Becoming Bodhisattvas

by Pema Chodron

  Have you spent in working for yourself?

  And what great weariness it was,

  While your reward was only misery!

  Here, he also plays two roles: his innate wisdom talks sense to his confused, neurotic self. We all have this guiding wisdom mind and, like Shantideva, we can call on it at any time.

  8.156

  The truth, therefore, is this:

  That you must wholly give yourself and take the other’s place.

  The Buddha did not lie in what he said—

  You’ll see the benefits that come from it.

  He talks kindly to his poor, confused mind: What will best serve you is serving others. If you follow the Buddha’s instructions, it will go much better for everyone.

  8.157

  If, indeed, you had in former times

  Embraced this work and undertaken it,

  You could not still be lacking

  In the perfect bliss of buddhahood.

  What’s more, oh neurotic mind, if you had started on this path even a month ago, you’d be that much closer to Buddhahood!

  8.158

  Just as you identify

  A drop of other’s blood and sperm,

  And cling to it as though it were yourself,

  Now take sentient beings—others—as your self.

  8.159

  Now be covetous for others’ sake,

  Of everything you see that you possess.

  Steal it, take it all away,

  And use it for the benefit of others.

  So much of what we do builds up selfishness and destroys our happiness. Exchanging ourselves with others brings contentment into our lives. It’s as simple as that.

  Herbert Guenther defines ego as a “fictitious self.” Here this fictitious self is being advised by wisdom mind to free itself and benefit others, by whatever means possible. If your neurotic tendency is to steal, turn stealing into benefit for others. In order to be free of covetousness, imaging stealing whatever your fictitious self is most attached to, and then giving that to those in need. This is a unique instruction for escaping the trap of self-centered grasping.

  8.160

  I indeed am happy, others sad;

  I am high and mighty, others low;

  I am helped while others are abandoned:

  Why am I not jealous of myself?

  8.161

  Happiness, fulfillment: these I leave aside.

  The pain of others: this I will embrace.

  Inquiring of myself repeatedly,

  I will become aware of all my faults.

  8.162

  When others are at fault, I’ll take

  And turn the blame upon myself.

  And all my sins, however slight,

  Confess, and make them known to many.

  With these verses, we begin a section on directing all blame toward the cause of our misery: our neurotic self-absorption. Rather than blaming others for our unhappiness or blaming ourselves in a harsh, mean-spirited way, we take a clear, compassionate look at how self-centeredness ruins our chances of lasting happiness. Our relentless self-importance causes us to suffer far more than any other culprit.

  8.163

  The fame of others I will magnify

  That it might thus outshine my own.

  Among them I will be as one who serves,

  My lowly labor for their benefit.

  8.164

  This ego is by nature rife with defects,

  Its accidental talents I should hide, not praise.

  Whatever qualities it has I will conceal,

  That they remain unknown to everyone.

  These verses could easily be misunderstood as guidelines for masochism. We need to be very clear that Shantideva is not advising us to denigrate ourselves. He is encouraging us to acknowledge the misery caused by our ego trips, and to use our innate wisdom to turn that around. Instead of generating self-loathing, this practice promotes confidence in our basic goodness. When driving all the blame into ego, it’s important to keep this in mind.

  8.165

  All the harm, in short, my ego does

  To its advantage and to others’ cost,

  May all of it descend upon itself,

  To its own hurt—to others’ benefit.

  Shantideva wants his ego to experience all the harm it’s selfishly caused others. This would certainly be a surefire method for curing our self-centered aggressive tendencies.

  8.166

  Do not let it strut about the place,

  So arrogant, so overbearing.

  But like a newly wedded bride,

  Let it be demure and blushing, timorous and shy!

  8.167

  That’s how it should be and stay!

  And if it lapses, bring it forcibly to heel

  With antidotes, and if these fail,

  Well then, apply the lash!

  Here Shantideva continues to refer to the self-centeredness of ego and recommends the Geshe Ben approach. If gentle techniques aren’t working for you, then be more forceful. Life is too short to stay addicted to ego.

  8.168

  And so, O mind, if still you will refuse,

  Though you have been so lengthily advised,

  Since every evil has its roots in you,

  You are indeed now ripe for punishment!

  8.169

  The time when you could do me harm

  Is in the past, and now is here no more.

  Now I see you! Where will you escape?

  I’ll bring you down, and all your haughty insolence.

  “Your time is up!” the wisdom of buddha nature says to ego. “I’m not going to let old patterns keep bringing me down.”

