Becoming Bodhisattvas Page 2

  And now as long as space endures,

  As long as there are beings to be found,

  May I continue likewise to remain

  To drive away the sorrows of the world.

  —The Way of the Bodhisattva, v. 10.55

  Developing a Clear Intention

  The Excellence of Bodhichitta

  THE FIRST CHAPTER of the Bodhicharyavatara is an extended praise of bodhichitta. Shantideva starts on a positive note: we can connect with the very best of ourselves and help others to do the same. Bodhichitta is a basic human wisdom that can drive away the sorrows of the world.

  Bodhi means “awake”; free from ordinary, confused mind, free from the illusion that we’re separate from one another. Chitta means “heart” or “mind.” According to Shantideva and the Buddha before him, the unbiased mind and good heart of bodhi hold the key to happiness and peace.

  Shantideva begins his teaching with a traditional four-part opening. First, he expresses his gratitude and respect. Second, he makes a commitment to complete his presentation. Third, he expresses humility; and in verse 3, he rouses confidence. This formal beginning was very familiar to the monks of Nalanda, but its personal touch and freshness made it unique.

  1.1

  To those who go in bliss, the Dharma they have mastered, and to all their heirs,

  To all who merit veneration, I bow down.

  According to tradition, I shall now in brief describe

  The entrance to the bodhisattva discipline.

  These opening lines pay homage to the “Three Jewels”: the Buddha, dharma, and sangha. In the standard formula, the historical Buddha is regarded as an example or role model. The dharma refers to his teachings, and the sangha to the monastic practitioners and advanced bodhisattvas. Here however, Shantideva takes our understanding of the Three Jewels deeper.

  Those who go in bliss naturally includes the buddhas, but it also refers to our own potential. We, too, can free ourselves from the hopes and fears of self-centeredness. The bliss of perceiving reality without these limitations is our birthright. Thus Shantideva doesn’t bow down to something outside himself, but to his own capacity for enlightenment. He venerates those who have realized what remains possible for us all.

  The Dharma they have mastered refers not only to written and oral teachings, but also to the truth of direct experience, to straightforward, unedited life as it is. Whatever happens to us—good, bad, happy, or sad—can free us from self-absorption. If we make use of these ever-present opportunities, then everything we encounter is dharma.

  All their heirs refers to the mature sangha with its great sanity and compassion, but also includes aspiring bodhisattvas. All of us willing to move beyond our self-importance and find ways to care for each other are considered the Buddha’s heirs.

  Finally, to express his gratitude to all who merit veneration, he bows to the teachers and friends who have helped him along the path.

  As the second step in this traditional opening, Shantideva presents his subject and commits to complete his teaching without obstacles. Moreover, he will do this according to tradition, presenting what he’s learned and understood from the Buddha, dharma, sangha, and his other teachers as well.

  We can’t overestimate the power of commitment. Until we resolve unequivocally to undertake a task and see it through to the end, there is always hesitation and vacillation. Remember that Shantideva had been invited to give this talk by monks who were trying to humiliate him. Considering his audience, it’s possible that he had some trepidation. Therefore, he calls on an egoless courage that is not easily threatened and goes forward.

  1.2

  What I have to say has all been said before,

  And I am destitute of learning and of skill with words.

  I therefore have no thought that this might be of benefit to others;

  I wrote it only to sustain my understanding.

  Invoking a humility that is also traditional, Shantideva expresses a clear understanding of the danger of arrogance. He knows that even if the Buddha were sitting in front of him, it would do him no good if his mind were filled with pride.

  Humility, however, should not be confused with low self-esteem. When Shantideva says he is destitute of learning and of skill with words, he is not expressing self-contempt. The low self-esteem so common in the West rests on a fixed idea of personal inadequacy. Shantideva is committed to not getting trapped in such limiting identities. He is simply humble enough to know where he gets stuck, and intelligent enough to realize he has the tools to free himself.

  In the final lines of this verse, Shantideva explains that he originally composed this narrative as a personal encouragement, never dreaming that he’d be sharing it with others.

  1.3

  My faith will thus be strengthened for a little while,

  That I might grow accustomed to this virtuous way.

  But others who now chance upon my words,

  May profit also, equal to myself in fortune.

  In verse 3, Shantideva completes the traditional opening by rousing confidence. To compose this text and live by its words brings him great joy. The thought that his self-reflections might now profit others makes him even happier.

  In this spirit of gladness and gratitude, Shantideva begins his main presentation.

  1.4

  So hard to find such ease and wealth

  Whereby to render meaningful this human birth!

  If now I fail to turn it to my profit,

  How could such a chance be mine again?

  From the Buddhist point of view, human birth is very precious. Shantideva assumes that we understand this preciousness, with its relative ease and wealth. He urges us to contemplate our good situation and not to miss this chance to do something meaningful with our lives.

