Heartfelt Advice That Fulfills the Wish of a Wise Woman
Lamrim, Lojong, Kadampa, Dzogchen, Great Perfection, contemporary.
Homage to Guru Manjushri.
You are the wondrous spring of an elegant lotus of learning, reflection, and meditation; endowed with the sweet nectar of eloquence born of wisdom, diligence, and virtue; the sovereign who spreads the fragrant scent of knowledge, compassion, and capability. To Rahor Chodrak, wondrous among the lotuses, I bow.
Your well-nourished bees, the heart-sons who have developed the strength of their wings for flight among the snowy mountains, who pollinate the flowers of sentient beings, are true disciples who delight in playful rejoicing with the maidens of every direction. To the renunciant Namkar Dondrup, I bow.
These days, most ordinary Buddhists firstly turn their wisdom and diligence outward, then secondly invite distraction and worldly busyness inward, and thirdly complain about their own traditions and Dharma. They bow their heads humbly before those with great names and high thrones, welcome wealthy khenpos and tulkus with broad smiles, and show the greatest hostility toward genuine practitioners who have renounced worldly concerns.
Thus, everyone seems to have wandered onto a mistaken path, lost in confusion and turmoil. Yet, because you, my beloved Tsheyang, repeatedly urged me, saying, "It should not be like this," I offer these heartfelt words, drawn from whatever I myself have understood, although I possess no qualities of realization or experience.
Oh, alas! Oh, how unfortunate that we beings of samsara have been immersed in the mud of existence since beginningless time, and still no opportunity for liberation has appeared. Generate renunciation and weariness with samsara. This is my heartfelt advice.
A human body endowed with freedom and opportunity is more difficult to obtain than gold. Now that it has come into your own hands, strive to accomplish the great purpose for the next life. Bring the essence of your enduring aspiration to fruition. This is my heartfelt advice.
This human life, like a butter lamp flickering amid the wind, has no certainty of lasting even for a single moment. Do not put on airs as though you will live for a long time. Remember death and impermanence. This is my heartfelt advice.
Your own actions and their karmic results follow you like your body's shadow. The Buddha taught that their fruition cannot be escaped by discarding them into soil or water. Place your trust in cause and effect. This is my heartfelt advice.
Wherever and in whichever of the three realms you may be born, you will have to experience suffering that is difficult to endure, and you are certain to continue from darkness into darkness. Reflect upon the defects of samsara. This is my heartfelt advice.
Consider the ways in which beings experience suffering throughout all the realms of the six classes of existence. Study them in the book called The Words of My Perfect Teacher and keep them firmly in your mind. This is my heartfelt advice.
The common foundation of all Dharma and pith instructions is taking refuge in the Three Jewels. According to the explanations of the common and uncommon approaches, enter refuge properly. This is my heartfelt advice.
The essence of the Mahayana and Vajrayana path is to generate the mind of supreme awakening, bodhicitta. Without confusing the proper sequence of aspiration and application in mind training, generate the supreme mind in accordance with the teachings. This is my heartfelt advice.
Although the sugatagarbha has been present in our continuum since beginningless time, it has remained obscured until now by the two obscurations, afflictive and cognitive. Because the basic expanse, free from elaboration, is difficult to realize, practice prostrations and purification to cleanse the obscurations. This is my heartfelt advice.
Without traversing the five paths and ten bhumis progressively, one cannot cross the ocean of existence. Therefore, through the six perfections, set the boat of accumulating merit and wisdom into motion. This is my heartfelt advice.
Faith, subtler than even a sesame seed, does not fare well when divided among many lamas. Do not scatter yourself in blind faith everywhere. Rely upon a lama with whom you can remain steadfast. This is my heartfelt advice.
In these times when ordinary people sustain themselves through ordinary appearances, do not be deceived by boastful arguments about Madhyamaka and emptiness, nor by false claims of seeing deities and subduing demons. Know your own limits and remain within them. This is my heartfelt advice.
In these times when Dharma and worldly deception have become mixed together, there are many doctrines and ways of speaking based on convoluted views and conduct. Preserve the pure essence of the pith instructions, which can transform an ordinary corpse into an extraordinary one, from which relics may emerge in the fire of cremation. This is my heartfelt advice.
Toward the root guru, who embodies all objects of refuge, turn your mind, heart, and innermost being with devotion. In the yogic state in which all appearances arise as the guru, merge the guru's wisdom mind and your own mind as inseparable. This is my heartfelt advice.
Toward Padmasambhava, embodiment of all vidyadharas, with unwavering determination entrust yourself to him as your refuge and ally. In the samadhi of continuously maintaining the practice, recite Vajra Guru. This is my heartfelt advice.
Toward Avalokiteshvara Dungyel Rangdrol, the natural form of compassion that liberates suffering by itself, call out with the cry of one who has no other protector or hope. Churn all your thoughts into the expanse of compassion and bodhicitta. Recite the six syllables. This is my heartfelt advice.
Wherever you happen to dwell, it is certainly good to establish sacred images and objects of worship. Yet recognize that any number of pricey objects may not end up being worthy of heaven above or hell beneath, and thus it may all simply end up being a waste of effort. This is my heartfelt advice.
Furthermore, look carefully upward toward the profound scriptures and teachings of the holy ones of the past, and toward the Sun-like Patrul Rinpoche, the moon-like Gedun Rinchen, and others, as if the eyes of a captured bird would gaze upward toward flight. This is my heartfelt advice.
As for the backslidden khenpos and tulkus who do the opposite, disparaging other traditions while promoting bogus views, and those who curse the traditions of the past as though they were great demons, abandon such dog-like downward gazing. This is my heartfelt advice.
For however long you remain alive without dying, wish all the more strongly to accomplish the essence of awakening. Whatever you do, strive for the benefit of others and for the purpose of the next life. Gather your determination into its essence. This is my heartfelt advice.
When the time comes to depart from this world, with the joyful confidence of having made your life worthwhile, as soon as the appearances of this illusory body cease, go to the realm of Grdhrakuta. This is my heartfelt advice.
There, before the eyes of the Embodiment of Great Compassion, may you receive the prophecy of awakening and be granted the supreme entrance into the path. Becoming inseparable from the eight great close sons, accomplish vast benefit for beings. This is my heartfelt advice.
There may be many other things that ought to be said to you in this garland of advice, things that would benefit you and that you truly need. But since my ability to weave profound meaning into elegant words is limited, hold at least this much in your heart. This is my heartfelt advice.
Thus, although these lines written for you may lack the ornaments of beautiful expression and profound meaning, through the unfailing power of the interdependent connection of Dharma and pith instructions, may they become a cause for your rebirth in the realm of Grdhrakuta.
Thus, at the request of the wise woman Tsheyang, this was offered by the Vidyadhara Gyukar Wangpo from the charnel ground where reeds and mud are densely entangled. Jayantu.
