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Translation of བྱང་ཆབ་སམས་དཔའ་སྤྱད་པ་ལ་འཇག་པ (བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ)

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English
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79 passages, 26,703 words
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pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.sanskrit.marga.bodhicaryavatara*bo · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

Contents

Text

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Engaging in the Bodhisattva Conduct.

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In the language of India: Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra. In the language of Tibet: Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa (Engaging in the Bodhisattva Conduct).
Homage to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Respectfully bowing to the Sugatas endowed with the dharmakāya, along with their sons,
And to all those worthy of homage,
I shall explain concisely according to scripture
The engagement in the discipline of the sons of the Sugatas.
There is nothing stated here that has not been said before,
Nor do I possess skill in composition;
Therefore, I have no intention to benefit others;
I have composed this only to cultivate my own mind.
Through this, the force of my own faith
May temporarily increase in order to cultivate virtue;
And if someone else of equal fortune
Should happen to see this, it may prove meaningful.
These freedoms and advantages are extremely difficult to obtain;
Having attained the means to achieve human aims,
If one does not accomplish benefit in this [life],

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How will such an endowment ever be gained again?
Just as a flash of lightning illuminates the darkness for an instant
Within the dense black clouds of the night,
Likewise, through the power of the Buddha,
A virtuous intention occasionally arises in the world for a moment.
Thus, virtue is always frail and weak,
While the power of sin is colossal and extremely terrible.
Aside from the perfect bodhicitta,
What other virtue can overcome it?
Having deeply considered it for many kalpas,
The lords of sages have seen that this alone is beneficial.
By this, immeasurable assemblies of beings
Easily attain supreme happiness.
Those who wish to overcome the hundreds of sufferings of existence,
Who wish to dispel the unhappiness of sentient beings,
And who wish to experience many hundreds of joys,
Should never abandon bodhicitta.
When bodhicitta has arisen, in that very instant,
Wretched beings bound in the prison of saṃsāra
Are spoken of as sons of the Sugatas,
And become objects of homage for gods and humans in the world.

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Like the supreme alchemical elixir,
It takes this impure body and transforms it
Into the priceless jewel of the Jina's form;
Therefore, firmly seize that which is called bodhicitta!
Because the sole captain of migrating beings, whose wisdom is limitless,
Thoroughly analyzed and perceived its great value,
Those wishing to be free from the states of migrating beings
Must firmly grasp the jewel of bodhicitta!
All other virtues, just like the plantain tree,
Perish having produced their fruit;
Whereas the wish-fulfilling tree of bodhicitta
Incessantly bears fruit and ever flourishes.
Even if one has committed the most unbearable sins,
Just as one relies on a hero when facing great danger,
One is instantly freed by relying upon this;
Why do the heedful not rely upon it?
Like the fire at the end of a cosmic age,
It surely burns away great sins in a single moment.
Its immeasurable benefits
Were explained by the wise Lord Maitreya to Sudhana.
In brief, that bodhicitta
Should be understood to be of two types:
Aspiring bodhicitta,
And engaging bodhicitta.
Just as one knows the distinction
Between wishing to go and actually traveling,
So too the wise should understand the distinction
Between these two in due order.
Although great results in saṃsāra arise
From aspiring bodhicitta,
It does not bring about a continuous stream of merit
In the way engaging bodhicitta does.
From that moment when,
In order to thoroughly liberate the boundless realms of sentient beings,
One genuinely undertakes that mind
With an irreversible resolve,
From that time onward, whether sleeping
Or heedless, an unbroken flow of merit,
Abundant and vast,
Arises equal to the sky.
This was reasonably

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Spoken by the Tathāgata himself
In the Subāhuparipṛcchā
For the sake of sentient beings who have lower inclinations.
If even one who thinks,
"May I relieve sentient beings of a simple headache!"
Possesses a mind of beneficial intent
And is endowed with immeasurable merit,
What need is there to speak of one
Who desires to dispel the immeasurable distress of every single sentient being,
And desires to accomplish for each of them
Immeasurable qualities?
Do even a father or mother
Possess such an attitude of benefit?
Do even gods and ṛṣis possess it?
Does even Brahmā have it?
If those sentient beings themselves
Have never dreamed of such a thought
For their own sake in the past,
How could it arise for the sake of others?
This jewel of the mind, which does not arise
In other beings even for their own sake,
An intention for the benefit of sentient beings,
Is an unprecedented, marvelous birth!
The cause of joy for all migrating beings,
The medicine for the suffering of sentient beings—
How could one ever measure
The merit of this jewel of the mind?
If the mere thought to benefit
Is superior to offering to the Buddhas,
What need is there to mention striving
For the happiness of all sentient beings without exception?
Though having the wish to cast away suffering,
They rush headlong toward suffering itself;
Though desiring happiness, through delusion
They destroy their own happiness as if it were an enemy.
For those who are destitute of happiness
And possess abundant suffering,
One who satisfies them with all happiness,
Cuts through all their suffering,
And dispels their delusion—
Where is there a virtue equal to that?
Where is there even such a friend?
Where is there even such merit?
If one who repays a past favor
Is already worthy of praise,
What need is there to mention the bodhisattva
Who does good without being asked?
One who prepares ordinary food for a few migrating beings,

