The Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva

By Ngulchu Thogme Zangpo

A1. Opening Verses ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4

B1. Homage......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
B2. Promise to Compose .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
A2. Main Text ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
B1. The Preparation........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
C1. The need to give meaning to this human existence of yours, so rare and difficult to obtain ............................................................................................ 5
C2. Abandoning your native land, the source of the three poisons ........................................................................................................................................... 5
C3. Living in solitary places, the source of all good qualities..................................................................................................................................................... 6
C4. Giving up the concerns of this life by reflecting on impermanence .................................................................................................................................... 6
C5. Avoiding unsuitable friends, whose company creates conditions unfavorable to your progress ..................................................................................... 6
C6. Relying on a spiritual teacher, whose presence creates conditions favorable to your progress ....................................................................................... 7
C7. Going for refuge, the entrance to the Buddhist teachings ................................................................................................................................................... 7
B2. The Main Teachings, illuminating the Path .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
C1. The path for beings of lesser capacity ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
C2. The path for beings of medium capacity ............................................................................................................................................................................... 8
C3. The path for beings of superior capacity .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
D1. The bodhichitta of intention ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
D2. The bodhichitta of application ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
E1. Relative bodhichitta ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
F1. The meditation practice of exchanging oneself and others ...................................................................................................................................... 9
F2. The post meditation practice of using unfavorable circumstances on the path ..................................................................................................... 9

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 G1. Using on the path the four things that you do not want to happen .................................................................................................................... 9
H1. How to use loss on the path ................................................................................................................................................................................ 9
H2. How to use suffering on the path ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10
H3. How to use disgrace on the path ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10
H4. How to use disparagement on the path ........................................................................................................................................................... 10
G2. Using on the path the two things that are difficult to bear ................................................................................................................................ 11
H1. How to use on the path being wronged in return for kindness ..................................................................................................................... 11
H2. How to use humiliation on the path ................................................................................................................................................................. 11
G3. Using deprivation and prosperity on the path .................................................................................................................................................... 11
H1. How to use deprivation on the path ................................................................................................................................................................. 11
H2. How to use prosperity on the path ................................................................................................................................................................... 12
G4. Using hatred and desire on the path.................................................................................................................................................................... 12
H1. How to use objects of hatred on the path ........................................................................................................................................................ 12
H2. How to use objects of desire on the path ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
E2. Absolute bodhichitta ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
F1. The meditation practice of remaining in a state free of conceptual elaborations without any clinging ............................................................ 13
F2. The post meditation practice of abandoning any belief in the objects of desire and aversion as truly existing ............................................... 13
G1. Abandoning any belief in the objects of desire as truly existing ....................................................................................................................... 13
G2. Abandoning any belief in the objects of aversion as truly existing ................................................................................................................... 14
D3. The precepts for training in those practices ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
E1. Training in the six transcendent perfections............................................................................................................................................................... 14
F1. Transcendent generosity ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
F2. Transcendent discipline ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 15
F3. Transcendent patience .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
F4. Transcendent diligence.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 15
F5. Transcendent concentration ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

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 F6. Transcendent wisdom................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
E2. Training in the four instructions taught in the Sutra................................................................................................................................................. 16
F1. To examine oneself for one’s own defects and to give them up ............................................................................................................................. 16
F2. To give up speaking of a bodhisattvas faults ........................................................................................................................................................... 17
F3. To give up attachment to a sponsor’s property ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
F4. To give up harsh speech ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 17
E3. Training in how to be rid of the negative emotions .................................................................................................................................................... 17
E4. Training in accomplishing others’ good with mindfulness and vigilance ................................................................................................................ 18
E5. Dedicating the merit to perfect enlightenment ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
A3. Concluding Verses......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
B1. How and for whom this text was composed ............................................................................................................................................................................ 19
B2. The unerring nature of these practices .................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
B3. A humble prayer for forgiveness.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 19
B4. Dedicating the merit of having composed this text ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
B5. The colophon .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 20

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 Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s version

A1. Opening Verses

B1. Homage

Namo Lokeshvaraya.
Though he sees that in all phenomena there is no coming and
going,
He strives solely for the sake of beings:
To the sublime teacher inseparable from Avalokiteshvara, the
Protector of Beings,
I pay constant homage with respectful body, speech, and mind.

