Twenty-Seven
Verses On Mind Training
Je
Tsongkapa (1357-1419)
from Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra
1 ) With body, speech, and
mind fully aligned, I prostrate fervently before those rare beings, who are
victorious over all notions of limitation, and before their spiritual daughters
and sons. May a cosmic celebration of pure poetry, perfectly expressing the
most subtle teaching of these victorious sages and the inheritors of their
wisdom, now burst forth like an infinite garden in perpetual spring.
2 ) Gaze calmly with the
clear eye of Prajnaparamita (Perfect Wisdom) upon universal manifestation, this
beginningless tapestry woven from vibrant karmic threads of conscious beings,
and listen to the harmonious symphony of interdependence. Purify entirely from
the slightest shadow of negativity this boundless expanse of apparent struggle
and conflict. With diamond-clear intention, instill faith everywhere. With
mirrorlike wisdom, stabilize all chaotic minds.
3 ) If shadows of
negativity are not dispelled immediately, these strange insubstantial absences
of light gain immense potency with every new action, until even those who
understand the dangers of negation will not have enough power to choose the way
of Clear Light. Even those who study philosophy and speak eloquently are unable
to release themselves from illusory darkness.
4 ) The full spectrum of
struggling and aspiring humanity, from immature persons to advanced
contemplatives, suffers the painful delusion of clinging to these empty shadows
as they become filled with affective power by self-centered action and
intention.
5 ) This apparent bondage,
this clinging to shadows, is constituted by reactions of pleasure and pain,
obviously or subtly rooted in self-serving motivation. By those rare beings who
have gone beyond, who throughout all time abide in bliss as Buddhas, the true
nature of reactions and their results is clearly known to be insubstantial. But
the boundless expanse of self-oriented beings, who bind themselves inexorably
to selfish motivation, therefore cannot liberate or even distance themselves
slightly from egocentricity.
6 ) We should meditate
carefully and thoroughly upon the inevitably binding nature of negativity,
learning to discriminate sensitively and unerringly between the actions which
negate the preciousness of others and actions which affirm and judiciously care
for others. From this clear viewpoint, renounce all negation and strive with
the total commitment of your being to become entirely affirmative of all life
everywhere.
7 ) The seeds of action are
positive and negative intentions. Any intention consciously rooted in selfless
motivation, desiring only sheer goodness for all conscious life, will establish
the stable ground of goodness and will universally generate rich results of
goodness. Any intention even slightly weakened by selfish motivation undermines
both the ground of our life and its fruits. Intention is the sole creative
force of existence.
8 ) To cling to the intention
of triumphing over another, the desire to prosper at the expense of any being
or to indulge in the slightest bias against any being because of personal
feelings of attraction or repulsion, these alone are the causes for whatever
suffering exists in personal lives and in the universe as a whole. We should
meditate ceaselessly on this revolutionary truth, remaining conscious of it
during every moment of existence.
9 ) Those who attempt to
deceive with words of advice that in any way exalt selfishness and depreciate
selflessness become hopelessly lost in narrow-mindedness, obsessed with their
own selfish interests. Such persons create the only error in the universe:
diverting our precious care and concern for others to ourselves. This deception
not only expresses hatred for Buddha’s wisdom but is the absurd attempt to
destroy universal Buddha nature.
10 ) To avoid decisively
this disastrous way of hatred, bring to birth within your stream of awareness
the maternal mind of totally positive intentions toward all beings as toward
cherished children. This mind of kindness, supremely skillful in loving care,
unveils the infinite value of every single life, demonstrating compassion as
the meaning of existence. But the clumsy negative mind, operating blindly
without concern for the preciousness of others, drains the nectar of meaning
from human life. Cultivate diligently the selfless love that transforms every
thought and action into tangible help for conscious beings.
11 ) The method taught by
awakened sages to develop this skillful mind of kindness is to cut the root of
all selfish projections by repeatedly and intensively studying Perfect Wisdom,
meditating single pointedly on its essence in a state of contemplative
stillness and stability. With the clarity and honesty of such concentration,
projected worlds of self-serving desire will melt in the sunlight of
meditation, like structures of ice, revealing the magnificent secret of our
existence, its total significance and absolute justification, which is active
compassion for all conscious life.
12 ) Such meditative
practice brings to light the mind which envisions only the well-being of
others, which is constantly grateful to all beloved beings for the immeasurable
kindness they have poured forth through beginningless time as mothers, fathers,
children, friends, benefactors, and teachers. This mind of goodness knows only
the ceaseless longing to benefit all these blessed beings without exception in
whatever manner and on whatever level imaginable.
13 ) To remember vividly
during every moment the kindness that has been expressed by all beings, and to
cultivate an intense and constant longing to return even a small portion of
this kindness, unveils the true significance of life in all worlds. The person
who fails to respond wholeheartedly to this call for universal kindness and
concern is on a lower plane of development than animals, who are capable of
experiencing immense gratitude.
14 ) Those who
unhesitatingly embrace and tenderly serve all suffering creatures during this
degenerate age, just as a loving mother painstakingly cares for even the most
wayward of her children, they alone are the teachers of the holy life who
authentically walk the Buddha Way.