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Merely giving food for a moment,
Or disdainfully feeding them for half a day,
Is respected by people as a virtuous benefactor;
What need is there to mention one who constantly bestows
The unexcelled bliss of the Sugatas,
Fulfilling all mental aspirations
For an infinite number of sentient beings throughout vast time?
The Sage taught that whoever generates
An evil thought toward such a benefactor, a son of the Jina,
Will remain in hell for as many kalpas
As the number of evil thoughts generated.
However, if one develops a deeply faithful mind,
Its fruit will increase even more than that.
Even under great stress, sons of the Jinas
Do not produce sin, and virtue naturally flourishes.
I bow down to the body of anyone
In whom that sacred jewel of the mind has arisen;
I take refuge in that source of happiness,
In whom even doing harm results in connection to happiness.
This completes the first chapter, The Explanation of the Benefits of Bodhicitta, from Engaging in the Bodhisattva Conduct.
In order to grasp that precious mind,
I make exquisite offerings to the Tathāgatas,
To the immaculate jewel of the true Dharma,
And to the sons of the Buddhas, who are oceans of good qualities.
As many flowers and fruits as there are,
Whatever forms of medicines there are,
Whatever jewels exist in the world,
And whatever pure, pleasing waters there are;
Likewise, precious mountains,
Forest lands that are secluded and delightful,
Trees adorned and decorated with blossoms,
And branches bent low with fine fruit;
And also, in the realms of gods and others, scents,
Incense, wish-fulfilling trees, jewel trees,
Crops that grow unplowed,
And other ornaments worthy of offering;
Lakes and ponds adorned with lotuses,
With swans exceedingly

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with pleasant, charming voices. / As far as the ends of the vast realms of space reach, / having mentally gathered all those things without an owner, / I offer them fully to the lord of sages, highest of beings, / together with his sons. / May the sublime recipients of gifts, the greatly compassionate ones, / think lovingly of me and accept these of mine. / Having no merit, I am exceedingly destitute / and possess no other wealth for offerings. / Therefore, protectors whose thought is the welfare of others, / through your own power, please accept this for my sake! / To the Jinas and their sons / I offer my entire body forever. / Supreme beings, please accept me fully! / With devotion, I shall become your servant. / Since I am fully accepted by you, / I will benefit sentient beings without fear in existence, / I will completely transcend previous sins, / and I will commit no other sins henceforth. / In a bath house permeated with fragrance, / with clear and shining crystal floors, / adorned with lovely columns blazing with jewels, / and draped with a radiant canopy of pearls, / with many precious vases filled with delightful, sweet-scented water, / to the accompaniment of songs and music, / I request the Tathāgatas and their sons to take a bath. / I dry their bodies with matchless cloths, / immaculate and scented with supreme perfumes. / Then I offer to them sublime robes, / richly scented and beautifully dyed. / With a variety of fine, delicate, soft garments / and hundreds of supreme ornaments, / I adorn the noble Samantabhadra, Mañjughoṣa, / Avalokiteśvara, and the rest. / With supreme scents whose fragrant perfume / wafts through the entire billionfold universe, / I anoint the bodies of all the lords of sages, / blazing with light like refined, cleansed, and polished gold.

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To the lords of sages, the supreme objects of worship, / I offer delightful māndārava flowers, lotuses, / utpalas, and all fragrant flowers, / and well-arranged, lovely garlands. / I also offer to them clouds of incense / whose alluring sweet fragrance pervades everywhere. / I offer to them divine foods, / an assortment of meals, food, and drink. / I also offer precious lamps / arranged upon golden lotuses. / Upon the smoothed ground anointed with incense, / I scatter delightful loose flowers. / Immeasurable celestial palaces echoing with charming hymns of praise, / radiant and adorned with hanging strings of pearls and jewels, / which adorn the sky— / these too I offer to those of compassionate nature. / Beautiful parasols adorned with jewels, with golden handles, / whose rims are adorned with lovely ornaments, / elegantly shaped and graceful to behold— / these too I continually offer raised up to the lords of sages. / In addition, may an assembly of offerings, / accompanied by pleasant music and sweet melodies / that alleviate the suffering of sentient beings, / abide continuously as distinct clouds! / May a rain of precious gems, flowers, and the like / fall unceasingly / upon all the jewels of the true Dharma, / the stūpas, and the images! / Just as Mañjughoṣa and the others / made offerings to the Jinas, / so do I make offerings to the Tathāgatas, / the protectors, along with their sons. / To the oceans of virtues, / I sing praise with oceans of melodic branches. / May those clouds of melodious praises / truly arise everywhere! / To all the Buddhas who have gone in the three times, / to the Dharma, and to the supreme Saṅgha, / with bodies bowed down, numbering as many / as the atoms of all fields, I pay homage. / To the foundations of bodhicitta

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and to the stūpas I pay homage. / To the preceptors, the teachers, / and to the supreme practitioners of asceticism I pay homage. / Until I attain the heart of awakening, / I take refuge in the Buddhas; / likewise, I take refuge in the Dharma / and in the assembly of bodhisattvas. / To the perfectly enlightened Buddhas and the bodhisattvas / residing in all directions, / who possess great compassion, / joining my palms, I pray: / In beginningless saṃsāra, / in this lifetime or in other lifetimes, / whatever sin I have unwittingly committed, / or caused others to commit, / or, overcome by delusion and error, / whatever I have rejoiced in, / having perceived that fault, / from the depths of my heart, I confess it to the protectors. / Whatever harm I have caused with body, speech, and mind / driven by afflictions / toward the Three Jewels, / parents, or spiritual masters, / and whatever extremely terrible sin / I, a sinner stained by many faults, have committed, / I confess it all to the guides. / Before my sins are purified, / I may well die; / therefore, please protect me swiftly / so that I may definitely be freed from this! / The unreliable Lord of Death / does not wait for what is done or left undone; / whether sick or healthy, / no one can rely on this fleeting life. / Leaving everything behind, I must depart; / not knowing this, / for the sake of friends and foes, / I committed various sins. / Foes will turn to nothing; / friends will turn to nothing; / I too will turn to nothing; / likewise, everything will turn to nothing. / Just as in the experience of a dream, / whatever thing is enjoyed / becomes merely an object of memory; / all that has passed away

