On to Lines of Experience Verse 15
After death, you have no assurance that you can avoid being reborn into
one of the three unfortunate states of rebirth (24).
Nevertheless, it is certain that the Three Jewels of Refuge have the power
to protect you from the fearfulness of these lower realms. For this reason,
your belief in taking refuge should be firm, and you should never let your
commitments from having taken refuge become lax. Your success in doing
this depends on properly fulfilling what is to be practiced and avoided.
This you will be able to do by thinking thoroughly about the white and
black types of karmic cause and effect. (25)
I, who actually have traveled a true path that leads to Enlightenment,
have had the experience of doing just that. If you would also seek Liberation,
please cultivate yourself in the same way.
The basis most conducive for successful practice of the Mahayana path
is an ideal human body (fully endowed with the eight favorable qualities
(26)
for Dharma study and practice which are the ripened fruits of previously
committed virtuous actions.) Because your practice will not advance by
the fullest strides unless you obtain such a body, you should practice
those virtuous actions that will cause you (to be reborn with this ideal
form.) Likewise, it is very important to make a great effort to remove
from the gateways of your body, speech, and mind the karmic obstacles that
might prevent such a rebirth. As these three gateways have become polluted
with the foul odor of the unripened consequences of your previously committed
non-virtuous actions (27)
and of your breaches of vowed moral conduct, you should always have great
respect and esteem for the four opponent powers (28)
(which can fully purge you of having to suffer these unripened consequences.)
I, who actually have traveled a true path that leads to Enlightenment,
have had the experience of doing just that. If you would also seek Liberation,
please cultivate yourself in the same way.
If you do not make an effort to think about the First Noble Truth of
suffering and that it is the unfortunate (consequence of your previously
committed non-virtuous actions), you will not become properly motivated
to take an interest in attaining Liberation from suffering (Nirvana). If
you do not make an effort to think about the Second Noble Truth concerning
the causes for your continued rebirth with suffering in samsara, you will
not know the means for cutting the root of samsara, (which is ignorance
of Sunyata (29)).
Therefore you must depend upon developing a complete abhorrence for suffering
and having a pure renunciation of samsara (in order to become motivated
to attain Liberation.) Thus, it is very important for you to know precisely
what the factors are that bind you to samsara.
I, who actually have traveled a true path that leads to Enlightenment,
have had the experience of doing just that. If you would also seek Liberation,
please cultivate yourself in the same way.
The development of Bodhicitta is the framework upon which the Mahayana
path is built. It is the basis and foundation for great waves of the Enlightened
Conduct (30)
of the Bodhisattvas. (31)
Bodhicitta turns all accumulations of both good merit and meditational
insight into effective causes for the attainment of Buddhahood, just as
the alchemists' elixir turns all metals into gold. Thus Bodhicitta builds
up a treasure of good merit which it gathers from the accumulations of
numberless meritorious deeds. Because the brave Bodhisattvas, (who fear
neither the obstacles to Liberation nor to Omniscience,) know this, they
hold this precious Bodhicitta as the heart of their meditations.
I, who actually have traveled a true path that leads to Enlightenment,
have had the experience of doing just that. If you would also seek Liberation,
please cultivate yourself in the same way.
