..续本文上一页omes harder to interrupt, our experience of imprisonment becomes more intense until we feel hopelessly trapped with a monstrous companion. No outer foe will ever plague us as much as our own kleshas.

　　Verse 33 presents the fourth fault: give the kleshas an inch and they”ll take a mile.

　　4.33

　　All other foes that I appease and wait upon

　　Will show me favors, give me every aid,

　　But should I serve my dark defiled emotions,

　　They will only harm me, draw me down to grief.

　　Shantideva warns us not to be naïve about the pusher; we have to know his strategies and seductive ways. Likewise, we simply can”t afford to be ignorant about the power of emotions. We can neither welcome nor indulge them in hopes they”ll bring us happiness or security.

　　When the teachings tell us to “make friends with our emotions,” they mean to become more attentive and get to know them better. Being ignorant about emotions only makes matters worse; feeling guilty or ashamed of them does the same. Struggling against them is equally nonproductive. The only way to dissolve their power is with our wholehearted, intelligent attention.

　　Only then is it possible to stay steady, connect with the underlying energy, and discover their insubstantial nature. We can”t be stupid about this process. There”s no way to abide with our dynamic, ungraspable emotions if we keep fueling them with thoughts. It”s like trying to put out a fire with kerosene.

　　4.34

　　Therefore, if these long-lived, ancient enemies of mine,

　　The wellspring only of increasing woe,

　　Can find their lodging safe within my heart,

　　What joy or peace in this world can be found

　　In verse 34, Shantideva presents the fifth and final problematic aspect of the kleshas: as long as we are enslaved by them, there will never be world peace. We will have no peace of mind personally, and the suffering of beings everywhere will continue unabated. War will continue; and violence, neglect, addiction, and greed will continue endlessly. By steadying ourselves before we”re taken over by our emotions, we create the causes of peace and joy for us all.

　　4.35

　　And if the jail guards of the prisons of samsara,

　　The butchers and tormentors of infernal realms,

　　All lurk within me in the web of craving,

　　What joy can ever be my destiny

　　Typically we blame others for our misery. But Shantideva says we create our own infernal realms: our personal hells are interdependent with our klesha-ridden minds. In his view, we must take responsibility for what happens to us. If we give safe lodging to neurosis, then how can we expect it to result in joy

　　Just before the Buddha attained enlightenment, his kleshas arose in full force. He was tempted by anger, desire, and all the rest; but unlike most of us, he didn”t take the bait. He is always pictured as wide awake: fully present—on the dot—relaxed and undistracted by the powerful energy of the kleshas.

　　In one of the Harry Potter books, the budding bodhisattva, Harry, is put under a curse that creates an extremely strong urge to give in to the kleshas and do harm. The power of Harry”s intelligence and kindness, however, is even stronger. He doesn”t believe the voices of the kleshas or get seduced by their promises of comfort, and so the curse doesn”t work.

　　4.36

　　I will not leave the fight until, before my eyes,

　　These enemies of mine are all destroyed.

　　For if, aroused to fury by the merest slight,

　　Incapable of sleep until the scores are settled,

　　4.37

　　Foolish rivals, both to suffer when they die,

　　Will draw the battle lines and do their best to win,

　　And careless of the pain of cut and thrust,

　　Will stand their ground, refusing to give way,

　　4.38

　　No need to say that I will not lose heart,

　　Regardless of the hardships of the fray.

　　These natural foes today I”ll strive to crush—

　　These enemies, the source …

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