In this forty-fifth installment of the ongoing live series with Wendy Nash, we continue our inquiry into meditation practice both on and off the cushion following up this time with a comment Wendy made last month about having memorized and worked with “The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva” (Gyelse Tokmey Zangpo, 14th century), a classic Tibetan Buddhist text that outlines the mindsets, behaviors, and spiritual training required to cultivate compassion and altruism. So we plan to look at least some of these in the light of formal and daily life practice.
Below is a breakdown of the 37 practices via ai conjuring, grouped by their core themes:
Foundational Conditions (Practices 1–9)
- Appreciate human birth: Utilize the precious opportunity of this life to study and practice the Dharma.
- Abandon attachment and aversion: Leave environments that trigger negative emotional reactions or unhealthy attachments.
- Seek solitude: Retreat from distractions to allow inner clarity and spiritual progress to grow.
- Impermanence: Realize that money, body, and loved ones will all pass away; let go of mundane fixations.
- Avoid bad company: Distance yourself from influences that increase negative emotions and diminish virtues.
- Rely on spiritual teachers: Seek guidance from qualified teachers whose qualities inspire peace and discipline.
- Take refuge: Put your trust in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) for genuine protection.
- Avoid harmful actions: Refrain from unwholesome actions to avoid future suffering.
- Seek permanent freedom: Recognize that worldly pleasure is fleeting, and aim for ultimate liberation.
Intention & The Altruistic Mind (Practices 10–11)
- Generate Bodhicitta: Direct all spiritual effort toward liberating every sentient being from suffering.
- Exchange self for others: Understand that suffering comes from self-cherishing, while happiness comes from cherishing others.
Transforming Adversity into the Path (Practices 12–21)
- When robbed: Offer your body, wealth, and merit to the person who stole from you.
- When attacked: Take upon yourself the harm and negative karma of the attacker.
- When insulted: Speak of the other person’s virtues in return.
- When exposed or criticized: Respect the critic as a spiritual teacher.
- When betrayed: Treat a ungrateful person like a loving parent treats a child.
- When humiliated: Bow down to the aggressor with respect.
- When destitute or ill: Accept suffering joyfully as a tool to burn off negative karma.
- When wealthy or famous: Remain humble and recognize that material success is temporary.
- When angry: Tame your own mind rather than trying to conquer external enemies.
- When overcome by desire: Let go of addictive objects immediately, as if drinking salt water.
The Six Paramitas / Perfections (Practices 22–30)
- Generosity: Give without expecting anything in return.
- Ethical conduct: Maintain morality, as you cannot help others if you cannot discipline yourself.
- Patience: Treat hostile people as valuable teachers of patience.
- Enthusiastic effort: Apply diligence to spiritual training as if your hair were on fire.
- Concentration: Cultivate deep meditation (samadhi) to calm the mind.
- Wisdom: Realize emptiness—that all phenomena lack inherent, independent existence.
- Examine your own flaws: Continually reflect on your own mistakes rather than judging others.
- Avoid harsh words: Speak gently, as harsh language disturbs others and damages virtue.
- Mindfulness: Keep constant watch over the state of your mind and actions.
Wisdom & Final Integration (Practices 31–37)
- Self-reflection: Continuously examine your faults to eliminate them.
- Avoid pointing out faults: Never speak ill of another practitioner’s mistakes.
- Abandon attachment to offerings: Avoid competing for wealth, status, or praise.
- Avoid harsh speech: Refrain from words that cause distress to others.
- Apply remedies immediately: Eradicate disturbing emotions the moment they arise.
- Maintain continuous mindfulness: Always ask: “What is the state of my mind right now?”
- Dedicate merit: Direct all positive energy gained from these practices toward the enlightenment of all beings.
*There’s naturally an ongoing open call for meditation (related) questions for the (roughly) monthly “Meditation Q & A” either by the various social media means listed; integratingpresence[at]protonmail.com or just showing to type/ask live.*
Background
Regular, current and past visitors to Integrating Presence may recall the monthly series “Ask Us Anything” I did with Denny K Miu from August 2020 until January 2022 — partially including and continuing on with Lydia Grace as co-host for awhile until March 2022.
For a few months thereafter I did various Insight Timer live events exploring potential new directions and/or a continuation of the Ask Us Anything format while weaving in other related teachings to these events.
Then, after chats with meditation coach Wendy Nash, it became clear to start a new collaboration similar to “Ask Us Anything” simply and clearly called “Meditation Q & A” especially due to the original intent of the Ask Us Anything’s being “discussions about meditation and related topics.”
Audio: 37 Practices Of A Bodhisattva | “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #45
Past chats with Wendy:
Unedited transcript via YouTube:
Full Raw Verbatim Transcript (with timestamps removed via ai):
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