佛子行三十七颂
土美仁波且 著 索达吉堪布 译
那摩罗格学拉亚！
虽见诸法无来去 唯一勤行利众生
殊胜师及观自在 恭敬三门恒顶礼
利乐之源诸圆觉 从修正法而出生
彼复依于知其行 是故当说佛子行
获得暇满大舟时 为自他渡轮回海
昼夜恒时不懈怠 闻思修是佛子行
亲方贪心如沸水 怨方嗔心似烈火
取舍皆忘痴黑暗 抛弃故乡佛子行
舍恶境故渐减惑 无懒散故善自增
心澄于法起正见 依住静处佛子行
长伴亲友各分离 勤聚财物留后世
识客舍弃身客堂 舍此世为佛子行
交近彼使增三毒 并减闻思修事业
能转慈悲灭尽者 离恶友为佛子行
依止何者灭罪过 功德增如上弦月
胜善知识比自身 尤为爱重佛子行
自亦缚于轮回故 世间天力能救谁
是故依止不虚者 皈依三宝佛子行
诸极难忍恶趣苦 能仁说为恶业果
是故虽遇生命难 终不造罪佛子行
三有乐如草头露 一瞬刹那毁灭法
恒时不变解脱果 希求其是佛子行
无始时来慈我者 诸母若苦我何乐
是故为渡诸有情 发菩提心佛子行
诸苦生于欲自乐 诸佛生于利他心
由此自乐与他苦 确当交换佛子行
谁以大欲图财物 一切夺或令人夺
乃身受用三世善 回向于他佛子行
吾虽无有少罪过 何人若断吾之头
然以悲心于诸罪 自身代受佛子行
何人百般诽谤吾 虽已传遍三千界
吾犹深怀仁慈心 赞叹他德佛子行
何人于聚众人处 揭发吾过说粗语
于彼还生善师想 恭敬其是佛子行
吾以如子护养人 彼若视我如怨仇
犹如母对重病儿 倍悲悯是佛子行
与吾同等或下士 虽以傲慢作侮辱
吾恭敬彼如上师 恒顶戴是佛子行
贫穷恒被他人欺 又遭重病及魔障
众生诸苦己代受 无怯弱是佛子行
众人恭敬遍荣誉 财物量如多闻天
然知世妙无实义 无有骄傲佛子行
若未降伏自嗔心 外敌虽伏又增盛
故以慈悲之心军 调伏自心佛子行
一切妙欲如盐水 如何享受贪越增
于何能生贪心物 顿时舍弃佛子行
一切现象唯自心 心性本为离边戏
领悟彼诸二取相 不作意是佛子行
会遇悦意之境时 当视犹如夏时虹
虽然美妙然无实 断除贪欲佛子行
诸苦如同梦子死 实执幻象极劳累
是故遭遇违缘时 视为幻景佛子行
欲菩提者应舍身 何况一切身外物
是故不望报异熟 布施便是佛子行
无戒自利尚不成 欲能利他岂可能
是故无存贪有心 护持净戒佛子行
欲享善乐之佛子 一切损害如宝藏
故于众生无怨心 修忍辱是佛子行
唯求自利小乘士 见勤如救头燃故
为利众生功德源 发精进是佛子行
已知具寂之胜观 能断一切烦恼障
远离四处无色心 修习禅定佛子行
若无智慧以五度 不得圆满菩提果
故具方便离三轮 修习智慧佛子行
若不细察己迷惑 以法形象行非法
是故恒察己过失 断除其是佛子行
以惑宣说佛子过 以彼减弱自功德
故入大乘士之过 不宣说是佛子行
贪图财敬互争执 减弱闻思修之业
故于亲友施主家 断除贪心佛子行
粗语伤害他人心 失误佛子之行仪
故于他人所不悦 断恶言是佛子行
烦恼串习则难治 念知士持对治剑
贪等烦恼初生时 铲除其是佛子行
总之何处行何事 当察自心何相状
恒以正知及正念 修行利他佛子行
如是勤修所生善 为除无边众生苦
以净三轮之智慧 回向菩提佛子行
为利欲学佛子道 显密经论所言义
跟随圣贤之窍诀 著佛子行卅七颂
吾浅智慧少学故 亦无智者所喜诗
然以经典教言故 佛子行颂应无误
然诸广阔佛子行 愚钝如我难测故
违理无关等过失 祈诸圣贤予宽恕
以此善业诸有情 依胜俗谛菩提心
无住有寂之边际 愿成怙主观世音
此文乃讲解教理之比丘土美为自利利他造于恩曲仁钦铺
The Thirty-Seven Practices of All the Bodhisattvas
by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo
Namo Lokeśvarāya!
