With devotion I pay homage to the buddhas gone to bliss,
To their Dharma body, noble
heirs and all worthy of respect.
In accordance
with the scriptures, I shall now in brief describe
How to adopt
proper conduct, the way of buddhas’ heirs.[1]
In this, there
are four sections:
-
the practitioner,
the person who is the support;
-
the attitude
with which one practises;
-
the practices
themselves; and
-
the result
of practising in that way.
1. THE
PRACTITIONER
Firstly, the
person who is the support for the practice is someone endowed with all the freedoms and advantages, and who has faith and
compassion.
2. THE
ATTITUDE WITH WHICH ONE PRACTICES
Secondly, the
intention of bodhichitta has two aspects: aspiration and action.
1. Aspiration
Regarding the
first of these, it is said:
Arousing bodhichitta is: for the sake of others
Longing to attain complete enlightenment.[2]
In other words,
it is the intention of wishing to attain complete enlightenment for the sake of others.
2. Action
The second aspect
of action is the commitment to train in the practices of the bodhisattvas.
Taking
the Bodhisattva Vow
In order to adopt
this kind of bodhichitta within our own mind streams we can receive the vows from a teacher, in which case we should follow
the procedure of the specific ritual, whether of the Mind Only or the Middle Way. But here it will be shown how we can practise
this by ourselves.
There are three
stages to this: (a) preparation, (b) main part and (c) conclusion.
A. Preparation
This has three
parts: (i) generating enthusiasm, (ii) the seven branch practice, and (iii) mind training.
i. Generating
Enthusiasm
Generate a sense
of enthusiasm for the benefits of bodhichitta, as explained in the first chapter of the Introduction to the Way of the
Bodhisattva.
4. This free
and well-favoured human form is difficult to obtain.
Now that we have
the chance to realise the full human potential,
If we don’t
make good use of this opportunity,
How could we
possibly expect to have such a chance again?
5. Like a flash
of lightning on a dark and cloudy night,
Which, for just
a single instant, sheds its brilliant light,
Rarely, through
the buddhas’ power,
A mind of virtue
arises, briefly, to people of the world.
6. All ordinary
virtues therefore are forever feeble,
Whilst negativity is strong and difficult to bear—
But for the mind intent on perfect buddhahood,
What other virtue could ever overcome it?
7. Contemplating
wisely throughout the ages,
The mighty buddhas
have seen its great benefit:
That it helps
the boundless multitude of beings
Easily to gain
the highest states of bliss.
8. Those who
long to triumph over life’s distress,
And who wish
to put an end to others’ sorrows,
Those who seek
to experience abundant joys—
Let them never
turn their backs on bodhichitta.
9. For the very
instant that bodhichitta is born
In the weary
captives enslaved within samsara,
They are called
heirs of the bliss gone buddhas,
Honourable to
gods, humans, and the world.
10. Like the
alchemists’ supreme elixir,
It takes this
ordinary, impure human form,
And makes of
it a buddha’s priceless body—
Such is bodhichitta:
let us grasp it firmly!
11. With their
boundless wisdom, beings’ only guides,
Have investigated
thoroughly and seen its value.
Thus whoever
longs for freedom from conditioned states
Should grasp
this precious bodhichitta and guard it well.
12. All other
virtues are like the plantain tree:
They bear their
fruit, and then they are no more.
Yet constantly
the marvellous tree of bodhichitta
Yields fruit
and, undiminished, grows forevermore.
13. Even those
who’ve committed intolerable misdeeds,
Through having
bodhichitta instantly are freed,
Just like a brave
companion banishing all one’s fears—
Why then would
the prudent fail to put their trust in it?
14. Just like
a great inferno at the ends of time,
It annihilates
terrible misdeeds in but an instant.
Thus its benefits
are vast beyond all measuring,
As the wise Lord
Maitreya explained to Sudhana.
15. Understand
that, briefly stated,
Bodhichitta has
two aspects:
The mind aspiring
to awaken,
And bodhichitta
that’s enacted.
16. Just as one
understands the difference
Between wishing
to go and setting out upon a journey,
The wise should
understand these two,
Recognizing their
difference and their order.
17. Bodhichitta
in aspiration brings about great results,
Even as we continue
to circle within samsara;
Yet it does not
bring about a ceaseless stream of merit,
For that will
come solely from active bodhichitta.
