lhe oLher. WlLh LhaL, Lhe sword was drawn, and lLs
brlghLness was
so lnLense LhaL Lhe klng's eye shoL from hls brow and fell Lo Lhe ground. Pe and hls
escorL were
overcome wlLh Lerror and begged Shnudeva for forglveness, asklng hlm for refuge.
Shnudeva
placed Lhe eye back lnLo lLs sockeL, and Lhrough hls blesslngs, Lhe klng's slghL was
palnlessly
resLored. 1he whole counLry was lnsplred wlLh falLh and embraced Lhe uharma.
LaLer on, Shnudeva wenL Lo ShrlparvaLa ln Lhe souLh. 1here he Look Lo Lhe llfe of
Lhe naked
ucchu#hma beggars and susLalned hlmself on Lhe waLer Lhrown away aer Lhe
washlng of dlshes
and cooklng poLs. lL happened LhaL kachalah, a servlng woman of klng khaLavlhra,
once saw
LhaL lf any of Lhe washlng waLer splashed on Shnudeva as she was pourlng lL ouL, lL
was as lf lL
had fallen on red hoL lron. lL would boll and hlss.
now, aL LhaL ume, a Plndu Leacher called Sha'karadeva appealed Lo Lhe klng and
lssued Lhe
followlng challenge. Pe sald LhaL he would draw Lhe ma$&ala of Maheshvara ln Lhe
sky and LhaL
lf Lhe 8uddhlsL Leachers were unable Lo desLroy lL, Lhen all 8uddhlsL lmages and
wrlungs should
be conslgned Lo Lhe ames, and everyone obllged Lo accepL Lhe LeneLs of hls rellglon.
1he klng
convoked Lhe 8uddhlsL Sa'gha and lnformed Lhem of Lhe challenge. 8uL nobody
could underLake
Lo desLroy Lhe ma$&ala. 1he klng was deeply Lroubled, buL when Lhe servlng woman
Lold hlm
whaL she had seen, he ordered LhaL Shnudeva be summoned. 1hey searched hlgh
and low and
evenLually found hlm slmng under a Lree. When Lhey explalned Lhe slLuauon, he
announced LhaL
he was equal Lo Lhe challenge buL LhaL he would need a [ug lled wlLh waLer, Lwo
pleces of cloLh,
and re. LveryLhlng was prepared accordlng Lo hls lnsLrucuons.
Cn Lhe evenlng of Lhe followlng day, Lhe Plndu yogl drew some llnes on Lhe sky and
deparLed.
Lveryone began Lo feel afrald. 8uL early nexL mornlng, as Lhe ma$&ala was belng
drawn, no
sooner was Lhe easLern gaLe nlshed Lhan Shnudeva enLered lnLo a profound
concenLrauon. AL
once Lhere arose a Lremendous hurrlcane. 1he ma$&ala was swepL away lnLo Lhe
vold, and Lhe
crops, Lrees, and even Lhe vlllages were on Lhe brlnk of desLrucuon. 1he people were
scauered,
Lhe Plndu Leacher was caughL up ln Lhe wlnd llke a llule blrd and swepL away, and a
greaL
darkness fell over Lhe land. 8uL a llghL shone ouL from beLween Shnudeva's
eyebrows showlng
Lhe way for Lhe klng and queen. 1hey had been sLrlpped of Lhelr cloLhes and were
covered wlLh
dusL. And so wlLh Lhe re he warmed Lhem, wlLh Lhe waLer he washed Lhem, and
wlLh Lhe cloLh he
dressed and comforLed Lhem. When, Lhrough hls power of concenLrauon, Lhe people
had been
gaLhered LogeLher, washed, anolnLed, cloLhed, and seL aL ease, Shnudeva
lnLroduced many of
Lhem Lo Lhe 8uddha's Leachlng. Pe caused heaLhen places of worshlp Lo be
demollshed and
cenLers of Lhe 8uddhlsL Leachlng Lo ourlsh, spread, and remaln for a long ume. As a
resulL, Lhe
counLry came Lo be known as Lhe place where Lhe non-8uddhlsLs were defeaLed.
PlsLorlcal noLe
ln hls 1auvaslddhl,136 ShnLarak#hlLa, Lhe celebraLed lndlan masLer lnvlLed Lo 1lbeL by
klng
1rlsong ueLsen, quoLes an enure sLanza from Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra (1.10). 1hls
shows LhaL
Shnudeva musL have been well-known before 763 when ShnLarak#hlLa rsL vlslLed
1lbeL. 1hus
we have a nal daLe, whlle an lnlual daLe ls supplled by Lhe sevenLh-cenLury Chlnese
pllgrlm l1slng,
who complled an exhausuve llsL of all Lhe mosL lmporLanL Madhyamaka masLers of
hls
ume. Pe makes no menuon of Shnudeva (or, for LhaL mauer, !ayadeva), Lhus
lndlcaung LhaL Lhe
auLhor of Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra had noL yeL been born, or aL leasL was sull
unknown, by Lhe year
683, when l-1slng reLurned Lo Chlna. We can Lherefore say wlLh a falr degree of
cerLalnLy LhaL
Shnudeva ourlshed ln Lhe rsL half of Lhe elghLh cenLury.
lL ls lnLeresung Lo reecL also LhaL noL only was Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra wldely
acclalmed ln lndla
(8uL.n says LhaL more Lhan a hundred commenLarles were composed on lL ln SanskrlL
alone),137
buL lL was LranslaLed almosL lmmedlaLely lnLo 1lbeLan by kawa elLsek.138 1hls ls ln
lLself a
remarkable clrcumsLance and lndlcaLes Lhe speed wlLh whlch Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra
had
esLabllshed lLself as a LexL of ma[or lmporLance. lL wlll be remembered LhaL, llke
Shnudeva,
ShnLarak#hlLa was also from Lhe monasLery of nland, and we may [usuably
speculaLe LhaL he
looked upon Lhe work of hls lllusLrlous confrere as a valuable Lool ln Lhe propagauon
of Lhe
Mahyna ln 1lbeL. Moreover, Lhe hlsLorlcal proxlmlLy beLween Lhe lndlan masLer
and hls
1lbeLan LranslaLor makes lL qulLe plauslble LhaL accuraLe deLalls of Shnudeva's llfe
mlghL have
passed lnLo 1lbeLan Lradluon. Admluedly, 8uL.n wroLe aL a dlsLance of four
cenLurles, and hls
accounL ls brlef and haglographlcal, buL he musL have had hls sources. And lf Lhese
derlve from
anclenL 1lbeLan records, lL ls aL leasL reasonable Lo conclude LhaL deLalls ln hls
blography of
Shnudeva may noL be as fanclful as modern scholarshlp Lends Lo suppose.
ln any case, cerLaln lndlspuLable facLs emerge and are conrmed elsewhere. We
know LhaL
Shnudeva was a monk, aL leasL for parL of hls llfe and cerLalnly aL Lhe ume when he
composed
Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra. 1here ls no reason Lo doubL LhaL he was ordalned aL
nland, Lhe
prlnclpal seaL of Madhyamaka phllosophy. We know Loo LhaL he composed Lhree
works: hls
masLerplece Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra, Lhe Shlk#hsamucchaya, and Lhe
SuLrasamucchaya.139 1he
LanLrlc Lra[ecLory of Shnudeva's llfe should be noLed. CranLed, Lhere ls no hlnL of
LanLrlc
Leachlng ln elLher Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra or Shlk#hsamucchaya, buL Lhe glsL of Lhe
Lradluonal
accounL, whlch ls credlble enough, Lends Lo supporL Lhe aurlbuuon Lo Shnudeva of
a cerLaln
number of LanLrlc LexLs LranslaLed lnLo 1lbeLan and preserved ln Lhe 1engyur.
Appendlx 2
Lquallzlng Self and CLher
1he followlng passage ls Laken from 1he necLar of Ma.[ushrl's Speech, by kunzang
elden. lL
explalns sLanzas 90 Lo 98 of chapLer 8, glvlng Lhe meLaphyslcal basls for Lhe
medlLauon on
equallLy of self and oLher, and Lhus Lhe whole pracuce of compasslon accordlng Lo
Mahyna
8uddhlsm. AL Lhe same ume lL Lhrows lnLeresung llghL on Lhe Leachlngs on
relncarnauon and
karma (sub[ecLs frequenLly mlsundersLood), and shows how Lhese are ln agreemenL
wlLh Lhe vlew
LhaL nelLher persons nor Lhlngs possess an essenual core LhaL ls solld and
unchanglng.
[90 1wo Lhlngs are Lo be pracuced on Lhe level of relauve bodhlchlua: medlLauon
on Lhe
equallLy of self and oLher, and medlLauon on Lhe exchange of self and oLher.
WlLhouL Lralnlng ln
Lhe former, Lhe lauer ls lmposslble. 1hls ls why Shnudeva says LhaL we should rsL
medlLaLe
sLrenuously on equallLy of self and oLher, for wlLhouL lL, a perfecLly pure alLrulsuc
amLude cannoL
arlse.
All belngs, ourselves lncluded, are ln exacLly Lhe same predlcamenL of wanung Lo be
happy and
noL wanung Lo suer. lor Lhls reason we musL vlgorously Lraln ln ways Lo develop
Lhe lnLenuon
Lo proLecL oLhers as much as ourselves, creaung happlness and dlspelllng suerlng.
We may Lhlnk
LhaL Lhls ls lmposslble, buL lL lsn'L.
AlLhough Lhey have no ulumaLe grounds for dolng so, all belngs Lhlnk ln Lerms of l"
and
mlne." 8ecause of Lhls, Lhey have a concepuon of oLher," xaLed on as someLhlng
allen-
alLhough Lhls Loo has no basls ln reallLy. Aslde from belng merely menLal
lmpuLauons, l" and
oLher" are LoLally unreal. 1hey are boLh lllusory. Moreover, when Lhe nonexlsLence
of l" ls
reallzed, Lhe nouon of oLher" also dlsappears, for Lhe slmple reason LhaL oLher" ls
only poslLed
ln relauon Lo Lhe LhoughL of l." !usL as lL ls lmposslble Lo cuL Lhe sky ln Lwo wlLh a
knlfe, when
Lhe space-llke quallLy of egolessness ls reallzed, lL ls no longer posslble Lo make a
separauon
beLween l" and oLher," and Lhere arlses an amLude of wanung Lo proLecL oLhers as
oneself and
of Laklng Lhem as one's own. As lL ls sald, Whoever casLs aslde Lhe ordlnary, Lrlvlal
vlew of self,
wlll dlscover Lhe profound meanlng of greaL Selmood."140 1hus, for Lhe reallzauon of
Lhe equallLy
of l" and oLher," lL ls essenual Lo grasp LhaL l" and oLher" are merely labels
wlLhouL any basls
ln reallLy. 1hls vlLal polnL of egolessness ls dlmculL Lo undersLand, dlmculL even for a
person of
hlgh lnLelllgence. 1hus, as Lhe Leachlngs say, lL ls of greaL lmporLance LhaL
egolessness be clearly
demonsLraLed and asslmllaLed.
[91 1he way Lo reecL upon equallLy ls as follows. We can dlsungulsh Lhe varlous
parLs of our
bodles: hands, feeL, head, lnner organs, and so on. neverLheless, ln a momenL of
danger, we
proLecL Lhem all, noL wanung any of Lhem Lo be hurL, conslderlng LhaL Lhey all form a
slngle body.
We Lhlnk, 1hls ls my body," and we cllng Lo lL and proLecL lL as a whole, regardlng lL
as a slngle
enuLy. ln Lhe same way, Lhe whole aggregaLe of belngs ln Lhe slx realms, who ln Lhelr
dlerenL
[oys and sorrows are all llke us ln wanung Lo be happy and noL wanung Lo suer,
should be
ldenued as a slngle enuLy, our l." We should proLecL Lhem from suerlng ln [usL
Lhe same way
as we now proLecL ourselves.
Suppose we were Lo ask someone how many bodles he had. WhaL are you Lalklng
abouL?" he
would reply. l have noLhlng buL Lhls one body!" Well," we conunue, are Lhere
many bodles
LhaL you should Lake care of?" no," he wlll say, l Lake care only of Lhls one body of
mlne."
1hls ls whaL he may say, buL Lhe facL ls LhaL when he Lalks abouL hls body," he ls
dolng no more
Lhan applylng a name Lo a collecuon of dlerenL lLems. 1he word body does noL aL
all refer Lo a
slngle lndlvlslble whole. ln oLher words, Lhere ls no reason why Lhe name body
should be
auached here [Lo Lhese lLems and why lL ls lnapproprlaLe Lo auach lL elsewhere. 1he
word body ls
fasLened, wlLhouL ulumaLe [usucauon, Lo whaL ls merely a heap of componenL
lLems. lL ls Lhe
mlnd LhaL says my body," and lL ls on Lhe basls of Lhls ldea of a slngle enuLy LhaL lL ls
posslble Lo
lmpuLe Lhe nouons of l," mlne," and all Lhe resL. 1o clalm, moreover, LhaL lL ls
reasonable Lo
auach Lhe name l" Lo Lhls aggregaLe," and noL Lo anoLher aggregaLe," ls qulLe
unfounded.
ConsequenLly, lL ls LaughL LhaL Lhe name l" can be applled Lo Lhe whole collecuon of
suerlng
belngs. lL ls posslble for Lhe mlnd Lo Lhlnk, 1hey are myself." And lf, havlng
ldenued Lhem ln
Lhls way, lL hablLuaLes lLself Lo such an orlenLauon, Lhe ldea of l" wlLh regard Lo
oLher senuenL
belngs wlll ln facL arlse, wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL one wlll come Lo care for Lhem as much
as one now
cares for oneself.
[92 8uL how ls lL posslble for such an amLude Lo arlse, glven LhaL oLhers do noL feel
my paln, and
l do noL feel Lhelrs? 1he meanlng of Lhe rooL LexL may be lnLerpreLed as meanlng
LhaL, whlle Lhese
suerlngs of mlne have no eecL upon Lhe bodles of oLher llvlng belngs, Lhey are
neverLheless
Lhe suerlngs of my l." 1hey are unbearable Lo me because l cllng Lo Lhem as mlne.
