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The Thirty-Seven Practices of the Bodhisattva

By His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Bodhgaya, India, 1974

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave this teaching at Bodhgaya in January 1974. Translator
unknown.

The book The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas: An Oral Teaching contains the
root text by Thogme Zangpo and a commentary by Geshe Sonam Rinchen, translated
by Ruth Sonam.
I want to give a few explanations concerning Dharma, and more particularly, Mahayana
Dharma, and the necessary preparations for the initiation. I shall be brief, but I hope to give
you a fruitful teaching that you will like. You are not tired, and neither am I. So we are all of
us in excellent condition for hearing about the Dharma.

There are many rules in the vinaya (rules for monastics) concerning the physical manner in
which the Dharma should be listened to; one should be seated in the right posture, be
bareheaded before the guru, the monks should have their right shoulder bare, and so on.
But all these rules are waived when people are ill. We are not ill, but this very hot sun may
bother you and make you fall ill. So for the time being let us abolish all those rules, and let
those with umbrellas open them, the monks cover their heads with a fold of their robe, or a
white handkerchief – something white is excellent protection against the hot sun. There are
great gurus who have the power to change the elements, but I don’t have this power, so I
would ask you to take care of yourselves.

We shall start by reciting the Heart Sutra of the Prajnaparamita, followed by a short prayer
to Manjushri, the great mandala for our request for teaching. Then we shall take short
refuges at the end of which we shall change one sentence: instead of saying “may we, by
the practice of the paramitas, etc, reach buddhahood as rapidly as possible for the good of
all sentient beings” you would say “may we by listening to this teaching,” while I shall say
“may I by giving this teaching.” After that you will say the opening phrases of the bodhicitta
prayer. Our motivation, which I will talk to you about in detail later, must be strong at this
time, it will therefore be, it is, to reach buddhahood for the good of all beings and to give all
our merit for that. At the end you will clap your hands three times—this is a reminder to
purify our minds and to get rid of interferences. Do not clap more than three times, it is not
like the end of an entertainment or as though you were applauding a famous speaker!

You have come a long way to be here, from various countries, and often with much
dif culty and trouble. There are the strikes, and there are many of you, and it is not easy to
get here. And you have not come here with the intention of going to a festival, for
entertainment, or to do a good business deal, or for any personal glory. You have come here
to hear the Dharma, more precisely Mahayana Dharma, to receive a tantric initiation, more
particularly that of anuttarayoga, and among these Kalachakra. To some completely
samsaric people, this may seem strange and even comical. Never mind… Even if we have
not come with a perfect motivation, this is already something very great, the goal is an
excellent one.

Whoever we are, of a white, yellow or dark race, whatever our social position, and also all
the animals, down to the smallest insect, we all have the feeling that we are a "me". Even if
we don’t understand the nature of the “me,” we all know what this me wants: to avoid
suffering and obtain happiness. There are extremely varied degrees of suffering, ranging
from the smallest worry to certain intolerable and lasting kinds of pain. There are countless
kinds, but whatever they are, we try to protect ourselves from them. Animals do the same,
in this way they are exactly like us. Only they have no method for doing this. They don’t
make plans in advance or look ahead. They try their best to avoid the suffering of the
moment and to take the pleasure of the moment. They don’t go beyond this. Therefore,
though the basis of our motivation, to avoid suffering and obtain happiness, is exactly the
same, our means of avoiding or obtaining it are, in our human case, multiple. Degrees of
suffering are in nite, from a mere headache to torture, to mention only physical pain, while
the happiness we wish to obtain have just as many appearances. But their basis is the
same: happiness, suffering, only the means vary. Then we aggrandize what we call “me.” We
want happiness for “my” family, “my” friends, “my” country.
What we call happiness and suffering take on deeper, wider meanings. After simple
satisfaction of the most immediate necessities, the notion of “happiness” grows complex,
the means of obtaining it multiply and also the levels at which we situate happiness rise.
The creation of language, writing, the various educational and social systems, trade skills,
factories, medical progress, the creation of schools, hospitals, all derive from this simple and
single basis: obtaining happiness, avoiding suffering. The whole life of the world is
completely engaged in this single quest. Philosophies try to resolve the issues raised by this
quest, why our nature is what it is, what the structure of the world is, etc. They seek the
real cause for this happiness and suffering, and seek an explanation and solution of
principle. They do this by the most varied of paths, and proceed whether their reasoning is
right or wrong. It is also in response to this search that certain philosophies have been
made systematic at the social and political level.

Communism, for example, holds that achieving happiness and eliminating suffering will
come from an egalitarian system, where the “preponderance of one social class,” a majority
exploiting the minority, will cease to exist. Religions, too, want to solve this eternal problem,
using various approaches, and by explaining its causes. One can divide into “doctrinal”
those who seek an answer in general and causal principles, and “nondoctrinal” those who
seek a practical solution on the material level. In this sense the teaching of the Buddha is
doctrinal.

We nd that the suffering of the body often comes from the mind, or that where physical
pain is equal, a calm and happy mind will suffer much less than an agitated and unquiet
one. We also nd that many people who have great wealth, an abundance of everything
material wellbeing can bring, are depressed, anxious and unhappy, while others whose
practical life is full of dif culties have a happy mind, feel at peace within themselves and
give the impression of great serenity. Someone whose mind is balanced, open, lucid, who
foresees the attitude he will have in case of dif culties, will remain at peace, even if he has
very serious troubles and will know how to face them and overcome them. Whereas an
agitated and unquiet mind, limited and unre ective, will be completely at a loss when faced
with the slightest unforeseen incident. All this shows that the mind is much more important
than the body. Therefore if the state of our mind enables us to bear and even to feel either
much more or much less our physical suffering, we should attach great importance to our
way of thinking. The “preparation” of our mind is therefore extremely important, and to
practice the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma, is our excellent preparation.

Take our example, that of the Tibetan people. I notice, and many people have told me too,
that in spite of the troubles and dif culties of their situation, Tibetans on the whole—of
course there are exceptions—remain smiling, even-tempered and good-humored, and
pleasant towards each other. Their behavior is usually very correct. In the past few days I’ve
had many audiences with Tibetans from many places, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim. They have
con rmed this impression. It is quite certain that this attitude is a “fruit” of the Dharma. Not
all of them understand the Dharma properly, some practice it only a little or not correctly.
But it has for so long impregnated our country, governed our way of life and thinking that,
despite their little knowledge, people have experienced its in uence, and a good number
have practiced, and practiced it fully.

But if this happy attitude of the Tibetans which helps them to bear the losses they have
suffered—family, wealth, country—is a consequence of the merits accumulated through the
practice of Dharma, one can also consider that our present dif culties derive too from a lack
of merit. This situation of Tibet is not hopeless. I am profoundly convinced that, everything
in samsara is subject to swings of the pendulum, ups and downs. Now we are at the lowest
point of the curve, I am convinced it will turn up again. Let us help it to do so by practicing
the Dharma, by accumulating a considerable amount of merit.

Let us practice the Dharma. Let us forget for the time being karma and the next life, let us
consider the fruits of existence in this life only. The fruits it yields will be harvested by our
mind and above all by others. By means of a noble, pure and generous mind we will spread
joy around us, we shall feel a great peace and communicate it to others.

Look around us at this world we call “civilized” with its 2,000 years of civilization. This
world has tried to achieve happiness and prevent suffering, but it has tried to do so by false
means. By deception, corruption, hatred, by exploiting others, by abusing power over
others. It has sought only individual and material happiness. By setting individuals against
each other, it has brought a time of fear, hatred, suffering, murder, and famine. If in India,
Africa and other countries, poverty and famine can hold sway, it is not because natural
resources are lacking, and it is not because the “means” to bring about lasting wellbeing are
lacking. Never has medical science been so advanced, never have there been so many
comforts and amenities, never have communications been so easy. But everyone has
looked for his own pro t, without fear of oppressing others for this sel sh aim, and this sad
and pitiful world of war, fear and corruption is the result. The situation of Tibet is also
related to this state of the world. The root of this civilization is rotten, and the world is
suffering, and if it continues in the same way it will suffer more and more.

So the Dharma is not, as some people argue, of no use for those who live in a backward and
isolated region. Some people, who believe they are broadminded and highly intellectual and
cultured, think that the Dharma is irrelevant. But what do we mean by “Dharma?” Obviously
it does not mean wearing a special costume, building monasteries, making many
prostrations. This may go with the Dharma but it is in no sense the actual practice of the
Dharma. The practice of the Dharma is an inner affair, it means having a peaceful, noble,
broad and generous mind – a mind that has been tamed, brought completely under control.
Even if one can recite the whole Tripitaka by heart, if one is sel sh and hurts others, this is
not practicing Dharma.

The practice of Dharma is that which enables us to be true, faithful, honest and humble, to
help and respect others, to forget oneself for others. This is Dharma. To try to accumulate
possessions or to obtain a better social level will bring neither trust nor peace. Often the
people who bow down to the powerful of this world, attering them to the skies, will,
behind their backs criticize and despise them, and seek to harm them. So the powerful will
not have peace of mind, but will be anxious and tormented at the idea of losing what they
have gained, often at the price of very great dif culties.

So the Dharma will certainly not help us to increase our material possessions—great wealth
can only be obtained through deception and corruption. And when we come to die we
shall have to leave everything behind us, even the most gilt-edged investment, which gave
us so much worry. We shall also have to leave our family, our friends, and if our life has not
been honest, there will remain great repentance, but not the fruit of our dishonesty. My
body, too, that of Tenzin Gyatso, I shall have to leave, and my monk’s robe I have never been
without for a single night. Therefore we shall have to leave everything, and anxiety and
sadness will trouble our last moments if our only possessions have been sel sh and
material ones.

To tame one’s mind, to renounce the super uous, to live in harmony with others and
oneself will bring happiness, even though our daily life is mediocre, and even though we
become poor, for if we have been kind and compassionate, others will help us. For we must
not forget that even in the most perverted and cruel being, while he remains a human being,
there exists the small seed of love and compassion, the seed which will one day make of
him a buddha. He who helps will be helped.

We should therefore live on this noble path, help others, spread kindness and peace. And
now we must also think of our next life. The laws of karma and reincarnation are dif cult to
understand. But if we analyze very deeply the facts of existence, with an honest mind free
of preconceptions, we shall understand them. And we shall refer also to the teachings of
the Buddha, who af rmed reincarnation.

Everything which happens to us, individually or collectively, happens to us by the law of

karma. This being so, the good path we follow will bear fruit for the next life. The effort we
have made will enable us to obtain a noble and pure mind. Your coming here proves this,
since you have come here to obtain a teaching concerning the Dharma, which proves that
for you the Dharma has a meaning. Dharma is equivalent to nobility. And this is why
someone who rejects the Dharma does not understand what it is. The Dharma is the only
way to obtain happiness.

Among the Dharmas, the Buddhadharma was taught by Gautama Buddha. One thousand
buddhas are to appear in this kalpa (eon). Gautama was the fourth to live in this country
where we are and he found enlightenment at this place. Afterwards, he turned the wheel of
the law at Sarnath for the rst time and then many times until the paranirvana. He taught
for everyone, both ordinary people and more advanced disciples, openly and in secret, to
other worlds and to devas. The level of his teachings varied greatly, some accessible to all,
others very profound and dif cult to understand, these teachings comprised both Hinayana
and Mahayana. The Mahayana teaching is superior in its motivation, practices, and aim. The
motivation is to work for the good of all living beings instead of one’s own good. The
practice of the six or ten perfections accompanies it and the goal is not only to achieve
liberation from samsara, but also to obtain the three kayas – nirmanakaya, sambhogakaya
and dharmakaya. Mahayana Dharma develops the different practices of the Paramitayana
and the Vajrayana. The latter is superior to the practice of the paramitas for various qualities
but the union of the two is very important. We are very favored because Buddhism coming
to Tibet from India means that we have a very complete Dharma. According to the
Buddha’s prophesy the Dharma spreads from the south to the north – Tibet, Mongolia,
China, Japan. This journey seems to have been completed, though I don’t know whether
there will be an additional north! Throughout its history the Buddhadharma has had its
ourishing times and others when it almost disappeared.

During the life of Gautama Buddha the Hinayana was more widespread because it could be
taught to a large number of people and was easy to understand. Mahayana was less
popular because it called for better prepared minds and was taught to more advanced
disciples, this was why it was criticized and its existence in the beginnings of Buddhism are
still contested by some. However, it has existed since the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
After the Paranirvana, it seems almost to have disappeared for several centuries. It was
through Nagarjuna that it began to spread. Nagarjuna was the restorer and propagator of
Mahayana. Buddha moreover prophesied the coming of Nagarjuna in a number of scriptures
including the Manjushri Mulatantra. Nagarjuna lived about 400 years after the Buddha and
subsequently the Mahayana spread and ourished and then, after a number of centuries,
degenerated. After a time, Buddhism disappeared from India almost completely.

Since its arrival in Tibet the Dharma there has never completely disappeared. It was
eclipsed for about eighty years under the King Lang-dar-ma, but even then Buddhism
existed in the east and west of the country. There were certainly passing weaknesses, but
the pure tradition, of the Dharma as a total union of Tantrayana and Paramitayana, has
continued for a thousand years. We have various sects, named at the time they were
formed, such as Nyingma-pa, or after the place, such as Sakya-pa or Gelug-pa, but both
the gurus and the sects teach the same tradition, that of Tantrayana and Paramitayana
combined. There are a few differences in interpretation or certain practices but the essence
has remained completely the same. For the small countries around Tibet—Bhutan, Sikkim,
Ladakh—the Dharma was transmitted complete. They were, for a long time, satellites of
Tibet, in the sense of students around the teacher. But now the situation has changed. The
teachers are refugees, poor and badly off. The students are well off and comfortable.

We are, in any case, very fortunate to have this complete Dharma, this double Dharma in a
united form. Thus Tibetan Mahayana is the combined form of the sutras, the paramitas with
the tantras, the Vajrayana The practice and method of this union is bodhicitta, which is the
essence and basis of Paramitayana and which reaches its ultimate point in the realization of
shunyata (emptiness of inherent, intrinsic nature). To practice Tantrayana it is absolutely
necessary to have this basis. Bodhicitta is the root and gives the necessary impetus for all
practice. The path is therefore renunciation of samsara, then relative bodhicitta, namely love
and compassion, which will give life and savor to tantric practice, and then the realization of
shunyata, at least intellectually. Only after that can we practice the two paths of generation
(practice) and ful llment, which will procure the real fruit. The fruit can only ripen by this
process. Without the three bases, renunciation, bodhicitta, shunyata, even if one knows
how to practice meditation on the divinities (entities of the path) or do the exercises
concerning the nadis, etc., this will be to no purpose, and will be harmful. It would be like
someone with a very delicate constitution taking a medicine prescribed for someone with a
very strong constitution. Preparation for any tantric practice is therefore very important, we
must know absolutely, very exactly, what renunciation, bodhicitta and shunyata mean, and
not only contemplate and meditate on those three states, but have them impregnated and
integrated within our mind. Only after that can the tantras be practiced with fruit.

THE THIRTY-SEVEN PRACTICES OF THE BODHISATTVA

Of all these realizations and practices, the most essential of all is bodhicitta, so therefore I
shall give you today the teaching of the guru Ngul Cha Gyaltse Thogme Zangpo. I don’t
remember exactly everything this great guru did in his life, but he lived at the same time as
another of the greatest masters of Tibet. There is a story about the relationship between
them. Buton Tham Cha Pa suffered from bone trouble and said to Ngul Chu Gyaltse Thogme
Zangpo, “You have bodhicitta so well it would suf ce for you to bless me and I would be
cured.” Which he did, and in fact cured his friend. In any event Ngul Chu Gyaltsen Thogme
Zangpo was a very great guru who practiced bodhicitta intensively. He was a particularly
humble and patient person. He had a wolf that went with him everywhere and whose
nature he had completely transformed, by infusing into him a little of his great compassion.
In fact, the wolf had become a vegetarian! He was therefore generous and good and, seeing
always the suffering of others, bearing it always in mind, tears often came to his eyes when
he gave teachings on bodhicitta. He studied at Sakya and later withdrew from the world
completely to meditate and develop still further his bodhicitta.

I received this teaching from Tenzin Gyaltsen who received it himself from the abbot of
Dzogchen Monastery.

The introduction to the Thirty-seven Practices of the Bodhisattva is a homage addressed to

Avalokiteshvara, here called Lokeshvara. He is the object of this homage because the verses
explaining the practices of the bodhisattvas are based on the great compassion of which
Avalokiteshvara is the source.

