Bodhicaryavatara 2

He speaks of spiritual urgency regarding sinful action:

And how do I escape from this? Rescue me swiftly!

"How" means in what manner? "From this" means from unwholesome karma. "Swiftly" means quickly. What is this haste of yours? He says:

Lest death arrive swiftly for me, whose sins are not yet exhausted! //

Until I have brought about the destruction of my sins, may death not come upon me; otherwise, there is fear of going to the bad realms.

Now, for you who have not brought about the complete destruction of your sins, what occasion is there for death? He says:

Death does not check what is done or undone; he is a killer of trust,
not to be relied on by healthy or sick, a sudden, great bolt of lightning. //

Death does not check: "This is done, this is yet undone." "Trust" means confidence; hence he is a killer. Nor should one trust thinking, "I am free from disease, young, or of a strong body." Why? "A sudden, great bolt of lightning" means like an unexpected lightning strike.

If there is such fear of sin, for what purpose then was it committed? He says:

For the sake of the pleasant and unpleasant, sin was committed in many ways.
Having abandoned everything, one must depart: this I did not realize. //

The pleasant is oneself and what is one's own; the unpleasant is what harms them. Desiring benefit and happiness for the pleasant, and the opposite for the unpleasant, sin was committed in many ways, with various kinds such as taking life and taking what is not given. But surely all this must soon be abandoned and one must depart; why then is useless sin accumulated? He says: "everything" and so on. Abandoning, leaving behind, everything, whether pleasant or unpleasant, one must depart. But this I, being bewildered, did not consider.

The unpleasant will not exist; my pleasant will not exist;
and I will not exist; and everything will not exist. //

What now remains standing? He says:

Whatever object is experienced, it turns into mere recollection;
like what was experienced in a dream, all that has gone is seen no more. //

"Whatever object" means a cause of happiness or a cause of suffering. "Is experienced" means is felt. How again is it so? He says: "like what was experienced in a dream." Just as what was perceived in a dream state, once vanished, is seen no more, and only mere recollection remains there.

Showing that likewise everything else associated with pleasant things and the like is impermanent even in this very life, he says:

Even as I remain right here, many pleasant and unpleasant people have departed;
but the sin committed for their sake stands terrible before me. //

"As I remain" means even as I sit watching. "Departed" means devoured by impermanence. If so, then will the sin committed for their sake also go along with them? He says: "committed for their sake" and so on. The sin committed for their sake, for the purpose of those pleasant people and the like, on the contrary stands right before me. That is, it will go along with me.

Now, even seeing this, why were you so infatuated? He says:

"Thus I am a transient guest"—this was not reflected upon by me;
through delusion, attraction, and aversion, sin was committed in many ways. //

"I belong to no one everywhere, no one belongs to me"—in this way it was not reflected upon, not examined by me. For that reason. "Attraction" means clinging to oneself and to what belongs to oneself. "Aversion" means hostility; one acts adversely toward that.

For you whose lifespan is very long, to last quite a while, what apprehension of death is there? So why are you afraid in this way? He says:

Day and night without pause, the expenditure of life increases,
and there is no addition of income; will I indeed not die? //

"Day and night." "The expenditure of life increases" means the conditioning factors of life diminish. "Without pause" means there is no interruption of expenditure even for an instant. "Income" means coming in, entering. And of that, of increase, not even a particle exists. Then, being so, will I indeed not die? Rather, even after staying for a long time, life culminates in death.

This may be so: will not those for whose sake sin was committed also be sharers at the time of experiencing the suffering of its result in the hells and so on? So why do you resort to a state of cowardice? To this he says, setting aside the other world for now:

Even lying on a bed here, even situated amidst relatives,
I alone must bear the sensation of cutting the vital parts and the like. //

"Here" means in this very life, when tormented by the suffering of the point of death and the like, even while placed in the midst of one's own people and retinue. "The sensation of cutting the vital parts and the like" means the suffering of thirst, burning of the limbs, and so forth must be borne by me alone. There, not even the smallest portion can belong to another.