You see that all things are beyond coming and going,
Yet still you strive solely for the sake of living beings—
To you, my precious guru inseparable from Lord Avalokita,
I offer perpetual homage, respectfully, with body, speech and mind.
The perfect buddhas, who are the source of all benefit and joy,
Come into being through accomplishing the sacred Dharma.
And since this in turn depends on knowing how to practise,
I shall now describe the practices of all the buddhas’ heirs.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to study, reflect and meditate,
Tirelessly, both day and night, without ever straying into idleness,
In order to free oneself and others from this ocean of saṃsāra,
Having gained this supreme vessel—a free, well-favoured human life, so difficult to find.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to leave behind one’s homeland,
Where our attachment to family and friends overwhelms us like a torrent,
While our aversion towards enemies rages inside us like a blazing fire,
And delusion’s darkness obscures what must be adopted and abandoned.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to take to solitary places,
Avoiding the unwholesome, so that destructive emotions gradually fade away,
And, in the absence of distraction, virtuous practice naturally gains strength;
Whilst, with awareness clearly focused, we gain conviction in the teachings.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to renounce this life’s concerns,
For friends and relatives, long acquainted, must all go their separate ways;
Wealth and prized possessions, painstakingly acquired, must all be left behind;
And consciousness, the guest who lodges in the body, must in time depart.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to avoid destructive friends,
In whose company the three poisons of the mind grow stronger,
And we engage less and less in study, reflection and meditation,
So that love and compassion fade away until they are no more.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to cherish spiritual friends,
By regarding them as even more precious than one’s own body,
Since they are the ones who will help to rid us of all our faults,
And make our virtues grow ever greater just like the waxing moon.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to take refuge in the Three Jewels,
Since they will never fail to provide protection for all who call upon them,
For whom are the ordinary gods of this world ever capable of helping,
As long as they themselves are trapped within saṃsāra’s vicious cycle?
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is never to commit a harmful act,
Even though not to do so might put one’s very life at risk,
For the Sage himself has taught how negative actions will ripen
Into the manifold miseries of the lower realms, so difficult to endure.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to strive towards the goal,
Which is the supreme state of changeless, everlasting liberation,
Since all the happiness of the three realms lasts but a moment,
And then is quickly gone, just like dewdrops on blades of grass.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to arouse bodhicitta,
So as to bring freedom to all sentient beings, infinite in number.
For how can true happiness ever be found while our mothers,
Who have cared for us throughout the ages, endure such pain?
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to make a genuine exchange
Of one’s own happiness and well-being for all the sufferings of others.
Since all misery comes from seeking happiness for oneself alone,
Whilst perfect buddhahood is born from the wish for others’ good.
Even if others, in the grips of great desire, should steal,
Or encourage others to take away, all the wealth that I possess,
To dedicate to them entirely my body, possessions and all my merits
From the past, present and future— this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if others should seek to cut off my head,
Though I’ve done them not the slightest wrong,
To take upon myself, out of compassion,
All the harms they have amassed—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if others should declare before the world
All manner of unpleasant things about me,
To speak only of their qualities in return,
With a mind that’s filled with love—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if others should expose my hidden faults or deride me
When speaking amidst great gatherings of many people,
To conceive of them as spiritual friends and to bow
Before them in respect—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if others whom I have cared for like children of my own
Should turn upon me and treat me as an enemy,
To regard them only with special fondness and affection,
As a mother would her ailing child—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even if others, equal or inferior to me in status,
Should, out of arrogance, disparage me,
To honour them, as I would my teacher,
By bowing down my head before them—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even though I may be destitute and despised by all,
Beset with terrible illness and plagued by evil spirits,
Still to take upon myself all beings’ ills and harmful actions,
Without ever losing heart—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Even though I may be famous and revered by all,
And as rich as Vaiśravaṇa, the god of wealth himself,
To see the futility of all the glory and riches of this world
And to remain without conceit—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to subdue the mind
With the forces of loving kindness and compassion.
