by Pema Chodron
And in the future, dreadful suffering.
We all want to be happy. Yet our desire for happiness is frequently not in sync with our actions: we overindulge in various substances; we tell people off because it feels good to set them straight. Instead of increasing our well-being, we strengthen the very qualities that cause suffering. So, even though we all want it, happiness is rarely found.
One way to guarantee happiness, Shantideva says, is to rejoice in the good qualities of others. Not only is this an antidote for envy, it also generates warmth and brings us heartfelt joy. When we begin to appreciate the kindness and courage of others, we find pleasure everywhere. Dzigar Kongtrul calls this “rejoicement therapy.”
5.79
Speak with honest words, coherently,
With candor, in a clear, harmonious voice.
Abandon partiality, rejection, and attraction,
And speak with moderation, gently.
This is easier said than done. Mindful speech can be one of the more difficult practices. To speak honestly and coherently is hard enough, but to speak with moderation is an even greater challenge. Trungpa Rinpoche put great effort into having his students speak slowly, mindfully, and clearly. This was a rewarding and illuminating practice. Slowing down our speech can have a remarkably calming effect. It can also make us nervous. We’re so used to mindlessness and speed that slowing down can feel threatening.
Shantideva encourages us to speak gently and without bias. It can be embarrassing to see how much prejudice we convey with our words. Acknowledging biased mind before it turns into speech can spare us a lot of pain. Without justification or guilt, praise or blame, we can recognize we’re getting caught and keep silent.
5.80
And catching sight of others, think
That it will be through them
That you will come to buddhahood.
So look on them with open, loving hearts.
This will become a prevalent theme: sentient beings are the cause of our enlightenment. When they bother us, we learn patience; when they’re suffering, we learn loving-kindness and compassion. No matter what reaction they evoke, we can relate to them in a way that leads to buddhahood. Instead of buying into aversion, we become tolerant. Instead of staying stuck in selfishness, we extend a hand to someone in distress. Instead of letting jealousy sabotage us, we train in rejoicement therapy.
5.81
Always fired by highest aspiration,
Laboring to implement the antidotes,
You will gather virtues in the fields
Of qualities, of benefits, of sorrow.
When we’re passionate about our bodhisattva aspirations, we make an effort to implement the antidotes to the kleshas. Traditionally the antidote to the klesha of anger is said to be patience; the antidote to envy is rejoicing; and the antidote to lust is recognizing the impurity of the body. Using these antidotes can interrupt the momentum of the kleshas, thus we gather virtue.
Shantideva says we can gather virtue in three ways: in the fields of qualities, of benefits, of sorrow. The field of qualities refers to wisdom figures such as the teachers we’ve known or read about. Such men and women of wisdom are a field of excellence that awakens our devotion and veneration. The field of benefits refers to those who’ve been kind to us. And the field of sorrow includes all beings who are suffering.
One way to put this into action is the “three-bite practice.” You can do this anytime you eat a meal. Before taking the first bite, just pause and think of those men and women of wisdom and mentally offer them your food. In this way, you connect with the virtue of devotion.
Before taking the second bite, pause and offer your food to all those who’ve been kind to you. This nurtures the virtues of gratitude and appreciation. The third bite is offered to those who are suffering: all the people and animals who are starving, or being tortured or neglected, without comfort or friends. Think, too, of all of us who suffer from aggression, craving, and indifference. This simple gesture awakens the virtue of compassion.
In this way—by relying on our teachers, our benefactors, and those in need—we gather the virtues of devotion, gratitude, and kindness.
5.82
Acting thus with faith and understanding,
You will always undertake good works.
And in whatever actions you perform,
You’ll not be calculating, with your eye on others.
In this final verse on gathering virtue, Shantideva says that when we understand the chain reaction of karma, we will act wisely and not fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others. Competitiveness can be a pitfall for bodhisattvas: hoping to do better than others, fearing that we’ll do worse. To gain happiness, we train in awakening bodhichitta for its own sake, not to be more virtuous than others.
5.83
The six perfections, giving and the rest,
Progress in sequence, growing in importance.
The great should never be supplanted by the less,
And it is others’ good that is the highest goal.
The six perfections are the six paramitas: generosity, discipline, and the rest. In verse 83, Shantideva says they are taught in sequence, with each one building on the one before: generosity is the foundation for discipline, and so forth. The highest goal of all the paramitas is others’ good. This is the third discipline, benefiting others, which Shantideva presents in verses 83 through 107.
5.84
Therefore understand this well
And always labor for the benefit of beings.
