Great Throughts Treasury

"Now when the bardo of dying dawns upon me, I will abandon all grasping, yearning, and attachment, Enter undistracted into clear awareness of the teaching, And eject my consciousness into the space of unborn Rig-pa; As I leave this compound body of flesh and blood I will know it to be a transitory illusion."

"Now when the bardo of birth is dawning upon me, I will abandon laziness for which life has no time, enter the undistracted path of study, reflection and meditation, making projections and mind the path, and realize the three kayas; now that I have once attained a human body, there is no time on the path for the mind to wander."

"Son, after realizing the things of this world are unreal, There is little benefit in dwelling in solitude. When the falsehoods of phenomenal appearances have collapsed into their own nature (emptiness), And the unaltered nature of phenomena has been recognized - Do not nit-pick the subtle concepts of grasping and grasped Or attach to the contaminated virtuous deeds. Please maintain the stronghold of the vast expanse of primordial pure nature."

"It is extremely difficult to obtain a human body. However, even being obtain a human body, very less of them hear the name of Buddha; After hearing the name of Buddha, only very rare of them have confidence; and even feeling of confidence, after they start going to hear dharma, many of them are still like a stubborn wide beast, destroy their samaya and vow, falling deep downward. Seeing all these sentient beings, bodhisattva feel unusual desperate. And I, Padmakara feeling infinitely sad."

"Without thinking that death will come, I am absorbed in plans for the future. After having done the many and futile activities of this life I will leave utterly empty-handed. What a blunder; as I will certainly need an understanding of the excellent dharma. So why not practice now?"

"When you realize that all that appears and exists to be your mind, there is no path of enlightenment apart from that… When samsaric existence is freed in itself, there is no awakened state to accomplish apart from that. Once you realize this, samsara and nirvana are not two."

"Now when the bardo of this life is dawning upon me, I will abandon laziness for which life has no time, Enter, undistracted, the path of listening and hearing, reflection and contemplation, and meditation, Making perceptions and mind the path, and realize the “three kayas”: the enlightened mind; Now that l have once attained a human body, There is no time on the path for the mind to wander."

"I am never far from those with faith, Or even those without it, Though they do not see me. My children will always, Always, Be protected by my compassion."

"The Master said: When practicing the dharma, you must train perfectly in the ten foundations of training. The lady asked: What are these ten foundations of training? The Master said: You must resolve through the view, gaining understanding of all the teachings, like the garuda bird soaring in the skies. You must find certainty through the conduct, without being intimidated by anything whatsoever,like an elephant entering the water. You must practice through the samadhi, clearing away the darkness of ignorance, like lightning a lamp in a dark room. You must accomplish the aim through the instructions, liberating all phenomena in your nature, like finding a wish-fulfilling jewel. You must progress gradually through the empowerments, being free from the fear of falling into samsara, like a prince ascending the royal throne. You must keep the basis through the samayas, not letting any of your actions be wasted, like fertile ground. You must liberate your being through learning, becoming adept in all aspects of the dharma, like a noble steed freed from its chains. You must compare all sources, understanding all the philosophical schools of the dharma, like a bee seeking a hive. You must condense them into a single point, understanding that all the numerous teachings are of one taste, like a trader adding together his profits. You must reach eminence in knowledge, understanding clearly and distinctly the meaning of all the teachings, like arriving at the summit of Mount Sumeru. The people of Tibet who desire to be learned without training themselves in these points are not learned in the essential meaning but become practitioners with much sectarianism. This is due to the fault of not having become adept in these ten foundations of training."

"Even though that which is usually called “mind” is widely esteemed and much discussed, still it is not understood or it is wrongly understood or it is understood in a one-sided manner only. Since it is not understood correctly, just as it is in itself, there comes into existence inconceivable numbers of philosophical ideas and assertions. Furthermore, since ordinary individuals do not understand it, they do not recognize their own nature.And so they continue to wander among the six destinies of rebirth within the three worlds, and thus experience suffering. Therefore, not understanding your own mind is a very grievous fault."

"I am present in front of anyone who has faith in me, just as the moon casts its reflection, effortlessly, in any vessel filled with water."

"The eagle that is flying high in the sky should not forget that it should come down one day to see its shadow. "

"I am present in front of anyone who has faith in me , just as the moon casts its reflection,effortlessly, in any vessel filled with water."

"Adorn yourself with the eminent virtues of the Victorious Ones!"

"As soon as one’s mind is known to be of the Wisdom of Voidness, concepts like good and evil karma cease to exist. Seek, therefore, thine own Wisdom within thee. It is the Vast Deep."

