Bodhisattvacaryavatara

Bodhisattvacarya is known as Bodhisattva practice or

the Bodhi practice. For such practice one should rely
on authentic Mahayana text to follow the Bodhisattva
practices. The methods of the Bodhisattva’s practices
are vast and extensive. There are various methods to
cultivate and practice them. It can be practiced with
the Tri Siksha or three trainings, with six paramitas
and four means of positively influencing others.
What the four ways to gather disciples are
(1) Generosity is as earlier explained in the section on
this perfection.
(2) Pleasant speech is teaching the perfections to
disciples.
(3) Working at the aims is setting disciples to work on
the aims as they have been taught, or involving them
in correctly taking up these aims.
(4) Consistency of behavior is stabilizing yourself in
the very aims in which you have established others,
and then training in them.
The Ornament for the Mahāyāna Sūtras says:
Generosity is the same as before; teaching the perfections,
Involving others in taking them up, and involving yourself
Are asserted to be pleasant speech, working at the aims,
And consistency of behavior, respectively.

The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment by

Lama Tsong-Kha-Pa, Volume II, Snowlion Publication, New York
2000.
With the six paramitas practices and conventional and
ultimate bodhicitta etc. All these various methods of
Bodhisattva’s practices are found in Santideva’s
Bodhicaryavatara. The text can be named
Bodhisattvacaryavatara, Bodhicaryavatara or
Caryavatara.
It is one of the most important texts for the mind
training and one of the core texts for those who
practice Bodhisattva practices. Ārya Maitreya says in
Abhisamayālaṃkāra (Ornament for Clear
Realisation):
Cittottpādah parārthāya samyaksambodhikāmata
“Bodhicitta means for the sake of others,
wishing to attain complete, perfect enlightenment”.
It was not mentioned that the bodhicitta is for the sake
of attaining enlightenment. One has to cultivate the
bodhicitta, in order to carry out the activities of the well
being of the others spontaneously. The mind of
cherishing others is indispensable for both the great
compassion and bodhicitta. Cultivating the mind of
cherishing others is extensively explained in the
Bodhicaryavatara.
The four noble truths was the first teaching taught
by Buddha after his attainment of enlightenment
followed by successive extensive teachings. The
teaching of four noble truths is the fundamental of
Buddhism and it is common to all people of different
vehicles. During the first turning of the wheel of
Dharma, in four noble truths, Buddha explained what
is Samsara and what is its cause, and what is Nirvana
and what is its cause. During the turning of the second
wheel of Dharma, in the sūtra of the perfection of
wisdom. All the phenomena are explained in the eight
reality states and the seventy topics.
1. knowledge of all aspects, omniscience (Skt. Sarvākārajñatā;
Tib.་”namkhyen")

2. path-knowledge (Skt. Mārgākārajñatā,Tib. lamshe)

3. base-knowledge, knowledge of the bases, knowledge of the foundation

(Skt. vastujñāna; Tib., zhishe) but also all-knowledge (Skt. Sarvajñatā;
Tib. tamche shepa nyi)

4. complete application of all aspects, application of the realization of all

aspects (Skt. Sarvākārābhisambodha; Tib., namdzog jorwa)

5. culminating application, application when reaching the peak (Skt.

Murdhābhisamaya; Tib. tsemor jorwa)

6. progressive application, gradual training, gradual application of the

bodhisattva path (Skt. Anupurvābhisamaya; Tib. thar gyi jorwa)

7. instantaneous application, momentary training (Skt. Ekakṣanābhisamaya;

Tib. kechigme jorwa)

8. dharmakaya (Skt. dharmakāya but also Dharmakāyābhisambodha; Tib.

chö ku)
Seventy points Skt. arthasaptati; — the seventy points covered within the
eight topics of the Abhisamayalankara consist of:

1. ten factors that illustrate omniscience

2. eleven factors that illustrate path knowledge

3. nine factors that illustrate base-knowledge

4. eleven factors that illustrate the application of all aspects

5. eight points illustrating the culminating application

6. thirteen points illustrating the progressive application

7. four points illustrating the instantaneous application

8. four points illustrating the dharmakaya

It not only shows Nirvana, but extensively shows how

to attain Buddhahood.
Third turning of the wheel of Dharma is mostly related
to tantra, about the philosophy of cittamatra and some
clarifications made on the previous statements.
Particularly during the second turning of the wheel of
Dharma, it shows the entire ground, path and fruition
of the Mahayana. The main subject presented in this
sūtra can be categorized into two: direct presentation
of the essential meaning of emptiness and
presentation of the realizations of the hidden meaning.
Emptiness, which is the subject of the ultimate Bodhi-
mind presented with numerous reasons and logic, is
known as the direct presentation of the essential
meaning of emptiness. And the methods of how to
apply the meaning of emptiness to train one’s mind is
known as the presentation of the realization of the
hidden meaning, the meaning of emptiness.
It is presented in profound view and extensive lineage
of the path. The lineage of the Profound view came
form the of the Buddha to Bodhisattva Manjushri and
then to Nagarjuna and passed down through
Chandrakirti and so forth. It is elaborately presented in
his text like the six logical works of the Madhyamika.
The extensive lineage came through Buddha to the
Bodhisattva Maitreya and then to his human disciple
Asanga, Vasubandu and his disciple Sthiramati. It is
elaborately presented in the five treatises of the
Maitreya and Asanga’s five treatises on the five levels.
It presents mainly the philosophy of the cittamatra.
1. Levels of Yogic practice.
2. Compendium of Ascertmaints.
3. Compendiumof Bases.
4. Compendium of Enumerations.
5. Compendium of Explanation.

Though all the teachings of the Buddha can be

summarised in these two stages of the path. The
bodhisattva’s mind training and particularly the
intelligent bodhisattva’s practice of exchanging self
with others are known as the lineage of supreme
practice or great waves of the practice. This practice
was transmitted from Buddha to Bodhisattva
Manjushri and then to Santideva. These three
lineages of the transmission can be counted
according to the paramita vehicle.

All these bodhisattva’s mind training and putting those

training into practice are extensively presented in
bodhisattvacaryavatara.
Since this text presents the meaning of emptiness, for
that at least one should have a fabricated interest in
listening to the meaning of emptiness. Candrakirti
says in his Entering the Middle Way:
Even ordinary persons when hearing about emptiness,
sheer joy surges again and again within their heart,
tears born of such joy fill their eyes,
and their hair stands up in their follicles. 6.4
Such people have the seed of perfect buddhahood.
They are the perfect vessels for this teaching;
to them you should teach the sublime ultimate truth.
For them the ensuing qualities will come to birth. 6.5
Therefore, cultivation of the strong sense of
renunciation by understanding the general and
particular sufferings of the Samsara is needed. With
such renunciation, not only oneself to liberate from the
samsara is sufficient, but taking the responsibility of
freeing all those beings who are suffering in the
samsara just like oneself. To shoulder such a huge
responsibility one must need the ability to execute the
activities to benefit all beings. For that, aspiring for
the attainment of the enlightenment at the earliest
with the strong pure superior intention (Lhaksam) is
cultivated.
With such aspiration of Buddhahood it leads to
practice of the Buddha’s activities. In order to carry
out the practices one should know all the practices
properly and thoroughly. For that one has to study
some authentic text which shows all the bodhisattva’s
practices. Bodhisattvacaryatara is one of the best
texts to study about it.
Meaning, the fabricated here is things which arise to
the mind when one puts an effort on it and it doesn't
arise to the mind without putting an effort.
Unfabricated is something that does not need to put
an effort to arise in mind but which arises
spontaneously like anger and resentments. Likewise,
the arising of great compassion spontaneously by
seeing the mysteries of the people. And spontaneous
arising of the mind of attaining the Buddhahood by
seeing the sentient beings is known as the
unfabricated mind. It may take time to generate such
a mind.
 Outline of The Bodhicaryavatara

Outline of the Bodhicaryavatara can be done

according to the Lama Tsong - khapa’s outlining of the
Great Stages of The Path to Enlightenment. This
explanation of the stages of the path to enlightenment
has four parts:
1. Showing the greatness of the teaching's author in
order to establish that it is of noble origin.