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is seen no more. / Even in this brief lifetime, / many friends and foes have passed away. / Whatever terrible sin was committed for their sake / stands right before me. / Thus, failing to realize / that I am merely transient, / out of delusion, attachment, and aversion, / I committed many sins. / Without pause day or night, / this life is constantly diminishing; / with no addition coming from elsewhere, / how could someone like me not die? / Even while I lie in bed, / surrounded by all my relatives and friends, / the sensations of the severance of life / will be experienced by me alone. / When seized by the messengers of Yama, / of what use are relatives, of what use are friends? / At that time only merit provides protection, / yet I did not cultivate it. / O protectors, heedless as I was, / not knowing of such terror, / for the sake of this impermanent life / I accumulated many sins. / When a person is led today / to the place where their limbs will be severed, / they are terrified; / with parched mouth, dreadful eyes, and the like, / they appear entirely changed from before. / What need is there to speak of the intense misery / when seized by the messengers of Yama, / possessing dreadful bodily forms, / and stricken with great illness and terror? / 'Who will properly protect me / from this great terror?' / With eyes wide and wild with terror, / I will search for refuge in the four directions. / Seeing no refuge in the four directions, / I will become entirely despondent. / If there is no refuge in that place, / what shall I do at that time? / Therefore, in the Jinas, the protectors of migrating beings, / who strive for the welfare of protecting migrating beings, / possessing great strength and dispelling all fears, / I take refuge this very day. / In the Dharma realized by them, / which dispels the fears of saṃsāra, / and in the assembly of bodhisattvas / I likewise truly take refuge.

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Terrified by fear, / I offer myself to Samantabhadra. / To Mañjughoṣa, / I offer my own body. / To that protector Avalokiteśvara / whose conduct of compassion is unerring, / I cry out in lamentation with a anguished voice: / 'Please protect me, a sinner!' / To the noble Ākāśagarbha, / and to Kṣitigarbha, / and to all the greatly compassionate protectors, / seeking refuge, I cry out from my heart. / Seeing whom, the messengers of Yama / and other hostile beings / flee in terror in all directions— / in Vajrapāṇi I take refuge. / Previously I transgressed your commands, / but now, seeing great terror, / I take refuge in you; / please swiftly dispel my fear! / Even when frightened by an ordinary illness, / one must follow the doctor's instructions; / what need to mention being constantly afflicted / by illnesses with hundreds of faults, such as attachment? / If even a single one of them can ruin / all the people living in Jambudvīpa, / and no other medicine to cure them / is found in any direction, / then the intention not to act according to the instruction / of the omniscient physician / who removes all pain / is exceedingly deluded and reprehensible. / If one must remain vigilant / even on a small, ordinary precipice, / what need to mention a vast precipice / plunging thousands of yojanas for a long time? / Thinking, 'I will not die this very day,' / it is unfitting to sit comfortably. / The time when I become nothing / will arrive without a doubt. / Who granted me fearlessness? / How can I definitely be freed from this? / Since I will undoubtedly cease to exist, / how can my mind sit at ease? / What remains to me / from past experiences that have vanished? / Yet clinging strongly to them, / I acted contrary to the master's instruction. / Having abandoned this living life, / and likewise relatives and friends,

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having abandoned everything,
if I must depart alone for who knows where,
what use are all friends and foes?
Suffering arises from non-virtue;
how can I be definitively freed from that?
Day and night continuously,
it is right for me to think only of this.
Through my ignorant delusion,
whatever sins I have committed,
whether natural misdeeds
or transgressions of the rules,
manifestly before the eyes of the Protectors,
with folded palms and a mind terrified of suffering,
prostrating again and again,
I confess all of them.
May the Guides hold my sins
to be faults.
Since these are not good,
henceforth I shall never commit them again.
From Entering the Bodhisattva Conduct, the second chapter: Confession of Sins.

I joyfully rejoice in the virtue
that relieves the suffering of bad migrations for all sentient beings,
and in the sufferers abiding in happiness.
I rejoice in the accumulation of virtue
that serves as the cause of awakening.
I rejoice in the definite liberation
of embodied beings from the suffering of saṃsāra.
I rejoice in the awakening of the Protectors,
and in the bhūmis of the Sons of the Jinas.
In the vast ocean of virtue which is the generation of bodhicitta
that brings happiness to all sentient beings,
and in bringing benefit to sentient beings,
I joyfully rejoice.
With palms joined, I beseech
the Buddhas of all directions:
for sentient beings bewildered in the darkness of suffering,
please kindle the lamp of the Dharma!
With palms joined, I beseech
the Jinas who wish to pass into nirvāṇa:
do not leave these migrating beings in blindness;
please remain for incalculable kalpas!
Having thus done all of this,
by whatever virtue I have accumulated,
may all the suffering
of all sentient beings be dispelled!
As long as migrating beings are sick,
until their illness is cured,

