Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 8, Stanzas 29-33

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Teachings on Bodhicharyavatara
Chapter 8: Meditation
Session 12
Stanzas 29-33

Staying with attachment as the cause of suffering, the next verses describe the positive aspect of being in a charnel ground in order to bring home the reality of impermanence, bones are scattered on the ground in varying states of decay, bones that had previously formed the skeleton of a living being, who once had all the fears and desires that we have.

This is a way to help us understand the temporary nature of relationships; and in this place of death we can consider the impermanent quality of those relationships and think about what happens when we attach ourselves too much. If we can see we are simply companion travellers on the road, helping each other, being kind, loving and caring deeply without attachment, we will be free. If we are still able to let go, unhindered by loss or gain, the tendency to cling and be hurt when we separate will not be a hindrance to our practise and we can meditate in peace with a spacious mind.

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