This course presents the entire final chapter on “dedicating the power of good deeds” (Chapter Ten) from The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhisattvacaryvatra, Byang-chug sems-dpa’i spyod-pa la ‘jug-pa, digital text number TD3871 from the Asian Classics Input Project), by Master Shantideva (c. 700 AD).
This course was taught by Geshe Michael Roach in 2002 during his three-year retreat. This was a silent retreat for three years and Geshe Michael only broke silence to give occasional teachings.
This last chapter of the great Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life teaches us, in the form of a beautiful prayer of dedication, what to do with our good mental seeds.
This last chapter of the great Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life teaches us, in the form of a beautiful prayer of dedication, what to do with our good mental seeds. We have to avoid violence to others, we have to try to burn the old bad seeds in our minds, but as discussed in detail in the Lam Rim course on this same subject, Steps to Enlightenment 11: The Art of Appreciating Yourself & Your Life, from time to time we have to celebrate all the good seeds we have. This teaching, and the related Lam Rim course above, discusses special methods for multiplying the power of our goodness. Normally, we do a lot more bad karma than good karma, so an essential part of a complete spiritual practice must included skillful methods to try and make our good seeds bigger. The good news is that it’s also a very easy and joyful thing to do.
By the power of this good deed too
May any single living creature
In sickness or in pain,
Of body or of mind,
In any corner of this universe,
Be thrown into a sea of bliss.And for as long as they may wander
In the circle of suffering life,
May they never lose this bliss.
May every one of them one day reach
The bliss beyond all other,
And stay there never-ending.
This course is meant to complete Geshe Michael’s teaching on this text, which began with the related original ACI courses listed here:
- Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Part One (ACI Course X)
- Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Part Two (ACI Course XI)
- Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Part Three (ACI Course XII)
Then continued on with these two ACI In-Depth courses:
- ACI In-Depth Course 2: Master Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, The Chapter on Killing Anger
- ACI In-Depth Course 3: Master Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, Exchanging Self and Others
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This course was taught by Geshe Michael Roach in 2002 during his three-year retreat. This was a silent retreat and Geshe Michael only broke silence to give occasional teachings. If you’re curious, that’s why his voice sounds the way it does in the recordings.