How much more so in hell and the like? He says:

For one seized by the messengers of Yama, whence a relative, whence a friend?
Merit alone is protection then, and that was not cultivated by me. //

"For one seized by the messengers of Yama" means apprehended, bound by a noose around the neck, struck with clubs, his feet torn by rough gravel, thorns, and thickets in a desolate forest, being led helpless to the ground of experiencing karma. "Whence a relative, whence a friend" means no companions or protections are possible there. Only merit alone would be protection then. "And that was not cultivated by me" means that merit, serving as a protection, was not acquired by me.

Once again he expresses spiritual urgency regarding sin:

From attachment to impermanent life, not knowing this danger,
heedless, O Protectors, I have accumulated much sin! //

In unstable life. "From attachment" means from clinging. "Not knowing" means not seeing this coming danger of suffering in the hells and the like. "Heedless" means drunk with the intoxication of youth, beauty, wealth, sovereignty, and the like.

Why, moreover, are you so full of spiritual urgency? He says:

Even being led today to have a limb severed, he withers;
thirsty, with a miserable gaze, he sees the world entirely otherwise. //

This suffering of having hands, feet, and the like severed is very slight compared to the suffering of hell; yet even there such a state occurs. "He withers" means he completely dries up. "Thirsty" means afflicted with thirst. "With a miserable gaze" means with a pitiable gaze. "Entirely otherwise" means inverted.

He speaks of the extremity of the suffering of hell:

How much more when seized by messengers of Yama of terrifying form,
seized by the fever of great terror, smeared with discharged feces, //

and seeking refuge in the four directions with frightened glances!

"Of terrifying form" means of frightful appearance. "Seized" means overpowered. "Fever of great terror": seized, meaning gripped, by that. "Feces" is excrement; its "discharge" is emission; "smeared" with that means coated. "Frightened" means miserable. "Seeking refuge in the four directions": he states how this is—

"What good being will become a refuge for me from this great terror?" //

"Good being": one who is unconditionally compassionate. "Refuge": a protector.

Seeing the directions empty of refuge, fallen once more into bewilderment,
what shall I do then in that place of great terror? //

Even so, when he does not see any refuge anywhere, then owing to the absence of refuge, "fallen once more into bewilderment—what shall I do then," at that time, being incapable of any actions, "in that place," in the hell realm of Pratāpana and the like?

Therefore, it is appropriate to apply the remedy right now; thus he says:

This very day I go for refuge to the protectors of the world, endowed with great power,
who strive to protect the world, the Conquerors who dispel all terror, //

"The protectors of the world": the guides who serve as a place of all comfort and cessation. "Endowed with great power" means having unimpeded capability everywhere. "Who strive to protect the world" means who strive to save all sentient beings. If one might ask, "Even so, if terror is not pacified by taking recourse to refuges, then what is the point of going for refuge?" To this he says: "who dispel all terror," meaning who remove all calamity.

He states taking refuge in the Dharma and the Saṃgha:

And with devotion I go for refuge to the Dharma realized by them,
which destroys the fear of cyclic existence, and likewise to the host of bodhisattvas. //

"By them": by the Buddhas, the Bhagavats. "Realized": directly perceived. "Dharma": the meaning is nirvāṇa. "Which destroys the fear of cyclic existence": because it is the antidote to all afflictions. "With devotion" means with supreme faith, not with deceit, fraud, or doubt. "To the host of bodhisattvas": to the Saṃgha. "Likewise": with devotion.

Now, offering himself to the bodhisattvas according to their prominence, he says:

Terrified with fear, I give myself to Samantabhadra,
and again, of my own accord, I give myself to Mañjughoṣa. //

"To Samantabhadra": to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. "I give myself": I surrender. "Terrified with fear": agitated by the fear of the hells and the like. "And again, to Mañjughoṣa": to Mañjunātha. "Of my own accord" means not impelled by another; the meaning is with a mind that is itself full of faith.

And to that protector Avalokita, whose conduct is overwhelmed by compassion,
frightened, I cry out a distressed cry: "May he protect me, a sinner!" //

"To Ārya Avalokiteśvara." "Whose conduct is overwhelmed by compassion": one whose behavior and nature are overwhelmed by compassion; this is a modifier of that very [protector]. "I cry out": I make a cry. "A distressed cry" is an adverbial modifier; a tone afflicted, miserable, and frightened. "Frightened": terrified by the fruit of sinful karma. "May that Lord Avalokita protect me, a sinner": may he save me who have committed sins.