15 ) The mind that
faithfully and tirelessly serves and elevates conscious beings is sheer
goodness, constantly giving the gift of itself, its faith in ever-expanding
goodness, to all other minds thereby benefiting them in the most direct way. Of
all possible forms of benefit on any level, the highest is to teach this practice
of love, this indomitable faith in universal goodness, by the direct
transmission of selfless awareness flowing transparently from mind to mind in
accordance with the need and capacity of each mind. This is true teaching,
tangibly transmitting the living energy of universal goodness, which becomes
perpetually active in the recipient, even during the most pressing times of
crisis, never evaporating into mere words or concepts.
16 ) During this blissful
practice, continually cultivating the wonderful, ever-expanding mind of
goodness, even the slightest lack of sympathetic joy disappears and awareness
becomes more concentrated and selfless, while the selfish emotions and
conceptual projections which compose this narrow conventional world are
gradually effaced, and we are completely liberated. The brilliant sun of Great
Compassion shines unobstructed. The spirit of wholehearted love in every
thought and action constitutes the spontaneously radiating sunlight,
effortlessly melting the mist of self-centeredness, vastly strengthening our
constant efforts for all beings.
17 ) Beings benefit each
other, consciously or unconsciously. Even enemies become profound benefactors
in subtle ways. Those who clearly perceive this radical principle find no
isolated object for hostile thought. They can discover and encounter only
friends, benefactors, and inseparably related beings. This insight avoids
aggressive thinking and allows the mind to expand endlessly into wholesomeness,
generosity, and sympathy.
18 ) Never offering the
slightest encouragement to hostility, never hesitating to embrace the concerns
of others, pay complete attention to every altruistic impulse that arises in
the stream of pure awareness. Contemplate the teaching of selfless compassion,
calming and clarifying the turbulent flood of egocentric mind with the sweetest
meditation. Renounce the meaninglessness of selfish life. Become devoted to the
true meaning of existence: the spontaneous, active compassion for all living
beings. If one does not refute self-centered motivation, the subtle tendencies
of the mind can never be free from the gross or subtle disposition to negation.
19 ) Transform the intense
activity of daily life into the harmonious expression and teaching of truth by
affectionately reminding and being reminded that the bitter dark fruits of
negating others are poisonous, to be most carefully avoided, while the sweet
bright fruits of affirming others are life-giving, to be thoroughly enjoyed.
Authentic delight exists only in serving others, and suffering springs only
from harming others or insensitively ignoring the needs of living beings, all
of whom are as intimately related to us as our own precious mother and father.
20 ) So sensitive an
ecology is the interdependence of all, that the slightest attention and
assistance to others creates moral elevation for ourselves and humanity, while
the slightest indifference or neglect toward others creates moral harm for
ourselves and our civilization. The faintest spark of ill will toward other
beings can burst forth into a terrible forest fire, consuming vast expanses of
sympathetic joy. Even the faintest negative reaction or malicious wish opens
wide channels throughout our entire being for life-destroying poisons of
negation and life-obscuring shadows of self-cherishing.
21 ) Cast far away from all
precious humanity these lethal doses, these ominous shadows, by cultivating
instinctive admiration and love for those who practice the way of selflessness.
Adore such bodhisattvas for their irreversible vow to remain intimate with the
struggle of living beings as beacons of love and as the light of panoramic
vision.
22 ) Once identified with
this luminous way of life, you will experience every moment as soaked in bliss,
tasting the delight of compassionate responses to even the most negative
actions of other beings. I have composed this poem of rapturous affection
further to strengthen the diamond-sharp conviction of those already faithful to
the path of wisdom.
23 ) Gazing back over these
exuberant verses, I perceive an abundant banquet of poetry, easy to assimilate
and to understand clearly. Entirely in accord with the teaching of the sutras
and with the deep realization of awakened sages, these words are full of subtle
nourishment. To contemplate their various levels of meaning is not only to
taste the nectar of wisdom but is to walk the sublime path of compassion.
24 ) This surprising poem
condenses into a few verses the profound and extensive teachings of my lineage.
I have composed these melodic lines, like heavenly wish-fulfilling gems, to
benefit the minds of all beloved beings. Those with strong capacity for
meditation in action will deepen their insight into the nature of Reality by
following these words into the heart of Buddha.
25 ) Some authors tie complex
knots of philosophical terms, while others rave incoherently like mad persons.
In the most beautiful hermitage, the snow mountains of Tibet, this poet, known as
Ever-Expanding Mind of Goodness, has attempted to write with richness and
lucidity.
26 ) May the bliss of the
mystical fusion of transcendent wisdom with tender compassion fall like sweet
summer rain from dark blue clouds, the motivation of goodness, skillfully and
gracefully opened by lightening flashes of selfless awareness. May conscious beings
in every realm and condition enjoy their glorious existence as the dynamic play
of Lord Buddha’s four modes of manifestation: transparent, universal, heavenly,
and earthly.
27 ) Having become, through
the medium of this poem, the powerful and eloquent speech of Divine Manjushri,
speaking directly with the harmonious and melodious voice of the transcendent
Wisdom Deity, may I and all my relations and companions, from small insects to
tenth-level bodhisattvas, attain the blessings of primordial Buddha nature:
infinite bliss, infinite fulfillment, infinite perfection, and universal
conscious enlightenment.
