Khenpos Diamond - Living With Wisdom Volume I (English) - Khenpo Sodargye

One Diamond, One Day
KHENPO’S DIAMOND
LIVING WITH WISDOM
offered by Khenpo Sodargye | volume 1 | 2018
CONTENTS
Preface 2
January 3
February 15
March 28
April 43
May 57
June 71
July 83
August 95
September 109
October 122
November 139
December 154
Postscript 168
Preface
From Jan 1, this year (2018), I started to post Buddhist

teachings every day on my Tibetan Weibo page. These
teachings carry great blessings as they are from
different Buddhist texts and have been highly valued by
great masters of the past. Their wisdom is so great that
they are often quoted by my teachers from memory. I
have also memorized them.
Now I translate them into Chinese (and then into

English) and share them with you one at a time, every
day. If you can memorize the words and practice them
according to their meaning, you will gain great benefit.
Sodargye
February 9, 2018
January
001
January 1, 2018
Do not lose your own path;

Do not disturb others’ minds.
— His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche
002
January 3, 2018 (1)
Conducting oneself with virtuous deeds and

the accumulation of merit,
Drives away suffering and brings happiness,
Bestows blessings,
Actualizes all wishes,
Destroys hosts of maras,
And helps one to swiftly attain bodhi.
— The Play in Full
003
January 3, 2018 (2)
My property, my honor — all can freely go,

My body and my livelihood as well.
And even other virtues may decline,
But never will I let my mind regress.
— Shantideva
4
004
January 4, 2018
Each day one should take to heart a few words

Of the scriptural advice that one needs;
Before very long one will become wise,
Just as ant hills are built or honey is made.
— Sakya Pandita’s Tresaury of Good Advice
005
January 5, 2018
The deeper we go into classics of the tirthika,

The more devoted we are toward you —
Lord Buddha.
— Praise of the Exalted One
006
January 6, 2018
You should read these words of profound advice

And reflect upon their meaning.
By reflecting, you will gain conviction in them,
And with that, you should act in accordance with
their meaning.
— Jamgon Mipham
5
007
January 7, 2018
Having realized that all things are like illusions

And that taking birth is like going to
a pleasure grove,
In times of prosperity and times of trouble,
They are not afraid of defilements or of suffering.
— Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras
008
January 8, 2018
It is impossible to retain past mind,

Impossible to hold on to present mind,
And impossible to grasp future mind.
— The Diamond Sutra
009
January 9, 2018
Devotion is the prerequisite of all good qualities; it

is like a mother
That produces, protects and causes them
to increase.
— The Dharani of the Jewel Torch
6
010
January 15, 2018 (1)
Emaho!
Embodiment of all objects of refuge,
Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal,
I pray to you with sincere devotion:
May negative outer, inner and secret obstacles
be dispelled
And all that is aspired to, be accomplished.
Grant me your Blessing!
— Autobiography of the Dakini Sera Khandro
011
January 15, 2018 (2)
Not from itself and not from something else,

Not from both and not without a cause,
Does any thing whatever,
Anywhere, at any time, arise.
— The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way
7
012
January 16, 2018 (1)
There may appear people who, after my death,

listen to the teachings of such a wonder f ul
Mahayana sutra and gain faith. Know that such
people will not fall into the unfortunate realms in
the ages of the future, for hundreds of thousands of
kalpas to come.
— The Mahaparinirvana Sutra
013
January 16, 2018 (2)
With regard to themselves, their wives,

Their children, and their companions,
Sentient beings are nothing like the wise,
Whose love for all that lives is so immense.
014
January 17, 2018 (1)
Merely listening without practicing

Won’t transform one’s mind.
You may soak a stone in water for a hundred years,
But its inner nature will remain dry.
— Water and Wood Shastras
8
015
January 17, 2018 (2)
Among fools, there exist men of riches;

Among animals, there exist some that are braver
than the rest.
However, to encounter one who spreads the truth
Is extremely rare in this world.
— Nagarjuna
016
January 18, 2018
Although the king of gods sends down rainfall,

Unsuitable seeds will not grow.
Likewise, although the Buddhas have arrived,
Those without the karmic disposition will not
experience the excellent.
— Maitreya’s The Ornament of Clear Realization
017
January 19, 2018 (1)
Someone may build a precious

Reliquary, as high as the world;
It is said training others to generate
The altruistic intention is more excellent.
— Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way
9
018
January 19, 2018 (2)
Anyone with the right view of this

phenomenal world
Will not fall into lower realms within
thousands of eons.
— Nagarjuna
019
January 20, 2018 (1)
Abandon laziness and distraction!

If one finds it hard to do,
One should associate with those noble ones;
This is the best cure for it.
— Jamgon Mipham
020
January 20, 2018 (2)
It is extremely difficult to grasp all teachings and

knowledge,
But one will gain a huge benefit by understanding
even a small portion of them.
It’s impossible to drink up the water of all rivers,
But to drink a few mouthfuls will quench
one’s thirst.
— Konchok Tenpe Dronme
10
021
January 21, 2018
Among people, there are good and bad whose

virtues and faults are inwardly hidden.
So regardless of what others may be saying with
their mouths, observe carefully what they are
doing with their hands.
— Jamgon Mipham’s The Just King
022
January 22, 2018
The rich complain from the place of the rich.

The poor weep from the place of the poor.
Each human mind has its own burden of suffering;
There is no happy time in samsara.
— Gendun Chophel
023
January 23, 2018
If you can visualize the guru and the deity as being

inseparable and pray with sincere devotion and
great reverence, then all that you wish for will be
actualized.
— Changkya Khutukhtu’s Nectar of the Essence

of Altruism
11
024
January 24, 2018
Causes of death are numerous;

Causes of life are few,
And even they may become causes of death.
— Aryadeva
025
January 25, 2018
My disciples, do not be sluggish in your Dharma

practice, but instead practice with great diligence;
act as if encountering the Dharma were as difficult
as if you were to only eat one meal in ever y
100 days.
— Padmasambhava
026
January 26, 2018
Stay alone in a cave in a secluded mountain valley,

Renounce all worldly affairs,
Firmly believe that the guru is the embodiment
of all buddhas of the three times,
And with such a conviction, never separate yourself
from him.
— Jetsun Milarepa
12
027
January 27, 2018
My dissolution and my hour of death

Will come to me, of this there is no doubt.
— The Way of the Bodhisattva
028
January 28, 2018
When something ought to be utterly secret,

Keep it to yourself, and share it with no one else.
Word spreads from one friend to another
Until it is finally known throughout
the entire kingdom.
— Jamgon Mipham
029
January 29, 2018
From childhood to the later years of life, how many

times have we changed our mind? Therefore, based
on our own experience, ask yourself, how reliable
are your current thoughts?
— Gendun Chophel
13
030
January 30, 2018
Good works gathered in a thousand eons,