Seeking refuge, with devotion I cry out
to noble Ākāśagarbha, to Kṣitigarbha, and to all the greatly compassionate ones. //

To noble Ākāśagarbha, the bodhisattva; and to Kṣitigarbha, the bodhisattva. "I cry out" connects with the subsequent words. "And to all the greatly compassionate ones": those also who are not mentioned by name, to them too, the supremely compassionate ones who suffer at the suffering of others.

At the mere sight of whom the wicked messengers of Yama and the rest
flee in terror in the four directions, to that Vajra-wielder I bow. //

At the mere sight of whom the messengers of Yama and the rest—by the word "the rest," other wicked ones too such as yakṣas and rākṣasas—being terrified, flee, meaning go far away. "To him I bow": I pay homage. "To the Vajra-wielder": he has a vajra, so to the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi. Thus, through this taking of refuge and the like, the power of reliance has been shown for the purpose of the destruction of sin. As it is said in the Caturdharmakasūtra:

"Therein, the power of reliance is going for refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha, and not abandoning the awakening mind. With this powerful reliance, one cannot be overcome by sin."

In order to dispel the doubt of a change of mind again, he says:

Having transgressed your word, now, seeing fear,
frightened, I go to you for refuge; quickly destroy my fear! //

"Transgressed": violated your command. "Now": at this time. "Seeing fear": because upon transgressing it, one sees the occurrence of an undesirable result. "Frightened"—terrified of the undesirable result—"I go to you for refuge." Therefore, doubt of a change of mind should not be entertained again. Therefore, "destroy fear": remove the fear arising from previously committed sin. "Quickly": swiftly. "My" is to be supplied.

Objection: "Even so, who will believe it from your word alone?" With this apprehension, he demonstrates firmness regarding this matter once more:

Afraid even of a passing illness, one would not disregard the physician's word;
how much less when afflicted by four hundred and four illnesses! //

"Passing" means ephemeral, perishable, not lasting long; or slight. And that is an illness; therefore, out of fear [of that], "one would not disregard the physician's word": one would not violate the physician's instruction, [thinking], "May this illness of mine not increase!" "How much less": how much more would one not disregard [it] when afflicted by hundreds of illnesses? "By four hundred and four": meaning by four hundred increased by four. There are one hundred untimely deaths, and one timely death—thus one hundred and one deaths. And each of these is caused by wind, bile, phlegm, and their combination, and thus there are four hundred and four. In this way, there is difference of effect from difference of cause, and the determination of difference of cause from difference of effect.

Objection: "Even so, what cause of fear is there in this world that does not exist?" He says:

Since even by a single one, all men in Jambudvīpa
perish, and a medicine for them is not found in any direction! //

Because even by a single agitated disease all men—living beings—dwelling in Jambudvīpa perish and die. Furthermore, no medicine or cure for these diseases is found anywhere. Here, the story of King Padmaka of Kāśī should be cited. As is recounted: Practicing the conduct of awakening in a past time, this very Blessed One became the king of Kāśī named Padma. At that time, all the people of Jambudvīpa were afflicted by a great disease and were dying. They considered: "Our lord, the king, is supremely compassionate; he will provide a remedy. Let us inform him of our suffering." Having decided thus, they assembled and disclosed their suffering to the king, saying: "O Great King! Even though you, our master and supreme well-wisher, are present, this is our condition." The king, his heart overcome with compassion, unable to bear their suffering, ordered the physicians: "Quickly remove the torment of their illness!" Agreeing with "So be it," they examined the medical treatises, and finding no other medicine than the fresh flesh of a rohita fish, they reported this to the king. Such is the detailed story. This jātaka is cited as an illustration of cyclic existence.

Yet I transgress the word of the omniscient physician,
who removes every dart. Fie upon me, utterly deluded!

"Who removes every dart" means who extracts numerous physical and mental darts. He reproaches himself: "Fie upon me, utterly deluded!" The meaning is: Even knowing this, if I turn away from the command of the Tathāgata, then there is no end to my delusion; I am contemptible.

He states why this is so:

I remain exceedingly heedful even at ordinary precipices;
what then of a precipice of a thousand leagues, lasting a long time?