Let us remember that the three gates of the Buddha are Manjushri , who embodies wisdom,
Vajrapani, who embodies power, and Avalokiteshvara who embodies the compassion of all
the Buddhas, which is why this homage is addressed principally to him. It is also addressed
to the guru, because, as Atisha has said, all qualities, great and small, are due to gurus. All
qualities in general, and Mahayana qualities in particular, come solely from the guru, it is
only from him that one can nd the right method for one’s development and this is why we
take refuge in him.

The guru and Avalokiteshvara are not ordinary beings. They form an object, which contains
all the qualities of the realizations, and the abandonment, not only of the passions and
illusions, but also of even the slightest imprints left by the illusions. Even the great arhats
cannot see at the same time the two truths, the relative and the absolute. Either they are in
shunyata and cannot see phenomena, or they see phenomena but do not see shunyata,
even if they have realized it. Only a being that has attained buddhahood can see both at the
same time. For this he has had to obtain the supreme abandonment, that of all imprints.
There is no going and no coming, absolute shunyata is immobile. From this meditation,
which unites shunyata and the seeing of all sentient beings, Avalokiteshvara has the
qualities enabling him to help all sentient beings according to their speci c abilities and their
stage of enlightenment, and this is why I take refuge, not only today but for ever, totally, by
the three gates of body, speech and mind in Avalokiteshvara and why I render him homage.
All happiness, all bene t, comes only from a virtuous karma. It is the accumulation of these
“seeds” of virtuous acts which bears fruit in happiness and wellbeing. And the way to
eliminate errors and obtain happiness is to practice bodhicitta. Now we too must practice
in order to achieve buddhahood, we must learn to practice. We must be able to know what
to abandon and what to accept, and for that we must have a precious human body.

Around us at this moment there are many animals. Theoretically they should be able to hear
this teaching, but their animal state prevents them totally, they understand nothing. We
have the chance of having obtained this indispensable base, which is a human life. We have
obtained it in a country where the Dharma ourishes, we have the necessary ability to read,
listen, think a little, even discriminate, all the facilities are therefore in our hands for
practicing Dharma. Even if among you there is some elderly person who can neither read
nor write, he can all the same listen and understand a few sentences concerning the
Dharma. Even an old and very worn out body is still a precious human body, more precious
than the nest body of a young and healthy animal.

Human life is therefore very precious, and though there are millions on this earth, the
possibilities of obtaining a human body endowed with the necessary faculties for practicing
Dharma are very rare. We Tibetans, and those in contact with us, can obtain the complete
Dharma, the tantric Mahayana. Let us not miss this opportunity, it would be as absurd as a
starving person with money coming back empty handed from a well-stocked market.
Whether we are young, very young, or old, very old, each of us should make the necessary
effort not to waste this precious human life.

Many of you do not know how to read or write and come from frontier areas far away from
towns where education can be obtained. Make an effort. Children should be educated and
instructed. For everything one may plan for in human life, even in samsaric terms, education
is a necessary basis. So don’t waste a minute, make good use of this life that you don’t
know when you will nd again.

“At this time when I have obtained this precious vessel of a human life…”
Human life is in fact dif cult to nd and easy to lose. It is exacting and calls not for “small”
good actions but great ones. It is now, not tomorrow, not never, that we must have an
accumulation of merits in our hands. These accumulations of merit are rare, and are rapidly
destroyed by the slightest little faults of pride, sel shness or hatred that we all have and
which invade us so promptly at the least occasion. It is therefore very doubtful that our past
merits, those that have secured us this life, have remained intact. Let us renew them and
increase them without thinking of the capital we think that we have acquired.

Let us practice the Dharma, this is possible for each of us. The practice of the Dharma does
not mean that everyone should renounce everything and go and meditate in a cave. This is
not possible for all of us. We can practice the Dharma by remaining in our daily lives, and
even have certain worldly activities. We must keep a noble and generously open mind,
eschew the ten basic errors, keep discipline with regard to them, and if you cannot always
do so, try at least to be honest, neither greedy nor envious, be content with little, if you
don’t know anything else at least say, as often as possible, OM MANI PADME HUM. And if
you spend your life thus you will obtain a human life, with an open neither agitated nor
combative mind, which will then allow you to advance more rapidly along the path.

Start today, do not put it off. Be careful of falsehood, people lie at the slightest pretext, and
even without realizing it. These are karmic tendencies; little by little one must get rid of
them and not get discouraged. Don’t say, “The Dharma is too great for me, I am a poor
sinner.” We are all poor sinners, but from today we are also going to try to change just a
little. I, too, am going today to look at what is false in me. Do the same; don’t let things go
on as they have been with the excuse that the effort is too great.

Practicing the Dharma means gradually eliminating errors and increasing true qualities, with
the goal of obtaining the supreme qualities, by which time our ability to help others will be
perfect. The buddhahood we obtain will come, and can only come, from the practice of the
Dharma, and only this can procure us ultimate and true happiness. This fruit of happiness
comes only from practice. To know its perfect fruits we have the example of the buddhas
and bodhisattvas. I also am following the same process in order to arrive at this state.
Following the Dharma does not mean listening to it or having intellectual knowledge of it,
for good qualities develop only through practice, and therefore the important thing is to
know how to put this Dharma into practice.

By achieving perfect practice we will be able to help sentient beings according to their
capacities. The perfection of all these qualities is present within Avalokiteshvara and this is
why “I take refuge in Him, not only today, but forever, and not only by my mouth but by the
three gates of my being. I render Him homage and prostrate myself . . .”

All happiness, all peace comes from “white” karma. It is the accumulation of good actions,
which brings forth fruit. Therefore, once again, to eliminate the errors of action, speech and
sentiments is the only method and the only path. The Dharma is the only root of happiness
for human beings and for devas. Tsongkhapa says, “Even if my body and my life perish, and
even if I were to lose them because of the practice of Dharma, may I, notwithstanding,
practice the Dharma which is the only and precious source of all true happiness.” More
particularly, the Mahayana Dharma gives us the right method for eliminating faults and
errors.

We must try our best to spend our daily life virtuously, and when you circumambulate
Bodhgaya Stupa, do not just walk around it, or pray to be wealthy, long-lived, and healthy.
It is not a narrow-minded prayer like this that is needed, but a pure and real prayer. Even if
you cannot practice it very deeply, bring into your motivation the development of
bodhicitta.

As it says in the Bodhicaryavatara, “Like earth, water, air, re and space, may I be
constantly a living support for in nite sentient beings.” This is the kind of prayer we should
make. With this kind of motivation, circumambulation and prostration are very bene cial.
Or we should try to recall or visualize the Buddha’s form or teaching, his loving kindness for
all and then pray to be able to follow the same path as he. This too is a very bene cial
motive and prayer. Even a few minutes spent like this are spent preciously.

We should recite from memory the prayer of Arya Vajracarya or OM MANI PADME HUM.
This makes circumambulation a practice of Dharma and worthwhile. Even an eighty or
ninety year old with a few days to live, if he walks around slowly once, he has something he
can take with him forever. If we try we can nd many possibilities for practice. We can take
with us 100 recitations of OM MANI PADME HUM. Someone may be in a monastery,
wrapped in his robe, reciting from memory mantras and tantras, with his mind on what
offering he’ll get, tea or money. Outwardly this has the appearance of Dharma but
essentially it is nothing of the kind. Sometimes we may be at a puja in a temple with very
devoted lay people outside, praying virtuously, while we inside are in a very poor state of
mind; this can be saddening and discouraging. Dharma practice does not depend on
outward appearance but on inner practice. If, from within us, it is pure and correct, even for
a short period, say an hour, it is precious. Even the very old should not lose heart but try
their best to practice. If we try we can make an opportunity. Young or old, our existence is a
precious human birth, with every chance for practicing Dharma.

The rst practice of the bodhisattva:

At this time of obtaining this rare vessel of a precious human body with its
qualities for liberating oneself and others from the ocean of samsara, day and
night without distraction, listening, contemplating, meditating - this is the
practice of the bodhisattva.

Therefore having this precious human birth and the time and chance with a body in perfect
condition, it is not enough to stop unskillful deeds but to try our best to achieve
buddhahood for oneself and others.

Now we have all the favorable opportunities – so now is the time to take them. So we must
make the effort to perform this task for others and ourselves. The method is learning,
contemplating and meditating on Dharma, especially Mahayana Dharma, there is nothing
more we can do to further ourselves. We should make an effort to be like the ow of a river.
First, acquire knowledge, ponder until we get certainty, address our mind one-pointedly to
it. To concentrate and contemplate, combining the two harmoniously is a practice of
bodhisattva.

Through this combination we arrive at intuitive experiencing—intellectual learning alone is

not enough, contemplation and concentration are needed—then we achieve a result.
Practicing Dharma is not like learning history. The purpose of learning Dharma is its
practice, the practice of a bodhisattva.
 The second practice of the bodhisattva:
Towards friends attachment ows like water, towards enemies the re of
hatred burns. When there is a darkness of ignorance we cannot lose
attachment and practice renunciation. To abandon home and country – this
is the practice of the bodhisattva.

To perfect the previous practice and perform the higher ones it helps to give up one’s
country or home and abandon such involvements. This is because our country and home
mean relations and friends but also enemies and bad neighbors. There are many objects in
our home or country to give rise to delusions on our part. When we live at home or in our
country, there are frequent possibilities of attachment or aversion, all kinds of involvements
with our relatives. For tulkus this can mean disciples of the previous life or previous
relatives.

Although one may desire solitude, there may be a great deal of socializing. Other
involvements arise with people we do not like. Praise and criticism by others, all these
involvement’s arise because of being in these social circumstances. Even if somebody does
not have that many friends, just a small home, there is still the darkness of ignorance about
what to abandon and what to accept. Even a simple monk with no friends has a “mouse
hole” to be busy in, to be house-proud of. One can see him taking an old box to it, an empty
tin, a piece of rag for cleaning. It’s true, isn’t it? This is, of course, not very harmful, but it is a
little harmful. Together with his little altar, he has scriptures he dusts and tidies up every
day, but does not read! And of course he keeps polishing his altar bowls! If within yourself
you are practicing deeply, this is all right. But if not, you are tri ing time away. Small objects
of attachment distract from practice.

Therefore, to abandon one’s country and home is the practice of a bodhisattva. A home is a
place where there is a river of attachment owing to one’s friends or family. This kind of
attachment—delusion—is very powerful. Ignorance is at its deepest here, with its two
attendants, desire and hatred. Ignorance is a king, with the worrier hatred and the collector
desire. When we meet someone we don’t like, hatred comes forth, looking like an armed
volunteer to defend you, to protect you, guard you, but in fact what he does is lead you to
real defeat. Attachment to home and family seems loving, helping oneself very much,
implying much kindness in a very sweet and peaceful way. In fact we are deceiving
ourselves. Desire, hatred, ignorance remain the three most powerful poisons and delusions,
and one way of countering these is to abandon home and country, that is why this is the
practice of a bodhisattva.

The third practice of the bodhisattva:

By abandoning adverse surroundings delusions will gradually perish, and
because there are no distractions, a virtuous practice will naturally develop,
and by having a very clear mind our certainty in Dharma will grow. Thus
dwell in solitude – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Just giving up your country is not enough. We Tibetans gave up our country unwillingly. We
are exiles now, but if we had made our home in a busy city, this would not have been good.
Our whole aim should be to reduce attachments and delusions. In the “busy” life more and
more attachments will arise again. So we must search for solitude, endowed with the many
qualities mentioned in the Bodhicaryavatara.

So if we live in solitude, no business-type involvements, no petty concerns, can arise. There

is no one to waste time with in idle talk, our only friends are animals—not perhaps, in India,
though there are beautiful birds here—with no other objects for attachments or hatred,
nobody else to distract us, and with luck there will be pure clean good air and pure water.

With no distractions or involvements, inner thinking and contemplation arise

spontaneously. From morning to evening we should just meditate and practice. Such
solitude is very necessary, all the great gurus have trodden this path and lived in such
surroundings in order to practice Dharma. Within this short life we must keep in mind that
one day we will go into solitude and practice Dharma, “raising the victorious banner of
meditation.”

As the mind grows clearer, our surer realization of Dharma will grow. Simply “digesting” the
offerings of lay people, just eating and doing nothing to purify ourselves, is very dangerous.
But when we live in solitude, there are no such offerings, no problem of “digestion”. This
helps our mind to become clearer. To busy oneself with offerings and various requests can
be bad. If our minds are unde led this will be better for Dharma. When a solitary meditator
returns to company for a few days, he points out the great difference of atmosphere. In
solitude there are no obstacles, our thoughts are not muddied by the multitude. Therefore
to retire in solitude with such qualities is a practice of bodhisattva.

In monastery life the proper spiritual response to offerings is very important. If somebody
makes a big offering and we show him more respect than to our guru, this is wrong. Those
in big monasteries must be very careful in these matters. When ordained, a monk’s duty is
to look up to all the past buddhas and great gurus. Then, one must forego worldly gains and
achievements, ghting with delusion. It is then that one becomes a real monk. Otherwise
the outward change, such as a new name, makes little difference. Great care must be taken
over worldly objects, the messengers of Mara.

A monk should y off like a crow, leaving nothing—not like some monks who need three
porters when they move! So a monk should remain simple and possess few objects.
Tibetans in general are in special circumstances and need to have enough. But a monk
should have a minimum. For a community to have resources is all right, they are needed to
support all. When a community wishes to collect money it should be prudent about its fund
raising activities. People will object, see no end to the process and give with the wrong
motivation. People should not be pressed, and only willing gifts should be accepted.
Temples, stupas and monasteries should not bene t from reluctant contributions.

A great guru wanted to go from Tibet to India. His friend said, “There is no need to go to
India. Everything is within you.” We must take the middle path. When Tibetans were in
Assam, we were nearly in a negative extreme, now when facilities elsewhere are better; the
desire to build grows. Drepung Monastery, for example, was started for study, not just to
collect offerings. Its complement of 7,700 monks was intended to enable more people to
study Dharma, not just to provide catering facilities or occupy many lavatories! This was
the initial intention; we must remain faithful to it.

Once a monastery is built, it should be used properly, to bring buddhahood about for other
sentient beings. When all the monasteries in Bhutan, Sikkim and Lhadakh were built, people
always had a high opinion of monasteries, and sometimes they were right and sometimes
wrong. Now views have changed. Before, if sand and gold were mixed, people were
tolerant. Times are different now, so monks must be careful, otherwise Dharma can be
harmed. I am not interfering with other peoples’ affairs, but being a religious person, I give
you this advice: When we teach others, we must live up to our principles. So if one is
attached to worldly objects more than to spiritual ones, while teaching others to be the
contrary, whose ear will this go into?

The Buddha has told us that if we teach we must practice the meaning. So all religious
people must be very careful. If one can live there properly, the monastery is precious, a eld
of merit, and will help the whole Dharma; the monkhood is needed for this. So lay people
and monks must help and relate to each other, laymen helping monks, the monks teaching
Dharma, providing education and whatever else they can give. Not just for future life but
with everything possible in this life. Then there will be a good relationship. So if we can, we
should live in solitude, if not, in a monastery, living in a right manner, one which oneself and
others can rejoice in, that is very good.

The fourth practice of the bodhisattva:

We will take leave of our closest friends who have long kept us company, the
possessions and wealth obtained by much effort must be left behind, the
guesthouse of our body left by our consciousness. Therefore mentally
renounce attachment to this life – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Home and country left behind, solitude now found, we now need to renounce attachment
to this life. We must therefore see that life lacks substance, see this by its impermanence.
Because sooner or later this life will end and we shall have to take our leave of it. If at that
time we have some practice of Dharma because of the seeds of a noble mind, this can help.
Besides this, there is nothing else that can. Our friends, supporters, kith and kin, cannot
help, however numerous, however wealthy, it will be worthless. Even our most precious
and close body which has been our constant companion must also be left. Sooner or later
this situation will de nitely arise, and quite unpredictably. There is no certainty in human
life, we cannot have con dence in it. It is the tenth day of the Tibetan month, perhaps
someone will die this evening, we cannot be sure that we will be here tomorrow. I may say,
“Oh, I am young and healthy, so I shall live,” but this is not at all a good reason. We think
this, but cannot be certain. There is not even 100 percent certainty that I will not die this
evening. In short, all of us will die, and we do not know when. Since, at that time, only the
practice of Dharma will help, if we are attached to the happiness of this life, whether for a
day or a year, this is a waste of time. What we must do is prepare ourselves, whether we
die soon or late, so that there will be no repentance, no regret, if life should end this evening.
If we live beyond this evening there is more time to prepare for death.