  If Shantideva’s language—ripe for punishment, apply the lash—doesn’t do it for you, then put this sentiment into your own words. But don’t sweeten the message too much. Indulging in self-absorption is dangerous to our health.

  At some point, we need to stop identifying with our weaknesses and shift our allegiance to our basic goodness. It’s highly beneficial to understand that our limitations are not absolute and monolithic, but relative and removable. The wisdom of buddha nature is available to us at any time.

  8.170

  Every thought of working for myself

  Is utterly rejected, cast aside.

  “Now that you’ve been sold to others,

  Stop your whining, be of service!”

  Remember that! But when you say to yourself, Stop your whining, be of service! say it with a smile. Remember, too, that this is something you say to your sorrow-bearing ego, not to others.

  8.171

  For if, through being inattentive,

  I do not deliver you to others,

  You will hand me over, it is certain,

  To the dreadful guardians of hell.

  Because of our mindlessness and many kleshas, we often find ourselves in very familiar hot water. For best results, therefore, stay awake! The bodhisattva delights in resisting the seduction of self-absorption and in benefiting others.

  8.172

  For this is how so many times

  You have betrayed me, and how long I’ve suffered!

  Now my memory is full of rancor;

  I will crush your selfish schemes!

  Here we have an example of wrathful compassion. When this very abrupt, anger-against-anger approach is used skillfully as a tool of loving-kindness, it can be very helpful.

  8.173

  And so it is that if I want contentment,

  I should never seek to please myself.
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  And likewise, if I wish to save myself,

  I’ll always be the guardian of others.

  The line I should never seek to please myself refers to acting selfishly. Shantideva says that by benefiting others we will achieve personal contentment. The Dalai Lama calls this “wise selfishness.” Foolish selfishness is not concerned with others’ welfare and thus perpetuates our discontent.

  8.174

  To the extent this human form

  Is cosseted and saved from hurt,

  Just so, just so, to that degree,

  It grows so sensitive and peevish.

  8.175

  For those who fall to such a state,

  The earth itself and all it holds

  Are powerless to satisfy.

  For who can give them all they crave?

  8.176

  Their hopeless craving brings them misery,

  And evil policies invade their minds.

  While those with free, untrammeled hearts,

  Will never know an end of excellence.

  Shantideva makes the point that desires are endless. To think that comfort and security could come from satisfying them is as comical as trying to put out a fire by adding more wood.

  8.177

  Therefore, for the increase of my body’s wants,

  I’ll give no space, no opportunity.

  And of possessions, those things are the best

  That do not captivate by their attractiveness.

  Again, there is nothing wrong with possessions. The problem lies in our addiction to them.

  8.178

  Dust and ashes are the body’s final state,

  This body which, inert, is moved by other forces.

  This insupportable and unclean form—

  Why do I regard it as my “I,” my “self”?

  The body moved by other forces refers to the body that is carried away after death. This body will fade away. It is not a permanent entity now, and it won’t be when we die.

  8.179

  Alive or dead, what difference does it make?

  What good to me is this machinery?

  What difference will divide it from a clod of earth?

  Oh, why not rid myself of this conceit of “self”?

  Our body can, of course, be very useful, but not if we’re obsessed with it. Hopefully this now familiar message is sinking in.

  8.180

  Through lavishing attention on this body,

  Such sorrow have I brought myself so senselessly.

  What use is all my wanting, all my hating—

  For what indeed is like a log of wood?

  By the time we die, we can get really good at all our wanting and hating. But to what end? Let’s not wait until we’re dying before we ask this question.

  8.181

  Whether I protect and pamper it,

  Or whether it is torn by beaks of carrion birds,

  This body feels no pleasure, no aversion—

  Why then do I cherish it so much?

  8.182

  Resentment when it is reviled,

  Or pleasure when it is esteemed,

  Neither of these two the body feels—

  So why do I exhaust myself?

  8.183

  Because of the appreciation, you will say,

  That others, all my friends, will have of it.

  They all appreciate the bodies that they have,

  So why do I not like them as my own?

  When people say, “You’re looking so good, so radiant!” or, “You seem to have more wrinkles since last I saw you,” we’re drawn into joy or depression. Our fictitious self gets very worked up over a bit of praise or blame. So why do I exhaust myself? Shantideva asks in verse 182. Why do this to ourselves, our fleeting, momentary selves?

  In verse 183, we have another familiar dialogue. We claim that we protect and pamper our body to bring delight to others. But if that’s the case, why not protect and pamper their bodies? This would surely delight others as well.

