Ocean of Existence

This world devoid of self and so on
Is utterly vanquished by the notions
Of aggregates, elements and the sense-fields,
And that of object and subject.

(Thus the Buddhas) who seek to help others
Have taught to the Disciples
The five aggregates: form, feelings, discrimination,
Compositional factors and consciousness.

The Excellent among the bipeds
Always taught as well, 'Forms appear as a mass of foam;
Feelings resemble bubbles in water;
And discrimination is like a mirage;

'Mental formations are like plantain trees;
Consciousness is like a magical illusion.'
Presenting the aggregates in this manner,
(The Buddhas) taught thus to the Bodhisattvas.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

Those who understand this emptiness of phenomena
Yet (also) conform to the law of karma and its results,
That is more amazing than amazing!
That is more wondrous than wondrous!

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

The self, postulated by the extremists,
When you thoroughly analyse it with reasoning,
Within all the aggregates (of body and mind),
Nowhere can you find a locus for it.

Aggregates exist (but) are not permanent;
They do not have the nature of selfhood.
A permanent and an impermanent cannot
Exist as the support and the supported.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

The Buddhas maintain the Awakening Mind
To be not obscured by such conceptions
As consciousness of 'self, 'aggregates' and so on;
It is always characterised by emptiness.

It is with a mind moistened by compassion
That you must cultivate (Awakening Mind) with effort.
The Buddhas who embody great compassion
Constantly develop this Awakening Mind.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

Just as the blessed Buddhas and the great Bodhisattvas have generated the mind of great awakening, I too shall, from now until I arrive at the heart of Awakening, generate the Awakening Mind in order that I may save those who are not saved, free those who are not free, relieve those who are not relieved, and help thoroughly transcend sorrow, those who have not thoroughly transcended sorrow.

Those Bodhisattvas who practise by means of the secret mantra, after having generated the Awakening Mind in terms of its conventional aspect in the form of an aspiration, must (then) produce the ultimate Awakening Mind through the force of meditative practice. I shall therefore explain its nature.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

Devoid of all (substantive) entities;
Utterly discarding all objects and subjects,
Such as aggregates, elements and sources,
Due to sameness of selflessness of all phenomena,
One's mind is primordially unborn;
It is in the nature of emptiness.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

In Tibetan, statues of the Buddha are called 'bodies of the Buddha'. I think we should stop using the word 'statue' and start doing the same thing in English

For a Bodhisattva who seeks a wealth of virtue,
Every perpetrator of harm is like a precious treasure.
Therefore, without feeling irritation towards any,
To cultivate patience is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

All appearances are your own mind,
And mind itself primordially transcends all mental fabrications.
Knowing this, and to remain free from apprehending
The signs of subject and object is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

When you encounter objects that please your mind,
Like rainbows in the summer season,
Though they seem beautiful, not to view them as real
And to give up attachment to them is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

All suffering is like the death of your child in a dream:
To take such delusive appearances as true, how exhausting!
Therefore, whenever you encounter unpleasant circumstances,
To see them as deceptions is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Sensual pleasures are like salt water.
The more you partake of them, the more your craving will increase.
Therefore, when something arouses attachment,
To abandon it immediately is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Even if someone driven by excessive desire steals all your wealth
Or incites someone else to steal it,
To dedicate to this person your body, possessions
And all your virtues of the three times is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

If someone cuts off your head
Even when you have not done the slightest wrong,
Through the power of compassion,
To take their misdeeds upon yourself is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Should someone slander you
And proclaim it in a billion worlds,
In return, with a loving heart,
To proclaim their good qualities is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

If, in the midst of a crowd,
Someone exposes your hidden faults and abuses you for them,
To bow to them with respect,
Seeing them as a spiritual teacher is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

If someone whom you cherish as dearly as your own child
Takes you for an enemy,
Then, like a mother who loves her sick child,
To love that person even more is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Even when someone who is your equal or inferior,
Driven by arrogance seeks to disparage you,
To place them on the crown of your head
With the same respect as you would accord your Guru is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

If you have not pacified the enemy of your own anger,
Combating outer opponents will only make them multiply.
Therefore, with the army of loving kindness and compassion,
To tame your own mind is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Practise consistently the deity meditation (while still) alive.
Practise the instruction of transference of mind when close to death.
Practise the mixing during the intermediate state.
Above all others, is consistency in practice.

Yogi Mitra Joki

@sridmtsho

All suffering comes from yearning for your own happiness,
The perfect Buddhas are born from the intention to benefit others.
Therefore, to truly exchange
Your own happiness for the suffering of others, is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Happiness in the three realms, like dew on a blade of grass,
Is subject to instantaneous fading away.
To strive for the supreme state of liberation
That never wavers is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

When, due to friendship with someone, the three poisons increase,
Degrading the activities of listening, reflecting and meditating
And destroy loving kindness and compassion—
To give up such a friendship is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

When, relying on someone, your negativities diminish,
And your positive qualities grow like a waxing moon—
To cherish such a spiritual friend
More than your own body is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Friends and relatives acquainted for long will separate,
Possessions gained with exertion will be left behind,
Consciousness, a guest, will leave the guesthouse of the body—
To let go of this life, is the practice of a Bodhisattva.

Gyalse Thogmay Sangpo

@sridmtsho

Beyond utterance, thought and expression is the Perfection of Wisdom,
Which is unborn, unceased and has the nature of space,
It is the object of apprehension of self-realised wisdom;
To you, the mother of the Buddhas of the three times, I pay obeisance.

Arya Nagarjuna

@sridmtsho

Profound, peaceful, elaboration-free, clear light, and non-composite;
Such is the nectar-like Dharma I have discovered.
Finding no one to fathom this teaching,
In silence I will retire into the woods.

Buddha Shakyamuni

@sridmtsho