Advice From Atisha’s Heart

When Venerable Atisha came to Tibet, he first went to Ngari, where he remained for two years giving many teachings to the disciples of Jangchub Ö. After two years had passed, he decided to return to India and Jangchub Ö requested him to give one last teaching before he left. Atisha replied that he had already given them all the advice they needed, but Jangchub Ö persisted in his request and so Atisha accepted and gave the following advice.

How wonderful!

Friends, since you already have great knowledge and clear understanding, whereas I am of no importance and have little wisdom, it is not suitable for you to request advice from me. However, because you dear friends, whom I cherish from my heart, have requested me, I shall give you this essential advice from my inferior and childish mind.

Friends, until you attain Enlightenment the Spiritual Teacher is indispensable, therefore rely upon the holy Spiritual Guide.

Until you realise ultimate truth, listening is indispensable, therefore listen to the instructions of the Spiritual Guide.

Since you cannot become a Buddha merely by understanding Dharma, practise earnestly with understanding.

Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase.

Until you attain stable realisations, worldly amusements are harmful, therefore abide in a place where there are no such distractions.

Avoid friends who cause you to increase delusions, and rely upon those who increase your virtue. This you should take to heart.

Since there is never a time when worldly activities come to an end, limit your activities.

Dedicate your virtues throughout the day and the night, and always watch your mind.

Because you have received advice, whenever you are not meditating always practise in accordance with what your Spiritual Guide says.

If you practise with great devotion, results will arise immediately, without your having to wait for a long time.

If from your heart you practise in accordance with Dharma, both food and resources will come naturally to hand.

Friends, the things you desire give no more satisfaction than drinking sea water, therefore practise contentment.

Avoid all haughty, conceited, proud, and arrogant minds, and remain peaceful and subdued.

Avoid activities that are said to be meritorious, but which in fact are obstacles to Dharma.

Profit and respect are nooses of the maras, so brush them aside like stones on the path.

Words of praise and fame serve only to beguile us, therefore blow them away as you would blow your nose.

Since the happiness, pleasure, and friends you gather in this life last only for a moment, put them all behind you.

Since future lives last for a very long time, gather up riches to provide for the future.

You will have to depart leaving everything behind, so do not be attached to anything.

Generate compassion for lowly beings, and especially avoid despising or humiliating them.

Have no hatred for enemies, and no attachment for friends.

Do not be jealous of others’ good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.

Do not look for faults in others, but look for faults in yourself, and purge them like bad blood.

Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and respect everyone as a servant would.

See all living beings as your father or mother, and love them as if you were their child.

Always keep a smiling face and a loving mind, and speak truthfully without malice.

If you talk too much with little meaning you will make mistakes, therefore speak in moderation, only when necessary.

If you engage in many meaningless activities your virtuous activities will degenerate, therefore stop activities that are not spiritual.

It is completely meaningless to put effort into activities that have no essence.

If the things you desire do not come it is due to karma created long ago, therefore keep a happy and relaxed mind.

Beware, offending a holy being is worse than dying, therefore be honest and straightforward.

Since all the happiness and suffering of this life arise from previous actions, do not blame others.

All happiness comes from the blessings of your Spiritual Guide, therefore always repay his kindness.

Since you cannot tame the minds of others until you have tamed your own, begin by taming your own mind.

Since you will definitely have to depart without the wealth you have accumulated, do not accumulate negativity for the sake of wealth.

Distracting enjoyments have no essence, therefore sincerely practise giving.

Always keep pure moral discipline for it leads to beauty in this life and happiness hereafter.

Since hatred is rife in these impure times, don the armour of patience, free from anger.

You remain in samsara through the power of laziness, therefore ignite the fire of the effort of application.

Since this human life is wasted by indulging in distractions, now is the time to practise concentration.

Being under the influence of wrong views you do not realise the ultimate nature of things, therefore investigate correct meanings.

Friends, there is no happiness in this swamp of samsara, so move to the firm ground of liberation.

Meditate according to the advice of your Spiritual Guide and dry up the river of samsaric suffering.

You should consider this well because it is not just words from the mouth, but sincere advice from the heart.

If you practise like this you will delight me, and you will bring happiness to yourself and others.

I who am ignorant request you to take this advice to heart.

Note: This is the advice that the holy being Venerable Atisha gave to Venerable Jangchub Ö.

Source: Atisha Dipamkara, ‘Advice from Atisha’s Heart’, Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, http://resources.tsemtulku.com/prayers/general-prayers/advice-from-atishas-heart.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment

Homage to the Bodhisattva Manjusri, the ever youthful!

1. I bow in great reverence to all past, present and Future Victors, to their Doctrine and Communities. I shall light a Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, at the request of my good disciple Byang-chub-‘od.

[The three levels of motivation]

2. In that they are inferior or mediocre or Superior, all persons should be understood as three: The characteristics of each are very clear, and I shall note how they differ from one another.

3. One, who by every means he finds, seeks by the pleasure of samsara, and cares but for himself alone, that one is known as the Inferior Person.

4. One who puts life’s pleasures behind and turns himself from deeds of sin, yet cares only about his own peace, that person should be called Mediocre.

5. One who wholly seeks a complete end to the entire suffering of others because their suffering belongs to his own [conscious] stream, that person is a Superior.

[The following teaching is for those with the “superior motivation”]

6. For those pure beings whose desire is the highest of Enlightenments, I shall explain the right means which were taught me by my Gurus.

7. Facing a painted image of the Perfect Buddha, or in front of holy reliquaries – shrines and the like, give worship with flowers and incense and whatever objects may be at hand.

8. Then with the Sevenfold Worship expressed in the Deeds of Samantabhadra, and a mind that does not turn back until the Heart of Enlightenment is reached.

9. With great faith in the Three Jewels, bending knee to the ground, and folding the hands first take the Three Refuges thrice. Buddham Sharnam Gachchami, Dhaman Sharnam Gachcham, Sangham Sharnam Gachchami!

10. Then, because the Thought of Love for all creatures is the prerequisite, one looks out on all the world, suffering in death, transmigration, and rebirth in the three bad destinies:

[Generating Bodhicitta]

11. At sight of that suffering, one suffers, and he who wants to free the world from the very cause of such suffering, must beget this Thought of Enlightenment that is pledged never to turn back.

12. Every quality that belongs to begetting thoughts of such Resolution has been well explained by Maitreya in his sutra, the ‘Stalks in Array.’

13. Read that sutra or hear it from a Guru, and when the infinite benefits of Perfect Enlightenment Thought are seen, then for that very reason you will beget the Thought again and again.

14. The merit of this is shown extremely well in the sutra called the Questions of Viradatta; and to give the essence of it I quote three of its verses here:

15. ‘If a form could be had for the full merit of the Enlightenment Thought, it would surpass even one that filled the whole realm of space.’

16. ‘Or take a man who owns jewels, and with them fills every one of the Buddha-fields – reckoned as more than the grains of Ganga’s sands – then offers all this to the Lord of the World;’

17. ‘Yet another who merely folds his hands, and inclines his thought to Enlightenment. The latter worship is higher by far, because in it there is found no limit.’

18. When you get the thoughts of aspiring to Enlightenment, and then with great effort strive to expand them fully; and to recall your resolve in your other births, observe fully the Training I explained to you.

[Taking Vows]

19. A right resolve will not be furthered without vows that have progress in mind; therefore he, who seeks growth in the resolve for Perfect Enlightenment, earnestly takes them.

20. Only he who has lasting vows in one of Pratimoksa’s seven ranks is fit for the Vow of the Bodhisattva, there is no other way for it to be.

21. The Tathagata has said that of the seven ranks of Pratimoksa, the glorious Pure Life is highest; by which he meant the vows of a Monk.

