Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 7, Conclusion; Stanzas 71-76

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Teachings on Bodhicharyavatara
Chapter 7: Diligence
Session 32
Stanzas 71-76

The closing verses on chapter 7 impress upon us the need to understand how imperative it is to apply ourselves in earnest to the practice of Diligence: we should hold sharply to awareness as if someone is threatening to attack with a naked sword while we walk a tightrope holding a jar of boiling oil; if a drop is spilt we must succumb to the blade. Or with the spontaneous agility that would be required to escape a poisonous snake that has fallen into our lap we must maintain mindfulness of our actions and dedicate ourselves to staying diligently on the path.

It is so important to keep our awareness broadly focussed and with an eye on the detail, and to set ourselves tasks that are within our capacity; if we look after the short term projects, mindful of the implications for going astray or being diverted, we won’t be overwhelmed by the long term projects, they will be manageable.

Maintaining a joyful heart, approaching life positively, being ready to go with the flow when necessary while focussing on the task in hand and watching out for the pitfalls as they arise, is the key to achieving success.

***

New sessions are now posted here twice a week, usually on Tuesday and Friday. 

Archive members can also view the teaching on the Chapter 7 along with the other teachings on this chapter. All previous sessions on Chapters 1–7 are available in the Courses section of the Teachings Archive.

New sessions will now be posted twice a week, usually on Tuesday and Friday. Every Friday we will send a mailout with links to all new teachings posted during the week.

Rinpoche has kindly agreed to answer questions regarding these teachings once in every two weeks in a live webinar on Zoom, which will be simultaneously streamed on this website. Next webinar will be on 29th November. You are encouraged to ask your question live in the webinar, but if you are more comfortable with submitting it in writing, you can do so by using the comment area below. Please reflect on your question carefully before you send it, and be concise and only use one short paragraph and less than 80 words. Vous pouvez également envoyer des questions en français. También puede enviar preguntas en español. Sie können Fragen auch auf Deutsch senden. Puoi anche inviare domande in italiano. Presubmitted questions in other languages are also welcome and they will be translated to English.

In any other questions and for technical help, please contact us at Teachings Archive.

These teachings are dedicated for all who are sick and dying of corona virus, and for all who are tirelessly working in order to help them.

Audio-only version, Translations and other supporting materials:

Questions:

Your questions are most welcome. Archive members can log in and leave their questions for Rinpoche as a comment below, so that others can see them too. Please be concise and only use one short paragraph and less than 80 words. Questions longer than that may have to be edited. Questions will be collected from here in the evening day before each Live Q&A.