The ignorant, whose minds are untrained, feel afraid of the very profound teaching of dependent arising free from inherent production with the feasibility of all actions and agents Similarly those whose conviction is weak feel afraid of the marvelous, profound and extensive teaching of the Great Vehicle and of the superlative power of a Buddha It is like King *Surupa who had no faith in monks King *Surupa, a householder, saw an ascetic who lived like a deer copulating with a doe, which made him lose faith in monks He thought that if ascetics who endure sufferin had not stopped the urge for sexual intercourse, how could the Sakya monks, living in great comfort, have done so? He was afraid to let monks into the women's quarters and prevented them from being part of the queen's retinue His elder brother, the wise King Asoka, subdued him by threatening to have him put to death.54 The summarizing stanza: This is the fifth chapter of the Four Hundred on the Yogic Deeds, showing Bodhisattva deeds This concludes the commentary on the fifth chapter, showing Bodhisattva deeds, from Essence of Good Explanations, Explanation of the "Four Hundred on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas" COMMENTARY TO CHAPTER V BY GESHE SONAM RINCHEN The inconceivable activities of Bodhisattvas, who are motivated by love, compassion and the altruistic intention in all they do, are distinguished by six excellent features If we bear these in mind and try to integrate them as far as possible, the quality of our own everyday actions will be transformed Bodhisattvas' actions have an excellent basis (rten dam pa) in that they are motivated by the wish to attain enlightenment in order to help others with total efficacy They are performed with the excellent objective (ched du bya ba dam pa) of impartially helping all sentient beings to find temporary and ultimate happiness Whatever Bodhisattvas is intended as an excellent purification (dag pa dam pa) of the obstructions to liberation and omniscience by counteracting them The excellent means (thabs dam pa) accompanying whatever they is the understanding of emptiness In each activity they employ the excellent conduct (spyod pa dam pa) of incorporating the practice of all the perfections and conclude by making an excellent dedication (bngo ba dam pa) for the happiness and unsurpassable enlightenment of all sentient beings By cultivating unselfishness and the wish to benefit others as fully as possible, while recalling and trying to practise these excellent features which alter our normal perspective, we prepare to become Bodhisattvas ourselves Since the mind plays a pivotal role, the ultimate value of our activities depends on the attitude with which they are performed Intelligent action based on a good intention increases our store of positive energy and has a beneficial effect on others Bodhisattvas can act unselfishly without difficulty, but when we attempt to emulate them, we should at first be prudent, taking into account our own capacities and circumstances In this way we avoid the possibility of regretting a positive action performed impulsively, for such regret is very detrimental Instead, what we should be based on a realistic assessment of our capabilities Meanwhile we should inspire ourselves to become more courageous and unselfish by imagining that we are doing for others what we find too demanding at present If practised continuously this kind of mental training can have -a profound trans-formative effect When helping others, their inclinations and aptitudes must be taken into consideration, since we can only hope to benefit them if what we or say is attuned to their needs and personalities Thus intelligence and empathy are essential to establish what is relevant Since Bodhisattvas are willing to take any form, no matter how humble, to help others, we should also be prepared to adopt an inferior position when necessary Willingness, a cheerful expression and gentle speech lend grace to our actions and make others feel valued We should avoid actions that we find disturbing and upsetting when done by others, and behave in ways that from our own experience we know give joy and happiness By doing what we can at present and making heartfelt prayers to be capable of more ambitious actions for others' sake in the future, we grow stronger and more courageous Chapter VI Abandoning Disturbing Emotions Since the source of all trouble lies in cyclic existence, which is caused by contaminated actions and disturbing emotions, Bodhisattvas who act as close friends to transmigrators encourage trainees to put an end to such actions and emotions Assertion: If that is so, it is unreasonable to give the ordained buildings five hundred masonry courses high and food of a hundred flavors Since these are pleasurable, they increase desire From the outset, one should therefore avoid things like visual form that arouse desire Those who undergo overt suffering by mortifying their bodies with heat and cold, letting their hair become matted and so forth are called ascetics, overcoming contaminated actions and disturbing emotions Answer: If pleasure from one's body and possessions increases desire, and pleasure as well as its causes should be avoided, physical and mental pain which increase anger should be avoided too Why are those