  This life is, however, a brief and fading window of opportunity. None of us knows what will happen next. As I’ve grown older with my sangha brothers and sisters, I’ve seen many friends die or experience dramatic changes in their health or mental stability. Right now, even though our lives may seem far from perfect, we have excellent circumstances. We have intelligence, the availability of teachers and teachings, and at least some inclination to study and meditate. But some of us will die before the year is up; and in the next five years, some of us will be too ill or in too much pain to concentrate on a Buddhist text, let alone live by it.

  Moreover, many of us will become more distracted by worldly pursuits—for two, ten, twenty years or the rest of our lives—and no longer have the leisure to free ourselves from the rigidity of self-absorption.

  In the future, outer circumstances such as war or violence might become so pervasive that we won’t have time for honest self-reflection. This could easily happen. Or, we might fall into the trap of too much comfort. When life feels so pleasurable, so luxurious and cozy, there is not enough pain to turn us away from worldly seductions. Lulled into complacency, we become indifferent to the suffering of our fellow beings.

  The Buddha assures us that our human birth is ideal, with just the right balance of pleasure and pain. The point is not to squander this good fortune.

  1.5

  As when a flash of lightning rends the night,

  And in its glare shows all the dark black clouds had hid,

  Likewise rarely, through the buddhas’ power,

  Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient, in the world.

  1.6

  Thus behold the utter frailty of goodness!

  Except for perfect bodhichitta,

  There is nothing able to withstand

  The great and overwhelming strength of evil.

  In verses 5 and 6, the initial arising of bodhichitta is described as transient and frail. The mahayana teachings usually tell us that it’s n
eurosis that is transient and insubstantial, like clouds in a clear blue sky. When we’re having our emotional upheavals, the buddhas and bodhisattvas don’t see us as stupid or hopeless; they see our confusion as mere troubled weather, ephemeral and fleeting, passing through our skylike mind.

  But verses 5 and 6 are not from the point of view of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; they’re from our point of view. We are the ones who feel stuck behind the clouds: maybe we don’t have what it takes; maybe we’re too weak. Even with the occasional glimpse of sky, it all seems too hard, too painful. We hear this kind of talk often, coming from our own mouths as well as from others’.

  Instead of experiencing our hang-ups as solid and everlasting, rather than definitely believing they’re “me,” we could say, “This is just weather, it will pass. This is not the fundamental state.” From Shantideva’s perspective, these glimpses of bodhi mind have great power. Everyone knows what it’s like for the clouds to part, even briefly, and to feel a sense of potential and possibility. Without this initial or ongoing flash, we’d never be inspired to investigate this path.

  1.7

  The mighty buddhas, pondering for many ages,

  Have seen that this, and only this, will save

  The boundless multitudes,

  And bring them easily to supreme joy.

  Shantideva knows that we can trust these glimpses of bodhichitta and that by recognizing and nurturing them, these glimpses will grow. The awakened ones, pondering for many ages, have seen that only this good heart of bodhi can keep us from getting hooked in the same old, self-centered ways.

  At this point we might ask why bodhichitta has such power. Perhaps the simplest answer is that it lifts us out of self-centeredness and gives us a chance to leave dysfunctional habits behind. Moreover, everything we encounter becomes an opportunity to develop the outrageous courage of the bodhi heart.

  When we get hit hard, we look outward and see how other people also have difficult times. When we feel lonely or angry or depressed, we let these dark moods link us with the sorrows of others.

  We share the same reactivity, the same grasping and resisting. By aspiring for all beings to be free of their suffering, we free ourselves from our own cocoons and life becomes bigger than “me.” No matter how dark and gloomy or joyful and uplifted our lives are, we can cultivate a sense of shared humanity.

  This expands our whole perspective. Trungpa Rinpoche used to say, “The essence of the mahayana is thinking bigger.” Shantideva presents that essence. His teachings are a guide to compassionate living and bigger thinking.

  1.8

  Those who wish to overcome the sorrows of their lives,

  And put to flight the pain and suffering of beings,

  Those who wish to win such great beatitude,

  Should never turn their back on bodhichitta.

  When Shantideva mentions those who wish to overcome the sorrows of their lives, he addresses the foundation teachings of Buddhism, which emphasize the cessation of personal suffering. When he talks of putting to flight the pain and suffering of beings, he points to the mahayana intention to free everyone without exception from pain.

  Of course, he isn’t saying: “I’ll just look after others. It doesn’t matter that I’m unhappy and constantly worried, or that I hate myself and my temper is out of control.” There’s no question that we want to end our own suffering. But the shift in mahayana Buddhism is this: we want to end our personal suffering so we can help others put an end to theirs. This is Shantideva’s strongest message and the essence of bodhichitta.

  Most of us want to share what we’ve understood with others. Yet in trying to do this, we see even more clearly the work that still needs to be done on ourselves. At some point, we realize that what we do for ourselves benefits others, and what we do for others benefits us. This is what Shantideva means when he says that those who wish to win great happiness should never turn their back on bodhichitta.