"At ordinary precipices" means at smaller precipices, such as on mountains, where the suffering would consist merely of broken bones or mere death. "What then of a precipice of a thousand leagues": it has a measure of a thousand leagues, thus formed with the affix aṇ. The meaning is: at a precipice of many thousands of leagues, such as the Avīci hell. "Lasting a long time": where the exhaustion of the lifespan takes intermediate kalpas and the like.

Saying: "Without seeing immediate death, why do you abandon taking your ease due to causeless cowardice?", he says:

Death will not come this very day—taking my ease is not fitting for me.
That time will inevitably come when I shall cease to be.

"Inevitably" means this is certain.

He explains why fear is nonetheless appropriate, answering [the objection] that it is not fitting:

Who has granted me fearlessness? Or how shall I escape?
I will inevitably cease to be; why is my mind at ease?

The meaning is: What good person has granted me fearlessness, saying "Do not fear!", whereby I might dwell without fear? Or else, if there were a means of escape, even then fear might be unfitting; but even that does not exist. "Or how shall I escape" from that suffering? "I will inevitably cease to be": for the Blessed One has said that all life ends in death.

He says: Even in this way, taking my ease is not fitting for me:
What essence has remained for me from those things previously experienced and vanished,
clinging to which I transgressed the word of the gurus?

"Clinging to" means attached to. "Of the gurus" means of the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and spiritual friends.

He says: Therefore, it is proper for me to keep this in mind day and night:

Abandoning this world of the living, as well as relatives and acquaintances,
I shall go somewhere all alone. What is the use to me of all friends and foes?

"World of the living" means the world of sentient beings, characterized by this disparate state of humans and so forth. "All alone" means without a companion. "Somewhere" means to an uncertain place.

At that time, this thought alone is fitting for me day and night:
Suffering arises inevitably from bad deeds. How may I escape from that?

"From bad deeds" means from unwholesome karma. "From that" means from bad deeds.

Now, with firm conviction regarding the connection between actions performed and their fruits, he undertakes the confession of transgressions with great commitment, saying:

Whatever evil has been amassed by me, foolish and confused,
both what is blameworthy by nature and what is blameworthy by prohibition,

All that I confess, standing before the Protectors,
with palms joined, terrified of suffering, bowing down again and again.

May the Guides accept my transgression as a transgression!

"By me, foolish" means unlearned. "Confused" means blinded by delusion. "Whatever" means by body, speech, or mind. "Blameworthy by nature" has the nature of the ten unwholesome actions, such as taking life. "Blameworthy by prohibition" is what was prohibited by the Blessed One only for those who have taken vows, having the form of untimely eating and the like. "I confess" gives rise to vocal intimation. "With palms joined" is bodily intimation. "Bowing down again and again" indicates extreme mental spiritual urgency. That by which one enters excessively into hells and the like is a "transgression" (atyaya), unwholesome karma. "May they accept that as a transgression"—as a fault; may they know, see, and recognize that it has been disclosed by me with an unobscured mind, the intention being that I have no concealment here.

In order to dispel the apprehension of falling again, undertaking the restraint not to do it again, he says: "It is not good," and so forth.

This was not good, O Protectors! I shall not do it again.

What is not cherished by the noble and praised by the wise is called not good, blameworthy, and ignoble action. From this day forward, knowing and seeing, deliberately and with full reflection, it is not to be done by me again. The meaning is: In the future, I will commit to the restraint not to do it again. And this will be made clear in the context of setting in motion the three heaps [Bodhicaryāvatāra 5.98–99].

Thus concludes the second chapter, called "The Confession of Evil," in the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā composed by Prajñākaramati.

Chapter Three: Taking Up the Awakening Mind.

Now, immediately after the confession of evil, he teaches rejoicing in merit:

I rejoice with delight in the merit done by all sentient beings
which brings relief from the suffering of the bad realms; may those who suffer abide in happiness! //

Those who are exhausted from experiencing suffering in destinies such as hell, having attained the ripening of good deeds and obtained happiness, find rest for some time. "I rejoice with serene faith": with a serene mind I exult. Rejoicing is also threefold: by mind, by body, and by speech. In that regard, with a serene mind one exults mentally; physically, experiencing horripilation, shed tears, trembling of the limbs, and so forth; and verbally, with an exultant intention, uttering speech of such a kind as: "Well done! Splendidly done!" "May those who suffer abide in happiness": may that purpose also for which that action was performed by them be accomplished for them—this is the intention.

