1the 37 practices of a bodhisattva (ktgr).doc

8/14/2019 1The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva (KTGR).doc

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THE 37 PRACTICES OF A BODHISATTVABy Ngulchu Thogme

Commentary by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche www.ktgrinpoche.org ISBN 0 !"0#$%&Copyright' (arpa )oun*ation $00" +shlan*' ,R !#$0

Commentary base* on an oral translation by Su-anne Sche c-ky' Taiwan " %. Special thanks to +ri Gol* iel* or his cao the root te ts' an* to 1ema Clark an* 2eshe 1arke or proo rea*ing the Commentary with care an* *e/otion.

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The basic structure o the te t illustrates the complete path o the Bo*hisatt/a in s own hanother>s su ering. Secon*ly the te t shows how to bring all situations o worl*y li e' inclu*ing obscuring emotions/iews onto the path' or how to integrate them into one>s practice. The thir* is how to practice the si per ections. The ouhow to work with one>s negatice si*e an* ailures' an* inally' there is a summary an* *e*ication. The thir* main seconclusion' which contains a recapitulation o the purpose o the te t' the reasons that establish its integrty in relation to to the teachings' an aplogy or any errors that might be oun* an* a *e*ication. In summary' Ngulchu Thogme has gi/enstructure o a Bo*hisatt/a>s path5 rom irst engener*ing bo*hichitta in one>s min*stream' to maintaining' an* then urththis bo*hichitta up to the le/el o enlightenment.

?9hen reciting the %! 1ractices' as a 8harma practice it is recommen*e* to rea* the 1rostration ?be ore 1ractice A"@ an* al+&4 also ?a ter 1ractice A%!@. The commentaries or each stan-a shoul* be rea* enough to amiliari-e un*erstan* each 1

+spiration o Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche May the virtue that arises from working with this text Contribute to the liberation and happiness of all beings.

3et us begin by *e/eloping the enlightene* attitu*e& that we want to attain the per ect state o Bu**hahoo* oro all sentient beings' in number as /ast as the sky. To accomplish this state' we must *iligently engage in listenire lecting' an* me*itating upon the genuine teachings. In general' the tra*ition o the (ahayana contains two ty practices5 one puri ies obscurations o the min* the other *e/elops a soun* moti/ation' a goo* attitu*e. The

practice' in which we puri y our min* o mental obscurations an* stains' is the progressi/e stages o me*itatioemptiness'D about which I wrote a book o that name. These progressi/e stages progressi/ely lea* the me*itatorrelati/e to the ultimate. This te t its into the latter category. Its title in Tibetan is The Thirty-seven Practices of a

Bodhisattva a !ummary of the "eart #ssence of a Bodhisattva$s Conduct. This ull title in*icates two points5 irst thte t con*enses all the (ahayana sutras' which teach the con*uct o a Bo*hisatt/a an* secon*' that it summari-esheart essence o a Bo*hisatt/aEs con*uct' o which there are thirty&se/en main practices. In Tibetan' the wor* FpracticeF literally translates as Fto bring into e perience.F So' %! practices can actually be brought into e per

9hile The Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva contains a ew stan-as on the progressi/e stages o me*itation onemptiness' the te t *eals primarily with me*itation on the relati/e.

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Its purpose is to help us with our motivation!

Beginning of Text

?The 1ractices themsel/es are in bol* italics' the commentary is in normal ont ollowing each stan-a@.

1rostration

Namo Lokeshvaraya.

You see that all phenomena neither come nor go. Still you strive solely for the benefit of beings. Supreme Guru and rotector henre"ig#to you I continually bow with body# speech# and mind.

%amo &okeshvaraya is a Sanskrit phrase that we use in prostrating to the Tibetan *eity' Chenre-ig' the 3or* o theChenre-ig ?FyouF@ is the Noble ,ne who *wells on the bhumis. Chenre-ig has seen that on an absolute le/el no phenomena o samsara an* nir/ana e ist in their own essence. There ore' he reali-es that phenomena neither arcease' neither come nor go. Though reali-ing that phenomena ha/e no sel & nature' Chenre-ig still works *iligen behal o others. 6e has aban*one* sel &interest an* stri/es only to bene it beings. Ngulchu Thogme' the author o this te t' a**resses his own lama as FSupreme Guru'D whom he knows to be in

rom the 1rotector Chenre-ig. 6e acknowle*ges their union in one breath by prostrating continuously to his Sup

