The Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels
Translation of བྱང་ཆབ་སམས་དཔའ་ནར་བའ་ཕྲང་བ (བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་ནོར་བུའི་ཕྲེང་བ)
- Language
- English
- Date
- 2008 CE
- Translator
- rigpa-translations
- Extent
- 33 passages, 835 words
- Text
- complete digital text
- Source
- lotsawahouse · Rigpa Translations (tr.), The Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels, Lotsawa House (version 2.1–20250325) · CC BY-NC 4.0 (Lotsawa House); shown with attribution on a non-commercial site
Contents
Text
p1
The Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels
p2
by Atiśa Dīpaṃkara
p3
In the language of India: Bodhisattvamaṇyāvalī
In the language of Tibet: changchub sempé norbü trengwa (byang chub sems dpa’i nor bu’i phreng ba)
In the English language: The Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels
p4
Homage to great compassion!
Homage to the deities who inspire faith and devotion!
Homage to the masters!
p5
Be done with doubt and indecision,
And embrace your practice with all your heart.
Shake off lethargy, dullness and laziness,
And strive always with enthusiasm and joy.
p6
Mindful, vigilant and careful,
Guard the doorways of your senses at every moment.
Three times each day, three times at night,
Again and again, examine your thoughts.
p7
Make plain your own failings,
But don’t look for faults in others.
Make known the good points of others,
But keep quiet about your own best qualities.
p8
Let go of craving for gain and honour,
And give up the urge for profit or fame.
p9
Cultivate love and compassion,
And make your bodhicitta stable.
Avoid the ten unwholesome actions,
And make your faith and confidence be strong.
p10
With few wants, be content with what you have,
And with gratitude repay any kindness you receive.
p11
Overcome anger and arrogance,
And let humility rule your mind.
Give up any unwholesome kind of living,
And pursue a livelihood in keeping with the Dharma.
p12
Do away with your addiction to material things,
And adorn yourself with the riches of the Āryas.
p13
The wealth of faith, of discipline,
Generosity and learning,
Decency, self-control,
And wisdom—such are the seven riches.
These most sacred forms of wealth
Are seven treasures that never run out.
Do not speak of this to those who are not human.
p14
Leave all busyness and distraction behind,
And dwell instead in seclusion and solitude.
p15
Refrain from meaningless chatter,
And always keep a check on what you say.
p16
Whenever you see your master or preceptor,
Offer to serve them with devotion and respect.
Those who possess enlightened vision
And those first setting out upon the path—
Regard them both as your spiritual teachers.
p17
Whenever you see any sentient beings,
Regard them as your parents or your children.
Don’t befriend those who act in harmful ways;
Instead rely on true spiritual friends.
p18
Drop any feelings of hostility or ill will,
And be happy, wherever you choose to go.
p19
Avoid getting attached to anything at all,
And stay free from craving and desire.
Attachment not only keeps you from happy births,
It kills the very life of liberation.
p20
Should you find a way to peace and happiness,
Strive constantly to put it into practice.
Whatever task you set out to do,
Accomplish that very thing first.
This way, everything will turn out well;
If not, nothing will succeed.
p21
Never take pleasure in acts that harm.
And when thoughts of superiority creep in,
There and then, deflate your self-importance,
And recall your master’s personal advice.
Or whenever you feel discouraged or inadequate,
Raise your spirits and encourage yourself.
And always meditate on emptiness.
p22
Should the objects of attachment or aversion appear,
View them as no more than illusions or projections.
Should you hear unpleasant words,
Consider them nothing more than echoes.
Should you suffer physical harm,
See it as the result of your past actions.
p23
Keep entirely to solitude, far away from town,
And, like the carcass of some wild animal,
Stay hidden in nature by yourself,
Free of all entanglement and attachment.
p24
Always keep up your pledges and commitments,
And should laziness or procrastination strike,
Immediately take note of your errors, one by one,
And remind yourself of the heart of your discipline.
p25
Whenever you meet another person,
Speak calmly, sincerely and truthfully.
Take care not to frown or glare,
And always wear a cheerful smile.
p26
And when you’re with those you see every day,
Don’t be stingy, but be happy to give,
And banish all feelings of envy.
p27
So as to protect others’ peace of mind,
Stay clear of quarrels of any kind,
And be patient and always forbearing.
p28
Don’t flatter, or be a fickle friend,
But be steadfast and reliable all the time.
Never disparage or belittle other people,
But treat everyone with respect.
p29
When giving advice or instructions,
Do so with compassion and a genuine wish to help.
Be sure never to criticize the teachings.
Set your sights on what inspires you most,
And, through the ten forms of Dharma practice,[1]
Exert yourself in sessions, day and night.
p30
Among others, keep a check on your speech;
When alone, keep a check on your mind.
p31
Whatever virtues you amass in the past, present and future,
Dedicate them all towards great, unsurpassable awakening,
Share your merit among all sentient beings,
And with the seven branch practice,
Continually make great prayers of aspiration.
p32
Practising like this, you will complete
Accumulations of both merit and wisdom,
And eliminate the two forms of obscuration.
You will make this human life meaningful,
And, in time, gain unsurpassable awakening.
p33
This concludes the Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels, composed by the great Indian paṇḍita Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna.