by
Gyalsé Thokmé Zangpo
Namo
Lokeshvaraye!
You see that
all things are beyond coming and going,
Yet still
you strive solely for the sake of living beings—
To you, my
precious guru inseparable from Lord Avalokita,
I offer
perpetual homage, respectfully, with body, speech and
mind.
The perfect
buddhas, who are the source of all benefit and joy,
Come into
being through accomplishing the sacred Dharma.
And since
this in turn depends on knowing how to practise,
I shall now
describe the practices of all the buddhas’ heirs.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to study, reflect and
meditate,
Tirelessly,
both day and night, without ever straying into idleness,
In order to
free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara,
Having
gained this supreme vessel—a free, well-favoured human life, so
difficult to find.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to leave behind one’s
homeland,
Where our
attachment to family and friends overwhelms us like a
torrent,
While our
aversion towards enemies rages inside us like a blazing
fire,
And
delusion’s darkness obscures what must be adopted and
abandoned.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to take to solitary places,
Avoiding the
unwholesome, so that destructive emotions gradually fade
away,
And, in the
absence of distraction, virtuous practice naturally gains
strength;
Whilst, with
awareness clearly focused, we gain conviction in the
teachings.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to renounce this life’s
concerns,
For friends
and relatives, long acquainted, must all go their separate
ways;
Wealth and
prized possessions, painstakingly acquired, must all be left
behind;
And
consciousness, the guest who lodges in the body, must in time
depart.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to avoid destructive friends,
In whose
company the three poisons of the mind grow stronger,
And we
engage less and less in study, reflection and
meditation,
So that love
and compassion fade away until they are no more.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to cherish spiritual friends,
By regarding
them as even more precious than one’s own body,
Since they
are the ones who will help to rid us of all our faults,
And make our
virtues grow ever greater just like the waxing moon.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to take refuge in the Three
Jewels,
Since they
will never fail to provide protection for all who call upon
them,
For whom are
the ordinary gods of this world ever capable of helping,
As long as
they themselves are trapped within samsara’s vicious
cycle?
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is never to commit a harmful
act,
Even though
not to do so might put one’s very life at risk,
For the Sage
himself has taught how negative actions will ripen
Into the
manifold miseries of the lower realms, so difficult to
endure.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to strive towards the goal,
Which is the
supreme state of changeless, everlasting liberation,
Since all
the happiness of the three realms lasts but a moment,
And then is
quickly gone, just like dewdrops on blades of grass.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to arouse bodhichitta,
So as to
bring freedom to all sentient beings, infinite in
number.
For how can
true happiness ever be found while our mothers,
Who have
cared for us throughout the ages, endure such pain?
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to make a genuine exchange
Of one’s own
happiness and wellbeing for all the sufferings of
others.
Since all
misery comes from seeking happiness for oneself alone,
Whilst
perfect buddhahood is born from the wish for others’
good.
Even if
others, in the grips of great desire, should steal,
Or encourage
others to take away, all the wealth that I possess,
To dedicate
to them entirely my body, possessions and all my merits
From the
past, present and future— this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even if
others should seek to cut off my head,
Though I’ve
done them not the slightest wrong,
To take upon
myself, out of compassion,
All the
harms they have amassed—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even if
others should declare before the world
All manner
of unpleasant things about me,
To speak
only of their qualities in return,
With a mind
that’s filled with love—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even if
others should expose my hidden faults or deride me
When
speaking amidst great gatherings of many people,
To conceive
of them as spiritual friends and to bow
Before them
in respect—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if
others whom I have cared for like children of my own,
Should turn
upon me and treat us me an enemy,
To regard
them only with special fondness and affection,
As a mother
would her ailing child—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even if
others, equal or inferior to me in status,
Should, out
of arrogance, disparage me,
To honour
them, as I would my teacher,
By bowing
down my head before them—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even though
I may be destitute and despised by all,
Beset with
terrible illness and plagued by evil spirits,
Still to
take upon myself all beings’ ills and harmful actions,
Without ever
losing heart—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
Even though
I may be famous and revered by all,
And as rich
as Vaishravana, the god of wealth himself,
To see the
futility of all the glory and riches of this world,
And to
remain without conceit—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to subdue the mind,
With the
forces of loving kindness and compassion.
For unless
the real adversary—my own anger—is defeated,
Outer
enemies, though I may conquer them, will continue to
appear.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to turn away immediately
From those
things which bring desire and attachment.
