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　　According to tradition, I shall now in brief describe

　　The entrance to the bodhisattva discipline.”

　　(Shantideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva. A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara. Translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group, Shambhala, Boston & London, 2002, page 33.)

　　A few verses from Shantideva”s sincere offerings are,

　　“To the buddhas, those thus gone,

　　And to the sacred Law, immaculate, supreme, and rare,

　　And to the Buddha”s offspring, oceans of good qualities,

　　That I might gain this precious attitude, I make a perfect offering.

　　I offer every fruit and flower

　　And every kind of healing medicine;

　　And all the precious things the world affords,

　　With all pure waters of refreshment;

　　Every mountain, rich and filled with jewels;

　　All sweet and lonely forest groves;

　　The trees of heaven, garlanded with blossom,

　　And branches heavy, laden with their fruit.”

　　(Ibid., page 29.)

　　When paying homage, there is the understanding that the Buddha has two qualities. These two qualities address the two sides of existence, being and becoming. The first side points to the fact that ordinary living beings have the three negative kleshas (Sanskrit for “mind poisons”), which are ignorance, aggression, and desire. The second aspect is that ordinary living beings possess the pure qualities of knowledge and love for others, small in comparison to the mind poisons. The positive qualities gradually manifest when a practitioner relies on the remedies to decrease and eradicate the kleshas the moment they arise or before they grow. When the negative kleshas have been eliminated, then there is attainment of Buddhahood, the state of a perfect Buddha, which is enlightenment.

　　The Tibetan word for “cleansed” is sang, the first half of the name for Buddha. When all faults have been removed, then the positive qualities manifest; they are wisdom, love, and great compassion for all living beings. Love and compassion encourage and empower. All qualities of being and becoming develop and increase through the cleansing process of practice. The Tibetan word for “developing and increasing” is gyae, the second half of the word for Buddha in Tibetan, Sang-gyae. That is why Sanggyae, “Buddha,” embodies the purification of all negative tendencies and habits as well as the attainment of all beneficial qualities, which are then “vast,” gyae in Tibetan. Paying homage to Buddha is honouring and revering the result of the path, the supreme state of perfection, which is enlightenment.

　　There is also the homage to the Bodhisattvas who are on the path, i.e., those progressing from the state of an ordinary being to that of perfection. Bodhisattvas have three qualities, as the connotation shows. The Tibetan term for the Sanskrit word bodhi has two syllables, chang and chub. These two syllables mean, respectively, “cleansed” and “attained.” Just as the word sang in the Tibetan name for Buddha, Sanggyae, cleansed means purified of the negative kleshas described above. A Bodhisattva has not cleansed all kleshas yet since he or she is still on the path, but gradually eliminates more and more while practicing the skilful methods of the path. The second Tibetan syllable for the Sanskrit word bodhi is chub, which means, “to obtain (the positive qualities).” A Bodhisattva unfolds more and more qualities of being while he practices the stages of the path. In this way, a Bodhisattva develops qualities of purification as well as attainment.

　　The Tibetan word for the Sanskrit term sattva in Bodhisattva is sem-pa and means “a hero, a courageous and brave person.” A practitioner of the Buddhadharma indeed needs courage in order to eliminate his or her own faults that are impediments to pure qualities of being. In the beginning, a practitioner needs confidence; he …

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