Table Of ContentA FLASH OF LIGHTNING
IN THE DARK OF NIGHT
A Guide to the Bodhisattva's
Way of Life
Tenzin Gyatso
THE FOURTEENTH DALAI LAMA
Foreword by
Tulku Pema Wangyal
Translated from the Tibetan by
THE PADMAKARA TRANSLATION GROUP
SHAMBHALA
Boston & London
1994
Shambhala Publications, Inc. CONTENTS
Horticultural Hall
eunevA sttesuhcassaM 003
51120 sttesuhcassaM ,notsoB
Foreword vii
engodroD ed sertneC sed etsihdduoB noitaicossA yb 4991 © Acknowledgments ix
eb yam koob siht fo trap oN .devreser sthgir llA ix etoN 'srotalsnarT
ro cinortcele ,snaem yna yb ro mrof yna ni decudorper
Introduction: The Way of the Bodhisattva i
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any
tuohtiw ,metsys laveirter dna egarots noitamrofni 1. The Benefits of Bodhichitta 9
permission in writing from the publisher.
02 noitacifiruP dna gnireffO .2
9 8 7 6 5 4 32
3. Embracing Bodhichitta 30
4. Carefulness 35
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ©
Distributed in the United States by Random House, Inc., 5. Attentiveness 40
and in Canada bv Random House of Canada Ltd 6. Patience 52
7. Endeavor 75
SSERGNOC FO YRARBIL
CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA88 noitartnecnoC evitatideM .8
Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935— 9. Wisdom 114
eht ot ediug a :thgin fo krad eht ni gninthgil fo hsalF A
;amaL ialaD htneetruoF eht ,ostayG nizneT / efil fo yaw s'avttasihdob 10. Dedication 124
translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group.
No to 127
)snoitide nogard alahbmahS(—.mc .p
.xedni dna secnerefer lacihpargoilbib sedulcnI Glossary 131
ISBN 0-87773-971-4 Bibliography 137
—msihdduB anayahaM .2 .aratavayracihdoB .tnec ht7 ,aveditnaS .i
Doctrines. I. Santideva, 7th cent. Bodhicaryavatara. 1994. Index 139
II. Title.
803147.5774 1994 93-36511
294.3'85—dczo CIP
FOREWORD
H
s iHOLINE EDHSATS LAI LAMA, Tenzin Gyats sbaowo, rn
in 1935 in the province of Amdo in eastern Tibet. When
he was two years old he was recognized as the fourteenth
eerht rof ohw sretsam lautirips eht ,samaL ialaD fo enil eht ni
centuries had governed a country three times the size of France that
-sih raey-dnasuoht-owt sti tuohguorht tnednepedni dna detinu saw
tory.
fo txeterp eht rednu tebiT dedavni anihC tsinummoC ,0591 nI
deliatne siht tahw ytilaer nI ".noitarebil lufecaep" a tuoba gnignirb
was the destruction of an entire people and its culture. Today, both
are threatened with extinction.
One man, the Dalai Lama, was to become the symbol of the
a sa ,9591 ecniS .noitan a sa tebiT fo lavivrus eht rof thgif citamard
eht deripsni dna del sah eh ,aidnI htroN ,alasamrahD ni eegufer
Tibetan community in exile. As a spokesman for nonviolence, he has
-inummoc rehcaet lautirips a sA .ecaep dlrow rof ylgniritnu dekrow
cating his wisdom and his experience of altruism with great simplic-
ity, he is universally respected and venerated by millions of Buddhists
msihdduB ,mih roF .noissapmoC fo ahdduB eht sa mih drager ohw
,ssenippah fo ecruos a ,efil fo yaw a tub noigiler ro amgod a ton si
inner peace, and wisdom. It awakens in us kindness and love, teach-
eh yhw si sihT .htrae siht no gniht gnivil yreve tcetorp ot su gni
fo eno hcae taht ssenerawa eht ,ytilibisnopser lasrevinu sezisahpme
dna ecaep rof rekrow a eb nac ,ylimaf namuh eht fo rebmem a sa ,su
a protector of the environment: "Outer disarmament comes from
FOREWORD
inner disarmament. The only true guarantee of peace lies within our-
selves."