For the
pleasures of the senses are just like salty water:
The more we
taste of them, the more our thirst increases.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is never to entertain concepts,
Which
revolve around dualistic notions of perceiver and
perceived,
In the
knowledge that all these appearances are but the mind
itself,
Whilst
mind’s own nature is forever beyond the limitations of
ideas.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to let go of grasping
When
encountering things one finds pleasant or attractive,
Considering
them to be like rainbows in the summer skies—
Beautiful in
appearance, yet in truth devoid of any substance.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to recognize delusion
Whenever one
is confronted by adversity or misfortune.
For these
sufferings are just like the death of a child in a
dream,
And it’s so
exhausting to cling to delusory perceptions as real.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to give out of generosity,
With no
hopes of karmic recompense or expectation of reward.
For if those
who seek awakening must give even their own bodies,
What need is
there to mention mere outer objects and possessions?
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to observe ethical restraint,
Without the
slightest intention of continuing in samsaric existence.
For lacking
discipline one will never secure even one’s own
wellbeing,
And so any
thought of bringing benefit to others would be absurd.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate patience,
Free from
any trace of animosity towards anyone at all,
Since any
potential source of harm is like a priceless treasure
To the
bodhisattva who is eager to enjoy a wealth of virtue.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to strive with enthusiastic
diligence—
The source
of all good qualities—when working for the sake of all who
live;
Seeing that
even shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, who labour for themselves
alone,
Exert
themselves as if urgently trying to extinguish fires upon their
heads.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate concentration,
Which
utterly transcends the four formless absorptions,
In the
knowledge that mental afflictions are overcome entirely
Through
penetrating insight suffused with stable calm.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate wisdom,
Beyond the
three conceptual spheres, alongside skilful means,
Since it is
not possible to attain the perfect level of awakening
Through the
other five paramitas alone, in wisdom’s absence.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to scrutinize oneself
Continually
and to rid oneself of faults whenever they appear.
For unless
one checks carefully to find one’s own confusion,
One might
appear to be practising Dharma, but act against it.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is never to speak ill
Of others
who have embarked upon the greater vehicle,
For if,
under the influence of destructive emotions,
I speak of
other bodhisattvas’ failings, it is I who am at fault.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to let go of attachment
To the
households of benefactors and of family and friends,
Since one’s
study, reflection and meditation will all diminish
When one
quarrels and competes for honours and rewards.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to avoid harsh words,
Which others
might find unpleasant or distasteful,
Since
abusive language upsets the minds of others,
And thereby
undermines a bodhisattva’s conduct.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to slay attachment
And the rest
of mind’s afflictions, at once, the very moment they
arise,
Taking as
weapons the remedies held with mindfulness and
vigilance.
For once the
kleshas have become familiar, they’ll be harder to
avert.
In short, no
matter what one might be doing,
By examining
always the status of one’s mind,
With
continuous mindfulness and alertness,
To bring
about the good of others—this is the practice of all the
bodhisattvas.
The practice
of all the bodhisattvas is to dedicate towards
enlightenment
All the
virtue to be gained through making effort in these ways,
With wisdom
that is purified entirely of the three conceptual
spheres,
So as to
dispel the sufferings of the infinity of beings.
Here I have
set down for those who wish to follow the bodhisattva
path,
Thirty-seven
practices to be adopted by all the buddhas’ heirs,
Based on
what is taught in the sutras, tantras and treatises,
And
following the instructions of the great masters of the
past.
Since my
intellect is only feeble and I have studied but a
little,
This is not
a composition likely to delight the connoisseurs,
Yet since
I’ve relied upon the sutras and what the saints have
taught
I feel these
are indeed the genuine trainings of the buddhas’ heirs.
Still, the
tremendous waves of activity of the bodhisattvas
Are
difficult for simple-minded folk like me to comprehend,
And I must
therefore beg the indulgence of all the perfect saints
For any
contradictions, irrelevancies or other flaws this may
contain.
Through
whatever merit has here been gained, may all beings
Generate
sublime bodhichitta, both relative and absolute,
And through
this, come to equal Lord Avalokiteshvara,
Transcending
the extremes of existence and quiescence.
This was
composed in a cave near Ngulchu Rinchen by the monk Thokmé, a
teacher of scripture and reasoning, for his own and others’
benefit.
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Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2006