22. According to the ritual given in the conduct Chapter of the ‘Bodhisattva Levels,’ one takes the Vow from any good Guru who has the proper characteristics!

23. One who is learned in the ritual of the Vow, and himself lives the Vow he has taken, and has the compassionate forbearance to impart it – know him to be the good Guru.

24. But if, after trying, one cannot find just such a Guru as this, I will explain another ritual for taking the vow in a correct way.

25. In this latter way, Manjushri in a former life as Ambaraja begat the Enlightenment Thought; and as told in the sutra called the ‘Ornament of Manjushri’s Buddha-field,’ I write it down clearly here now:

[The method to take the Bodhisattva Vows by yourself]

26. ‘In the presence of the Lords, I beget the Thought of Perfect Enlightenment and issuing invitation to all creatures, I will save them all from the cycle of rebirth.’

27. ‘Beginning from this moment and henceforth, until I obtain the Highest Enlightenment, I shall not permit ill will or anger, avarice or envy, to occupy my mind.’

28. ‘I shall practice the Pure Life, and renounce sin and base desire; I shall imitate the Buddha by rejoicing in the vow of Conduct.’

29. ‘Myself, I am not keen to reach Enlightenment in some swift way; I shall remain until the final end for the sake of but a single creature.’

30. ‘I shall purify the innumerable inconceivable fields of the universe, and from the taking of this [new] name, [henceforth] I shall live in the ten directions.’

31. Purifying the actions of my body and speech entirely, I shall cleanse my mind’s activity as well; No un-virtuous deed will ever be mine.’

[The Three Higher Trainings]

32. In essence, one’s purity of body, speech and mind means keeping vows with a mind for progress; for by practicing well the Three Conduct Trainings, Appreciation of those same Three becomes greater.

[Morality]

33. Hence, when one has striven in the vows, which make up the pure and perfect Bodhisattva Vow, he will bring to complete perfection the very Equipment for Perfect Enlightenment.

[Superknowledges]

34. All the Buddhas have held that perfecting this Equipment, the nature of which is Merit and Knowledge, lies essentially in the superknowledges.

35. Just as a bird with unfledged wings cannot fly up into the sky, so without the superknowledges’ power, one cannot work for the good of others.

36. The merits which a man with the superknowledges’s gains in a single day could not be had in a hundred lives by one who lacked those knowledges.

37. He who seeks to bring to perfection swiftly the Equipment for Perfect Enlightenment strives hard for the superknowledges, for they are not accomplished by sloth.

[Concentration]

38. As long as Calmness is not attained, the superknowledges will not occur; therefore, in order to achieve Calmness, one must keep striving over and over.

39. One, who neglects the Limbs of Calmness, even though he strives to meditate for thousands of years, never will achieve Concentration.

40. Therefore, when well established in the Limbs that are stated in the ‘Chapter on Concentration Equipment,’ one can then set the mind in virtue, fixed on any Topic he chooses.

[Wisdom]

41. When yogic Calmness is achieved, so too are the superknowledges; but obscuration is not destroyed without the Perfection of Insight.

[We need both, method and wisdom, to stay away from the two extremes]

42. Hence, to remove all obscuration of his affliction and his knowledge, the yogin must continually cultivate the perfection of Insight together with Means.

43. Scripture says that bondage is from insight being divorced from Means, and the Means from Insight as well. Therefore, neglect not this union.

44. To remove any doubts about what Insight is, and what are Means, I make clear the difference between the Means and Insight.

[Method is the first five paramitas]

45. The Victors have explained that the Means are all the equipment of virtue, starting with the Perfection of Giving, up to, but excluding, that of Insight.

46. One who combines the mastery of the Means with a true cultivation of Insight will swiftly attain Enlightenment, but not by cultivating merely Non-self.

[Wisdom is realizing that everything is empty of inherent existence; not existent, not non-existent, not both, not neither]

47. ‘Insight’ is fully explained as knowing the Emptiness of intrinsic nature, in comprehending that Aggregates and sense bases and Elements do not arise.

48. An existent’s arising is impossible; a non-existent’s is like flowers in the sky; for a thing to be both is absurd fallacy; so neither do they originate together.

49. Since an entity does not arise from itself, and is not from another, or even from both, nor is it yet without cause; therefore it has no intrinsic nature by way of own-existence.

[First, a conceptual refutation of inherent existence through various adapted skilful reasonings; which all come down to the dependence of everything on conceptual imputation and its expectation (or more generally on primitive associations – this-that – karma formation and karma conditioning)]

50. Furthermore, if one analyses all things as identities or multiplicities, own-existence is not perceived; hence one is certain that intrinsic natures do not exist.

51. The reasoning of the ‘Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness,’ and of texts like the “Basic Stanzas on the Middle Way,” explains the proof that all entities are empty of intrinsic nature.

52. Wherefore, lest my text become too long, I do not elaborate it here, but will explain only proven tenets in order to further contemplation.

53. Thus, not to perceive intrinsic nature in any phenomenon whatever is to contemplate its Non-Self; which is the same as contemplating with Insight.

[Second, a direct realisation of emptiness]

54. And this Insight, which does not see intrinsic nature in any phenomena, is that same Insight explained as Wisdom. Cultivate it without conceptual thought.

[The root cause of all samsara is grasping at conventional truths (which are mostly conceptual) and thinking they are absolute, representing objects that are inherently existing (independently of imputation / association by our mind)]

55. The world of change springs from conceptual Thought, which is its very nature; the complete removal of such Thought is the Highest Nirvana.

[Enlightenment is seeing through this process, seeing the real nature of our own mind, how it operates and creates those associations, concepts, and thinks they are real; being always conscious of this, not accepting anything as absolute, without rejecting anything.]

56. Moreover, the Blessed One declared: ‘Conceptual thinking is the great ignorance, and casts one into Samsara’s ocean; but clear as the sky is his contemplation who remains in Concentration without concepts.’

57. And he also says in the Non-Conceptual Progress Formula: ‘When a son of the Victor meditates on this Holy Doctrine without conceptual thought, he gradually attains the non-conceptual.’

58. When through scripture and reason one has penetrated the non-intrinsic Nature of all non-arising phenomena, then contemplate without conceptual thought.

59. And when he has thus contemplated That-ness, and by stages has attained ‘Warmth’ and the rest, then he will gain the ‘Joyous’ [Level] and on up: Buddha-Enlightenment is not far off.

[Tantrayana]

60. Through the rites of ‘Appeasement’ and ‘Prosperity’ and the rest, effected by the force of Mantra, and also by the strength of the Eight Great Powers, starting with that ‘Good Flask’, and others,

61. It is maintained that the Equipment for Enlightenment is perfected with ease, and if one wants to practice Mantra as prescribed in the Tantras: Action, Practice, and on,

62. Then, to gain the Preceptor-Initiation, one must first win a holy Guru by giving him attendance and precious things and by obedience to his word.

63. And when the Preceptor-Initiation has been conferred by the Guru who was won over, then one is purified of all sin, and becomes fit to exercise the Powers.

64. The Secret and Insight Initiations should not be taken by religious celibates, because it is emphatically forbidden in the ‘Great Tantra of Primal Buddha.’

65. If those Initiations were taken by one who stays in the austerity of a religious celibate, it would violate his vow of austerity since he would be practicing what is forbidden.

66. Transgressions would occur which defeat the man of religious observance; and by his certain fall to bad destinies, he would not even succeed [in Mantra practice].

67. Having acquired the Preceptor-Initiation, he may listen to all Tantras and explain them, perform Fire-offering, Gift-worship, and the like: there is no wrong in wisdom about reality.

[Conclusion]

68. I, the Elder, Dipamkarasri, having seen this explanation in texts such as the sutras; and Byang-chub-‘od’s request have explained concisely the Path to Enlightenment.