Guru an* 1rotector Chenre-ig. By Fcontinuously'F Ngulchu Thogme in*icates that rom now until he has reachenlightenment' with the three *oors o his bo*y' speech' an* min* he will always respect ully bow *own.The Bo*hisatt/a Ngulchu Thogme' who compose* this te t' was an ama-ing being. 6is li e contains won*er ul great lo/ing kin*ness an* compassion. I cannot recount all the mar/elous episo*es here' but will choose a particusigni icant one.9hen ust a small boy in Tibet' on an especially rigi* *ay ThogmeEs parents *resse* him warmly an* sent him play. Not long a ter' they saw their son outsi*e completely nake*. 9hen =uestione*' Thogme e plaine* that he hupon a hill o ree-ing ants wanting to keep them warm' he ha* sheltere* them with his own clothes. Clearly' chil* ThogmeEs lo/ing kin*ness an* compassion were e tensi/e' signaling that in a pre/ious li e he ha* me*itate bo*hichitta. Similarly' i we me*itate strongly on lo/ing kin*ness an* compassion in this li e' in a uture li e w*isplay ThogmeEs remarkable =ualities in our early youth.

+uthorEs intention

$he perfect %uddhas# sources of benefit and happiness# &rise from accomplishing the genuine 'harma. Since that in turn depends on knowing how to practice#$he practices of a %odhisattva shall be e(plained.

The Bu**has are the source o bene it an* happiness. Bene it re ers to a temporary state within samsara. 1racgenuine 8harma bene its us temporarily by pre/enting us rom being reborn in the lower realms& in the hell reaanimal realm' an* so on. By practicing the 8harma' we can gain a precious human rebirth in which we again pra8harma.

9hile bene it is a temporary con*ition within samsara' happiness re ers to the ultimate state o liberation an*omniscience. The Bu**has are the origin o both' namely temporary bene it an* ultimate happiness.6ow *i* the 1er ect Bu**has' the source o all happiness an* bene it' themsel/es ariseH )rom ha/ing practice* tgenuine 8harma. To help us accomplish this aim' Thogme inten*s to *escribe the practices o male an* emaleBo*hisatt/as.

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1ractice "Commitment

Now that you have obtained a precious human body# the great boat so difficult to find#

In order to free yourself and others from the ocean of samsara#$o listen# reflect# and meditate with diligence day and night

Is the practice of a %odhisattva.

This precious human bo*y with its eight ree*oms an* ten en*owments is rare an* *i icult to obtain. Not all h bo*ies are precious because not all people stu*y the 8harma. + precious human bo*y in*icates an in*i/i*ual with

aith in the 8harma' the wis*om with which to analy-e an* comprehen* its teachings' an* the *iligence an* oywith which to practice it. The bo*y is compare* to a great boat able to carry us across the ocean o samsara' acrsu ering o this e istence. 9ith this bo*y' we can attain peace or oursel/es an*' more important' or others. moti/ation is to carry all sentient beings across the ocean o the three realms o e istence.Thus' we promise that *ay an* night' without la-iness or *istraction' we will listen' re lect' an* me*itate on the g8harma. )irst' we listen. Then we use our intelligence to analy-e what we ha/e hear*&we re lect. )inally' we mupon what we ha/e hear* an* analy-e*. This is how a Bo*hisatt/a practices.The Tibetan phrase or precious human bo*y actually says Fthe ree*oms an* the en*owments'F a re erence to

ree*oms an* the ten en*owments that compose it. This is not the time or place to e plain these actors' but ;amKongtru 3o*ro ThayeEs The Torch of Certainty summari-es them an* GampopaEs 'ewel (rnament of &iberation presentsan e tensi/e e planation.

1ractice $8etaching rom passion' aggression' an* hatre*

assion towards friends churns like water. )atred towards enemies burns like fire.$hrough dark ignorance# one forgets what to adopt and what to re*ect.$o abandon one+s homeland is the practice of a %odhisattva.