B2. Promise to Compose

The perfect buddhas—source of happiness and ultimate peace—

Exist through having accomplished the sacred Dharma,
And that, in turn, depends on knowing how to practice it;
This practice of the bodhisattvas I shall therefore now explain.

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A2. Main Text
B1. The Preparation
C1. The need to give meaning to this human existence of yours, so rare and difficult to obtain
Practice 1 Commitment
Now that I have this great ship, a precious human life, so hard to
obtain,
I must carry myself and others across the ocean of samsara.
To that end, to listen, reflect, and meditate
Day and night, without distraction, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

C2. Abandoning your native land, the source of the three poisons
Practice 2 Detaching from Passion,agression, and hatred
In my native land waves of attachment to friends and kin surge,
Hatred for enemies rages like fire,
The darkness of stupidity, not caring what to adopt or avoid,
thickens—
To abandon my native land is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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C3. Living in solitary places, the source of all good qualities
Practice 3 Relying on Solitude
When unfavorable places are abandoned, disturbing emotions
gradually fade;
When there are no distractions, positive activities naturally
increase;
As awareness becomes clearer, confidence in the Dharma
grows—
To rely on solitude is the practice of a bodhisattva.

C4. Giving up the concerns of this life by reflecting on impermanence

Practice 4 Abandoning attachment to this life
Close friends who have long been together will separate,
Wealth and possessions gained with much effort will be left
behind,
Consciousness, a guest, will leave the hotel of the body—
To give up the concerns of this life is the practice of a bodhisattva.

C5. Avoiding unsuitable friends, whose company creates conditions unfavorable to your progress
Practice 5 giving up negative friends
In bad company, the three poisons grow stronger,
Listening, reflection, and meditation decline,
And loving-kindness and compassion vanish—
To avoid unsuitable friends is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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C6. Relying on a spiritual teacher, whose presence creates conditions favorable to your progress
Practice 6 Relying on a spiritual friend
Through reliance on a true spiritual friend one’s faults will fade
And good qualities will grow like a waxing moon—
To consider him even more precious
Than one’s own body is the practice of a bodhisattva.

C7. Going for refuge, the entrance to the Buddhist teachings

Practice 7 seeking Refuge
Whom can worldly gods protect
Themselves imprisoned in samsara?
To take refuge in the Three Jewels
Who never fail those they protect is the practice of a bodhisattva.

B2. The Main Teachings, illuminating the Path

C1. The path for beings of lesser capacity
Practice 8 Relinquishing negative actions
The Buddha taught that the unendurable suffering of the lower
realms
Is the fruit of unvirtuous actions.
Therefore, to never act unvirtuously,
Even at the cost of one’s life, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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C2. The path for beings of medium capacity
Practice 9 striving for unchanging liberation
Like dew on grass, the delights of the three worlds
By their very nature evaporate in an instant.
To strive for the supreme level of liberation,
Which never changes, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

C3. The path for beings of superior capacity

D1. The bodhichitta of intention Practice 10
Developing Bodhichitta
If all the mothers who have loved me since beginningless time are
suffering,
What is the use of my own happiness?
So, with the aim of liberating limitless sentient beings,
To set my mind on enlightenment is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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 D2. The bodhichitta of application
E1. Relative bodhichitta
F1. The meditation practice of exchanging oneself and others
Practice 11 exchanging happiness for suffering
All suffering without exception arises from desiring happiness for
oneself,
While perfect buddhahood is born from the thought of benefiting
others.
Therefore, to really exchange
My own happiness for the suffering of others is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

F2. The post meditation practice of using unfavorable circumstances on the path
G1. Using on the path the four things that you do not want to happen
H1. How to use loss on the path
Practice 12 Responding to theft
If someone driven by great desire
Seizes all my wealth, or induces others to do so,
To dedicate to him my body, possessions,
And past, present, and future merit is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

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 H2. How to use suffering on the path
Practice 13 responding to injury
If, in return for not the slightest wrong of mine,
Someone were to cut off even my very head,
Through the power of compassion to take all his negative actions
Upon myself is the practice o f a bodhisattva.