This life is unimportant. We can always nd a living by looking around us. When we
escaped from Tibet and got to the Indian border we wondered how we were going to live,
yet we can always nd a livelihood in the human world. What matters is the time when we
part from this world and go into an unknown, new world, about that one must be very
careful. As in the Seventh Dalai Lama’s prayer, “The life beyond which is remote from all we
are accustomed to, from everything experienced. In this life there is always someone to help
us and show us. When we leave we must be absolutely self-supporting, to make the
journey alone.” Or as the Buddha said, “I show the way of liberation, but this liberation
depends on you.”

Many people come to see me and some ask me to pray to save them from the lower realms
or to pray for the dead. Of course I do this, I accept this responsibility, as I am supposed to
follow the bodhisattva path, I will pray from the depth of my heart, though I cannot
visualize everyone. I do try to pray for the welfare of all beings and my prayer may help a
little but it is dif cult to say it helps deeply. But the main thing is one’s own effort, making
one’s own way. One cannot rely on others to save oneself, to take one to nirvana.
Everything is in one’s own hands; to reach nirvana, buddhahood, the choice is ours.
Therefore it is dif cult to obtain full satisfaction by praying to gurus, bodhisattvas, the
Buddha. The important effort is, without wasting time on this life’s entanglements, to
prepare for a long future, so that when death comes there is nothing to worry about. For
this preparation Dharma practice is very important. Seeing the impermanence of worldly
things will help us to renounce only worldly involvements. Then the mental energy devoted
to worldly life will diminish until we renounce it by seeing its essencelessness.

The fth practice of the bodhisattva:

If we have a companion who increases the three poisons of hatred, desire
and ignorance, and diminishes our threefold practice of learning, morality
 and meditation, and also makes us lose our love and compassion, we should
abandon such a bad friend – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

This shows the need for proper guidance, for a guru whom we can look up to. With the
right guru and friends, we will progress smoothly on the path. Without a guru, or with the
wrong kind of friends, our good qualities will perish. Especially for the bodhisattvayana, a
friend who makes us lose love and compassion we must abandon like contagious disease,
as an object of attachment, this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

The sixth practice of the bodhisattva:

By following one who will eliminate our faults and increase our qualities like a
waxing moon, to hold such supreme guidance even more precious than
one’s own life – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The necessity of following a guru and right guidance is pointed out by guru Potowa: “To
attain buddhahood there is nothing more important than following a guru. Even though we
can learn in this life simply by looking at others, we still need a teacher. To escape from the
lower realms onto the path, it is essential to have a guru.” Therefore to improve this deluded
mind, we have to nd a way to know how to do this, and so we need a quali ed guru with
experience, someone with the full experience of that which he shows us. So just as a
patient must follow a doctor’s treatment to be freed from his illness, to be freed from the
illness of the three poisons we must follow our guru, this is the bodhisattva path.

Therefore the guru is someone the disciple can completely trust and rely on. He must
accordingly have certain qualities. As Sakya Pandita says, “Even for a minor business deal in
jewels or horses we would ask advice from many people. So in preparing ourselves forever,
just to take the Dharma indiscriminately is not right.” It is the guru’s task to tell us what to
accept and what to abandon, therefore it is very important to judge the qualities of the guru,
to judge his quality beforehand. So we must know all his qualities beforehand in vinaya,
sutras and sastras, and tantra.

Then we must follow a person endowed with most of these qualities that a guru should
have. So we must search out the right kind of guru, and then found, follow him correctly.
We must follow him with a pure view of him, seeing his qualities as the same as the
Buddha’s, his kindness as even greater than the Buddha’s. With this view in mind we must
develop a rm devotion from the depth of our heart, by seeing his qualities and kindness,
and their union, and then venerate him, especially through practice. We must please him in
this way. There are in fact three ways of pleasing a guru: by material offerings, service and
practice. So we must venerate the guru, especially through practice. A truly quali ed guru
will be delighted by veneration through practice.

Remember how Marpa made Milarepa work hard, and then initiated him? Well, Marpa said:
“My disciple Milarepa who has nothing to offer, and my other disciple, who has offered
everything including a goat with a broken leg, between the two I have made no difference in
my teaching.” Oh yes, there is a guru with the right qualities. Otherwise a guru concerned
with material offerings thinks something like, “Practice is up to you, I have what I need, so I
don’t care”. Sherawa says: “On his side the disciple should offer much, but the guru should
never be attached to the offering. If he was, he could not be called a true guru!” Thus to
follow a guru properly is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Has everyone understood well? Now let us pray to Padmasambhava for the peace and
happiness of sentient beings, and the ourishing of Dharma especially in Tibet, and to the
Buddha as an emanation of the perfect cause, the collection and accumulation of merits,
whose mind perceives all values, relative and absolute, by remembering the Buddha’s
qualities of speech, body and mind, who has instructed us with such teachings as
bodhicitta, who 2,500 years ago has shown the deeds of attaining enlightenment and
blessed this area. Also with this prayer develop your devotion, remembering his greatness
and compassion. Our protectors of the Dharma in Tibet are in decline but signs of their
power are increasing. Therefore let us pray and invoke Padmasambhava, he is their Lord
and very necessary at this time.

As said in the sutra, the three worlds are as impermanent as an autumn cloud. The birth and
death of beings are like a play. Our life is like lightning in the sky, like a waterfall over a cliff.
All compounded phenomena, including beings and places, all are impermanent, changing
every moment, in ux, never permanent or eternal. Especially the life of a person in this age
is changing particularly swiftly. Since taking birth it is de nite that we will die. When it
comes it will be a complete surprise, like lightning when we least expect it, taking us to
another world. Such a situation will surely arise but we never know when, such a state of
impermanence are we in. Since the beginning of the world, before written history, with all
the years that have passed, no one has escaped death. The wise, the powerful, the clever,
once born, their lives end in death. In brief, each and every one of us will degenerate in the
same way, with failing eyesight, hearing and so on. The body we were proud of when
young will become a burden, become fatiguing to all. When we had all the perfections,
people respected us, said perhaps we had the word of the Buddha, but later these too will
look down upon us and turn away.

All abilities and qualities degenerate, what was an object of attachment becomes and
object of aversion. We shall be full of regret that our plans have been left unful lled,
disturbed that we have no abilities left. We shall reach a stage when no plans can be made,
when there are no worldly involvements left. Early in our lives, we are young vigorous,
bright, competitive, capable of “catching birds ying in the sky.” Then later we grow older,
get married, have children and so on, having the responsibilities that go with this, no longer
being free to do as we like, but acting according to the interests and wishes of one’s wife,
children, in-laws. We must then keep up a certain status, worldly values, compete with
others, feel superior to others. At rst we search for just any job, then we look for one with
a better salary, promotion. Then if our job is good, we start looking for better social
standing. In this process with its involvements, days, months and years are spent.

Even formerly in Tibet it was like this. A monk or student went from childhood to the
student stage, and of course there are many that study with the right motivation, to obtain
buddhahood, but there are also many who study the scriptures with the aim of becoming a
very wise man, with the motivation, “I will become a distinguished person,” or “I will get a
‘ rst’ as a Geshe.” They are attached to the empty title, and looking for the position of abbot
of a great monastery, or even just the abbot of a small monastery!

So this is what is meant by well-being in this life. “Involvements in this life are like waves
succeeding each other. One goes, another comes after it. So the more we accomplish in
worldly ways, the more will accumulate. Isn’t it better to bring this to a sharp halt?”
Therefore if we can suddenly stop these involvements, with the mind relying on Dharma
practice, this is very bene cial. Otherwise though one’s body is wrapped in robes, with the
title of abbot, one is lost in worldly principles. First there are only the disciples of one’s
teaching, then many offerings come, someone has to administer these, so one’s “personal
staff” begins to grow and so on. Unless our mind is internally controlled this outward show
can be very dangerous. One is deluded into thinking one is practicing Dharma. Without
self-awareness one may think, “I am a very good practitioner of Dharma.” But deep thought
would show us we are subject to the eight worldly principles, and it is doubtful that our
Dharma practice is real. Even someone who is supposed to practice Dharma and knows
Dharma well does this, which shows how dif cult it is for others without the same
opportunities. So life can be wasted in this way. And we reach a point of wishing to practice
but have no ability.

As Ku Tung says, “Twenty years are spent without a thought for Dharma and twenty are
spent saying, ‘I will practice,’ and ten more are spent saying, ‘I’m not able to practice
Dharma.’ and that is the story of an empty life.” In my own case, up to the age of twenty
there was in me a will to learn and practice Dharma very well and there was also a little will
to realize úunyata and bodhicitta. Yet these twenty years were spent without much
substance, they just passed by. Then the Chinese came. I spent nine years with them. I
wished to continue the study of Dharma, but a stream of troubles, and disappointments
distracted me from this. So another nine years go by. Yet at nineteen I had been ordained,
had taken bodhisattva vows, tantric vows. But to say that the mind’s integration of the
Dharma is complete, this is dif cult to say. I have lived up to the age of twenty- ve with the
title only of “The Victorious One,” the “Omniscient One.” So then I was twenty- ve. We
have lost our country. I still tried to continue studying and practicing Dharma in India, but
many involvements arose again. Five or six years passed. My level of thinking has become a
bit more advanced. I have come to realize that without the integration of the Dharma within
the mind, just reading and reciting mantras has little substance and is self-deceiving. “If the
Dharma does not become integrated with the mind, mantra recitation is a waste of our
ngernails.” So with that realization I try my best, but I still nd myself saying, “For twenty
years I could not practice Dharma.” So whatever our outward form, or the impressions of
others, the crux of the matter lies within us. One has to be “the main witness of oneself.” In
order that we will not need to have regrets or repentance, we should perform a good
internal “check-up,” from this we will not have to repent, to murmur regrets to ourselves.
If one day goes, it’s a pity. If a month or a year is wasted, it’s much worse. Therefore
checking up on oneself is important. If life would wait for us there would be no problem, but
in fact it always races, and never lets us nish. If we make a good use of life, this is a great
thing, otherwise it is wasted and runs away from us. “The three worlds are impermanent
like an autumn cloud.” This being so, I do not need to repeat how bene cial and necessary
Dharma practice is. Since we see it is worthwhile and necessary, if we spend time saying, “I
will, I must practice Dharma”, and never put this into effect, then as Guru Rinpoche says,
“Before the tomorrow of Dharma practice, the today of death may occur. Without deceiving
yourself, therefore, to practice Dharma, start now.” Let us take my own case. If I say I have
many things to do, so I’ll get around to it when I reach fty, this is cheating myself.

So I must try, myself, not to postpone matters even for a second. If I do so it is my own fault,
my weakness and my inability. Of course I cannot put 84,000 teachings into practice at
once. Even someone like Nagarjuna did not practice the whole Dharma in one day. He
started like ourselves, generated a will to practice and then advanced further, increasing his
power and ability so that he became a great teacher. Without this effort the
accomplishments of the great teachers would not have arisen spontaneously. We must give
ourselves encouragement. As the Bodhicaryavatara says, “Even ies and worms have
within themselves the possibility of attaining buddhahood and one day will do so. So if I
make an effort I will de nitely attain buddhahood much faster.” If we think this way, it will
act as a powerful encouragement. We always have the base for buddhahood, the only thing
necessary is to make use of it.

So effort is needed, without the self-deception of postponement. Whenever we have the

chance, we must make use of it immediately, and bring about a change in our mind, which
will change our actions of body and speech. And then even a trivial deed of body or speech
can become a powerful mental force. Everything depends greatly on the power of mind.
Some deeds of body and speech which, for ordinary people, would be wrong can be
transformed into virtue by someone with great power of mind. Therefore mental
development is very necessary, and makes a great difference in our actions. So we must
make the effort to start practicing now. We should not say, “I must do great things,” but
rather start with the smallest and easiest, according to our ability. For example, everyone
would like to eat very tasty food, but we just have to eat what is available, and it is stupid to
starve if we cannot get the best food there is. We must start with the lesser and go on to
the greater. Drop by drop an ocean is lled.

Therefore without postponing anything we should start practicing now. Which for us
means Mahayana, Sutrayana, Paramitayana, and Tantrayana, the right combination. In order
to practice we must rst, hear, learn and know Dharma. This is why we are now learning
this teaching on the Thirty-seven Practices of the Bodhisattva. So you should all listen with
the motive of attaining buddhahood for all mother sentient beings, in the same way that
Gautama Buddha spoke of his enlightenment 2,500 years ago. By following the bodhisattva
practices, rst attaining the gem of bodhicitta, then attaining an accumulation of merit, and
nally attaining full buddhahood. We must go through this process, so that with that
motivation, with close attention, please listen to this teaching.

Yesterday we were concerned with the opening homage. There are three parts, the
beginning, main part, and ending. In the main part the rst practice says we must have
learning, contemplation, and meditation. The second one says that for doing this we must
be in the right environment, and abandon the wrong kind, with its wrong involvements.
One must, therefore, abandon one’s country. As a guru has said, “Abandoning one’s home
and country, without involving oneself in bewildering busy distractions.” The idea is to free
oneself from involvements, and therefore the third practice is to live in solitude.

Being in solitude, if our body, speech, and mind are still governed by worldly principles, then
this is the worst state of all. It is better to live and lead a happy worldly life in the busy
world. In solitude we must be able to break attachment to all happiness and wellbeing in
this life. Therefore the best practice is to give up attachment to this life. Even in solitude, it is
necessary that a companion or friend should be inspiring rather than a wrong one who
distracts us. Therefore the fth practice is to abandon wrong friends.

After the experience of solitude it is no longer enough to have no distractions, we must do

something to eradicate illusions forever—just being peaceful is not enough. At this stage it is
essential to realize shunyata and wisdom (Skt: prajna). This can be achieved only by the
combination of concentration and higher insight. Mantras and prayers are not enough. It is
bene cial to live virtuously without this realization, but only temporarily. For permanent
serenity the uprooting of delusion by shunyata is necessary.
Therefore morality (Skt: sila), concentration (Skt: samadhi) and wisdom are required. Sila is
to protect oneself, like armor in a war. The real weapon is prajna, but we must also have
strength, samadhi. We must ght the enemy and destroy him, and we need to achieve this
forever. Sila is like a fence to shield us, then we must develop the power of prajna and
samadhi, and attack the enemy. Therefore, to nurture and develop all our virtues and
qualities we must make a great effort ourselves, but also have a good instructor. We must
search out good guidance, a spiritual friend or guru and then practice the proper way of
following him. So the sixth practice is to hold one’s spiritual friend dearer than one’s own
life.

Remember that even an ordinary teacher must be quali ed, and must have a good
character in order to set an example to his students. What he teaches is for this life only but
he needs to be kind and wise. Someone who is a spiritual teacher must of course be far
more quali ed, since he is not concerned simply with this life. Therefore the guru should
have the ten qualities. He should have a serene and controlled mind, a mind rich in quality,
effort, and teaching. He should have clarity, thusness, compassionately wise speech, and he
should have abandoned all discouragement. So we should follow a guru with such
qualities, and be oneself a good disciple, have the right states of mind, the attitude of an
intelligent, unsel sh son, following the guru’s instructions, acting according to his wishes,
being close to him in mind. If we have this reliant kind of mind, and he is truly quali ed, he
will seek the most helpful things for his disciple, and show the way. He will never do this in
an adverse manner. And the closer we are to him the better. We must have the “pure view,”
look at his qualities and kindness, and thus serve and respect him.

It is for the guru to judge the disciple, and for the disciple to judge the guru. For example,
readiness for tantra must be carefully judged. So it is important that there should be a two-
way process of judging. Regardless of his title, we should judge a person and then follow
him properly. There is no obligation to regard the guru—or the Dalai Lama—with blind faith,
you must take the time to judge the guru as appropriate, or you must abandon him. This
can take a long time, even up to twelve years. So we must have complete freedom in this
way, and in order to obtain the supreme freedom, we must have regular freedom rst,
otherwise there is a contradiction here. We have the same freedom to follow what tradition
we choose, even whether we practice Dharma or not, and which dharma we practice. We
must always have a broad mind, and then, sometimes, the mind will spontaneously be well
controlled. It is in the nature of our mind that if we force it too much, it will react against
this, but if we give it freedom, it will again come under control. We should remember that if
we are to do something, we should do it exactly and properly. We should not be alarmed at
the slightest doubt, nor rush off like a rabbit from a falling tree. When we fail in our practice
of Dharma, we may look for an excuse by criticizing Dharma. Well, it is better not to
practice than to criticize from the outside.

