Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 3 - Gaining Hold of a Bodhichitta Aim. With pleasure, I rejoice in the positive actions that relieve the sufferings of the worse rebirth states for all limited beings and that place these, who suffer, in better rebirth states. I rejoice in that build-up of positive (force) that

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 4 - Taking Care about Bodhichitta. As a Triumphant Ones’ offspring, having firmly gained hold of Bodhichitta like this, I’ll strive never to transgress its training, without ever wavering. For something undertaken all of a sudden or something I didn’t examine well, it’s proper to examine, “Do it

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 5 - Safeguarding with Alertness. With the wish to safeguard my training, I need to work hard and safeguard my mind; if I'm unable to safeguard my mind, I'll also be unable to safeguard my training. Left to run loose, the elephant of my mind can ravage me

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 6 - Showing Patience. Whatever generosity, offerings to the Blissfully Gone (Buddhas) and the like, and positive deeds I've amassed over thousands of eons – one (moment of) hatred will devastate them all. As no negative force resembles anger, and no trial resembles patience, I shall therefore meditate

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 7 - Perseverance. Patient like that, I need to embrace joyful perseverance, since (based) on perseverance, Enlightenment takes place. After all, without joyful perseverance, there's no arising of positive force, just as, without wind, there's no motion. What's joyful perseverance? Lethargy arises from apathy about the problems of

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 8 - Perfection of Concentration. I shall set my mind in absorbed concentration; since a person having a distracted mind is set between the fangs of disturbing emotions. Through dissociating (both my) body and mind, there'll be no occurrence of any distraction; therefore, I'll set aside worldly concerns

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 9 - Perfection of Wisdom. The Sage has spoken about all these branches for the sake of discriminating awareness. Therefore, generate discriminating awareness with the wish to pacify sufferings. Surface and deepest, these are accepted as being the two truths. The deepest aren't cognitive objects of the dualistic

Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra - Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour by Śāntideva c. 8th century. Part 10 - Dedication. Through my constructive act of having (reflected upon and) composed Engaging in Bodhisattva Behaviour, may all wandering beings become (adornments for the world,) engaged in the behaviour of Bodhisattvas. As many beings as there are in all directions, diseased with sufferings of body and mind,