keew elohw a rof thguat sseniloH siH taht tirips siht ni saw tI
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
in August 1991 in Dordogne, southwestern France. Commenting on
s'aveditnahS ,erutaretil tsihdduB ni skrow citeop tsetaerg eht fo eno
lareves decudortni eh ,)avttasihdoB eht fo yaW ehT( aratavdyrahcihdoB
-ihdoB eht fo htap eht ,noissapmoc fo yaw eht ot elpoep dnasuoht
W
E ARE MOST GRATEF ehTtU oLti betan la-nmi ohaws
ot wov eht ekat ,sgnieb fo gnireffus eht yb demlehwrevo ,ohw savttas
o o J
vited His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Dordogne in
perfect themselves in order to liberate others. Despite the fact that
August 1991: Shenphen Dawa Rmpoche, Lama Jigme
ylluf dna ylurt os ,semit ynam gnihcaet siht nevig sah sseniloH siH
dna ,)laygnaW ameP ukluT( ehcopmR lurtesT gnulkaT ,ehcopmR
sraet ot devom saw flesmih eh noisacco no taht laedi siht evil eh seod
,stroffe denibmoc rieht fo esuaceB .ehcopmR owaP gnanheN etal eht
.txet s'aveditnahS fo ytuaeb eht yb
a great many people were able to meet His Holiness and attend, for
Just like this great Indian master of the eighth century, the
.sgnihcaet sih fo elcyc etelpmoc a ,ecnarF ni emit tsrif eht
Dalai Lama talks about human nature in simple and moving terms.
Members of the Padmakara Translation Group who worked on
-dnik dna evol rof evah lla ew laitnetop eht poleved ot su segru eH
-neyhK emgiJ edulcni natebiT morf sgnihcaet eseht fo noitalsnart eht
ness. Appealing to our everyday experience, he shows us how to be-
tse Rmpoche, Stephen Gethin, Wulstan Fletcher, Michal Abrams,
.gninaem dna noitcerid sevil ruo evig dna elpoep detraehdoog emoc
Vivian Kurz, John Canti, and Kristina Permild, with invaluable addi-
.evacednoF enitsirhC dna mzneT gohcnoK yb nevig pleh lanoit
LAYGNAW AMEP UKLUT The extracts from Shantideva's Bodhicbaryavatara have been prin-
2992 yraunaJ ted with kind permission of the Padmakara Translation Group.
ASSOCIATION OF BUDDHIST CENTERS IN DORDOGNE
Vlll
ETON 'SROTALSNART
A
LTHOUe GhDtH alai Las mabhae coma ef amiliar figunrie
-raeppa raluger dna snoitacilbup suoremun htiw ,tseW eht
ances on television and in conference halls, this book marks
na roF .aciremA htroN dna eporuE ot stisiv sih ni tneve lausunu na
entire week, to an audience of more than two thousand people under
a no gnihcaet lanoitidart a evag sseniloH siH ,eeuqram suomrone na
great classic of Buddhist literature.
htap elohw eht gnirevoc txet a si aratavayrahcihdoB s'aveditnahS
-ces sniatnoc ti ,eripsni ot sliaf reven ti elihw dna ,tnemnethgilne ot
tions that require detailed commentary if they are to be fully under-
stood. A complete oral commentary can take several months, and
within the time available, it was not possible for His Holiness to
nI .aveditnahS yb dednuopxe stniop laitnesse eht naht erom revoc
yrev eht ot noitcudortni feirb a evig ot elba ylno saw eh ,ralucitrap
ni hcaet ot sdnetni eh hcihw ,txet eht fo retpahc htnin tluciffid
greater detail in November 1993. Neither was there time for him to
.retpahc htnet eht no tnemmoc
One or two details specific to the circumstances of the teaching
appear in this book. In the third chapter, as His Holiness explained
avttasihdoB eht ekat ot tneserp esoht detivni eh ,txet eht fo trap siht
stsisnoc ereh 01 retpahC .sisab a sa sdrow s'aveditnahS gnisu ,woV
mainly of His Holmess's concluding advice during the dedication
.sgnihcaet eht fo dne eht dekram taht
An attempt has been made in the translation of this book, in
esu dezilareneg diova ot ,yratnemmoc eht dna txet toor eht htob
of masculine pronouns where Tibetan, conveniently, often uses no
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
pronoun at all. However, for reasons of style—particularly in the
root verses where conciseness and rhythm are also important consid-
tnuocca yradnegel eht fI .elbissop neeb syawla ton sah siht—snoitare
A FLASH OF LIGHTNING
of Shantideva's first delivery of this text in the eighth century is to
be believed, the teaching was addressed to his fellow monks at Na- IN THE DARK OF NIGHT
landa, and the language and examples he uses correspond to this all-
male audience. In his commentary, His Holiness asks women readers
to simply transpose genders when applying Shantideva's ideas (for
example in his discussion of physical desire in the eighth chapter) to
their own experience.
In this book, the Dalai Lama demonstrates his profound
-om eht ni deviecer eh gniniart evisnetxe eht fo tiurf eht ,egdelwonk
nastic centers of learning in Tibet, and his extraordinary insight into
doog dna elbisnopser a eb ot snaem ti tahw dna noitidnoc namuh eht
person. The simple and moving way in which he communicates the
truths he exemplifies in his own life is presented within a traditional
etiuq a fo lairetam niatnoc koob eht fo straP .gnihcaet tsihdduB
technical nature, requiring a basic knowledge of a number of Bud-
dhist terms and concepts. Brief explanations of terms widely used in
Buddhism have been given in the Glossary. Names and terms that
appear only infrequently are commented on in endnotes.