3ike one wa/e o water ollowing har* upon the other' the more one is *rawn towar*s rien*s' the more oneEs increase. The basis or this attachment is taking rien*s to be truly e istent. 9hen ire burns' it consumes all the

ee*s it. In the same way' hatre* towar*s enemies is like a ire that consumes oneEs min*. In the grasp o attaa/ersion' passion an* hatre*' one orgets what to a*opt an* what to re ect. This orget ulness is *escribe* as tho ignorance. There are two ways to gi/e up oneEs homelan*. ,ne is by *irectly aban*oning it' ust packing up an*eparting. The other is to relin=uish oneEs attachment to home by not taking it to be truly e istent. The latter isimportant. The homelan* in some places is calle* the atherlan*' in others the motherlan*. It is the lan* o our any country to which we are attache*. 9e are boun* not by the country itsel ' but by taking it as real. There oreimportant to know that the atherlan*' motherlan*' or homelan* *oes not truly e ist.

Gampopa was born in a place calle* 8hagpo' where the circumstances or practice were so a/orable that he staobtaine* high reali-ation' an* e/en came to be calle* 8hagpo Rinpoche' so closely associate* was he with that plaThough Gampopa remaine* where he was born because it bene ite* his 8harma practice' he staye* without attaBut i oneEs homelan* *oes not pro/i*e suitable con*itions or practicing 8harma' i it is a place o *isputes anthen it is a*/isable to physically lea/e it.

1ractice %Relying on solitu*e

Giving up negative places# ,ental afflictions gradually decrease.-ith no distractions# virtuous activities naturally increase.-hen mind becomes clear# ertainty in the 'harma is born.$o rely on solitude is the practice of a %odhisattva

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Negati/e places are those where one cannot practice the 8harma at all' or where un a/orable con*itions make on practice. In gi/ing up such places' a lictions will subsi*e. They will not be eliminate* all at once' but will gra*u*iminish& irst the coarse an* then' one a ter the other' the subtle ones as well. 9hen you are alone in an isolate**istractions cause* by outsi*e ob ects wane' while /irtuous acti/ities o practicing the genuine 8harma naturallySolitu*e clears the min* an* sharpens awareness. )rom this mental clarity' certainty an* *eep trust in the 8harm born. (ale an* emale Bo*hisatt/as *o well to occasionally seek solitu*e.To re*uce mental a lictions' aban*oning negati/e places bene its both the beginning practitioner an* the Bo*his an or*inary being. But i one is an +rya Bo*hisatt/a who *wells on a bhumi' then there is no nee* to aban*on negati/ity. It is actually pre erable or Bo*hisatt/as who know how to take negati/e places to the path remain whare.Some Bo*hisatt/as take birth in countries where con*itions or 8harma practice are not /ery goo*. )or the bene bringing the 8harma there' they *o not aban*on their atherlan*. )or e ample' (arpa the Translator tra/ele* to In*three times. The irst time' he stu*ie* in In*ia or twel/e years' the secon* time or si years' an* the thir* timeyears&twenty&one years in all. 6e *i* this to bring Bu**hism to his homelan*' an acti/ity in accor* with Naropa pre*iction that (arpa woul* return to 3ho*rak' the lan* o his birth' in or*er to sprea* the 8harma. That is e actlhe *i*5 Through (arpa' the 8harma was hear*' analy-e*' an* me*itate* on in his own country. ,ther Bo*hisatt/as up their country to bene it beings elsewhere. )or instance' (ilarepaEs stu*ent' Rechungpa' was born ar rom 3has ;etsun (ilarepa pre*icte*' Rechungpa went to 2arlung' near 3hasa' an* built a monastery calle* 3haro 8olgyi Gwhere many beings stu*ie* an* practice* 8harma. RechungpaEs path was the opposite o (arpaEs in that he lelan* to bene it people. Some Bo*hisatt/as are able to practice the 8harma precisely because they ha/e lost their can* all their possessions to enemies. In such a way the 3or* o 2ogins' (ilarepa' was *epri/e* o e/erything. 6is circumstances brought him to the 8harma. There ore' he attribute* great acts o kin*ness to his enemies' becauthem he became a 8harma practitioner.,n the ultimate le/el' (ilarepa reali-e* the e=uality o rien*s an* enemies. ,n the relati/e le/el' he *e/elope* purean* compassion or all sentient beings' rien*s' an* enemies alike. +s a result o his bo*hichitta' e/en (ilarepaEenemies became his *isciples. 9e' too' must me*itate on lo/ing kin*ness an* compassion or all sentient beings'*istinction. (aybe we can *e/elop bo*hichitta in this li e' maybe not. I not' there is a goo* chance it will arise i

uture li e.

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