Such as deeds of generosity,
Or offerings to the blissful ones —
A single flash of anger shatters them.
031
January 31, 2018
Aho! Mighty sage Shakyamuni and all buddhas

and bodhisattvas throughout the whole of
space and time,
Have compassion for this child who knew nothing
of cause and effect!
Hosts of gracious root and lineage masters,
care for me!
Supreme yidam deity, mighty Avalokiteshvara,
care for me!
— Nyala Pema Dundul
14
February
032
February 1, 2018
When exposed to teachings that are profound

and subtle,
Even if one fails to generate faith in them,
One shall never slander them randomly,
But should recall that the nature of reality
is inconceivable.
— Sutra
033
February 2, 2018
May it be that in all lives to come,

I will not feed on the flesh of sentient beings, as
they all have been my parents;
May the compassionate Buddha grant this blessing
to me,
Thus, I desire no meat of any kind.
— Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol
16
034
February 3, 2018
This Dharma cannot be understood

By people with shallow intelligence.
When one’s wisdom eye has been purified,
One will be able to realize it.
— Avatamsaka Sutra
035
February 4, 2018
The buddhas’ heirs, relying on the

utmost diligence,
Perfectly mature hosts of sentient beings.
If only for the sake of another’s single
virtuous thought,
They will not lose heart even after ten
billion kalpas.
17
036
February 5, 2018
In the day time, pray to Ava lok iteshva ra, by

chanting the mani mantra, to repay the kindness of
all sentient beings in the six realms, each of whom
has been your dear parent.
At night, pray to me, Padmasambhava, for your

own benefit by chanting my heart mantra, as I
have promised to protect all sentient beings in the
degenerated time.
— Short Biography of Padmasambhava
037
February 6, 2018
The noble have eradicated the suffering

Of dying, falling ill, and aging at its root,
Which is being born due to karma and poisons.
There being no such [cause], there is no such [fruit].
— The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
18
038
February 7, 2018
It is hard for us to bear even a thorn puncture in

our body. How then, can we be so impassive when
we cut and chop the bodies of other sentient beings
with knives, causing them to die?
— Nagarjuna
039
February 8, 2018
To amass a multitude of profound texts

Such as scriptures, commentaries and oral
instructions,
Without practicing them, will be of no benefit at the
time of death.
“To watch your mind” is my heart advice.
— Venerable Longchen Rabjam’s Thirty Pieces

of Heart Advice
19
040
February 9, 2018
As a result of this virtue, may all sentient beings

Purify all the faults and obscurations that come
from eating meat,
So that they may see the thousand buddhas
face to face!
— Nyala Pema Dundul
041
February 10, 2018
Even if there would come a time that the ocean

became separated from its waves, there would still
never be an occasion that the Buddha’s compassion
would part from sentient beings.
— Vinaya Sutra
042
February 11, 2018
With great expedient means,

Afflictions become an element of Bodhi,
And samsara is identified in nature with cessation.
Thus Tathagata is inconceivable.
— Summary of the Great Vehicle
20
043
February 12, 2018
Anyone who performs unvirtuous conduct

Is considered as an inauspicious person
Who will remain in misery
And be reproached by the noble.
— Mindfulness of the True Dharma
044
February 13, 2018
Although they are not enlightened beings,

Making offerings to one’s parents, someone
who is sick, a Dharma teacher
Or a Bodhisattva who will achieve buddhahood this
life,
Enables one to accumulate immeasurable merit.
— Treasury of Abhidharma
21
045
February 14, 2018
Dependent arising is non-arising,

Such arising is devoid of intrinsic nature.
Dependent arising is emptiness,
The realization of which prevents one
from carelessness.
— Sutra of the Questions of the Naga King

Anavatapta
046
February 15, 2018
Although this earth is filled by those

with no integrity,
You yourself should act with moral integrity.
If you do this, then naturally,
An abundance of good things will come to you.
— Jamgon Mipham
047
February 16, 2018
To him who in compassionate wisdom taught

the Sacred Dharma
For the shunning of all views,
To him, to Gautama, I bow.
22
048
February 17, 2018
When the continuum is misapprehended,

Things are said to be permanent.
Similarly when composites are
Misapprehended, things are said to exist.
— Aryadeva
049
February 18, 2018
In his previous life as Tertön Sogyal, Lerab Lingpa,

H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche prophesied the
following seven remarkable signs of his own rebirth:
The reincarnation of Nanam Dorje Dudjom

will take rebirth
Unchangingly in the Year of Bird,
Unchangingly in the place called Chökyi Jungné,
With his mother unchangingly named Yuyi Tsomo,
With his father’s clan unchangingly named
Pemé Dongpo,
With his body unchanged with palms endowed
with the mandala of dakinis,
With his speech unchanged, adorned with
the ocean-like tripitaka,
With his mind unchanged, possessing the
realization of the Dharmakaya.
23
050
February 19, 2018
Knowing what is virtue and what is not

Is the mark of the wise.
Failing to tell the difference between these two
Is quite common among the foolish.
051
February 20, 2018
Even if one has no actual ability to benefit others,

One can always cultivate a mind of altruism.
By possessing this intention,
One is indeed benefiting others.
— Bodhichittavivarana
052
February 21, 2018
Children are captivated by meaningless games.

Adults are captivated by the objects of their
attachment and aversion.
Old people are captivated by the deterioration of
their body and mind.
Careless ones are always captivated and deceived.
— Jamgon Mipham
24
053
February 22, 2018
Conceptualization is the worst kind of ignorance,

As it causes one to sink into the ocean of samsara.
If one can abide in concentration free of conception,
[One’s mind] remains as untainted as empty space.
— Sutra
054
February 23, 2018
Practices like cultivating lovingkindness

are not the direct antidotes to ignorance.
To engage only in practices such as these
will not eradicate ignorance or other afflictions.
— Dharmakirti
055
February 24, 2018
Ordinary beings with a fixation on characteristics,

act in this world with the delusion that mistakes
non-existence for existence.
— Ornament of Wisdom Sutra
25
056
February 25, 2018
Having forsaken other teachers,

I go to you for refuge, O Bhagavan.
If someone should ask why, it is because
You have no faults and possess [all] good qualities.
— Udbhatasiddhasvamin’s Praise of the Exalted

One
057
February 26, 2018
Regarding the internal and external spheres,

When thoughts of “I” and “mine” have ceased,
Grasping too will be arrested.
Since this ceases, birth will also cease.
— Nagarjuna
058
February 27, 2018
The changeless Dharmadhatu

Is realized by the wise,
But remains confusing to the foolish.
It can only be realized when the mind is purified.
— Sutra of the Heap of Jewels
26
059
February 28, 2018
Even when the Dharma is well expounded,

The evil regard it as illogical.
Rather than gaining faith, they conceive doubt.
This drives them to eons of insanity.
— The Sutra of the Questions of Brahmadatta
27
March
060
March 1, 2018
If there were but a tiny thing not empty,

That much of the empty there would be,
But since there’s not the slightest thing not empty,
How could “emptiness” exist?
— Nagarjuna
061
March 2, 2018
It is a cause for happiness to have freedom, as

much as it is a cause for suffering to have no
freedom. It is not easy to get free from the tangled
negative karmas of hurting each other.
— Vinaya Sutra
062
March 3, 2018
Not to be pleased by praise,

