Notes from "The Bodhisattva Vow"

Gathered notes

• Take a skilful approach: adopt things gradually.
• The six perfections: giving; moral discipline; patience; effort; mental stabilisation; wisdom.
• Restraint: abstaining from non-virtue.
• Be tactful and sensitive. Have a flexible mind and flexible behaviour when helping others. Offer help that’s relevant, in the right way, and that helps them feel at ease. Act in the way that will have the most positive effect.
• Apologise and accept apologies freely.
• Be generous. With help, with relief, with praise.

Raw notes

• The four doors of receiving downfalls: not knowing what the downfalls are; lack of respect for Buddha’s instructions; strong delusions; non-conscientiousness.
• Renunciation.
• Downfalls
  • Not accepting gifts: when we refuse them merely out of pride, anger, or laziness.
  • When we ignore people with a judgemental or self-righteous attitude.
  • A Mahayanist should not needlessly diminish their capacity to help others by shunning wealth, reputation, or involvement with other people.
  • Not apologising when we have the opportunity. If we have disturbed another person by acting in an unskilful way, and later the opportunity arises but, out of pride or laziness, we fail to do so.
  • Not accepting others’ apologies. If someone who has previously harmed us later apologise and, without good reason or out of resentment, we refuse to accept their apology.
  • Needless self-reproach and excitement.
  • Being preoccupied with the taste of mental stabilisation.
  • Not going to the assistance of those in need.
  • Not relieving the distress of others.
  • Not giving to those who seek charity.
  • Not praising the good qualities of others.
  • Not giving wealth or Dharma.
  • Explaining emptiness to those who are likely to misunderstand.
• It is important to be skilful in our approach to the vows. We should not have unrealistic expectations or make promises that we cannot keep. Instead, we should adopt the Boddhisattva’s way of life gradually.
• The six perfections: giving; moral discipline; patience; effort; mental stabilisation; wisdom.
• To give fearlessness is to protect other living beings from fear or danger.
• Restraint: abstaining from non-virtue.
• When we help others, we should be tactful and sensitive. We should try to understand the other person’s experience and point of view, and then offer help that it relevant to them, and in such a way that they can accept it. We cannot help others if we attack their values and beliefs or if we ignore their temperament and their personal circumstances. We have to adapt our own behaviour so that it suits the other person and makes them feel at ease. Instead of imposing our own moral standards on others and passing judgement on them if they do not comply, we should simply act in the way that will have the most positive effect. We need both flexibility of mind and flexibility of behaviour.
• With patience, we can accept any pain that is inflicted upon us, and we can easily endure our usual troubles and indispositions. With patience, nothing upsets our peace of mind and we do not experience problems.
• If we do not have the patience of voluntarily enduring suffering, we become discouraged whenever we encounter obstacles and whenever our wishes go unfulfilled.

Notes from The Bodhisattva Vow

Added 2024-10-11.