"Fortunate ones, mingle your mind with the Dharma and the happiness of Buddhahood will manifest within you!"

"If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look at your present actions."

"I am present in front of anyone who has faith in me, just as the moon casts its reflection, effortlessly, in any vessel filled with water."

"May I recognize all the manifestations that appear to me in the bardo (intermediate state) as being my own projections; emanations of my own mind. When the bardo of the moment of death appears may I abandon attachments and mental fixations, and engage without distraction in the path which the instructions make clear. Mind projected into the sphere of uncreated space, separated from body, from flesh and blood, I will know that which is impermanence and illusion."

"My realization is higher than the sky, but my observance of karma is finer than grains of flour."

"That eagle that is flying high in the sky should not forget that if it should come down one day to see its shadow."

"Now when the bardo of dying dawns upon me, I will abandon all grasping, yearning and attachment, enter undistracted into clear awareness of the teaching, and eject my consciousness into the space of unborn Rigpa (primordial non-dual awareness); as I leave this compound body of flesh and blood I will know it to be a transitory illusion."

"The Buddha said that when we dedicate merit, it is like adding a drop of water to the ocean. Just as a drop of water added to the ocean will not dry up but will exist as long as the ocean itself exists, so, too, if we dedicate the merit of any virtuous deed, it merges with the vast ocean of merit that endures until enlightenment."

"When asked about the importance of receiving teachings on dedication, Gape Lama answered, "Whatever Dharma practice we engage in, large or small, we must dedicate the merit. If we fail to dedicate, then whatever merit we have accumulated can be lost very easily in a moment of anger, or in giving rise to any afflictive emotion or action.""

"Unstained by objective clinging, unspoilt by the grasping mind, sustaining the naked and empty awareness is the wisdom mind of all buddhas! Do not investigate phenomena; investigate the mind. If you investigate the mind, you’ll know the one thing which resolves all. If you don’t investigate the mind, you can know everything but be forever stuck on one."

"When the degenerate age of this aeon arrives, people are their own deceivers, their own bad counsel, the makers of their own stupidity, lying to a fooling themselves. How sad that these people have human forms but possess no more sense than an ox!"

"When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the people of Tibet will be scattered like ants across the world and the dharma will come to the land of the red man."

"When the moment is upon me may I not be frightened by the collection of peaceful and wrathful aspects: emanations of my own mind. When I am in the bardo of birth till death, may I waste no time; abandoning laziness, may I engage without distraction in the study, assimilation of and meditation on the teachings, may I practice, integrating the path appearance and mind."

"When you keep company with an eminent master, his qualities will automatically influence you."

"When your appearance conforms with worldly conventions, you will encounter less criticism."

"When you recognize the nature of mind, fabrication and effort are naturally freed."

"When you realize that samsara and nirvana are dharmakaya, you need not put effort into meditation practice."

"When your mind looks into itself, dharmata will dawn from within."

"Without thinking that death will come, I am absorbed in plans for the future. After having done the many and futile activities of this life I will leave utterly empty-handed. What a blunder; as I will certainly need an understanding of the excellent Dharma (proper conduct). So why not practice now?"

"You may consume all kinds of delicious food, but unless you adhere to the nectar of the innate nature, it all turns into a heap of filth. So drink the nectar of the profound instructions!"

"You may gather wealth and possessions, but only the two accumulations can be enjoyed after death. So gather the two accumulations as much as you can!"

"You may have the bravery of a strong fighter, but unless you possess the intelligent strength of discriminating knowledge, you will not turn the tide in the battle with samsara. So possess the intelligent strength of discriminating knowledge!"

"You may possess the power and might of a world ruler, but unless you gain mastery over your own mind, when the time of death arrives you still haven’t attained the power of freedom. So gain mastery over your mind!"

"Your castle of earth and stone may be beautiful, but unless you dwell in the fortress of the unchanging, you must depart and leave it behind. So keep to the fortress of the unchanging!"

"You may pursue worldly fame and gain, but unless you follow the teachings of the Buddha, such activity will only be the cause for throwing you back into further samsara. So adhere to the teachings of the Buddha!"

"You may try to support your family and friends, but at the time of death all other actions besides the virtuous practices of Dharma activities will have been pointless. So constantly apply yourself to spiritual practices in thought, word, and deed!"

"You may speak like the Lion of Speech [Manjushri], but unless you take to heart the primordially pure nature of resounding emptiness, that will not prevent the ripening of karma. So take to heart the primordially pure nature of empty resounding!"