[93
AlLhough Lhe palns of oLhers do noL acLually befall me, because l am a 8odhlsauva
and conslder
oLhers as myself, Lhelr palns are mlne as well, and are Lherefore unbearable Lo me.
Pow ls lL LhaL when suerlng comes Lo me, Lhe paln aecLs only myself and leaves
oLhers
unLouched? ln my presenL lncarnauon, [usL as from beglnnlngless ume unul now, my
mlnd
enLered amld Lhe generauve subsLances of my parenLs as Lhey came LogeLher.
SubsequenLly, Lhere
came lnLo belng whaL l now ldenufy as my body." And lL ls preclsely because l selze
on lL as
myself LhaL l am unable Lo LoleraLe lLs belng ln[ured. 8uL wlLhln suerlng lLself, Lhere
ls no
separauon beLween my suerlng" and anoLher's suerlng." 1herefore, alLhough
anoLher's paln
does noL acLually aMlcL me now, lf LhaL oLher ls ldenued as l" or mlne," hls or her
suerlng
becomes unbearable Lo me also.141 MalLrlyogln, Lhe dlsclple of Lhe Lord Ausha, dld
lndeed feel
Lhe suerlng of oLher belngs as hls own.142 1hls was Lhe experlence of one who had
aualned Lhe
8odhlsauva grounds of reallzauon. Powever, even on Lhe level of ordlnary people,
we can Lake
Lhe example of a moLher who would raLher dle Lhan LhaL her dear chlld should fall
slck. 8ecause
she ldenues wlLh her baby, Lhe chlld's suerlng ls acLually unbearable for her.
CLher people
who do noL ldenufy wlLh Lhe chlld are for Lhls very reason unaecLed by lLs paln. lf
Lhey dld
ldenufy wlLh lL, Lhe chlld's suerlng would be lnLolerable for Lhem as well.
Moreover, a long perlod of hablLuauon ls noL necessary for Lhls klnd of experlence Lo
occur. 1ake
Lhe example of a horse LhaL ls belng puL up for sale. 8lghL up Lo Lhe momenL when
Lhe deal ls
sLruck, lf Lhe horse lacks grass or waLer, or lf lL ls lll, or lf lL has any oLher dlscomforL
-all Lhls
wlll be unbearable for lLs owner, whlle lL wlll noL aL all aecL Lhe cllenL. 8uL as soon
as Lhe
Lransacuon Lakes place, lL ls Lhe buyer who wlll be unable Lo sLand Lhe horse's
suerlng, whlle Lhe
seller wlll be compleLely lndlerenL. WlLhln Lhe horse lLself, Lhere ls no basls
whaLever for Lhe
dlsuncuon Lhls man's horse" or LhaL man's horse." lL ls ldenued as belng Lhls
man's or LhaL
man's accordlng Lo how lL ls labeled by LhoughL.
ln Lhe same way, Lhere ls noL Lhe sllghLesL reason for saylng LhaL Lhe nouon of l"
musL be applled
Lo me and noL Lo anoLher. l" and oLher" are no more Lhan a mauer of concepLual
labellng. 1he
l" of myself ls oLher" for someone else, and whaL ls oLher" for myself ls l" for
anoLher. 1he
nouons of here" and Lhere" are slmply polnLs of vlew, deslgnaLed by Lhe mlnd ln
dependence
on each oLher. 1here ls no such Lhlng as an absoluLe here" or an absoluLe Lhere."
ln [usL Lhe
same way, Lhere ls no absoluLe l" and no absoluLe oLher." lL ls [usL a mauer of
lmpuLauon. And
so, on accounL of Lhls cruclal polnL, Lhe uharma Leaches LhaL when l" ls ascrlbed Lo
oLhers,
namely, senuenL belngs, Lhe amLude of accepung and Laklng Lhem as one's own wlll
naLurally
arlse.
1hls ls how 8uddhas and 8odhlsauvas clalm senuenL belngs as Lhelr own selves ln
Lhe way
explalned above, so LhaL even Lhe sllghLesL paln of oLhers ls for Lhem as lf Lhelr enure
body were
on re. And Lhey do noL have Lhe sllghLesL heslLauon ln dolng so, [usL as when Lhe
8uddha
clalmed as hls own Lhe swan LhaL uevadaua had shoL down wlLh an arrow.143
Slmllarly, Machlg144
sald LhaL ln Lhe cenLurles aer her, perverLed pracuuoners of ch.d would wlLh vlolenL
means
sub[ugaLe Lhe wealLh-gods, ghosLs, and demons, whom she had Laken wlLh Lhe crook
of her
compasslon-meanlng by Lhls LhaL she had Laken Lhese gods and splrlLs Lo herself as
belngs
whom she cherlshed.
As we have sald, Laklng senuenL belngs as one's own does noL requlre lengLhy
Lralnlng. lor
example, lf you Lell someone LhaL you wlll glve hlm an old horse, no sooner are Lhe
words ouL of
your mouLh Lhan Lhe oLher person has already approprlaLed Lhe horse and cannoL
bear lL lf Lhe
horse ls ln dlsLress. Sull lL mlghL be LhoughL LhaL, because one has drled lnLo such
bad menLal
hablLs, Lhe LhoughL of Laklng oLhers as oneself wlll never arlse. 8uL Lhe Lord 8uddha
has sald LhaL
ln all Lhe world, he never saw anyLhlng easler Lo educaLe Lhan Lhe mlnd lLself, once lL
ls seL on Lhe
rlghL paLh and sLeps are Laken Lo sub[ugaLe lL. Cn Lhe oLher hand, he also sald LhaL
Lhere ls noLhlng
more dlmculL Lo govern Lhan an unLralned mlnd. 1herefore, lf we do noL leL our
mlnds sLray onLo
wrong paLhs buL Lraln Lhem, lL ls perfecLly posslble Lo brlng Lhem lnLo submlsslon.
Conversely, lf
we fall Lo subdue our mlnds, lL wlll be lmposslble for us Lo overcome anyLhlng else.
1hls ls why
Lhe Leachlngs say LhaL we should sLrlve Lo subdue our mlnds.
[94 Shnudeva's [usucauon for Lhe necesslLy of ellmlnaung suerlng ls presenLed
ln Lhe form
of a probauve argumenL.143 Pls Lhesls ls LhaL he wlll ellmlnaLe all Lhe suerlngs of
oLhers, LhaL ls,
Lhe suerlngs LhaL wlll noL brlng Lhem any ulumaLe beneL. Pls reason ls LhaL Lhelr
suerlng does
Lhem no good and, by way of example, he says LhaL he wlll remove lL [usL as he
removes hls own
dlscomforLs of hunger, LhlrsL, and so on. 8y a slmllar procedure, he says LhaL he wlll
beneL
oLhers and make Lhem happy, because Lhey are llvlng belngs, and, once agaln by way
of example,
he wlll do Lhls ln Lhe same way LhaL he auends Lo Lhe comforL of hls own body. [93
Slnce Lhere ls
noL Lhe sllghLesL dlerence beLween ourselves and oLhers (ln LhaL all wanL Lo be
happy), whaL
reason could we posslbly have for noL worklng for Lhe happlness of oLhers? lL does
noL make
sense LhaL we should work only ln our own lnLeresL. [96 ln Lhe same way, Lhere ls
noL Lhe
sllghLesL dlerence beLween ourselves and oLhers ln LhaL no one wanLs Lo
experlence suerlng.
1herefore whaL reason do we have for falllng Lo proLecL oLhers from suerlng? lL
does noL make
sense LhaL we should sLrlve only Lo proLecL ourselves.
[97 now suppose someone were Lo ob[ecL saylng, ?es, l am aecLed by my own
suerlng, and
Lherefore l have Lo proLecL myself. 8uL when suerlng happens Lo someone else,
noLhlng aL LhaL
momenL ls acLually hurung me, Lherefore anoLher's suerlng ls noL someLhlng l have
Lo proLecL
myself from." 8uL ma[or and obvlous suerlngs (from Lhe suerlngs of Lhe nexL llfe ln
Lhe hell
realms Lo Lhe palns LhaL wlll come Lomorrow or nexL monLh), or Lhe more subLle
klnds of suerlng
occurrlng from momenL Lo momenL-all such dlscomforLs, greaL or small (due Lo lack
of food,
cloLhlng, or whaLever), are locaLed ln Lhe fuLure. 1hey are noL acLually harmlng us ln
Lhe presenL
momenL. lf Lhese fuLure palns are noL Lormenung us now, whaL do we have Lo
proLecL ourselves
from? lL makes no sense Lo do so. [98 8uL we may Lhlnk LhaL Lhese suerlngs are noL
Lhe same as
Lhose of oLher belngs. lor even Lhough such suerlngs are noL aecung us now, we
proLecL
ourselves neverLheless because we wlll experlence Lhem ln Lhe fuLure. 8uL Lo cllng,
on Lhe gross
level, Lo Lhe aggregaLes of Lhls llfe and Lhe nexL llfe as consuLuung a slngle enuLy,
and Lo cllng
also, on Lhe subLle level, Lo Lhe aggregaLes of one lnsLanL and Lhe nexL as belng Lhe
same Lhlng, ls
a mlsLaken concepuon, noLhlng more. When we reecL abouL our presenL and fuLure
llves ln Lhe
llghL of such argumenLs, [we can see LhaL Lhe enuLy LhaL dles and passes ouL of llfe
ls noL Lhe
same as LhaL whlch ls born ln Lhe succeedlng exlsLence. Conversely, LhaL whlch Lakes
blrLh ln Lhe
nexL llfe, wherever LhaL may be, ls noL Lhe same Lhlng as LhaL whlch has perlshed ln
Lhe prevlous
exlsLence.
1he lengLh of ume spenL ln Lhe human world ls Lhe resulL of pasL karma. When Lhls ls
exhausLed,
as Lhe nal momenL of Lhe human consclousness ends, lL creaLes Lhe lmmedlaLe
cause [of Lhe new
llfe, whlle Lhe karma LhaL brlngs abouL blrLh ln a hell realm, or whaLever, consuLuLes
Lhe
cooperauve cause. Wherever people are subsequenLly born, wheLher ln hell or
elsewhere, Lhey
have aL deaLh a human body, whereas aL blrLh, Lhey wlll have Lhe body of a hell
belng and so on.
ln oLher words, Lhe prevlous consclousness now LermlnaLed ls LhaL of a human, whlle
aL Lhe
momenL of Lhe laLer blrLh, Lhe consclousness ls LhaL of a hell belng. 1he Lwo are Lhus
dlsuncL.
When Lhe mlnd and body of a human come Lo an end, Lhe mlnd and body of Lhe
followlng llfe
come lnLo belng. lL ls noL LhaL Lhere ls a movemenL or Lransmlgrauon of someLhlng
from a former
Lo a subsequenL sLaLe. As lL ls sald:
Llke reclLauon, ame, and looklng glass,
Cr seal or lens, seed, sound, asLrlngenL LasLe,
1he aggregaLes conunue ln Lhelr seamless course,
?eL noLhlng ls Lransferred, and Lhls Lhe wlse should know.
When, for example, one uses a lamp Lo llghL anoLher lamp, Lhe laLer ame cannoL be
llL wlLhouL
dependence on Lhe rsL, buL aL Lhe same ume, Lhe rsL ame does noL pass lnLo Lhe
second one.
lf Lhe earller enuLy ls LermlnaLed, however, and Lhe laLer one arlses ln such a way
LhaL Lhe Lwo are
qulLe separaLe, lL wlll be ob[ecLed LhaL, ln LhaL case, Lhe eecL of former acuons ls
necessarlly losL,
whlle (ln Lhe course of Lhe subsequenL exlsLence) karmlc eecLs wlll be encounLered
LhaL have noL
been accumulaLed. 8uL Lhls ls noL so. henomenal appearances-whlch arlse
lnelucLably Lhrough
Lhe lnLerdependence of causal condluons-cannoL wlLhsLand analysls,146 Lhey lle
beyond Lhe scope
of boLh Lhe eLernallsL and nlhlllsL posluons. 1he asseruon LhaL karmlc eecLs are noL
losL ls a
speclal feaLure of Lhe 8uddhlsL Leachlngs. lL lles wlLhln Lhe excluslve purvlew of an
omnlsclenL
mlnd, and lL ls Lhus Lo be accepLed Lhrough rellance on Lhe word of Lhe Conqueror.
As lL ls sald:
WhaL arlses ln dependence on anoLher
ls noL aL all LhaL Lhlng lLself-
8uL nelLher ls lL someLhlng else:
1here ls no break, Lhere ls no permanence.147
All we have are relauvely lmpuLed Lerms. Whlle belng nelLher ldenucal nor dlerenL,
[earller and
laLer momenLs of consclousness appear. Consclousness manlfesLs ln dlerenL ways
accordlng Lo
karma, wheLher good or bad. 8uL ln lLself, lL conslsLs of momenLs of mere knowlng,
clear and
cognlzanL, arlslng unlnLerrupLedly ln llke klnd.148 1he nouons of permanence or
dlsconunulLy149 do
noL apply Lo lL. 1hus Lhe resulLs of karma are noL losL, and one never encounLers
karmlc eecLs
LhaL have noL been accumulaLed.
lf, on a more subLle level, one conslders Lhe momenLary naLure of phenomena,
everyLhlng ln Lhe
ouLer or lnner sphere conslsLs of polnL-lnsLanLs. 1he earller momenL ceases and Lhe
laLer one
supervenes so LhaL Lhe one ls dlsuncL from Lhe oLher. Llkewlse, when Lhe karma for
remalnlng ln
Lhe human sLaLe provldes Lhe clrcumsLances, and Lhe nal momenL of consclousness
[ln LhaL sLaLe
provldes Lhe cause, Lhe followlng momenL of consclousness comes Lo blrLh and
arlses ln llke
klnd. 8uL Lhe Lwo momenLs are separaLe.
Appendlx 3
Lxchanglng Self and CLher
1he followlng passage, also Laken from Lhe commenLary of kunzang elden, ls an
explanauon of
exchanglng self and oLher. A commenLary on sLanzas 140 Lo 134 of chapLer 8, lL
explalns how
one can, by a feaL of sympaLheuc lmaglnauon, place oneself ln Lhe posluon of
oLhers. ln so dolng,
one galns an appreclauon of how one appears ln Lhelr eyes and of how and why Lhey
feel Lhe way
Lhey do.