[Colophon]

This completes the Lamp for the Enlightenment Path
Composed by the great Acarya, glorious Dipamkarajnana – ATISHA
Translated and edited by the great Master of India himself,
and by the revisor-translator Dge-ba’i blo-gros.
This text was composed at the Tho-ling temple of Zhang-zhung.

Source: Atisha Dipamkara, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Advice to Namdak Tsuknor

This was bestowed as a general Dharma teaching to Namdak Tsuknor when Atisha, the saviour of beings, was preparing to begin his journey to Tibet. The lineage of this [teaching] is as follows: From master Atisha to the abbot Maton the lineage is the same as before and [through] to Joden Lungshopa: he to Kirtisila; he to Choje Gyalwa Sangpojhe to Choje Sonam Rinchen, and he to Choje Shonu Gyalchok.

Though the sky of knowable objects is beyond measure,
You embrace them in terms of two: emptiness and compassion-
To you, O my gurus, Dipamkara Shrijñana and others,
I pay homage with my three doors and with a heart filled with devotion.

As the saviour of beings was departing to Tibet,
He bestowed on me this most precious jewel?

This sky is devoid of cause and conditions, my son;
Who would grasp that it does [have a cause] and who it does not?
Know this to be true also of all phenomena, my son,
For there are numerous pitfalls if you fail to.
Remain in equipoise on this space like nature, my son.

When rainbows spread across the sky,
They seem so real and beautiful, my son.
Yet no one has observed their causes and conditions.
This is but a dependent origination, my learned son.

Rainbows appear in the sky, and they disappear in it too.
No one has observed the causes and conditions for this.
This is but a dependent origination, my learned son.
If you probe well, the rainbows are like the sky itself
Is there any separation or division, my learned son?

In phenomena’s primordially empty mode of being
Pulsates unbearable compassion that reaches out to beings.
When compassion arises, it does so from the ultimate expanse,
And when it ceases, it does so within the ultimate expanse, my son.

All phenomena of samsara and nirvana are but your own mind;
None has observed the causes and conditions for these.
When probed and analysed, they are like the rainbows in the sky.
So just like the sky and the rainbows across it
Should you understand emptiness and compassion, my son.

From within an ocean deep and expansive,
Rises high and mighty waves.
When waves appear, they do so in the ocean itself,
And when they subside, they do so in the ocean itself, my son.

Between the dancing waves and the vast ocean,
None has observed any separation or division.
Similarly from the spontaneous co-emergence of emptiness
Arises compassion that touches beings and stirs the heart.
When compassion arises, it does so from emptiness,
And when it ceases, it does so in emptiness, too, my son.

On the surface of a mirror free of blemishes
Varieties of forms appear in stark diversity.
Do they come from the mirror or from the external objects?
Do they come from elsewhere or from no cause at all?
When probed, they cannot be posited; they’re mere dependent origination.

Between the face that never existed and its reflection,
None has observed any separation or division.
Likewise from the emptiness that resembles a mirror
Forms appear, though they were never real before.
Just so must you relate to emptiness and compassion, my son.

On the surface of clear, unperturbed water,
One may experience, like seeing a duality,
The illusion of a crystal-like reflection of the moon;
No one has observed that such a duality exists.

From emptiness that resembles a clear sky
Arises unbearable compassion toward sentient beings.
As compassion grows, it does so from within emptiness;
And when it ceases, it does so in emptiness, my son.

From the body of towering rocky cliffs
Echoes reverberate in succession;
What separation exists between the echoes and the cliffs?
Though resounding, who would grasp them to exist or not to exist?

Likewise from primordially pure emptiness
Reverberates sounds of intense compassion for beings.
Just so contemplate emptiness and compassion, my son.

On the surface of an unblemished, resplendent sun
Arises light that actually benefits sentient beings.
None has observed the sun to be separate from its rays.

Though emptiness and great compassion appear as forms,
Compassion, too, is mere emptiness.
For no saviour has ever taught of compassion
That is separate from emptiness, my learned son.

Ah! Listen to me while in the state of emptiness.
That beings eliminate their suffering
Is due only to emptiness: be cognisant of this.
Though there exist countless remedies,
It is emptiness alone, so engage in its meditation.

Though what is to be relinquished and its antidotes seem distinct,
Practice both in your meditation path by purifying the three aspects”
Though countless people who fail to understand this
Are attracted to you, what need is there to shun them?

View them as emptiness and compassion; how can this be confusion?
Is not compassion itself empty, my learned son?
Does not emptiness dawn as compassion, the discriminating one?
Is there a difference between emptiness and compassion?

Even when anger rises in me like a windstorm,
I perceive it undifferentiated from emptiness.
Likewise I see the countless instants of conceptualisation’”
As emerging definitely from emptiness.

When I look nakedly at these conceptual thoughts,
I do not see them established as either true or false.
When I let go of them freely from within emptiness,
I do not see even the rising of mere concepts.”

So I see no difference or contradiction,
Even the size of an atom, between emptiness and compassion.
What need is there to say of the indivisibility of the two?

Ah! From here on, whether you are walking or sitting,
That very spot is the wilderness my learned son.
The mind’s abiding in the middle way
Is emptiness’ true mode of being, my learned son.

Meditating on compassion while in this state
Is the yoga of indivisibility, my son.
When you practice compassion with such knowledge,
Then even when in intense compassion, it is sheer emptiness.

There is no emptiness meditation not permeated by compassion;
For the practice of compassion is solely [the practice of] emptiness.
As for emptiness, even those seeking tranquil abiding must practice it.
For this vehicle, however, emptiness is compassion;
And the self-nature of this compassion is emptiness.
So understand that compassion is the essential nature.

Though you may command many disciplines of knowledge,
I reveal to you this great root [practice] of many essential points
From my teachings as my heart’s final counsel.
Now I shall linger no more and begin my journey to Tibet.

All activities are like day [moulds] and wax imprints;
The construct called life fluctuates like the (flickering of] lightning;
The meeting of body and mind, too, resembles a guesthouse and its guests;
Though it is possible I may return to this part [of the country],
It is nature’s law that meeting ends in separation.

You’ll indeed be my son if you take these instructions to heart.
You’ll enjoy lasting joy if you follow these words of advice.
Soon I shall depart to the presence of Maitreya;
I shall depart to the Joyful realm to realise fully
The words and meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom.
On your part, too, you should pray to reach his presence
To discourse with him after this present life ends.

All the buddhas and their children in all ten directions!
Pray attend to us here today with great compassion.
Whatever virtuous deeds we’ve engaged in with our three doors
In the three times, throughout all lives in this cycle of existence,
I dedicate them toward [the attainment of] great enlightenment.

Until we realise the Buddha bodies and the enlightened activities,
Regardless of whatever forms we assume in our births,
May we apply our three doors to [the practice of] the ten perfections,
And may we please our gurus and enhance their enlightened activities.

Extracted from: Mind Training The Great Collection – Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469) Translated by Thupten Jinpa, 2006; The Institute of Tibetan Classics

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Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland

Sanskrit title: Bodhisattvamanevali / Bodhi-sattva-manyavali

Homage to great compassion.
Homage to the teachers.
Homage to the faith divinities.

1. Discard all lingering doubts,
And strive with dedication in your practice.
Thoroughly relinquish sloth, mental dullness, and laziness,
And strive always with joyful perseverance.

2. With mindfulness, vigilance, and conscientiousness,
Constantly guard the gateways of your senses.
Again and again, three times both day and night,
Examine the flow of your thoughts.

3. Reveal your own shortcomings,
But do not seek out others’ errors.
Conceal your own good qualities,
But proclaim those of others.

