དཔལ་གྱ་སྡའ་རྟགས་པ་བརྗད་པ 30

30

that encompassed all sentient beings, and with a lion’s roar, he declared, ‘By attaining unsurpassed and perfect awakening, I must free sentient beings from such suffering!’

“In order to uplift his own mind that was wracked by such intense pain, the bodhisattva also said the following:

“ ‘Look at the world’s suffering, mind, and abandon your faults!
Be very steady and develop vastness in scope.
Be mentally stable in patient endurance so as to protect
These beings tormented by the pain of birth, aging, sickness, and death.’

And again he said:

“ ‘Alas, these poor sentient beings!
Because you are the cause for all beings
To cross over the ocean of saṃsāra,
It would be unreasonable for you
To not patiently endure such harms.’

“These were the ways the bodhisattva truly settled his mind and established a compassionate attitude toward all sentient beings. He thought to himself, ‘Alas! The suffering of beings who are stuck in saṃsāra is unbearable. For the sake of these beings in saṃsāra, by rejoicing in patiently enduring all saṃsāra’s suffering, may no sentient being have the misfortune of suffering!’

“Monks, the very instant the bodhisattva generated this mind of awakening, the pain produced by his body being sawed abruptly ceased. The bodhisattva wondered, ‘Why did the pain of my body being sawed in two cease? Did they stop sawing?’ He checked, but he could still see the saw. Having seen it, he felt extremely distressed and started to shake.

“Reading the king’s mind, Śakra, lord of the gods, said:

“ ‘King, why do you shake so,
Like a feeble, sickly person?
Look at how my body is cut in half,
Yet my mind is not shaken.

“ ‘You are renowned all over the earth
For saying that you give everything away.
So it doesn’t make sense to feel regret,
Or else your words would be lies.’

“ ‘Brahmin,’ responded the bodhisattva, ‘this is not why my body shakes. I have no regrets