H3. How to use disgrace on the path

Practice 14 returning praise for slander
Even if someone says all sorts of derogatory things about me
And proclaims them throughout the universe,
In return, out of loving-kindness,
To extol that person’s qualities is the practice of a bodhisattva.

H4. How to use disparagement on the path

Practice 15 responding to public humiliation
Even if in the midst of a large gathering
Someone exposes my hidden faults with insulting language,
To bow to him respectfully,
Regarding him as a spiritual friend, is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

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 G2. Using on the path the two things that are difficult to bear
H1. How to use on the path being wronged in return for kindness

Practice 16 responding to ingratitude

Even if one I’ve lovingly cared for like my own child
Regards me as an enemy,
To love him even more,
As a mother loves a sick child, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

H2. How to use humiliation on the path

Practice 17 responding to spite
Even if my peers or my inferiors
Out of pride do all they can to debase me,
To respectfully consider them like my teachers
On the crown of my head is the practice of a bodhisattva.

G3. Using deprivation and prosperity on the path

H1. How to use deprivation on the path
Practice 18 Abandoning discouragement
Even when utterly destitute and constantly maligned by others,
Afflicted by terrible illness and prey to evil forces.
To still draw upon myself the suffering and wrongdoing of all
beings
And not lose heart is the practice o f a bodhisattva.

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 H2. How to use prosperity on the path
Practice 19 counteracting arrogance
Though I may be famous, and revered by many,
And as rich as the God of Wealth himself,
To see that the wealth and glory of the world are without
essence,
And to be free of arrogance, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

G4. Using hatred and desire on the path

H1. How to use objects of hatred on the path

Practice 20 taming the mind

If one does not conquer one’s own hatred,
The more one fights outer enemies, the more they will increase.
Therefore, with the armies of loving-kindness and compassion,
To tame one’s own mind is the practice of a bodhisattva.

H2. How to use objects of desire on the path

Practice 21 relinquishing attachment to sense pleasures
Sense pleasures and desirable things are like saltwater—
The more one tastes them, the more one’s thirst increases.
To abandon promptly
All objects which arouse attachment is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

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 E2. Absolute bodhichitta
F1. The meditation practice of remaining in a state free of conceptual elaborations without any clinging
Practice 22 transcending dualistic appearances
All that appears is the work of one’s own mind;
The nature of mind is primordially free from conceptual
limitations.
To recognize this nature
And not to entertain concepts of subject and object is the practice
of a bodhisattva.

F2. The post meditation practice of abandoning any belief in the objects of desire and aversion as truly existing

G1. Abandoning any belief in the objects of desire as truly existing

Practice 23 seeing pleasant objects as rainbows
When encountering objects which please us,
To view them like rainbows in summer,
Not ultimately real, however beautiful they appear,
And to relinquish craving and attachment, is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

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G2. Abandoning any belief in the objects of aversion as truly existing
Practice 24 seeing unpleasant circumstances as delusions
The various forms of suffering are like the death of one’s child in
a dream:
By clinging to deluded perceptions as real we exhaust ourselves.
Therefore, when encountering unfavorable circumstances,
To view them as illusions is the practice of a bodhisattva.

D3. The precepts for training in those practices

E1. Training in the six transcendent perfections
F1. Transcendent generosity
Practice 25 first perfection
If those who wish for enlightenment must give away even their
own bodies,
How much more should it be true of material objects?
Therefore, without expectation of result or reward,
To give with generosity is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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 F2. Transcendent discipline
Practice 26 second perfection
If, lacking discipline, one cannot accomplish one’s own good,
It is laughable to think of accomplishing the good of others.
Therefore, to observe discipline
Without samsaric motives is the practice of a bodhisattva.