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may I become the medicine, the physician,
and the nurse who tends to them!
Having showered down rainfalls of food and drink,
may I dispel the suffering of hunger and thirst;
in the intermediate kalpa of famine,
may I become food and drink!
For destitute and poor sentient beings,
may I become an inexhaustible treasure,
and may manifold necessities of every kind
abide ready before them!
My body, likewise my possessions,
and all virtues of the three times
I shall surrender without longing
in order to accomplish the welfare of all sentient beings.
Nirvāṇa is attained by relinquishing all;
my mind aims for nirvāṇa.
Since all must be surrendered at once,
it is supreme to surrender it to sentient beings.
Having given this body to all embodied beings
for their pleasure,
whether they constantly kill it, revile it,
or beat it, it is up to them to do as they please.
Even if they play with my body,
or make it an object of ridicule and mockery,
since I have given this body away,
what is the use of holding it dear?
Let them do with it whatever action
does not cause them harm.
May no one ever encounter me
in vain!
Whoever conceives toward me
a mind of anger or devotion,
may that itself always become the cause
for accomplishing all their aims!
May those who revile me,
or others who cause harm,
or likewise those who mock me,
all have the fortune of awakening!
May I be a protector for the helpless,
a guide for those embarking on the path,
and a boat, a raft, and a bridge
for those who wish to cross over!
May I be an island for those seeking an island,
a lamp for those desiring a lamp,
a bed for those desiring a bed,
and may I become a servant to all embodied beings who desire a servant!
May I become a wish-fulfilling jewel, a vase of plenty,
an accomplished spell of knowledge, a great panacea,
a wish-granting tree,
and a cow of plenty for embodied beings!

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Like the great elements, earth and the rest,
and like space itself,
may I constantly serve as the basis of livelihood in many ways
for immeasurable sentient beings!
Likewise, for the realms of sentient beings
extending to the limits of space,
until all pass into nirvāṇa,
may I become the cause of their livelihood in every way!
Just as the Sugatas of the past
generated bodhicitta
and progressively established themselves
in the bodhisattva trainings,
likewise, for the benefit of migrating beings,
I shall generate bodhicitta,
and likewise I shall train
gradually in those trainings.
Having thus embraced bodhicitta with joy,
the intelligent one,
in order to further enhance it,
should encourage the mind in this way:
Today my life has borne fruit;
I have properly attained a human existence;
today I am born into the Buddha's lineage;
today I have become a son of the Buddha.
Now, by all means,
I must undertake actions accordant with the lineage,
acting in such a way that no stain
shall defile this immaculate, noble family.
Just as a blind man
might find a jewel in a heap of dust,
likewise, by some stroke of fortune,
this bodhicitta has arisen in me.
This is the supreme nectar
that conquers the Lord of Death of migrating beings;
this is the inexhaustible treasure
that dispels the poverty of migrating beings;
this is the supreme medicine
that completely cures the illness of migrating beings;
it is the shade tree of rest for migrating beings
wandering and exhausted on the path of existence;
it is the universal causeway
that delivers all migrating beings from the lower realms;
it is the rising moon of the mind
that cools the torment of afflictions for migrating beings;
it is the great sun that completely dispels
the cataracts of ignorance for migrating beings;
it is the quintessence of butter
extracted by churning the milk of the true Dharma;
for the caravan of migrating beings journeying on the path of existence

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and desiring to partake of the enjoyment of happiness,
this is present as the supreme happiness,
satisfying the great banquet of sentient beings.
Today, in the presence of all the Protectors,
I have invited migrating beings to Sugatahood
and, in the meantime, to happiness:
may gods, asuras, and the rest rejoice!
From Entering the Bodhisattva Conduct, the third chapter: Fully Adopting Bodhicitta.

Having firmly adopted bodhicitta
in this manner, a son of the Jina
must constantly strive, without distraction,
not to transgress the training.
Whatever is begun rashly,
or whatever has not been thoroughly examined,
even if a vow has been made,
it is right to examine whether to do it or give it up.
What has been investigated by the Buddhas and their sons
with great wisdom,
and also examined again and again by oneself—
what reason is there to hesitate regarding that?
If, having made such a commitment,
I do not accomplish it in deed,
having deceived all those sentient beings,
what kind of rebirth will I take?
If it is taught that a person
who mentally resolves to give even a minor object
and does not give it
will become a preta,
then having wholeheartedly invited
all migrating beings to unsurpassed happiness,
if I deceive them,
how could I go to a happy migration?
As for those who, having abandoned bodhicitta,
are nevertheless liberated,
the workings of karma are inconceivable;
only the Omniscient One understands them.
For a bodhisattva,
that is the heaviest among downfalls;
for if that should occur,
the welfare of all sentient beings is impaired.
Whoever else obstructs or hinders
the merit of this [bodhisattva] even for an instant,
because the welfare of sentient beings is impaired,
there is no end to their bad migrations.

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If I deteriorate even by destroying
The happiness of a single sentient being,
What need to mention destroying the happiness
Of embodied beings infinite as the limits of space?
Thus, if powerful downfalls and
The powerful bodhicitta
Alternate within saṃsāra,
Attaining the stages will be long delayed.
Therefore, just as I have promised,
I must accomplish it with reverence.
If from today I make no effort,
I shall go lower and lower.
Though countless Buddhas have passed away,
Working benefit for every sentient being,
Because of my own faults
I have not become an object of their healing.
If I still act in that very way,
Again and again it will be just so:
In bad migrations I will experience sickness, bondage,
Mutilation, flaying, and the like.
The appearance of a Tathāgata,
Faith, the attainment of a human body,
And being fit to habituate virtue like this—
When will such rare [circumstances] be obtained [again]?
Though healthy today like this,
Provided with food and free from affliction,
Life is momentary and deceptive;
The body is like a transient loan.
With conduct such as mine,
Even a human body will not be gained.
If a human body is not gained,
There is only sin and no virtue.
When fortunate enough to practice virtue,
If I do not practice virtue,
Utterly bewildered by the suffering of the bad destinies,
What will I be able to do then?
Having performed no virtue,
And having fully accumulated sins,
Even for hundreds of millions of kalpas
I will not hear even the words "happy migration."
For this very reason the Blessed One stated
That just as a turtle’s neck enters
The hole of a yoke drifting on the great ocean,
Human state is exceedingly difficult to gain.
If by sin committed for a single instant
One abides in the Unrelenting [Hell] for a kalpa,
What need to mention that through sins accumulated in beginningless saṃsāra
One will not go to a happy migration?
Merely experiencing that alone