Having rejoiced in mundane action, rejoicing in the supramundane, he says:

I rejoice in the release of embodied beings from the suffering of cyclic existence,
and I rejoice in the bodhisattvahood and buddhahood of the protectors. //

"Release from suffering": this refers to the awakening of hearers or the awakening of solitary realizers; or, the mind generated for that purpose is spoken of as such. In that case, it encompasses all three awakenings. "Of embodied beings": of living creatures. "The state of a bodhisattva and the state of a buddha": the state of a bodhisattva is the causal stage of the Blessed Ones, and the state of a buddha is the resultant stage. "Of the protectors": of those who teach the path they have realized themselves; as it is said: "Protection is the declaration of the path seen by oneself"; thus, those who possess this [are protectors]. Alternatively, protection refers to the continuity of being: of those who abide until the end of cyclic existence through non-abiding nirvāṇa.

Rejoicing in the merit of the bodhisattvas, he says:

And I rejoice in the oceans of the generation of the awakening mind that bring happiness to all sentient beings, / and in those who bring benefit to all sentient beings, who are instructors. //

"Oceans of the generation of the awakening mind": occurring moment by moment, like oceans due to their boundlessness and unfathomability—these. Of what kind? "That bring happiness to all sentient beings": they bring happiness to all sentient beings, meaning that their nature is solely inclined toward that single taste. "In those who bring benefit to all sentient beings": who effect benefit. "Of the instructors": instruction is teaching, which is the practice of the means to buddhahood, by metaphorical transfer because it is intended for that purpose. Those who possess that are the instructors, the bodhisattvas. As it is said:

"Instruction is considered to be just this practice of the means, because it is meant for that purpose."

Alternatively: "instructors" are those whose nature is to instruct. For bodhisattvas, having gathered beings through the means of gathering such as generosity, guide them onto the genuine path.

Up to this point, rejoicing has been explained. Explaining the supplication, he says:

With palms joined in reverence, I beseech the fully awakened ones in all directions: / let them kindle the lamp of the dharma for those falling into suffering out of delusion! //

"Let them kindle the lamp of the dharma": for sentient beings obscured by the darkness of ignorance, lacking knowledge of the distinction between path and non-path, let them provide the light that consists of the teaching of the dharma.

Up to this point, supplication has been explained. Showing the petition, he says:

And with palms joined in reverence, I petition the Conquerors who wish to pass into nirvāṇa: / may they remain for boundless eons, lest this world become blind! //

Those who, having done what was to be done, intend to pass into complete nirvāṇa: I petition them to remain for boundless eons. "Lest it become blind": as before, lest it become unconscious due to ignorance of the path. Through this also, petition is stated.

Immediately after the petition, he now states the dedication:

Having performed all this, whatever good has been attained by me, / through that may I bring complete relief from all suffering for all sentient beings. //

"Having performed all this": having done and completed all this—worship, confession of bad deeds, rejoicing in merit, and so on—in the manner explained; "whatever good": virtuous deed "has been attained": obtained "by me"; "through that": through that good, "may I": might I "bring complete relief from all suffering for all sentient beings": may I become capable of pacifying every single misfortune for all living beings.

Having thus dedicated [merit] in general, he speaks again in detail:

May I be medicine for the sick, and may I be the physician, / and also their attendant, until the non-recurrence of disease. //

"Through that" should be connected everywhere as appropriate. "For the sick": for those afflicted by illness. "Medicine": a remedy. "Physician": a healer. "Their attendant": the caregiver of that sick person. "Until the non-recurrence of disease": until there is the cessation of illness.

May I destroy the pain of hunger and thirst with rains of food and drink; / may I become food and drink during intermediate eons of famine. //

"Hunger" is the desire to eat. "Thirst" is the desire to drink. "The pain of them": pain caused by the two. "May I destroy": may I put an end to that. "With rains of food and drink": with the continuous supply of food and drink. "During intermediate eons of famine": as it is said:

"The end of an eon occurs through weapons, illness, and famine."

There, when the lifespan of creatures is ten years, at the end of the intermediate eon, destruction through famine manifests for seven years, seven months, and seven days; as it is said:

"The end of an eon occurs through weapons, illness, and famine, / for seven days, [seven] months, and [seven] years respectively."