4. Forsake wealth and ministrations;
At all times relinquish gain and fame.
Have modest desires, be easily satisfied,
And reciprocate kindness.

5. Cultivate love and compassion,
And stabilise your awakening mind.
Relinquish the ten negative actions,
And always reinforce your faith.

6. Destroy anger and conceit,
And be endowed with humility.
Relinquish wrong livelihood,
And be sustained by ethical livelihood.

7. Forsake material possessions,
Embellish yourself with the wealth of the noble ones.
Avoid all trifling distractions,
And reside in the solitude of wilderness.

8. Abandon frivolous words;
Constantly guard your speech.
When you see your teachers and preceptors,
Reverently generate the wish to serve.

9. Toward wise beings with Dharma eyes
And toward beginners on the path as well,
Recognise them as your spiritual teachers.
[In fact] when you see any sentient being,
View them as your parent, your child, or your grandchild.

10. Renounce negative friendships,
And rely on a spiritual friend.
Dispel hostility and unpleasantness,”
And venture forth to where happiness lies.

11. Abandon attachment to all things
And abide free of desire.
Attachment fails to bring even the higher realms;
In fact, it kills the life of true liberation.

12. When you encounter the causes of happiness,
In these always persevere.
Whichever task you take up first,
Address this task primarily.
In this way, you ensure the success of both tasks,
Where otherwise you accomplish neither.

13. Since you take no pleasure in negative deeds,
When a thought of self-importance arises,
At that instant deflate your pride
And recall your teacher’s instructions.

14. When discouraged thoughts arise,
Uplift your mind
And meditate on the emptiness of both.
When objects of attraction or aversion appear,
View them as you would illusions and apparitions.

15. When you hear unpleasant words,
View them as [mere] echoes.
When injuries afflict your body,
See them as [the fruits of] past deeds.

16. Dwell utterly in solitude, beyond town limits.
Like the carcass of a wild animal,
Hide yourself away [in the forest]
And live free of attachment.

17. Always remain firm in your commitment.
When a hint of procrastination and laziness arises,
At that instant enumerate your flaws
And recall the essence of [spiritual] conduct.

18. However, if you do encounter others,
Speak peacefully and truthfully.
Do not grimace or frown,
But always maintain a smile.

19. In general when you see others,
Be free of miserliness and delight in giving;
Relinquish all thoughts of envy.

20. To help soothe others’ minds,
Forsake all disputation
And be endowed with forbearance.

21. Be free of flattery and fickleness in friendship,
Be steadfast and reliable at all times.
Do not disparage others,
But always abide with respectful demeanour.

22. When giving advice,
Maintain compassion and altruism.
Never defame the teachings.
Whatever practices you admire,
With aspiration and the ten spiritual deeds,
Strive diligently, dividing day and night.”

23. Whatever virtues you gather though the three times,
Dedicate them toward the unexcelled great awakening.
Disperse your merit to all sentient beings,
And utter the peerless aspiration prayers
Of the seven limbs at all times.

24. If you proceed thus, you’ll swiftly perfect merit and wisdom
And eliminate the two defilements.
Since your human existence will be meaningful,
You’ll attain the unexcelled enlightenment.

25. The wealth of faith,
The wealth of morality,
The wealth of giving,
The wealth of learning,
The wealth of conscience,
The wealth of shame,
And the wealth of insight – these are the seven riches.

26. These precious and excellent jewels
Are the seven inexhaustible riches.”
Do not speak of these to those not human.
Among others guard your speech;
When alone guard your mind.

This Concludes The Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland composed by Indian Abbot Atisha Dipamkara Shrijñana.

Extracted from: Mind Training The Great Collection – Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469) Translated by Thupten Jinpa, 2006; The Institute of Tibetan Classics

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The Jewel Rosary of an Awakening Warrior

(Byang-chub-sems-dpa’ nor-bu’i phreng-ba)

This has been composed by the Indian master Dipamkara Shrijnana, the Glorious Illuminator, the Essence of Primordial Awareness.

Homage to great compassion.
Homage to all spiritual masters.
Homage to the deities of devotion.

Abandon all doubts and cherish
exertion for accomplishing the practice.
Abandon sleepiness, dullness and laziness
and always exert enthusiastic effort. (i.e. effort)

With recollection, alertness and watchfulness
always guard every door of the senses.
Three times during the day and night, again and again
investigate your mental continuum. (i.e. guarding the doors and the mind)

Proclaim your own faults
and seek not mistakes in others.
Hide your own good qualities
but proclaim the good qualities of others. (i.e. exchanging self for others)

Reject acquisitions and honours
and always reject desire for fame.
Desire little, be content
and repay acts of kindness. (i.e. contentment)

Meditate on love and compassion
and stabilize the awakening mind. (i.e. bodhicitta)
Avoid the ten unwholesome actions (i.e. right action)
and always stabilize your faith. (i.e. faith)

Conquer anger and arrogance
and possess a humble mind. (i.e. humility)
Avoid wrong livelihoods
and live a life of truth (dharma). (i.e. truth)

Abandon all worldly possessions
and be adorned by the gems of superiors.
Abandon all frivolities
and abide in solitude. (i.e. solitude)
Abandon all senseless talk
and always control your speech. (i.e. right speech)

When seeing your master or teacher (i.e. interacting with others)
perform services with respect.
Towards a person having the eye of the doctrine
and towards sentient beings who are beginners
develop the recognition of them as teachers.
When seeing any sentient beings, develop
the recognition of them as parents and children.

Abandon misleading friends
and rely on virtuous spiritual companions.
Abandon minds of anger and unhappiness
and wherever you go be happy.

Abandon attachment to everything
and abide free from attachment.
Attachment will never procure you a happy rebirth;
it kills the life of liberation.

Wherever you see practices (leading to) happiness,
always exert effort in them.
Whatever you have started to do,
accomplish that very thing first.

Do everything well in this way,
otherwise nothing will be achieved.
Always be apart from liking evil.

Whenever a pompous mind arises, (i.e. some antidotes)
flatten such arrogance.
Recall the teachings of your master.
When a cowardly mind arises,
praise the sublimity of the mind.
Whenever objects of attraction or aversion arise,
meditate on the emptiness of both;
view them as illusions and emanations.

When hearing any offensive words,
view them as an echo.
When your body is afflicted by harm,
view this as your previous actions. (i.e. result of karma)

Abide well in solitude, beyond town limits,
like the corpses of wild game.
Be by yourself, conceal yourself
and dwell without attachment. (i.e. solitude)

Always stabilize (awareness of) your yidam and,
whenever laziness or lassitude arise,
enumerate these faults to yourself
and feel remorse from your heart.

If you see others, (i.e. interacting with others)
speak calmly and sincerely.
Avoid a wrathful and frowning expression
and always remain cheerful.
When seeing others, continuously
be pleased to give without being miserly.
Discard all jealousy.
To protect the mind of another,
avoid all conflict
and always have patience.
Do not be a flatterer or fickle,
but always be capable of remaining steadfast.
Avoid belittling others and
remain respectful in your manners.
When giving advice to others,
have compassion and thoughts for their benefit.
Do not disparage spiritual doctrines
and be intent on whichever you admire.

Through the door of the ten dharma practices,
exert an effort throughout both day and night. (i.e. effort)

Whatever virtues are collected during the three times,
dedicate them for the unsurpassable great awakening. (i.e. dedication)
Distribute your merit for all sentient beings.
Always offer the seven-limbed prayer
and great aspirations for the path.

If you act in this way, the two accumulations
of merit and wisdom will be accomplished.
Also, with the eradication of the two obscurations,
thus fulfilling the purpose of having gained a human form,
unsurpassable full awakening will be achieved. (i.e. result)

The gem of faith, the gem of ethics,
the gem of generosity, the gem of hearing,
the gem of consideration,
the gem of shame and the gem of intelligence:
these are the seven supreme gems.
These seven gems are never exhausted.

