Final precepts, daily conduct · Verse 35 of 37
Verse 35: Slay afflictions the moment they arise
Verse 35 of The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, the fourteenth-century Tibetan poem by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1295–1369). It belongs to the section on final precepts, daily conduct.
When disturbing emotions become habitual, it is difficult to reverse them with antidotes. Therefore, the master of mindfulness wields antidotes as weapons and destroys disturbing emotions, such as attachment, the moment they start to arise. This is the way of a bodhisattva.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to slay attachment
And the rest—mind's afflictions—at once, the very moment they arise,
Taking as weapons the remedies held with mindfulness and vigilance.
For once the kleshas have become familiar, they'll be harder to avert.
When reactive emotions acquire momentum, it's hard to make remedies work.
A person in attention wields remedies like weapons,
Crushing reactive emotions such as craving
As soon as they arise — this is the practice of a bodhisattva.
A facilitator's reading across the commentaries
All agree on timing (catch it small — KS's cloud-wisp); the interesting split is on the verb. GR/AB/KTGR wield remedies as weapons; KM insists "crushing" means fully experiencing, not suppressing. Both are in the tradition; a rich discussion for practitioners who've tried each and hit its failure mode.
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
(Compact.) "Pure motivation and proper methods are like a precious sword and anger is like an enemy." Recognize the thought as bad the instant it appears and it disappears on the spot; indulged a few times, anger accumulates until it erupts.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
H.H. the Dalai Lama Gelug
(Brief.) Consists of the Eight Verses citation: "In all actions may I watch my mind" — on recognizing delusion, extinguish it from the very beginning.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
Dr. Alexander Berzin Gelug
The apparatus: mindfulness is the "mental glue" holding the opponent attitudes, alertness the watchman detecting slippage, attention the re-fixer. Apply specific opponents (love against anger, etc.) immediately — like a mispronunciation repeated for years, an entrenched emotional habit becomes nearly impossible to correct.
Full commentary: studybuddhism.com
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Karma Kagyu
Modern analogy: road workers jackhammering protruding rocks — "even out" each affliction at its appearance, before it hardens into habit and matures into action.
Full commentary: dharmaebooks.org (Free ebook, trans. Suzanne Schefczyk.)
Khenpo Sodargye Nyingma, Larung Gar
Every emotion begins as a tiny thought — caught there, it's "like a small wisp of cloud in a clear and empty sky, which is not going to produce any rain"; unnoticed, it multiplies beyond stopping. Mindfulness = remembering what to adopt/abandon; vigilance = constant alertness. Pointed test: "Whatever works to counteract emotions, it is Dharma; whatever does not work is not Dharma" (Dromtönpa) — aimed at practitioners chasing powers instead of counteracting afflictions.
Full commentary: khenposodargye.org (Free ebook PDF.)
Ven. Thubten Chodron Sravasti Abbey, Gelug
Winter Retreat vv29–37 talk.
Full commentary: thubtenchodron.org
Ken McLeod Shambhala / independent
Talk 12: "crushing" reactive emotions means experiencing them completely — bodily sensation, emotional content, story — which releases their grip; the opposite of repression. Tricycle v35 (video/subscriber).
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.