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37 Practices of a Bodhisattva
johnathan
Canada Veteran
A friend and I are currently having a look at these practices and seeing if we can boil these practices down to simple English.... Any assistance would be welcome...
We just started and so far have:
PRACTICE #1:
Listen, think, and meditate (upon the Dharma) unwaveringly, day and night.
Is this the gist or is it to simplified?
We just started and so far have:
PRACTICE #1:
Listen, think, and meditate (upon the Dharma) unwaveringly, day and night.
Is this the gist or is it to simplified?
0
Comments
I think you have simplified it. The first practice is to meditate on your current circumstances.
You are a human. Particularly, you are the precious kind of human. You exist in the luxury and leisure of a life free from gross sufferings such as starvation, being born in a disadvantaged socio-economic category, and free from profound physical and mental disabilities, etc.
Meditate on this fortuitous confluence of conditions. Maintain the practice for further fortuitous confluences of conditions.
Would not meditating on said confluences of conditions not be covered by "Listen, think, and meditate (upon the Dharma) unwaveringly, day and night.? because to do so you would inevitably become aware of and meditate on this...
It's just that for every single one of the 37 steps you are going to be meditating on dharma, so you need to focus the meditations. The first meditation is specifically focused on engendering a profound recognition of the fortuitous conditions that make the current moment as it is experienced by you, a precious human rebirth, possible.
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth, Listen, think, and meditate (upon the Dharma) unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
When ones emotion's towards others, whether with those one loves, hates or is indifferent to, harms ones ability to practice Dharma then it is advisable to leave.
Yes. Wander alone like a Rhinoceros.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards others, whether with those one loves, hates or is indifferent to, harms ones ability to practice Dharma then it is advisable to cultivate loving-kindness towards all alike or if that is not possible, leave.
This would imply that the cultivation of metta for all is the favorable option but if one fails to do that then it is better to leave then stay in that environment and have ones practice of the Dharma harmed.
Both cultivating metta and leaving have the same outcome, freeing oneself (er... nonself) from attachments, aversions and ignorance that get in the way of practicing Dharma...
Perhaps Loving-Kindness is to narrow of an alternative as their are other ways to leave ones homeland...
Maybe this is a better phrasing:
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards others, whether with those one loves, hates or is indifferent to, harms ones ability to practice Dharma then it is advisable to let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
EDIT: I found the wording above for practice #2 a bit of a tongue twister so have revised it...
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma then they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
http://www.unfetteredmind.org/translations/37.php
Practice #1:
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth, Listen, think, and meditate (upon the Dharma) unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma then they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
Practice #3:
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
I'm looking for others opinions as to if they feel the above (and future) translations of the Practices are accurate to your understanding of them.
http://www.kagyu.org/ktd/densal/archives/1802/hhexcerpt.php
for #1 , i would word it as "listen, think, meditate and live the dharma unwavering, day and night"
I like your amendment. For what good is listening, thinking and meditating on the Dharma if one does not put it into daily practice.
I will edit my above post to reflect this addition.
I guess I can't edit it now... Here it is edited...
Practice #1:
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth; listen, think, meditate and live the Dharma unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
Practice #3:
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cach....SZMbnb0WA5f73kw (if it won't open just go to top left and hit view as html)
Thanks Dazzle... I will surely study that explanation when I get to Practice number seven.
Practice #4:
Abandon attachment to this life for eventually all relationships will end, all possessions will be lost and our consciousness will depart from our bodies.
But assuming you would classify me as a low level aquirer are you saying then I should only study and learn while engaging in meditation... does practical application not apply to me?
A Bodhisattva is anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated a spontaneous wish to become awakened beings for the benefit of all sentient beings.
The 37 Practices are a summary of how an Awakening Being Behaves.
Here is a link to one translation... there are many:
http://www.unfetteredmind.org/translations/37.php
Here is a recap of the practices I've worked on so far... feel free to comment on how to improve these translations;
Practice #1:
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth; listen, think, meditate and live the Dharma unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
Practice #3:
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
Practice #4:
Abandon attachment to this life for eventually all relationships will end, all possessions will be lost and our consciousness will depart from our bodies.
Here is my take on
Practice #5:
Sever friendships with those whom, when we associate, cause the three poisons to arise within us (hatred, desire and ignorance), who cause us to engage less in study, reflection and meditation and who cause our love and compassion for all sentient beings to become lost and forgotten.
Practice #6: Even when you think you are growing and learning quickly, never take your teacher for granted. There is always more to learn. This is the practice of a bodhisattva.
How's that??
I like the simplicity but feel a few main factors of the practice are missing. namely those of Cherishing the teacher more than our bodies... and what the reason for placing faith in the teacher is (decreasing faults and increasing good qualities)
As upalabhava states above: "every single one of the 37 steps you are going to be meditating on dharma, so you need to focus the meditations"
The focus of this Practice is to reflect on the importance of such a relationship and why it is important.
I came up with:
Cherish teachers above all else who embody what we seek to develop in ourselves, as it is through them that we rid ourselves of faults and increase our good qualities.
If you are a special being who possesses skillful means, you can carry all mental poisons and afflictions onto the path. That is, you can use them as a basis for practice. But if you are an ordinary person, then associating with negative friends will cause your three poisons to increase. This is the first reason to give up negative friendships. The second reason is to prevent the activities of listening, reflecting, and meditating from degenerating. And the third reason is that even if you have already developed loving kindness and compassion, the influence of a negative friend will impair these positive qualities and will hinder you from practicing them. These are the three reasons to give up negative friendships.