Do not tell this to non-humans.

Examine your speech when amidst many people.
Examine your mind when living alone.

Translated from the Tibetan by Sherpa Tulku and Brian Beresford, for Wisdom Publications, London.

Source: Dipamkara, Atisha, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Essential Wealth for the Warrior-like People Who Wish to Be Liberated

by Lama Atisha (Lhacig Jowo Je)

The following text was translated in Bodhgaya by T. K. Lochen Tulku in the winter of 1996

E-ma-ho. When Jowo Je (Atisha) was in Ngari, after he had stayed two years he gave many instructions to those headed by Lha Jangchub Ö, amongst which are these. When he thought to go back to India and was about to leave, Lha Jangchub Ö requested him again to give further instructions. Jowo Je said that what had already been given was sufficient, but Lha Jangchub Ö insisted and therefore he gave these instructions:

1. [Humility]

Though it is improper for me, who is dull and cannot look after myself to give suggestions to friends who are highly learned and clear minded, nevertheless, since you who are a true friend of mine and dearer to me than my heart, and as you have asked me to do so, therefore I, an intellectually limited child would like to put these suggestions forth for the consideration by my friend.

2. [The need to have good friends, to listen to teachings, to practise. The Guru is the source of all happiness.]

Friend, you must have a Guru until you attain Enlightenment so therefore always rely on a Guru.
You have to study until you get the realisation of ultimate reality so listen to the instructions of Spiritual Friends.
Mere knowledge of the doctrine will not lead to Buddhahood, it is not enough, so practise the Dharma.
Keep away from objects that harm the mind and ever stay where virtue finds increase.

3. [Restrict your activities to Dharma, seek good environment, watch your mind]

Activities (‘du rdzi) are harmful until one attains the doctrine, so take shelter in the silence of forest life. (Retreat)
Avoid friends who cause delusions to arise and remain close to those who make virtue increase. (Good friends)
Hold to that thought. The activities of the world are endless so leave them and relax. (False goals)
Bank (sngo) virtues day and night and always keep watch over the mind. (Mindfulness)

4. [The right goal: practice, not worldly goals]

What use is there in instructions if one does not meditate on them? (Need to practise sincerely)
So put the words of the Guru into practice.
If one practises with respect and faith before long results will come quickly.
It seems there is no need to be worried about a livelihood if one practises the Dharma from the depths of one’s heart.
Friends, desires are never satisfied, like drinking salt water, so feel contentment. (False goals)

5. [The danger of finding pride in the Dharma]

Feel contempt for arrogance, conceit, pride and for being puffed up.
Be peaceful and disciplined.
Even so-called meritorious actions are obstacles to the Dharma so refrain from them.
Gain and honour are the snares of demons so get rid of them, as though they were rocks on the road.
Words of praise and fame are deceptive so spit them out like spittle.

6. [Do not be attached to anything. Only the Dharma is useful at the moment of death.]

Even if happiness, prosperity and relatives are all together here now, it is only for a moment so turn your back on them.
The future is longer than the present so store up your wealth for the long journey ahead.
Since everything is left behind when one goes and nothing can be done about it, do not be attached to anything.
Cultivate compassion for those lower and stop ignoring and insulting them.

7. [Exchange self for others]

Do not be partial, having thoughts of overcoming enemies and thoughts of attachment to one’s own people.
Do not be jealous of those with good qualities, be respectful instead and get their qualities.
Do not find fault with others, find the faults in yourself and remove them, like you purge yourself of bad blood.

8. [Exchange self for others, cultivate patience, moderation, self-control.]

Do not think of your own good. (Exchange self for others, love. mindfulness)
Think of the good of others and be as though a servant to all.
Consider all beings as your parents and love them as your child.
Tell the truth without anger, always with a loving mind and smiling face.
Too much unconnected talk will mislead, so know how much to say, and talk in moderation. (Control in speech)

9. [Mindfulness and self-control]

Too much unnecessary activity will interrupt virtuous work so set aside non-spiritual activities. (Control in actions)
Do not set great store in work which has no essence; it is meaningless toil.
It is better to be free of tension as nothing happens according to one’s wishes, but is determined by far-off karma.
Hey! If you become an embarrassment to holy persons it is like death so do not be devious, be honest.

10. [Take responsibility]

The pleasures and sufferings of this life are the result of earlier actions so do not blame others. (Karma)
All happinesses are the blessing of the Guru so repay his kindness.
Unless you train yourself you cannot train others so first train yourself.
Without the superknowledges one cannot help others so make great effort to gain them.

11. [Develop the six paramitas]

Since one will definitely have to leave all one’s collected wealth do not store up wickedness for wealth. (False goal)
The diversion into personal consumption goes nowhere, so see the value of the wealth of charity. (i.e. Six Paramitas)
Be ever moral because it beautifies this life and leads to future happiness.
Anger flourishes in a degenerate age so wear the armour of dispassion and patience.

12. [Develop the six paramitas. Chose liberation instead of samsara.]

You will be left behind on account of laziness so make your effort burn like a fire.
Life ends in the byways of distraction so now is the right time to meditate.
You will not be able to understand the way things are if you have wrong view, so try to get right meaning.
Friends, there is no happiness in the mire of samsara so make for the dry land of liberation.

13. [The Guru is the source of all happiness.]

If one meditates properly on the instructions given by a Guru, the river of misery that is samsara dries up. (Conclusion)
These words are not empty words, it is proper to listen to them and keep them in the mind.
If you do so, I, myself, will be delighted, and you yourself and others will be happy.
Please pay heed to these instructions even though I am an ignorant person.

These are the instructions given to Lhatsun Jangchub Ö by Lhacig Jowo Je.

Source: Dipamkara, Atisha, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Seven Point Mind Training Prayer

[Lineage]

I bow to the Spiritual Friends of the Supreme Vehicle,

1. [The Preliminaries]

Source of everything good in Samsara and Nirvana.

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, may my mind be purified with the three kinds of faith.

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, knowing how hard to obtain and how easily destroyed is this precious human life. In all my actions according to their karmic effect, may I try to do what is right and avoid what is wrong and develop a genuine determination to be free from Samsara, as I train in the preliminaries ⁽¹⁾.

2. [The Actual Practice: Training in the Two Bodhicittas]

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, may I purify the untruth of duality into the space of voidness and practise the profound exchange of my own and others’ happiness and suffering, meditating continually on the two aspects of Bodhicitta ⁽²⁾.

3. [Transforming Adverse Conditions into the Path]

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, may I see whatever adverse events and sufferings ⁽³⁾ befall me as tricks of the evil spirit of ego clinging and use them as the path of Bodhicitta.

4. [Integration]

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, may I condense my lifetime’s practice ⁽⁴⁾ into a single essence. By applying throughout my life the five powers of pure determination, pure practice, accumulation of merit, purification of obscurations, and prayers of aspiration.

5. [Measurement of Success ⁽⁵⁾]

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, when everything arises as the antidote to ego clinging and my mind finds freedom with happiness and confidence, may I take all adverse circumstances as the path.

6. [Commitments]

By the gracious Lama’s blessings, may I keep my promises, be free of hypocrisy, have no partiality, and little outward show. Protecting the commitments ⁽⁶⁾ of the mind training as I would my own life.

7. [Precepts]

In essence, by the gracious Lama’s blessings, may I genuinely train my mind according to all the precepts ⁽⁷⁾ which further the two aspects of Bodhicitta and attain realisation of the Supreme Vehicle within this very lifetime.

[Dedication]

By the merit of this heart-felt aspiration to practice the Seven Point Mind Training, essence of the minds of the peerless Lord and his disciples, may all beings accomplish enlightenment!

