Hundred verses of advice to the people of Dingri

Transcription

1 Hundred verses of advice to the people of Dingri by Padamapa Sangye 1. Applying yourselves with body, speech and mind to the sacred Teachings, People of Dingri, is the best activity. 2. Put your entire trust in Three Jewels, People of Dingri, and their blessings will arise in the process. 3. Forget your goals for this life - concentrate instead on the goals of future lives. People of Dingri, and you will achieve the highest goal. 4. Family members are as fleeting as crowds on market days; People of Dingri, don't bicker or fight. 5. Wealth is like a magic show, and things you have borrowed; People of Dingri, don't be bound by the knot of stinginess. 6. This body is like a bag of filthy substances; People of Dingri, wanting it to be nice, don't pamper it. 7. Family and friends will fool you like magical illusions; People of Dingri, cut your attachment to them. 8. Country and land are [changing] like nomads' camp sites, People of Dingri, do not be attached to them. 9. Homelands are produced by karma common to the six kinds of beings. People of Dingri, do not grasp their I or self. 10. The very day you were born, death sent a message; People of Dingri, remember there is no time to spare. 11. Free of distraction devote yourselves to the sacred teaching, People of Dingri, after death it will guide you on the path. 12. The truth of cause and effect ensures that actions yield their maturation effect; People of Dingri, avoid all sin and non-virtue. 13. Your practices are like a country in a dream; People of Dingri, put non-action into practice. 14. Let go of the very things to which you are attached; People of Dingri, there is nothing you truly need. 1

2 15. Since there is no staying in this world forever, People of Dingri, make preparations for your journey now. 16. Inside a forest, monkeys feel their lives are happy, People of Dingri - but fires are closing in on them from the forest edge. 17. Birth, ageing, sickness, and death are like a river with no ford or bridge; People of Dingri, prepare what will serve as ship for you now. 18. In the narrow defiles of birth, death and the intermediate state, Bandits - the five mental poisons are constantly wandering to and fro; People of Dingri, seek a teacher to escort you through them. 19. Holding on to the teacher you will not risk falling; People of Dingri, carry him constantly on the crown of your head. 20. If your teacher takes you, you will reach wherever you wish to go; People of Dingri, cultivate faith and veneration as the fare for the journey. 21. Whoever has wealth is miserly too; People of Dingri, be generous impartially. 22. Whoever has power has sin as well; People of Dingri, abandon all desire for high status and power. 23. Those with high status and wealth are not happy; People of Dingri, keep your hands on your heart. 24. In the next world, family and friends are rare; People of Dingri, place your trust in the Dharma. 25. If you abide in distraction, you will lose your chance to achieve your goals; People of Dingri, resolve to practice now. 26. You can never be sure when the demon of Death will appear; People of Dingri, now always be on your guard. 27. The day you die, no one can help you; People of Dingri, ensure you can stand on your own. 28. If you reflect on death, there is nothing you need; People of Dingri, always keep death in mind. 29. As shadows lengthen when the sun is setting, The demon of Death relentlessly draws nearer; People of Dingri, flee him immediately! 2

3 30. The morning's ravishing flower will wither by nightfall; People of Dingri, do not put your hopes in your body. 31. While alive tho' your body resembles a god's, At death it will be more frightful than a demon's horde; People of Dingri, your illusory bodies will deceive you! 32. When a market day has ended, its visitors disperse; People of Dingri, be certain that your friends will leave you. 33. Your body,like an illusory tower of stones, is sure to collapse; People of Dingri, be sure now to create good causes and avoid creating bad ones. 34. The vulture of your mind is sure to fly off one day; People of Dingri, now is the time to soar up to the heights. 35. All beings of the six realms have cared for you as parents; People of Dingri, cultivate love and compassion for them. 36. Hateful enemies are nothing more than false impressions caused by your actions; People of Dingri, give up hatred and hostility. 37. Prostrations and circumambulations purify your physical wrongdoing; People of Dingri, give up pointless physical actions - coming and going. 38. Recitation and taking refuge purify verbal wrongdoing; People of Dingri, give up ordinary conversation and idle talk. 39. Fervent faith and veneration purify mental wrongdoing; People of Dingri, meditate the teacher atop your head. 40. Your flesh and bones that arose together will separate; People of Dingri, do not believe that you will live forever. 41. Reach the sublime country, the constant land of the profound nature of mind, People of Dingri, where there is no change. 42. Maintain the sublime wealth, the great treasure of the ultimate nature of mind, People of Dingri, which cannot ever be depleted. 43. Savour the sublime food, the exquisite taste of meditation, People of Dingri, which abolishes the pangs of hunger. 44. Drink the sublime beverage, the nectar of mindfulness, People of Dingri, whose flow is never interrupted. 3