  8.184

  Therefore, free from all attachment,

  I will give this body for the benefit of beings;

  Thus, though many blemishes afflict it,

  I shall take it as my necessary tool.

  8.185

  And so, enough of all my childish ways.

  I’ll follow in the footsteps of the wise,

  Recalling their advice on vigilance,

  I’ll shun all sleep and mental dullness.

  Here Shantideva vows to take this body as his working basis, his necessary tool. When we do likewise and enthusiastically follow in the footsteps of the wise, it will serve us well and carry us to unsurpassable enlightenment.

  8.186

  Like the buddhas’ heirs, in their compassion,

  I will take the burden, all that should be borne.

  For if I do not labor night and day,

  When will all my sorrows have an end?

  Trungpa Rinpoche often used the word burden in a positive sense. The great burden he felt to benefit sentient beings was one he carried joyfully. To labor night and day doesn’t mean striving and struggling. It means persevering with the eagerness of an elephant diving into cool water, or with the delight of a swan descending on a lotus lake. Ultimately it means getting our priorities straight, so that everything is done with the intention of awakening the heart of bodhi.

  8.187

  Thus to banish all obscuring veils

  I’ll bend my mind from the mistaken path;

  And constantly upon this perfect object

  I shall rest my mind in even meditation.

  Dedication

  IN CHAPTER 10 of The Way of the Bodhisattva, Shantideva dedicates any merit he has accumulated from composing this text for the benefit of himself and all other beings. By reading these verses of dedication we can use his expert help to voice our own deepest wishes.

  This is a simple yet profound way to engage in enlightened activity. At the end of any activity—a meal, a meeting, or a dharma teaching—we can make the aspiration that any benefit we’ve received be shared by others. We might think of one particular person who could use some help, or the men, women, and children living in war-torn countries, or all beings everywhere without exception.

  I once asked Trungpa Rinpoche about sharing the merit at the end of a meal. Since I often ate mindlessly, it seemed a bit hypocritical to think I’d accumulated anything but further self-absorption. He replied that since I had the good fortune to have nourishing food, which I enjoyed in a safe and comfortable environment, I actually had plenty of good fortune to share.

  He also reminded me of the three noble principles: good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. If we start an activity with the clear intention that it be of benefit, and if we continue with as open a mind as we can manage, then we will always have something to share at the end. Even if we become completely distracted from what we’re doing, the clear aspiration we begin with transforms any action into bodhisattva activity.

  Dedicating merit shifts our attitude. Instead of just focusing on ourselves, we start thinking beyond “me” and “mine.” Remembering the distress and hardships of others, and that enlightenment is possible for everyone, opens us to a bigger perspective.

  Dedicating merit also softens us. The suffering of all the people and animals we share this planet with becomes more real. They need help as much or more than we do. Even the ones we don’t like and the ones we feel “got what they deserved” become the focus of dedication. These seemingly small gestures of love and concern can help heal the suffering of the world. The most significant step any one o
f us can make toward global peace is to soften what’s rigid in our heart.

  10.1

  By all the virtue I have now amassed

  By composition of this book, which speaks

  Of entry to the bodhisattva way,

  May every being tread the path to buddhahood.

  Shantideva begins with this brief dedication. As a result of his commendable activity, he aspires for every being to have the chance to live the life of a bodhisattva: May every being tread the path to buddhahood, including those we currently feel don’t deserve it.

  The wish for all beings to awaken has two parts. One is the sincere longing that it happen sooner rather than later. The second is the growing confidence that this is not only possible but inevitable. The only question is whether we choose to slow down or speed up the process.

  10.2

  May beings everywhere who suffer

  Torment in their minds and bodies

  Have, by virtue of my merit,

  Joy and happiness in boundless measure.

  10.3

  As long as they may linger in samsara,

  May their present joy know no decline,

  And may they taste of unsurpassed beatitude

  In constant and unbroken continuity.

  Shantideva makes aspirations for all beings in the six realms: By the virtue of his merit may people and animals who are suffering have physical comfort and mental joy in boundless measure. May they enjoy good health and other worldly benefits as well as the ultimate joy of realizing their true nature. When we share the merit, we can think of all people everywhere and wish them unsurpassed beatitude, not just for an afternoon, but forever. In other words, we think as big as possible.

  10.4

  Throughout the spheres and reaches of the world,

  In hellish states wherever they may be,

  May beings fettered there, tormented,