The preliminaries · Verse 3 of 37
Verse 3: Rely on solitude
Verse 3 of The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, the fourteenth-century Tibetan poem by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1295–1369). It belongs to the section on preliminaries.
When negative places are abandoned, disturbing emotions gradually decline. Without distractions, virtuous practice naturally grows. When the mind becomes clear, certainty in the Dharma arises. Live alone in seclusion. This is the way of a bodhisattva.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to take to solitary places,
Avoiding the unwholesome, so that destructive emotions gradually fade away,
And, in the absence of distraction, virtuous practice naturally gains strength;
Whilst, with awareness clearly focused, we gain conviction in the teachings.
Don't engage disturbances and reactive emotions gradually fade away;
Don't engage distractions and spiritual practice naturally grows;
Keep awareness clear and vivid and confidence in the way arises.
Rely on silence — this is the practice of a bodhisattva.
A facilitator's reading across the commentaries
The mechanism is agreed — remove triggers, afflictions starve, virtue grows by itself, clarity breeds conviction. The group question is the dose: weekly-sitting-group members aren't hermits. KS's inner/outer solitude distinction and GR's "composure at work" give laypeople a workable version; AB's warning (seclusion guarantees nothing) keeps it honest.
GR Garchen Rinpoche · HHDL H.H. the Dalai Lama · AB Dr. Alexander Berzin · KTGR Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche · KS Khenpo Sodargye · TC Ven. Thubten Chodron · KM Ken McLeod
What the teachers say
Garchen Rinpoche Drikung Kagyu
Turns it inward immediately: harmful places are those conducive to hatred, but "the thing that needs to be pacified is not the external environment, but the hatred within our mind." Genuine seclusion = reducing conceptual thinking; even at work, composure and connection to one's true nature achieve the same benefit.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
H.H. the Dalai Lama Gelug
Solitude supplies the essential conditions — no social involvement, no idle talk, practice "from morning to evening" as all past gurus did. Clear air, few objects of attachment, growing clarity and certainty. Warning: don't become a monastery-dweller consuming offerings while inwardly worldly.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
Dr. Alexander Berzin Gelug
Seclusion is the optimal use of the precious human life; cities suit only advanced bodhisattvas. Remove detrimental objects and triggers fade (the ex-partner example); drop the distractions — email, phones, entertainment — and "we have the opportunity to actually face our minds and try to understand what's going on." But seclusion alone guarantees nothing (attachment to your cushion, anger at mosquitoes) — join it with death-and-impermanence reflection.
Full commentary: studybuddhism.com
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Karma Kagyu
Afflictions diminish gross-first, then subtle; clarity gives birth to "certainty and deep trust in the Dharma." Ordinary practitioners should isolate from negativity; accomplished bodhisattvas can stay in negative places and transform them.
Full commentary: dharmaebooks.org (Free ebook, trans. Suzanne Schefczyk.)
Khenpo Sodargye Nyingma, Larung Gar
Outer solitude (remote places) vs. inner solitude (freedom from habitual thought patterns) — inner stillness matters more than physical isolation. Without distraction, virtue, compassion, and bodhicitta flourish; clarity resolves doubts.
Full commentary: khenposodargye.org (Free ebook PDF.)
Ven. Thubten Chodron Sravasti Abbey, Gelug
The antidote-counterpart to v2: "bad objects" aren't intrinsically evil, they're whatever triggers your own attachment, anger, confusion. Retreatants verify the verse directly — meditation flows when competing entertainments are absent; the resulting clarity produces conviction through personal verification. Verses 1–3 · Sangye Khadro
Full commentary: thubtenchodron.org
Ken McLeod Shambhala / independent
"Rely on silence." Non-engagement lets reactivity subside on its own; inward listening and looking reveal inherent clarity — "when we listen and look in that clarity, we find a quiet confidence and our way becomes clear." Tricycle verse 3 · Talk 2 (2006)
Full commentary: unfetteredmind.org (Tricycle's per-verse written commentary is behind a subscriber paywall.)
Further reading: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart of Compassion (Shambhala). A purchased book — no text is reproduced here.