Nor displeased by criticism,
And to maintain properly their good qualities:
These are characteristics of noble people.
— Sakya Pandita’s Treasury of Good Advice
29
063
March 4, 2018
The fact that those of lowly aspirations,

of very base propensity,
Who keep base friends for constant company,
Have no interest in this Dharma that
perfectly explains
The extensive and profound is proof of
its superiority.
064
March 5, 2018
Just as the track of a bird in the sky

Can neither be observed nor described,
The states of Sugatas and bodhisattvas
Cannot be fathomed by intellect and conception.
30
065
March 6, 2018
Since it is due to my teacher’s kindness

I have met with the teaching of
the unexcelled teacher,
I dedicate this virtue too towards the cause
For all beings to be sustained by sublime
spiritual mentors.
— In Praise of Dependent Origination
066
March 7, 2018
It is good to have a harmonious relationship

with others, however if what you do is just an
imitation of what others are doing, it is being
mindless.
It is good to be proficient in many languages,
however if you forget your own language, it is
cause for shame.
— Precious Garland of Teachings
31
067
March 8, 2018
Thus, having found this moment of reprieve,

If I now fail to train myself in virtue,
What greater folly could there ever be?
How more could I betray myself?
068
March 9, 2018
Everything in the world is drawn by the mind

Though this mind fails to perceive itself.
Positive or negative karma is
All created by the mind.
— Cloud of Jewels Sutra
069
March 10, 2018
Whenever one runs into any kind of danger, if he or

she can recall me, I will relieve them from disaster:
this is the fruit of my past aspiration.
— Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
32
070
March 11, 2018
Even to the dearest children or closest friends,

one should never speak of one’s secrets, for when
those one has spoken to are extremely happy or
angry, they may unwittingly divulge what is kept in
their mind.
— Precious Garland of Teachings
071
March 12, 2018
Some are skilled at toadying to those in power,

some are adept in flattering the wealthy for favor.
These days, the type of person who fawns affectedly
and shamelessly on those who become successful
or powerful can be found everywhere.
— Gendun Chophel
33
072
March 13, 2018
If the attractive is not found,

How can there be desire?
If the unattractive is not found,
How can there be aversion?
073
March 14, 2018
If you are attached to this life, you are not a true

spiritual practitioner.
If you are attached to samsara, you do not have
renunciation.
If you are attached to your own self-interest, you
have no bodhichitta.
If there is grasping, you do not have the View.
— Jetsun Drakpa Gyaltsen
34
074
March 15, 2018
A follower of non-existence goes to bad

transmigrations,
And a follower of existence goes to happy
transmigrations.
Through correct and true realization of reality
One does not rely on dualism and
becomes liberated.
— Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland
075
March 16, 2018
All those who fail to understand

The secret of the mind, the greatest of all things,
Although they wish for joy and sorrow’s end,
Will wander to no purpose, uselessly.
— Shantideva
35
076
March 17, 2018
Understand that everything regarding samsara and

nirvana is an illusion, like the moon’s reflection
in water, which, though it conveys an appearance,
is devoid of any substance. Practice to gain a true
realization of this, and the peril of all sorts of
disasters will be eradicated.
— Precious Garland of Excellent Teaching
077
March 18, 2018
Among others, keep a check on your speech;

When alone, keep a check on your mind.
— Lord Atisha’s The Bodhisattva’s Garland

of Jewels
078
March 19, 2018
Happiness is not as valuable as suffering,

Because while happiness inflames the five poisons,
Suffering dissolves one’s negative karma.
Suffering is indeed the blessing bestowed by
the guru.
— Patrul Rinpoche
36
079
March 20, 2018
Those who formerly were careless

But then took heed are beautiful and fair,
As is the moon emerging from the clouds,
Like Nanda, Angulimala, Darshaka, Udayana.
— Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend
080
March 21, 2018
When a king is stepping toward death,

No possession, friend and relative will
accompany him.
No matter where one goes,
One’s karma follows closely, like his shadow.
— Sutra of the Teachings for the King
081
March 22, 2018
Having been young and immature,

Or ill-informed and inexperienced,
Much of what we have done in the past
Is seen as ridiculous, even by ourselves.
— Jamgon Mipham
37
082
March 23, 2018
The impermanent is definitely harmed.

What is harmed is not pleasurable.
Therefore all that is impermanent
Is said to be suffering.
083
March 24, 2018
A teaching that brings no benefit to the mind is just

a teaching of a certain kind, and is never the true
Dharma. If the mind has not been transformed,
even if one does retreat for a hundred years, it is of
no avail.
— Patrul Rinpoche
38
084
March 25, 2018
Rational wisdom that can make subtle discernment,

Skilled practice that can assimilate all teachings as
pragmatic instructions,
Superior eloquence that is proficient in the mastery
of speech,
These are the three peerless treasures in
this world.
— Lama Tsongkhapa
085
March 26, 2018
And now as long as space endures,

As long as there are beings to be found,
May I continue likewise to remain
To drive away the sorrows of the world.
39
086
March 27, 2018
Practice patience when being attacked by

vicious words;
Practice generosity when in possession of
great wealth;
Practice prostration and circumambulation while
the body is healthy;
Be diligent in spiritual practice while still vigorous
and energetic.
087
March 28, 2018
The sacred Dharma is good at the beginning, good

in the middle and good at the end. It is excellent
in meaning, excellent in words and syllables. It is
distinctive. It is totally complete. It is utterly pure. It
completely purifies.
— The Noble Sutra of Recalling the Three Jewels
40
088
March 29, 2018
To the one who is incomparable in expounding

Emptiness, dependent arising,
And the middle way as one thing,
To the Buddha, I prostrate with veneration.
— Nagarjuna’s Refutation of Objections
089
March 30, 2018
To protect my body, I will forgo my property;

To sustain my life, I will sacrifice both my property
and my flesh;
To safeguard the authentic Dharma, I will
Sacrifice my property, flesh and even life itself.
— Sutra of the Teachings for the King
41
090
March 31, 2018
When seeing smoke, the existence of fire can

be inferred;
When seeing mandarin ducks, the existence of
water can be known;
Through close observation, their noble characters
can be recognized,
Which identify them as great bodhisattvas.
— Buddha Speaks of the Ten Dharmas of Abiding

in Mahayana Path Sutra
42
April
091
April 1, 2018
You should know in brief

The qualifications of spiritual guides.
If you are taught by those knowing contentment
And having compassion and ethics,
As well as wisdom that can drive out your
afflictive emotions,
You should realize [what they teach] and
respect them.
092
April 2, 2018
Committing even a tiny misdeed

Results in huge horrors and
Many other calamities in future lives,
As if one had swallowed poison.
— The Chapter of Causes and Conditions
44
093
April 3, 2018
Never fail to recall the guru, and always pray

to him.
Never follow deluded thoughts, but rightly observe
your own mind.
Never stop reminding yourself of death, and
persistently practice the Buddhadharma.
Never cease to keep sentient beings in mind, and
compassionately dedicate your merit to them.
— Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
094
April 4, 2018
Where emptiness is granted,

