For the Benefit of All Beings: A Commentary on the Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Classics)

by Dalai Lama XIV

True faith has to be based on reasoning.

training of a Bodhisattva consists of the practice of the six or ten pāramitās.12 This can be summarized as three disciplines: avoiding harmful actions, adopting virtuous actions, and working for the benefit of beings.

“Then be rid of self.” Having forsaken negative actions, we have to abandon their causes, which are negative emotions. The only antidote to these is the wisdom that knows the nonreality of things.

May I be a guard for those who are protectorless, A guide for those who journey on the road. For those who wish to cross the water, May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge. 19. May I be an isle for those who yearn for land, A lamp for those who long for light; For all who need a resting place, a bed; For those who need a servant, may I be their slave. 20. May I be the wishing jewel, the vase of wealth, A word of power and the supreme healing,

May

I be the tree of miracles, For every being the abundant cow. 21. Just like the earth and space itself And all the other mighty elements, For boundless multitudes of beings May I always be the ground of life, the source of varied sustenance. 22. Thus for everything that lives, As far as are the limits of the sky,...

beings I will bring to birth the awakened mind.

Whether we are suffering at present or have suffered in the past, there is no reason to be unhappy. If we can remedy it, why be unhappy? And if we cannot, what use is there in being depressed about it? That just adds more unhappiness and does no good at all.

Our suffering also has a positive side. For one thing, we lose our sense of self-importance. We learn to appreciate the suffering of others, and our compassion grows. And we become more careful not to accumulate the causes of suffering.

Thus, when enemies or friends Are seen to act improperly, Remain serene and call to mind That everything arises from conditions.

Veneration, praise, and fame Serve not to increase merit or my span of life, Bestowing neither health nor strength And nothing for the body’s ease.

What is endeavor? It is finding joy in doing what is good. To do that, it is necessary to remove anything that counteracts it, especially laziness.

So take advantage of this human boat. Free yourself from sorrow’s mighty stream! This vessel will be later hard to find. The time that you have now, you fool, is not for sleep!

Overpowered by their minds’ afflictions, Worldly folk are helpless to secure their happiness. Compared with those who wander, I am able! This therefore shall be my task.

us not be attached to ephemeral pleasures. It is only ignorant and confused people who spend their time amassing possessions. They end up with suffering a thousand times as great as the happiness they seek.

what in truth is nothing but a heap of bones Devoid of self, without autonomy! Is this the only object of desire and lust? Sooner pass beyond all suffering and grief!

The masters of the Kadampa tradition left detailed teachings on different ways of practicing bodhichitta. By generating bodhichitta through such practices, we can purify all our obscurations and accumulate positive actions. It

Or course, there are moments when I do get angry, but in the depth of my heart, I do not hold a grudge against anyone. I cannot pretend that I am really able to practice bodhichitta, but it does give me tremendous inspiration. Deep inside me, I realize how valuable and beneficial it is, that is all.

Strive at first to meditate Upon the sameness of yourself and others. In joy and sorrow all are equal; Thus be guardian of all, as of yourself.

Just as hands and other limbs Are thought of as the members of a body, Can we likewise not consider others As the limbs and members of a living whole?

All the joy the world contains Has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.

Because the mind perceives and understands things mistakenly, negative emotions arise and the mind is never at peace. This is why we suffer. To avoid this, we must develop the unmistaken mind, the intelligence that perceives the true nature of phenomena.

The true nature of things is obscured by the mind’s ignorant clinging to things and to the way they function.