By Gyalwa Longchenpa
In
the midst of the all encompassing sky of his wisdom, the Absolute Space,
the warm rays of his compassion shining upon the clouds of his prayers,
the
abundant rain of amrita falling continuously
on the field of the beings to
be trained, ripening the sprouts of the Three Kayas -
We bow down at the
feet of the Guru, the protector, the Supreme of the Three Jewels.
Through
the power of my aspirations I could join the supreme lineage of accomplishment;
but lacking in diligence, this existence, lived in vain, come now to its
twilight.
I had intention to do as the Rishis but
I am now utterly dejected
and I have seen others like me.
This is why, to arouse in my mind a clear
renunciation I have uttered these thirty pieces
of advice from the heart.
First Advice
Alas!
Having, through all kinds of skilful means,
gathered round oneself a large
circle of people, one may hold a flourishing monastic estate.
But this is
the source of quarrels and causes great attachments for oneself.
To remain
alone is my advice from the heart.
Second Advice
At
the occasion of village ceremonies intended
to discard obstacles and subdue
evil spirits, one may display one's qualities in the crowd.
But through covetousness
for food and riches,
it is one's own mind that will be carried away by the
demon.
To subdue one's own mind is my advice from my heart.
Third Advice
Having
collected great contributions from poor people,
one may thus erect statues
and monuments, distribute plenty of alms and so on.
But this is to cause
others to accumulate sins on virtuous grounds1.
To make one's own mind virtuous
is my advice from the heart.
Fourth Advice
Desiring
one's own greatness, one will expound Dharma to others and
through numerous
deceitful tricks, one will retain a cycle of important and humble people.
But such a mind clinging to gross realities is the cause of pride.
To have
only short-term plans is my advice from the heart.
Fifth Advice
Selling,
loaning with interest, and all these kinds of deceits;
with the wealth amassed
in the wrong way one may very well make large offerings,
but merits resting
upon greed are the source of the eight worldly dharmas2.
To meditate upon
the rejection of covetousness is my advice from the heart.
Sixth Advice
Acting
as witness, guarantor, and getting involved in law disputes,
one may thus
settle others' quarrels, thinking this is for the good of all.
But to indulge
in this will bring up interested aims.
To remain without either expectations
or apprehensions is my advice from the heart.
Seventh Advice
Administering
provinces, having attendants and material wealth,
one's renown may thus spread
all over the world.
But at the time of death, these things do not have the
slightest use.
To endeavour in one's practice is my advice from the heart.
Eighth Advice
Bursars,
attendants, those in responsible positions and cooks
are the pillars of the
monastic community.
But a mind interested in these is the cause of worry.
To minimize this confusing bustle is my advice from the heart.
Ninth Advice
Carrying
religious objects, offerings, books and cooking paraphernalia,
one may go
to the mountains solitude with all necessary.
But to be well-equipped now
is the source of difficulties and quarrels.
To have no needs is my advice
from the heart.
Tenth Advice
In
these decadent times one may reproach the crude people around one.
Although
one thinks it will be useful to them,
it is just the source of poisonous
thoughts.
To utter peaceful words is my advice from the heart.
Eleventh Advice
Without
any selfish consideration, one may,
with affection, tell people their defects,
only thinking of their own good.
But although what one says is true this
will ulcerate their hearts.
To say gentle words is my advice from the heart.
Twelfth Advice
One
engages in controversies, defending one's point of view and
contradicting
the other's thinking thus to preserve the purity of the Teachings.
But in
such a way one induces impure thoughts.
To remain silent is my advice from
the heart.
Thirteenth Advice
Thinking
one is rendering service,
one support in a partisan way one's Guru's lineage
and philosophical views.
But to praise oneself and belittle others ripens
one's attachments and hatred.
To leave these things is my advice from the
heart.
Fourteenth Advice
Having
examined thoroughly the Dharma one has heard,
one may think that understanding
other's errors
is proof of having discriminative wisdom.
But to think
in this way is to cause the accumulation of one's own sins.
To view everything
as pure is my advice from the heart.
Fifteenth Advice
Speaking
only the language of blank emptiness and disdaining cause and effect,
one
may think that non-action is the ultimate point of Dharma.
But to forsake
the two accumulations will wither the prosperity of one's practice.