18. From the
moment we genuinely take up
This irreversible
attitude—
The mind that
aspires to liberate entirely
The infinite
realms of beings,
19. From then
on, even while asleep,
Or during moments
of inattention,
A plentiful,
unceasing force of merit
Will arise, equal
to the vastness of the sky.
20. This was
explained by the Buddha,
Together with
supporting reasons,
In a teaching
given at Subahu’s request,
For the sake
of those inclined to lesser paths.
21. If boundless
merit comes to anyone who,
With the intention
to be of benefit,
Has the thought
simply to relieve the pain
Of those afflicted
merely with a headache,
22. What need
is there to speak of the wish
To dispel all
beings’ boundless sufferings,
Or the longing
that they all might gain
Enlightened qualities
infinite in number.
23. Do even our
fathers or our mothers
Have such beneficence
as this?
Do the gods or
the great sages?
Does even mighty
Brahma?
24. If these
beings have never before
Held this aspiration
for their own sake—
Not even in their
dreams—how could
They have made
this wish for others?
25. A thought
such as this—wanting for others
What they do
not wish for even for themselves—
Is an extraordinary
and precious state of mind,
And its occurrence
a marvel unlike any other!
26. This source
of joy for all who wander in existence,
This elixir that
heals the sufferings of all beings,
This priceless
jewel within the mind—
How could such
merit ever be evaluated?
27. For if the
simple wish to benefit others
Surpasses offerings
made before the buddhas,
What need is
there to mention striving
For the welfare
of all without exception?
28. Although
seeking to avoid pain,
They run headlong
into suffering.
They long for
happiness, but foolishly
Destroy it, as
if it were their enemy.
29. To satisfy
with every kind of joy,
And to cut through
all the sufferings
Of those who
lack any real happiness,
And are oppressed
by sorrow’s burden,
30. To bring
an end as well to their delusion—
What other virtue
is comparable to this?
What friend is
there who does as much?
What else is
there which is as meritorious?
31. If even those
who do good deeds as repayment
For past favours
are worthy of some praise,
What need is
there to mention the bodhisattvas,
Whose perfect
actions are carried out unbidden?
32. There are
those who offer meals occasionally, and to just a few;
Their gifts,
which are no more than food, are made in just a moment,
And with disrespect,
to bring nourishment for merely half a day—
And yet such
people are honoured by the world as virtuous.
33. Yet how does
this compare to those who give
Over many ages
and to the whole infinity of beings,
Constantly offering
them the fulfilment of their every wish:
The unsurpassable
happiness born of blissful buddhahood?
34. And those
who develop feelings of hostility,
Towards these
benefactors, the buddhas’ heirs,
Will languish
in the hells, the mighty Sage has said,
For aeons equal
to the moments of their malice.
35. By contrast,
to look upon them well,
Will yield benefits
in still greater measure.
For even in adversity,
the buddhas’ heirs
Bring no harm,
only virtue that naturally increases.
36. I bow down
before all those in whom
This most precious,
sacred mind is born!
I take refuge
in those great sources of joy
Who bring bliss
even to those who harm them.
ii. Seven
Branch Practice
Before practising
the seven branches for gathering the accumulations, consider that you and all other sentient beings are gathered together
in the actual presence of the field of merit, which includes the victorious buddhas and their bodhisattva heirs, and bring
to mind all their wonderful qualities.
The branch
of offering
Arrange offerings
of flowers, scented incense, lamps, pure water and food and drink, as plentiful as you can afford. Then bring to mind jewel-filled
mountains, attractive woodlands, and all the uninhabited places of great natural beauty throughout the world. These are known
as “offerings you do not own”. Offer both types of gift—those that you possess and those that you do not—with
the following verses:[3]
1. In order that
I might adopt this precious jewel of mind,
I now make the
most excellent of offerings to the buddhas,
To the sacred
Dharma—that most rare and flawless jewel—
And to the buddhas’
heirs, whose qualities are limitless.
2. I offer every
variety of fruit and flower,
And every kind
of healing medicine,
Each and every
jewel this world affords,
And all its pure
and freshest waters,
3. Every mountain
filled with precious gems,
And forest groves,
isolated and inspiring,
Trees of paradise
garlanded with blossom,
And trees whose
branches are laden with fine fruit,
4. Perfumed fragrances
from the gods and other realms,
Incense, trees
that grant wishes and produce magic gems,
Spontaneous harvests
grown without the tiller’s care,
And every thing
of beauty worthy to be offered,
5. Lakes and
ponds adorned with lotus flowers,
Where the pleasant
calls of geese are heard,
Every thing and
place of beauty unclaimed by any owner,
Extending to
the boundless limits of space itself.