1he Lxchange of Self and CLher
[140 When you perform Lhe medlLauon of exchange, Lake oLher belngs, wheLher
lnferlors,
superlors, or equals, and conslder Lhem as yourself, pumng yourself ln Lhelr posluon.
When you
have changed places, medlLaLe wlLhouL allowlng any oLher LhoughL Lo come ln Lhe
way. uL
yourself ln Lhe posluon of someone worse o Lhan you and allow yourself Lo feel
envy. 1hen puL
yourself ln Lhe posluon of someone on Lhe same level and soak yourself ln a sense of
compeuuveness and rlvalry. llnally, Laklng Lhe place of someone beuer o, allow
yourself Lo
feel prlde and condescenslon.
1he racuce of Lnvy from Lhe olnL of vlew of Someone Less Well C
(SLanzas 141-146)
ln each of Lhese Lhree medlLauons [followlng Shnudeva's lead, whenever Lhe LexL
says he" or
Lhls person," Lhe reference ls Lo your own l" (now regarded as anoLher person).
When Lhe LexL
says you," lL ls referrlng Lo Lhls oLher person (beuer o, equal, or worse o ln
relauon Lo
yourself) wlLh whom you have now ldenued.130 ?ou musL now sysLemaucally
generaLe Lhe
anudoLes Lo prlde, rlvalry, and [ealousy. 1he reason for dolng Lhls ls LhaL as soon as
even Lhe
sllghLesL vlrLue appears ln Lhe mlnd-sLream, Lhese Lhree delemenLs follow ln lLs
Lrall. 1hey are
llke demons LhaL sap one's lnLegrlLy-whlch explalns Lhe lmporLance glven Lo Lhelr
anudoLes.
now, of Lhe elghL worldly concerns, honor, possesslons, adulauon, and happlness
are Lhe Lhlngs
LhaL make you proud.
So perform Lhe exchange, placlng yourself ln Lhe posluon of someone conLempuble,
someone
desplsed, a beggar or Lramp. lmaglne LhaL you become Lhe poor person and LhaL Lhe
poor person
becomes you. now allow yourself Lo feel LhaL person's envy. [141 Looklng up aL
your former
self (your ego, now regarded as someone else), someone LalenLed, Lhlnk how happy
he" musL be,
pralsed and respecLed by all and sundry. ?ou on Lhe oLher hand are noLhlng, nobody,
a compleLe
down-and-ouL, desplsed and uuerly mlserable. 1he person you are looklng aL ls rlch,
has plenLy
Lo eaL, cloLhes Lo wear, money Lo spend-whlle you have noLhlng. Pe ls respecLed
for belng
learned, LalenLed, well dlsclpllned. ?ou, on Lhe oLher hand, are dlsmlssed as a fool.
Pe en[oys a
wealLh of every comforL and happlness, you by conLrasL are a pauper, your mlnd
welghed down
wlLh worrles, your body racked wlLh dlsease, suerlng, and Lhe dlscomforLs of heaL
and cold.
[142 ?ou have Lo work llke a slave, dlgglng, harvesung grass-whlle he can [usL slL
back wlLh
noLhlng Lo do. As Lhese LhoughLs pass Lhrough your mlnd, feel your envy. Pe even
has servanLs
and a prlvaLe horse, on whom he lnlcLs a greaL deal of dlscomforL and suerlng. Pe
ls noL even
aware LhaL Lhey are ln dlsLress, and Lhere he ls, oh so comforLable. And as lf LhaL
weren'L enough,
he geLs angry and lashes ouL, whlpplng and beaung Lhem. uL yourself ln Lhe
posluon of hls poor
vlcums and Lake Lhelr suerlng on yourself. lf you manage Lo do Lhls, lL ls sald LhaL
you wlll
come Lo recognlze Lhelr sorrows. Compasslon for Lhem wlll grow and you wlll sLop
hurung Lhem.
Cnce agaln, reecL LhaL he ls LalenLed, of good famlly, wealLhy, and surrounded by
frlends. ?ou
on Lhe oLher hand are a compleLe nobody, well known Lo be good aL noLhlng. [143
8uL, even
Lhough you have noLhlng Lo show for yourself, you mlghL well ask hlm whaL reason
he has Lo be
so arroganL. Aer all, Lhe exlsLence or nonexlsLence of good quallues and Lhe
concepLs of hlgh
and low are all relauve. 1here are no absoluLe values. Lven people who are low-
down llke you
can be found Lo have someLhlng good abouL Lhem, relauvely speaklng. Compared
wlLh someone
wlLh even greaLer LalenL, he ls noL so greaL. Compared wlLh someone even more
dlsfavored,
feeble wlLh age, lame, bllnd, and so forLh, you are much beuer-o. Aer all, you can
sull walk
on your own Lwo feeL, you can see wlLh your eyes, you are noL yeL crlppled wlLh age.
?ou have aL
leasL someLhlng.
1hls sLanza, whlch beglns WhaL! A nobody wlLhouL dlsuncuon?" could be
undersLood ln a
dlerenL sense, namely, LhaL you have lL ln you Lo acqulre all Lhe excellence of
Lralnlng, slnce you
have all Lhe quallues of Lhe uuerly pure LaLhgaLagarbha, Lhe essence of
8uddhahood, lmpllclL ln
your naLure. 1hus you are far from belng bere of good quallues. [144 lf he reLorLs
LhaL you are
desplcable because your dlsclpllne and undersLandlng are a dlsgrace, or LhaL you
have no
resources and so forLh, Lhls ls noL because you are evll ln yourself, or LhaL you are
[usL lnepL, lL ls
because your aMlcuons of deslre, lgnorance, avarlce, and so on are so powerful LhaL
you are
helpless. And so you should reLorL, saylng:
All rlghL, lf you're such a greaL and wonderful 8odhlsauva, you should help me as
much as you
can, you should encourage and remedy Lhe poor condluon of my dlsclpllne, vlew,
and resources.
lf you do help me, l am even prepared Lo accepL punlshmenL from you-harsh words
and beaung
-[usL llke a chlld aL school learnlng Lo read and wrlLe who has Lo Lake a beaung from
Lhe Leacher.
[143 8uL Lhe facL ls LhaL you, Lhe greaL 8odhlsauva, are dolng noLhlng for me, you
don'L even
glve me a scrap of food or someLhlng Lo drlnk. So why are you passlng yourself o as
someone
so greaL? ?ou have no rlghL Lo look down on me, no rlghL Lo behave so scornfully Lo
me and Lo
people llke me. And anyway, even lf you dld have any genulne vlrLues, lf you can'L
glve me any
rellef or help, whaL use are Lhey Lo me? 1hey're LoLally lrrelevanL.[146 Aer all, lf
you are a
8odhlsauva buL can sLand by wlLhouL Lhe sllghLesL lnLenuon of helplng and savlng
me and Lhose
llke me, who Lhrough Lhe power of our evll karma are on our way Lo Lhe lower
realms llke falllng
lnLo Lhe mouLh of a feroclous beasL-lf you have no compasslon, you are yourself
gullLy of
someLhlng compleLely unspeakable! 8uL noL only do you noL acknowledge Lhls, you
are all Lhe
ume passlng yourself o as someone wonderful. 1he facL ls, however, LhaL you have
no quallues
aL all. ln your arrogance, you wanL Lo puL yourself on Lhe same level as Lhe real
8odhlsauvas,
Lhose belngs who are Lruly skllled and who ln Lhelr compasslon really do carry Lhe
burdens of
oLhers. ?our behavlor ls LoLally ouLrageous!"
1hls ls how Lo medlLaLe on envy and resenLmenL as Lhe chlef anudoLe Lo prlde. 8y
appreclaung
Lhe suerlng lnvolved ln belng a poor and lnslgnlcanL person, wlLhouL LalenLs or
honor, you
come Lo reallze how wrong lL ls Lo be arroganL and scornful. lL dawns on you how
unpleasanL lL ls
for someone ln a humble posluon when you are proud and superclllous Loward
Lhem. ?ou should
sLop behavlng llke Lhls and begln Lo LreaL people wlLh respecL, provldlng Lhem wlLh
susLenance
and cloLhlng, and worklng Lo help Lhem ln pracucal ways.
1he racuce of !ealous 8lvalry from Lhe olnL of vlew of an Lqual
(SLanzas 147-130)
nexL you should make Lhe exchange by Laklng Lhe place of someone slmllar Lo, or
sllghLly beuer
Lhan, yourself-someone wlLh whom you feel compeuuve, wheLher ln rellglous or
worldly
aalrs. [147 1ell yourself LhaL, however good he ls ln Lerms of repuLauon and
wealLh, you wlll
do beuer. WhaLever possesslons he has, and whaLever respecL he has ln oLher
people's eyes, you
wlll deprlve hlm of Lhem, wheLher ln rellglous dlspuLauon or even by ghung-and
you wlll
make sure you geL Lhem all for yourself. [148 ln every way posslble, you wlll
adveruse far and
wlde your own splrlLual and maLerlal gls, whlle hushlng up whaLever LalenLs he has,
so LhaL no
one wlll ever see or hear abouL Lhem. [149 AL Lhe same ume, you wlll cover up
whaLever faulLs
you have, hldlng Lhem from Lhe publlc gaze, whlle aL Lhe same ume gosslplng abouL
all Lhe
shorLcomlngs of your rlval, maklng qulLe sure LhaL everyone knows abouL Lhem.
under Lhe
lmpresslon LhaL you are beyond reproach, loLs of people wlll congraLulaLe you, whlle
for hlm lL
wlll be [usL Lhe opposlLe. lrom now on, you wlll be Lhe wealLhy one, Lhe cenLer of
auenuon. lor
hlm, Lhere wlll be noLhlng. [130 lor a long ume, and wlLh lnLense sausfacuon, you
wlll gloaL
over Lhe penalues he wlll have Lo suer for breaklng hls vows of rellglon, or because
he has
mlsbehaved ln worldly llfe. ?ou wlll make hlm an ob[ecL of scorn and derlslon, and ln
publlc
gaLherlngs you wlll make hlm desplcable ln Lhe eyes of oLhers, dlgglng ouL and
exposlng all hls
secreL slns.
8y uslng a splrlL of rlvalry ln Lhls way as an anudoLe Lo [ealousy, you wlll come Lo
recognlze
your own faulLs ln belng compeuuve wlLh oLhers. 1hen you wlll sLop behavlng llke
Lhls and
lnsLead do whaLever you can Lo help your rlvals wlLh presenLs and honors.
1he racuce of rlde from Lhe olnL of vlew of Someone 8euer-C
(SLanzas 131-134)
now lmaglne yourself ln Lhe posluon of someone who ls beuer-o, who looks down
on you wlLh
prlde and derlslon. [131 [And from Lhls vanLage polnL Lhlnk LhaL lL has come Lo your
nouce LhaL
he, Lhls uresome nonenuLy, ls Lrylng Lo puL hlmself on a par wlLh you. 8uL whaL
comparlson could
anyone posslbly make beLween you and hlm-wheLher ln learnlng or lnLelllgence, ln
good looks,
soclal class, wealLh, and possesslons? 1he whole ldea ls rldlculous. lL's llke comparlng
Lhe earLh
wlLh Lhe sky! [132 Pearlng everyone Lalklng abouL your LalenLs, abouL all your
learnlng and so
on, saylng how lL seLs you aparL from such an ab[ecL lndlvldual, all Lhls ls exLremely
graufylng.
1he Lhrlll of lL ls so lnLense LhaL your skln ls covered wlLh goose plmples. ?ou should
really
en[oy Lhe feellng!
[133 lf, Lhrough hls own hard work, and desplLe Lhe obsLacles he has Lo conLend
wlLh, he
manages Lo make some headway, you agree LhaL, so long as he abases hlmself and
works
subservlenLly accordlng Lo your lnsLrucuons, Lhls low-down wreLch wlll geL no more
Lhan Lhe
meresL necesslues ln reLurn: food Lo ll hls sLomach and enough cloLhes on hls back
Lo keep ouL
Lhe wlnd. 8uL as for any exLras, you, belng Lhe sLronger, wlll conscaLe Lhem and
deprlve hlm.
[134 Lvery klnd of pleasure LhaL Lhls lnferlor mlghL have, you wlll undermlne, and ln
addluon,
you wlll consLanLly auack hlm, plllng on all klnds of unpleasanLness.
8uL why are you belng so vlclous? 8ecause of all Lhe many hundreds of umes LhaL
Lhls person
[your own ego has harmed you whlle you were wanderlng ln sa!sra. Cr agaln, Lhls
sLanza
could be explalned as meanlng LhaL you wlll wear away Lhe sausfacuon of Lhls self-
cherlshlng
menLallLy and consLanLly undermlne lL, because Lhls self-cenLered amLude has
broughL you
suerlng so many hundreds of umes ln Lhe hells and oLher places of sa!sra. 1hls ls
how
Shnudeva shows Lhe faulL of noL belng rld of prlde.
ln Lhls way, use Lhls medlLauon on prlde as Lhe prlnclpal anudoLe Lo [ealous
resenLmenL. When
people who are superlor Lo you behave proudly and lnsulL you wlLh Lhelr
overweenlng amLude,
you wlll Lhlnk Lo yourself: Why are Lhese people belng so arroganL and oenslve?"
8uL lnsLead
of belng envlous and resenuul, change places wlLh Lhem. uslng Lhe medlLauon on
prlde, place
yourself ln LhaL posluon of superlorlLy, and ask yourself wheLher you have Lhe same
feellngs of
prlde and condescenslon. And lf you nd LhaL you Loo are proud and condescendlng
and have
scorn and conLempL for Lhose lower down Lhan yourself, you wlll be able Lo look aL
Lhose who are
now behavlng arroganLly Loward you and Lhlnk, Well, yes, l can see why Lhey feel
Lhe way Lhey
do." And so you wlll serve Lhem respecuully, avoldlng amLudes of rlvalry and
conLenuon.
noLes
1. Conslder Lhe remark of aul CrlmLhs: 1he 8uddhologlsL qua 8uddhologlsL cannoL
be a
rellglous enLhuslasL, proselyuser, or even, one mlghL go so far as Lo say, 8uddhlsL."
