When might I abide in such a place,
A place unclaimed, by nature ownerless,
That's wide and unconfined,
a place where I might stay
At liberty without attachment?

In solitude, the mind and body
Are not troubled by distraction.
Therefore, leave this worldly life
And totally abandon mental wandering.

Penetrative insight joined with calm abiding
Utterly eradicates afflicted states.
Knowing this, first search for calm abiding,
Found by those who joyfully renounce the world.

Therefore in these lovely gleaming woods,
With joy that's marred by few afflictions,
I shall pacify all mental wandering,
And there remain in blissful solitude.

In pleasant dwellings formed of massive stone,
And cooled by sandal trees beneath the moon,
in woodlands wafted by the gentle breeze,
Our minds intent on bringing good to others.

Those whose minds are practiced in this way
Whose happiness is to soothe the pain of others,
Will venture in the hell of unremitting agony
As swans sweep down upon a lotus lake.

The oceanlike immensity of joy
Arising when all beings will be freed,
Will this not be enough? Will this not satisfy?
The wish for my own freedom, what is that to me?

Shantideva

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