  1.9

  Should bodhichitta come to birth

  In one who suffers in the dungeons of samsara,

  In that instant he is called the buddhas’ heir,

  Worshipful alike to gods and men.

  A pithy explanation of the Sanskrit word samsara is Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over and thinking we’ll get different results.” Shantideva describes this as being caught in the dungeons of samsara. Nevertheless, even when we feel trapped in repetitive habits, we can feel kindness and empathy for others. When even a momentary flash of bodhichitta is born, in that instant we become a child of the buddhas and worthy of universal respect.

  This verse, according to Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, may be a critique of Hindu society. Shantideva is saying that we don’t have to be from a certain caste to experience bodhichitta; even those considered “untouchables” are the buddhas’ heirs.

  Bodhichitta is not some elitist theory for sophisticated or well-educated people. It’s for everyone. We don’t ever have to feel we’re too hopeless to call on bodhichitta; nor can we look scornfully at others and label them too frivolous or arrogant to qualify. Everyone in the dungeons of samsara is a candidate for awakening a compassionate heart.

  1.10

  For like the supreme substance of the alchemists,

  It takes the impure form of human flesh

  And makes of it the priceless body of a buddha.

  Such is bodhichitta: we should grasp it firmly!

  1.11

  If the perfect leaders of all migrant beings

  Have with boundless wisdom seen its priceless worth,

  We who wish to leave our nomad wandering

  Should hold well to this precious bodhichitta.

  1.12

  All other virtues, like the plantain tree,

  Produce their fruit, but then their force is spent.

  Alone the marvelous tree of bodhichitta

  Will bear its fruit and grow unceasingly.

  1.13

  As though they pass through perils guarded by a hero,

  Even those weighed down with dreadful wickedness

  Will instantly be freed through having bodhichitta.

  Who then would not place his trust in it?

  1.14

  Just as by the fires at the end of time,

  Great sins are utterly consumed by bodhichitta.

  Thus its benefits are boundless,

  As the Wise and Loving Lord explained to Sudhana.

  In this section Shantideva gives six analogies for bodhichitta. The first, in verse 10, is alchemy. Bodhichitta can use anything—any ordinary thought, deed, or word—to ventilate our self-absorption. In verses 11 through 14, the analogies are a priceless jewel, a wish-fulfilling tree, a hero, and the fire at the end of time. The sixth analogy is a kind of etcetera, which refers to a Buddhist scripture where many other analogies are described.

  The perfect leaders in verse 11 are the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Like experienced ship captains in search of gems, they know the priceless worth of a good jewel when they see it. Sailors trust these captains and associate them with wealth; with them, they might make their fortunes and leave their nomad wandering. Shantideva says we can have the same confidence. Like sailors who trust their captain’s knowledge, we can trust the Buddha’s evaluation of precious bodhichitta.

  In verse 12, bodhichitta is compared to a wish-fulfilling tree that produces fruit forever. By contrast, the plantain tree bears fruit only once before it dies. Likewise, helping someone is always a good thing and will bear fruit in a limited way. But if our help is motivated by the longing to free this person from confusion altogether, it will bear fruit until they attain enlightenment. A simple act of kindness with bodhichitta intention can open us to this expansive possibility.


  The analogy in verse 13 is a hero, comparable to a good friend who keeps us out of trouble. The perils refer to the ripening of our negative karmic seeds. When we use these difficult situations for opening up instead of shutting down, it’s like being accompanied by a protector.

  In verse 14, the comparison is to a great fire that burns up negative tendencies. Ordinarily we buy into our negative habits, acting them out or turning them against ourselves. Either way, we make them stronger.

  Bodhisattvas practice “in the middle of the fire.” This means they enter into the suffering of the world; it also means they stay steady with the fire of their own painful emotions. They neither act them out nor repress them. They are willing to stay “on the dot” and explore an emotion’s ungraspable qualities and fluid energies—and to let that experience link them to the pain and courage of others.

  The sixth analogy refers to a Buddhist scripture in which a future buddha, called Maitreya, gave 230 other examples of bodhichitta to his disciple Sudhana.

  1.15

  Bodhichitta, the awakening mind,

  In brief is said to have two aspects:

  First, aspiring, bodhichitta in intention;

  Then, active bodhichitta, practical engagement.

  1.16

  Wishing to depart and setting out upon the road,

  This is how the difference is conceived.

  The wise and learned thus should understand

  This difference, which is ordered and progressive.

  Here Shantideva presents the two aspects of relative bodhichitta: aspiration and action. Aspiring, or intentional, bodhichitta is like wishing to take a trip; active bodhichitta is actually setting out on the journey. We first aspire to attain enlightenment and benefit others, then we do whatever it takes to make this a reality.

  To give a mundane example: let’s say you’re stuck in grasping or craving; you know that you collect and hoard, that you panic when something’s taken from you or you have to let it go. How do you work with unreasonable attachment, for your own sake and the happiness of others?