Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 8, Stanzas 43-71

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche
Teachings on Bodhicharyavatara
Chapter 8: Meditation
Session 18
Stanzas 43-71

At an Indian wedding the visage of a new bride is revealed for the first time only when new husband lifts the veil that covers her face. Similarly, after death it is the carrion birds which reveal the true nature of the body we have lusted after in life.

The next 28 verses in this teaching are on lustful attachment as an obstacle to meditation, and each verse provides a compelling reason to see beyond the face value of what we lust for, recognising it as a projection of our own mind. The text points out that we can also apply these principles to our own physical body.

The point of these verses is to help us lessen our desire for another person and the compelling, crippling attachment that is driven by lust.

Rinpoche says that while these verses may help some people to reduce this type of attachment, if they don’t work for you, just leave it: if the particulars of the verses help you see the facts, then fine, if not, it doesn’t matter, it is not something to be offended by, because it comes from a particular cultural milieu.

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