Everything is likewise granted.
Where emptiness is unacceptable,
All is likewise unacceptable.
45
095
April 5, 2018
Just as the inconceivably numerous worlds

Are undergoing the burning of a roaring fire,
Never will empty space be damaged,
The same goes for primordial wisdom.
096
April 6, 2018
Whatever is dependently arisen

This has been explained as empty.
In dependence upon something else it is imputed
[as existent].
This is the Middle Way indeed.
— Nagarjuna’s The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way
097
April 7, 2018
But just as with a fire that does not stay,

Once all there is to burn has been consumed,
When it has burned the tinder wood of views,
The fire of emptiness itself goes out.
— Ghanavyuha Sutra
46
098
April 8, 2018
Because there’s nothing that is not

Dependently arisen,
There is nothing
That’s not empty.
099
April 9, 2018
Sages do not wash away sentient beings’ sins

with water;
They do not clear away sentient beings’ suffering
with their hands;
They do not transfer their own knowledge to
sentient beings;
They liberate them only by teaching the truth
of reality.
— Sutra
47
100
April 10, 2018
Like recitation, flame, and looking glass,

Or seal or lens, seed, sound, astringent taste,
The aggregates continue in their seamless course,
Yet nothing is transferred, and this the wise
should know.
— Nagarjuna
101
April 11, 2018
To say that things exist means grasping

at their permanence;
To say they don’t exist implies the notion
of annihilation.
Thus the wise should not remain
In “this exists” or “this does not exist.”
48
102
April 12, 2018
The eyes, the ears, and the nose are unreliable.

The tongue, the body, and the mind are unreliable.
If the senses could be relied upon,
What need would there be for the path
of the noble ones?
— The King of Samadhis Sutra
103
April 13, 2018
Knowledgeable scholars and bhikkhus, for any

of my teachings, you should go through careful
observation before accepting them, just like the
process of smelting, forging and polishing of gold.
Never should you blindly follow them out of mere
respect and awe towards me.
— Condensed Kalachakra Tantra
49
104
April 14, 2018
Always comply with your friends in word and deed,

Be a person of integrity filled with kindheartedness.
In order to benefit yourselves in a long term,
The pith instruction is to benefit others at the
present moment.
105
April 15, 2018
Beyond words, beyond thought, beyond description,

Prajnaparamita
Unborn, unceasing, the very essence of space
Yet it can be experienced as the wisdom of our
own rigpa:
Homage to the mother of the buddhas of past,
present and future!
— Rahulabhadra’s In Praise of the Prajnaparamita
50
106
April 16, 2018
Even if the fire could be cooled down,

The wind could be bound tight,
And the sun and the moon could be made to fall,
The karmic law would not be undone.
107
April 17, 2018
Without recourse to the conventional,

The ultimate cannot be shown.
Without the realization of the ultimate,
There is no gaining of nirvana.
— Nagarjuna
51
108
April 18, 2018
Your eyes are pure,

And as large as blue lotuses;
Your mind is pure, having mastered
the concentrations.
Long have you accumulated pure action —
you are immeasurably praiseworthy;
You have guided the congregation with serenity,
and therefore we bow our heads to you.
— The Vimalakirti Sutra
109
April 19, 2018
Those who take refuge in the Three Jewels

Are protected from every kind of fear.
— The Mahaparinirvana Sutra
110
April 20, 2018
If simply seeing pictures of the hells

And hearing, thinking, reading of them scares,
Or making sculpted figures, need we say
How hard to bear the ripened fruit will be?
52
111
April 21, 2018
One who takes refuge in buddhas

Is a true upasaka or upasika.
He or she no longer takes refuge
In any other gods.
— Nirvana Sutra
112
April 22, 2018
We cannot trust the wanton Lord of Death,

The negative karma purified or not, he will
not wait.
In health or sickness, therefore, none of us
can trust
Our fleeting, momentary lives.
— Shantideva
53
113
April 23, 2018
If those, who for a thousand eons,

Committed severe unwholesome deeds,
Were to confess earnestly even once,
All their negativities would be purified.
— Sutra of Golden Light
114
April 24, 2018
No matter what we may investigate,

A single entity cannot be found.
And since there is no “one”,
Indeed there is no “many” either.
— The Adornment of the Middle Way
115
April 25, 2018
Before a fearsome situation appears,

Remain vigilant.
Once it emerges,
Face it fearlessly.
— Master Masuraksa
54
116
April 26, 2018
As a means to show filial piety to the father,

It is not acceptable to kill the mother;
To propagate a doctrine of one’s own,
It is not allowed to denigrate that of others.
— Jetsun Kunga Drolchok
117
April 27, 2018
You might have killed a brahmin every day

Or committed the five acts with
immediate retribution,
But once you encounter these instructions
You will, beyond any doubt, be liberated.
— Buddha Vajrahara
118
April 28, 2018
While realizing the empty-space-like nature

of awareness,
One is unlikely to forget anything whatsoever.
— Jamgon Mipham
55
119
April 29, 2018
Although he manifests a human or a god’s body,

His mind is actually the absolute nature of
the Buddha.
Forever and ever, he benefits all living beings
Abiding in samsara joyfully and effortlessly.
— Tantra of the Ground for All
120
April 30, 2018
Mahayana Buddhism allows no eating of meat,

As to do so, results in falling into the lower realms.
— Sakya Pandita
56
May
121
May 1, 2018
All sentient beings

Have no birth and no death;
They are, if analyzed,
As empty as dreams and plantain trees.
— Nagarjuna
122
May 2, 2018
Understand that all of the teachings are free

of contradiction
And all of the scriptures are instructions
for practice.
Thus, one will easily obtain the Buddha’s intent,
And free oneself from the perilous abyss of
great wrongdoings.
— Lama Tsongkhapa
58
123
May 3, 2018
Negative states of mind are by nature harmful —

It is wrong to have them even for illogical or
material things,
Let alone for teachings that one doubts.
It’s best, therefore, to be impartial, and thus
free of fault.
124
May 4, 2018
The cares that people squander on themselves

in ignorance
Convulse the universe with madness.
— Shantideva
125
May 5, 2018
Knowing the principle that all phenomena are

empty by nature,
And that all effects arise interdependently from
their causes,
How rare and extremely rare,
Wonderous and extremely wonderous it is.
— Nagarjuna
59
126
May 6, 2018
Both when we are awake and when we are

not roused
From sleep, these three appear to be.
These same three melt away when from our dreams
we stir,
And so it is when waking from the sleep
of nescience.
— Chandrakirti’s Introduction to the Middle Way
127
May 7, 2018
If all the merit of taking refuge

Were to take a physical form,
The whole of space, entirely filled,
Would not be enough to contain it.
— The Immaculate Sutra
60
128
May 8, 2018
The mind is clear and illuminous;

