I. The Dark Age Unfolds
Look, dear Ānanda—see the world aflame:
The cosmos swells, the climate fails,
Plagues arise, and peace decays,
The nuclear shadow lengthens across our days.
These are the marks of Kali Yuga's reign.
II. The Futility of Worldly Life
Youth spent in study, midlife chasing gain,
Old age clutching at health in vain—
Yet none know where the dead remain.
Break the wheel, dear Ānanda,
Or be bound to turn again.
III. The Rarity of Human Birth
Seven billion souls—yet few are free,
Fewer still who hear the Dharma's plea.
This precious life, so rare, so brief—
Do not squander it, dear Ānanda,
Lest you drown in samsara's sea.
IV. The Tyranny of Death
No scientist, however wise,
Has found the realm where no one dies.
Life is fragile, death is sure—
Its hour unknown. Awaken now,
Or be swept away by time's cruel tide, dear Ānanda.
V. The Torment of the Six Realms
God, demon, human, beast, or ghost—
All realms are ruled by suffering's host:
Birth, age, sickness, death's cold boast.
Why linger in this burning house?
Master the Dharma, dear Ānanda,
And flee samsara's endless coast.
VI. The Pure Land Beyond Sorrow
Beyond the storm of grief and war,
Where bliss and nirvana brightly soar,
No plague, no strife, no want, no sore.
Step onto the path today,
And reach that untouched shore, dear Ānanda.
VII. The True Guru's Mark
Seek a master—pure, ordained,
One who has renounced the worldly game,
Whose life and words are one and the same.
Test him well, then take his hand,
But shun the false, dear Ānanda,
Lest you feed the karmic flame.
VIII. The One Dharma in Four Schools
Kagyü, Nyingma, Sakya, Gelug—
One truth flows through all like a single river's course.
Mahamudra, Dzogchen, Madhyamaka's light—
Don't waste time on words alone,
Pierce the veil, dear Ānanda,
And seize the essence, vast and bright.
IX. The Seven Jewels of the Noble Ones
Faith, virtue, generosity's grace,
Learning, conscience, modesty's embrace,
And wisdom—the crowning jewel of this noble race.
Cultivate these seven treasures,
And walk the path of the Aryas, dear Ānanda.
X. The Six Perfections
Give, restrain, endure—then strive,
Meditate, let wisdom come alive.
Through these six, the path unfolds.
Build your boat of merit now,
And cross to liberation's shore, dear Ānanda.
XI. The Emptiness of Worldly Wealth
Gold and mansions, fame and might—
None will accompany you through death's night.
Loosen your grasp, turn toward the light,
For only Dharma endures, dear Ānanda.
XII. The Trap of Distraction
Endless screens, debates, and noise—
Darkness masked as fleeting joys.
They steal your peace, they drain your poise.
Turn inward now and still the mind,
For time itself destroys, dear Ānanda.
XIII. The True Dharma is Mind-Taming
Dharma is not robes or rite,
But taming the mind's untamed flight.
No need for temple, monk, or shrine—
Begin where you are, as you are,
And awaken to your own light, dear Ānanda.
XIV. Primordial Purity & Boundless Liberation
The unchanging expanse, pure from the start,
The luminous awareness that tears apart
All chains of thought, all grasping art—
Recognize this, your Dharmakāya nature,
Or spin endlessly in samsara's cart, dear Ānanda.
XV. Homage & Blessing
To my gurus, radiant and kind—
Zhenphen, Rahor, Khenpo—to you I bow.
Through their grace, may your heart find
The compassion of Avalokiteshvara's call:
OṂ MAṆI PADME HŪṂ—
Be gentle with yourself, dear Ānanda.
XVI. A Future Reunion in Potala
Brief our meeting in this fleeting age,
Yet pure lands await our next engagement.
Trust the law of cause and fruition,
And we shall meet where ḍākinīs dance,
In Amitābha's boundless gaze, dear Ānanda.
XVII. A Humble Offering
No Oxford scholar, no Harvard pen—
Just a yogi who has glimpsed the end.
These rough words, like an old hag's crooked tooth,
May yet kindle wisdom's living truth.
Take them to heart, and may all beings
Reach Potala's lotus blooms, dear Ānanda.
Translated by DeepSeek in 2025.
Refine by Claude Sonnet in 2026.
