But the Supreme Physician does not employ common medical treatments such as these, with an extremely gentle technique He remedies all the greatest sins.
Shantideva
The Supreme Physician
Topic: Self-Cultivation & Health
THE SUPREME PHYSICIAN
“Yet the suffering
Involved in my awakening will have a limit;
It is like the suffering of having an incision made
In order to remove and destroy greater pain.
Even doctors eliminate illness
With unpleasant medical treatments,
So in order to overcome manifold sufferings
I should be able to put up with some discomfort.
But the Supreme Physician does not employ
Common medical treatments such as these,
With an extremely gentle technique
He remedies all the greatest sins.”
Shantideva
Buddhism
Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life
Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture - a Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. Paragon House, 1991, pp. 404-405 [Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Bodhisattvacharyavatara) 7.22-2].
Shantideva
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Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhisattvacharyavatara) 7.22-2
From the great eighth-century Indian master Acharya Shantideva’s, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhisattvacharyavatara).
Additional Acharya Shantideva Passages
REGARDING COMPASSION
This is the elixir of eternal life
That vanquishes the lord of death;
This is the limitless storehouse of treasure
That relieves poverty in the world.
This is the supreme medicine
That cures the sickness of beings;
This is the shade-giving tree
Where the weary on the path can rest.
–Bodhisattvacharyavatara 3:28-29 [Shantideva, Acharya. A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life = Bodhisattvacharyavatara = Byang-Chub-Sems-dpa̕i.Spyod-Pa-La J’ug-Pa. Translated by Stephen Batchelor, Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1979].