There’s nothing existent in it,
While it can manifest all phenomena of samsara
and nirvana,
As well as the enlightened states of noble beings
of different vehicles.
— Padmasambhava
129
May 9, 2018
The supreme Dharma taught by the Buddha has

two types of qualities,
To be transmitted and to be realized.
Those who hold the transmission preach
the Dharma,
Those who hold the realization practice
the Dharma.
— Vasubandhu
61
130
May 10, 2018
They were firm in recollection,

And they always diligently sought wisdom.
Explaining various subtle teachings
Their minds were free from fear.
— Lotus Sutra
131
May 11, 2018
Words of evil are like a poisonous plant

That harms whomever it touches.
— Padmasambhava
132
May 12, 2018
If higher birth and freedom is your quest,

You must become accustomed to right views.
Those who practice good with inverse views
Will yet experience terrible results.
62
133
May 13, 2018
Having committed even a minor misdeed,

One will suffer greatly in future lifetimes.
However, by cultivating even a single spark of merit,
One will gain happiness in future lifetimes.
— The Chapter of Causes and Conditions
134
May 14, 2018
Whatever someone has explained with

undistracted mind,
Exclusively in the light of the Victor’s teaching,
And conducive to the path of attaining release,
One should place on one’s head as the words
of the Sage.
— The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra
135
May 15, 2018
The Teacher, the eye of the world, has been closed;

The beings who were witness have mostly perished.
Those who haven’t seen suchness, those who are
bad logicians
And headstrong have confounded the teachings.
— Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Abhidharma
63
136
May 16, 2018
Do not distinguish, do not think, do not fabricate.

Just rest naturally.
This precious treasury of non-changing
and non-arising
Are the footsteps of all buddhas of the three times.
— Nagarjuna
137
May 17, 2018
With regard to themselves, their wives,

Their children, and their companions,
Sentient beings are nothing like the wise,
Whose love for all that lives is so immense.
138
May 18, 2018
Those who remember the moon of the Sage

While walking, sitting, standing, or lying down
Will always have the Teacher present before him,
And he will have vast happiness.
64
139
May 19, 2018
The dispositions of sentient beings

are inconceivable,
The magic displays of buddhas are inconceivable.
Although there are sects different from one’s own,
Do not slander or abandon them.
Instead, aspire one day to master them all.
— Chakrasamvara Tantra
140
May 20, 2018
If one fully understands

The very nature of the birthlessness
of all phenomena,
Towards all sentient beings who have sunk deeply
into the mud of samsara
One will naturally develop great compassion.
— Nagarjuna
65
141
May 21, 2018
Practices like cultivating lovingkindness are not the

direct antidotes to self,
For this reason, engaging in such practices won’t
eradicate the root cause of samsara.
No-self is the direct antidote to self,
Therefore, one can only uproot self by recognizing
the emptiness of self.
— Sakya Pandita’s Treasury of Valid Reasoning
142
May 22, 2018
Even three times a day to offer

Three hundred cooking pots of food
Does not match a portion of the merit
In one instant of love.
66
143
May 23, 2018
Everything that arises interdependently

Is unceasing and unborn,
Neither non-existent nor everlasting,
Neither coming nor going,
Neither multiple nor single.
To this teaching that pacifies all concepts
and duality,
The most sacred speech of the fully
enlightened Buddha,
We pay homage!
144
May 24, 2018
Those seemingly happy and perfect

worldly enjoyments
Bring about suffering each time you taste them;
Following the end of a transient
dream-like happiness,
Afflictive causes and conditions will always appear.
— Gendun Chophel
67
145
May 25, 2018
Blessings of Mipham Rinpoche dissolved

into your heart,
Teachings of Khenpo Kunzang became one
with your mind,
Pith instructions of Jigme Phuntsok merged
into your practice,
Venerable Jamyang Zhibi Lodrö,
I pray to you.
— Prayer of Khenpo Depa Rinpoche
146
May 26, 2018
They were firm in recollection,

And they always diligently sought wisdom.
Explaining various subtle teachings,
Their minds were free from fear.
— Lotus Sutra
68
147
May 27, 2018
Watch your mind in the present moment,

When nothing can be found, that is the emptiness
of your mind.
Just relax in this state of realization,
Beside this, there are no other
Mahamudra practices.
— Karma Chakme
148
May 28, 2018
In his Counsel to Katyayana,

The Lord, through understanding
Both existent things and nonexistent things,
Has rejected both the views: “this is”
and “this is not.”
— Nagarjuna’s The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way
69
149
May 29, 2018
Form is like a cluster of foam;

Feeling is like a fragile bubble;
Perception is like a wild horse;
Formation is like a plantain tree;
Consciousness is like a phantasm —
This is the teaching of the most supreme one.
— The Agama Sutra
150
May 30, 2018
The profound and vast teachings of

All buddhas of the three times
Can be condensed into the cultivation of a kind
heart and kind conduct.
The fortunate ones should practice as such.
151
May 31, 2018
There is no practice during practice,

Just gaze upon empty space.
— Dudjom Lingpa
70
June
152
June 1, 2018
Without knowing the noble Dharma,

Deluded beings experience endless births
and deaths.
— Sutra
153
June 2, 2018
Though appearances remain the same,

One experiences an entirely different world
after attaining enlightenment.
— Patrul Rinpoche
154
June 3, 2018
One may have disciplined oneself

and thought for a hundred years
About the meaning of the words
of different philosophical systems,
…
Yet if one lacks the cause of prior familiarity
Then even if one’s intellect and training
are not inconsiderable,
One will not get it.
— Jamgon Mipham’s Beacon of Certainty
72
155
June 4, 2018
Things that are perceivable or unperceivable,

Can be correctly comprehended by means of
Direct perception and inference,
Which cannot be refuted by all forms of reasoning.
Thus, it is called infallible valid knowledge.
— Dharmakirti’s Commentary on Valid Cognition
156
June 5, 2018
The pain of gaining, keeping, and of losing all!

See the endless hardships brought on us
by property!
For those distracted by their love of wealth
There is no chance for freedom from the sorrows
of existence.
— Shantideva
157
June 6, 2018
Do not undertake practice without instruction.

