The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva

NAMO LOKESHVARAYE

Although you see all phenomena without arising and cessation,
You exert yourself solely for the purpose of sentient beings.
To the supreme guru and lord Avalokiteshvara,
I always respectfully prostrate with body, speech and mind.
The perfect Buddhas who are the source of benefit and happiness,
Arise from the accomplishment of the authentic dharma.
Furthermore, that accomplishment depends on knowing how to practice.
Thus, I will now explain the practice of a Bodhisattva.

1 At this time one has obtained the great ship of free and well-favored conditions difficult to find.
In order to carry oneself and others across the ocean of samsara,
Day and night without distraction,
To study, contemplate and meditate is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

2 Desire for family and relatives rushes like a river.
Anger toward enemies blazes like fire.
The darkness of ignorance causes one to forget what to accept and reject.
Abandoning one’s fatherland is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

3 By abandoning disturbing places, one’s kleshas gradually decrease.
By being free from distraction, the practice of virtue naturally increases.
Through clear awareness, one gives rise to certainty in the dharma.
Abiding in solitude is the practice of a Bodhisattva

4 Friends and relatives who have been together for a long time will part their separate ways.
Wealth and possessions accumulated through effort will be left behind.
The guest of consciousness will abandon the guesthouse of the body.
Letting go of the concerns of this life is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

5 If one accompanies them the three poisons will increase,
The activities of study, contemplation and meditation will deteriorate,
And one will be separated from loving kindness and compassion.
Abandoning evil friends is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

6 If you rely on them, one’s bad faults will decrease,
And one’s excellent qualities will increase like the waxing moon.
Cherishing spiritual friends as more precious than one’s own body
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

7 Themselves bound in the prison of samsara,
Worldly deities – who can they protect?
Thus going for refuge in the three jewels,
The unerring protector of all, is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

8 The sufferings of the lower realms, extremely difficult to bear,
Are said by the Muni to be the result of evil deeds.
Thus, even at the risk of losing one’s life,
Never to perform evil deeds is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

9 The bliss of the three realms1 is like the dew on the tips of grass –
In an instant it will disappear.
Aspiring to attain the unchanging, supreme state of liberation
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

10 Our mothers have lovingly cared for us from time without beginning.
If they are suffering, what is the use of one’s own happiness?
Thus, giving rise to bodhichitta in order to liberate limitless sentient beings
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

11 All suffering without exception arises from desiring bliss for oneself,
While the perfect Buddha arises from the mind of benefiting others.
Thus, completely exchanging one’s own happiness for the suffering of others
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

12 Even if others through great desire,
Were to take away directly or indirectly all my possessions,
Dedicating my life, enjoyments and virtues of the three times to them
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

13 Even if an individual were to cut off my head,
Though I had not paid him the slightest wrong,
Taking his evil deeds onto myself by means of great compassion
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

14 Even if an individual were to disgrace me
Throughout one billion world realms,
Giving rise to the mind of loving kindness
And then proclaiming his good qualities is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

15 Even if an individual were to expose my hidden faults and castigate me
In front of an assembly of many people,
Bowing down with respect with the perception of him as a spiritual friend
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

16 Even though a person that I nurtured lovingly as my own son,
Were to see me as an enemy,
Loving him even more just like a mother caring for a child struck by disease
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

17 Even though people equal to or below me in status,
Were to disparage me through pride,
To respect them like a guru
Placing them at the top of my head is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

18 Even though I am poor, always disparaged by others,
Struck by severe illness and haunted by evil spirits,
To be free from discouragement and take on the evil deeds and sufferings of all beings
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

19 Even though many people speak of me pleasantly and pay me the utmost respect,
And even though I have obtained riches like those of Vaishravana,
To see that the glory and riches of samsara have no essence
And to be without pride is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

20 If I do not subdue the enemy of anger
Then the need to subdue outer enemies will only increase.
Thus, taming one’s mind by assembling the troops of loving kindness and compassion
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

21 The pleasures of the senses are similar to salt water.
The more you enjoy, the more your craving increases.
Thus, to immediately abandon objects that give rise to attachment
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