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Does not bring liberation;
For while experiencing that,
Other sins are profusely generated.
Having found such leisure,
If I do not habituate virtue,
There is no greater deception than this,
And there is no greater delusion than this.
If having understood that,
I later fall into despondency through delusion,
At the time of death
Great grief will arise.
When by hellfire hard to bear
My body is burned for a long time,
Blazed by the fire of unbearable remorse,
My mind will surely be tormented.
Having somehow found
This beneficial state so hard to find,
If, while possessing intelligence,
I am led again to that very hell,
Just as if bewildered by a mantra,
I am reduced here to having no mind.
I do not even know what deludes me:
What is inside my chest?
These enemies of hatred, craving, and the like
Have no hands, feet, or limbs;
They are neither brave nor clever, yet somehow
They have made me like a slave!
Abiding within my mind,
They harm me at their pleasure;
Yet enduring without anger even at that—
Such patience is misplaced, an object of censure!
Even if all the gods and asuras
Were to rise against me as enemies,
They could not lead me and cast me
Into the fire of the Unrelenting [Hell].
Yet this powerful enemy of afflictions
Instantly throws me into that [fire],
Upon meeting which not even the ashes
Of Mount Meru would remain!
None of my other enemies
Could ever endure for so long
As this enemy of afflictions,
Whose duration is without beginning or end!
If served with harmonious respect,
All others bring benefit and happiness;
Yet if these afflictions are indulged,
They repeatedly inflict suffering and harm.
Thus, if this longstanding, perpetual enemy,
The sole cause for greatly increasing a multitude of harms,
Takes up a secure dwelling in my heart,
How could I be happy and fearless in saṃsāra?
If these guards of the prison of saṃsāra,
Who become executioners in hells and the like,
Reside in the snare of attachment within the mind,
How can there be any happiness for me?
Therefore, as long as I have not directly
And definitely destroyed this enemy, I will not cast aside diligence here.
Even those puffed up with pride, angered by minor harms,
Do not sleep until they have slain [their foe].
Those who, eager to overpower in battle afflictions
Naturally bound to suffer death,
Disregard the pain inflicted by arrows and spears,
And do not retreat until the goal is won—
What need to mention that for me today, striving to conquer
This natural enemy that is the constant cause of all suffering,
No cause of a hundred sufferings
Should bring discouragement or despondency?
If men wear the wounds inflicted by purposeless enemies
Upon their bodies like ornaments,
Why should suffering harm me
Who am genuinely striving to accomplish a great goal?
If fishermen, outcastes, farmers, and the like,
Thinking merely of their own livelihood,
Endure the injuries of cold, heat, and the like,
Why should I not endure them for the sake of the happiness of beings?
When I promised to liberate from afflictions
Beings extending to the limits of space in the ten directions,
While I myself have not even been freed
From afflictions,
Speaking without knowing my own measure—
How was that not the talk of a madman?
Therefore, in conquering afflictions
I must always be irreversible.
I will become fixated on this,
Harboring a grudge, I will wage war,
Except against that type of affliction
Which serves to destroy afflictions!
Better that I be burned and killed,
Or that my head be cut off,
Than that in any way I should bow down
To the enemy of afflictions!

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firmly take up residence in my heart, / how could there be fearless joy for me in saṃsāra? / These jailers of saṃsāra's prison, / who become executioners in hell and the like— / if they abide within the snare of desire dwelling in the mind, / how can there be happiness for me? / Therefore, as long as I have not directly / and definitely destroyed this enemy, so long will I not abandon diligence here. / Those who are prone to pride, being angered even by a minor harm-doer, / do not fall asleep until they have destroyed him. / Those who intensely wish in the midst of battle to defeat / afflictions that are inherently mortal and cause suffering, / disregarding the agony of being struck by arrows, spears, and swords, / do not turn back and flee without having accomplished their aim; / so what need to mention that I, who am now striving to destroy / this innate enemy who is the constant cause of all suffering, / should not become disheartened or despondent / through whatever hundreds of causes of suffering? / If people preserve as ornaments on their bodies / even the scars left uselessly by enemies, / why should suffering harm me, / who am truly striving to accomplish the great purpose? / Fishermen, outcasts, farmers, and the like, / thinking merely of their own livelihood, / endure the harm of cold, heat, and the like; / so why should I not endure it for the sake of the happiness of wandering beings? / When I made the pledge / to liberate wandering beings from afflictions, / bounded only by the limits of space in the ten directions, / while I myself / was not yet freed from afflictions— / speaking without even knowing my own measure, / how was I not insane? / Therefore, toward destroying afflictions, / I will always remain irreversible. / I shall be attached to this, / and holding a grudge, I shall wage battle; / but an affliction of that nature / is an exception, for it destroys afflictions. / Even if I am burned or killed, / or even if my head is cut off, / I will not bow down / to the enemy that is affliction in any manner.