Source: Dipamkara, Atisha, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Root Lines of Mahayana Mind Training

Homage to the sovereign who has accomplished all purposes and who is the glorious auspicious jewel swiftly endowing others with great happiness.

First, train in the preliminaries.
For the main practice, train alternately in giving and taking.
There are three objects, three poisons, and three roots of virtue
This, in brief, is the instruction for subsequent practice.

Commence the sequence of taking from your own self.
Place the two astride your breath.
In brief, this is the distilled essence of instruction:
In all actions, train by means of the words.

Relate whatever you can to meditation right now.
When both are present, take them all.
Train constantly toward the chosen objects.

Banish all blames to the single source.
Toward all beings contemplate their great kindness.
Train in the three difficult challenges.
There are two tasks-one at the start and one at the end.

Contemplate the three that are free of degeneration.
Train constantly in the three general points.
Transform your attitudes but remain as you are.
Adopt the three principal conditions.
Train in the five powers.

The intent of all teachings converges on a single point.
Of the two witnesses uphold the principal one!”
Cultivate constantly the joyful mind alone;
If this can be done even when distracted, you are trained.

Do not torment with malicious banter.
Do not boast of your good deeds.
Do not be ill-tempered.
Do not be boisterous.
Do not be fickle.
Do not lie in ambush.
Do not place the load of a dzo onto an ox.
Do not sprint to win a race.
Do not maintain inappropriate loyalty.
Do not be sporadic.
Do not abuse this practice.
Be released through the two: investigation and close analysis.
Train with decisiveness.
Be endowed with the three inseparable factors.

Accomplish all yogas through a single means.
If relapsed, meditate on it as the very remedy.
Whichever of the two arises, bear them both;
Do not speak of the defects [of others].

Do not dwell on others’ shortcomings.
Do not turn the gods into demons.
Do not seek misery as a means to happiness.
Do not depend on other conditions.

Recognise what is primary.
Forsake all expectations of reward.
Discard poisonous food.
Do not strike at the heart.

This proliferation of the five degenerations
Is transformed into the path of enlightenment.
When stability is attained, reveal the secret.

This distilled essence of pith instructions
Stems from the lineage of most sublime masters.

These are the root lines. This was composed by Atisha Dipamkara Shrijñana.

Extracted from: Mind Training The Great Collection – Translated by Thupten Jinpa

Annotated Root Lines of Mahayana Training

Homage to the sovereign who has accomplished all purposes and who is the glorious auspicious jewel swiftly granting all happiness.

(1)

First, a trainee whose mind is trained in the three scopes and who, having taken the aspiring and engaging [aspects of the awakening mind], is cognisant of the precepts should train in the preliminaries by reflecting on the human existence of leisure and opportunity, on karma and its fruits, and on the defects of cyclic existence.

Contemplate all phenomena-encompassed by self and others, the outer environment, and the inner sentient beings – as dreamlike, nonexistent but appearing to exist due to the force of the deluded mind.

Experience, free of identification, the thoroughly unborn nature of awareness, which cognises in such manner.

The remedy, which cuts across both body and mind, is itself freed in its natural place, free of grasping at existence and nonexistence. During the interval between sessions, that is, afterward, create the illusion-like person as it arises on the basis of the above two.

(2)

Train alternately in the two–giving (to others of your body, resources, and roots of virtue) and taking.

Place the two (giving and taking) astride your breath as it exits.

There are three objects (the desirable, the undesirable, and the neutral), three poisons (attachment, anger, and delusion), and (their exterminations) three roots of virtue.

In all your actions (such as when gathering [merit] and so on) train by directing the focus of your mind by means of the words.

(3)

The negativities (and their fruit) of the world (the external) and beings (the inner) within cyclic existence and the afflictions.

Transform the adverse conditions (derived from either sentient beings or the natural elements) into aids on the path of enlightenment.

How is this so? Whatever undesirable events befall, banish all the blames to the single source, which is not others but rather self-grasping.

Toward all beings (humans, non-humans, enemies, friends, and in particular the perpetrators of harm), contemplate their great kindness.

(4)

Contemplating the illusions arising from your mind as the four (as presented in your palms) Buddha bodies, that is, the adverse forces and their antidotes.

Emptiness (all in the nature of mind) is among protection unsurpassed.

The fourfold practice (making offerings to meditation deities and teachers, purifying negative karma, giving offerings to the harmful forces, and propitiating the Dharma protectors) is the most excellent method.

Relate whatever you can (adverse conditions such as the arising of intense suffering or afflictions) to your meditation right now.

(5)

In brief, to present the points of the practice of a lifetime, the essence of instruction is this:

Apply yourself to the five powers – intention, familiarity, positive seed, eradication, and aspiration.

As the Perfection Vehicle, Mahayana’s transference instruction is the five powers (noted above) alone, their practice in particular is vital, that is, treat this with critical importance.!”

The intent of all teachings converges on a single point: whether or not it can help subdue you.

(6)

Of the two witnesses (between others’ speech and your own mind, train your mind by ensuring that you do not disgrace yourself, but train in accordance with your aspiration) uphold the principal one.

Cultivate constantly the joyful mind alone.

If this can be done even when distracted, you (your mind) are trained in the remedies.

Train constantly in the three general points to ensure that your mind training does not violate your precepts and chat it does not become sarcastic.

(7)

Transform your attitudes (the aspirations of self-grasping) but remain as you are with respect to the objectives that have not been assigned.

Do not speak of the defects [of others] in conduct of body and speech.

Do not dwell on others’ (those who have entered the spiritual order, in particular) shortcomings.

Discard all expectations of reward as a fruit of practising mind training, in either this life or the future life, including even the attainment of Buddhahood.

Discard poisonous food (the virtues mixed with the false views and self-grasping).

Do not maintain [inappropriate] loyalty that retaliates against harms caused by others.

Do not torment with malicious banter that hurts others in the heart.

Do not lie in ambush to take revenge.

Do not strike at the heart anyone, whether human or nonhuman.

Do not place the load of a dzo (the undesirable accusations and their burden) onto an ox.

Do not sprint (by giving an advantage to yourself when what you desire is owned communally) to win the race but instead accept the defeat.

Do not abuse the practice, seeking victory for yourself.

Do not turn gods (the mind training) into demons.

Do not seek misery for others as a means to happiness for yourself.

(8)

Accomplish all yogas (the yoga of eating and so on) through not others but a single means.

There are two tasks to pursue – one at the start (in the morning) and one at the end (in the evening).

Whichever of the two (benefit and so on) arises, bear them both without conceit or dejection.

Guard the two (the precepts revealed in the teachings in general and the precepts presented in this [mind training teaching] in particular) even at the cost of your life.

(9)

Train (on the basis of a qualified teacher, the ability to channel your mind,

and the coming together of the external and internal conditions) in the three difficult challenges: the difficulty of recalling the antidotes of the afflictions [at the beginning], the difficulty of averting them in the middle, and the difficulty of exterminating their continuum.

Adopt the three principal conditions.

Contemplate the three ([undiminished] reverence for your teacher [and so on]) that are free of degeneration.

Be endowed with the three inseparable factors, as if your body, speech, and mind were competing [among themselves in their accumulation of) the three virtuous activities.

(10)

Train constantly toward the chosen objects: those living together [with you], those hostile toward you, and those unappealing to you.

Those who have the good fortune to practice this mind training should adopt a standpoint such that they do not depend on other conditions.

If relapsed, take this inability to realise when practising mind training as your very basis, and meditate on it as the remedy itself.

Engage in the principal practices right now – especially Bodhisattvas on the beginner’s level – now that you have obtained the human life of leisure and opportunity and encountered the sublime spiritual teacher.

