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Why do I protect myself and not others?

128 Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds

Part of an ongoing series of teachings based on Shantideva’s classic text, Bodhisattvacharyavatara, often translated as Engaging in the Bodhisattva’s Deeds. Venerable Thubten Chodron also refers to the outline of the commentary by Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen and the commentary by the Abbot Dragpa Gyaltsen.

  • Looking at how we are pushed by karma and afflictions
  • Verse 94: Dispelling the misery of others because it is just like our own
  • Verse 95: Moving beyond striving for only our own happiness
  • Verse 96: Why do we protect ourselves and not others?
  • Verses 97 and 98: Using the reasoning of future lives
  • Verse 99: The reasoning using the analogy of the hand and foot
  • Verse 100: Rejecting grasping at a self
  • Verse 101: There is no real owner of suffering
  • Questions and comments

128 Why do I protect myself and not others? (download)

Venerable Thubten Chodron

Venerable Chodron emphasizes the practical application of Buddha’s teachings in our daily lives and is especially skilled at explaining them in ways easily understood and practiced by Westerners. She is well known for her warm, humorous, and lucid teachings. She was ordained as a Buddhist nun in 1977 by Kyabje Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, India, and in 1986 she received bhikshuni (full) ordination in Taiwan. Read her full bio.