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Ordinary enemies, even if driven from the land,
Stay and occupy other lands,
And returning later once their strength has grown;
Not such is the manner of the enemy afflictions.
Afflictions, afflictions, eliminated by the eye of wisdom!
Dispelled from my mind, where will you go?
Stationed where would you return to harm me?
My mind is weak, I merely lack diligence!
Afflictions do not abide in objects, nor in the senses, nor between them;
If not anywhere else either, where do they dwell to harm the whole world?
They are like an illusion; therefore cast out fear from your heart and exert diligence for the sake of knowledge!
Why needlessly harm myself in hells and the like?
Having contemplated thus, I should strive
To accomplish the training as explained.
If one does not heed the physician's words,
How can a sick person in need of treatment be cured by medicines?
From Entering the Bodhisattva Conduct,
This is the fourth chapter, entitled "Teaching on Heedfulness."
Those who wish to guard the trainings
Must guard the mind with great vigilance;
If one does not guard this mind,
One will be utterly unable to guard the trainings.
By letting loose the elephant of the mind,
One brings about harms such as the Unrelenting [Hell];
An untamed, rutting elephant
Does not inflict such harms in this world.
If with the rope of mindfulness from all sides
The elephant of the mind is firmly bound,
All fears will vanish,
And all virtues will come into one's hand.
Tigers, lions, elephants, bears,
Snakes, all enemies,
All the guardians of the sentient beings' hells,
Sorcerers and likewise rākṣasas—
By binding this mind alone,
All of them become bound.
By subduing this mind alone,
All of them become subdued.
For in this way, all fears
And immeasurable sufferings

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"It arises from the mind,"
So the Speaker of Truth has taught.
Who crafted with intent
The weapons of the hell beings?
Who made the ground of burning iron?
Whence came those multitudes of fires?
All such things as these,
The Sage has declared to be the evil mind.
Thus within the triple world
There is no other fear than mind.
If the perfection of generosity
Consisted in dispelling the poverty of beings,
Then since destitute beings still exist,
How could former Protectors have reached perfection?
The perfection of generosity is stated to be
The mind to give away to all beings
Everything one owns, together with the fruits;
Therefore, it is mind alone.
Where could fishes and the like be banished
So that they would not be killed?
Through obtaining the mind of renunciation,
The perfection of ethical discipline is explained.
Unruly sentient beings are like space;
They can never all be overcome.
If this single mind of anger is conquered,
It is as if all those enemies were conquered.
Where would there be enough leather
To cover the surface of this entire earth?
Yet with just the leather of one shoe sole,
It is as if the whole earth were covered.
In the same way, external phenomena
Cannot be turned back by me;
Let me turn back this mind of mine—
What need is there to turn back anything else?
Just as generating a single clear mind
Brings results like rebirth as Brahmā,
The varied fruits associated with body and speech
Are not like that, being weak in conduct.
Even if recitations and austerities
Are practiced for a very long time,
Whatever is done with a distracted mind
Is declared useless by the Knower of Reality.
Whoever does not know this supreme secret of the mind,
The principal among all phenomena,
Though desiring to attain happiness and destroy suffering,
Will roam about pointlessly in vain.
Therefore, this mind of mine
Must be firmly gripped and guarded well!

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Aside from the ascetic discipline of guarding the mind,
What use are many other disciplines?
Just as one in the midst of an unruly crowd
Carefully protects a wound,
So one dwelling in the midst of wicked people
Should constantly guard the wound of the mind.
If out of fear of the small pain of a wound
One protects that very wound,
Why should those fearing the crushing of mountains
Not protect the wound of the mind?
If one lives in such conduct as this,
Whether dwelling among wicked people
Or dwelling among women,
The steadfastness of one striving in discipline will not degenerate.
Let my gain and honor be lost,
Let my body and livelihood perish,
Let other virtues also degenerate,
But let the mind never decline!
To those who wish to guard their minds,
I join my hands in supplication:
"With all effort, guard both
Mindfulness and alertness!"
Just as people troubled by illness
Are powerless in all actions,
Likewise, a mind troubled by confusion
Is powerless in all actions.
In one whose mind lacks alertness,
Even what has been heard, contemplated, and meditated upon
Does not remain in mindfulness,
Like water in a cracked vessel.
Even many who possess learning, faith,
And dedicated diligence,
Due to the fault of lacking alertness,
Become stained by the defilement of downfalls.
The thieves of non-alertness,
Following upon the decline of mindfulness,
Plunder even accumulated merit,
Causing one to go to lower realms like someone robbed.
This band of defilement-thieves
Constantly looks for an opportunity;
Having found an opportunity, they rob virtue
And destroy the life of happy realms.
Therefore, never let mindfulness
Depart from the doorway of the mind!
Even if it strays, bring it back
By recollecting the perils of the lower realms.
By associating with a guru,
By being steadied by a preceptor,
And through fear, fortunate and respectful beings
Generate mindfulness with ease.