Do not apply misplaced understanding. Learn to cultivate joy in the virtuous activities and do not engage in the six [distorted understandings), such as [misplaced] heedfulness.

Do not be sporadic, sometimes training and sometimes not. Train with decisiveness the task of measuring whether you can do this.

Be released, whether or not your mindstream has attained familiarity with the examples, through the two: investigation and close analysis (when self-grasping arises).

Do not boast to anyone, ever, when you engage in the practice of your good deeds.

Do not be ill-tempered, regardless of how others treat you.

Do not be fickle, fluctuating in your expressions of likes and dislikes.

Do not be boisterous, (even) in words of thanks.

(11)

Like a diamond, like the sun, and like a tree in full blossom, including even medicines

Understand (such as the purpose of practice and so on) the words, their meanings (the words and their contents), and so on.

Through this proliferation of the five degenerations due to the abundance of conditions for practicing mind training

[Everything] is transformed into aids to the path of enlightenment.

The heart practice of Atisha, the instruction that has stemmed from Maitreya (The Blessed One transmitted it to Maitreya; he to Asanga, he to Vasubandhu; he to Kusali the elder; he to Kusali Jr.; and he transmitted it to the teacher Serlingpa.) is concluded.

(12)

Relinquish all biases (those negative acts-done out of attraction to the gods’ realms, or related to wealth or loss-that are the causes [of suffering] of yourself and others!”

Transform everything (the degenerate era and the afflictions, which are the underlying motives) into the Mahayana path.

Cherish your training toward the entire human race (all yogas, and all con• duct), all its breadth and depth, for as each moment of consciousness arises, this [training sees it as] in the nature of suffering and so on.

Train in both the main (the two–giving and taking-and the precepts; [Combat) not the gods, demons, and so on, but rather the self-grasping) and the secondary practices.

(13)

Apply abstention and adoption forcefully with regard to the fierce one.

Transform the adverse factors into aids of practice.

Destroy all rationalisations, for example, losing your enthusiasm for giving and taking because of thoughts like “Others are harming me.”

Purify first whichever affliction is strongest by examining your mind and applying the antidotes against whatever is strongest. [Purify also] discriminatory thoughts, such as near and distant, love and hate, high and low.

(14)

Train without partiality toward [any] object, for if you settle your mind in this [training], everything turns into an aid.

This greatly surpasses all other virtues; even merely hearing about it as news again and again [enhances] its potency.

When both are present, since you have discarded sufferings, you can take them all (those of others).

Learn to ensure ease in your practice. Although this is advice pertaining to an achieved objective, you must integrate it right from the start.

(15)

Begin the sequence of taking from your own self such as those [sufferings] you are likely to experience toward the latter part of your life, [the sufferings of] your actual mother, [and so on].

The defining characteristic of the act (the practice of exchanging self and others) is that of letting go of attachment and dinging to all-to this life and future lives, to cyclic existence and its transcendence [nirvana].

The sign that you are trained is when you are endowed with the five [marks of] greatness, the foremost of which is the practice of a fully ordained monk, an upholder of monastic ethics).

Do not be a stranger, but instead relate to others affectionately with the awakening mind. Do not give “clarifications” of [others’] negative acts and shortcomings, for this prevents your realisation. Do not harbour expectations (of others).

This is the end.

Take many, for you are aware of the discarding of others’ sufferings.

In the future, always put on the armour with the thought “I shall not allow myself to fall prey to all the conditions that preoccupy me in my life.”

When stability is attained, reveal the secret: the two (giving and taking), the profound meaning (the experience of the exchanging of self and others) [the relation between] negative karma and suffering, and so on.

This concludes the treatise on mind training. This was composed by master Atisha, May goodness prevail!

Extracted from: Mind Training The Great Collection – Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenthcenturies) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469) Translated by Thupten Jinpa, 2006;The Institute of Tibetan Classics

Source: Dipamkara, Atisha, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Various Advice from Atisha

A compilation of dialogues, words of advice, and reflections of Palden Atisha. Translated under Geshe Wangyal.

Advice to Disciples

One time Atisha was asked by his disciples,

“What is the highest teaching of the path?”

Atisha replied:

The highest skill is in the realisation of egolessness.
The highest nobility is in subduing your own mind.
The highest excellence is in having a mind which seeks to help others.
The highest precept is continual mindfulness.
The highest remedy is in understanding the naturelessness of everything.
The highest activity is not to conform with worldly concerns.
The highest accomplishment is the lessening and transmutation of the passions.
The highest giving is found in non-attachment.
The highest moral practice is a peaceful mind.
The highest patience is humility.
The highest effort is to abandon attachment to activities.
The highest meditation is the mind without pretension.
The highest wisdom is not to grasp anything as it appears.

Upon leaving the Western province of Nari, Atisha gave the following parting advice to his assembled disciples:

Friends, until you have obtained enlightenment, the spiritual teacher is needed; therefore depend upon the holy spiritual teacher. Until you fully realise the nature of voidness, you must listen to the Teaching; therefore listen closely to the precept of the teacher. Merely understanding the Dharma is not enough to become enlightened, you must practise constantly.

Go far away from any place that is harmful to your practice; always stay in a place that is conducive to virtue. Clamour is harmful until you obtain a firm mind; therefore stay in an isolated place. Abandon friends who increase your fettering passions; depend on friends who cause you to increase virtue. Bear this in mind. There is never an end of things to do, so limit your activities. Dedicate your virtue day and night, and always be mindful.

Once you have obtained the precept of the teacher, you should always meditate on it and act in harmony with his speech. When you do this with great humility, the effects will manifest without delay. If you act according to the Dharma from the depths of your heart, both food and necessities will come naturally.

Friends, there is no satisfaction in the things you desire. It is like drinking sea water to satisfy thirst. Therefore be content. Annihilate all forms of pretentiousness, pride and conceit; be subdued and peaceful. Abandon all that which some call virtue, but which is really an obstacle to the practice of Dharma. As if they were stones on a narrow slippery path, you should clear away all ideas of gain and respect, for they are the rope of the devil. Like snot in your nose, blow out all thoughts of fame and praise, for they serve only to beguile and delude.

As the happiness, pleasure and friends you have accumulated are of but a moment’s duration, turn your back on them. Future life is longer than this life, so carefully secure your treasure of virtue to provide for the future. You leave everything behind when you die; do not be attached to anything.

Leave off despising and deprecating others and generate a compassionate mind to those who are your inferiors. Do not have deep attachment to your friends and do not discriminate against your enemies. Without being jealous or envious of others’ good qualities, with humility take up those good qualities yourself. Do not bother examining the faults of others, but examine your own faults. Purge yourself of them like bad blood. Nor should you concentrate on your own virtues; rather respect those as a servant would. Extend loving-kindness to all beings as though they were your own children.

Always have a smiling face and a loving mind. Speak honestly and without anger. If you go about saying many senseless things, you will make mistakes; thus speak in moderation. If you do many senseless things, your virtuous work will cease; give up actions that are not religious. It is useless to make effort in unessential work. Because whatever happen to you comes as a result of your karma from long ago, results never match your present desires. Therefore be calm.

Alas, it is far better to die than to cause a holy person shame; you should therefore always be straightforward and without deceit. All the misery and happiness of this life arise from the karma of this and previous lives; do not blame others for your circumstances.

Until you subdue yourself, you cannot subdue others; therefore, first subdue yourself. As you are unable to ripen others without clairvoyance, make a great effort to achieve clairvoyance.