See
8uddhlsL Pybrld Lngllsh," pp. 1733. 1he same senumenLs are expressed by Crosby
and
SkllLon: We hope Lhe reader wlll appreclaLe LhaL all of Lhls maLerlal ls oered by
way of
explanauon for Lhe general reader, raLher Lhan as Lhe exegesls of scrlpLure for Lhe
purposes of
rellglous pracuce." See 1he 8odhlcaryvaLra, p. xxvll.
2. lor more deLalls, see kreLschmar (vol. 1, pp. 1318), who ls caLegorlcally ln favor
of kawa
elLsek's auLhorshlp of Lhe uun-huang Lranslauon and who noLes SalLo's bellef LhaL
Lhere were
Lwo and perhaps Lhree dlerenL SanskrlL verslons of Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra ln
exlsLence durlng
Lhe perlod when Lhe LexL was LranslaLed lnLo 1lbeLan. See www.kunpal.com
bca1comm.pdf.
3. See appendlx 1 for Shnudeva's encounLer wlLh Lhe pa$&lLas who were senL from
nland Lo
nd hlm.
4. See Lhe remarks of LllzabeLh napper ln SLyles and rlnclples of 1ranslauon." ln
8uddhlsL
1ranslauons: roblems and erspecuves, p. 36.
3. See Ceorge SLelner's lnLeresung reecuons on Lhls mauer ln Aer 8abel, p. 324.
6. See LllzabeLh napper, p. 40.
7. 1aken from Lhe 1ranslaLors' reface" Lo Lhe klng !ames verslon of Lhe 8lble.
8. 1here are Lwo SanskrlL uLles of Shnudeva's work. 1he longer one,
8odhlsauvacharyvaLra,
was rendered llLerally as Lhe uLle of Lhe 1lbeLan verslon (byang chub sems dpa'l
spyod pa la '[ug
pa), Lhe llLeral meanlng of whlch ls 1he LnLrance Lo Lhe Way of Lhe 8odhlsauva.
1here exlsLs a
shorLer and much-used uLle, 8odhlcharyvaLra, whlch means LnLrance Lo Lhe aLh
of
Awakenlng.
9. See appendlx 1 for a Lradluonal accounL of Shnudeva's llfe. Addluonal deLalls
may be found
ln Lhe excellenL lnLroducuon Lo Lhe Lranslauon of Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra by kaLe
Crosby and
Andrew SkllLon.
10. See Lhe ualal Lama, Lssence of 8ened Cold, p. 136.
11. See verses 2324 of chapLer 3.
12. See also Lhe ualal Lama, aLh Lo 8llss, pp. 161174.
13. 1hls accounL of Madhyamaka owes a debL Lo 1. 8. v. Muru's book 1he CenLral
hllosophy
of 8uddhlsm. lLs descrlpuon of Lhe Madhyamaka dlalecuc (chapLers 3 Lo 7) ls of
parucular
lnLeresL.
14. See Ma[[hlma nlkya (a secuon of Lhe all scrlpLures l, suua 72). See Lranslauon
of P. C.
Warren, p. 123.
13. Sa!yuua nlkya, ll, 13.
16. See ngr[una, Mula-madhyamaka-krlk, 13.7.
17. 1hls ln facL ls Lhe usual approach of WesLern orlenLallsLs of earller generauons.
See, for
example, Louls llnoL ln Lhe lnLroducuon Lo hls Lranslauon of Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra,
La marche
. la luml.re.
18. See Muru, chapLer 2.
19. See, for example, Muru, pp. 293301.
20. Comlng aer ryadeva (c. 180200), buL before Chandraklru (early sevenLh
cenLury),
8uddhapllLa (rsL half of Lhe h cenLury) asserLed Lhe Lechnlque of reducuo ad
absurdum or
prsa'glka Lo be Lhe essence of Madhyamaka. 1hls was quesuoned by hls
conLemporary,
8hvavlveka, who sald LhaL Lhe mere negauon of a Lheory should be supplemenLed
wlLh Lhe
asseruon of a counLer posluon. Comlng aer hlm, Chandraklru vlndlcaLed
rsa'glka-
Madhyamaka, Lhe posluon of 8uddhapllLa, as Lhe Lrue sense of Madhyamaka, and
severely
crluclzed 8hvavlveka. See Muru, pp. 9396. All four schools of 1lbeLan 8uddhlsm
uphold
rsa'glka-Madhyamaka as Lhe supreme phllosophlcal posluon.
21. kawa elLsek (early nlnLh cenLury), a dlsclple of ShnLarak#hlLa and Curu
8lnpoche, was one
of Lhe prlnclpal LranslaLors of Lhe old perlod. 8lnchen Zangpo (9381031) and ngok
Loden
Sherab (10391109) belong Lo Lhe new Lranslauon perlod.
22. See blbllography.
23. aLrul 8lnpoche !lgme Ch.kyl Wangpo (18081887), auLhor of Lhe celebraLed kun
bzang bla
ma'l zhal lung, LranslaLed as 1he Words of My erfecL 1eacher, by Lhe admakara
1ranslauon
Croup.
24. See blographlcal noLe ln ullgo khyenLse 8lnpoche, PearL 1reasure of Lhe
LnllghLened Cnes,
p. 234.
23. 1hose who go ln bllss" (1lb. bde gshegs, SkL. sugaLa): a uLle of Lhe 8uddhas.
26. 1he word dharmakya (1lb. chos sku, SkL. dharmakya) means dharma body."
Accordlng
Lo Lhe commenLarlal Lradluon, Lwo lnLerpreLauons are posslble. 1he Lerm may be
Laken Lo mean
slmply Lhe body of Lhe uharma of reallzauon and Lransmlsslon" (whlch ls Lhe
lnLerpreLauon of
kunzang elden and oLher auLhorlues), wlLh Lhe resulL LhaL Lhe rsL llne of Lhe poem
ls a
saluLauon Lo Lhe 1hree !ewels of 8uddha, uharma, and Sa'gha. Cn Lhe oLher hand, lL
may be
undersLood as referrlng Lo Lhe dharmakya or LruLh body," Lhe ulumaLe aspecL of a
8uddha, as
conLrasLed wlLh Lhe rupakya or form body" (furLher subdlvlded lnLo Lhe
sambhogakya and
nlrm$akya).
27. 1he helrs" of Lhe 8uddhas are Lhe 8odhlsauvas. We have preferred Lhls
Lranslauon, whlch ls
gender-lncluslve and corresponds more closely Lo Shnudeva's obvlous lnLenuon
Lhan Lhe llLeral
renderlng of sons" (1lb. sras) as Lhls ls llkely Lo be undersLood by a modern WesLern
readershlp.
1hls lnLerpreLauon ls ln facL supporLed by one of Lhe earllesL known 1lbeLan
commenLarles on Lhe
8odhlcharyvaLra (composed by Sonam 1semo, 11421182), where sras ls glossed
as gdung
'Lshob (lnherlLor, successor). ln Lhe presenL conLexL, reference ls acLually belng made
Lo noble"
8odhlsauvas, so-called because Lhelr reallzauon corresponds Lo Lhe Mahyna paLh
of seelng and
beyond, ln oLher words, who are abldlng on Lhe 8odhlsauva bhumls or grounds, and
who are
Lherefore subllme ob[ecLs of refuge.
28. ln order Lo progress Loward enllghLenmenL, lL ls necessary Lo possess elghL forms
of ease or
freedom, and Len forms of wealLh or endowmenL. 1he former are Lhe freedoms of
noL belng born
(1) ln one of Lhe hells, (2) as a preLa or hungry ghosL, (3) as an anlmal, (4) ln Lhe
realms of Lhe
gods, (3) among barbarlans who are lgnoranL of Lhe Leachlngs and pracuces of Lhe
8uddhadharma, (6) as one wlLh wrong vlews concernlng karma and so forLh, (7) ln a
ume and
place where a 8uddha has noL appeared, and (8) as menLally or physlcally
handlcapped.
1he Len forms of wealLh or endowmenL are subdlvlded lnLo ve consldered lnLrlnslc
and ve
consldered exLrlnslc Lo Lhe personallLy. 1he ve lnLrlnslc endowmenLs are (1) Lo be
born a human
belng, (2) Lo lnhablL a cenLral land," l.e., where Lhe uharma ls proclalmed, (3) Lo be
ln
possesslon of normal faculues, (4) Lo be one who ls noL karmlcally lncllned Lo greaL
negauvlLy,
and (3) Lo have falLh ln Lhe uharma. 1he ve exLrlnslc endowmenLs are Lhe facLs LhaL
(1) a
8uddha has appeared ln Lhe unlverse ln whlch one ls llvlng, and aL an accesslble
ume, (2) LhaL he
has expounded Lhe uocLrlne, (3) LhaL hls uocLrlne sull perslsLs, (4) LhaL lL ls pracuced,
and (3)
LhaL one has been accepLed as a dlsclple by a splrlLual masLer.
29. 1he 1lbeLan conslsLenLly uses Lhe expresslon Lhub pa or Lhub dbang (able one,
powerful one)
Lo LranslaLe Lhe SanskrlL munl (sage, asceuc). 1he Lranslauon mlghLy Sages," as a
synonym of
8uddhas," ls an amalgam of Lhese Lwo ldeas.
30. 1he reference ls Lo MalLreya, Lhe 8uddha of Lhe fuLure, as recounLed ln Lhe
Ca$&avyuhasuLra.
31. 1aLhgaLa (1lb. de bzhln gshegs pa): llLerally, one Lhus gone", a synonym for
8uddha.
32. A reference Lo Lhe Subhu-parlp"lcch-suLra, Lhe SuLra of Lhe uesuons of
Subhu. LosL ln
Lhe orlglnal SanskrlL, Lhls suLra ls preserved ln Chlnese Lranslauon.
33. Accordlng Lo anclenL lndlan Lradluon, Lhe "l#hls were sages who percelved Lhe
sound of Lhe
vedas and Lransmlued Lhem Lo Lhe world. 1hey form a class by Lhemselves beLween
gods and
humans.
34. 8rahm, Lhe creaLor of Lhe unlverse accordlng Lo Lhe vedas.
33. 1hose who wander Lhrough Lhe world" ls a Lranslauon of Lhe 1lbeLan 'gro ba (llL.
one who
moves), a common eplLheL for senuenL belngs who mlgraLe helplessly from one
sa!srlc sLaLe Lo
anoLher.
36. 1he acLual confesslon, from whlch Lhls chapLer Lakes lLs name, beglns aL sLanza
27. lL ls
preceded by Lhe Lradluonal formulas of homage and oerlng. See noLe 48.
37. SamanLabhadra ls Lhe 8odhlsauva assoclaLed wlLh prayer and unllmlLed
oerlngs,
Ma.[ugho#ha (also known as Ma.[ushrl) ls Lhe 8odhlsauva personlfylng wlsdom,
Lokeshvara,
Lord of Lhe World," oLherwlse known as AvaloklLeshvara (1lb. spyan ras gzlgs), ls Lhe
8odhlsauva of compasslon.
38. 1he expresslon !ewels of Sacred uharma" refers Lo Lhe uharma of reallzauon
and Lhe
uharma of Lransmlsslon, l.e., Lhe scrlpLures. 1he lauer ls dlvlded lnLo Lwelve
caLegorles: (1) suLra
(1lb. mdo sde), condensed dlscourses coverlng a slngle Loplc, (2) geya (1lb. dbyangs
bsnyad),
poeuc eplLome (of more deLalled Leachlngs ln prose), (3) vykara$a (1lb. lung bsLan),
prophecles, (4) gLh (1lb. Lshlgs bcad), dlscourses ln verse, (3) udna (1lb. ched du
br[od pa),
Leachlngs noL requesLed by anyone buL spoken lnLenuonally by Lhe 8uddha ln order
Lo propagaLe
Lhe uharma, (6) nldna (1lb. gleng gzhl), lnsLrucuons followlng speclc lncldenLs
(e.g., Lhe rules
of vlnaya), (7) avadna (1lb. rLogs br[od), llfe sLorles of cerLaln conLemporarles of Lhe
8uddha,
(8) luv"luaka (1lb. de lLa bu byung ba), hlsLorlcal accounLs, (9) [Laka (1lb. skyes
rabs), prevlous
llves of Lhe 8uddha, (10) valpulya (1lb. shln Lu rgyas pa), long exposluons of vasL and
profound
Leachlngs, (11) adbhuLadharma (1lb. rmad byung), exLraordlnary unprecedenLed
Leachlngs, (12)
upadesha (1lb. gLan dbab), Loplcs of speclc knowledge LhaL cllnch Lhe meanlng of
Lhe vlnaya
and Lhe SuLras. 1he lauer are Lhe classlcauons of sa!srlc phenomena (aggregaLes,
elemenLs,
yaLanas), Lhe ouLllne of Lhe phenomena of Lhe paLh (grounds and paLhs of
reallzauon, varlous
concenLrauons), and Lhe enumerauon of Lhe phenomena of Lhe resulL (Lhe kyas,
wlsdoms, eLc.).
39. ln Lhe Lradluonal pracuce of prosLrauon, lL ls normal Lo lmaglne LhaL one
possesses
lnnumerable bodles, all prosLraung aL Lhe same ume.
40. WesLern readers someumes ob[ecL Lo Lhe use of Lhe word sln ln Lranslauons of
8uddhlsL LexLs,
on Lhe grounds LhaL lL carrles Loo many !udeo-Chrlsuan assoclauons. 1hey
apparenLly fall Lo
reallze LhaL Lhe same prlnclple mlghL equally apply Lo a hosL of oLher Lerms, such as
love,
compasslon, vow, monk, cause, medlLauon, eLc., whose meanlngs, ln Lhe culLural,
phllosophlcal,
and rellglous semng ln whlch Lhey evolved, are noLably dlerenL from Lhe ldeas LhaL
Lhey are
expecLed Lo convey ln a 8uddhlsL conLexL. When used Lo express 8uddhlsL ldeas,
many common
Lngllsh words requlre careful redenluon ln order Lo remove excluslvely !ewlsh or
Chrlsuan
connoLauons. ln Lhe case of Lhe word sln, once Lhe assoclauons connecLed wlLh Lhe
docLrlne of Lhe
lall, dlvlne punlshmenL, eLc., are dlscounLed, lLs sLandard meanlng (an evll acL,
wheLher by naLure
or by vlrLue of belng a Lransgresslon of a vow or precepL, LhaL wlll provoke deadly
consequences
lf noL purled by confesslon) corresponds closely wlLh Lhe sense of sdlg pa (SkL.
ppa) as used
by Shnudeva. See v. and A. Wallace, p. 24.