who have pleasure not ascetics and why are the ascetics those who fast and experience the pain that sun and wind inflict on their bodies? Those who overcome contaminated actions and disturbing emotions are called ascetics, not those who torment the body The Supramundane Victor gave certain individuals twelve rules of training to prevent desire To prevent anger he gave the angry fine food, clothing and so forth Therefore only the Sakyas who conquer disturbing emotions should be called ascetics Just as one gets sugar and so forth by crushing sugar cane, all kinds of happiness in this life and in the future are gained by crushing the disturbing emotions Having understood how the disturbing emotions function, one must get rid of them Desire's activity is to acquire both the animate and inanimate Its antidote is to meditate on repulsiveness and to give up one's circle of friends and one's possessions Anger's activity is strife and conflict Cultivating love and using houses and so forth that one likes are its antidote Just as wind increases the strength of fire and the other elements, confusion's activity is to nurture both desire and anger Its antidote is meditation on dependent arising and so forth It is like killing a sea monster with fire A sea monster cannot be intimidated by impartiality, hostility or by generous gifts but only by punishment Since its flesh is very sensitive, fire alone is effective Similarly desire, anger and confusion cannot be stopped by acquisition, conflict and indifference but only by the fire of wisdom.' Swimming around in the water, a sea monster got what he needed for survival Then one day two fishermen arrived The sea monster turned himself into a human and asked them who they were and what they wanted They told him they were fishermen and had come to fish He said, "One of you make the fire and the other can the cooking I'll provide the fish, and that way we'll have a good meal without any bother." They agreed and each did his work enthusiastically Just as the sea monster's task was to catch the fish, desire's activity is to acquire things One man's task was to cook; similarly anger creates conflict and when there is conflict, unpleasant and abusive words make others boil Just as the third person's task was to stoke the fire, confusion's function is to feed desire and anger.' Assertion: Though there are antidotes to the three poisons, why should one get rid of them? Answer: Because they produce suffering Desire produces suffering when one does not encounter what one badly wants Anger produces suffering when one lacks might to crush the strong Confusion induces suffering when one fails to understand a subtle matter thoroughly The inability to recognize these forms of suffering when one is overwhelmed by desire and so forth is great suffering indeed Therefore, persevere in getting rid of the disturbing emotions It is like a poor man's son who suffered because he wanted a queen A certain poor man wanted a queen, but kings keep their queens heavily guarded, and because he could not get her, his desire made him suffer He felt anger toward the king for guarding his queens well, and since he could not the slightest harm to the king, he suffered acutely on account of his anger Blinded by desire and anger his confusion grew, and unable to understand the situation properly, he was tormented by the suffering it caused him.' Question: Do anger and desire occur together the way confusion occurs with both of them? Answer: Just as it is seen that bile and phlegm not occur together,5 one sees that desire and anger too, not occur simultaneously in manifest form in one mental continuum Since one has the aspect of longing and the other of aversion, the two must be treated individually It is like putting fire into a water-pot A fool thought he would mix fire and water and dropped some fire into a water-pot Since they are incompatible, the two cannot co-exist.b Understanding the characteristics of desire and anger and how they function, a spiritual teacher engaged in forming students makes those with desire work like slaves This is because severity and lack of deference cure desire The angry should be looked upon as lords By treating them with indulgence and serving them respectfully their anger will not arise; thus indulgence cures it It is like the order in which a washerman trains his donkey A washerman curbs his donkey's spirit and keeps him busy Anything capricious the donkey does he considers a fault and beats him hard Similarly, the wise deliberately keep those habituated to desire busy, and when they something wrong, make them go on working When the washerman takes his donkey home, he treats him like a lord and gives him a nose-bag of fodder and ... others boil Just as the third person's task was to stoke the fire, confusion's function is to feed desire and anger.' Assertion: Though there are antidotes to the three poisons, why should one... him they were fishermen and had come to fish He said, "One of you make the fire and the other can the cooking I'll provide the fish, and that way we'll have a good meal without any bother." They... unable to understand the situation properly, he was tormented by the suffering it caused him.' Question: Do anger and desire occur together the way confusion occurs with both of them? Answer: Just