Shantideva’s Bodhisattvacharyavatara — Chapter VII

2. What is enthusiasm?
It is finding joy in what is wholesome.
Its opposing factors are explained
As laziness, attraction to what is bad
And despising oneself out of despondency.

3. Because of attachment to the pleasurable
taste of idleness.
Because of craving for sleep
And because of having no disillusion with
the misery of cyclic existence,
Laziness grows very strong.

4. Enmeshed in the snare of disturbing
conceptions,
I have entered the snare of birth.
Why am I still not aware
That I live in the mouth of the lord of death?

5. Do I not see
That he is systematically slaughtering my
species?
Whoever remains soundly asleep
(Surely behaves) like a buffalo with a
butcher.

6. When having blocked off every (escape)
route
The lord of death is looking (for someone to
kill),
How can I enjoy eating?
And likewise how can I enjoy sleep?

7. For as long as death is actually approaching
Then I shall accumulate merits
Even if I then put a stop to laziness,
What will be the use? That is not the time!

8. When this has not been done, when this is
being done
And when this is only half finished,
Suddenly the lord of death will come.
And the thought will occur “Oh no, I am
done for!”

9. Their faces flowing with tears
And their eyes red and swollen with sorrow,
My relatives will finally lose hope
And I shall behold the vision of the
messengers of death.

10. Tormented by the memory of my evils
And hearing the sounds of hell,
In terror I shall clothe my body in excrement.
What virtue can I do in such a delirious state?

11. If even in this life I shall be gripped with fear
Like that of a live fish being rolled (in hot
sand),
Why even mention the unbearable agonies of
hell
That will result from my -unwholesome
deeds?

12. How can I remain at ease like this
When I have committed the actions (that will
bear fruit)
In my delicate infant’s body encountering
boiling acids
In the hell of tremendous heat?

13. Much harm befalls those with little
forbearance
And those who want results without making
any effort.
While clasped by death they shall cry like the
gods,
“Oh no, I am overcome by misery!

14. Relying upon the boat of a human (body),
Free yourself from the great river of pain!
As it is hard to find this boat again,
This is no time for sleep, you fool.

15. Having rejected the supreme joy of the
sacred Dharma
This is a boundless source of delight,
Why am I distracted by the causes for pain?
Why do I enjoy frivolous amusements and
the like?

16. Without indulging in despondency,
I should gather the supports (for enthusiasm)
And earnestly take control of myself.
(Then by seeing) the equality between self
and others I should practice exchanging self
for others.

17. I should never indulge in despondency
by entertaining such thoughts as, “How shall
I ever awaken?”
For the Tathagatas who speak what is true
Have uttered this truth

18. “If they develop the strength of their
exertion,
Even those who are flies, mosquitoes, bees
and insects
Will win the unsurpassable Awakening
Which is so hard to find.”

19. So, if I do not forsake the Bodhisattvas’ way
of life
Why should someone like myself who has
been born in the human race
Not attain Awakening, since I am able to
recognize
What is beneficial and what is of harm?

20. But nevertheless it frightens me to think
That I may have to give away my arms and
legs
Without discriminating between what is
heavy and what is light,
I am reduced to fear through confusion.

21. For over countless myriads of aeons
I have been cut, stabbed, burned,
And flayed alive innumerable times
But I have not awakened.

22. Yet the suffering involved
in my awakening will have a limit;
It is like the suffering of having an incision
made
in order to remove and destroy greater pain.

23. Even doctors eliminate illness
With unpleasant medical treatments,
So in order to overcome manifold sufferings
I should be able to put up with some
discomfort.

24. But the Supreme Physician does not employ
Common medical treatments such as these,
With an extremely gentle technique
He remedies all the greatest ills.

25. At the beginning, the Guide of the World
encourages
The giving of such things as food.
Later, when accustomed to this,
One may progressively start to give away
even one’s flesh.

26. At such a time when my mind is developed
To the point of regarding my body like food,
Then what hardship would there be
When it came to giving away my flesh?

27. Having forsaken all evil there would be no
suffering
And due to wisdom there would be no lack of
joy;
But now my mind is afflicted by mistaken
conceptions
And my body is caused harm by
unwholesome deeds.

28. As their bodies are happy due to their merits
And their minds are happy due to their
wisdom,
Even if they remained in cyclic existence for
the sake of others
Why would the Compassionate Ones ever be
upset?