41. ?ama, Lhe klng of ueaLh-noL a senuenL belng buL a symbol and personlcauon
of deaLh.
42. kshagarbha and k#hlugarbha are Lwo of Lhe elghL ma[or 8odhlsauvas known as
Lhe
8uddha's elghL close sons."
43. 1he happlness or suerlng of posLmorLem sLaLes can arlse only as Lhe frulL of
pasL acuons. AL
Lhe momenL of deaLh, we are helped or harmed only by Lhe vlrLue or evll conLalned
ln our own
mlnd-sLreams. We can be nelLher helped nor harmed Lhrough Lhe acuons of oLhers.
8y whaL
crlLerlon, Lhen, are we Lo dlsungulsh, aL Lhe momenL of deaLh, beLween frlend and
foe?
44. 1here are Lwo klnds of negauve acuons: Lhose LhaL are evll by Lhelr naLure and
Lhose LhaL are
evll because Lhey conLravene an ln[uncuon of Lhe 8uddha or vlolaLe a promlse or
vow. 1he
former caLegory comprlses Lhe Len nonvlrLuous acuons: kllllng, sLeallng, sexual
mlsconducL,
lylng, dlvlslve speech, harsh speech, ldle chauer, coveLousness, harmful lnLenL, and
false vlews.
1he second caLegory comprlses acLs LhaL conLravene commlLmenLs of 8uddhlsL vows
and
precepLs, Lhus prevenung Lhe pracuuoner from progresslng on Lhe paLh.
43. Accordlng Lo Lhe 8uddhlsL Leachlngs, Lhe experlence of belngs ln sa!sra falls
lnLo slx broad
caLegorles, sLaLes, or realms. 8lrLh ln Lhese worlds ls Lhe frulL of pasL karma or
acuon. 1here are
Lhree unforLunaLe sLaLes (Lhe sLaLes of loss referred Lo ln Lhls verse) ln whlch
suerlng
predomlnaLes over every oLher experlence: LhaL of anlmals, hungry ghosLs, and
belngs ln Lhe
hells. 1here are Lhree forLunaLe realms where suerlng ls mlugaLed by Lemporary
pleasures,
namely, Lhe heavens of Lhe gods, Lhe realms of Lhe asuras or demlgods, and Lhe
human condluon.
1he mlsery of belngs ln Lhe lower realms ls compounded by Lhe facL LhaL Lhelr ablllLy
Lo creaLe Lhe
posluve energy necessary Lo propel Lhem lnLo hlgher exlsLences ls very weak, whlle
negauvlLy
abounds.
46. Shnudeva re[olces ln Lhe condluon of belngs ln Lhe hlgher sa!srlc realms of
human
belngs, asuras (demlgods), and gods. ln all Lhese sLaLes, Lhe experlence of happlness
and pleasure
ls posslble even Lhough Lhey are never beyond Lhe posslblllLy of suerlng.
47. lrom Lhe momenL when, Lhrough a dlrecL reallzauon of empuness, Lhe paLh of
seelng ls
enLered, and LhroughouL Lhe paLh of medlLauon unul Lhe polnL where perfecL
8uddhahood ls
aualned, Lhe progress of Lhe 8odhlsauva passes Lhrough Len bhumls or grounds" of
reallzauon.
8odhlsauvas resldlng on Lhese grounds are consldered noble belngs (1lb. 'phags pa),
who have
passed beyond Lhe world ln Lhe sense LhaL henceforLh Lhey can no longer fall back
lnLo Lhe
ordlnary condluon of sa!sra. 1hls Lwo-llne sLanza does noL appear ln Lhe exLanL
SanskrlL
verslon. lor an explanauon of Lhe ve paLhs of accumulauon, [olnlng, seelng,
medlLauon, and no
more learnlng, see 1reasury of reclous uallues, pp. 301304.
48. 1he reference here ls Lo Lhe seven Lradluonal acuons of accumulaung merlL,
oen expressed
ln a verse formula known as Lhe seven-branch prayer." 1hese acuons are homage,
oerlng,
confesslon, re[olclng ln all good acuons, Lhe requesL for Leachlng, Lhe requesL LhaL
Lhe Leachers
remaln ln Lhe world and noL pass lnLo nlrv$a, and dedlcauon. 1he rsL Lhree acuons
formed Lhe
conLenL of Lhe prevlous chapLer, Lhe remalnlng four are expressed here ln Lhe
openlng sLanzas of
chap. 3. See Crosby and SkllLon, pp. 913, for a descrlpuon of Lhe sevenfold
supreme worshlp."
49. A reference Lo Lhe anLarakalpa, an age of exLreme decllne gurlng ln Lhe anclenL
lndlan
concepuon of Lemporal sequences, ln whlch Lhe quallLy of human llfe ls gradually
reduced unul
Lhe age of Len years marks Lhe summlL of growLh and capaclLy. lL ls a ume of exLreme
lnsLablllLy
and famlne.
30. 1he celebraLed case of Lhls was LhaL of Lhe 8uddha's dlsclple ShrlpuLra, as
recorded ln Lhe
Saddharmapu$&arlka-suLra, Lhe LoLus SuLra. lL ls sald LhaL ShrlpuLra was a
pracuuoner of Lhe
Mahyna who had progressed far along Lhe paLh. Cne day a demon appeared Lo
hlm and,
wlshlng Lo puL hlm Lo Lhe LesL and lf posslble conLrlve hls downfall, asked hlm for hls
rlghL hand.
ShrlpuLra cuL lL o and gave lL Lo Lhe demon. 8uL Lhe demon was angry and refused
Lo accepL lL,
complalnlng LhaL ShrlpuLra had lmpollLely oered lL Lo hlm wlLh hls le! AL Lhls
polnL, lL ls sald
LhaL ShrlpuLra losL hope of ever belng able Lo sausfy Lhe deslres of belngs, and
Lurned from Lhe
Mahyna Lo pursue Lhe paLh Lo arhaLshlp.
31. 1he ablllLy Lo percelve and beneL from Lhe Leachlngs of a 8uddha requlres Lhe
correcL
karmlc dlsposluon and lmplles Lhe presence of a conslderable degree of merlL ln Lhe
mlnd-sLream
of Lhe belngs concerned. 1he facL LhaL one has noL been llberaLed Lhrough Lhe
Leachlngs of Lhe
8uddhas of Lhe pasL serves Lo underllne Lhe lmporLance of Lhe presenL momenL,
when one has
encounLered Lhe uharma, and Lhrows lnLo rellef Lhe greaL slgnlcance of a
relauonshlp wlLh an
accompllshed splrlLual masLer.
32. Accordlng Lo 8uddhlsL Leachlngs (see remarks ln Lhe lnLroducuon), karmlc resulLs
follow
lnelucLably upon Lhe perpeLrauon of acLs, lrrespecuve of consclous amLude or moral
consclence
(alLhough Lhe quallLy and force of Lhe acL may be slgnlcanLly aecLed Lhereby).
1hus belngs ln
Lhe lower realms, anlmals for example, do lndeed accumulaLe karma and musL
sooner or laLer
experlence Lhe consequences of Lhelr acuons, even Lhough Lhese may be performed
under Lhe
lrreslsuble lnuence of lnsuncL. And Lhe karmlc slLuauon ls compounded, raLher Lhan
mlugaLed,
by an unconsclousness of Lhe uharma. 1he sLrengLh of lnsuncLual hablL and Lhe
lgnorance of
whaL behavlor ls Lo be adopLed and whaL behavlor ls Lo be abandoned are among
Lhe prlnclpal
mlserles of exlsLence ln sLaLes oLher Lhan LhaL of Lhe preclous human condluon.
33. See noLe 43.
34. MounL Sumeru, Lhe axls of Lhe unlverse accordlng Lo Lradluonal Plndu-8uddhlsL
cosmology.
33. 1he polnL belng made ls LhaL pledges should be honored. ln order Lo llberaLe
oLhers lL ls
necessary Lo be free oneself, and Shnudeva ls saylng LhaL Lhe purlcauon of one's
own
delemenLs ls Lhe besL way of helplng oLhers. lL ls Lhe lndlspensable rsL sLep.
36. As a spur for Lhe pracuce of pure eLhlcs, and as an ob[ecL for medlLauon on
compasslon, Lhe
8uddhlsL Leachlngs descrlbe Lhe varlous experlences of Lhe hell realms ln
conslderable deLall. 1he
LormenLs LhaL belngs undergo Lhere, as well as Lhe Lopography of Lhe hells
Lhemselves, are, as ln
any oLher realm of sa sra, ulumaLely unreal-Lhe halluclnaLory, ! dreamllke resulL
of acuons
commlued ln Lhe pasL. 1he karmlc frulL of sexual mlsconducL ls Lhe slLuauon ln whlch
belngs nd
Lhemselves upon Lhe lnfernal hlll of shlmall Lrees. 1here Lhey see a vlslon of Lhe
former ob[ecL of
Lhelr passlon. Cllmblng Lhe hlll, cumng Lhemselves all Lhe whlle on Lhe razor-sharp
leaves of Lhe
Lrees, Lhey nd LhaL Lhelr former lovers Lurn lnLo horrlble monsLers (a demoness ln
Lhe case of Lhe
heLerosexual male) who begln Lo devour Lhem. See aLrul 8lnpoche's 1he Words of
My erfecL
1eacher (AlLamlra edluon), p. 67, for a vlvld descrlpuon of Lhls encounLer.
37. 1he Lrlple world comprlses Lhe Lhree worlds of sa!sra: Lhe deslre realm (SkL.
kmadhLu),
Lhe form realm (SkL. rupadhLu), and Lhe realm of formlessness (SkL. rupyadhLu).
1he deslre
realm conslsLs of Lhe slx sLaLes of sa!sra from Lhe hells up Lo and lncludlng Lhe slx
levels of Lhe
deslre-realm gods. 1he form and formless realms are celesual exlsLences superlor Lo
Lhose of Lhe
deslre realm. See 1reasury of reclous uallues, p. 414.
38. 1hese are Lhe clls and mounLalns LhaL repeaLedly rush LogeLher and overwhelm
Lhe belngs
caughL beLween Lhem. See aLrul 8lnpoche's 1he Words of My erfecL 1eacher, p.
64.
39. ln oLher words, when monks are engaged ln charlLable work, lL ls noL necessary
for Lhem Lo
suck rlgldly Lo all Lhe mlnuuae of monasuc observance.
60. lor example, medlLauon on pauence as an anudoLe Lo anger, or on Lhe
dlsgusung aspecLs of
Lhe body as an anudoLe Lo deslre.
61. 1he expresslon eld of excellence" refers Lo Lhe 8uddhas and 8odhlsauvas, Lhe
eld of
beneLs" refers Lo all Lhose who brlng beneLs-parenLs, frlends, and so on, Lhe
elds of
sorrow" (or, more usually, Lhe eld of compasslon") refers Lo all oLher belngs who
suer or who
are ln some way dlsadvanLaged, e.g., Lhe slck, wayworn Lravelers, and oLhers.
62. 1he slx perfecuons (SkL. pramlL) form Lhe essenual pracuce of Lhe Mahyna.
1hey are
generoslLy, eLhlcal dlsclpllne, pauence, dlllgence, concenLrauon, and wlsdom.
63. Accordlng Lo Mahyna Leachlng, ln exLreme clrcumsLances and when Lhe
mouves are
excluslvely Lhose of compasslon, acuons of body and speech (Lhough noL of mlnd),
normally
proscrlbed ln Lhe llsL of Len nonvlrLues (see noLe 44) may be performed.
64. ln oLher words, Lhe docLrlne of Lhe Mahyna-vasL" ln acuvlues and sklllful
means, and
deep" ln wlsdom of empuness.
63. A reference Lo Lhe Mahyna and Shrvakayna respecuvely.
66. Maklng Lhe person belleve, for example, LhaL LanLrlc pracuce ls alone
worLhwhlle, and glvlng
Lo undersLand LhaL sLudy and Lhe rules of eLhlcal dlsclpllne may be neglecLed.
67. A LooLh suck or LooLh-wood" ls an lmplemenL for cleanlng Lhe LeeLh. ln hls
[ournal, Lhe
Chlnese Lraveler l-1slng recorded Lhe elaboraLe rules of euqueue lald down ln Lhe
monasLerles of
medleval lndla Lo regulaLe Lhe use and dlsposal of Lhese uLenslls. See l-1slng, Lrans. !.
1akakusu,
A 8ecord of Lhe 8uddhlsL 8ellglon as racused ln lndla and Lhe Malaya Archlpelago
Au 671
693 (Munshlram Manoharlal ubllshers vL. LLd., new uelhl, 1998), pp. 24, 3333.
68. Accordlng Lo Lhe llLeral precepLs of Lhe vlnaya dlsclpllne (orlglnally concelved
wlLhln Lhe
conLexL of Lradluonal lndlan socleLy), lL ls an lnfracuon for monks and nuns Lo be
alone wlLh
members of Lhe opposlLe sex Lo whom Lhey are unrelaLed by famlly ues.
69. ln lndla and 1lbeL, conLrary Lo Lhe WesL, Lhe snapplng of Lhe ngers ls consldered
a pollLe
way of auracung auenuon.
70. 1he SuLra ln 1hree Secuons, Lhe 1rlskandhaka-suLra, conslsLs of confesslon
before Lhe LhlrLyve
8uddhas, verses ln pralse of vlrLue, and a dedlcauon of merlLs.
71. 1he 8lography of Lhe Clorlous Sambhava, Lhe Shrlsambhava-vlmok#ha, ls ln facL a
chapLer
of Lhe Ca$&avyuha-suLra, ln whlch Lhe followlng passage ls Lo be found:
lf you would pay due homage Lo Lhe splrlLual masLer, leL your mlnd be llke Lhe earLh,
never urlng
of Lhe burden of supporung everyLhlng, llke a dlamond, lndesLrucuble ln lLs lnLenL,
llke a ramparL,
whereln suerlng can nd no breach, llke a slave, never [lbblng aL all LhaL musL be
done, llke a
falLhful beasL of burden, never resuve, llke a ferryboaL, always wllllng Lo go back and
forLh, and
llke a perfecL son who drlnks ln wlLh hls eyes Lhe counLenance of hls splrlLual faLher.