Be perseverant without laziness.
— Gunaprabha’s Vinayasutra
73
158
June 7, 2018
In brief, directly or indirectly,

I will offer help and happiness to all my mothers,
And secretly take upon myself
All their pains and suffering.
— Geshe Langri Tangpa
159
June 8, 2018
By means of the ten analogies of illusion,

You will come to recognize the true reality
Of all phenomena in samsara and nirvana.
— Karma Lingpa
160
June 9, 2018
It is neither existent nor nonexistent,

Neither both nor neither.
And beyond these four extremes,
This is called the Middle Way.
— Aryadeva
74
161
June 10, 2018
Like a deaf musician

Who pleases others, not hearing himself:
So is the one who is learned
Who does not apply the teaching.
162
June 11, 2018
Thinking of the guru is to take the ultimate refuge;

Benefiting others is the essence of
arousing bodhichitta;
Maintaining mindfulness is to practice
both Sutrayana and Tantrayana;
All other various superficial practices
should be abandoned.
— Vidyadhara Jigme Lingpa
163
June 12, 2018
To that which blocks off all lower realms,

Shows the way to higher realms,
And leads to the path of no aging and no death,
Bodhichitta, I pay homage.
— Chapter of Bodhisattva Maitreya’s Aspiration
75
164
June 13, 2018
Those who circumambulate buddha’s stupas

Will avoid the eight states lacking freedom,
Be born as humans or gods
And enjoy longevity.
— Sutra of the Merit of Circumambulating

Stupa Clockwise
165
June 14, 2018
All those who made or had others make

buddha images
Painted with the one hundred embellishing
Marks of merit,
Have certainly attained the path of the buddhas.
— Lotus Sutra
166
June 15, 2018
Those who, even with distracted minds,

Entered a stupa compound
And chanted but once, “Homage to the Buddha!”
Have certainly attained the path of the buddhas.
— Lotus Sutra
76
167
June 16, 2018
And even children in play

Who made buddha stupas out of heaps of sand —
All such people have certainly attained
The path of the buddhas.
— Lotus Sutra
168
June 17, 2018
Whoever doubts what the Buddha said

About that which is hidden
Should rely on emptiness
And gain conviction in him alone.
77
169
June 18, 2018
As for what should be adopted (cessation), what

should be abandoned (suffering and its origin),
And the skillful means to achieve them (path),
are all certain,
Thus the essence [of the Four Noble Truths]
is infallible.
From this, one can infer that [the Buddha’s]
other words are also without error.
170
June 19, 2018
This deluded mind, the great ignorance,

Causes beings to sink into the ocean of samsara.
— Dignaga
171
June 20, 2018
Whoever doubts what the Buddha said

About that which is hidden
Should rely on emptiness
And gain conviction in him alone.
78
172
June 21, 2018
As for what should be adopted (cessation), what

should be abandoned (suffering and its origin),
And the skillful means to achieve them (path),
are all certain,
Thus the essence [of the Four Noble Truths]
is infallible.
From this, one can infer that [the Buddha’s]
other words are also without error.
173
June 22, 2018
If the intention is good,

the levels and paths are good.
If the intention is bad,
the levels and paths are bad.
Since everything depends on intentions,
Always make sure they are positive.
— Lama Tsongkhapa
79
174
June 23, 2018
Honor superiors like you wear the hat

on your head,
Take care of inferiors like you protect the blade
of your knife,
Relate to equals like you treat the ox that
you depend on to pull your plow,
Whatever activities we engage in,
do not be self-centered.
— Dromtonpa Gyelwa Jungne
175
June 24, 2018
When the wise hear harsh advice

They swallow it like good medicine.
— The Wisdom Tree
176
June 25, 2018
[The Buddha’s words] make the foolish fearful

and the wise happy,
So too do they illuminate the wisdom of those
in the middle.
Thus his words benefit all.
— One Hundred and Fifty Praise Stanzas
80
177
June 26, 2018
When different parts of a vehicle are gathered

together properly,
It is named by people as “vehicle”;
In the same way, the accumulation of
the five aggregates,
Is conventionally designated as “sentient being”.
— Sutra
178
June 27, 2018
The excellent observe their own faults,

While the coarse seek faults in others.
Peacocks attend to their own form,
While owls hoot bad omens to others.
— Sakya Pandita’s Treasury of Good Advice
179
June 28, 2018
And therefore I’ll dispel the pain of others,

For it is simply pain, just like my own.
And others I will aid and benefit,
For they are living beings, like my body.
— Shantideva
81
180
June 29, 2019
All beings are naturally buddhas.

However, this truth is concealed
by adventitious stains.
Once these stains are purified,
their buddha nature is revealed.
— Hevajra Tantra
181
June 30, 2018
Just as the track of a bird in the sky

Can neither be observed nor described,
The states of Sugatas and bodhisattvas
Cannot be fathomed by intellect and conception.
82
July
182
July 1, 2018
Though it is difficult to achieve such realizations,

Through making aspirations
and practicing compassion,
One can gradually arrive to the successive bhumis,
Which are made attainable
by transcendental wisdom.
183
July 2, 2018
Through this virtue may all beings

Gather accumulations of merit and wisdom;
May they attain the two sublime Buddha bodies,
Which arise from merit and wisdom.
— Sixty Stanzas of Reasoning
184
July 3, 2018
Untutored persons who sit indolently by

Won’t have anything good to show even after
a hundred years.
If you wish to attain the status of a wise person,
You must be diligent and accept hardships.
— Jamgon Mipham
84
185
July 4, 2018
Without merit as the root cause of becoming rich,

Accumulating wealth alone cannot help to
eradicate poverty.
If the trunk of a tree is not watered,
What’s the use of watering its branches?
186
July 5, 2018
People now are lacking in both wit and erudition;

Their envy, pride, and bigotry are great.
It’s hard therefore to bring them benefit.
I wrote this that my mind might grow accustomed
to this teaching.
— Jamgon Mipham
187
July 6, 2018
The images in a bright mirror

Have no intrinsic existence.
Like images appearing in a mirror,
This is the way that one should see all phenomena.
— The Meeting of the Father and the Son Sutra
85
188
July 7, 2018
When the moon is in a clear sky,

Its reflection appears on the sea,
But the moon has not moved onto the water.
Know that all phenomena are like that.
189
July 8, 2018
To Sublime and Noble Ones, who value gold as

much as filth,
What does it serve to offer all the wealth of
the four continents?
But if we hold the Dharma, to their hearts
most dear,
It is said that then their minds are moved
with perfect joy.
— Jamgon Mipham
190
July 9, 2018
Bodhisattvas only train in one Dharma.

Which one? Great compassion.
— Sutra
86
191
July 10, 2018
Recite the six-syllable mantra with your speech;

Harbor good intentions in your mind;
Do prostrations and circumambulations
with your body;
And turn prayer wheels with your hand.
192
July 11, 2018
And for this reason the reasoning of

interdependent origination
Is what cuts through the variety of inferior views.
— Chandrakirti
193
July 12, 2018
If I had any thesis,

That fault would apply to me.
But I do not have any thesis,
So there is indeed no fault for me.
— Nagarjuna
87
194
July 13, 2018
As the tactile sense pervades the body

Confusion is present in them all.
By overcoming confusion one will also
Overcome all disturbing attitudes.
195
July 14, 2018
Gaining a victory adds to hatred,

And a defeat increases suffering.
He who does not fight over winning or losing
Has the greatest happiness.
— The Storehouse of Sundry Valuables
196
July 15, 2018
In times of outer disturbance of the spirits,

In times of inner pain of the body,
In times of secret joys and sorrows of the mind,
Abide in the state of no grasping.
— Dudjom Lingpa
88
197
July 16, 2018
Those who’ve taken ordination

Have boundless good qualities;
Thus those diligent in the precepts
Are superior to lay bodhisattvas.
198
July 17, 2018
If all lay persons