To clarify the respective meaning of "ordinary being" and "special being," let us use an analogy: Consider the vast amount of waste eliminated by the inhabitants of a large city. Ordinary beings are disgusted by sewage and want to be rid of it. It is dirty, it smells, it breeds disease. But the farmer is a special being grateful to obtain what everyone else rejects. His skill allows him to use this "waste" to fertilize his fields and make them more productive so that he can reap an abundant harvest. So you see there are two attitudes toward waste products and what to do with them.
It is the same way with the five afflictions. While ordinary beings must rid themselves of afflictions, the skillful individual can carry them onto the path and transform them into the five wisdoms.
In Theravāda Buddhism the term "bodhisatta" (Pāli language) was used by the Buddha in the Pāli canon to refer to himself both in his previous lives and as a young man in his current life, prior to his enlightenment, in the period during which he was working towards his own liberation. When, during his discourses, he recounts his experiences as a young aspirant, he regularly uses the phrase "When I was an unenlightened bodhisatta..." The term therefore connotes a being who is "bound for enlightenment", in other words, a person whose aim is to become fully enlightened. In the Pāli canon, the bodhisatta is also described as someone who is still subject to birth, illness, death, sorrow, defilement and delusion.
You say he worked for you... Were you simply an empathetic employer or his friend (did you hang out with him outside of work).
Were you his friend when he was turning his life around or when he was at his worst? If you were his friend during his worst times did his friendship cause the three poisons to arise within you? Did it cause you to study, reflect, or meditate less? Did it cause you to loose or forget your love and compassion for all sentient beings? Did it even test these things?
If it tested them but you remained unaltered and still moving in the direction of a Bodhissatva then your course was right (to continue the relationship).
If it caused any of these negative effects then your best course of action would have been to sever the relationship and focus on correcting the damage done from it so that you would still be of use to all sentient beings and not moving closer to the path this man was on.
Practice #1:
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth; listen, think, meditate and live the Dharma unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
Practice #3:
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
Practice #4:
Abandon attachment to this life for eventually all relationships will end, all possessions will be lost and our consciousness will depart from our bodies.
Practice #5:
Sever friendships with those whom, when we associate, cause the three poisons to arise within us (hatred, desire and ignorance), who cause us to engage less in study, reflection and meditation and who cause our love and compassion for all sentient beings to become lost and forgotten.
Practice #6
Cherish teachers above all else who embody what we seek to develop in ourselves, as it is through them that we rid ourselves of faults and increase our good qualities.
Practice #7
@laurajean Again, you're interpretation of #7 is oversimplified... One must reflect on the uselessness of looking to worldly gods (like Brahma, Ishvara, and Vishnu) for refuge as they too, like us, are trapped in samsara, bound by afflictions, karma, and suffering. Thus, they have no ability to protect other beings.
My stab at #7 is:
Like us, worldly gods are bound in samsara and thus cannot protect us, so instead take refuge in the three rare and supreme jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha).
at the link below:
"Captive themselves in the prison of samsara,
Whom could worldly gods protect?
Therefore, in seeking protection, going for refuge
To the unfailing Three Jewels is the practice of a bodhisattva
http://www.kagyu.org/ktd/densal/archives/1802/hhexcerpt.php
.
Practice #7
Like us, worldly gods are bound in samsara and thus cannot protect us, so instead I must take responsibility for protecting myself by transcending suffering through my own efforts. In order to do this, I have to depend on this path—the Dharma, on the Buddha—the teacher and on the other beings who are experienced—the Sangha.
Practice #7
Like us, worldly gods are bound in samsara and thus cannot protect us, so instead we must take responsibility for protecting ourselves by transcending suffering through our own efforts. In order to do this, we have to depend on this path—the Dharma, on the Buddha—the teacher and on the other beings who are experienced—the Sangha.
To avoid the intolerable suffering of a rebirth into the lower realms one must, as the Buddha taught, avoid destructive actions even at the cost of ones own life.
Practice #1:
Having gained this rare precious human rebirth; listen, think, meditate and live the Dharma unwaveringly, day and night, in order to free oneself and others from this ocean of samsara.
Practice #2:
When ones emotion's towards those they love, hate or are indifferent to, harms their ability to practice Dharma they should either let go of these emotions or if that is not possible, leave.
Practice #3:
It is better to dwell alone in silence than to dwell in a negative place. In doing so, disturbing emotions gradually decrease, virtuous activities naturally increase and when the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma is born.
Practice #4:
Abandon attachment to this life for eventually all relationships will end, all possessions will be lost and our consciousness will depart from our bodies.
Practice #5:
Sever friendships with those whom, when we associate, cause the three poisons to arise within us (hatred, desire and ignorance), who cause us to engage less in study, reflection and meditation and who cause our love and compassion for all sentient beings to become lost and forgotten.
Practice #6
Cherish teachers above all else who embody what we seek to develop in ourselves, as it is through them that we rid ourselves of faults and increase our good qualities.
Practice #7
Like us, worldly gods are bound in samsara and thus cannot protect us, so instead take refuge in the three rare and supreme jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha).
Practice #8
To avoid the intolerable suffering of a rebirth into the lower realms one must, as the Buddha taught, avoid destructive actions even at the cost of ones own life.
I won't be able to continue working on it for a while as I have just moved and do not yet have internet...
I cannot possible do the research and reading I need to do via my cell phone and its tiny screen and then type it all out via its tiny keys...
Soon I hope to have internet up and running then I shall continue on to the rest of the 37 practices.