C noble chlld, look upon yourself as a slck man, upon your splrlLual masLer as a
physlclan, hls
Leachlng as a heallng dra, and your slncere pracuce as Lhe paLh Lo healLh.
72. 1he kshagarbha-suLra.
73. 1he Shlk#hsamucchaya. See references Lo Shnudeva, appendlx 1, and ln Lhe
blbllography.
74. Accordlng Lo kunzang elden, Shlk#hsamucchaya and SuLrasamucchaya are Lhe
names of
Lwo Lreauses composed by Shnudeva and Lwo Lreauses composed by ngr[una.
Whereas
Shnudeva's Shlk#hsamucchaya sull exlsLs, hls SuLrasamucchaya has been losL. 8y
conLrasL,
Lhe exlsLence of nagar[una's SuLrasamucchaya ls auesLed Lo ln Lhe
MadhyamakashsLra-sLuu
aurlbuLed Lo Chandraklru (see 8uegg, p. 8.), whereas Lhe Shlk#hsamucchaya,
aurlbuLed Lo hlm
here, seems Lo be unknown ln oLher sources.
73. A reference Lo Lhe devoLees of Lhe Plndu goddess uurg, whose culL demanded
Lhe pracuce
of exLreme ausLerlues.
76. ln Lhe nexL nlne sLanzas, Shnudeva dlscusses and undermlnes Lhe ordlnary
common sense
amLude Lo enemles and oLher lrrlLanLs. 1he argumenL proceeds as follows. llrsL, ln
sLanzas 2226,
Shnudeva amrms LhaL Lhere ls no such Lhlng as an lndependenL agenL, l.e., one
acung ln Lhe
absence of condluonlng facLors. usually lL ls LhoughL reasonable Lo resenL Lhe hosule
behavlor of
anoLher belng, whlle lL ls generally recognlzed LhaL anger agalnsL an lnanlmaLe ob[ecL
ls fuule and
somehow lrrauonal, slnce Lhe ob[ecL ln quesuon only harms us under Lhe lnuence
of oLher
forces. 8uL Shnudeva argues LhaL Lhls ls equally Lrue of anlmaLe sources of our
suerlng. 1hey
Loo are lmpelled by Lhe exLrlnslc facLors of negauve emouon. lL ls as lrrauonal Lo
haLe a human
aggressor, vlcum ln Lurn of hls or her own delemenLs, as lL ls Lo haLe a Lree LhaL has
been blown
over by Lhe wlnd and has auened our car. Anger agalnsL enemles cannoL be
[usued, says
Shnudeva, because ulumaLely Lhey are noL Lhemselves" Lo blame. 1he polnL ls
repeaLed ln
sLanza 41.
Cf course, Lhere ls an obvlous ob[ecuon Lo Lhls. Lven admlmng Lhe power of
emouon, lL seems
wrong Lo place anlmaLe and lnanlmaLe enuues ln Lhe same caLegory. A human
aggressor, unllke a
Lree, ls aer all an accounLable agenL, and a person's acuons cannoL be dened
slmply ln Lerms of
oLher facLors-as a mere lnLerplay of lmpersonal forces. Accordlng Lo Lhls llne of
reasonlng, Lhere
musL surely exlsL a proper ob[ecL of resenLmenL, namely, Lhe aggressors
Lhemselves"-or, Lo puL
lL anoLher way, Lhe selves" of Lhe aggressors.
1hls ralses a speclcally meLaphyslcal quesuon, and even Lhough much greaLer
auenuon ls pald
Lo lL ln Lhe course of Lhe nlnLh chapLer, Shnudeva ls obllged here Lo focus brley
(sLanzas 2730)
on Lhe ldeas of prlmal subsLance" (SkL. pradhna) and Lhe self" (SkL. Lman), as
upheld
varlously by Lhe dlerenL schools of non-8uddhlsL lndlan phllosophy. lor all Lhese
schools, lL
was axlomauc LhaL Lhe self and Lhe prlmal subsLance were (1) lndependenL enuues
and (2)
permanenL or lmmuLable. 8uL Shnudeva polnLs ouL LhaL lf Lhere were such a Lhlng
as an
lndependenL, permanenL self, Lemporary emouonal sLaLes such as hosullLy could
never be sald Lo
arlse ln lL wlLhouL denylng Lhe self's permanence. 1haL whlch was noL hosule" and
LhaL whlch
ls now hosule" are noL Lhe same enuLy. ConsequenLly, lf Lhe self ls unchanglng, lL can
never
premedlLaLe and acLuallze hosullLy (sLanzas 27.34 and 28.12) and Lhus cannoL be
held
responslble for an acL of aggresslon. ln oLher words, a Lheory of Lhe self can never
rauonally
[usufy resenLmenL and reLallauon agalnsL an aggressor. Powever absLruse Lhese
argumenLs may
seem, lL should be noLed LhaL Lhelr purpose ls enurely pracucal. 1he knowledge LhaL
auackers are
drlven by oLher forces, and are noL Lhemselves enemles, ls a powerful ald ln
conLrolllng and
ellmlnaung one's own aggresslve response.
77. Llnes 3 and 4 of sLanza 28 are a brlef reference Lo Lhe S!khya Lheory of puru#ha
and
prk"lu. lf Lhe self ls permanenL and lmmuLable, lL follows LhaL lLs apprehenslon of
an ob[ecL
musL be permanenL also. A successlon of dlerenL percepuons ls lmposslble. 1hus
Lhe self of
anoLher belng cannoL become hosule. lf lL ls hosule now, lL musL always have been
so and wlll
remaln so permanenLly-whlch ls absurd. Accordlng Lo 8uddhlsL Leachlng, when a
Lhlng ls sald
Lo be permanenL, Lhls means noL only LhaL lL ls exempL from gross lmpermanence
and ls eLernal
(for lL cannoL be broken or desLroyed), buL also LhaL, LhroughouL lLs exlsLence, lL
escapes Lhe
eecLs of subLle lmpermanence and remalns compleLely lmmuLable. lrom Lhe
8uddhlsL polnL of
vlew, no such phenomenon exlsLs.
78. SLanzas 29 and 30 refer Lo Lhe nyya-valshe#hlka school. Accordlng Lo Lhls
Lheory, and ln
conLrasL wlLh LhaL of Lhe S!khya school and Lhe vednLa aer lL, Lhe (permanenL)
self-as
dlsuncL from Lhe mlnd-ls regarded as knowable. ln oLher words, lL ls Lhe ob[ecL,
raLher Lhan Lhe
sub[ecL, of consclousness. lL ls belleved Lo enLer lnLo relauon wlLh Lhe mlnd and
subsequenLly Lo
ldenufy experlences as lLs own. Pere agaln, bellef ln Lhe permanence of Lhe self
enLalls
lnsuperable dlmculues. lf Lhe self ls permanenL, how could lL ever be sald Lo meeL
wlLh new
facLors and asslmllaLe Lhem? ln holdlng LhaL Lhe self ls consclous or unconsclous,
respecuvely,
Lhe S!khya and nyya-valshe#hlka schools occupy, from Lhe Madhyamaka polnL of
vlew, Lwo
exLremes of Lhe meLaphyslcal specLrum. When Lhese Lwo vlews are refuLed, all
lnLermedlary
posluons are dlsposed of aL Lhe same ume. 1hls ls doubLless why Shnudeva
[uxLaposes Lhe Lwo
Lheorles here, as he does agaln ln Lhe nlnLh chapLer.
79. 1he groves of razor Lrees are one of Lhe four nelghborlng hells." 1here ls a
fourfold group of
Lhese nelghborlng hells" ln each of Lhe cardlnal polnLs around Lhe hoL hells. See
Words of My
erfecL 1eacher, p. 67.
80. ln oLher words, for Shnudeva, a monk, Lhe en[oymenL of honors and repuLauon
ls as
lnapproprlaLe as gambllng and drlnk.
81. kunzang elden explalns Lhls verse as follows. A person who has perfecL love for
oLhers
becomes an excellenL ob[ecL of reverence, and oerlngs made Lo such a person are
producuve of
exLremely posluve karmlc resulLs. 8uL Lhe perfecL love of a salnL only comes abouL ln
relauon Lo
oLher belngs, whlch ln Lurn reveals Lhe value and lmporLance of Lhe lauer.
82. 1hls ldea ls furLher developed ln Lhe course of chapLer 8. See Lhe commenLary ln
appendlx 2.
83. 1he 1lbeLan word LranslaLed here as dlllgence" ls brLson 'grus, a renderlng of
Lhe SanskrlL
vlrya. Whlle expresslng a sense of sLrong endeavor, Lhe 1lbeLan, accordlng Lo
Shnudeva,
suggesLs a sense of [oy and enLhuslasm, feaLures LhaL are broughL ouL powerfully ln
Lhe course of
Lhe presenL chapLer. 1he SanskrlL Lerm carrles wlLh lL a sense of lndomlLable sLrengLh
and
courage, and ls connecLed wlLh our words vlrlle," vlrago," as well as vlrLue." 1he
general
sense ls one of greaL courage and perseverance: fearlessness ln Lhe face of adverslLy.
84. 1he 1lbeLan word for sleep" here ls gnyld log. !udglng from Lhe Lranslauons of
Crosby and
SkllLon, v. and A. Wallace, and 8erzln, Lhe SanskrlL Lerm can be consLrued as
referrlng also Lo
sexual lnLercourse. Sleep and sexual acuvlLy are of course naLural human funcuons.
8uL Lhe
quesuon Pow can you Lake pleasure ln sleep and sex?" expressed ln such a mauer
of facL way
and wlLhouL furLher commenL, ls a sLrange one Lo puL Lo an audlence of cellbaLe
monks. 1he
second syllable of Lhe 1lbeLan Lerm could perhaps be lnLerpreLed as an abbrevlauon
for log g.yem
(sexual mlsconducL), ln whlch case, Lhe quesuon ln Lhe glven conLexL would have
some polnL.
Powever, Lhe commenLary of kunzang elden does noL adverL Lo Lhls and
undersLands gnyld log
slmply as sleep."
83. ln oLher words, as Lhough one's deaLh were an evenL far o ln Lhe fuLure.
Accordlng Lo
8uddhlsL Leachlng, Lhe worldly gods, alLhough noL acLually lmmorLal, en[oy an
lmmense
longevlLy. Compared wlLh Lhem, Lhe lengLh of human llfe ls Lhe meresL lcker.
86. 1hese pracuces are dlscussed aL lengLh ln chapLer 8. See also appendlxes 2 and 3.
87. Shrvaka (1lb. nyan Lhos, llL. hearers") ls Lhe name glven Lo Lhe Plnayna
dlsclples of Lhe
8uddha. 1hey alm Lo free Lhemselves from sa sra and aualn ! Lhe perfecL cessauon
of all
suerlng. 1hey lack, however, Lhe amLude of unlversal compasslon and
responslblllLy, whlch ls
bodhlchlua. 1he frulL of Lhelr paLh ls arhaLshlp, noL 8uddhahood.
88. 1hls ls a descrlpuon of Lhe way 8odhlsauvas are born ln Sukhvau (1lb. bde ba
can), Lhe
pure land of Lhe 8uddha AmlLbha. A pure land or buddhaeld (SkL. 8uddha-k#heLra,
1lb. rgyal
ba'l zhlng) ls a dlmenslon or world manlfesLed Lhrough Lhe enllghLened asplrauons of
a 8uddha
or 8odhlsauva ln con[uncuon wlLh Lhe merlLorlous karma of senuenL belngs. 1hose
born ln a
buddhaeld are able Lo progress swlly Lo enllghLenmenL.
89. 1he va[radhva[a-suLra, 1he ulamond 8anner SuLra, ls ln facL a subsecuon of Lhe
larger
AvaLa!saka-suLra. 1he followlng passage ls Laken from lL: When Lhe sun shlnes, C
uevapuLra,
lL lllumlnaLes Lhe enure world, regardless of Lhe bllndness of belngs and Lhe
mounLaln shadows.
ln Lhe same way, 8odhlsauvas appear for Lhe llberauon of belngs, regardless of Lhe
obsLacles LhaL
Lhese may presenL."
90. ln oLher words, one should condenLly underLake Lhe acuon of applylng Lhe
anudoLes,
courageously declde noL Lo fall under Lhe power of Lhe aMlcuons, and have self-
assurance ln
amrmlng one's ablllLy Lo abandon evll behavlor and culuvaLe wholesome quallues.
91. lollowlng Lhe Lerms of Lhe comparlson, Lhe crows are Lhe faulLs, one's weakness
ls Lhe dylng
serpenL.
92. Pere, and ln Lhe followlng verses, a dlsuncuon ls drawn beLween Lwo klnds of
prlde. Cn Lhe
one hand, Lhere ls Lhe posluve quallLy of condence leadlng Lo courage and
perseverance and, on
Lhe oLher, Lhe negauve quallLy of arrogance and concelL, resulung ln Lhe
overweenlng behavlor
LhaL ls oen Lhe mask of weakness and self-doubL. uslng Lhe same Lerm ln boLh
senses,
Shnudeva plays on Lhe word prlde" ln a way LhaL mlghL aL rsL be confuslng. lor
Lhe sake of
clarlLy ln Lhe Lranslauon, Lhe Lwo klnds of prlde are more polnLedly dlsungulshed.
93. 1hls sLanza does noL appear ln Lhe SanskrlL LexL LhaL ls now avallable Lo us. Some
commenLaLors have, moreover, quesuoned Lhe auLhenuclLy of Lhe half-sLanza 62a. lL
ls, however,
generally lncluded.
94. Wholesome dlsllluslon" (1lb. skyo ba or skyo shes) lndlcaLes a sense of revulslon
and
wearlness wlLh Lhe fuule suerlngs of sa!sra.
93. 1he conLexL here and ln Lhe followlng sLanzas ls LhaL of Lhe compllcaLed rlLuals of
courLshlp
and marrlage ln lndlan socleLy. ln bruLal conLrasL wlLh Lhe dellghLs of romanuc
auachmenL and
physlcal love, Shnudeva forces on us a general conLemplauon of Lhe physlcal
reallues of llfe
and deaLh.