The far-seeing masters of compassion
Permit, to this end, that which is proscribed.
In the mahayana teachings, to promote the welfare of others involves more than simply following a code of ethics or refraining from proscribed behaviors. There are times when that which is prohibited—lying or even killing—might be necessary to prevent harm. There is no set way to view this. The only guideline is to benefit beings by doing what’s appropriate to the situation. Since we’re left to figure this out for ourselves, we might begin to understand why Shantideva puts so much emphasis on taming the mind.
5.85
Eat only what is needful;
Share with those who have embraced the discipline.
To those, defenseless, fallen into evil states,
Give all except the three robes of religion.
These are some bodhisattva’s guidelines: don’t overindulge, share with everyone, and give generously even to those in evil states. Most of us find it is easy to feel kindly toward the defenseless, but not toward those who intentionally cause harm. Yet these people need our compassion. The Buddha taught that, because each of us experiences the consequences of our own acts, those who behave with cruelty and malice will reap the greatest misery and pain.
Shantideva tells us to give freely, even to those who hurt others; give all except your monks’ robes, and in certain circumstances, I imagine even that would be permissible!
Another way to look at this verse is this: consider what it would take to go into the hells of this world and give all to those in seemingly inescapable pain. Until we’ve worked with our kleshas and judgmentalness, our bodhisattva aspirations will be sorely challenged in such places.
5.86
The body, apt to practice sacred teaching,
Should not be harmed in trivial pursuits.
If this advice is kept, the wishes of all beings
Will swiftly and completely be attained.
Here there is a shift in attitude toward the body. The body should not be harmed in trivial pursuits. We should take good care of it, so that we can continue to benefit beings for a long time.
5.87
They should not give up their bodies
Whose compassion is not pure and perfect.
But let them, in this world and those to come,
Subject their bodies to the service of the supreme goal.
Bodhisattvas should not prematurely feed themselves to starving tigers! They can, however, offer themselves continually for the supreme goal, the goal of full awakening.
5.88
Do not teach to those without respect,
To those who like the sick wear cloths around their heads,
To those who proudly carry weapons, staffs, or parasols,
And those who keep their hats upon their heads.
According to Indian custom in Shantideva’s time, the various behaviors described here and in the following verses are disrespectful. The bodhisattva is encouraged to act in accord with the customs of the place and not do things considered inappropriate. In other words, a bodhisattva blends in and works within the cultural norm, rather than standing out like a sore thumb. In the best sense, a bodhisattva becomes invisible. Nobody knows you’re a bodhisattva; you’re just doing your best to wake up and benefit others.
5.89
Do not teach the vast and deep to those
Upon the lower paths, nor, as a monk,
To women unescorted. Teach with equal honor
Low and high according to their path.
5.90
Those suited to the teachings vast and deep,
Should not be introduced to lesser paths.
But basic practice you should not forsake,
Confused by talk of sutras and of mantras.
These days, a monk probably wouldn’t have a problem teaching to women unescorted. But in Shantideva’s time in India, it was considered shocking. So when in India, do as the Indians do. This is another bodhisattva guideline.
The important thing is to teach in such a way that your audience understands what you’re saying. Don’t teach too intellectually to those who just want to learn how to get through the day. But for those capable of hearing the profound truth of emptiness, don’t hold back.
Do not bore people with the teachings. At the same time, never forsake basic teachings, such as causing no harm and benefiting others, preferring instead to impress people with your knowledge of sutras and mantras before they’re ready.
5.91
Your spittle and your toothbrushes,
When thrown away, should be concealed.
And it is wrong to foul with urine
Public thoroughfares and water springs.
In response to this verse, Dzongsar Khyentse said, “In India to this very day, they still don’t listen to Shantideva!” Here and in the following five verses, Shantideva gives advice for benefiting others by paying attention to all the details of your life.
5.92
When eating do not gobble noisily,
Nor stuff and cram your gaping mouth.
And do not sit with legs outstretched,
Nor rudely rub your hands together.
5.93
Do not sit upon a horse, on beds or seats,
With women of another house, alone.
All that you have seen, or have been told,
To be offensive—this you should avoid.
5.94
Not rudely pointing with your finger,
But rather with a reverent gesture showing,
With the whole right hand outstretched—
This is how to indicate the road.
5.95
Do not wave your arms with uncouth gestures.
With gentle sounds and finger snaps
Express yourself with modesty—
For acting otherwise is impolite excess.
5.96
Lie down to sleep with posture and direction
Of the Buddha when he passed into nirvana.