Were to plow a field as small as a fingernail,
Monastics under my reign
Would live a life without destitution.
— Sutra
199
July 18, 2018
Compassionate, soft-spoken,
Steadfast, openhanded,
And able to comment on the profound intention —
These are the marks of the wise.
— Bodhisattva Maitreya
89
200
July 19, 2018
Learning knowledge in childhood,

Raising cows in winter,
Sowing seeds in spring,
These three are causes whose effects will come
to maturity.
— Nagarjuna
201
July 20, 2018
If, of all the things that may be known,

There were but one existing truly,
No object of cognition could we ever see.
But since no knowledge-object — no,
not even one —
Has such a true existence,
A bright, unbounded world of things appears
As objects to be known.
— Jamgon Mipham’s Commentary on

The Adornment of the Middle Way
90
202
July 21, 2018
The three worlds are unstable, like autumn clouds;

The birth and death of beings is like
watching a play.
The life of a being passes quickly,
Like a lightning bolt in the sky
or a mountain stream.
203
July 22, 2018
Throughout all my lives,

May I never harm so much as a single hair
on another being’s head,
And may I always help each of them.
— Patrul Rinpoche
204
July 23, 2018
He eats his father’s flesh, he beats his mother off,

He dandles on his lap the enemy that he killed;
The wife is gnawing at her husband’s bones.
I laugh to see what happens in samsara’s show!
— Venerable Katyayana
91
205
July 24, 2018
No matter how intense your disgust with samsara

or your determination to achieve liberation may
be now, if you do not bother to take refuge in the
teacher and the Three Jewels or pray to them,
appearances are so seductive, the mind so gullible
and thoughts so quick to deceive, that, even while
you are doing good, this can easily turn into
something negative. So it is important to know
that there is nothing better than taking refuge
for cutting the stream of negative actions for the
future.
— Patrul Rinpoche
206
July 25, 2018
Just as the trunk of an ordinary tree

Lying in the forests of the Malaya mountains
Absorbs the perfume of sandal from the moist
leaves and branches,
So you come to resemble whomever you follow.
— Venerable Jigme Lingpa
92
207
July 26, 2018
If one were to learn the shastras,

But not put them into practice,
It would be as if a blind man were holding a torch
in his hand
But was still unable to see his way.
— The Wisdom Tree
208
July 27, 2018
Noble and ordinary people may receive help equally,

But their gratitude in response is not the same.
Seeds make no difference to the fields,
Yet there are vast differences in crops.
— Sakya Pandita
209
July 28, 2018
Understanding that all afflictions and defects

Arise from the view of the transitory collection —
Realizing self is the object of this [view],
The yogi terminates such a self.
— Introduction to the Middle Way
93
210
July 29, 2018
In order to eradicate delusions and conceptions,

The nectar of emptiness has been taught.
However, if one clings to the concept of emptiness,
Then it too shall be discarded.
— Aryadeva
211
July 30, 2018
Like those who

Cannot quench their thirst
By looking at water or hearing its name,
Hearing the Dharma but not practicing it
is the same.
212
July 31, 2018
When this becomes impossible,

In case of danger or festivity,
I’ll act as it seems best.
For it is taught that rules of discipline
May be relaxed in times of generosity.
— Shantideva
94
August
213
August 1, 2018
Treat others just like ourselves:

Never bring harm to them,
But always make them happy.
There are no other Dharma practices than this.
— Sutra
214
August 2, 2018
These days, there are so many “the sublime holders

of the Dharma”, who preach their own versions
of Buddhism yet know little about the authentic
Dharma. Their behaviors are the most dangerous in
destroying the wish-fulfilling jewel Buddhadharma
from the root, which is the source of benefit and
happiness for all beings.
— Patrul Rinpoche
96
215
August 3, 2018
All phenomena in this world, if you understand

them, are great books of guidance for your practice;
but if you fail to understand them, it is as if you
did nothing more than stacked thousands of sutras
and shastras, one upon the other in your room.
— Gung Thang Tshang Rinpoche
216
August 4, 2018
The high have mental suffering;

For the common it comes from the body.
Day by day, both kinds of suffering
Overwhelm people in the world.
217
August 5, 2018
For those who are seduced by pleasure, practices of

virtue such as undergoing hardships or chanting,
will, in the end, bear no fruit.
— Sutra
97
218
August 6, 2018
Examine now this world of living beings:

Who is there therein to pass away?
What is there to come, and what has been?
And who, indeed, are relatives and friends?
May beings like myself discern and grasp
That all things have the character of space!
— Shantideva
219
August 7, 2018
By creating positive or negative karma

That relies on parents, Vajra masters,
Bodhisattvas of the tenth bhumi or buddhas,
The Buddha has said that the effects of these
would ripen in our present life.
— Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma
220
August 8, 2018
Who sees me by form,

Who seeks me in sound,
Perverted are his footsteps upon the way;
For he cannot perceive the Tathagata.
— The Diamond Sutra
98
221
August 9, 2018
Nowadays, those “elephants” who pride themselves

on being Ati practitioners
Allege that thought patterns, stirring and
proliferating, are awakened mind.
All of these fools are submerged in darkness,
Far from the meaning of natural great perfection.
They do not understand even dynamic energy or
what arises from that energy,
To say nothing of the essence of awakened mind.
— Venerable Longchen Rabjam
222
August 10, 2018
It is not appearance that binds you.

It is your attachment to appearance.
Rid yourself of your attachment, Naropa.
— Venerable Tilopa
99
223
August 11, 2018
Realizing all phenomena as non-existence,

like empty space,
And simultaneously having a strong conviction
in the law of causality,
How wonderous and extremely wonderous it is!
How unusual and extremely unusual it is!
— Aryadeva
224
August 12, 2018
The Nyingma elders said that

Of the three doors, the mind is the paramount.
If we take their words seriously,
Taming the mind should be the essence of our
Dharma practices.
Apart from this, what’s the use of other
virtuous deeds!
— Patrul Rinpoche
100
225
August 13, 2018
It is he who has conquered entirely the darkness

toward all
And guides sentient beings from the mire
of samsara.
He teaches the meaning as it is: I prostrate to him,
Then fully explain this treatise,
The Treasury of Abhidharma.
— Treasury of Abhidharma
226
August 14, 2018
I salute you, who is complete in every feature,

Extinguishes the net of conceptual thought,
And possesses the profound and vast wisdom
body that
Radiates with the light of universal goodness.
— Commentary on Valid Cognition
101
227
August 15, 2018
Most people cling to

An unwholesome direction.
Thus certainly most common beings
Go to bad transmigrations.
228
August 16, 2018
To say that things exist means grasping

at their permanence;
To say they don’t exist implies the notion
of annihilation.
Thus the wise should not remain
In “this exists” or “this does not exist.”
229
August 17, 2018
Nothing whatsoever is to be removed.