96. ln oLher words, Lhe uLerus and Lhe generauve subsLances.
97. See appendlx 2.
98. ln oLher words, Shnudeva wlll help oLhers ln [usL Lhe same way LhaL he auends
Lo Lhe needs
of hls own body.
99. 1he 8odhlsauva Supu#hpachandra was forbldden by Lhe klng Shuradaua Lo Leach
Lhe
uharma on paln of deaLh. knowlng, however, LhaL many would beneL from hls
Leachlng,
Supu#hpachandra dlsobeyed and wenL cheerfully Lo hls execuuon. 1he sLory ls found
ln Lhe
Samdhlr[a-suLra.
100. 8lood" refers Lo Lhe generauve subsLance (ovum) of Lhe moLher.
101. ln Lhe Ca$&avyuha-suLra, AvaloklLeshvara says, LeL whoever sLands before a
crowd
lnvoke my name Lhree umes and have no fear."
102. ln oLher words, Lhe way of uharma, leadlng Lo Lhe reallzauon of 8uddhahood-
noL, of
course, Lhe heavens of Lhe worldly gods.
103. Compare Lhe senumenLs of Lhls and Lhe followlng sLanzas wlLh sLanza 12 of Lhe
same
chapLer. Also see appendlx 2 for a full explanauon.
104. lf l glve Lhe appreclauon of oLhers as Lhe reason for Lhe lnfaLuaLed auenuon l
glve Lo my
own body, lL follows LhaL l should be slmllarly auenuve Lo Lhe physlcal comforL of
oLhers, slnce
Lhelr appreclauon ls equally applled Lo Lhelr own bodles.
103. 1hls sLanza only occurs ln Lhe 1lbeLan Lranslauon, Lhere ls no equlvalenL ln any
exLanL
SanskrlL verslon.
106. As already sLaLed ln Lhe lnLroducuon, Lhe nlnLh chapLer of Lhe
8odhlcharyvaLra ls an
exLremely conclse exposluon of Lhe Madhyamaka vlew, recaplLulaung lLs varlous
sLages of
developmenL and polemlcal lnLeracuon wlLh oLher schools, boLh 8uddhlsL and non-
8uddhlsL. lL ls
worLh bearlng ln mlnd LhaL on LhaL famous occaslon when Shnudeva reclLed hls
LexL from Lhe
loy Lhrone aL nland, he dld so Lo a publlc already deeply versed ln boLh Lhe
conLenL and
hlsLory of Madhyamaka. And hls nlnLh chapLer was no doubL lnLended as a brllllanL
and perhaps
even llghLhearLed exposluon of a hlghly recondlLe sub[ecL Lo a speclallsL audlence of
phllosophers
and academlcs. As lL sLands, Lhe nlnLh chapLer ls scarcely comprehenslble Lo Lhe
unasslsLed
reader, and an exLenslve commenLary ls lndlspensable. 1hose of kunzang elden and
Mlnyak
kunzang S.nam are already avallable ln Lranslauon, and Lhe lnLeresLed sLudenL wlll
also derlve
much asslsLance from Lhe oLher commenLarles llsLed ln Lhe 8lbllography. ln an
auempL Lo render
Lhe rooL LexL aL leasL lnLelllglble, almosL all LranslaLors have resorLed Lo Lhe
expedlenL of lndlcaung
ln parenLheses Lhe dlerenL polnLs of vlew (S khya, nyya-! valshe#hlka,
bhldharmlka, and
so on) referred Lo as Lhe chapLer progresses. 8uL lL ls doubuul wheLher, ln Lhe
absence of an
exLenslve commenLary, Lhese addluons do any more Lhan compllcaLe Lhe lssue and
lncrease Lhe
dlsmay of Lhe bewlldered reader. ln any case, Lhey Lend Lo obscure Lhe facL LhaL Lhe
nlnLh chapLer,
llke Lhe resL of Lhe book, ls composed ln seamless verse, and ls ln facL a fasL-movlng,
sclnullaung
Lour de force. WlLh regard Lo Lhe presenL Lranslauon, Lhe alm has been Lo faclllLaLe
comprehenslon
as much as posslble, and a cerLaln lauLude of expresslon seemed [usuable, malnly
ln Lhe way of
explanaLory paraphrase where posslble and approprlaLe. 1he lnLerpreLauon glven ln
Lhe
commenLary of kunzang elden, and by lmpllcauon LhaL of hls Leachers aLrul
8lnpoche and
Mlpham 8lnpoche, has been conslsLenLly followed. See also Crosby and SkllLon, p.
111, for a
helpful breakdown of Lhe sub[ecL mauer of Lhls chapLer.
107. 1lbeLan hablLually uses Lwo expresslons Lo refer Lo Lhe relauve LruLh: kun rdzob
and Lha
snyad. AlLhough Lhey are oen employed lnLerchangeably as synonyms, Lhese Lerms
have sllghLly
dlerenL connoLauons. kun rdzob kyl bden pa llLerally means Lhe all-conceallng
LruLh." lL refers
Lo phenomena as Lhey are encounLered ln everyday llfe, and Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhelr
appearance (as
lndependenLly exlsung enuues) conceals Lhelr Lrue naLure (l.e., Lhelr empuness of
such
lndependenL and lnLrlnslc belng). ln so far as Lhe Lhlngs and slLuauons encounLered
ln llfe are
accepLed as genulne ln Lhe common consensus (as conLrasLed wlLh maglcal llluslons,
mlrages,
eLc.), Lhey are Lrue," buL only relauvely so, slnce Lhe way Lhey appear does noL
correspond wlLh
Lhelr acLual sLaLus. We have Lherefore sysLemaucally LranslaLed kun rdzob kyl bden
pa as relauve
LruLh." 1ha snyad, on Lhe oLher hand, means name," convenuonal expresslon."
1ha snyad kyl
bden pa (whlch we have LranslaLed as convenuonal LruLh") refers Lo phenomena
lnsofar as Lhey
can be concelved by Lhe ordlnary mlnd and spoken of wlLhln Lhe llmlLs of
convenuonal dlscourse.
108. 1hls refers Lo 8uddhlsL Lhlnkers and pracuuoners who wlLh varylng degrees of
success have
acqulred an undersLandlng of Lhe Lrue sLaLus of phenomena. ln Lerms of Lhe ve
paLhs, whlch ln
8uddhlsm are used Lo map ouL Lhe progress of Lhe mlnd Loward Lhe aualnmenL of
omnlsclence or
compleLe enllghLenmenL, Lhe yogls ln quesuon are on Lhe rsL and Lhe second,
namely,
accumulauon" and [olnlng." 1hey have noL yeL aualned Lhe paLh of seelng, where
Lhe mlnd
en[oys a dlrecL experlence of Lhe empuness of phenomena, aL whlch polnL lL ls sald
Lo pass
beyond Lhe world, LhaL ls, samsara. lor alLhough Lhe yogls on Lhe paLh of seelng
have yeL Lo
achleve 8uddhahood, Lhey can never fall back lnLo samsarlc exlsLence.
109. Accordlng Lo Lhe SanskrlL commenLary of ra[.karamau, sLanzas 49 Lo 31 have
been
mlsplaced and are noL ln Lhelr correcL posluon. Accordlng Lo Lhe commenLary of
Cyalse 1hogme
Zangpo, Lhey could be lnserLed beLween verses 43 and 44. Pere we have followed
Lhe posluonlng
of kunzang elden and Mlpham 8lnpoche.
110. Mahkshyapa became, aer Lhe 8uddha's parlnlrv $a, Lhe leader of Lhe
Sa'gha and
played an lmporLanL role ln Lhe preservauon of Lhe Leachlngs.
111. Sukhvau, Lhe pure land of 8uddha AmlLbha.
112. See noLe 36.
113. valLara$l: name of a rlver ln hell. Mandklnl: name of a rlver ln heaven.
114. 1he Cne Who Polds Lhe LoLus (SkL. padmap$l, 1lb. phyag na pad ma): a uLle of
Lhe
8odhlsauva AvaloklLeshvara.
113. 1he norLhern conunenL (SkL. uuarakuru, 1lb. sgra ml snyan): Lhe conunenL Lo
Lhe norLh of
MounL Sumeru, accordlng Lo Lradluonal 8uddhlsL cosmology. (Cur world,
!ambudvlpa, ls Lhe
souLhern conunenL.) 1he norLhern conunenL ls sald Lo be a place of greaL harmony
and prosperlLy.
116. Mydevl: Lhe moLher of 8uddha Shkyamunl.
117. Shnudeva slmply says, May all women ln Lhe world become men." lL ls
obvlous LhaL he
does noL mean Lhls llLerally slnce Lhls would lnvolve Lhe exuncuon of Lhe human
race. We have
LranslaLed freely, followlng Lhe commenLary of kunzang elden: May all Lhe women
ln Lhe
world-who are lacklng ln physlcal sLrengLh, who have Lo suer Lhe paln of bearlng
chlldren,
and who are LormenLed wlLh Lhe LhlrLy-Lwo speclal klnds of slckness LhaL aMlcL
women-acqulre
Lhe same advanLages as Lhose who have a male body."
118. A raLyekabuddha or sollLary reallzer" ls a pracuuoner of Lhe Plnayana level
who aualns
Lhe cessauon of suerlng wlLhouL relylng on a Leacher.
119. erfecL !oy (SkL. pramudlL-bhuml, 1lb. sa rab Lu dga' ba): name of Lhe rsL of
Lhe Len
8odhlsauva bhumls or grounds of reallzauon. See noLe 47.
120. Shakya Lodr. was a dlsclple, along wlLh 8lnchen Zangpo, of Ausha ulpa!kara,
who reesLabllshed
8uddhlsm ln 1lbeL followlng Lhe perlod of persecuuon ln Lhe relgn of klng
Langdarma. See Lhe 8lue Annals, p. 262. noLhlng ls known wlLh cerLalnLy abouL Lhe
lndlan
pandlLas wlLh whom Lhe LranslaLors worked. lL ls posslble LhaL Lhe Sumauklru who
asslsLed ngok
Loden Sherab (10391109) was Lhe same pandlLa who helped Marpa (10121099) ln
hls
Lranslauon of LexLs from Lhe Sa!vara cycle. See 8lue Annals, p. 384.
121. 8uL.n (8u sLon), 12901364, an adherenL of Lhe Sakya school and a ma[or
scholar of Lhe
1lbeLan 8uddhlsL Lradluon. Pe esLabllshed and complled Lhe ScrlpLural Canon.
122. 1ranLha, allas kunga nylngpo (kun dga' snylng po), 13731608, a celebraLed
1lbeLan
scholar and member of Lhe !onangpa school.
123. ?eshe el[or (ye shes dpal 'byor), 17041777?, auLhor of aksam !.nzang (dpag
bsam l[on
bzang), LranslaLed and edlLed by Shrl SaraL Chandra uas wlLh Lhe uLle 1he PlsLory of
Lhe 8lse,
rogress and uownfall of 8uddhlsm ln lndla. See Amalla ezzall, nudeva: Mysuque
bouddhlsLe des vlle eL vllle sl.cles.
124. See ezzall, pp. 2732.
123. 1he accounLs of 8uL.n and 1ranLha are Lhe mosL elaboraLe and deLalled of Lhe
four clLed.
1hey do noL, however, agree on a number of paruculars, mosL lmporLanLly ln Lhe
chronologlcal
presenLauon of evenLs. 1ranLha places Lhe lncldenL of Ma.[ushrl's sword" and
recognluon of
Shnudeva as an accompllshed masLer before hls enLry lnLo monasuc llfe aL nland.
8uL.n does
Lhe reverse. ezzall opLs for Lhe order glven by 1ranLha, conslderlng lL
lncomprehenslble LhaL
Shnudeva should have become a royal bodyguard aer belng a monk aL nland. ln
so dolng,
she ls perhaps beLraylng a WesLern pre[udlce, assumlng, posslbly on Lhe basls of
Chrlsuan
precedenLs, LhaL lL would be normal for monasuc renunclauon Lo come aL Lhe end of
a worldly
career. 8uL from Lhe polnL of vlew of lndlan 8uddhlsm, and also 1lbeLan 8uddhlsm
(where Lhe
same Lendency ls observable Lo Lhls day), Lhe order of evenLs glven by 8uL.n, and
followed by
kunzang elden, ls more plauslble, namely a momenL of renunclauon followed by a
perlod of
Lralnlng ln Lhe monasLery (admluedly of an exLraordlnary klnd), culmlnaung ln Lhe
abandonmenL
of clerlcal resLrlcuons and Lhe embraclng of Lhe llfesLyle of a wanderlng slddha.
lndeed, Lhe sLory
of 8usukhuwa, ln Songs and PlsLorles of Lhe LlghLy-lour 8uddhlsL Slddhas, seems
clearly Lo
refer Lo Shnudeva, and Lhe LanLrlc aspecL of Lhe llves of Lhe slddhas wlll perhaps
explaln Lhe
presence ln Lhe 1lbeLan 1engyur of LanLrlc commenLarles aurlbuLed Lo Shnudeva.
126. ShsLra (1lb. bsLan bcos), a commenLary speclcally lllusLraung Lhe meanlng of
Lhe
8uddha's words. 1he Lhree quallcauons for composlng shsLras are perfecL
reallzauon of Lhe
ulumaLe reallLy, Lhe vlslon of Lhe yldam delLy, and a compleLe knowledge of Lhe ve
sclences.
127. nalanda'l bkod pa phun Lshogs (Lhe perfecL conducL aL nland). 1hls refers Lo
Shnudeva's
acuvlues aL nland, Lhe mosL obvlous of whlch was Lhe Leachlng of Lhe
8odhlcharyvaLra, buL
also lncludes Shnudeva's secreL sLudles, medlLauons, and vlslons.
128. now ln modern Cu[araL.
129. 1lb. '[am dpal rnon po'l sgrub Lhabs, a sdhana, or medlLauve pracuce, based on
Lhe
8odhlsauva Ma.[ushrl, performed wlLh a vlew Lo Lhe developmenL of lnLelllgence
and sharp
faculues. 1he facL LhaL Shnudeva had a vlslon of Ma.[ushrl means LhaL he became
fully
accompllshed ln Lhe sdhana.
