Combined with my daily Eremitical Dhyani Buddha Meditations, I’ve been developing a personal breviary of sorts—encompassing daily reflections from Zen Masters as well as passages from both Mahayana and Vajrayana sources, from the Sutrayana and Suttayana. This perpetual series will offer selective passages as well as a brief commentary. First up—from the Mangala-sutta (translated from a work entitled, The Path of Light, by Śāntideva Jan 1, 1909)
“Dwelling in a meet land, merit from deeds done of old, due heed to one’s own spirit — this is the highest blessing.”
“Gentleness of speech, sight of godly men, conversations upon the Law in due season—this is the highest blessing.”
“ Mortification of the flesh and chastity, vision of the Noble Truths, and winning to the Nirvana — this is the highest blessing.”
“He whose spirit is stirred not when he is touched by the shows of the world, but abides unsorrowing, undefiled, and happy — this is the highest blessing.”
“They who do thus, and are never overwhelmed, come ever to salvation — theirs is this highest blessing.”
“This remedy was the utter destruction of desire, even of the desire for salvation. It could be attained by the man or woman who renounced the world, entered into the monastic order, followed the ” Noble Path,” and in perfect calm and happiness of spirit waited until death should open the portals of the unknowable, everlasting Stillness from which there is no return.”
From accumulated merits derived from innumerable kalpas, there arrives an auspicious opportunity to develop one’s spirit in the Buddhadharma; and in so doing opening the door to marvelous Buddha-fields that await the diligent adept. In this fashion one truly does pay “heed to one’s own spirit”, no longer creating for it undue suffrage, but allowing it a venue to Recollect its Rightful Heritage.
Immersed in the Buddhadharma one does develop a “gentleness of speech”; hopefully there arrives a prospect of sharing one’s spiritual growth with others who are on the like-minded path.
There is something to be said for living a celibate lifestyle. One is not exposed to the inevitable growing dependence upon another person and does not experience the shifting-winds that can create emotional upheavals; indeed, there is enough to have to deal with one’s own psychoemotional angst. While I don’t doubt that in exceptional relationships one can “win on through to Nirvana”, by and large there does arrive a junction in spiritual development that one must learn to “go it alone”.
Not being stirred by the ever-increasing degradation of the saha-world, one can be spared undue sorrow and remain undefiled from incessant negative-exposure to the common-lot.
The above writer is advocating embracing the teachings and “Noble” lifestyle of Gautama Buddha. When one wholeheartedly embraces the Buddhadharma portals to “unknown worlds and modes of being” will surely be opened; it is only in such fashion when a Perfect Stillness that is not of this world can be embraced, experienced, and one day nirvanically fulfilled.