Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 8, Stanzas 25-28

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Teachings on Bodhicharyavatara
Chapter 8: Meditation
Session 11
Stanzas 25-28

This session looks at the apparent need for us to be in physical solitude in order to properly meditate and engage with spiritual practice. Shantideva says, in praise of solitude, that shamatha comes more easily when the meditator is in a natural environment, free from distractions, where the wilderness doesn’t create irritation but provides a peaceful environment. For instance, the Buddha went into the forest and sat underneath a tree. However Rinpoche adds here that while that is the optimum condition, it must not prevent us from putting off practice, there are other ways. We should find space in our minds.

What is it that prevents us from seeking isolation and quiet? It is attachment to worldly things, people, places, objects, as described in the previous stanzas. We literally live in cages often of our own making– either in the comfort of luxury and paraphernalia, or we are tied to the daily grind of work and just staying alive. There is attachment in both situations. We in the west are even attached to the outcome and a need to seek public praise for any success in our practise. But this is really about developing the right attitude, freeing ourselves from our samsaric ways.

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