|
The Hundred Verses of Advice
Padampa Sangye (known in India as Paramabuddha) was from southern India, and traveled widely in India, Tibet and China, until his death around 1117 AD. It is widely believed that Padampa Sangye was an incarnation of the 8th century monk Kamalashîla, one of the early teachers of the Dharma in Tibet. When the Indian sage Padampa Sangye arrived in Tibet, he found the people in the area of Tingri, which is on the Tibetan side of Mt. Everest, to be especially amenable to his instruction. He therefore settled in Tingri and established a monastery. The following text was translated from Tibetan by John Canti of the Padmakara Translation Group, and may be found along with detailed commentary by the late Dilgo Khyentse in:
Preface Homage to the teacher! Just as worn-out clothes can never again be made as new, Now, like a small bird flying off from a treetop, 1 If you spend the present meaninglessly and leave with empty
hands, 2 To apply yourselves with body, speech and mind to the sacred
Teachings, 3 Give your very life, heart and soul to the Three Jewels [the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha], 4 Forget your goals for this life - concentrate instead on
lives to come. 5 Families are as fleeting as a crowd on market day; 6 Wealth and poverty, like a magic show, just seduce and
deceive; 7 This body's just a bag containing various kinds of filth; 8 Family and friends are no more real than a magic show; 9 Country and land are like a nomad's pastures 10 As parents, all beings in the six realms have cared for you; 11 The day you were born, your death began approaching; 12 Fundamentally there's no delusion, it's an ephemeral
occurrence; 13 Without distraction apply yourselves to the sacred Dharma; 14 The truth of cause and effect ensures that actions yield
their full result; 15 Leave all your activities behind like a country in a dream; 16 The very thing you feel attached to, let go of it, whatever - 17 Since you won't be staying in this world forever, 18 If you first finish what you have to do, you'll never
get to Dharma; 19 Inside the forest, monkeys may be living happily at ease, 20 Birth, sickness, ageing and death flow on, a river without
ford or bridge; 21 In the narrow defiles of birth, death and the intermediate
state 22 Your never-failing source of refuge is the teacher; 23 If your protection is the teacher, you'll reach wherever you
aspire to go; 24 Those who get wealthy get miserly too; 25 Whoever gets power acts sinfully, too; 26 Those with rank and riches are never happy and at ease; 27 In the next world, there are neither family nor friends; 28 If you wander in distraction, you'll waste the freedoms and
advantages of human life; 29 While you're busy being distracted, the demon of Death will
catch you; 30 When will the demon of Death appear? There is no easy way to
tell; 31 The day you die, there's no one who'll protect you; 32 If you reflect on death, there's nothing you will need; 33 Like lengthening shadows as the sun sinks low, 34 The morning's ravishing flower will wither by nightfall; 35 Even if resembling, while alive, the children of the gods, 36 Visitors to market day, their trading finished, on the morrow
have dispersed; 37 Since the scarecrow conjured up by magic is sure to tumble
down; 38 For sure, the vulture of your mind will one day fly away; 39 All beings of the six realms have cared for you as parents; 40 Hate for enemies is samsara's hallucination, caused by
actions; 41 Prostration and circumambulation purify obscuration of the
body; 42 Recitation and taking refuge purify obscuration of the
speech; 43 Fervent devotion purifies habitual tendencies of the mind; 44 Your flesh and bones took form together, but in the end are
sure to separate; 45 Capture that most sublime of countries, the constant land of
the natural state; 46 Enjoy that most sublime of riches, the treasure of the nature
of mind; 47 Savor that most sublime of foods, the exquisite taste of
meditation, 48 Imbibe that most sublime of drinks, the ambrosia of
mindfulness, 49 Rely upon that most sublime companion, primordial awareness
wisdom, 50 Seek for that most sublime of progeny, the young child pure
awareness, 51 In a state of emptiness, whirl the spear of pure awareness; 52 In a state without thoughts, without distraction, abandon the
watcher; 53 In a state of natural spontaneity, train in being free of any
holding back; 54 The four bodies, indivisible, are complete in your mind; 55 The root of both samsara and nirvana is to be found within
your mind; 56 Desire and hate appear, but like birds in flight, should
leave no trace behind; 57 The unborn absolute body is like the very heart of the sun - 58 Thoughts come and go like a thief in an empty house - 59 Sensations leave no imprints, like drawings made on water; 60 Thoughts of attachment and aversion are like rainbows in the
sky; 61 Mind's movements dissolve by themselves, like clouds in the
sky; 62 Without fixation, thoughts are freed by themselves, like the
wind, 63 Pure awareness is without fixation, like a rainbow in the
sky; 64 Realization of the absolute nature is like the dream of a
mute; 65 Realization is like a youthful maiden's pleasure; 66 Clarity and emptiness united are like the moon reflecting in
water; 67 Appearances and emptiness inseparable are like the empty sky; 68 The mind with no thought and no distraction is like the
mirror of a beauty; 69 Awareness and emptiness inseparable are like reflections in a
mirror; 70 Bliss and emptiness inseparable are like the sun lighting up
the snows; 71 Deluded talk will fade without a trace, like echoes; 72 Happiness and suffering, through a mechanism like the
sounding of a lute's body and strings, 73 The natural freedom of samsara and nirvana is like a
children's game; 74 Your notions of the outer world derive from the mind within; 75 The mechanism of ignorance is like the gush of a meadow
spring; 76 The delusions of samsara and nirvana are like coming face to
face with an enemy; 77 The natural clarity of the five kayas [aspects of
enlightenment] is like the expanse of a continent of gold; 78 With its freedoms and advantages, human life is like a
treasure island; 79 The practice of the Great Vehicle is like a wish-fulfilling
gem; 80 For this life, come what may, you'll have enough to eat and
clothe yourself; 81 While you are young, practice hard and with austerities; 82 When emotions arise, bring antidotes to bear on them; 83 Think from time to time of all the defects of samsara; 84 Right now, develop diligence and stand your ground; 85 If you're not free now, when will you ever get to be free? 86 Life is so ephemeral, like the dew on the grass; 87 From where you are now, should you lose your footing, 88 The Buddha's teaching is like the sun shining through the
clouds; 89 You say such clever things to people, but don't apply them to
yourself; 90 That faith succumbs to circumstance is only a short step
away; 91 Frequenting evil friends is bound to make your own behavior
evil; 92 Frequenting virtuous friends is bound to make your own good
qualities arise; 93 Deception and lies deceive not only others, but yourself as
well; 94 Delusion born from ignorance is the worst disaster-bearing
demon; 95 If you don't hold on to the three or five poisons [desire,
hatred, ignorance, jealousy, pride], the path is near; 96 If your perseverance has no strength, you will not reach
Buddhahood; 97 Habitual tendencies, being old acquaintances, keep on coming
back; 98 If your understanding and realization are weak, pray to your
lord teacher; 99 If you aspire to happiness in future, accept your present
trials; 100 This old Indian master will not stay in Tingri, he will go
away; 101 I myself have practiced without distraction;
Note: If you have enjoyed these excerpts or would like to read the detailed verse-by-verse commentary by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, please purchase the complete book: Dilgo Khyentse, The Hundred Verses of Advice of Padampa
Sangye.
Additional On-line References: www.berotsana.org/pdf/EssentialPractice.pdf http://www.dharmafellowship.org/chod.htm
last updated: 18-Oct-2005 |
The
Hundred Verses of Advice of Padampa Sangye are utterly amazing for their
clarity, depth, breadth and brevity.