So having chosen a guru in complete freedom, once chosen, we should have the right
attitude as a disciple. As Tsongkhapa says, “Give up self-centeredness, leave choice to the
guru, let him decide, like an intelligent son’s attitude towards his father, provided he is
quali ed. We can’t give our nose ring to just anybody.” Of course we do not practice
Dharma solely on trust, like shooting arrows at night, that kind of Dharma is not possible in
this age. But Buddhadharma is not like this; everything has a base and its reasons, not just
commandments and blind faith. Even in this degenerate age the radiance of the Buddha’s
glory has not dimmed. Therefore the Buddhadharma is based on the right reasons. For
example, we who call ourselves practitioners of the Dharma have shortcomings in our
practice, but the Dharma itself is always immaculate. And it can give us the utmost bene t,
show us the best and most virtuous way to live, the best kind of human being to be.

We should therefore search very carefully, judge carefully and once we have found him, we
should have unswerving devotion to the guru and follow him completely. This is a brief
explanation of guru devotion. Today’s teaching is about refuge.

The seventh practice of the bodhisattva:

Those gods who are themselves bound in the prison of samsara, how can
such worldly gods have the ability to protect or liberate us? Therefore to take
refuge in those who may always be relied upon, to take refuge in the Triple
Gem – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Those who are completely fettered by karma and delusion in samsara, for example, worldly
gods or spirits, asuras, and who are reputed to have the ability to harm people and to
provide a few rather slight and temporary bene ts, these kinds of gods, especially in the
border areas, are very popular. For example, there are village and mountain deities which
have even been the object of human and animal sacri ce. Such deities are absolutely
wrong, particularly those which demand the sacri ce of animals in the hope of rain and
good crops. Spirits who demand this kind of evil offering are bad themselves. This is true of
some oracles too. Their situation is the same as ours, they too are subject to suffering, even
though they do not have a body like us and may exist in the formless realm. But like us they
are subject to karma and delusions.Since they are in the same situation as ourselves there is
no reason to take refuge in them. So which worldly gods can save us? As the power and
ability to save are lacking in them how can they help us? For “refuge” implies hope, and they
will always disappoint our hopes. Knowing that they are impotent, and still taking refuge in
them, is a proof of stupidity. Before placing hopes, we should rst ask whether the being
concerned has the power or ability, and decide on taking refuge accordingly. So it is not
worth taking refuge in impotent and worldly gods. So where is the right object of refuge,
which never lets us down? This is the Triple Gem, which is the perfect refuge. To realize this
is a practice of the bodhisattva.

Refuge is an important dividing line, it is this which makes a person a Buddhist or not. He
who accepts the Triple Gem as the ultimate refuge from the depth of his heart and who
follows it in practice, he is a true Buddhist. Someone who does not have this profound
reliance, even if he has a thorough knowledge of the scriptures, and outwardly his practice
seems sound, is not a real follower of the Dharma nor a Buddhist. This issue makes the
distinction between the Buddhist and the non-Buddhist. There are many levels of refuge,
but one who from the depth of his heart accepts the Triple Gem as the ultimate object of
refuge has achieved a suf cient solution. The dividing line between followers and non-
followers of the Dharma consists in this very important point. .

Now to explain the signi cance of the Triple Gem. The Tibetan for “buddha” means fully
awakened, clear of or awakened from faults, puri ed from de lements or with all
de lements eliminated. This refers both to de lements that are external and those due to
the wrong qualities of the external world. As I explained yesterday, all de lements, of the
internal and external world, are due to karma, and this in turn derives from the untamed
mind produced by delusions. What is a delusion? It is a quality of mind which, when it
arises in oneself, immediately agitates the mind, destroying its peace and happiness. The
Tibetan word nyonmong for klesha, or de lement, means something which upsets or
agitates the mind. It is a concept, a way of thinking which, when it arises within us is,
because of its activity, immediately agitating. This thing which makes the mind untamed
and uncontrolled is delusion, which causes karma. So the production of karma depends on
whether the mind is controlled or tamed and this in turn depends on delusion. And all the
various kinds of delusion we have stem from one root delusion, ignorance. So all external
and internal shortcomings and de lements are produced by this process – the untamed
mind resulting from delusion, in turn derived from self-grasping ignorance.

The fruit of collective karma is something rather different. But when an individual tames his
mind fully the fruit of external and inner de lements is eliminated. When we refer to a
buddha, that means that all his inner de lements, such as desire and hatred, have been
extinguished. But it is not enough for a buddha to eliminate delusion, he must also rid
himself of jneyavaranạ, the impediment to knowledge about the whole of existence.
Otherwise, even great bodhisattvas have problems due to the obscuration of full
knowledge.

When full knowledge, too, is obtained, his mind gains, develops, expands; his mind is fully
expanded. Awakening, then, covers this whole process. So a person who has attained this
ultimate goal of no de lements, with all his potentialities of knowledge fully realized, is a
buddha. But such buddhahood does not come about spontaneously, it has to be developed.
It is not without cause, and it is not like permanent, independent self-existence. For the
Dharma teaches us that sentient beings do not remain in a static state. So all buddhas, such
as Sakyamuni, who became enlightened here, were once just as we are, but gradually, by
making progress on the path and getting rid of all de lements, and by developing all
virtuous qualities, and by discarding de lements one by one, gaining virtues one by one,
became a buddha. This abandonment of de lements and gaining of virtuous qualities is
mainly achieved by the mind, which has a tremendous range of possibilities and many
facets. For example, you are at present looking at and listening to me, and are cognizing
something. There are different objects of cognition—color, sound, and so on. One cognition
perceives all forms, another tastes all tastes, another responds to smells, another to touch,
these are the ve sensory cognitions.
Above them all is a cognition which people nowadays describe in various ways, such as the
brain, or the sensory consciousness which sends messages to the brain. This mental
cognition is the most important and is like a “king cognition,” while the senses are like
ministers. Each has its own responsibility, one to see, one to hear, and so on. The
conclusion of these processes takes place in the mind, and it is then that the idea comes, “I
have seen,” “I have smelt,” and so on. The concept of “I” has its basis in this way. For
providing the basis of this “self,” the “I,” the most important factor is thus mental cognition,
the consciousness that draws conclusions.

Mental consciousness also exists at many levels: one is working now, another arises during
the dream state. Growing more and more subtle, another consciousness arises with
fainting. There are many levels here, the highest level being at death—we arrive at another
state of consciousness then. The ultimate stage of fainting is death, when the nest and
most subtle stage of mental consciousness arises. In the process of dying the coarse
consciousness disappears, and outwardly death occurs with the end of breathing, but in
fact life goes on and the state of the most subtle mental consciousness continues until
actual death.

This state of the most subtle mental consciousness is the real nature of the mind, a nature
that is completely free from all delusions, because delusions only arise and operate with the
coarse level of consciousness, which has come to a stop. All conceptual cognition has
already dissolved. There are thus many levels of mind, with the nest as I have explained. So
the nest level of the mind is purged of de lements, which shows that these de lements are
temporary. The ultimate nature of mind is unsullied by illusions—nobody is permanently
angry. If hatred were a lasting thing, the mind of an angry person would be angry all the
time. Though a person gets into a rage there is a time when he calms down, so hatred
comes and goes, it is transient, which shows that the nonvirtuous qualities of mind are not
undetachable from mind. Desire, attachment, jealousy are a completely different family.
Therefore such delusions, however powerful they seem, can be gotten rid of and avoided.

To take hatred as an example: When the kind of delusion that arises towards a disagreeable
object causes a desire to harm or be rid of it, this is a very crude mental state indeed. On the
other hand there is loving kindness, and that, again, is a state of mind that arises towards an
agreeable object, creating a feeling of closeness and goodness. So these two states of mind,
these two attitudes are completely opposed to each other, and they cannot exist
simultaneously. So there are many different qualities of mind, different in nature, and
diametrically opposed, and they can never be simultaneous. There are different sides to the
mind. The de lements, or wrong states of mind, are all backed and supported by ignorance.
And because this is so, because they are supported by self-grasping ignorance, they do not
have the support of valid cognition, because the grasping of self-existence is due to
ignorance about the true nature of reality. It is a completely mistaken cognition, because it
regards everything as existing with an independent self, whereas in reality nothing exists in
this way. If we therefore judge and analyze on this basis, the more deeply we investigate
concepts, the more they gradually dissolve. Generally speaking, the closer we investigate an
object, the clearer it becomes. But when the object does not exist, what we had thought
existed fades away. For example, if we inquire into what is said by a merely glib or “smooth”
talker, we nd no substance. It is the same with the ignorance which holds that everything
possesses real existence. If we investigate deeply and ultimately we eventually conclude
that the contrary is true, and, when we discover that, ignorance and grasping lose their
power and cannot survive.

Because of illusion, mental de lements seem super cially very strong, but because they
depend on a false, foolish basis, they are transitory. On the other hand, none of the virtuous
mental qualities rest on such false basis. And so we have two completely different kinds of
mental qualities, which can never exist simultaneously, and one of which has rm
foundations and the other not. Because of this, if we try to develop qualities on the rm
foundation, their opposites, lacking this foundation, must slowly fade away until completely
extinguished. The more warmth and light increase, the less cold and darkness remain. The
more the virtuous qualities grow, the more the de lements disappear. In the beginning both
sides of qualities may receive support. For example, if nondevotion is strong, devotion
grows less. The negative force can conquer in the early stage. For example, the attitude of
cherishing other sentient beings may start and last for a month. This develops the attitude
quite well, but if one stops, it may degenerate, because we have not built the foundation
and support, which is the realization of the nonexistence of the self. Otherwise a seesawing
development can happen. This is why we must practice and acquaint ourselves with a path
using both method and wisdom. Then the virtuous force will not degenerate. By becoming
habitual, a virtuous quality of mind will develop in nitely. So virtuous qualities develop
in nitely and destroy the strength of nonvirtuous qualities. By going through such a process
and attaining fully accomplished qualities and full freedom from de lements one reaches
the state of buddhahood.

Such a Buddha, according to the Theravadins, is a Buddha Sakyamuni, who in the early part
of his life was a bodhisattva, then attaining the stage of full enlightenment here under the
bodhi tree, and becoming a buddha until his paranirvana. After paranirvana, he attained,
according to the Theravadins, dharmadhatu; his stream of consciousness came to a
complete end.

According to the Mahayana, this is not exactly what happened, for even though he entered
paranirvana, and his own physical appearance ceased, the Buddha still exists in the
dharmakaya, whereby he still manifests himself in various forms in order to help constantly
sentient beings, even doing so in different worlds. So he still lives on. In this way Buddha
Sakyamuni is one manifestation of his dharmakaya. According to the Mahayana, although
he was born as a prince, and passed through various stages, all of these were a kind of
show, and in fact he was already enlightened. The mind of such a buddha is known as the
jnanadharmakaya, the most subtle state of mind which has completely eliminated all
de lements and which is constantly absorbed in the ultimate nature of every existence—
thusness or shunyata—and perceiving every existence simultaneously with its ultimate
nature, one constantly absorbed in the ultimate nature of every phenomenon, perceiving all
phenomena without and with appearance, therefore with shunyata.

That is the state of buddha mind known as jnanadharmakaya. Then there is

sambhoghakaya, a physical body not coarse like our own but subtle and endowed with the
previous body, a subtle buddhabody which exists until the end of samsara, and from this
sambhoghakaya derives nirmanakaya, which manifests itself in different worlds and
beings. So when we say we take refuge in the Buddha, we take refuge in these three bodies.
Are you clear about the meaning of refuge in Buddha?

Now about Dharma. The ultimate Dharma is the cessation of de lements and the path,
which is within Buddha and those who are not yet buddhas but who are on the road to
buddhahood, like the aryabodhisattvas. AryaSravakas and aryapratyekabuddhas, too,
experience cessation of de lements, so they also are Dharma. Such arya beings also have
the true path within them, which is the realization of shunyata, and the level of true
cessation they have attained also represents ultimate Dharma, the quality of abandonment
of de lements and the quality of realization of the path. This is the object of taking refuge in
Dharma. Dharma is the true refuge which, when attained, frees us from certain de lements
and suffering. The Dharma is the main refuge. The Sangha refers to those endowed with
true cessation and the path, the Arya Sangha or Ultimate Sangha, those who have realized
shunyata. So these three are the object of refuge of those who follow the Dharma.

So far we have been talking of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha outside us, this is the
causal refuge. For example, a guilty and fearful person seeks the aid of a powerful one: “I
trust you, I rely on you, so help me.” Our goal must nally be to attain these stages
ourselves, because that is the object of our primary wish—to be free from suffering and to
obtain happiness—and this must be done within. This is because all suffering comes from
karma, delusion and ignorance, and it is by gradually bringing about the cessation of these
that we will bring an end to and obtain freedom from suffering. This is how we must
accomplish our aim, for the existence, externally, of the Triple Gem, will not help us
completely. The bene t for us of the presence of Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is not
total. We must regard the Buddha as a doctor or teacher, and trust in him and his
instructions. The Dharma is a medicine we must take and we must then practice in
accordance with it. Though we cannot attain ultimate Dharma immediately, we can do so
eventually by developing all qualities prior to and after entering the path. Gradually we can
obtain full and unfailing Dharmahood. So we must start from the base, abandoning
nonvirtuous deeds.

There are three nonvirtuous deeds of the body: killing, from a human being down to insects,
even mosquitoes—when they bother us we may kill them unintentionally—right down to
the egg of a louse. Then comes stealing, ranging from the most valuable to the trivial items.
Killing is the worst act of all because it is the most harmful to other sentient beings, and it is
the heaviest in consequences. There is no excuse for killing one’s enemy from hatred, and
there should be no attachment to meat, entailing the killing of a chicken or a goat, though
some quali cation is needed here. If an animal has already been slaughtered for sale, if you
buy a little this is not a heavy unskillful deed. There are many references in the Dharma to
meat, for instance in the vinaya about meat being free from the three wrong qualities. In
some sūtras it is rejected completely, but this varies with the disciples and circumstances.
One should not therefore deliberately kill an animal for food or have somebody else kill one,
but where the animal has already been killed, eating it is permitted. Strict vegetarianism is
however best. But if we stop eating meat and become weak, then we must re ect on what
matters most, and if the health of the body is more important and you can use it bene cially
then meat eating is permissible. But killing animals out of desire or attachment, particularly
for sacri ce is wrong and very foolish, though it is popular in the borderland areas , and
there must be some present who engage in it. Well, it is much better for you to stop
immediately and on returning home to tell the spirits that His Holiness has told you to stop
it. Say, “We do not like to stop it but His Holiness is against this and said so at Bodhgaya.”
Blame it on me, and if the god is a powerful one he can come and deal with me. I make you
this pledge. So that kind of destruction of life is done out of ignorance. A bloodthirsty god
may be pleased, but he is not worth pleasing, he is a weak god, he can’t kill for himself and
has to have others to do it for him. If he really insists on sacri ce let him do it himself.

Stealing is another unskillful deed because it harms the possessions of others, so it also
causes them suffering and should be avoided. On one of these days I heard a loudspeaker
announcement that “a purse has been found.” This is a very good practice. Finding a purse
on the road, being ready to give it back is a good sign. Otherwise you may nd something
and say “I’m not doing anything wrong, this is just what I want, this is marvelous,” but if the
owner has not thrown it away, you have no excuse. Actually, there have been so many
broadcast appeals, I think someone will soon lose his nose here! Then there is sexual
misconduct. Generally, this means adultery, intercourse with someone else’s wife. This is
very bad, most of the trouble in society comes from this. From high society in developed
countries down to natives in the jungle, this discord over women is a major source of
trouble. Abandon the deed and such strife will cease.

Lying refers to the very bad practice of completely deceiving others, cheating them. But if
there is some special occasion when, say, life or the Dharma can be protected there is some
excuse for not being fully open. Otherwise, we should always try to be truthful. Usually
worldly people regard someone who tells lies as clever but this is a stupid form of
cleverness. Next there is gossip, which creates trouble in society, and brings about discord
between people. The utterance of one word can produce strife between two individuals or
within a whole society. Such speech is therefore a very heavy unskillful deed. Gurus say
that when you are in company, watch your speech; when alone, your mind. They also say
that your way of uttering a single word can put you in a lower realm, so always watch your
speech. Bad language, swearing at others and hurling abuse at them, is harmful to them.
The Thirteenth Dalai Lama even made a practice of always calling people by their proper
names rather by some impersonal form of address. Foolish speech refers to nonsense or
meaningless chatter based on desire, attachment or hatred. Foul language, pornographic
talk, swearing, aggressive speech can only bring about delusions in us. It is better to keep
silent in such situations. In 1956 when the Chinese set up the autonomous Tibetan region, a
party was held, attended by a Tibetan accountant. The group he was with was silent.
Someone asked him to get a conversation going, and he said, “We all know each other very
well, what is the point of talking?” I cannot understand how some people spend all their
time in super cial, futile talk—that kind of person is a geshe of foolish speech. That should
be abandoned. One should say what is meaningful, recite mantras, say prayers, but not
waste time in idle talk. Such are the unskillful deeds of speech.

