Selected verses from The Bodhicharyavatara Chapter 5: Vigilant Introspection by Shantideva
Those who wish to keep the trainings
Must with perfect self-possession guard their minds.
Without this guard upon the mind,
The trainings cannot be preserved.
Wandering where it will, the elephant of mind,
Will bring us down to torment in the hell of Unrelenting Pain.
No worldly beast, however wild and crazed,
Could bring upon us such calamities.
Tigers, lions, elephants, and bears,
Snakes and every hostile foe,
Those who guard the prisoners in hell,
Ghosts and ghouls and every evil wraith,
By simple binding of this mind alone,
All these things are likewise bound.
By simple taming of this mind alone,
All these things are likewise tamed.
For all anxiety and fear,
And pain in boundless quantity,
Their source and wellspring is the mind itself,
As He who spoke the truth declared.
The hellish instruments to torture living beings-
Who invented them for such intent?
Who has forged this burning iron ground?
Whence have all these demon-women sprung?
All are but the offspring of the sinful mind,
This the mighty sage has said.
Throughout the triple world, therefore,
There is no greater bane than mind itself.
Harmful beings are everywhere like space itself.
Impossible it is that all should be suppressed.
But let this angry mind alone be overthrown,
And it's as though all foes had been subdued.
To cover all the earth with sheets of leather-
Where could such amounts of skin be found?
But with the leather soles of just my shoes
It is as though I cover all the earth!
And thus the outer course of things
I myself cannot restrain.
But let me just restrain my mind,
And what is left to be restrained?
All those who fail to understand
The secret of the mind, the greatest of all things,
Although they wish for joy and sorrow's end,
Will wander to no purpose, uselessly.
Therefore I will take in hand
And well protect this mind of mine.
What use to me are many disciplines,
If I can't guard and discipline my mind?
If this is how I act and live,
Then even in the midst of evil folk,
Or even with fair women, all is well.
My steady keeping of the vows will not decline.
My property, my honor- all can freely go,
My body and my livelihood as well.
And even other virtues may decline,
But never will I let my mind regress.
All you who would protect your minds,
Maintain your mindfulness and introspection;
Guard them both, at cost of life and limb,
I join my hands, beseeching you.
For those who have no introspection,
Though they hear the teachings, ponder them, or meditate,
Like water seeping from a leaking jar,
Their learning will not settle in their memories.
Lack of introspection is a thief;
It slinks behind when mindfulness abates.
And all the merit we have gathered in
It steals; and down we go to lower realms.
When mindfulness is stationed as a sentinel,
A guard upon the threshold of the mind,
Introspection will be likewise there,
Returning when forgotten or dispersed.
Those who strive to master concentration
Should never for an instant be distracted.
They should always watch their minds, inquiring,
"Where is now my mind engaged?"
When something has been planned and started on,
Attention should not drift to other things.
With thoughts fixed on the chosen target,
That and that alone should be pursued.
Behaving in this way,all tasks are well performed,
And nothing is achieved by doing otherwise.
If thus we act, the secondary defilement,
Lack of introspection, will not grow.
Be the master of yourself
And have an ever-smiling countenance.
Rid yourself of scowling, wrathful frowns,
And be a true and honest friend to all.
When useful admonitions come unsought
From those with skill in counseling their fellows,
Welcome them with humble gratitude,
And always strive to learn from everyone.
Directly, then, or indirectly,
Do nothing that is not for others' sake.
And solely for their welfare dedicate
Your every action to the gaining of enlightenment.
Examining again and yet again
The state and actions of your body and your mind-
This alone defines in brief
The maintenance of watchful introspection.