by Rinchen Angmo

Having had the good fortune to receive His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s teachings on ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ by Shantideva at Jiwestal (in Ladakh) amidst thousands of other devotees, I set out to read the book myself. I was stunned by the poetic beauty and simplicity of the teachings in the book by Shantideva.

One is not supposed to teach Dharma unless one has reached a certain level; so this article is in no way an instruction, but a mere layman’s appreciation of the book written by a great Buddhist master. 

Those who attended His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s teachings on this scripture this summer at Jiwe Tsal should ideally read the scripture after having received the corresponding teachings from none other than His Holiness. The benefits of both receiving the teachings from a great master and then oneself reading the concerned scripture are said to be immense.

Reading this scripture has taught me a lot. 

The beauty of the lines in verse and the blessings of the teachings are sure to compel one to reflect on own’s thoughts and deeds. Though I may hardly practise the teachings in their true sense, the effect of the teachings do guide one and bring positive change. As a mere layman, my words are just reflections on my own journey, but I would recommend reading this scripture to anyone who wants to benefit oneself and other beings. 

In Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s YouTube video on Shantideva, Rinpoche gives a detailed summary of Shantideva’s life. Rinpoche states that Shantideva was a great scholar and meditation master, a great practitioner of both Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. A learned and realized one who studied at Nalanda Monastery in India. He received teachings for Bodhisattva practice from many teachers in India. A humble yogi, he did not reveal his wisdom to others. So he appeared to be an ordinary monk in Nalanda. To others he appeared as lazy, but in reality he was trying to transform even his daily activities into the practice of bodhicitta and emptiness.

Soon other monks caught onto Shantideva’s apparent ‘laziness’. So the discipline masters came up with a plan: they thought of asking Shantideva to give teachings to the other monks. If he agreed, since he hadn’t been studying, he would naturally leave. When the discipline masters approached the abbot, he agreed to the proposition; the abbot knew that Shantideva was a great realized master but he thought this would be a good opportunity to encourage Shantideva to teach, since he had so far not revealed his wisdom. The discipline masters had a good laugh when Shantideva agreed to teach. They prepared a grand Dharma throne and a grand venue to encourage Shantideva to leave out of embarrassment. 

On the final day, some monks were surprised to find Shantideva already seated on the throne. They were surprised because the throne was so high that special stairs would’ve been required to reach the throne, but Shantideva was somehow already seated on the throne. Then he went on to teach ‘ A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’. More and more monks arrived to receive his teachings as he went from one chapter to the next. Around Chapter Nine he levitated from the throne and his body disappeared, only his voice taught the rest of Chapter nine and ten, and then he was gone. This entire story is taken from Yongey Mingyur’s Rinpoche narration of Shantideva’s story on YouTube.

I would quote the lines that I cherish most from the scripture, but I don’t have my copy with me at the moment. And perhaps, it’s better not to; different people will treasure different lines. I suppose the reason I’m suggesting this book, though I’m in no position to give suggestions, is because it imparts knowledge that I feel can truly benefit oneself and others. Otherwise, one just gets lost in the rigmarole of life; suffering everyday without knowing how to come out of it. Ofcourse, philosophy is not a solution, but it’s a start, and a beginning is always a welcome change. 

Worldly achievements and work can be fulfilling but it’s never ending nature tends to weigh down the spirits sometimes. To balance that and to understand one’s sufferings, I have found Buddhist philosophy to be of immense value. Notwithstanding, different schools of thought benefit different people, so each one must find one’s own way. 

I read in ‘Words of My Perfect Teacher’ by Patrul Rinpoche that knowing how to understand the essence of teachings is very important. If I were to reflect on the essence I derived from my reading of ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’, I would say that I learnt the importance of constantly reflecting on one’s thoughts and deeds and of letting go of one’s bloated ego.  

There are many people who go like, ‘You read so many Buddhist books, but you’re still so selfish and egotistical.’ They don’t realize that the reason people read Buddhist philosophy is precisely to either improve oneself or maintain one’s practice. So don’t let such people discourage you.

Bettering oneself is not and cannot be a one time process. One is always learning. Laymen, like most of us are, are imperfect and have many flaws, but what matters by the end of the day is one’s intention.

I sincerely apologize if my views are out of line. This is in no way meant to be instructive, but is instead a mere reflection by a layman. As long as the intention is pure, all is well. 

I recommend reading ‘A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life’ because it has helped me and encouraged me to help others; so I want to recommend it so that reading it may possibly help someone out there. Sometimes we get so consumed by mental afflictions that we forget that we have much more potential, goodness and strength than we care to acknowledge. To me the blessed words of this book were a reminder of that immense potential, strength and goodness within. It gave me a sense of hope. And I hope our Rewa Sum community can bring rewa (hope) to oneself and others.