For the mind there are three unskillful deeds: greed, harmful thoughts, and wrong views.
Greed is a mental attitude of always wanting things, your neighbor’s wristwatch, pen,
jewels, and so on, looking out of the corner of your eye, thinking, “I’d like that!” When this
happens, this furtiveness, it is a bad practice. Harmful thoughts refer to thinking of doing
harm to someone else. Wrong views are a disbelief in reincarnation, karma and its fruit, or
the Triple Gem. From killing to such thoughts, these are the ten non-virtuous deeds. Their
abandonment is the equivalent of the ten virtuous deeds.

This is the rst step into the Dharma. On this basis we develop gradually the right attitude
of body, speech and mind. Adding generation of the will for bodhicitta, and other practices,
will strengthen one’s development. And seeing and trying to develop awareness of the fact
of impermanence, shunyata, the nature of suffering until gradually our understanding
develops within us. This is why the true refuge, Dharma, can rescue us.

Dharma means to practice, attaining the goal within us. The Sangha is to provide us with an
example, a pattern to follow. It is very encouraging for me that together with all the stories
about the gurus of the past, one can see living beings who develop bodhicitta and
shunyata, this is a great encouragement, fortifying our will. “If they can do it, why don’t I try
too?” This is a great source of inspiration. Therefore the Sangha is an example to look up to,
to guide us in our practice of the Dharma. Aryabodhisattvas are worthy examples,
enormously bene cial and powerfully heroic in helping other sentient beings. So we should
have the motivation now to follow in their footsteps and say, “I will become like them.” This
should be our attitude towards the Sangha.

In brief, our attitude to the Buddha is that of the patient to the doctor, the Dharma is the
medicine, and the Sangha is the nurse. The Buddha is the master guide, the Dharma is the
true refuge, and the Sangha is a helpful friend. Therefore this way of refuge is the practice of
a bodhisattva.

The eighth practice of the bodhisattva:

All the immensely unbearable suffering of the lower realms is taught by the
Buddha to be the fruit of bad karma, so even at the risk of one’s life, never to
commit an unskillful deed – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

As far as good karma is concerned, there are great actions by buddhas and bodhisattvas, so
wonderful and powerful as to be beyond our comprehension. But on the negative side,
there are many kinds of unendurable suffering, like those of the lower realms. All this
suffering derives from the unskillful mind. There are a great variety of beings, all of them the
productions of karma. For example, all the hells in the Abhidharma, whether exactly as
described or not, are productions of karma. Even with visible beings, their variety, the shape
and color of body, their way of living is so diverse that we can infer from this little world of
human beings that anything can exists in the great variety of other worlds. The existence of
all kinds of beings and sufferings elsewhere can be inferred from life in our own realm.

In the realm of spirits (Skt: pretas), the suffering experienced is mainly from hunger and
thirst. Many gods who demand, say, the suffering of animals, belong to the preta realm.
Such gods have a little power to bene t and to harm. The suffering of animals is obvious to
us, look at a dog in Bodhgaya. The suffering of goats and sheep, which are slaughtered, is
easy to see, they have no freedom to dispose of their lives. Animals do not harm us, do not
owe us anything, they may just eat grass and drink water, but they are so simple, stupid,
and ignorant, and actually human beings have no right to eat them. They are completely
defenseless in the way their short lives are spent. The life of a pig, for example, is terrible.
They suffer from human beings and other animals. Buffaloes, horses, mules and so on
present a very dismal fate. For example, we have such facilities as schools and hospitals but
for them there is nothing similar, even veterinary treatment is for our bene t rather than for
theirs. In the case of an accident, for instance, a human being can go to a court for damages.
But if an animal breaks a leg because of an accident, it may just be killed, there will be no
court, no justice.

So the animal realm is bad enough, let alone the hells and pretas. We cannot be sure that
we will not be reborn with a lower status. With the strong force of virtuous deeds, there is
some guarantee, otherwise not. So unless there is puri cation and good actions to
counteract bad actions and their seeds, with which there is some possibility of saving
ourselves, there is, otherwise, no certainty. So we should beware of getting into one of
these realms and ask ourselves whether we can bear such suffering and, if not, try to avoid
it. If a method to do this exists we should practice it from now on, seizing this opportunity
immediately.

Therefore we should take refuge, abandon the ten bad actions, practice good actions, and
recite mantras as much as possible, do all the good that we can. Prostrations, mantras,
circumambulation, every possible means should be used. So much then for karma and its
fruit. As the text says, the Buddha has taught that all suffering comes from unskillful deeds,
and the Buddha only teaches truth. By trusting in this and realizing it, we should, even at the
cost of our lives, abandon unskillful actions. Up to this point the path for the man of smallest
scope has been explained. What follows concerns the man of medium scope.

The ninth practice of the bodhisattva:

The happiness of the three worlds is like dew on the tip of a blade of grass. It
tends to be destroyed in an instant, so seek the supreme stage of nirvana,
which is never changing – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Samsara has many kinds of seeming perfections, but in fact they are as ephemeral as dew
on a blade of grass, there at one moment, gone the next, easily perishable. What is the state
of permanent, unchanging happiness? Nirvana. Not to cling or grasp at unsubstantial,
temporary happiness, but to seek permanent happiness, this is a practice of the
bodhisattva.

As previously explained, even if we are free from the unbearable suffering of the lower
realms, we still do not have real freedom and happiness without freedom from samsara.
Human life is relatively free and happy, compared with other realms, but still does not give
us complete con dence. It is insecure, we do not know where we are going from here. So
unless we have complete freedom from samsara, temporary freedom from the suffering of
the lower realms is not completely reassuring.

Also our present situation is fraught with suffering. At rst human life is completely
essenceless. For the rst weeks of the nine months in the womb, there is nothing
unpleasant, but then suffering comes. It is discomfort which causes the embryo to move,
not happiness. From the earliest time in the womb, therefore, our suffering begins. Only we
are so ignorant at that time, and cannot therefore discriminate. Therefore suffering is
inevitable. From emergence from the womb until the rst words, our state is like a worm’s,
and the suffering and discomfort are still there.

So this is how life begins. So we go on to old age and the suffering of death. Death is
something no one wants, people ask for prayers for a long, trouble -free life. And in one’s
own case, one takes care of oneself. One eats the right food to avoid illness, because of the
fear of death. One seeks health to avoid death. But whatever temporal means we engage in,
the end is always the same thing: suffering. The last day of living in this world is like an old
tree falling down. Usually, however strong and supple the body has been, it falls like the
trunk of a tree. Before we die, we lose all control, which causes suffering, with people
fussing around us in a hospital. With surgery it is even worse, the body being taken apart.
Parts of it are taken out and replaced with arti cial substitutes. The replacement of limbs,
even of the heart, is tried. Yet, in any case, this life ends, like the dream of a single night.
Then, our companions, relatives and friends, however lovable and kind, we must leave
forever, leaving our body, everything, behind.
This separation is not like having one’s family in Tibet, in such case there is still hope, but
this is separation forever. We are completely helpless, and there is nothing that can be done
about it at such a time. For example, there are in my case many disciples, Tibetans, who
would sacri ce their lives for me. But when death comes this will make no difference, I will
have to go alone. As it says in the scripture, “The king leaving his kingdom, the beggar his
stick.” All that people have left to do is to make a last will and testament, but the tongue is
already weak. One wishes to say something but is unable to, which causes more suffering.
The people around can only offer their hands, tears in their eyes, they are helpless. If one is
religious, on could give blessings, but there is no strength left to say them. In the course of
our lives we may have eaten lots of different kinds of food, complained about the cooking,
scolded others because it has been too hot or too cold. Usually we are very dif cult in this
way, but at the end of our life we cannot even receive a blessing. People may pour out
water for us, people may offer prayers. Others may pry into secret places, seeking out things
kept secret. Sometimes relics are put in the mouth, but in most cases in the mouth of a
corpse. It’s true.

However happy a life has been, in the end the breath gets shorter and shorter until it
becomes gasping, growing weaker and weaker. There is a nal exhalation and then life
ends. Nowadays people are given oxygen, but if its one’s karmic end, nothing can be
changed. Nothing can be done to help. Even though surrounded by doctors, nothing can
help, only the guru and the Triple Gem. Or one’s usual deity and the power of one’s virtuous
actions, only these can bring relief. It is then that we reach total helplessness, with no
protection left.

This is the suffering of death which none of us want. Therefore, life begins and ends with
suffering. The peak of our life is reached between the twenties and the thirties, when health
and good looks are at their best, and we are active in every way. Even then there is always
suffering, for the student, for example, because of his exams. Then with marriage, a couple
may hope for a child and remain childless, which entails more suffering. Others may have
too many children, and this also causes suffering and worries. It is the same thing with
money. “How shall I get through the next year? How can I support my family?” And even
when one has money, “What shall I do with is, lend it out or what? Shall I put it in the bank?
But then the interest is very low!” So one tries going into business and cannot nd a
trustworthy person, and performs a puja in the hope of successful business. And instead of
getting bene t from money one becomes its slave. Then one may want a pretty wife, with
the nice kind of right character. Either one doesn’t nd her, or one does and one worries
about keeping her, doesn’t want to lose her. With a job, one is afraid of losing it. Without a
job one suffers too. When alone, one suffers. But with company, there is suffering too. So in
this short spell of life there is not much chance for happiness.

It is in trouble like this that life is spent. If you look deeply you nd that this is so. Life has no
substance. Human birth then has no meaning, we live like a caretaker in a house, or are a
slave to possessions, in this way life is spent. If we have a big house, if we cannot live fully
within it, we look like a caretaker. It is the same thing with all the luxuries—if food does not
enable us to live well, it serves only to produce excrement. Yet if we commit suicide, it will
just lead to another rebirth not of our choice. Therefore what we should do is to completely
break this cycle of rebirth. Then all the suffering resulting from birth can be done away with.

So all the suffering in this life comes from taking birth. That birth is produced by karma, and
therefore the issue is to stop the production of karma. Birth will be eliminated by the
stopping of karma, and karma stopped by the ending of delusion. When these two are
eliminated nirvana is attained, a permanent state of liberation. But then we should not make
the mistake of assuming that nirvana is the end of our existence, as many Western books
say. We continue to exist, but free from delusions and ignorance. Thus we reach true
happiness, gain full independence and freedom within, all the karmic delusions gone.
Therefore we should investigate and analyze in order to see that such a state is attainable,
to see whether delusions can be avoided and particularly the self-grasping delusions,
where the concept of the “I” starts. It is from the concept of the strong “I” that desire, hatred
and attachment arise. We must therefore analyze the root. We must use the tenets of
Mahdhyamaka to dispel ignorance, to see what the true nature of existence is, how it can
be mistaken.

We must analyze the actual way of existing and how we understand this. We must study
all those points and then acquire certainty and get the avor of nirvana. If we attain such a
stage of moksha we attain liberation. Otherwise there is the suffering of samsara. Therefore
I must do my utmost to attain the bliss of nirvana. This is a practice of the bodhisattva of the
medium scope.

For example, we can sacri ce our temporary happiness, the worldly happiness of this life,
for the attainment and permanent happiness of nirvana. Not because worldly happiness is
unpleasant, but because compared with its sacri ce for nirvana, its pleasures are trivial and
unimportant. In the practice of Dharma, therefore, we sacri ce the lesser happiness for
nirvana. This is reasonable enough, for the two cannot in fact be compared. In the same
way, for the happiness of other sentient beings we sacri ce our own. This is well worth the
effort. It is a general fact that to forego the lesser for the greater good is always right. In the
same way that we forego our worldly happiness for nirvana we forego our own happiness
for that of others.

The tenth practice of the bodhisattva:

From the time immemorial we have been cared for by others with motherly
love. If they remain in samsaric suffering how cruel just to free ourselves! To
save them and other countless beings, produce bodhicitta, the wish for
buddhahood – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

If, therefore, those who have shown me love from time immemorial, if these mothers remain
in suffering, what is the use of one’s own happiness? If all the sentient beings related to us
since time immemorial in our samsaric existence, if all these mothers who have taken care
of us with love and kindness remain in the suffering of samsara, and if we seek to liberate
only ourselves, this is a very wrong and wicked attitude. If we alone attain peace and
happiness, liberation, there is nothing in this to be glad about, we should even feel
ashamed. For, as I have already said, all sentient beings, from the merely instinctive to the
most intelligent, share the same dislike of suffering and the same search for happiness. We
owe a great debt to other sentient beings for their kindness. We depend on sentient beings
for our happiness in all the stages of samsara. In gathering here today, our happiness is due
to the goodwill of many sentient beings. In order to come we depend on train drivers,
people who give information, provide accommodation, supply electricity, even those who
rst made or discovered these things, and this despite the strikes and even the dif culties
over petrol! So even this event depends on many helping hands. Due to the goodwill and
efforts of many human beings it is possible for me not to shout and for you to hear me from
a distance.

We live only by depending on a countless number of beings. The practice of Dharma is also
made possible by this. The practice of bodhicitta also depends on sentient beings who are
its objects. Even in this life our eating, drinking, clothing, housing, reputation, and livelihood
depend on other sentient beings. Not only this life, but our past and future lives in samsara
depend on them. So, directly and indirectly, sentient beings are very bene cial and helpful
to us.

A doubt may however sometimes arise when it seems to us that only our relatives and
friends show kindness towards us and that is only to them that we should return kindness,
others not being benevolent in their attitude towards us. Yet if we see animals being killed
or tortured, compassion arises in us, even though the animal was not a close friend of ours.
To feel compassion for a being in a painful situation is both normal and naturally right.
Therefore, just because we do not know a human being, it is wrong to feel nothing for him.
Compassion is natural.

A second doubt may then arise: while understanding why we should not abandon our
friends or be indifferent to persons unknown to us, why should we have the same attitude
towards enemies, towards those who harm us. But in fact through their enmity our enemies
show a special kind of kindness towards us, which greatly bene ts us. For our practice of
Dharma, and especially Mahayana practice and progress towards bodhicitta, is based
essentially on love and compassion. It will be accomplished by subduing the opposite of
love and compassion, namely hatred, which is the worst form of delusion towards others.
Hatred is even worse than desire, which is immediately harmful to our personality. Hatred is
the primary and most harmful delusion both for oneself and for others.

Hatred can be overcome by the power of its antidote, patience. Where there is great
patience, hatred cannot arise, but without the power of patience we are conquered by the
delusion of hatred.

We should be patient rst with minor suffering and dif culties and then go on until we are
patient with our worst, most harmful enemy. Therefore only our enemies and those who
harm us teach us and train us in patience. Not even the teaching of the Dharma or of a guru
can teach us such patience. Neither can the most loving parents, since though they may be
very angry with us for a time they usually remain kind. Our enemy therefore is our only
teacher in this way. He may harm us physically and mentally and according to the law we
have a right to retaliate. But if we practice patience with him, such patience becomes a pure
and real force in us. This is the kind of patience which will help us on the road to bodhicitta
and which gives us the strong encouragement needed to accept responsibility for all
sentient beings. In samsaric existence, when circumstances are unfavorable, even our
sense of responsibility for our closest friends and relatives can falter and is therefore
somewhat arti cial. And so for someone who practices patience and wishes to develop
bodhicitta qualities, a real enemy is the best master who provides us with essential training.

Therefore, as it is said in the Eight Verses on the Training of the Mind, “When someone I
have bene ted and placed great hope in hurts me very much, may I regard him as my
supreme guru.” When we have understood this very dif cult matter, that with every right to
revenge, we must realize the kindness of our enemy and return kindness, then there is no
problem. Then we realize there is no sentient being we can abandon. When we see this
fact, we see that searching only for our own liberation is very sel sh and wicked. It
contradicts not only Dharma but also even from the point of view of having a good worldly
character it is wrong. Whether a person believes in reincarnation or not, if in his life he
sacri ces himself for other sentient beings, this is a glorious human life. Even if one does not
believe in reincarnation and Dharma fruit, if life is spent in helping others, this is the special
quality of a human being. When his life ends, this will help him for the future. Just to talk of
karma and its fruit, of reincarnation, can be self-cherishing, will not produce a noble mind,
and will not help one in the future. Practice is important, not talk. To live virtuously is
essential for the religious and the nonreligious person.

