Bodhicaryavatara 1.34

1.34

yata evam, tasmācchubhaṃ puṇyaṃ durbalaṃ sāmarthyavikalameva, vidyudunmeṣaprāyatvāt ati kṛśam / nityaṃ sarvakālam / kasya tarhi atiśayavad balamastītyāha- balaṃ tviti / sāmarthyaṃ punaraśubhasya mahat, meghaghanāndhakārasadṛśattvāttasya / sughoramatibhayaṃkaraṃ narakādiduḥkhadāyakatvāt, sudurjayatvācca / bhavatu nāma mahat sāmarthyamasya, tathāpi tadapareṇa balavatā puṇyena jeṣyate, tathā ca na kācit kṣatiriti, āha- tadityādi / tat tādṛśaṃ mahāsāmarthyaṃ jīyate abhibhūyate / anyena itareṇa / kena? na kenāpītyarthaḥ / kutaḥ punarevamucyate? saṃbodhītyādi / samyaksaṃbodhau buddhatve yaccittaṃ sarvasattvasamuddharaṇābhiprāyeṇa tatprāptyarthamadhyāśayena manasikāraḥ / tadyadi nāma na bhavet, mahāsāmarthyaṃ hi tadapareṇa mahīyasā parājīyate sūryeṇeva niśāndhakāraḥ / na ca saṃbodhicittāt pratipakṣo mahīyānaparaḥ saṃbhavati / tasmāt tatpratighātāya saṃbodhicittameva upādeyaṃ nānyadityabhiprāyaḥ //

Since this is so, therefore virtue, merit, is always weak, entirely lacking in power, exceedingly feeble because it is mostly like a flash of lightning. "Always" means at all times. What then possesses extraordinary power? He says: "but the power," and so forth. But the strength of evil is great, because it is like pitch darkness thick with clouds. "Exceedingly terrifying" means extremely frightening, because it bestows the sufferings of hell and so forth, and because it is very difficult to overcome. Let it be granted that it has great power, yet it will be conquered by another strong virtue, and so there is no harm done. To this he says: "that," and so forth. That, such great power, is conquered, overcome. "By another": by a different [virtue]. By what? The meaning is: by none whatsoever. Why, then, is this said? "Complete awakening," and so on. In complete awakening, in Buddhahood, whatever mind—an intentional mental engagement aimed at attaining it with the purpose of delivering all sentient beings—if that indeed were not to exist. For great power is defeated by another that is greater, just as the darkness of night is defeated by the sun. And no other antidote greater than the complete awakening mind exists. Therefore, to counteract it, only the complete awakening mind is to be adopted and nothing else—this is the intention.