2. Showing the greatness of the teaching in order to

engender respect for the instructions.

3. How to listen to and explain the teachings.

4. How to lead students with the actual instructions.

The first part is to investigate the authenticity of the

text and the author. And investigating the
qualifications of the author to compose the text.
Second is looking for the uniqueness of the text.
Benefits of the practices that were described in it.
Third is looking for methods of practice and what are
the rules to observe and follow.
Fourth shows the actual stages of the path.
The eighty-four thousand collections of doctrine are
included in the twelve branches of scripture.
Bu-don (bu ston) cites Ratnakarasanti’s Supreme Essence
(sarottamii) as his source for the twelve branches of
scripture.
They are:
Discourses (mdo de)
Songs (dbyangs kyis bsnyad pa)
Prophecies (lung du bstan pa)
Versces (tshigs su bcad pa)
Purposeful Statements (ched du brjod pa)
Summaries (gleng gzhi)
Hagiography (rtogs pa'i brjod pa)
Legends (de lta bu'i byung ba)
Birth Stories (skyes pa rabs)
Vast Texts (shin tu rgyas pa)
Miraculous Qualities (rmad du byung ba'i chos)
Delineations (.qtan la phab par bstan pa).
For a brief description of the subject matter of each of the
branches and an explanation of how they are included into the three
scriptural collections (sde snod, pitaka).

In the Buddhist scripture narrating the past events

(history) are categorised in four. They are
hagiography, Summaries, Birth stories and Legends.
Hagiography: It may not necessarily be observed and
witnessed by all the ordinary person, but it was
something which was witnessed by many individuals.
Like Buddha performing miracles and Arahat flying in
the sky etc.
Summaries: It is mostly about the Buddha making
precepts and rules and regulation among the Sangha.
There is also the explanation of the summary when
the Buddha was delivering the particular teaching.
Like, thus I have heard etc. And Indra and Brahma
offering the conch shell and Dharma Wheel to the
Buddha are considered in the summary, but not in the
history.

1. Showing the greatness of the teaching's author in

order to establish that it is of noble origin.

rton pa bzhi/catuḥpratiśaranāni
Do not rely on the individual, rely on the Dharma.
Do not rely on the words, rely on the meaning.
Do not rely on the apparent meaning, rely on the
ultimate meaning.
Do not rely on consciousness, rely on primordial
wisdom.

When discussing the reliance on do not rely on the

individual, rely on the Dharma, all four of the reliance
have to count together. It may lead to mistakes by
commenting on just one part and leaving other parts.
It states that in order to validate the teaching/text, one
can not validate it because of having the reverence,
faith and the respect to its author.
Extremely hidden phenomena can be posited only
with the valid scriptures taught by a valid person. It
doesn’t mean that merely validating the person can
validate the hidden meaning. Once we ascertain the
author as the validate person, only then his or her
teaching can be qualified to examine with the
threefold investigation or purified by the three
analyses, i.e. free form the three contradiction. To
carry out the threefold investigation, it must be the
speech/writing of the valid person. Validating the
treatises are said in the Utaratantra.

“The one which was taught without distraction,

Solely for the sake of Jina’s teaching.
Which connected to the path of liberation,
Can be greatly revered as the Buddha’s teachings.”

We have to differentiate Buddha’s word and treatise.

Treatises are the word of the human being or Acharya
Vachan.
The text like Collecting the Naga’s crown is not
considered a treatise. Not only because of the content
but also because it includes the motivation of the
author. Since the motivation of the author is defiled by
ignorance, obsessive desire and resentment. Such
writings are not qualified to examine with the threefold
instigation. Therefore, it was not trying to validate the
text by validating the author. But it was establishing
the qualification of the text to carry out the threefold
investigation by validating its author.