The aims of a noble mind and right living are indispensable. Tibetans have the reputation of
being patient and easygoing. I believe this is due to the in uence of Mahayanadharma in our
country. We know how to put up with our dif culties. It is a great and good thing, a sign of
Mahayana Dharma, that everyone prays habitually for mother sentient beings. Even if
nomad robbers do many bad deeds, they still pray for all such beings. I see in this a sign of
the in uence of bodhicitta and Mahayana Dharma over people’s minds. Where there is no
practice of bodhicitta or even a temple, we can still hear these prayers being uttered in
nomads’ homes. To have a noble mind is another sign of Mahayana. When the great guru
Atisha met people, he used to ask them, “Do you have a noble mind?” And his last words
were, “Have a noble mind!” Dromtönpa, his great disciple, lay dying, with his head in the lap
of a grief stricken disciple, who wept. His tears fell on the face of his guru, who opened his
eyes wide and said, “There is nothing to be sad about, practice bodhicitta and have a noble
mind.” Many gurus say this, showing that it is of the essence of the Dharma. When
Tsongkhapa passed away, he took his hat off just before he died, threw it at one of his
disciples, gazed intently at him and said, “Have a noble mind.” Passing the message on, this
is the essence of Dharma.

All great Mahayana gurus have had as a principal practice the development of a noble mind
and have emphasized to others the need to obtain one. For example, as we are supposed to
follow the bodhicitta path. I try my best to develop a noble mind. Now, men from Amdo
have a reputation for being erce and temperamental, but because I have heard the phrase
so many times I think a little progress has taken place in me. In the same way, everyone
must make a little progress. Even the Khampas who cry “Kihihi,” as they are about to ght
will progress if they make an effort! So the avor of Mahayana Dharma helps us to move
towards bodhicitta. If full bodhicitta is developed in one it gives great peace of mind, but
even a glimpse of it brings about a great change and broadens our mind. Therefore we must
train our mind and attitudes so that they are bene cial to others. One essential reason for
this is our relatedness to them, and the fact that they have the same right to be free from
suffering and to obtain happiness as ourselves.

In the Bodhicaryavatara it says, “Since oneself and others share the same wish for
happiness why do we endeavor only to obtain our own happiness?” It is the same with
suffering. We want to avoid it and obtain happiness. So why then be concerned only with
our personal happiness and suffering? We must try to eliminate suffering for others as well
as ourselves. The same is true of achieving happiness. To quote Nagarjuna, “We exist here
to be used by others. We must develop our mind in order to be a servant to others, to be
used by them, like wood, water, re.”
If we can develop in this way we are taking advantage of our existence, and making it
fruitful and glorious. If we live taking responsibilities for others, this is a heroic endeavor.
Taking responsibility for ourselves is essentially living like cattle. When they are hungry, they
try to avoid suffering, when they are thirsty, they seek water. This is neither glorious nor a
special endeavor. So we must try to develop bodhicitta, as emphasized by all the sūtras,
and to take responsibilities for others. We see the need for this but ask, “How we are to take
responsibility for them?” For example, although I have a strong motivation to help others,
my ability may be very limited. Like an armless mother who sees her son is drowning—
despite her great love she cannot do much. In the same way our motive may be strong, but
our resources poor. As the prayer of the First Dalai Lama says: “May I never be concerned
about my own wellbeing but about that of others, and be endowed with the right abilities,
such as insight, foresight, wise speech, power, all the abilities for helping others.” If we lack
these abilities our motive cannot be carried through in practice.

For example, many of you ask me for prayers and place in me trust, pure devotion, and
hope. Since I am still subject to delusion and to karma, I can only say, “Please take care and
practice well.” Also, what I say about method, the path, and stages, is guidance, perhaps
this will help you to arrive somewhere. For myself, I have not completed the path. To be able
to help other sentient beings, we must ourselves have traveled over the path we show
them. Without having done this it is dif cult to help in a deep way. The reason why I take
myself as an example is that it is the only one I know.

Your capacities are unknown to me because I have not overcome the obstacle of ignorance
concerning your knowledge and receptivity.

You may ask what is the status of my teaching in relation to all the omniscient buddhas
with all the abilities. All of us here have, in many ways, a karmic link from the past, the force
of merit from the past. Repeatedly we see this from the buddhas’ lives. Therefore there is a
special karmic relationship in our meeting due to the effect of many past causes. Hidden in
its nature there is a strong karmic relationship from many previous lives. If, in the future,
therefore, I attain buddhahood, there would be a greater possibility of helping others. The
longer the relationship, the greater help buddhahood would provide. We need to achieve
buddhahood therefore as soon as possible to help those with whom we have special
relationships and to whom we can be more useful than other buddhas. The karmic link in
samsara is important, otherwise on might think, “There are so many buddhas, who can I
turn to?”

It becomes clear to us that it is indispensable to take responsibilities for other sentient

beings, and we must therefore reach buddhahood for their bene t and in order to acquire a
full ability to help them effortlessly and spontaneously. For example, if my standard is higher
than it is now I shall be able to help you much more than I do now, looking to me as you do
with hope and devotion. Otherwise although you have devotion, if, from my side, the
necessary qualities are lacking, I cannot respond properly to your wishes. If I attain
buddhahood I can help effortlessly and spontaneously, then all the abilities are obtained
and ready to operate once contact with sentient beings, which depends on them, is
established. For unless we reach buddhahood, even at the tenth bodhisattva stage, there
comes a limit. To help completely, buddhahood is essential. Therefore, when one wishes to
attain buddhahood solely for the bene t of others, this is bodhicitta. There are therefore two
intentions: 1) the wish to help other sentient beings; 2) to achieve buddhahood for this. The
state of mind of bodhicitta is brought about by these two intentions.

If such a state of mind remains constantly in us, our bodhicitta powers will be developed.
Passing inclinations or sentimental feelings are not serious, we must be constant. At rst
the right state of mind is short-lived, but through growing familiarity, it becomes the nature
of mind— bodhicitta—to achieve buddhahood as quickly as possible. “Since in nite time our
mothers have shown us kindness, if they remain in a state of suffering, what is the use of
obtaining our happiness? Therefore for the purpose of liberating countless sentient beings,
to generate bodhicitta, the enlightened mind, is the practice of the sons of the Victorious
One.” To generate such a mind and, when generated to develop it, this is the essence of
bodhisattva practice.

The eleventh practice of the bodhisattva:

All suffering comes from the desire for the happiness of oneself. Supreme
buddhahood arises from a mind that bene ts others. Therefore, exchange
perfectly one’s own happiness for the sufferings of others – this is the
practice of the bodhisattva.
And as the Bodhicaryavatara says, “All the happiness of the world comes from wishing for
the happiness of others,” and “There is no need to explain further. Look at the fact that a
child is concerned with is own happiness and that the Buddha is concerned with the
happiness of others.” So wishing for the happiness of others is the root of every virtuous
quality, wishing for one’s own happiness the root of every bad quality, of all wrong views.
“Holding oneself dear is the door to every downfall. Holding others dear is the ground of
every quality. Therefore what we should now do is to stop cherishing ourselves, which has
done us no good. And we shall abandon the attitude of ignoring others, which is simply
harmful”.

As we have the precious opportunity of receiving the Buddha’s teaching, passed on to us

also by such teachers as Manjushri, Nagarjuna, Shantideva, let us do our utmost to practice
the attitude of holding others dear, and forsake egoism as much as possible. To give energy
to this we must practice taking upon ourselves the suffering of others and giving our
happiness to them. Re ect on the suffering of all sentient beings, visualize them suffering
and then think of taking on their suffering while breathing in. Then think of all the happiness
you have and all the accumulated merit and give it to others while breathing out. As the
Guru Puja says, “Oh venerable and most compassionate guru, bestow your blessing on me
so that all the unskillful deeds and sufferings of all sentient beings may culminate on myself,
and by giving all my happiness and merit to others may all beings be endowed with
happiness.”

Thus we should practice “taking and giving.” If we train our mind in this way and “exchange
ourselves” even temporarily, this will bring us peace of mind. Otherwise cherishing oneself
will not bring bodhicitta, or peace of mind, nothing but worries about oneself. If we do not
exchange our happiness for the suffering of others we will not attain buddhahood and not
even happiness in samsara. So we must practice.

The Last Day Of The Teaching

Our life up to this day is over. It is over whether we have lived bene cially or whether we
have wasted our days. Work badly done can be redone, but not so the life of man. We have
wasted time in childhood but since we have been born as human beings this could not be
otherwise. But since our adult intelligence has developed it is as though time wasted has
been deliberately wasted.

For those, therefore, who have wasted life or spent it in futile ways, there is only the
opposing power of repentance, saying purifying mantras, making prostrations, and above all
the two best methods, meditation on shunyata, and the development of bodhicitta.

We must also be able to review and enumerate our unskillful actions. In directing our
attention to them we must realize in ourselves the error committed and that even though
we have had every opportunity for receiving Dharma, and guidance from the Buddha and
gurus, we have still acted in contradiction to them. With our eyes wide open we have
walked off the edge of the cliff and deliberately produced suffering for ourselves. What is
done cannot be undone, but there are still the ways taught by the Buddha for countering
our mistakes. There are the four opponent powers: repentance, taking refuge in the Triple
Gem—placing one’s trust in the Buddha, his teaching and the monkhood—and developing
bodhicitta, increasing the power of repentance by reviewing one’s faults—classifying them
by body, speech and mind, natural faults contrary to the ten virtuous actions, infringements
of rules of ordination and vows, whether vinaya, bodhisattva or tantric vows.

We should keep in mind the thought that in view of our possibilities we have lived worse
than most worldly beings. So it is right, as Milarepa did, to stress the importance of
confession and repentance as a purifying force, enabling us to stop committing further bad
actions in the future. Without repentance, a decision to be good in the future is unreliable.
And to repent strongly we must realize the wrong qualities of unskillful deeds. For this we
must be convinced of the law of karma and its fruits. For the future we must make a strong
decision about how to live, whether it be tomorrow or the next sixty years. We must spend
this life preciously, virtuously, without infringing the Dharma, the wish of the Buddha. Let us
never waste our future life, and pray strongly to spend life fruitfully. The past is over and
done with, what remains is to take good care in the future, to be receptive to Dharma, as
we have this great advantage.

In order to practice Dharma, we must rst know and understand it which means we must
learn it. This is, I presume, your motive for being here. To make life fruitful we must develop
bodhicitta, train our minds to see future life as more important than ourselves. Food,
apparel, fame, all must be sacri ced for others. We must use body, speech, and mind for
others as much as we are able. If we can develop in this way, our life can be used
preciously. To be able to do so let us hear and practice this teaching of the Thirty-seven
Practices of the Bodhisattva, which I shall now brie y recapitulate:

The rst practice of the bodhisattva:

To listen, learn, contemplate, and meditate on Mahayana.

The second practice of the bodhisattva:

To assist this, to leave the “active” world, one’s home.

The third practice of the bodhisattva:

To seek and live in solitude, though this is wrong if we still remain attached to
the world.

The fourth practice of the bodhisattva:

To develop our mind.

The fth practice of the bodhisattva:

To abandon false friends.

The sixth practice of the bodhisattva:

To follow a guru.

The seventh practice of the bodhisattva:

To practice the Dharma and take refuge in the Triple Gem.

Taking refuge usually refers to the causal refuge, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha
representing the monkhood. Taking refuge in the fruit Triple Gem is to take refuge in our
strong will to achieve buddhahood, to realize the Dharma in practice. But taking refuge is
not enough. We must also follow the relevant precepts. Neither is it right to take refuge now
in the Buddha, now somewhere else, this is a dispersion of effort. We should also show
respect for the images of the Buddha, making a business out of them may seem pro table
now but it is piling up harm. It is the same with the reprinting of old scriptures. Selling at
cost, or using the proceeds for reprinting is the best way. In other words we must put the
Dharma into practice, there is a real reason for doing so.
One can ask for help from a spirit but should not indulge in idolatry. And the way of taking
refuge in the Dharma is important, it should not involve any ill will toward others. We must
also be very attentive to the scriptures, taking care of them physically. Especially monks
who always have them on hand can be careless about them. Lack of respect is one of the . .
..

[Transcript missing page 68]

As has been said by Tsongkhapa, “Although we have samsaric pleasures, they are the open
door to suffering until we reach nirvana. The unreliable perfection of samsara leads to
suffering, because we take pleasure and are never satis ed. By seeing these errors, bless me
so that a will for seeking the happiness of nirvana arises in me.” The worst suffering in
samsara is never to be satis ed, however much we take from it, however many pleasures
we obtain. By its nature, moreover, samsara is completely unreliable. There is no certainty
about our fame, wealth, or reputation. There is no certainty even about our friends or
enemies, and even our bodily existence is unreliable. If we have a companion with us
throughout samsara, this offers us more hope, but there isn’t even such a companion. We
have to make the journey alone, another very bad quality of samsara. There are countless
bad qualities of samsara but in the lam-rim they are classi ed into six main groups. Once
birth is taken in samsara, all these bad qualities ensue, the worst being taking rebirth again
and again.

Once we have taken birth in bondage, everything else follows automatically. We all suffer
the fruit of the past. The intrinsic nature and cause of samsara are impure because it is a
product of karma and delusion, which it in turn produces. It is always endowed with
suffering, karma and delusion—circumstances always cause delusion to arise. There are,
therefore, ve wrong qualities of birth: birth with suffering, birth in the wrong place, birth
reproducing the same errors in the future, birth into a state of suffering and delusion, birth
taken without freedom of choice.

Until we can free ourselves from this existence, this production of karma and fruit prevents
any true, permanent happiness. So we must try to free ourselves from this plight by
practicing the threefold training of morality, wisdom and meditation, with morality as the
base. By our practice we must destroy delusion, the cause of all our trouble, by the force of
antidote. So we must strive to attain nirvana.

The ninth practice of the bodhisattva:

Happiness is like dew on the tip of a blade of grass, short-lived and bound to
vanish. Therefore we must seek the supreme stage of nirvana which never
changes into suffering – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The tenth practice of the bodhisattva:

From time immemorial we have been cared for by others with motherly love.
If they remain in samsaric suffering how cruel just to free ourselves! To save
them and other countless beings, produce bodhicitta, the wish for
buddhahood – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

These verses express the essence of Mahayana Dharma. In short, all the in nite sentient
beings share the wish to avoid suffering and obtain happiness. To seek solely one’s own
happiness therefore is reprehensible. From time immemorial we have always been
concerned solely with our own happiness, yet what good has it done us since we still
suffer!

As it is said in the Guru Puja, “The chronic disease of holding oneself dear is very harmful,
preventing us from working, walking or eating properly; we are half a body, half a person. As
long as we are self-cherishing, we are like half a human being.” Therefore we must do our
best to get rid of this disease, and in the Wheel of Sharp Weapons, a mind-training text,
this self-cherishing is particularly attacked, it is called an evil ghost or demon. An external
worldly demon does temporary harm to us, but the inner demon harms us all the time. The
truest demon is attachment to self, grasping by the self, ignorance, then the self-cherishing
attitude. From this demon arises “I want this” and “I want to be happy”; ignorance and self-
cherishing reinforce and support each other.

Were these the only two demons we have to cope with, it would not be too bad, but
usually others like jealousy, wandering thoughts, drowsiness in meditation, and so forth,
arise. So being a true practitioner of the Dharma is not easy, he is like a true soldier always
ghting the enemy within—delusion. The demon of sel sh grasping is the great enemy we
have to ght. Sometimes this is very dif cult and one may get discouraged. Naturally there
are times when we have to face many problems, but we should not lose heart but struggle
on until we obtain nal victory. It is impossible to defeat all our worldly enemies, but this
most glorious victory over the enemy within is possible. As Nagarjuna puts it, “There has
never been anyone who has defeated all his worldly enemies and passed away peacefully.”
Which is very true. But we can defeat the enemy within and do so once and for all. As the
Bodhicaryavatara says, “All our worldly enemies can be temporarily defeated but they will
regroup and attack again. But the enemy within can be defeated forever.” To ght with the
true enemy, our delusions, is the responsibility of the practitioner. Ben Kungyel says, “My
practice is to stand at the door of delusion with the spear of the antidote raised. If he is
erce, I am also erce.”

The practitioner of Dharma cannot be lax in this respect. Therefore, it is not at all easy, but
we should not let ourselves be discouraged. Unlike bodhicitta and shunyata, self-cherishing
has no rm foundation. It is not only that the attitude of holding others dear and shunyata
has a solid foundation, but all the buddhas and bodhisattvas are backing this, giving power
and energy to their supporters. Though there may be maras fostering self-cherishing
through ignorance, those who support us are enlightened. So on the one side there is
unsteady backing and on our side indestructible support on rm foundations. As the
Bodhicaryavatara says, “It is the buddhas who have thought and contemplated for kalpas
on bodhicitta, which is the essential thing for all sentient beings.”