You will surely die, leaving behind whatever wealth you have accumulated, so be careful not to gather defilement due to wealth. As distracting enjoyments are without substance, adorn yourself with the virtue of giving. Always keep pure moral practice, for it is beautiful in this life and ensures happiness in future lives. In this world-age of the Kaliyuga, where hatred is rampant, don the armour of patience, which nullifies anger. We remain in the world by the power of sloth; thus we must ignite like a great fire the effort of achievement. Moment after moment your life is wasted led by the lure of worldly activities; it is time to meditate. Because you are under the influence of wrong views, you do not realise the nature voidness. Zealously seek the meaning of reality!

Friends, samsara is a vast swamp in which there is no real happiness; hurry to the place of liberation. Meditate according to the precept of the teacher and dry up the river of samsaric misery. Always keep this in mind. Listen well to this advice, which is not mere words but comes straight from my heart. If you follow these precepts you will make not only me happy, but yourselves and all others as well. Though I am ignorant, I urge you to remember these words.

At another time, Atisha stated:

This Kaliyuga is not the time to display your ability; it is the time to persevere through hardship. It is not the time to take a high position, but the time to be humble. It is not the time to rely on many attendants, but the time to rely on isolation. Nor is it the time to subdue disciples; it is the time to subdue yourself. It is not the time to merely listen to words, but the time to contemplate their meaning. Nor is it the time to go visiting here and there; it is the time to stay alone.

When the venerable Atisha was staying in Yerpadrak, near Lhasa, he gave the following precept:

Noble sons, reflect deeply on these words. In the Kaliyuga lives are short and there is much to be understood. The duration of life is uncertain; you do not know how long you will live. Thus you must make great effort now to fulfil your right desires.

Do not proclaim yourself a monk if you obtain the necessities of life in the manner of a layman. Though you live in a monastery and have given up worldly activities, if you fret about what you have given up, you have no right to proclaim, ‘I am a monk living in a monastery.’ If your mind still persists in desire for pretty things and still produces harmful thoughts, do not proclaim, ‘I am a monk living in a monastery.’ If you still go about with worldly people and waste time in worldly, senseless talk with those with whom you live, even though you are living in a monastery, do not proclaim, ‘I am a monk living in a monastery.’ If you are impatient and go about feeling slighted, if you cannot be even the least bit helpful to others, do not proclaim, ‘I am a bodhisattva-monk.’

If you speak thus to worldly people, you are a great liar. You may get away with saying such things. However, you cannot deceive those who have the boundless sight of clairvoyance, nor can you deceive those who have the Dharma eye of great omniscience. Neither can you deceive yourself, for the effects of karma follow after you.

To stay in a monastery it is necessary to give up worldly ways and attachment to friends and relatives. By renouncing these, you are getting rid of all the co-operating causes of attachment and longing. From then on you must seek the precious mind of enlightenment. Not even for an instant should you allow your past obsession with worldly concerns to arise. Formerly, you did not properly practice the Dharma, and under the influence of past habits that sapped your strength, you continually produced the concepts of a worldly person. Because such concepts are predominant, unless you make use of strong antidotes to them, it is useless to remain in a monastery. You would be like the birds and wild animals that live there.

In short, staying in a monastery will not be helpful if you do not reverse your obsession for fine things and do not renounce the activities of this life. For if you do not cut off these inclinations, thinking that you can work for the aims of both this and future lives, you will perform nothing but incidental religious practice. This type of practice is nothing but hypocritical and pretentious practice done for selfish gain.

Therefore, you should always seek spiritual friends and shun bad company. Do not become settled in one place or accumulate many things. Whatever you do, do in harmony with the Dharma. Let whatever you do be a remedy for the fettering passions. This is actual religious practice; make great effort to do this. As your knowledge increases, do not be possessed by the demon of pride.

Staying in an isolated place, subdue yourself. Have few desires and be contented. Neither delight in your own knowledge nor seek out the faults of others. Do not be fearful or anxious. Be of good will and without prejudice. Concentrate on the Dharma when distracted by wrong things.

Be humble, and, if you are defeated, accept it gracefully. Give up boastfulness; renounce desire. Always generate the compassionate mind. Whatever you do, do in moderation. Be easily pleased and easily sustained. Run like a wild animal from whatever would entrap you.

If you do not renounce worldly existence, do not say you are holy. If you have not renounced land and agriculture, do not say that you have entered the Sangha. If you do not renounce desire, do not say you are a monk. If you are without love and compassion, do not say you are a bodhisattva. If you do not renounce activity, do not say you are a great meditator. Do not cherish your desires.

In short, when you stay at a monastery, engage in few activities and just meditate on the Dharma. Do not have cause for repentance at the time of death.

Source: Atisha Dipamkara, ‘Teachings by Atisha’, TSEMRINPOCHE.COM, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/prayers-and-sadhanas/teachings-by-atisha.html, (accessed 20 April 2018).

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Light Offering Prayer

By Lama Atisha

You can recite this prayer when making individual light offering. After lighting a candle, a butter lamp, or any form of light, this prayer can be recited in conjunction with the visualisation described below.

May the light of the lamp be equal to the great three thousand worlds and their environments,
May the wick of the lamp be equal to the king of mountains – Mount Meru.
May the butter be equal to the infinite ocean.
May there be billions of trillions of lamps in the presence of each and every Buddha.

May the light illuminate the darkness of ignorance of all sentient beings
From the peak of samsara down to the most torturous hell,
Whereby they can see directly and clearly all the
Ten directions’ Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and their pure lands.

OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM
E MA HO

I offer these beautifully exalted clear and luminous lights
To the thousand Buddhas of the fortunate eon,
To all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the infinite pure lands and of the ten directions,
To all the Gurus, Yidams, dakas, dakinis, Dharma Protectors, and the assembly of deities of all mandalas.

Due to this, may my father, mother, and all sentient beings in this life and in all their future lives,
Be able to see directly the actual pure lands of the complete and perfect Buddhas,
May they unify with Buddha Amitabha in inseparable oneness,
Please bless me and may my prayers be actualised as soon as possible,
Due to the power of the truth of the Three Jewels and the assembly of deities of the three roots.

TAYATHA OM PÄNCHA GRIYA AVA BODHANI SO HA (7x)

Visualisation

The light transforms into single brilliant five-colour wisdom.
On a lotus and moon-disc the syllables OM and DHI appear.

From there, one hundred and eight beautiful goddesses of light, Marmema, appear, wearing beautiful garments and precious garlands.

Every goddess holds lights in her hands and from them emanate billions of trillions of infinite replicas of light-offering goddesses.

All of them make light offerings uninterruptedly to all the Buddhas in the Buddha-fields throughout all of space and to the peaceful and wrathful deities.

Source: Dipamkara, Atisha, ‘Light Offering Prayer’, Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, http://resources.tsemtulku.com/prayers/general-prayers/light-offering-prayer.html, (accessed 24 April 2018).

Go to Books & Videos

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Recommended Reading (Free Download)

Atisha and Buddhism in Tibet (Click to download PDF)

Atisha (Click to download PDF)

Atisha: The Tibetan Buddhist Master (Click to download PDF)

The Book of Wisdom (Click to download PDF)

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Selected Videos by Various Masters

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Atisha’s Verses On Training The Mind (Part 1)

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/JetsunmaTenzinPalmoAtishasVersesOnTrainingTheMindPart1.mp4

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Atisha’s Verses On Training The Mind (Part 2)

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/JetsunmaTenzinPalmoAtishasVersesOnTrainingTheMindPart2-1.mp4

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Atisha’s Verses On Training The Mind (Part 3)

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/JetsunmaTenzinPalmoAtishasVersesOnTrainingTheMindPart3.mp4

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Atisha’s Verses On Training The Mind (Part 4)

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/JetsunmaTenzinPalmoAtishasVersesOnTrainingTheMindPart4-1.mp4

Atisha’s Seven Point Mind Training By Alan Wallace

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/AtishasSevenPointMindTrainingByAlanWallace1.mp4

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