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examine the conventional truth of things, things do in fact come and go. However, if we
examine the deepest truth about them, their coming and going are not established as truly and
The Text 8
A Short Commentary on Thirty-seven Bodhisattva Practices
inherently existent comings and goings. For example, there is such a thing as cause and effect.
Since causes have no inherent existence - they are devoid of inherent existence - their effects
must likewise be devoid of such an impossible way of existing. Neither causes nor effects
have inherent existence; they are established as depending on each other. In other words, the
dependently arising nature of all phenomena is established as being noninherently existent.
As Nagarjuna has said, things have no true coming, going, abiding and so forth. Thus, the
phrase " Seeing that all phenomena have no coming or going" refers to voidness and the
fact that the object of prostration here is someone who understands or sees voidness with
straightforward nonconceptual cognition. Because everything dependently arises, everything
is devoid of inherent existence. And because everything is devoid of inherent existence,
everything dependently arises by a process of cause and effect.
From disturbing emotions and attitudes as a cause, suffering arises as a result, and from
constructive actions as a cause, happiness arises as a result. Since the coming of suffering
dependently arises from disturbing emotions and destructive actions, and the object of
prostration here sees that this is the case with all living beings, his compassion is therefore
aimed at them solely for the purpose of helping to show them the way to eliminate their
suffering, to make it go away. Thus, both the wisdom and method sides are indicated here
since we need both together, without either being missing.
From the salutary verse, then, we can see these two sides. Lokeshvara sees that everything is
devoid of inherent existence and, because everything is devoid, he sees that all phenomena
arise from cause and effect. Specifically, he sees that the suffering of all beings arises or
comes from their disturbing emotions and attitudes, and therefore he is compassionately aimed
at eliminating that suffering or making it go. Thus, the two sides of wisdom and method are
praised here in regard to Lokeshvara. Because he sees everything as void, he sees everything
as cause and effect. Thus, he has compassion for everyone to take them out of their suffering.
Do you understand?
The Promise to Compose
The next verse is the promise to compose.
Fully enlightened Buddhas,
the sources of benefit and happiness,
Have come about from (their)
having actualized the hallowed Dharma.
Moreover, since that depended on (their)
having known what its practices are,
I shall explain a bodhisattva's practice.
Buddha first developed a bodhichitta aim to reach enlightenment in order to benefit everyone.
Then, once he attained enlightenment, his single aim has been to benefit all. He tamed his own
mind, having realized that he needed to eliminate all his own disturbing emotions and attitudes
to do so and that this is what everyone needs to do to be able to attain true happiness. Thus,
Buddha taught the various methods to do this and we ourselves need to practice in the same
way as he did. If we practice as he taught, we too shall be able to obtain happiness. Therefore,
the verse refers to the Buddhas as the sources of benefit and happiness.
The Initial Salutation 9
A Short Commentary on Thirty-seven Bodhisattva Practices
The Buddha himself was not enlightened from the beginning. He relied on his own gurus,
practiced their teachings, and tamed his mind. By the process of eliminating all his disturbing
emotions and attitudes, he became enlightened. Therefore, he reached his attainment by
practicing and having actualized the hallowed Dharma.
We need to try to understand how we have both bodies and minds. When our eye
consciousness sees something, for instance, we do not say that our eye consciousness sees it,
but that I myself do. If our bodies become sick, we say that I am sick. The implication of these
expressions is either that I am a mind consciousness or that I am a body. But, our bodies are
first formed in our mothers' wombs and they end when they decompose with our deaths. So [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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