130. Accordlng Lo Lradluon, sull observed Loday, Shnudeva assumed an elemenL of
Lhe name of
hls ordalnlng abboL.
131. SplrlLual quallues LhaL shlne forLh ln proporuon as Lhe emouonal and cognluve
vells are
removed from Lhe mlnd. See 1reasury of reclous uallues, pp. 123134.
132. l.e., sLudy, medlLauon, and acuvlues such as prlnung books, maklng medlclnes,
eLc.
133. See chap. 3, sLanzas 103106.
134. 1lb. mchod rLen dpal yon can.
133. 1hls reference Lo Lhe LhreaLs of Machala ls unclear. We have been unable Lo
verlfy Lhe
SanskrlL names glven here. We have Laken Lhe llberLy of followlng 8uL.n, whose
accounL
kunzang elden has, ln all oLher respecLs, followed closely.
136. See 8. 8hauacharya, loreword Lo Lhe 1auvasamgraha (8aroda, 1926). Pere
8hauacharya
announces hls dlscovery of Lhe 1auvaslddhl, a hlLherLo unknown LanLrlc Lreause ln
SanskrlL. 1he
colophon declares and, accordlng Lo 8hauacharya, Lhe sLyle of Lhe documenL
conrms, LhaL Lhe
LexL was composed by ShnLarak#hlLa.
137. erhaps an emblemauc gure. lourLeen of Lhese commenLarles were
LranslaLed lnLo 1lbeLan.
See blbllography.
138. kawa elLsek (ka ba dpal brLsegs), one of Lhe earllesL and greaLesL of 1lbeLan
LranslaLors. Pe
was probably one of Lhe seven who were Lrled," l.e. Lhe rsL 1lbeLans Lo Lake
monasuc vows (so
called because Lhelr ordlnauon was an experlmenL made Lo esLabllsh wheLher
1lbeLans were
capable of monasuc commlLmenL.) kawa elLsek's name does noL always gure ln
Lhe llsL of Lhe
seven (Lhere are varlous accounLs), buL Lhere ls llule reason Lo doubL LhaL he was
ordalned by
ShnLarak#hlLa.
139. 1he Shlk#hsamucchaya sull exlsLs ln SanskrlL, and a 1lbeLan Lranslauon (1lb.
bslab bLus)
ls preserved ln Lhe 1engyur. 1he SuLrasamucchaya (1lb. mdo bLus) has been losL.
lndeed, Lhe
exlsLence of a SuLrasamucchaya by Shnudeva, dlsuncL from Lhe work of Lhe same
name
aurlbuLed Lo ngr[una, has been quesuoned by WesLern scholarshlp. See ezzall.
140. l.e., Lhe sLaLe ln whlch Lhe duallLy of self and oLher ls LoLally Lranscended.
141. 1he whole force of Lhls argumenL ls rooLed ln Lhe fundamenLal 8uddhlsL axlom
LhaL,
however closely Lhey are assoclaLed, Lhe maLerlal body and Lhe lmmaLerlal mlnd are
enuues of a
compleLely dlerenL naLure. CerLaln concluslons follow from Lhls, whlch may be
lllusLraLed by
Lhe example of a physlcal lllness. A cancerous organ, leL us say, ls noL acLually palnful
ln lLself. lL
ls slmply a plece of esh, Lhe cellular sLrucLure of whlch has muLaLed beyond lLs
normal
condluon. lnsofar as Lhe organ belongs Lo a body enllvened by Lhe anlmaung
presence of a mlnd,
however, Lhe organ ls recognlzed as Lhe seaL of sensauons LhaL are ldenued as paln.
And Lhe
palnful feellngs may be aggravaLed by emouons such as anxleLy and fear derlvlng
from Lhe
mlnd's ldenucauon of Lhe malalse as lLs own. ln Lhls way, suerlng arlses, and Lhe
mlsery of
Lhlnklng, for example, l am ln paln, l have cancer, my llfe ls rulned, l am golng Lo
dle." ln any
glven lllness, however, Lhe mlnd, belng lmmaLerlal, does noL-and cannoL-dlrecLly
feel Lhe
purely physlcal sLaLe of lLs maLerlal supporL. neverLheless, Lhe abnormal condluon of
Lhe body
becomes Lhe mlnd's suerlng Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL Lhe former ls ldenued wlLh, clung
Lo, and
accepLed by, Lhe lauer. lf, as kunzang elden belleves, cllnglng Lo Lhe body as
mlne" (and
Lherefore adopung lLs allmenLs as my suerlng") ls a mauer of psychologlcal
orlenLauon and
hablL, lL follows LhaL by a sLrenuous process of menLal Lralnlng, lL can be redlrecLed.
1he mlnd
may be LaughL Lo ldenufy as lLs own paln, noL only LhaL of lLs presenL physlcal
supporL, buL also
LhaL of Lhe bodles of oLhers. When Lhe ob[ecL of ldenucauon and cllnglng ls
changed, Lhe
experlence of suerlng and paln, and Lhe scope of LhaL experlence, wlll also change.
142. lL ls recorded LhaL once, when MalLrlyogln was Leachlng, someone Lhrew a
sLone aL a barklng
dog so LhaL Lhe anlmal was badly ln[ured. MalLrlyogln gave a scream of paln and fell
from Lhe
Lhrone on whlch he was slmng. 1o Lhe asLonlshmenL and embarrassmenL of Lhe
dlsclples, who
had been lncllned Lo dlsmlss Lhe masLer's behavlor as an exaggeraLed LheaLrlcal
performance,
MalLrlyogln pulled up hls shlrL so LhaL Lhey could see a greaL wound on hls slde, ln
exacLly Lhe
same place where Lhe dog had been sLruck.
143. lL ls recorded ln Lhe Mahbhlnl#hkrama$a LhaL uevadaua, Lhe cousln of prlnce
SlddhrLha,
Look a bow and arrow and shoL down a swan. 1he creaLure was grounded buL noL
kllled. 1he
fuLure 8uddha Look Lhe blrd upon hls knees and comforLed lL. uevadaua senL Lo
clalm hls prlze,
no doubL lnLendlng Lo klll lL, buL Lhe 8uddha refused Lo hand lL over, saylng LhaL Lhe
swan was hls.
An exqulslLe descrlpuon of Lhe lncldenL ls Lo be found ln 1he LlghL of Asla by Slr
Ldwln Arnold,
p.11.
. . . 1hen our Lord
Lald Lhe swan's neck beslde hls own smooLh cheek
And gravely spake, Say no! Lhe blrd ls mlne,
1he rsL of myrlad Lhlngs LhaL shall be mlne
8y rlghL of mercy and love's lordllness . . ."
144. 1hls ls a reference Lo Machlg Labdr.n, Lhe greaL 1lbeLan yoglnl and dlsclple of
Lhe lndlan
masLer adampa Sangye. She ls parucularly celebraLed as Lhe propagaLor of ch.d
(1lb. gcod), a
medlLauve pracuce ln whlch an oerlng ls made of one's own body as susLenance for
malevolenL
splrlLs.
143. khenpo kunpel conslders LhaL Shnudeva has consLrucLed sLanza 94 ln Lhe form
of a
probauve argumenL (SkL. prayoga, 1lb. 'byor ba, someumes, Lhough less
sausfacLorlly, LranslaLed
as sylloglsm"). Accordlng Lo Lhe rules of lndlan loglc, a probauve argumenL conslsLs
of a Lhesls
or sLaLemenL, made up of a sub[ecL and predlcaLe, supporLed by a valld slgn or
reason, and
lllusLraLed by an example. 1he sLandard model of a probauve argumenL runs as
follows. 1hls hlll
has re on lL (Lhesls) because Lhere ls smoke Lhere (slgn or reason), [usL as we nd ln
a klLchen
(example)." lollowlng Lhe same formaL, Shnudeva's argumenL runs: l wlll ellmlnaLe
Lhe
suerlngs of oLhers (Lhesls) because suerlng does noL beneL Lhem (reason), [usL as
l remove
my own dlscomforLs (example)." Clven LhaL probauve argumenLs are normally
undersLood Lo
eecL a demonsLrauon or proof of someLhlng, Lo descrlbe Lhe sLaLemenL ln sLanza 94
ln such Lerms
seems raLher forced. 8uL lL ls lmporLanL Lo reallze LhaL for Shnudeva, Lhe declslon Lo
beneL
oLhers ls a mauer of lmpersonal, loglcal necesslLy, lL ls noL a quesuon of morallsuc
senumenL and
Lhe need Lo feel LhaL one ls belng good."
146. 1hls means LhaL, excludlng mere randomness, Lhey cannoL be shown Lo be
dlrecLly produced
by Lhelr anLecedenLs. ln oLher words, lL ls lmposslble for reason Lo explaln Lhe
relauon beLween a
cause and lLs eecL, even Lhough Lhe causal process never falls.
147. 1hls verse ls Laken from Lhe lundamenLal 1reause on Lhe Mlddle Way (Mula-
madhyamakakrlk)
by ngr[una. (18.10)
148. 1lb. rlgs 'dra rgyun ml chad pa. 1hls means LhaL when a momenL of
consclousness passes, a
new one arlses ldenucal Lo lL ln naLure-l.e., mere cognlzance-buL varylng ln
color" accordlng
Lo karmlc clrcumsLances. 1here ls slmply a conunuum of lnLerllnked momenLs, Lhere
ls no
subposlLum, no underlylng enuLy, LhaL endures as Lhe experlencer" of a sLream of
exLrlnslc
evenLs.
149. 1lb. rLag chad.
130. 1hroughouL Lhls descrlpuon of Lhe exchange of self and oLher, Shnudeva uses
Lhe
conLrasung pronouns l" and he." lollowlng 1lbeLan usage, Lhese same pronouns
appear ln Lhe
commenLary wlLhouL Lhe meanlng belng obscured. We have found, however, LhaL lL
ls clearer Lo
LranslaLe Lhe 1lbeLan word bdag (l") as you," slnce Lhe speaker" ln Lhe
commenLary ls khenpo
kunpel, who ls addresslng Lhe reader. needless Lo say, Lhese reecuons are
addressed Lo all
readers regardless of sex, and so Lhe Lhlrd-person pronoun could [usL as well be
she" as he."
1he consLanL repeuuon of boLh pronouns would be very Ledlous, so, ln deference Lo
Shnudeva's
own personal slLuauon (a man llvlng ln a communlLy of monks), we have kepL Lhe
mascullne
pronoun.
8lbllography
1he followlng are Lhe names of Lhe SanskrlL commenLarles on Lhe 8odhlcharyvaLra
(of whlch,
however, only elghL are compleLe) LranslaLed and preserved ln Lhe 1lbeLan 1engyur.
Cnly one full
commenLary (by ra[.karamau) and fragmenLs of a few oLhers have survlved ln
SanskrlL (see
ezzall, p. 47). ln Lhe references, . refers Lo Lhe 1lbeLan 1rlpl (aka eklng edluon
(see 1okyo-
kyoLo: Susukl 8esearch loundauon, 1936, whlch ls a reprlnL of Lhls), C. refers Lo
CaLalogue of
kan[ur and 1en[ur by Alaka Chauopadhyaya (Calcuua: lndo-1lbeLan SLudles, 1972),
and 1.
refers Lo Culde Lo Lhe nylngma Ldluon of Lhe sue-dge bka'-'gyurbs1an-'gyur by
1arLhang
1ulku (8erkeley: uharma ubllshlng, 1980).
8yang chub kyl spyod pa la '[ug pa'l dka' 'grel (8odhlcharyvaLra-pa.[lk).
ra[.karamau
(Shes rab 'byung gnas blo gros). . 3273, vol. 100. 1. 3872.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l rnam par bshad pa'l bka' 'grel
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-vlv"lu-pa.[lk), ln 9 chapLers. k"l#h$apa. . 3274, vol. 100.
1. 3873.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l legs par sbyar ba
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLrasa!skra),
ln 10 chapLers. kaly$adeva. . 3273, vol. 100. 1. 3874.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l rLogs par dka' ba'l gnas gLan la dbab pa
zhes bya
ba'l gzhung (8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-duravabodha[pdanlr$ayanma-granLha).
k"l#h$apda, allas kalpanagphowa. . 3276, vol. 100. 1. 3873.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l dka' 'grel (8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-
pa.[lk).
valrochanarak#hlLa of vlkramashlla. . 3277, vol. 100. 1. 3873A.
Shes rab le'u'l dka' 'grel (ra[.parlccheda-pa.[lk), commenLary on Lhe nlnLh
chapLer. AuLhor
unknown. . 3278, vol. 100. 1. 3876.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l rnam par bshad pa
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLravlv"lu),
commenLary on chapLers 9 and 10. AuLhor unknown, posslbly unashlla. . 3279,
vol.
100.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l shes rab le'u dang bsngo ba'l ka' 'grel
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-pra[.parlccheda-parl$ama-pa.[lk). AuLhor unknown. 1.
3877.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l don sum cu rLsa drug bsdus pa
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-#ha(Lrl!shaL-pl$&rLha). uharmapla (Cser gllng bla ma
chos
skyong). . 3280, vol. 100. 1. 3878.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l don bsdus pa
(8odhlsauvacharyvaLrapl$&rLha).
uharmapla (Cser gllng bla ma chos skyong). . 3281, vol. 100. 1. 3879.
8yang chub kyl spyod pa la '[ug pa'l dgongs pa'l 'grel pa khyad par gsal byed zhes bya
ba
(8odhlcharyvaLra-LLparya-pa.[lk-vlshe#hadyoLanl-nma), comenLary on all 10
chapLers.
vlbhuuchandra. . 3282, vol. 100. 1. 3880.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa la '[ug pa'l mdo Lsam gdams ngag Lu byas pa
(8odhlsauvachary-suLrlk"lLvda). ulpa!kara shrl[.na (upal mar me mdzad ye
shes). .
3348, vol. 103.
8odhlsauvacharyvaLra-bh#hya. ulpa!kara-shrl[.na. C. mdo xxvll 3.210a:3223b:
2.
8yang chub sems dpa'l spyod pa bsdus pa'l sgron ma rln po che'l phreng ba
(8odhlsauvachary-[sa!graha pradlpa-raLnaml). uhrmlka-subhuugho#ha. C.
mdo xxx
31.389b:1393a: 4. 1. 3936.
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