29. Due to the strength of his Awakening Mind,
The Bodhisattva consumes his previous evils
And harvests oceans of merit:
Hence he is said to excel the Shravakas.

30. So, having mounted the horse of an
Awakening Mind
That dispels all discouragement and
weariness,
Who, when they know of this mind that
proceeds from joy to joy,
Would ever lapse into despondency?

31. The supports when working for the sake of
living beings
Are aspiration,” steadfastness, joy and rest
Aspiration is developed through fear of
misery
And by contemplating the benefits of
(aspiration) itself.

32. Thus in order to increase my enthusiasm
I should strive to abandon its opposing
forces,
To (amass the supports of) aspiration, selfconfidence,
joy and rest,
To practice in earnest and to become strong
in self-control.

33. I shall have to overcome
The boundless faults of myself and others,
And (in order to destroy) each of these faults
(alone)
(I may have to strive until) an ocean of aeons
is exhausted.

34. But if within myself I do not perceive
Even a fraction of the perseverance
(required) to exhaust these faults,
Then why do I not have a heart attack?
For now I have become an abode for infinite
misery.

35. Likewise I shall have to realize
Many excellent qualities for myself and
others,
And (in order to attain) each of these
qualities (alone)
I may have to acquaint myself with its cause
until an ocean of aeons is exhausted.

36. But I have never developed acquaintance
with even a fraction of these excellences
How strange it is to squander
This birth I have found by some coincidence.

37. I have not made offerings to the Lord
Buddhas,
I have not given the pleasure of great
festivals,
I have not performed actions for the
teachings,
I have not fulfilled the wishes of the poor,

38. I have not granted fearlessness to the
frightened
And I have not given happiness to the weak.
All I have given rise to is
The agonies in the mother’s womb, and to
suffering.

39. Both now and in previous lives
Such deprivation has arisen
Because of my lack of aspiring for the
Dharma?
Who would ever reject this aspiring for
Dharma?

40. The Mighty One himself has said
That aspiration is the root of every facet of
virtue;
Its root is constant acquaintance
With the ripening-effects (of actions).

41. (Physical) pain, mental unhappiness,
All the various kinds of fear,
As well as separation from what is desired
All arise from an unwholesome way of life.

42. (However) by committing wholesome
actions
Which are (motivated by aspiration) in, the
mind,
Wherever I go I shall be presented with
Tokens of the fruit of that merit.

43. But by committing evil (actions),
Although I may wish for happiness,
Wherever I go I shall be completely
overcome
By weapons of pain (caused) by my evil life.

44. As a result of virtue I shall dwell in the
spacious, fragrant and cool heart of a lotus
flower,
My radiance will be nourished by the food of
the Conqueror’s sweet speech,
My glorious form will spring from a lotus
unfolded by the Mighty One’s light,
And as a Bodhisattva I shall abide in the
presence of the Conquerors.

45. But as a result of non-virtue my skin will be
ripped off by the henchmen of Yama,
In this feeble state liquid copper melted by
tremendous heat will be poured into my
body.
Pierced by flaming swords and daggers, my
flesh will be cut into a hundred pieces
And I shall tumble upon the fiercely blazing
iron ground.

46. Therefore I should aspire for virtue
And with great respect acquaint myself with
it.
Having undertaken the wholesome in the
manner of Vairadhvaja.
I should then proceed to acquaint myself with
self-confidence.

47. First of all I should examine well what is to
be done
To see whether I can pursue it or cannot
undertake it.
(If I am unable) it is best to leave it,
But once I have started I must not withdraw.

48. (If I do), then this habit will continue in other
lives
And evil and misery will increase,
Also other actions done at the time of its
fruition
Will be weak and will not be accomplished.

49. Self-confidence should be applied to
(wholesome) actions,
The (overcoming) of disturbing conceptions
and my ability (to do this).
Thinking, “I alone shall do it,”
Is the self-confidence of action.

50. Powerless, their minds disturbed,
People in this world are unable to benefit
themselves.
Therefore I shall do it (for them)
Since unlike me these beings are incapable.

51. (Even) if others are doing inferior tasks
Why should I sit here (doing nothing)?
I do not do those tasks because of selfimportance;
It would be best for me to have no such
pride.