So it is said.

There, because of the absence of food and drink, their food is only eating one another's flesh and bones. Even failing to obtain that, some die from lack of food. There, may I become food and drink.

And may I be an inexhaustible treasure for destitute beings; / may I attend upon them in their presence with various forms of necessities. //

"For the destitute": for those lacking wealth. "Inexhaustible": that which is not depleted even when wealth is continually drawn from it. "With various forms of necessities": beds, seats, clothing, food, ornaments, unguents, and whatever else beings desire—in the form of those various kinds of necessities, may I myself attend upon, that is, stand present before, in the presence of, those destitute beings. And this dedication is explained in detail in the noble Vajradhvajasūtra. There this is said:

"Dedicating those roots of virtue, he dedicates them in this way: 'By this root of virtue, may I become a shelter for all sentient beings by dispelling the entire aggregate of suffering; may I become a protection for all sentient beings by liberating them from all afflictions; may I become a refuge for all sentient beings by guarding them from all fears; may I become a recourse for all sentient beings by guiding them through all the grounds; may I become the supreme goal for all sentient beings by bringing about ultimate peace and security; may I become a light for all sentient beings by revealing clear gnosis; may I become a torch for all sentient beings by dispelling the dark blindness of ignorance!' and so on at length. Having said this, he says this again: 'There, he dedicates out of resolute intention, not merely in words. And he dedicates with an uplifted mind; he dedicates with a gladdened mind; he dedicates with a clear mind; he dedicates with an ecstatic, affectionate mind; he dedicates with a loving mind, an affectionate mind, a benevolent mind, a mind aimed at welfare, a mind aimed at happiness'—and so on at length."

Now, performing the relinquishment of bodily existence and so forth, he says:

My personal bodies, likewise my possessions, and all my virtue throughout the three times
I abandon without attachment for the sake of accomplishing the welfare of all beings. //

"Personal bodies" means all bodies in the deaths and rebirths of every destiny. "Without attachment" means without clinging in any manner; this is the meaning. "I abandon" means I cast off; I give away, is the meaning. "Possessions" means enjoyable objects: horses, elephants, chariots, palaces, and the rest; base substances such as garlands, sandalwood, clothing, ornaments, maidens, and so forth. "All virtue throughout the three times" means what is comprised within the entire three realms, consisting in its intrinsic nature of merit and the unshakeable; or else what is produced from generosity, ethical discipline, and the rest, as well as what consists of cultivation. "Throughout the three times" means past, future, and present. One might object: what is this renunciation of the future, which is non-existent in its intrinsic nature? True. But this is said in order to prevent attachment there at the time when it arises, because it is relinquished right now, and in order to increase the purity of one's disposition. He says just this: "without attachment." One is without expectation of its karmic fruition for one's own sake. For what purpose is this undertaken? He says: "for the sake of accomplishing the welfare of all beings." For the realization of the welfare—characterized by higher rebirth and definite excellence—of all beings living in the three realms. The renunciation of past and future virtue is stated in the noble Akṣayamatisūtra, as it is said:

"And recollection of wholesome mental states and mental factors, and having recollected them, dedicating them to awakening—this is skillfulness regarding the past. That examination of future roots of virtue, the application and mindfulness toward awakening: 'Whatever wholesome arisings of mind shall arise, all those I will dedicate to unexcelled, complete and perfect awakening'—this is skillfulness regarding the future"; and so forth in detail. Having fulfilled the aspiration to give up everything, through the force of the mind of renunciation, by that physical exertion, with all possessions cast off, freed from the suffering of existence rooted in all possessiveness—such a one is said to be liberated; and so forth in detail.

Now, refuting avarice [which thinks], "Surely it is appropriate to protect something even for one's own sake," he says:

And the abandonment of all is nirvāṇa, and my mind desires nirvāṇa.
If everything must be given up by me, it is best that it be given to sentient beings. //

"Nirvāṇa" is the liberation from all contaminated personal bodies and the rest. "And my mind desires that," my intellect desires that. "If must be given up": if at the time of nirvāṇa everything such as personal bodies must inevitably be relinquished and departed from by me, then "it is best that it be given to sentient beings"; what is the use of holding onto it, which is the cause of avarice? This is the meaning.