the bodhisattva-samvarasila is a set of bodhisattva ‘precepts’. a version can be found in asanga’s bodhisattvabhumi. through tsongkhapa they came into the gelugpa tradition and, from that lineage, they were given to bhante by dhardo rimpoche.

like so much of the bodhisattva training, the precepts put a lot of emphasis on the effect of our actions on others, and so they seemed a good basis for a discussion of the preceptor relationship, where we explicitly take on a responsibility to support the spiritual training of another person.

i enjoy studying with padmavajra, who knows his texts, and bhante’s commentaries on them. he led us through the first of the mulapatis, the fundamental downfalls of the bodhisattva.

the first four are linked to the four parajikas, the defeats of the bhikkhu from the pali tradition. the four defeats are:

sexual intercourse, murder, major theft, or falsely claiming spiritual attainments. the mahayana universalises these monastic precepts.

not just sexual exploitation, it says, but any exploitation of another for our own ends: so the first downfall is:

to praise oneself and disparage others

where the pali tradition forbids murder, the bodhisattva precept goes for the principle of ‘nursing your wrath to keep it warm’ to quote burns, and asks the bodhisattva not

to punish and refuse to concede repentance

and stresses the importance of forgiveness

padmavajra made the point that in the dhammapada, after the first two crucial ‘mind’ verses, the third verse is

He insulted me,

hit me,

beat me,

robbed me'

for those who brood on this,

hatred isn't ended

a remarkable stress to put on forgiveness in relationships

the bhikkhu is asked not to steal: the bodhisattva must not withold the wealth of the dharma from others

finally, where the monastic may not make claims about spiritual attainment, the mahayana criticises any partial spiritual teaching. the bodhisattva is criticised for

giving up the mahayana while pretending to belong to it.