4 45. Seek the sublime companion, ultimate superior wisdom, People of Dingri, from which you never can be parted. 46. Seek the sublime progeny, the young child of mind's [ultimate nature], People of Dingri, for which there is no birth or death. 47. Out of emptiness, whirls the spear of awareness, People of Dingri, the view that nothing impedes. 48. In complete mental stability without distraction, be watchful; People of Dingri, then meditation will be free of laxity and excitement. 49. In a state of natural spontaneity, train in being free of obstacles; People of Dingri, in practice there is no inherent abandonment and adoption. 50. Seek the four bodies, indivisible in your mind; People of Dingri, the fruit is beyond all [inherent] hope and doubt. 51. The root of both samsara and nirvana is found in your mind; People of Dingri, the mind has no true reality. 52. Desire and hatred appear, but like birds in flight, they leave no trace behind; People of Dingri, in meditation do not cling to them as real. 53. The unborn dharmakaya is like the very heart of the sun; People of Dingri, its light is neither [inherently] radiant nor dark. 54. Thoughts are like seeing a thief in an empty house as an enemy - People of Dingri, wealth can neither be gained nor lost. 55. Feelings leave no traces, like drawings made on water; People of Dingri, don't grasp deluded appearances. 56. The thoughts that arise from imprints are like rainbows in the sky; People of Dingri, there is nothing in them to be grasped or apprehended. 57. Clear mind's movements are like the sun free of clouds; People of Dingri, do not put trust in your mind. 58. In the mind there is nothing to grasp inherently, it is naturally free like the wind, People of Dingri, do not grasp at its objects. 59. Mind is free of inherent existence, like a rainbow in the sky; People of Dingri, in it there is nothing to grasp. 60. Realization of thusness is like the dream of a mute; People of Dingri, there are no words to express it. 4

5 61. Realization once arisen is like a child's pleasure; People of Dingri, the joy and bliss of it cannot be described. 62. Inseparable clarity and emptiness are like the moon's reflection on water; People of Dingri, there is nothing to grasp and nothing to be impeded. 63. Inseparable appearances and emptiness are like the empty sky; People of Dingri, the mind is without a centre and periphery. 64. The mind without recollections and distraction is like a beauty observing her image in a mirror; People of Dingri, it is free of any analysis. 65. Inseparable mind and emptiness are like reflections in a mirror; People of Dingri, in them nothing arises and nothing ceases. 66. Inseparable bliss and emptiness are like the sun shining on snow [and melting it]; People of Dingri, in it there is nothing to apprehend. 67. Deluded talk fades without a trace, like an echo; People of Dingri, in sound there is nothing to be grasped. 68. The mechanism of happiness and suffering is like [the sounding of] a lute's body and strings; People of Dingri, they are produced by causes and conditions. 69. The natural freedom of samsara and nirvana is like children's games; People of Dingri, the mind has no inherent production nor cessation. 70. External and internal activities derive from within your mind; People of Dingri, they are like solid ice melting into liquid. 71. The mechanism of ignorance is like the gush of a meadow spring; People of Dingri, it cannot be halted by simply denying its existence. 72. The delusions of samsara and nirvana like sounds are not graspable; People of Dingri, your teacher is the best helper in this. 73. The natural clarity of the five kayas is like contemplating a golden isle; People of Dingri, do not have any hopes or doubts regarding it. 74. With its freedoms and fortunes, human life is like jewels and gold; People of Dingri, do not waste it in meaningless activities. 75. The practice of the Great Vehicle is like a wish-granting gem; People of Dingri, however hard you search for it, it is difficult to find again. 5

6 76. For this life, you will manage to have enough food and clothing; People of Dingri, put all into practicing the Dharma. 77. While you are young, practice hard, with austerities; People of Dingri, once you are old your constitution will not withstand it. 78. When disturbing mental states arise, apply their antidotes; People of Dingri, in that way they will flee. 79. At times reflect on the drawbacks of samsara; People of Dingri, this will reinforce your faith. 80. Right now, develop diligence and stand your ground; People of Dingri, when you die you do not know where you will take birth. 81. Life is fleeting, like dew on grass; People of Dingri, do not yield to laziness and indifference. 82. The Buddha's teaching is like the sun shining through the clouds; People of Dingri, now is the time when it is present. 83. Although you think happiness and suffering are others' fault; People of Dingri, their root causes are found within you. 84. If you have faith, by its strength the path is just a short step away; People of Dingri, contemplate samsara's imperfections. 85. While frequenting bad friends your behaviour is bound to be harmed; People of Dingri, give up harmful friendships. 86. While frequenting good friends your good qualities are bound to develop; People of Dingri, rely on your spiritual teachers. 87. Deception, hypocrisy, and lies deceive both you and others; People of Dingri, take your own conscience as witness. 88. Ignorance is the harmful demon that deludes you; People of Dingri, hold fast to vigilance and remembrance. 89. Overcoming the three or five poisons [desire, hatred, ignorance, jealousy, pride], People of Dingri, generate powerful antidotes to them. 90. If your enthusiastic perseverance is weak, you will not reach Buddhahood; People of Dingri, be sure to don armour enthusiasm. 91. By long-term familiarization with imprints, desire will arise once more; People of Dingri, do not cling to the past. 6

7 92. If your understandings and realizations are weak, make requests [to the teachers; and buddhas]; People of Dingri, and realizations will arise in the process. 93. If you want to be happy in the future, accept your present trials, People of Dingri, then Buddhahood will be right beside you. 94. Morning time meetings announce separations, People of Dingri, encounters and separations are tiresome. 95. Most of your friends have gone on to a future life, People of Dingri, did your companions have supplies with them? 96. All suffering arises from sinful actions; People of Dingri, give up even insignificant wrongdoing. 97. All happiness arises from virtuous actions; People of Dingri, accomplish even insignificant virtues. 98. From the causes that are sin and virtue arise suffering and happiness; People of Dingri, give up sin and accomplish virtue. 99. This Indian master will not stay in Dingri, he will go away; People of Dingri, now is the time to clarify your doubts As for me, I have practiced without distraction; People of Dingri, you should follow my example. Translation by R. Patton with Venerable Dagpo Rinpoche's guidance, based on The Hundred Verses of Advice of Padampa Sangye. Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Published by Shechen Publications, New Delhi, ISBN Instituto Lama Tsongkhapa, Pomaia, Italy, July 8, 2016 posted July 09, updated 18-Oct-2005 C 7