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The Buddhas and the bodhisattvas
Possess unobstructed vision in all directions;
"I constantly dwell
Before the eyes of them all!"—
Having reflected thus, maintain
A shame, respect, and awe like that;
Thereby, the recollection of the Buddha
Will also arise again and again.
When mindfulness stands
At the doorway of the mind to guard it,
Then alertness arrives,
And that which had strayed returns as well.
At first, knowing such a mind
To be faulty in this way,
At that time I should remain
Firm and immovable like a piece of wood.
Never should I cast
A distracted, aimless gaze;
With a resolute mind, always
Look downward with cast-down eyes.
In order to rest the gaze,
One may occasionally look around in the directions;
If someone appears within the visual field,
One should look and say, "Welcome!"
To check for dangers on the path and such,
Look repeatedly in the four directions;
Having paused, turning the face,
One should look behind.
Having examined in front and behind,
One may then go or come;
Thus in all circumstances,
Act having recognized what is necessary.
Having resolved, "The body shall remain like this,"
And prepared the action, then
From time to time, observe
How this body is situated.
Just as the rutting elephant of the mind
Is tethered to the great post of reflection on Dharma,
Examine with all diligence
So that it does not slip away!
Examine the mind individually:
"Where is this mind of mine wandering?"
So that one's diligence in samādhi
Does not waver even for a single moment.
If unable when involved in fear or festivities,
Act comfortably as appropriate;
For it is taught that at the time of generosity,
Ethical discipline may be treated with indifference.
Having conceived what one has begun to do,
One should not think of anything else;
With thoughts directed toward that,
Accomplish that very thing for a while.

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In that way, all is well done;
Otherwise, neither will succeed.
In that way, the secondary affliction
Of non-alertness will not increase.
When engaging in various kinds
Of idle chatter and
Many marvelous spectacles,
Abandon attachment to them.
If engaged in pointlessly digging the earth, cutting grass,
Or drawing lines on the ground and the like,
Remembering the teachings of the Sugata,
Cast it aside at once out of dread.
Whenever desiring to move
Or desiring to speak,
First examine your own mind,
And remain steadfast with awareness.
Whenever one's own mind wishes
For attachment or anger,
Do not act, do not speak;
Remain like a piece of wood!
When inclined to laughter and mockery,
Or if filled with pride and arrogance,
Or harboring thoughts of exposing faults,
Or if intending deceit and deception,
Whenever eager for self-praise
Or to belittle others,
Or full of abuse and full of regret,
At that time, remain like a piece of wood!
When desiring gain, honor, and fame,
Or seeking an entourage of servants,
Or when one's mind desires attendants,
At that time, remain like a piece of wood!
When casting aside the welfare of others
And seeking only one's own interest,
Or if a mind wishing to speak arises,
At that time, remain like a piece of wood!
Impatience, laziness, fear,
And likewise insolence, garrulousness,
And thoughts favoring one's own faction—
When these arise, remain like a piece of wood!
Having examined the mind thus thoroughly afflicted
And striving after what is pointless,
Then the hero, by means of the antidote,
Should firmly seize and restrain it.
Extremely resolute and deeply faithful,
Steadfast, respectful, courteous,
Possessing a sense of shame, and

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... fearful, / peaceful, and striving to bring joy to others. / Do not become weary of the desires / of childish people who disagree with one another; / think, 'This mind of theirs has arisen from afflicting emotions,' / and possess tenderness toward them. / In matters that are blameless, / having subordinated yourself and sentient beings [to virtue], / like an illusion, free of conceit, / always maintain this mind. / Having repeatedly considered that after a long time / the supreme leisure was attained, / maintain such a mind, like Mount Meru, / utterly immovable. / Even if vultures, greedy for flesh, / drag [this body] to and fro, / if you, O mind, are not displeased, / why do you pamper it now? / Having grasped this body as your own, / why do you protect it, O mind? / If you and this [body] are separate, / what will it matter to you? / Why, O foolish mind, / do you not grasp a pure wooden image? / What is the use of guarding / this rotting machine composed of an assembly of filth? / First, mentally separate / this layer of skin. / Separate also the flesh from the network of bones / with the sword of wisdom. / Having divided the bones as well, / look right down to the marrow, / and examine for yourself: / 'What essence is there in this?' / If, having searched with such effort, / you have not seen any essence there, / why do you still, through attachment, / guard this body? / It is not suitable for you to eat the filth, / nor is it suitable to drink the blood, / nor is it suitable to suck the intestines; / so what will you do with this body? / Alternatively, it is fitting to guard it / as food for foxes and vultures. / This human body / is merely to be employed [for virtue]. / Even if you guard it like this, / when ruthless Death / steals it away and gives it to birds and dogs, / what will you do then? / If one does not give clothes and the like / even to a servant who cannot be employed, / then if this body, though nurtured, will go to another,

25

why do you exhaust yourself feeding it? / Having given it wages, / let it now do your own work. / One should not give everything to this [body] / without any benefit. / Regarding the body as a boat / merely as a support for going and coming, / transform it into a wish-fulfilling body / in order to accomplish the welfare of sentient beings. / Since you possess self-control in that way, / always maintain a smiling face; / completely abandon frowning and sour expressions; / be a friend to migrating beings and speak honestly. / Do not recklessly cast down / seats and the like with noise. / Do not open doors forcefully; / always take pleasure in modesty. / Herons, cats, and thieves / accomplish their intended aims / by moving silently and stealthily; / a sage should always act likewise. / When someone is skilled in exhorting others / and offers unsolicited beneficial speech, / accept it respectfully with the crown of your head, / and always become the disciple of everyone. / Say 'Well said!' / to all that is spoken well. / If you see someone creating merit, / generate great joy by praising them. / Speak of virtues in their absence, / and when virtues are spoken of, agree. / If your own virtues are mentioned, / know that they are recognizing virtue. / All undertakings are for the sake of joy, / which is rare even if purchased with wealth; / therefore, enjoy the happiness of joy / from the virtues accomplished by others. / There is no loss to me in this life, / and in the next there is great happiness as well. / Through misconduct there is displeasure and suffering, / and in the next [life] there is great suffering as well. / When speaking, speak relevantly, connectively, / clearly in meaning, pleasantly, / free from attachment and aversion, / softly and moderately. / Even when looking at sentient beings with the eyes, / think, 'Relying upon these very ones, / I shall attain Buddhahood,' / and look with an upright and loving demeanor. / Always aroused by intense motivation / or aroused by an antidote,