6. I picture
them all in my mind, and to the supreme buddhas
And their bodhisattva
heirs, I make a perfect gift of them.
Think of me with
love, O sublime and compassionate lords,
And accept all
these offerings which I now present.
7. Lacking stores
of merit, I am destitute
And have nothing
more to offer.
O protectors,
who consider only others’ benefit,
In your great
power, accept this for my sake.
With the following
verses offer your own body, speech and mind in servitude:
8. To the buddhas
and their bodhisattva heirs,
I offer my body
now and in all my lives to come.
Supreme courageous
ones, accept me totally,
For with devotion
I will be your servant.
9. If you accept
me and take me fully in your care,
I will not fear
samsara as I offer other beings help.
The harmful acts
I did before are entirely in the past,
And from now
on, I vow to do no further deeds of harm.
With the next
verses offer gifts created in your imagination:
10. To a bath
house filled with soothing scents,
With brightly
sparkling floors of crystal,
And fine pillars
all shimmering with gems,
Where hang gleaming
canopies of pearls,
11. I invite
the buddhas and their bodhisattva heirs.
I request you:
Come to bathe yourselves in scented water,
Poured from overflowing
jugs made of exquisite jewels,
All the while
accompanied by melody and song.
12. Then let
me dry you in cloths beyond compare,
Immaculate and
anointed well with perfumed scent,
And dress you
finely in the most excellent of garments,
Lightly scented
and dyed in vivid colours.
13. I offer clothing
made of the finest gentle fabrics,
And hundreds
of the most beautiful adornments,
To grace the
bodies of noble Samantabhadra,
Manjughosha,
Lokeshvara and the rest.
14. With the
most sublime of fragrant perfumes,
That gently permeates
throughout a billion worlds,
I will anoint
the bodies of all the buddhas,
Gleaming brightly,
like pure and burnished gold.
15. To the mighty
sages, perfect recipients of my offering,
I will present
red lotus and heavenly mandarava,
Blue utpala flower
and other scented blossoms,
Beautifully arranged
in brightly coloured garlands.
16. I also offer
billowing clouds of incense,
Whose sweet aroma
captivates the mind,
And a rich feast
of plentiful food and drink,
Fit to grace
the tables of the gods.
17. I offer row
upon row of precious lamps,
All perfectly
contrived as golden lotuses,
And I scatter
the petals of attractive flowers
Upon level, incense-sprinkled
ground.
18. I offer divine
palaces resonant with songs of praise,
Gleaming with
precious pearls and pendant gems,
The most beautiful
of structures in the whole of space—
All this I offer
to those whose nature is compassion.
19. Jewel-encrusted
parasols with handles made of gold,
Whose fringes
are all embellished in ornate designs,
Turned upright,
well proportioned and pleasing to the eye.
Now and forever,
I offer this to all the buddhas.
Then make offerings
through the power of aspiration with the following verses:
20. May a multitude
of other offerings,
Accompanied by
music sweet to hear,
Be made in great
successive clouds,
To soothe the
pains of living beings.
21. May rains
of precious gems and flowers
Shower down in
never-ending streams,
Upon all the
jewels of noble Dharma,
And sacred monuments
and images.
22. Just as Manjughosha
and the rest
Made offerings
to all the buddhas,
Likewise I too
will offer to those thus gone
And all their
bodhisattva heirs.
23. With vast
oceans of melodious praise,
I honour these
oceans of good qualities.
May clouds of
sweet and gentle praise
Ascend unceasingly
before them.
And with these
verses offer your respect and homage:
24. Multiplying
my body as many times as there are atoms
In the universe,
I prostrate and bow before
The buddhas of
the past, present and future,
The Dharma and
the supreme assembly.
25. To all supports
of bodhichitta
And all stupas,
I bow down,
And to preceptors
and teachers,
And those who
practise discipline.
For all these
eight types of offering[4], bring to mind the meaning of the words and offer them sincerely from the very
depths of your heart.
All these offerings
are made in the presence of the Three Jewels, who are the pure field. The substances themselves are pure, since they are not
polluted by unwholesome actions or stinginess. And the motivation is also pure, because there is no expectation of gaining
something in return or some karmic reward.