Xll
INTRODUCTION
The Way of the Bodhisattva
I
RECEIVED the transmission of the Bodhicharyavatara (The Way of
1,ehcopniR unuK eht ,nestlayG nizneT morf )avttasihdoB eht
-niR lurtaP azD fo elpicsid a morf flesmih ti deviecer ohw
siht fo srieh lautirips lapicnirp eht fo eno sa dedrager won 2,ehcop
teaching. It is said that when Patrul Rinpoche explained this text
wolley fo gnimossolb eht sa hcus ,rucco dluow sngis suoicipsua
flowers, remarkable for the great number of their petals. I feel very
fortunate that I am in turn able to give a commentary on this great
classic of Buddhist literature.
-aid renni na fo mrof eht ni txet siht desopmoc aveditnahS
htiw elttab gniod ,flesmih nopu snopaew nwo sih denrut eH 3.eugol
his negative emotions. Therefore, when we teach or listen to this
D
text, it is important that we do so in order to progress spiritually,
rather than making it simply a subject of academic study. With this
eht ot egamoh gniyap yb gnihcaet fo noisses hcae nigeb ew ,dnim ni
.sartus eht morf stcartxe gniticer dna ahdduB
O
Abandon evildoing;
Practice virtue well;
Subdue your mind:
.gnihcaet s'ahdduB eht si sihT
Like a star, an optical illusion, or a flame,
,elbbub a ro ,pordwed a ,noisulli lacigam A
—duolc a ro ,gninthgil fo hsalf a ,maerd a ekiL
.sgniht dednuopmoc lla redisnoc eno dluohs oS
While reciting these words, we should reflect on impermanence
fo reyarp a htiw edulcnoc dna anemonehp ni ytilaer fo kcal eht dna
dedication:
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
By this merit may we attain omniscience ings who experience them, do not arise without cause nor are they
And overcome our enemy, our harmful deeds, caused by some eternal creator. In fact, all things arise from causes
And may beings, buffeted by the waves of birth, old age, corresponding to them. This idea is upheld by all schools of Bud-
sickness, and death,
dhism, and so I usually say that our view is that of interdependence.
Be liberated from the ocean of existence.
The view of interdependence makes for a great openness of
mind. In general, instead of realizing that what we experience arises
Next we should recite the Heart Sutra, the Praise to Manjushri} and from a complicated network of causes, we tend to attribute happiness
the offering of the mandala.4 Those of you who cannot recite these or sadness, for example, to single, individual sources. But if this were
should simply think of the Buddha's kindness and reflect on the view so, as soon as we came into contact with what we consider to be
of emptiness, which is the meaning of the Prajndpdramitd Sutras. good, we would be automatically happy, and conversely, in the case
Finally, we should renew our vows, taking refuge and generat- of bad things, invariably sad. The causes of joy and sorrow would be
ing bodhichitta three times. easy to identify and target. It would all be very simple, and there
would be good reason for our anger and attachment. When, on the
In the Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, other hand, we consider that everything we experience results from a
We take refuge until we attain enlightenment. complex interplay of causes and conditions, we find that there is no
By the merit of practicing generosity and the like, single thing to desire or resent, and it is more difficult for the afflic-
O O
May we attain Buddhahood for the benefit of beings. tions of attachment or anger to arise. In this way, the view of interde-
pendence makes our minds more relaxed and open.
We will now begin our study of the Bodhicharydvatara. By training our minds and getting used to this view, we change
The master of these teachings, the Buddha, began by generating our way of seeing things, and as a result we gradually change our
the wish for enlightenment. He then accumulated positive actions behavior and do less harm to others. As it says in the sutras:
through many lifetimes over a period of three great uncountable kal~
pas. Finally, in the age when the average human life span was one Abandon evildomg;
o
hundred years, he entered this world and attained enlightenment on Practice virtue well;
the Vajra Throne at Bodh Gaya in India. In the twenty-five centuries Subdue your mmd:
since he first turned the Wheel of Dharma of the vast and profound This is the Buddha's teaching.
teachings, the Buddhist path has been one of the most important of
the world's spiritual traditions.5 We should avoid even the smallest negative actions, and we should
O
I usually consider the teachings of the Buddha under two head- perform even the most insignificant positive actions without underes-
ings: activity and view. Activity means refraining from harming others. timating their value. The reason for this is that the happiness we all
This is something that is universally helpful, something that all peo- want and the suffering we all try to avoid are produced precisely by
ple appreciate, whether they are religious or not. View refers to the our actions, or karma. Everything we experience is, as it were, pro-
principle of interdependence. Happiness and suffering, and the be- grammed by our actions, anj these in turn depend on our attitude.
2 3
