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Advice From the Heart
By Longchen Rabjampa
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
grounds (1).
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
dharmas (2).
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 vows (3).
with absolute compassion (4),
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 Lodro (5)
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.