Taking
Refuge
Consider that
you take refuge in those exceptional objects—the three rare and supreme jewels of the uncommon greater vehicle—and
you do so with an exceptional motivation— for the benefit of all sentient beings—until you attain complete enlightenment;
and recite verse 26 three times:
26. Until I realize
the essence of enlightenment,
I take refuge
in the buddhas.
And likewise
in the Dharma,
And the assembly
of bodhisattvas.
Confession
of Negative Actions
27. Before the
perfect buddhas and bodhisattvas,
Who reside in
every direction, in all of space,
And who embody
great compassion,
I press my palms
together and pray:
With this verse,
we pray to those who will receive our confession and we request their understanding. Consider that:
-
our past misdeeds
are like poison within our body;
-
the Three Jewels,
who are our support, are like physicians who can heal the sickness brought on by the poison;
-
the antidote,
which is the sacred Dharma, is like medicine;
-
and the firm
resolve not to repeat such actions in the future is like ambrosia that restores the body to full strength.
Having generated
these four ideas, with verses 28 to 46, cultivate the power of regret:
28. In this and
all my other countless lifetimes
Spent wandering
in beginningless samsara,
In my ignorance
I have committed wrongs
And encouraged
others to do the same.
29. Overwhelmed
by ignorant delusion,
I celebrated
the harm that was done.
But now I see
it all was done in error,
And before the
buddhas, sincerely I confess.
30. Whatever
I have done against the Three Jewels,
My parents, my
teachers or anyone else,
Through the force
of my afflictions,
With my body,
speech or mind,
31. All the misdeeds
that I, the wicked one, have done,
Faults that cling
to me from my many mistakes,
And all the unbearable
crimes I have committed,
I openly declare
to you, the guides of all the world.
32. Before my
negativity has been purified,
My life may well
come to an end,
So I pray now:
grant me your protection,
Swiftly, to ensure
that I am freed!
33. The Lord
of Death is fickle, unworthy of our trust,
Whether life’s
tasks are done or not, he will not wait.
For the sick
and for the healthy alike,
This fleeting
life is not something on which we can rely.
34. When we go,
we must leave everything behind,
But I have failed
to understand this, and so
For the sake
of friends and enemies alike,
I engaged in
all manner of harmful deeds.
35. My enemies
will become no more,
And my friends
will cease to be,
I myself will
pass from this existence,
And everything
in turn will disappear.
36. Like experiences
in a dream,
Everything I
make use of and enjoy,
Will later turn
to faded memory,
And having passed
will not be seen again.
37. In this lifetime,
which lasts but for a while,
Some friends
and enemies are now gone.
But not the harmful
acts I did for them—
Those unbearable
effects are still to come.
38. Never thinking
that I too
Might quickly
pass away,
In my delusion,
lust and hatred,
I have done so
much harm.
39. Never halting,
day or night,
My life is always
slipping by.
Having gone,
life can not be extended,
So how could
the likes of me not die?
40. While I lie
there in my final bed,
Friends and family
may be by my side,
But I alone will
be the one
To feel the severing
of all ties to life.
41. When I am
seized by the emissaries of Death,
What help will
be my family or my friends?
At that time
it is merit alone that can protect me,
But upon that,
alas, I have failed to depend.
42. O protectors!
I was heedless,
Unaware of horrors
such as this,
And all for this
transient existence,
Amassed so many
harmful deeds.
43. When led
towards the place of torture,
Where his body
will soon be ripped apart,
A man is transfigured
by his terror;
His mouth turns
dry, his pained eyes dart.
44. If that is
so, then how desperate will I be,
When stricken
down and gravely ill with fear,
I am seized by
the messengers of Death,
And their gruesome,
terrifying forms appear?
45. Is there
anyone who can really save me
From the horrors
of this appalling fate?
Staring in terror
with my eyes opened wide,
I’ll search
all around me for a refuge place.
46. When nowhere
do I see such a place of safety,
My heart will
sink; depressed, I’ll give up hope.
For if there
is no haven to which I might retreat,
What options
am I left with? What is there to do?
And with verses
47 to 53 bring to mind the power of support:
47. Thus, from
this day onwards I take refuge
In the buddhas,
the guardians of the world,
Who labour to
protect and benefit us all,
And whose great
strength can banish every fear.
48. Likewise,
I genuinely take refuge
In the Dharma
they have realized,
Which eliminates
samsara’s terror,
And also in the
hosts of bodhisattvas.
49. Utterly terrified
and gripped with fear,
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