F3. Transcendent patience

Practice 27 third perfection
For a bodhisattva who desires the joys of virtue,
All who harm him are like a precious treasure.
Therefore, to cultivate patience toward all,
Without resentment, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

F4. Transcendent diligence

Practice 28 fourth perfection
Merely for their own sake, even shravakas and pratyekabuddhas
Make efforts like someone whose hair is on fire trying to put it
out:
Seeing this, for the sake of all beings,
To practice diligence, the source of excellent qualities, is the
practice of a bodhisattva.

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 F5. Transcendent concentration
Practice 29 fifth perfection
Knowing that through profound insight thoroughly grounded in
sustained calm
The disturbing emotions are completely conquered,
To practice the concentration which utterly transcends
The four form less states is the practice of a bodhisattva.

F6. Transcendent wisdom

Practice 30 sixth perfection
In the absence of wisdom, perfect enlightenment cannot be attained
Through the other five perfections alone.
Therefore, to cultivate wisdom combined with skillful means
And free from the three concepts is the practice of a bodhisattva.

E2. Training in the four instructions taught in the Sutra

F1. To examine oneself for one’s own defects and to give them up
Practice 31 analyzing delusion
If I do not examine my own defects,
Though outwardly a Dharma practitioner, I may act contrary to the
Dharma.
Therefore, continuously to examine my own faults
And give them up is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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F2. To give up speaking of a bodhisattvas faults
Practice 32 not critizing other bodhisattvas
If, impelled by negative emotions, I relate the faults
Of other bodhisattvas, I will myself degenerate.
Therefore, to not talk about the faults of anyone
Who has entered the Mahayana is the practice of a bodhisattva.

F3. To give up attachment to a sponsor’s property

Practice 33 relinquishing attachment to households
Offerings and respect may bring discord
And cause listening, reflection, and meditation to decline.
Therefore, to avoid attachment
To the homes of friends and benefactors is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

F4. To give up harsh speech

Practice 34 abandoning harsh speech
Harsh words disturb the minds of others
And spoil our own bodhisattva practice.
Therefore, to give up rough speech,
Which others find unpleasant, is the practice of a bodhisattva.

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E3. Training in how to be rid of the negative emotions
Practice 35 eliminating mental afflictions
When emotions become habitual, they are hard to get rid of with
antidotes.
Therefore, with mindfulness and vigilance, to seize the weapon of
the antidote
And crush attachment and other negative emotions
The moment they arise is the practice of a bodhisattva.

E4. Training in accomplishing others’ good with mindfulness and vigilance

Practice 36 remaining mindful and aware
In short, wherever I am, whatever I do,
To be continually mindful and alert,
Asking, “What is the state of my mind?”
And accomplishing the good of others is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

E5. Dedicating the merit to perfect enlightenment

Practice 37 dedicating merit
Dedicating to enlightenment
Through wisdom purified of the three concepts
All merit achieved by such endeavor,
To remove the suffering of numberless beings, is the practice of a
bodhisattva.

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A3. Concluding Verses
B1. How and for whom this text was composed relying on scripture and oral teachings

Following the teachings of the holy beings,

I have arranged the points taught in the sutras, tantras, and shastras
As The Thirty-seven Verses on the Practice of a Bodhisattva
For the benefit of those who wish to train on the bodhisattva path.

B2. The unerring nature of these practices confidence in basis of the practice

Since my understanding is poor, and I have little education,

This is no composition to delight the learned;
But as it is based on the sutras and teachings of holy beings
I think it is genuinely the practice of the bodhisattvas.

B3. A humble prayer for forgiveness supplication to the genuine masters

However, it is hard for someone unintelligent like me

To fathom the great waves of the bodhisattvas’ activities,
So I beg the forgiveness of the holy ones
For my contradictions, irrelevances, and other mistakes.

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B4. Dedicating the merit of having composed this text final dedication and aspiration

Through the merit arising from this

And through the power of the sublime bodhichitta, relative and
absolute,
May all beings become like the Lord Avalokiteshvara,
Who is beyond the extremes of samsara and nirvana.

B5. The colophon place of composition

For his own benefit and that of others, Thogme, a teacher of

scripture and logic, composed this text at Rinchen Phug, in
Ngulchu.

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