To unite
these two is my advice from the heart.
Sixteenth Advice
Concerning
the third initiation, there is the descending of the essence and so on.
One
may think that the way of the other's body will lead to outstanding progress.
But on this path of the impure many great meditators have been ensnared.
To rely upon the path of liberation is my advice from the heart.
Seventeenth Advice
To
bestow empowerments upon unqualified people and distribute to crowd
sacramental
substances is the source of abuse and of spoiling the samaya.
To prefer upright
behaviour is my advice from the heart.
Eighteenth Advice
To
go naked in public and other eccentricities,
one may think is to act as a
yogi.
But this is how one causes worldly people to lose faith.
To be
thoughtful in all things is my advice from the heart.
Nineteenth Advice
Wherever
one stays, with the desire to be the greatest
one will act in a traditional
and clever fashion.
But this is the cause of falling from the highest to
the lowest.
To be neither tense nor relaxed is my advice from the heart.
Twentieth Advice
Whether
one dwells in villages, monasteries, or mountains retreats,
without searching
for intimates one should be friends with all,
but with neither intimacy nor
animosity.
To keep one's independence is my advice from the heart.
Twenty-first Advice
Assuming
an artificial countenance one may pay homage
in a fine way to the patrons
who take care of one's subsistence.
But feigning on account of others causes
one to entangle oneself.
To act with uniform taste is my advice from the
heart.
Twenty-second Advice
There
are innumerable writings upon divination, astrology, medicine and so on.
Although they all deal with the methods based upon
the interdependent links,
leading to omniscience.
To become very fond of these various things will
scatter one's contemplation.
To minimize the study of these sciences is my
advice from the heart.
Twenty-third Advice
At
the time one stays inside arranging the interior,
one may thus have all comforts
in the midst of solitude.
But this is how to fritter way one's whole life
on trivial details.
To put off all these activities is my advice from the
heart.
Twenty-fourth Advice
Learned,
virtuous and so on, also having some diligence towards accomplishment,
thus
one's personal qualities may reach their peak.
But the clinging associated
with this will just entangle oneself.
To know how to be free, without egocentricity
is my advice from the heart.
Twenty-fifth Advice
To
make hail and thunder fall, cast magic spells, while protecting oneself from all
these,
one may think to subdue what has to be subdued.
But by burning
another's being one will end up in the lower realms.
To remain humble is
my advice from the heart.
Twenty-sixth Advice
One
might have an abundance of desirable texts, spoken advice, notes and so on.
But if one does not put them into practice, at the time of death they will be
of no use.
To study one's mind is my advice from the heart.
Twenty-seventh Advice
At
the time one practices one-pointedly, one may have experiences,
discuss them
with others, write spiritual verses and sing song of realization.
Although
such things are natural manifestations of the practice,
they will increase
wandering thoughts.
To keep away from intellectualization is my advice from
the heart.
Twenty-eighth Advice
Whatever
thoughts arise it is important at stare at them.
Thus when one has a clear
understanding of the mind
it is important to remain with it.
Although
there is nothing to meditate upon,
it is important to remain in such meditation.
To be always attentive is my advice from the heart.
Twenty-nine Advice
In
the midst of emptiness, acting according to the Law of cause and effect,
having understood non-action keeping the three vows3.
with absolute compassion4,
may we strive for the benefit of all beings.
To unite the two accumulations
is my advice from the heart.
Thirtieth Advice
One
has followed many wise and accomplished Gurus, received many profound instructions,
and looked through a few sutras and tantras, still one does not apply them.
Alas! One is just deceiving oneself.
Thus
for myself and those alike me I have spoken these thirty pieces of advice from
the heart.
Whatever little merit may arise from such a spirit of renunciation,
may all beings be guided in the wild expanses of existence, and be established
in the great bliss. By walking in the footsteps of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
of the three times and of all the great saints, may we become their supreme sons.
Thus urged by a little bit of renunciation, Tsultrim Lodro5 conceived these thirty
pieces of advice from the heart.
Notes:
1. Doing so, instead of accumulating merit, both the lama and the donators accumulate demerit.
2. Fame and obscurity; pleasure and pain; gain and loss; praise and blame.
3. Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
4. Compassion without representations, non-referential compassion.
5. One of Longchenpa's names