Bodhicharyavatara - The Way of the Bodhisattva composed by the great Indian Master of Nalanda University in the 7th century, Shantideva.... translated from the Tibetan by The Padmakara Translation Group 1997 Edition: Chapter 3 Commitment Verse 1 With joy I celebrate The virtue that relieves all beings From the sorrows of the states of loss, And places those who languish in the realms of bliss. Verse 2 And I rejoice in virtue that creates the cause Of gaining the enlightened state, And celebrate the freedom won By living beings from the round of pain. Verse 4 The intention, ocean of great good, That seeks to place all beings in the state of bliss, And every action for the benefit of all: Such is my delight and all my joy. Verse 7 And through these actions now perfermed, By all the virtue I have amassed, May all the pain of every living being Be wholly scattered and destroyed! Verse 8 For all those ailing in the world, Until their every sickness has been healed, May I myself become for them The doctor, nurse, the medicine itself. Verse 9 Raining down a flood of food and drink, May I dispel the ills of thirst and famine. And in the ages marked by scarcity and want, May I myself appear as drink and sustenance. Verse 10 For sentient beings, poor and destitute, May I become a treasure ever plentiful, And lie before them closely in their reach, A varied source of all that they might need. Verse 11 My body, thus, and all my goods besides, And all my merits gained and to be gained, I give them all away witholding nothing To bring about the benefit of beings. Verse 14 And though they treat it like a toy, Or make of it the butt of every mockery, My body has been given up to them - Theres no use , now, to make so much of it. Verse 15 And so let beings do to me Whatever does not bring them injury. Whenever they catch sight of me, Let this not fail to bring them benefit. Verse 16 If those who see me entertain A thought of anger or devotion, May these states supply the cause Whereby their good and wishes are fulfilled. Verse 17 All those who slight me to my face, Or do to me any other evil, Even if they blame or slander me, May they attain the fortune of enlightenment! Verse 18 May I be a guadd for those who are protectorless, A guide for those who wish to journey on the road. For those who wish to go across the water, May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge. Verse 19 May I be an isle for those who yearn for landfall, And a lamp for those who long for light; For those who need a resting place, a bed; For all who need a servant, may I be their slave. Verse 20 May I be the wish-fulfilling jewel, the vase of plenty, A word of power and the supreme healing; May I be the tree of miracles, And for every being the abundant cow. Verse 21 Like the earth and the pervading elements, Enduring as the sky itself endures, For boundless multitudes of living beings, May I be their ground and sustenance. Verse 22 Thus for everything that lives, As far as are the limits of the sky, May I provide their livelihood and nourishment Until they pass beyond the bonds of suffering. Verse 23 Just as all the Buddhas of the past Embraced the awakened attitude of mind, And in the precepts of the Bodhisattvas Step by step abode and trained, Verse 24 Just so, and for the benefit of beings, I will also have this attitude of mind, And in those precepts, step by step, I will abide and train myself. Verse 25 That this most pure and spotless state of mind Might be embraced and constantly increase, The prudent who have cultivated it Should praise it highly in such words as these: Verse 26 Today my life has given fruit. This human state has now been well assumed. Today I take my birth in Buddhas line, And have become the Buddhas child and Heir. Verse 27 In every way, then, I will undertake Activities befitting such a rank. And I will do no act to mar Or compromise this high and faultless lineage. Verse 29 This is the draft of immortality, That slays the Lord of Death, the slaughterer of beings, The rich unfailing treasure-mine To heal the poverty of wanderers. Verse 30 It is the sovereign remedy, That perfectly allays all maladies. It is the wishing tree bestowing rest On those who wander wearily the pathways of existence. Verse 31 It is the universal vehicle that saves All wandering beings from the states of loss - The rising moon of the enlightened mind That soothes the sorrows born of the afflictions. Verse 32 It is a mighty sun that utterly dispels The gloom and ignorance of wandering beings, The creamy butter, rich and full, All churned from milk of holy Teaching. Verse 33 Living beings! Wayfarers upon lifes paths Who wish to taste the riches of contentment, Here before you is the supreme bliss - Here, O ceaseless wanderers, is your fulfillment! Verse 34 And so, within the sight of all Protectors, I summon every being, calling them to Buddhahood - And till that state is reached, to every earthly joy! May Gods and Demi-Gods, and all the rest, rejoice!
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 03:56:30 +0000
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