Thinking in this way, though our standard, our ability, is poor and weak, we have many
reasons for con dence in our victory. Even though egoism and self-cherishing seem strong
they are without foundation. One reason is that the most subtle consciousness arising in us
can be transformed into a realization of shunyata—delusions cannot survive inde nitely. So
we should not be discouraged but struggle against self-cherishing and eliminate completely
this chronic disease. And we must develop the attitude of cherishing others by realizing the
great qualities.

As it says in the Guru Puja, “Seeing that the mind which tries to lead others to happiness is
the door from which enter all the in nite qualities, although these beings may rise against
me as enemies, bless me to be able to hold them dear, even dearer than my life.” The mental
attitude of holding others dear is the supreme medicine, the ambrosia of the inner guru and
master. Realizing this fact we must generate such a mind where none exists and develop it
where it does. Do this in all actions, walking, sleeping, and thinking. If we can do this we
become a supreme practitioner of Dharma, drawing on the essence of life, making a
supreme offering to bodhisattvas, and using the supreme method to rid ourselves of
obstacles. There is nothing higher or greater than such a mind.

“If therefore from time immemorial we have been cared for with motherly
love …”

The eleventh practice tells us that by seeing the wrong of self-cherishing and the virtue of
cherishing others, we should exchange our happiness for their suffering.

The twelfth practice of the bodhisattva:

Whoever steals our wealth or lets others steal it, may we dedicate to him our
wealth, body and merit – this is a practice of the bodhisattva.

This also involves the exchanging of self, and I will now point to some particular practice of
this. For example, if somebody from intense greed robs us or encourages others to do so, he
greatly harms us, at the worldly level, and may therefore become an object of hatred, and,
legally, we have every right to retaliate. But for one who practices bodhicitta to react in that
way is quite wrong. Instead we should dedicate to him not only our possessions but also
our body and merit from past, present and future lives. A case in point is the author of these
thirty-seven practices. He was in Sakya, and had just left a monastery where he had
received offerings. On the road he was stopped by thieves who took everything from him
and ran away. Very peacefully he called out after them, “Wait!” They stopped and he
explained that he had asked them to do so because he had not had time to dedicate their
spoil to them properly. He then made a very slow and complete dedication. They returned
the property and, after receiving his teaching, became his disciples.
 The thirteenth practice of the bodhisattva:
Although innocent of any offence, even if someone threatens to kill me, I
must, by the power of compassion take upon myself all the sin of that person
– this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

This is another very dif cult point and situation. One is completely innocent oneself and yet
someone else from jealousy or some other reason wants to harm or even kill us. Yet even
towards such a person we should not react with hatred but should generate strong
compassion. Out of great compassion we must practice taking upon ourselves his unskillful
deeds, while giving him our merit.

The fourteenth practice of the bodhisattva:

Then there is the case of someone that slanders me, spreads unpleasant
stories about me throughout the length and the breadth of the world. But I,
out of a loving mind, must praise his qualities in return – this is the practice of
the bodhisattva.

From dislike, desire to abuse us, debase us, someone spreads bad reports about us, though
we are totally innocent ourselves. Of course, at a worldly level we should try to establish
our innocence and thus defeat him. But from the point of view of the bodhisattva path, we
must respect and praise his qualities.

The fteenth practice of the bodhisattva:

Though someone may deride and speak bad words about you in a public
gathering, looking on him as a spiritual teacher, bow to him with respect –
this is the practice of bodhisattvas. 1

This clearly is a case of someone that dislikes us and wants to hurt us by showing off our
faults in an unpleasant way, bringing a ush to our cheeks…

You should protect your heads from the sun. Put your robes over your heads, like “yearlong
meditators.” When I was a boy I played a game with squares designed to show a child the
stages of spiritual progress, and one square showed a “yearlong meditator” with his robe
over his head. Now you can look like him!

We must respect someone who does this for making us do a self-criticism, he is a very
helpful person. We do not see our own faults clearly, someone who helps us to do so is like
a great guru, and we should respect him as such.

As scripture does, a guru instructs us and points out our faults. The Dharma is a mirror to
show us our faults and accordingly how to correct them. We discover our impurities of
body, speech, and mind by looking into the mirror of Dharma. So someone who discovers
our faults instructs us as well as a guru. As the gurus and Tibetans say, “Praise is good, but
criticism is better,” as criticism shows up our faults, and if we suffer from it we remember
Dharma. Praise may kindle pride and make us forget our faults, while criticism teaches us
not to commit the same faults again. In the same way happiness is good but suffering is
better, because it takes us to the Dharma. Happiness eats the fruit of our past merit.

The sixteenth practice of the bodhisattva:

Someone we have taken care of like a son, and who then treats us like an
enemy, we should love particularly dearly, as a mother does a sick child – this
is the practice of the bodhisattva.

As in the Eight Verses on the Training of the Mind, “When a person I have bene ted, and
placed great hopes in, hurts me very badly, may I regard him as my supreme guru.” With so
much sacri ce, love and care it is natural, and seems almost obligatory, that such a person
should be kind to us, and then he does quite the opposite and treats us like an enemy.
Another example would be a child af icted with a bad spirit who attacks his mother with a
knife. The mother should do everything to separate her child from that bad spirit and to
show her child even more loving care. We cannot hate a child or a man with a knife,
because they are driven by delusion. These are very dif cult but essential practices and
have to be singled out.

The seventeenth practice of the bodhisattva:

If someone equal or inferior to us in attainments insults us, we should be
 humble towards him and respect him as a guru – this is the practice of the
bodhisattva.

This is really very bene cial. I do this sometimes. If someone upsets or disappoints us,
makes us feel very angry, one should sit and meditate, mentally recite the verse from the
Eight Verses on Training the Mind, “Whenever I am in the company of others may I think
myself the lowest of all and hold the others supreme in my heart.” One should visualize
oneself bowing to the other person, respecting and praising him. If we do this it is very
helpful, we are the humblest of all. Servants of all other sentient beings, we bow to them.
Previously, visualization would have brought hatred, but if we respect this practice it will
subdue hatred. Therefore, as the practice says, instead of visualizing an enemy whom we
hit, visualize bowing respectfully to him. If you feel shy about this, do it in a corner, and then
if you meet him in the street pretend that nothing is the matter. The whole purpose of this is
to tame and train the mind, to bring it the peacefulness we need.

The next verse refers to two of the great obstacles of Dharma practice. The rst is when
everything in our life is ne, the second when we feel very despondent.

The eighteenth practice of the bodhisattva:

When we are badly off, abused by everyone, plagued with serious illness and
in very low spirits, to never be downhearted but rather to take on ourselves
the unskillful deeds of other sentient beings – this is the practice of the
bodhisattva.

This is like the situation of the Tibetans losing their country, getting criticism from Indians,
getting TB and feeling very despondent. “How can I practice Dharma under these
conditions? I shall give up my robe, renounce my vows, go and get a lay job.” It is very easy
for this kind of thought to come, and very easy to lose the Dharma this way. Although poor,
while there is someone to help us, there is still hope. But let us assume there is no help
forthcoming, and we are subject to abuse. Well, if your body is in good health, things are
not bad. But let us assume that we are ill. If our mind is at peace, then this can be borne too.
But let us assume our mind is troubled as well. In such a situation the practice of the
bodhisattva will, if we are not careful, be lost. So we should in such times take upon us all
the suffering of sentient beings, wish all suffering upon ourselves, and dedicate our efforts
to them – this is a practice of the bodhisattva.

Another dangerous case is when matters are faring too well for us:

The nineteenth practice of the bodhisattva:

When one has a good reputation and the respect of many, with all the
wealth of the God of Riches, see that such fruit of samsara is insubstantial,
and do not take pride in it – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

One may, for example, be very famous for one’s worldly knowledge, or knowledge of the
Dharma, and be respected by all. One’s good qualities “hit the headlines,” and one is
universally popular and respected, worshipped by everyone. One becomes so wealthy one
doesn’t have to admire anyone, being one of the "top people.” This is another time when
there is a real danger of ceasing to practice the bodhisattva path. We may have a very
strong pride in our wealth and fame, know Dharma so well that we think, “I can outdo
Nagarjuna.”

Being the object of great respect and praise, one can be misled into thoughts such as: “I
could kill a man, it would not matter so much, like killing lice.” In criticizing and abusing
others, all sorts of defects come, sitting there like an owl. One must be very careful of this.
Tsongkhapa says, “Whenever people prepare for me a splendid seat, prepare for me a great
offering, I have the presentiment that this is of the nature of suffering. I’ve had this habit for
a very long time.” And he also pointed out that even great fame is not worthy of attachment.
As it says in the Bodhicaryavatara, “Why is one so attached to praise? Because others
criticize us. So why hate those who criticize, when others praise?”

We should not be attached to fame and praise, even a little mistake can spoil everything
and we can easily become a target of criticism. The same holds true for wealth, which is
one of the worst deceptions, a major source of trouble. By realizing the wrong qualities of all
the various attainments of samsara, we will see their true value. As Dromtönpa said,
“Though others may rate us very highly, the most expedient course is to see ourselves in the
lowest rank.” I try to practice this, and do my best to put myself at the lowest level. This is in
fact the most practical thing to do, otherwise considerations of hierarchy cause trouble and
agitation. Whatever people say, to use my mind to practice Dharma is my own
responsibility, to make it real Dharma. For even with a Dharmic outward form one can
practice non-Dharma, so mindfulness is always important. And to keep the lowest station
is the root of happiness.

Because of the nature of Tibetan society it is still easy to practice deep humility. In the West
this is dif cult because people take advantage of you. This is not the case in our society and
it is therefore particularly important that those with great names, lamas or tulkus, must
practice humility. To do this is to practice Mahayana Dharma. Otherwise we develop
attachment to name and fame, which is a meaningless endeavor. Some people I know, who
have little knowledge, act with great pretentiousness and I nd this so futile that inwardly I
cannot help laughing. So to be without pride is the practice of a bodhisattva.

The twentieth practice of the bodhisattva:

Unless hatred of one’s enemy is overcome, the more we defeat the outer
enemies, the more such enemies will increase. So by the force of love and
compassion to tame one’s mind – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

This bears out what I have already said, that until we defeat the enemy within, even though
defeating outer enemies, the latter will grow. As it says in the Bodhicaryavatara, “How can
we nd enough leather to cover the surface of the earth? With just a little bit of leather on
the sole of our shoe, we’ll cover the whole earth.”

The wicked are as widespread as space, and can ll the sky; they cannot all be defeated. But
defeating a hating mind is the same as defeating our outer enemies. We cannot hope to
defeat all the harmful beings in the universe. But if we defeat our inner enemy of hatred we
thereby defeat all bad beings. Otherwise the outer enemies increase more and more, as the
Chinese Communists have been nding out.

From the point of view of Dharma what is wrong is that the real enemy within us has not
been overcome. For example, politically we see that while we can have peace for one or
two generations, it does not last. Cases in point are very clear. This was very clear with the
Chinese from 1959 to 1969 and now in 1974. Nearly fteen years have passed and trouble is
increasing for the Chinese. One reason is that politics are very corrupt and deeply bad, but
they are also like this because the source of this badness is within the individuals, within
themselves they do not wish to leave people in peace. Therefore, “We have to defeat the
enemy within by the force of love and compassion.” As Tsongkhapa puts it, “Without
carrying weapons like bows and without wearing armor one can defeat single-handed the
million-strong hose of Mara. Who else than you can ght such a battle?”

So we must defeat our inner enemy with the weapons and armor of love and compassion.
There is a parallel in our society when we also have disputes and troubles, but meet
together peacefully and non-aggressively. If we try to do something while keeping this
aggression and anger in our minds nothing is really settled, a peaceful mind is essential. If
we appear outwardly aggressive it is because we are not peaceful inside We have made the
distinction between “them” and “us,” which means there is strong attachment to one side
and strong aversion towards the other. If we use this approach to try and settle something
it gets worse and worse. With a peaceful mind we can discuss matters with the right
motivation and nd a solution. If two people have hatred in their hearts, inevitably they
clash. If they overcome it they are like new people. If their inner agitation can be damped
down they can bring about harmony. To tame the inner enemy, one’s own mind, is a
practice of the bodhisattva.

The twenty- rst practice of the bodhisattva:

The nature of desire is like salt water. The more we drink, the more our thirst
will increase, so to abandon the objects towards which clinging and
attachment arise – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

To enjoy objects of desire involving touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight and contact is like
drinking salt water. The object of desire never gives satisfaction, the craving for more will
always increase. So, all the pleasure or happiness that comes out of attachment is deeply
not bene cial to us, and even harmful. For example, sexual pleasure appears immediately to
us as happiness but deep down it is a cause of suffering. Like an itch on the skin, which it
comforts us to scratch, but to say, “I would like to have itchy skin” is nonsense. To scratch
an itch is pleasurable but to be without the itch is even better. In the same way samsaric
desire is pleasure but to be without such desire is even better, as Nagarjuna says in his
Precious Garment. Therefore the object of desire, however much enjoyed, never gives
satisfaction, but goes on increasing desire. By seeing the falseness of desire, we must
abandon its objects immediately, this is a practice of the bodhisattva.

The practices so far described relate to relative bodhicitta. Those that follow relate to
absolute bodhicitta, the realizing of shunyata. The latter can be divided into two parts:
space-like meditation and illusion-like meditation. This is not an absolutely clear distinction
but it will serve.

The twenty-second practice of the bodhisattva:

All appearances are an illusion of our mind, which has since in nity been
beyond the extremes of manifestation (existence and non-existence). By
seeing this, and not conceiving subject and object as inherently existing –
this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The Vijnanavadins say that everything that appears and exists, all phenomena, are of the
nature of mind, but Chandrakirti of the Madhyamaka says, “Everything that exists and
appears does not exist by itself, but exists as seen by our relative mind.” This is relative
existence, which is therefore not absolutely true. If things had an absolute way of existing in
themselves, the more we searched for them, the clearer they should become. But in fact
they slowly fade away until no base or starting point is found. This is not because they do
not exist at all, since then we should not derive any harm or bene t from them. As we do,
they exist, but their way of existing we fail to nd. So it follows that they do not exist in
themselves but through the subject, in the relative mind’s way of looking. Therefore,
appearing to really exist, and this real existence not standing up to analysis, this proves that
our way of perceiving is a delusion. As the Seventh Dalai Lama says, “The objects passing
through the mind of a sleeping man are a dream, but it is only an appearance. There is no
object on this base, it is only a mental image.”
If at this moment you are dreaming about being in Tibet, you know when you wake up that
you were not in Tibet, that there is no Tibet on this basis. Similarly, oneself, others, samsara,
nirvana, all existence, is only seen, only designated, by our act of naming and our
knowledge. But its inherent existence never exists, not even as an atom.

So the phenomena seem to exist, when they appear, on that base. But in fact they do not
exist at the place we point to. And yet, as regards objects of our sensory faculties,
everything which appears to beings drugged with the sleep of ignorance seems to truly
exist on that base. As the Seventh Dalai Lama says, “Look at our evil mind, see how it
works.” Yet in fact this is the way in which phenomena exist, for beings like ourselves,
deluded with the veil of ignorance, with their six faculties, whatever appears, more or less,
one or many, seems to exist objectively just by our naming and knowledge of it. Everything
is outside us, “Look, there it is! Over there! It is independent, standing by itself.” That is all
nonexistent, yet this is how it appears. As the Seventh Dalai Lama says, “Thus ‘I,’ or
anything else, this way of existing inherently, in itself, which appears to the deluded mind, is
the subtle object of negation. To refute it from our mind is most precious.”