22 All appearances are one’s mind
And mind itself is primordially free from the limitations of conceptual complexity.
To understand the nature of mind and avoid giving rise to the characteristics of perceiver and perceived
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

23 If one encounters an object pleasing to mind
Like a rainbow in the summer time,
To see it as lacking true existence even though appearing beautiful,
And to abandon attachment is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

24 The varieties of suffering are like a child dying in a dream –
Grasping onto the true existence of such confused appearances makes one extremely weary.
Thus, when encountering disagreeable circumstances,
Seeing them as confusion is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

25 If it is necessary to even give one’s life away when desiring enlightenment,
What need is there to speak of giving away external objects.
Thus to give without expecting anything in return
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

26 If one cannot accomplish one’s own benefit without discipline,
It is laughable to think that one could accomplish the benefit of others .
Thus, to guard one’s discipline without yearning for samsara
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

27 To a bodhisattva who desires the riches of virtue,
All those who cause harm are like a precious treasure.
Thus, to meditate on patience without resentment toward anyone at all
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

28 Even the Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas accomplish their benefit alone,
Exerting themselves as if responding to their hair being on fire.
Seeing that, to cultivate exertion, the source of qualities that benefits all beings,
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

29 Knowing that vipashyana that fully possesses shamatha
Completely subjugates the kleshas,
To meditate correctly, transcending the four formless states,
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

30 If one employs the five paramita practices without prajna,
One will be unable to attain perfect enlightenment.
To possess upaya and to meditate on prajna free from the concepts of the three spheres3
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

31 If one does not analyze one’s own confusion,
One may act contrary to the teachings though appearing as a practitioner.
Thus, to analyze one’s confusion at all times and
Then to relinquish it is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

32 If, through the kleshas, one speaks of the faults of other Bodhisattvas,
One’s virtue will deteriorate.
Thus, to avoid speaking of the faults of those who have entered the Mahayana
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

33 Through the power of honor and gain one engages in arguments one after another
And the activities of study, contemplation and meditation deteriorate.
Thus, to abandon attachment to the residences of friends, relatives and benefactors
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

34 Coarse language causes turmoil in other’s minds
And makes Bodhisattva activity decline.
Thus, to abandon coarse language that is unpleasant to others
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

35 If one becomes accustomed to the kleshas, it will be difficult to apply an antidote to reverse them.
Thus to hold the weapon of the antidote of mindfulness and attentiveness
And to instantly subjugate the kleshas of passion and so forth when they first arise
Is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

36 In brief wherever you are and whatever you are doing
You should examine your motivation.
Possessing continuous mindfulness and attentiveness,
To accomplish the benefit of others is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

37 The virtues that are accomplished through such exertion
Directed for the purpose of dispelling the suffering of limitless sentient beings,
Are dedicated to enlightenment by means of prajna that completely purifies the three spheres.
This is the practice of a Bodhisattva.


Having followed the speech of authentic teachers,
The meaning of the teachings from the sutras, tantras and their commentaries,
Are these thirty seven practices of a Bodhisattva.
They have been composed for those who desire to study the Bodhisattva path.
Since I possess little intellect and small training,
Scholars may be unhappy with this composition.
However, since this text relies on the teachings of the sutras and authentic teachers,
I think it describes the unmistaken practice of the Bodhisattvas.
Still, the great activities of Bodhisattvas,
Are difficult to fathom by a person of lesser intellect like myself.
Authentic teachers, please be patient with me
And pardon any faults of contradictions, irrelevance and so forth.
Through the virtue that arises from this,
May all beings, by means of supreme relative and absolute bodhichitta,
Be identical with the protector Avalokiteshvara
Who does not abide in the extremes of samsara and nirvana,
.
This was composed in the precious cave of Ngulchu by the monk Thogme, the expounder of scriptures and reasoning, in order to benefit myself and others.
Translation © 2010, Khenpo Gawang and Gerry Wiener.
1 The desire, form and formless realms
2 Infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness and neither perception nor non-perception
3 Subject, object and action