Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, The Way of the Bodhisattva, Vol. IV

THE GOAL OF THE BODHISATTVA

By Liz Hamill, Producer, Dakini Music

Two hundred years have passed since the birth of great Patrul Rinpoche, author of the treasured text The Words of My
Perfect Teacher, in 1808. At the
time of his death at the age of 79,
he had three things in his
possession: the monastic robes
he was wearing, a bowl, and his
copy of Shantideva’s The Way of
the Bodhisattva.

The philosophical movement that preceded the Bodhicharyavatara’s translation into the Tibetan language from Sanskrit was the Prasangika Madhyamika School of Indian Buddhist philosophy, dating back to second century CE. The Way of the Bodhisattva as a whole serves as a comprehensive introduction to this school, but “Wisdom,” the sublime ninth chapter, focuses on the complexities of the profound view of the Buddha’s teachings as scrutinized through the lens of a scholastic form of debate between opposing philosophical schools: Vaibashika, Sautrantika, Chittamatra, Shravaka and Samkhya. This chapter is revered in Tibetan Buddhism as one of the most authoritative expositions of the Buddha’s core doctrine of
emptiness.

In 2004, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche gave these teachings on the ninth chapter
of at Khadro Ling, Três Coroas, Brazil—the third in his series on The Way of the Bodhisattva. “The goal for bodhisattvas is to make a person
enlightened which means the same thing as the understanding of emptiness,” Rinpoche explains.

Soccer is worshipped here in Brazil and Khyentse Rinpoche is widely known for his film, The Cup, about two young soccer-crazed Tibetan refugee monks in India who desperately want to the rent a TV set for the monastery to watch the final game of the 1998 World Cup. Rinpoche made a play on the word “goal,” saying, “[Shantideva’s] prayers are still working after how many years? Sixth century! In the most unexpected place like Porto Alegre. It’s most unexpected because most of the people in this part of the world think that a goal truly exists. I hear them singing ‘goal’ very, very long!”

About “Dedication,” chapter ten, Rinpoche simply states that any merit that we have must be dedicated not merely for some temporary gain or happiness, but for the sake of the enlightenment of all the sentient beings. He then gives the oral transmission (Tib. rlung). Rinpoche speaks of other Buddhist masters, who, like Patrul Rinpoche, found Shantideva’s text an important source of inspiration. In his own Dzongsar Institute in India, The Way of the Bodhisattva is the first text that is taught to the monks each year. Brazil
now has one more national treasure.