And first, with clear resolve,
Decide that you’ll be swift to rise again.
In verse 96, Shantideva suggests we be mindful of how we go to sleep and how we rise. You might choose to lie on your right side, as the Buddha did when he died. The important point is to not mindlessly collapse into bed, and just as mindlessly arise.
5.97
The bodhisattva’s acts
Are boundless, as the teachings say,
And all these practices that cleanse the mind
Embrace—until success has been attained.
5.98
Reciting thrice, by day, by night,
The Sutra in Three Sections,
Relying on the buddhas and the bodhisattvas,
Purify the rest of your transgressions.
The bodhisattva’s acts aren’t limited to rigid moral guidelines. We do whatever inspires people to help themselves, and whatever it takes to remove suffering. Because this is so open-ended, it’s helpful to have books as guides. Here and in following verses, Shantideva gives some suggestions. The Sutra in Three Sections was translated by Stephen Batchelor, in his early days as a monk, as The Sutra of the Three Heaps. In some monasteries, nuns and monks recite this sutra three times a day. In this way, they acknowledge where they’re stuck and where they’ve caused harm. Then they can start anew.
5.99
And therefore in whatever time or place,
For your own good and for the good of others,
Be diligent to implement
The teachings given for that situation.
If we memorize any of Shantideva’s verses, we’ll find they come to mind at appropriate times. This is what’s meant by the teachings given for that situation. The dharma begins to come to life in our everyday experience when we take it out of the books and apply it on the spot.
5.100
There is indeed no virtue
That the buddhas’ offspring should not learn.
To one with mastery therein,
There is no action destitute of merit.
Better to join in with humanity than to set ourselves apart. Aspiring bodhisattvas train by getting more involved, rather than more detached. In paintings of the six realms, there’s a buddha standing in each realm, not just in a little bubble or looking down from above, but right in the middle of hell and the other realms.
Trungpa Rinpoche exemplified no action destitute of merit. He was interested in using everything as a path to enlightenment: calligraphy, filmmaking, poetry, flower arranging, tea ceremony, archery, horseback riding, theater, photography, and dance. Although he grew up as a titled person in a monastery, he knew how to make a drum and do gilding, thangka painting, and sculpture. And he wasn’t afraid to take on the most difficult, out-of-control situations—in fact, he loved them.
5.101
Directly, then, or indirectly,
All you do must be for others’ sake.
And solely for their welfare dedicate
Your actions for the gaining of enlightenment.
Working indirectly means that we benefit others by taming our own mind and kleshas. Working directly means we lend a helping hand in whatever way is needed: we give something away, sit by someone’s bedside, teach the dharma. Then we dedicate the merit of whatever we do for the welfare of others, just as described in chapter 3.
5.102
Never, at the cost of life or limb,
Forsake your virtuous friend, your teacher,
Learned in the meaning of the Mahayana,
Supreme in practice of the bodhisattva path.
Although I have referred to the Mahayana, this is the first time Shantideva uses this term. Maha means “great,” and yana means “vehicle.” Mahayana Buddhism—which flourished in China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet—is the path of the bodhisattva. It emphasize
s compassion and the wisdom of emptiness, the ultimate unfixated nature of everything. The mahayana inspires us to expand our view. Instead of staying stuck in self-reference, we can open our minds to include ever greater numbers of beings.
On this path, the role of the teacher is very important. We need the example of someone who is fully awake or further along on the path. This is someone who does not get caught in fixed mind, someone who lives with a sense of equanimity and kindness, even under duress.
Just being around our spiritual friend can teach us more than any book. I was rarely alone with Trungpa Rinpoche, but I remember these times vividly, as well as the times I spent with great teachers such as the Sixteenth Karmapa and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. I learned from everything they did: the way they spoke, ate their food, and related with people. Thus Shantideva says, Never, at the cost of life or limb, forsake your virtuous friend, your teacher.
5.103
For thus you must depend upon your guru,
As you will find described in Shri Sambhava’s life,
And elsewhere in the teachings of the Buddha:
These be sure to study, reading in the sutras.
The biography referred to here tells us to regard our teachers as excellent and trustworthy physicians. When we’re disabled by samsaric mind, the teachings are the best medicine. By digesting the instructions of our spiritual friends and putting them into practice, we will reconnect with our basic health and recover our strength and sanity.
5.104
The training you will find described
Within the sutras. Therefore, read and study them.
The Sutra of the Essence of the Sky—
This is the text that should be studied first.
5.105
The Digest of All Disciplines
Contains a detailed and extensive explanation
Of all that must be practiced come what may.