52. When crows encounter a dying snake,
They will act as though they were eagles.
(Likewise) if (my self-confidence) is weak
I shall be injured by the slightest downfall.

53. How can those who out of faint-heartedness
have given up trying
Find liberation because of this deficiency?
But even the greatest (obstacle) will find it
hard to overcome

54. Therefore with a steady mind
I shall overcome all falls,
For if I am defeated by a fall
My wish to vanquish the three realms will
become a joke.

55. I will conquer everything
And nothing at all shall conquer me!
I, a son of the Lion-like Conqueror,
Should remain self-confident in this way.

56. Whoever has self-importance is destroyed by
it:
He is disturbed and has no self-confidence.
For those with self-confidence do not
succumb to the power of the enemy,
Whereas the former are under the sway of the
enemy of self-importance.

57. Inflated by the disturbing conception of my
self-importance,
I shall be led by it to the lower realms.
it destroys the joyous festival of being
human.
I shall become a slave, eating the food of
others,

58. Stupid, ugly, feeble and everywhere
disrespected.
Tough people bloated by conceit
Are also counted among the self-important;
Tell me, what is more pathetic than this?

59. Whoever seizes self-confidence in order to
conquer the enemy of self-importance,
He is the self-confident one, the victorious
hero,
And in addition, whoever definitely conquers
the spread of this enemy, self-importance,
Completely (wins) the fruit of a Conqueror,
fulfilling the wishes of the world.

60. If I find myself amidst a crowd of disturbing
conceptions
I shall endure them in a thousand ways;
Like a lion among foxes
I will not be affected by this disturbing host.

61. just as men will guard their eyes
When great danger and turmoil occur,
Likewise I shall never be swayed by the
disturbances within my mind,
Even at times of great strife.

62. It would be better for me to be burned,
To have my head cut off and to be killed,
Rather then ever bowing down
To those ever-present disturbing conceptions.
(So likewise in all situations
I should do nothing other than what is fit)

63. Just like those who yearn for the Fruits Of
Play,
(A Bodhisattva) is attracted
To whatever task he may do:
He never has enough) it only brings him joy.

64. Although people work in order to be happy,
It is uncertain whether or not they will find it;
But how can those whose work itself is joy
Find happiness unless they do it?

65. If I feel that I never have enough sensual
objects,
Which are like honey smeared upon a razor’s
edge,
Then why should I ever feel
that I have enough merit which ripens in
happiness and peace?

66. Thus in order to complete this task,
I shall venture into it just as an elephant
tormented by the midday sun
Plunges into a (cool, refreshing) lake.

67. When my strength declines, I should leave
whatever I am doing
In order to be able to continue with it later.
Having done something well, I should put it
aside
With the wish (to accomplish) what will
follow.

68. Just as an old warrior approaches
The swords of an enemy upon the battlefront,
So shall I avoid the weapons of the
disturbing conceptions
And skillfully bind this enemy

69. If someone dropped his sword during a
battle,
He would immediately pick it up out of fear.
Likewise if I lose the weapon of mindfulness
I should quickly retrieve it, being afraid of
hell.

70. Just as poison spreads throughout the body
In dependence upon the (circulation of)
blood,
Likewise if (a disturbing conception) finds an
opportunity
Unwholesomeness will permeate my mind.

71. Those who practice should be as attentive
As a frightened man carrying a jar full of
mustard oil
Who is being threatened by someone with a
sword
That be will be killed if he spills just one
drop.

72. Just as I would swiftly stand up
If a snake came into my lap,
Likewise if any sleep or laziness occur
I shall quickly turn them back.

73. Each time something unwholesome occurs
I should criticize myself,
And then contemplate for a long time
That I shall never let this happen again.

74. “Likewise in all these situations
I shall acquaint myself with mindfulness.”
With this (motivation) as a cause I shall
aspire
To meet (with teachers) or accomplish the
tasks (they assign me).

75. In order to have strength for everything
I should recall before undertaking any action
The advice in (the chapter on)
conscientiousness,
And then joyfully rise (to the task).

76. Just as the wind blowing back and forth
Controls (the movement of) a piece of cotton,
so shall I be controlled by joy,
And in this way accomplish everything.

Translated into English by Stephan Bachelor

For the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives,

Dharmshala India