The thirty-seven bodhisattva practices

                                      Namo Lokeshvara
               To the ones who see that all phenomena neither come nor go.
                                And who seek only to benefit all beings.
                      TO the supreme lama and the protector Chenrezig.
                 Continually I bow in respect with body. speech.and mind

1.At this time when the difficult-to-gain ship of leisure and fortune has been obtained，ceaselessly hearing，pondering and meditating day and night in order to liberateoneselfand others from the ocean of cyclicexistence is the bodhisattvas’ practice.


2.[The mind of] attachment to loves ones wavers like water．[The mind of] hatred of enemies burns like fire．[The mind of] ignorance which forgets what to adopt andwhat to discard is greatly obscured．Abandoning one’s fatherland is the bodhisattvas’ practice


3.When harmful places are abandoned，disturbing emotionsgradually diminish．Without distraction，virtuous endeavors naturally increase．Being clear-minded，definite understanding of the Dharmaarises．Resorting to secluded places is the bodhisattvas’ practice．


4.Long-assiciated companions will part from each other．Wealth  and possessions obtained with effort will be left behind． Consciousness，the guest，will cast aside the guest-house of the  body．Letting go of this life is the bodhisattvas’ practice．


5.When [evil companions] are associated with，the three poisons  increase，the activitives of listening，pondering and meditation  decline，and love and compassion  are extingished．Abandoning  evil companions is the bodhisattvas’practive


6.When [sublime spiritual friends] are relied upon，one’s faults  are exhausted and  one’s qualities increase like the waxing moon．Holding sublime spiritual friends  even more dear than  one’s own  bodys is the bodhisattvas’ practice


7.What worldly god，himself also bound in the prison of cyclic  existence，is able to protect others? Therefore，when refuge is sought，taking refuge in the undeceiving triple gem is the bodhisattvas’practive．


8.The subduer said that all the unbearable suffering of the three lower  realms is the fruitions of wrongdoing．Therefore，never committing negative deeds，even at peril to one’s life，is the  bodhisattvas’practive．


9.The pleasure of the triple world，like a dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass，is imperiled in a single moment．Striving for the supreme state of never-changing  liberation is the bodhisattvas’ practive


10.When mothers who have been kind to one since beginningless time are suffering，what's the use of one’s own happiness? Therefore，generating the mind of  enlightenment in order to liberatelimitless sentient beings is the bodhisattvas’ pravtice．


11.All suffering without exception comes from wishing for one’s own happiness．The perfect buddhas arise from the altruisticmind．Therefore，completely exchanging  one’s own happiness for the suffering of others is the bodhisattvas’practive．


12.Even if others，influenced by great desire，steal all one’s wealth or have it atolen，dedicating to them body，possessions and virtues [accumulated in] the three times is the bodhisattvas’practive．


13.Even if others cut off one’s head when one is utterly blameless，taking upon oneself  all their negative deeds by the power of compassion is the bodhisattvas’practive．


14.Even if someone broadcasts throughout the billion worlds all sorts of offensive remarks about one，speaking in turn of thatperson’s qualities with a loving mind is the bodhisattvas’practive．


15.Even if，in the midst of a public gathering，someone exposes faults and speaks ill of one，humbly paying homage to that person，perceiving him as a spiritual friend，is the bodhisattvas’practive．


16.Even if someone for whom one has cared as lovingly as his own child regards one as an enemy，to cherish that person as dearly as a mother does an ailing  child is the  bodhisattvas’practive．

 17.Even if，influenced by pride，an equal or inferior person treats one with contempt，
  respectfully placing him like a guru at the crown of one’s head is the bodhisattvas’ 
  practive．

 18.Though one may have an impoverished life，always be disparages by others，
  afflicted  by dangerous illness and evil spirits，to be without discouragement and to take
  upon oneself all the misdeeds and suffering of being is the bodhisattvas’practive．

 19.Though one may be famous and revered by many people or gain wealth like that
  worldly  fortune is without essence，to be unconceited the bodhisattvas’practive．

 20.If outer foes are destroyed while not subduing the enemy fo one’s  own hatred．
 Enemies will only increase．Therefore，subduing one’s own mind with the army of love
 and compassion is the bodhisattvas’practive．

 21.However mush sense pleasures，like salt water，are enjoyed，craving still
  increases．Immediately abandoning whatever things give rise to clinging and attachment
  is the bodhisattvas’practive．

 22.Appearances are one’s own mind．From the beginning，mind’s nature is free from 
  the  extremes of elaboration．Knowing  this．Not to engage the mind in subject-object
  duality is the bodhisattvas’practive．

 23.When encountering pleasing sense object，though they appear beautiful like a
  rainbow  in summertime，not to regard them as real and to abandon clinging attachment
  is  the bodhisattvas’practive．

 24.Diverse sufferings are like the death of a child in a dream．By apprehending illusory 
 appearances as real，one becomes weary．Therefore，when  encountering
 disagreeable  circumstances，viewing  them as illusory  is the bodhisattvas’practive．

 25.If it is necessary to give away even one’s body while aspiring to enlightenment，
  what need is there to mention external objects? Therefore，practicing generosity without 
  hope of reciprocation or [positive] karmic results is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

 26.If，lacking ethical conduct，one fails to achieve one’s own purpose，the wish to
 accomplish other’s purpose is laughable．Therefore，guarding ethics devoid of
 aspirations for worldly existence is the bodhisattvas practive．

 27.To bodhisattvas who desire the pleasures of virtue，all those who do harm are like a
  precious treasure．Therefore，cultivaing patience  devoid of hostility is the bodhisattvas’
  practive．

28.Even hearers and solitary realizers，who accomplish only their
own welfare，strive as if putting out a fire on their heads．
Seeing this，taking up diligent effort-the source of good qualities-for the sake of all benigs is the bodhisattvas’practive．

29.Having understood that disturbing emotions are destroyed by insight possessed with
 tranquil abiding，to cultivate meditative concentration which  perfectly transcends the four
 formless [absorptions] is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

30.If one lacks wisdom，it is impossible to attain perfect enlightenment  through the
 [other] five perfections．Thus，cultivating skillful means with the wisdom that doesn’t
 discriminaten among the three spheres is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

31.If，having [merely] the appearance of a practitioner，one does not investigate one’s
 own mistakes，it is possible to act constantly examining one’s own mistakes，it is possible to  act contrary to the Dharma．Therefore，constantly examining ons’s own errors and abandoning them is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

32.If，influenced by disturbing emotions，one points out another bodhisattva’s faults，oneself is diminshed．Therefore，not speaking about the faults of those who have
entered the Great Vehicle is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

33.Because the influence of gain and respect causes quarreling and the decline of the activities of listening，pondering and meditation，to abandon attachment to the households of friends，relations and benefactors is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

34.Because harsh words disturb other’s mind and cause the bodhisattva’s conduct to deteriorate，abandoning harsh speech which is unpleasant to others is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

35.When disturbing emotions are habituated，it is difficult to overcome them with antidotes．By arming oneself with the anidotal weapon of mindfulness，to destroy disturbing emotions  such as desire the moment they first arise is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

36.In brief，whatever conduct one engages in，one should ask，”What is the state of my mind?”Accomplishing others’purpose through constantly maintaining mindfulness and awareness is the bodhisattvas’ practive．

37.In order to clear away the suffering of limitless beings，through  the wisdom [realizing] the purity of the three spheres，to dedicate the virtue attained by making such effort for enlightenment is the bodhisattvas’ practive．