For unless the real adversary—my own anger—is defeated,
Outer enemies, though I may conquer them, will continue to appear.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to turn away immediately
From those things which bring desire and attachment.
For the pleasures of the senses are just like salty water:
The more we taste of them, the more our thirst increases.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is never to entertain concepts,
Which revolve around dualistic notions of perceiver and perceived,
In the knowledge that all these appearances are but the mind itself,
Whilst mind’s own nature is forever beyond the limitations of ideas.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to let go of grasping
When encountering things one finds pleasant or attractive,
Considering them to be like rainbows in the summer skies—
Beautiful in appearance, yet in truth devoid of any substance.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to recognize delusion
Whenever one is confronted by adversity or misfortune.
For these sufferings are just like the death of a child in a dream,
And it’s so exhausting to cling to delusory perceptions as real.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to give out of generosity,
With no hopes of karmic recompense or expectation of reward.
For if those who seek awakening must give even their own bodies,
What need is there to mention mere outer objects and possessions?
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to observe ethical restraint,
Without the slightest intention of continuing in saṃsāric existence.
For lacking discipline one will never secure even one’s own well-being,
And so any thought of bringing benefit to others would be absurd.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate patience,
Free from any trace of animosity towards anyone at all,
Since any potential source of harm is like a priceless treasure
To the bodhisattva who is eager to enjoy a wealth of virtue.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to strive with enthusiastic diligence—
The source of all good qualities—when working for the sake of all who live;
Seeing that even śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, who labour for themselves alone,
Exert themselves as if urgently trying to extinguish fires upon their heads.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate concentration,
Which utterly transcends the four formless absorptions,
In the knowledge that mental afflictions are overcome entirely
Through penetrating insight suffused with stable calm.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to cultivate wisdom,
Beyond the three conceptual spheres, alongside skilful means,
Since it is not possible to attain the perfect level of awakening
Through the other five pāramitās alone, in wisdom’s absence.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to scrutinize oneself
Continually and to rid oneself of faults whenever they appear.
For unless one checks carefully to find one’s own confusion,
One might appear to be practising Dharma, but act against it.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is never to speak ill
Of others who have embarked upon the greater vehicle,
For if, under the influence of destructive emotions,
I speak of other bodhisattvas’ failings, it is I who am at fault.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to let go of attachment
To the households of benefactors and of family and friends,
Since one’s study, reflection and meditation will all diminish
When one quarrels and competes for honours and rewards.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to avoid harsh words,
Which others might find unpleasant or distasteful,
Since abusive language upsets the minds of others,
And thereby undermines a bodhisattva’s conduct.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to slay attachment
And the rest—mind’s afflictions—at once, the very moment they arise,
Taking as weapons the remedies held with mindfulness and vigilance.
For once the kleshas have become familiar, they’ll be harder to avert.
In short, no matter what one might be doing,
By examining always the status of one’s mind,
With continuous mindfulness and alertness,
To bring about the good of others—this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to dedicate towards enlightenment
All the virtue to be gained through making effort in these ways,
With wisdom that is purified entirely of the three conceptual spheres,
So as to dispel the sufferings of the infinity of beings.
Here I have set down for those who wish to follow the bodhisattva path,
Thirty-seven practices to be adopted by all the buddhas’ heirs,
Based on what is taught in the sūtras, tantras and treatises,
And following the instructions of the great masters of the past.
Since my intellect is only feeble and I have studied but a little,
This is not a composition likely to delight the connoisseurs,
Yet since I’ve relied upon the sūtras and what the saints have taught
I feel these are indeed the genuine trainings of the buddhas’ heirs.
Still, the tremendous waves of activity of the bodhisattvas
Are difficult for simple-minded folk like me to comprehend,
And I must therefore beg the indulgence of all the perfect saints
For any contradictions, irrelevancies or other flaws this may contain.
Through whatever merit has here been gained, may all beings
Generate sublime bodhicitta, both relative and absolute,
And through this, come to equal Lord Avalokiteśvara,
Transcending the extremes of existence and quiescence.
This was composed in Jewel Cave (Rinchen Puk) in Ngulchu by the monk Tokme, a teacher of scripture and reasoning, for his own and others’ benefit.
| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2006.