Therefore, everything that appears, pure or impure, exists relatively because of mind, in the
relative vision of the mind. And even mind itself, included in all existence, we do not nd it if
we search for it in an absolute sense. Mind exists as a stream of moments of consciousness.
Our “I consciousness” is always something there, vivid, in itself. If we divide up the stream
and search, it does not exist; the whole does not exist separately from its parts. And a part
cannot be a whole. The part and the whole are something different. After breaking it down,
and taking away the parts, the whole cannot survive. The whole exists in the parts, yet
when we search we cannot nd it. We can’t say con dently “here it is.” Therefore, the mind
has, since in nity, been beyond the extremes of inherent existence or total non-existence. It
is just non-self-existent. And as the Seventh Dalai Lama says, “The base, samsaric and
nirvanic existence, is always just a projection of our inner mind. And the mind also, if
analyzed, is birthless and indestructible. The nature of the true way of existing is wonderful.”
Therefore, all existence, samsara and nirvana, are of the nature of the mind and the mind
itself is birthless and indestructible. And the being that owns the mind is also birthless and
indestructible.
“I am a yogi of space without birth. Nothing exists, I am a great liar who sees all
appearances, hears all sounds as a great illusion. The wonderfulness is the union of the
appearance and the void. And I have found the certainty of undeceiving interdependence.”
To this great liar of a yogi, all appearance and sound seem to exist and, at the same time,
nothing exists. If everything had a real existence, there should never be a contradiction. But,
for example, a tree in spring has ne foliage and blossoms, but at another time is bare and
ugly. If its beauty really existed, it should always remain there, never change into ugliness. It
is the same with people, who are at times beautiful, at times ugly. If their beauty really
existed it should never change into ugliness. Also, our de led mind, if it really existed, it
could never be changed one day into a completely puri ed, omniscient buddha mind. But
what is de led can become unde led. Ugly can become beautiful, which shows that
nothing really exists. For real existence these changes are never possible. For a truly existing
base the change of cause and effect can never be possible. But here is cause and effect,
there is good and bad, so therefore these can only be applied to non-real existence. To real
existence these qualities can never be applied. These opposites on one base provide the
proof that it does not really exist.

Therefore the wonderfulness is the union of shunyata and the appearance. Things manifest
themselves in various ways, but their true nature is empty of real existence and therefore
they change according to circumstances. They can thus appear in various ways, which
means that shunyata does not negate appearance and the latter does not negate shunyata.
Because the nature of phenomena is shunyata, empty of real, permanent self-existence,
they can appear in various ways, and vice versa.

My understanding of these questions is not very good, but I am trying to improve. These are
very dif cult issues and we have to accustom our minds to them. Sometimes we should
meditate on shunyata, sometimes on appearance and do so in a balanced way, and
hopefully one day shunyata and appearance will arise in our mind as supporting each other,
“the wonderfulness of the union,” as the guru called it whose name I can’t remember. What
I wanted to convey was that if all phenomena exist in themselves, independently,
permanently, they should always exist in that way. But when we analyze matters correctly,
we nd things do not exist at all in that way. If this de nite certainty comes to our mind, this
previously vivid way of existence suddenly collapses without support, falls away. Previously
seeming to have strong support, it suddenly dissolves and has none. In the depth of our
mind we will be able to swear to this certainty if we keep our mind dwelling very softly on
the collapse of this appearance. If our power of concentration is not good, we cannot do
this for long, but even a short moment is good. In that short moment, the vivid way
collapses, and just the negation of real existence is left. At that time there is no chance for
any other manifestation in our mind.

“By ceasing to conceive all the manifestations of subject and object, having no other
manifestation, keep in this shunyata, see, realize the nature of shunyata .” “Un-seeing is the
supreme seeing.” Therefore to keep our mind in this blankness, negation and shunyata, this
is called space-like meditation. Illusion-like meditation is for dealing with relative
phenomena from post-meditation, after shunyata meditation.

The twenty-third practice of the bodhisattva:

When we encounter something attractive which pleases the mind, to see
that it is like a rainbow in summer, and though it appears beautiful, not to
regard it as anything but ephemeral, and thus to abandon clinging and
attachment to it – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The purpose of realizing shunyata is to know the proper way of coping with existence.
When we realize it we see the true nature of all phenomena, their actual way of existing,
and then understand that our usual way of knowing them has been false and deluded.
When we realize the falsity, we know how to respond accordingly. If we know how to deal
with something that appears to be other than it is, then we won’t be deceived.

When we realize shunyata, this does not mean that we reject all appearances, and mentally
deny them. Its purpose is to stop this exaggeration of the object by ignorance when it
appears to our mind—imparting to it real existence—and thus stop strong attachment and
hatred. I believe that must be its purpose, which is certainly very bene cial. In space-like
meditation we meditate on shunyata, afterwards the idea is not to reject everything, but to
see everything without exaggeration, to stop strong desire and attachment. When we see
something attractive, but understand its true nature, this does not stop us seeing the
attractiveness but stops too strong an attachment to it. Attachment is always backed by
ignorance. So if we have realized the true nature of something rst, it makes a big difference
to our way of dealing with it.

So when we encounter an attractive object it becomes for us like a rainbow in summer, it

appears beautiful. It is relatively so, but we don’t see it as real. So the clinging to something
real will not arise. If we slowly lose this grasping of the object as real, attachment to it from
ignorance will not arise, “Whatever the kind of desire or hatred, it is accompanied by
deluded ignorance.” And from Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way, “Like
the sense organs of the body, ignorance is enclosed within us, and all the delusions which
exist can only be conquered by defeating ignorance.” Therefore, although an object appears
beautiful, as we see that it is unreal, impermanent, and this destroys our attachment. This is
a new way of abandoning attachment. Before we did so because it was impure, arousing
attachment, now we do so because it is unreal. If we can practice both this has great effect.

The rst way was temporary, suppressing, but not eradicating attachment. Seeing the false
nature of the object of attachment, and if we can have a strong certainty about, and see
clearly the true nature of the object, this will help greatly to stop attachment to it.

The twenty-fourth practice of the bodhisattva:

All sufferings are like the death of our son in a dream. To hold as real what is
illusory is tiring. Therefore, when we meet an unpleasant circumstance to see
it as illusory – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Hatred can arise from unpleasant circumstances or suffering. Therefore, if we see that such
suffering lacks real existence, see it as though it was only illusion, this will help to stop
hatred. Therefore to approach a circumstance in this way is a practice of the bodhisattva.

The twenty- fth practice of the bodhisattva:

One who wishes to attain buddhahood has to sacri ce even his own body,
which is the most precious and dif cult object to sacri ce. Other external
objects need also to be sacri ced. Giving (Skt: dana) is necessary, but
without looking for reward or fruit, such as being born in a rich family in the
 future. Therefore to give charity solely for the bene t of others – this is the
practice of the bodhisattva.

The twenty-sixth practice of the bodhisattva:

Someone who, without behaving morally, thinks he can help others is an
object of fun, since without sila he cannot even bring about his own well-
being. Therefore to keep moral standards without a samsaric wish or aim –
this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Even to achieve a better state of being in samsara depends fully on observance of sila,
which is the main cause of rebirth in more fortunate realms. Without sila one cannot even
for one’s own bene t attain a fortunate realm in samsara. And if we cannot even do this, it
is humorous to think of helping others without moral conduct. The object of the latter is
solely to bene t other sentient beings. If we do behave morally just to achieve a fortunate
realm, this is practice of Dharma, but not of the bodhisattva. The precept is, “I must help
sentient beings. Therefore, I must attain buddhahood to help them properly. Therefore I
must pursue many practices. I must therefore attain a precious opportunity to ful ll these
practices. Therefore to retain this precious human body for rebirth I practice moral
conduct.” Then such conduct is pure, without a samsaric aim, in order to attain
buddhahood.

Then there is patience or forbearance (ksanti):

The twenty-seventh practice of the bodhisattva:

To a Son of the Victorious One who wishes to have the wealth of merit, all
harmful circumstances are the same as precious treasure; to practice
patience without hatred towards anyone – this is the practice of the
bodhisattva.

This is an essential practice because it helps tri ing. Adverse circumstances are the same in
this way. If someone who is more powerful than we are imposes his will on us then our
forbearance is not the real thing, but when someone who is in many ways our inferior
harms us then when we practice forbearance, even if we have the power to ght back or
retaliate, this is the real kind. So to practice patience in all adverse circumstances is a
practice of a bodhisattva.

Energy or the right effort (vīrya):

The twenty-eight practice of the bodhisattva:

When we see how much energy is expended by Sravakas and
Pratyekabuddhas working to enlighten only themselves, then how much
more perseverance must be practiced by those who wish to liberate all
sentient beings – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The twenty-ninth practice of the bodhisattva:

This is the union of higher insight (into the true nature of reality) and single-
minded, one-pointed concentration. By knowing that it destroys delusion
completely, we should practice dhyana (beyond the four samsaric dhyanas
of formless realms) – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

We practice higher insight (or deep insight) in order to realize shunyata and thus cut the
root of samsara. To combine it with one-pointed concentration in meditation.

Wisdom with method (prajna):

The thirtieth practice of the bodhisattva:

Without method, the other ve perfections do not enable us to achieve fully
accomplished buddhahood. Therefore to practice prajna with method,
rejecting the pseudo-reality of the triad (the independent, permanent self-
existence of the actor, the act, the acted upon) is necessary. Without prajna
the practice of the other ve perfections is like blindness. With prajna, like
sight. Therefore it becomes a true cause of buddhahood. To attain this we
must have the union of prajna and method. What is the nature of prajna?
Seeing the triad – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The thirty- rst practice of the bodhisattva:

Other practices are required. If we don’t have self awareness, mindfulness,
we won’t evaluate our own shortcomings. If we don’t do this it is possible to
do something contrary to Dharma in the guise of a Dharma practitioner.
 Therefore we should constantly evaluate, judge our own faults, and abandon
them. We must be constantly mindful and watchful of our motives and
actions. We must watch our speech and mind. When we see that something
is going wrong, correct it immediately – this is the practice of the
bodhisattva.

The thirty-second practice of the bodhisattva:

Next there is the question of nding fault with, and criticizing others. If from
delusion we criticize the faults of bodhisattvas, we harm ourselves. If they
have entered Mahayana, it is wrong to criticize others’ faults, we should only
speak of our own – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

To speak about others’ faults is very dangerous. What we must look for are our own faults
in body, speech and mind, not the aws of others. In order to help others we can point out
their faults or mistakes. But if we criticize others, publicize their faults, nd fault, while
concealing our own faults, this is not a practice of the bodhisattva. If we do criticize others
this is generally bad, and especially wrong if the other person happens to be a bodhisattva.

As the First Dalai Lama says, “We must keep in mind the kindness of sentient beings in
general, and especially train ourselves in the right view of those who practice Dharma, and
defeat delusion, the enemy within.” Our duty then is to think of the kindness of others, to
have a good opinion, a pure view, and give them the bene t of the doubt. This is especially
true for those who criticize followers of Dharma, taking sectarian views of “them” and “us.”

All the great gurus who have founded the different traditions had good reasons, were
ful lling the prophecies of Buddha and his word, and wished for the enlightenment of all
sentient beings. We should bear this in mind and not act from delusions, which means
criticizing, rejecting and then becoming aggressive. If one acts like this it is a very bad and
unskillful deed in relation to Dharma.

There is a very precious story about the First Dalai Lama. He was very old and one day he
told his disciples that he was very disheartened. “What are you worrying about?” they said,
“it is prophesied that you will be reborn in Tushita.” He looked sadder still and said, “But
that’s the trouble, I want to be reborn in a worldly existence in order to go on helping
others.” These are true words of a bodhisattva. These phrases have a great meaning for us,
they are the essence of Mahayana Dharma. So remember the kindness of sentient beings,
don’t criticize Dharma followers; train your mind to take pure views.

The thirty-third practice of the bodhisattva:

Domestic quarrels about respect or things we feel are due to us interfere with
our practice of learning, contemplation, and meditation, so to abandon home
and friends, the house of patrons – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Even very great gurus, because of these worldly matters, have obtained a bad reputation in
this way. An example is Jamica Shepa, whose close relation with a king whose queen killed
another great guru got him criticized, however, unjustly, for not intervening in time.

All such involvements in worldly matters, offerings, status, surroundings, can give rise to
different kinds of trouble. And one’s practice of Dharma deteriorates in the process. Too
many worldly friends, patrons, possessions can produce bad consequences. As the
Bodhicaryavatara says, “Live everything at an ordinary level, without too much attachment
or clinging, unduly strong ties or relationships.” Therefore to abandon attachment to worldly
matters is a practice of a bodhisattva.

The thirty-fourth practice of the bodhisattva:

Harsh speech will disturb others’ minds and cause the practice of those who
wish to be bodhisattvas to decline. So to abandon harsh speech, which is
disagreeable to others – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

Hard words can easily arise in our life, but they are harmful to others and therefore very
much not the practice of a bodhisattva. If one gets into the habit of using harsh speech it is
dif cult to stop, so those who have a quick temper must watch themselves. Whenever
delusion arises, strike it down straight away, this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

The thirty- fth practice of the bodhisattva:

Therefore we should never get into the habit of delusion. Extinguish the
smallest ames, stop the oodwaters at their source, from their very
 beginning. There are times when we must use awareness as a sentinel,
holding the weapons of antidote against hatred, desire, and jealousy, and
strike them down from the outset – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

As is said in the Eight Verses on the Training the Mind, “In all actions may I watch my mind
and whenever delusion arises, by knowing it destroys me and others, may I extinguish it
from the very beginning!”

The thirty-sixth practice of the bodhisattva:

In short, whatever we do, to be someone who is mindful and aware of the
state of his mind, and to practice this for the welfare of others – this is the
practice of the bodhisattva.

So in all circumstances we must be mindful, so that nothing in us is secret, everything is

known. Therefore by paying attention whenever action in speech, mind or body arises
which is harmful to us and particularly to others, we must think, “I am a follower of the
bodhisattva path, of Mahayana Dharma, born in the Land of Snows, where the union of
paramitas and tantras has ourished. But I am also supposed to have a faith and will to
follow Mahayana, and have the opportunity to be guided by many precious gurus, and the
good fortune to hear their instructions. With all these opportunities, if I still have the will to
act badly this is deceiving the gurus and bodhisattvas, which would be absolutely wrong
and evil for myself.” We should therefore be particularly careful to safeguard ourselves
against these bad actions by constant mindfulness and awareness. As Shantideva says, “I
beseech you with clasped hands to be mindful in all your activities.” Therefore, with such a
character we must practice for the bene t of others, dedicate all our qualities, happiness,
abilities of body, speech and mind to the service of sentient beings. We should constantly
be nothing more than a servant of other sentient beings, and have nothing else to do than
work for their bene t.

The thirty-seventh practice of the bodhisattva:

All the merits we’ve accumulated by effort should be dedicated to eliminating
the suffering of mother sentient beings by the wisdom of seeing the “purity of
 the triad” (that dedicator, what is dedicated, and dedicatee lack real
existence) – this is the practice of the bodhisattva.

The merit we accumulate from these practices should then not be dedicated to our own
well-being, freedom from samsara, existence in higher realms and so on, but solely to the
attainment of buddhahood in order to relieve the suffering of others. We must also have the
wisdom to see the void of the existence of the triad. This constitutes the 37th practice.

So the main part is now nished. By following the teaching of sutras, tantras and Sastras, by
following the instructions of gurus, these thirty-seven practices have been written down for
the bene t of those who wish to follow the path.

Because of my weak knowledge and little learning, there is no ne language here to delight
the erudite. But being based on the teaching of the sutras and gurus I think they are free
from aws and therefore practices of a bodhisattva. My innate wisdom, like my learning, is
also weak, so it cannot please those with great ability. But because it is based on the sutras,
tantras and Sastras, and gurus’ instructions, I think these practices are true ones.

Then our author confesses:

But because the actual practices of the bodhisattvas are deep and vast, like
great waves they cannot be fathomed completely by one as ignorant as I, so
I must ask gurus to show forbearance for any contradictions, inconsistencies,
and repetitions, and to forgive my mistakes.

Then comes his dedication:

By the merit I have obtained from this work, may all sentient beings, by the
power relative and absolute bodhicitta, without remaining in the extremes of
samsara and nirvana, obtain full buddhahood like Avalokiteshvara.

Thus he dedicates all the power of merit of his composition to all sentient beings so that
they achieve relative composition to all sentient beings so that they achieve relative and
absolute bodhicitta. By absolute bodhicitta, freed from samsara, by relative bodhicitta from
nirvana, so by freedom from the two extremes may they obtain full buddhahood.

Thus it was composed by the Venerable Thogme Zangpo for the bene t of
himself and others in the cave of Rinchhen Pouk (Precious Cave) at
Ngwiltrichou. 

 NOTES

1
This verse was not discernable in the transcript. The translation given is from Transforming
Adversity into Joy and Courage, Geshe Jampa Tegchok, 1999, Snow Lion Publications,
Ithaca, NY. [Return to text]

A translation by Acaarya Nyima Tsering was published in Dharamsala by the Library of

Tibetan Works and Archives, 1995. A copy of this publication can be obtained here.

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TOPIC
Compassion and Bodhicitta > Mind Training (lo-jong)

ARTICLE TAGS
bodhisattva, bodhicitta, mind training (lojong), dharma practice, refuge, guru devotion, Tibet,
delusions

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