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great virtue will arise toward those who possess good qualities, / those who help, and those who suffer. / Having become skillful and full of enthusiasm, / I should always perform actions myself. / In all activities, / one should not rely on anyone else. / The perfections of generosity and so forth / should be practiced in ascending order of excellence. / Do not abandon a greater [virtue] for the sake of a lesser; / consider primarily the welfare of others. / Having understood thus, / always strive for the welfare of others. / The Compassionate One, having far-reaching vision, / permitted even what was prohibited for that [purpose]. / Share with those fallen into wrong views, the protectorless, / and those observing ascetic practices; / eat only moderately, / and give away everything except the three Dharma robes. / Do not harm the body that practices / the true Dharma for trivial matters; / if done this way, / the intentions of sentient beings will quickly be fulfilled. / Without an intention of pure compassion, / do not give up this body; / rather, give it up as a cause to accomplish / great purposes both here and elsewhere. / Do not explain the Dharma to the disrespectful, / nor to those who wrap their heads when not sick, / nor to those holding umbrellas, staffs, or weapons, / nor to those with covered heads. / [Do not teach] the profound and vast to the low, / nor to a woman without a man present. / Practice with equal respect / toward both low and supreme Dharmas. / Do not introduce one who is a vessel for the vast Dharma / to a lesser Dharma; / do not entirely cast off conduct, / and do not mislead with sūtras and mantras. / Cover tooth-sticks and phlegm / when discarding them. / It is censured to cast urine and the like / into water or onto land that is enjoyed [by others]. / Do not eat with a full mouth, / with noise, or with an open mouth. / Do not sit with legs stretched out, / and do not rub the hands together. / Do not share a mount, bed, or dwelling / alone with another woman. / Everything that causes the world to lack faith / should be avoided after seeing and inquiring. / Do not gesture with a finger, / but respectfully with the entire / right hand;

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show the path in that manner as well. / Do not wave the arms vigorously, / but move them slightly, making a sound / such as snapping fingers to signal; / otherwise, one becomes unrestrained. / Sleep in the preferred direction / as the Protector slept at his nirvāṇa; / with vigilance, resolve from the very beginning / to rise quickly. / Although the conduct of bodhisattvas / is taught to be immeasurable, / one should certainly practice that conduct / as long as it trains the mind. / Recite the Three Sections [Sūtra] / three times by day and three times by night; / relying on the Jinas and bodhicitta, / pacify the remaining downfalls through that. / Whether under one's own power or another's, / whatever one practices in any situation, / strive to train in that situation / according to whatever has been taught as a training. / There is nothing whatever / in which the sons of the Jinas do not train; / for a scholar who abides in that way, / there is nothing that does not become merit. / Directly or indirectly, / practice nothing other than the welfare of sentient beings. / Solely for the sake of sentient beings, / dedicate everything toward awakening. / Never, even for the sake of one's life, / abandon a virtuous friend / who is skilled in the meaning of the Mahāyāna / and observes the supreme conduct of a bodhisattva. / Learn the manner of attending a master / from the life story of Śrīsaṃbhava. / Know this and other words spoken by the Buddha / by reading the sūtras. / The trainings appear from the sūtras; / therefore, read the sūtras. / One should examine first of all / the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra. / Because it extensively reveals / what is always to be practiced, / also examine repeatedly / the Śikṣāsamuccaya. / Alternatively, examine briefly for a time / the Sūtrasamuccaya / composed by the noble Nāgārjuna

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composed by [the noble Nāgārjuna] / should also be examined with effort. / Whatever is not forbidden therein, / that very thing should be practiced. / In order to protect the minds of worldly beings, / having observed the training, practice it genuinely. / Examining time and again / the states of body and mind— / this alone, in brief, / is the characteristic of guarding introspection. / This must be enacted by the body; / what is accomplished by merely uttering words? / Does the mere reading of a medical treatise / bring benefit to a sick person? / From the Entering the Bodhisattva Conduct, the fifth chapter on Guarding Introspection. // All the wholesome deeds gathered over a thousand kalpas, / such as giving and making offerings to the Sugatas, / are destroyed in a single moment / by anger. / There is no sin like hatred; / there is no ascetic practice like patience. / Therefore, cultivate patience diligently / and in diverse ways. / If one harbors the barb of hatred in one's mind, / the mind will not experience peace; / one finds neither joy nor happiness, / sleep does not come, and one becomes unsteady. / Even those who depend upon someone / who benefited them with wealth and honor / turn against and seek to kill / that hateful master. / Through it friends grow weary; / though gathered by generosity, they will not stay. / In brief, there is no one at all / who lives in happiness through anger. / The enemy of anger brings about / sufferings such as these. / Whoever strives to conquer anger / is happy in this [world] and the next. / Finding its food in the mental unhappiness / that arises from having what is unwanted done / and from obstacles to what is desired, / hatred grows strong and destroys me. / Therefore, I must utterly destroy / the food of that enemy, / for this enemy has no other function / than to harm me. / Whatever may befall, I should not / disturb my cheerful

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