Convocation Address by IBC Rector Assoc. Professor Mattia Salvini (Dharmavardhana-Jñānagarbha)

॥ नमो वागिन्द्राय॥

जल्पप्रपञ्चाभिरता हि बालास्तत्त्वे न कुर्वन्ति मतिं विशालाम् ।
जल्पो हि त्रैधातुकदुःखयोनिस्तत्त्वं हि दुःखस्य विनाशहेतुः ॥

|| namo vāgindrāya ||

jalpaprapañcābhiratā hi bālās
tattve na kurvanti matiṁ viśālām |
jalpo hi traidhātukaduḥkhayonis
tattvaṁ hi duḥkhasya vināśahetuḥ ||

Homage to the Lord of Speech!

As fools are fond of elaborating their own babble,
They don’t produce a vast mind towards the nature of things.
Babble is the source of the suffering of the three realms,
The nature of things causes suffering to vanish.

The above verse is part of the Buddha’s Words, appearing in the Sūtra of the Descent into Laṅkā; among its many profound insights one may find a perspective on Buddhist education that, it seems to me, fits some of the intents in having a university such as IBC.
A key word in the verse is tattva, which I rendered as “the nature of things.” The original Sanskrit term refers to what we may variously call reality, the nature of things, the way things are, ultimate truth, etc.; it does so in a way that is direct and to the point, making it a very precious word. Tattva is made of two elements: tat means “that” (i.e., anything) while -tva is similar to “-ness” in English. Some even coined the English term “thatness” to render this astonishingly powerful word. It is easy to see how the longer expressions we normally use to translate tattva hardly match its suggestions of immediacy.
The verse contrasts two attitudes. One is to be caught up in conceptual elaborations, unnecessary speech, and argument for the sake of winning an argument. “Elaborations” are, first of all, the two extreme views that the Buddha so carefully avoided in the teachings of the Middle Path, making the Saddharma uniquely liberating. More broadly, elaborations are all gross or subtle concepts, from the deceptive view that we exist as enduring persons to the very ideas of existence or non-existence. “Babble” can also mean murmuring, or speaking without clarity, and is used to refer to the inner monologue of our habitual thoughts. Additionally, it carries the sense of a debate engaged in for the sake of winning, rather than, as the Buddhist masters tell us it should be, for the sake of genuine wisdom about the nature of things, tattva. In all its layers, the first attitude is characterized by fixation and grasping.
The second attitude, very different from the first, is to develop a vast mind that can genuinely turn towards the way things are. As a Buddhist educational institution, we engage in the Buddhist teachings for the sake of realizing the nature of reality. The verse implies that when we study and reflect, we are faced with a choice, and that developing a broad-minded intention will make all the difference.
The verse emphasizes that outer and inner babbling is the source of suffering in saṁsāra. Turning away from what is trivial and mundane, one will have the opportunity to engage in the wisdom of listening, contemplation, and meditation. With wisdom, the mind can find ease in simplicity, accumulating the conditions to eradicate suffering.
For those looking for an accessible way to gain a better understanding of Buddhism, I have a suggestion that will take no more than thirty seconds of your daily time:

Choose an exact time of day—it can be any time, but try to be very punctual and consistent about it. At that stipulated time, wherever you may be, stop for a moment and say the word tattva three times. Then, bring its meaning to mind, for a brief instant.

I was not exaggerating when I said that this will take no more than thirty seconds. Two points are crucial: never skip a day, and always be punctual for your daily meeting with tattva.