Not the slightest thing is to be added.
Truly looking at truth, truth is seen.
When seen, this is complete liberation.
— Bodhisattva Maitreya
102
230
August 18, 2018
In regions where the supreme, precious teaching

has not spread
Or where it had spread but then declined,
May I illumine that treasure of happiness
and benefit
With a mind deeply moved by great compassion.
— The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to

Enlightenment
231
August 19, 2018
Even if the foolish do not follow in my footsteps,

I will never turn and follow them.
This is the principal vow of the wise
That shall be upheld even at the cost of life.
— Gendun Chophel
232
August 20, 2018
At first, turn away from non-virtue,

In the middle, dispel misconceptions of self,
Finally, go beyond all philosophical views —
One who understands this is wise indeed.
103
233
August 21, 2018
When certainty and conviction in suchness arises,

A hundred thousand Dharma treasures are
naturally revealed in one’s mind.
— Sutra
234
August 22, 2018
The root of all afflictions is laziness.

In those who are lazy, nothing virtuous will grow.
235
August 23, 2018
Children can’t help crying when

Their sandcastles come crumbling down.
My mind is so like them
When praise and reputation start to fail.
104
236
August 24, 2018
In a short span of time an enemy becomes a friend,

And a friend becomes an enemy.
Likewise, some become strangers.
While those who were strangers become enemies,
Or close friends.
Knowing this the wise never becomes attached.
Rejecting the notion that they can find happiness
in friends,
They rest their minds in the pleasures of virtue.
— Tantra Requested by Subahu
237
August 25, 2018
Within enlightenment-awareness without transition

or change
The universe of appearances and emptiness,
Whether of samsara or nirvana, arises with nothing
to renounce or attain.
In the experience of yogins who do not perceive
things dualistically,
The fact that things manifest without truly existing
is so amazing
They burst into laughter.
— Venerable Longchen Rabjam
105
238
August 26, 2018
Everything shares the same Tathagata nature.

Yet, deluded beings cling to appearances
That are devoid of intrinsic existence
And engage themselves in worldly affairs.
— Sutra of Treasure Chest
239
August 27, 2018
Future lives are more important

than this present life;
Dharma teachings are more important
than worldly things;
Benefiting others is more important
than benefiting oneself.
These are teachings
that you should bear in mind.
— Gyurme Pema Namgyal
106
240
August 28, 2018
Above the white rock of Tarso Kongma

The big birds fly with shaking wings
And the small ones with trembling hearts.
I, Milarepa, fly over now
Without any fear in my heart.
My disciple, look at this scenery!
What’s there to see but a wild mare and her foals!
— Jetsun Milarepa
241
August 29, 2018
How can our beloved bodies, which are not able

to withstand even a tiny spark of fire, endure the
scorching iron ground of hell?
— Jamgon Mipham
242
August 30, 2018
The yoga of direct-transcendent liberation shines

forth like the sun at dawn,
This is the display of dharmakaya, Emaho!
— The great yogin Dheke Vajra
107
243
August 31, 2018
Between the hermit meditating in the mountains

And the donor who provides his sustenance
There is a link that will lead them to
enlightenment together.
Dedication of merit is the very heart of that link.
— Jetsun Milarepa
108
September
244
September 1, 2018
Wisdom is the foundation of all virtue,

That which is comprehensible and
that which is incomprehensible.
Thus, in order to accumulate these two kinds
of virtue,
One should seek wisdom.
— Nagarjuna
245
September 2, 2018
Examining the nature of all phenomena,

How amazing that various appearances cannot
change it in the slightest.
Regardless of pain or joy,
Whatever arises in the mind can never change
its nature. Ha! Ha!
— The Heap of Jewels Tantra
246
September 3, 2018
Listen, Brahma!
One who prays to the buddhas
Will gain unsurpassable merit.
— Sutra
110
247
September 4, 2018
It is rich in methods and without difficulties.

It is for those with sharp faculties.
The Mantra Vehicle is sublime.
— The Torch of the Three Methods
248
September 5, 2018
Whether one has realized true reality or not can

be determined by one’s ability to free oneself from
attachment.
— Rigdzin Kumaradza
249
September 6, 2018
Even as little as a sesame seed of attachment

Will bring suffering all the time.
— Saraha’s Songs of Realization
111
250
September 7, 2018
Understand that Buddhist traditions

Do not contradict with each other.
Cultivate pure perception without bias toward
all masters
Who uphold the genuine Dharma.
251
September 8, 2018
All buddhas are inconceivable.

The authentic Dharma is inconceivable.
The noble Sangha is inconceivable.
One who has confidence and faith
in the Three Jewels
Will obtain results that are also inconceivable.
— The Deathless Drums Dharani Sutra
112
252
September 9, 2018
Comprehension is like a patch on cloth

That will only last a short while.
Experience is like the cloud and fog
That will soon disappear.
Whereas realization is like the great mountain
That remains constant and unmovable.
— Great Master of the Past
253
September 10, 2018
Just as on a dark night black with clouds,

The sudden lightning glares and
all is clearly shown,
Likewise rarely, through the Buddhas’ power,
Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient,
in the world.
— Shantideva
113
254
September 11, 2018
Adrift in the bottomless ocean of cyclic existence,

Devoured by fierce sea monsters —
Attachment and the like —
To whom should I go for refuge today?
— Mahatma Dignaga
255
September 12, 2018
Until you gain stability of mind,

You are likely to be led astray by outer things.
Joyfully remain therefore in forest solitudes.
— Longchenpa’s Finding Rest in the Nature of the

Mind
256
September 13, 2018
Like a deaf musician

Who pleases others with his playing,
While not hearing it himself:
So is the teacher who does not apply the teaching
to his or her own life.
114
257
September 14, 2018
Like a ship’s captain

Who possesses a vessel
That can carry others across the water,
But, nevertheless, dies in a river or at sea:
So is one who does not apply the teaching
to his or her own life.
258
September 15, 2018
Just as the sweetness of sugar

Cannot be made known by a mere description,
But can be known immediately by tasting it,
The taste of emptiness
Cannot be known by merely describing it,
But can be savored through practice.
115
259
September 16, 2019
When the Dharma declines,

Practitioners undergo a pathetic situation.
May they pray to the compassionate buddhas
And pray to me repeatedly.
Thus they will be able to observe
pure precepts externally,
Practice bodhichitta internally,
And attain accomplishments secretly.
— Khenchen Shantarakshita
260
September 17, 2019
By examining all aggregates, one finds their

underlying nature of emptiness,
Just as there exists nothing inside of
a plantain tree.
This nature of emptiness possesses
all supreme virtues
Yet is not equal to nothingness.
— Short Discourse Sutra of What Manjushri

Wishes to See
116
261
September 18, 2019
External phenomena are not truly existent,

But are the manifestations of the mind,
Which are mistakenly believed by ordinary beings
to be their bodies and their belongings.
I say that all of these things are nothing more than
a display of the mind.
— Lankavatara Sutra
262
September 19, 2018
One who realizes the nature of mind will

attain Bodhi.
The mind manifests sentient beings of
the five realms.
All experiences, such as pain and joy,
Are nothing but projections of the mind.
— Nagarjuna’s In Praise of the Vajra Mind
117
263
September 20, 2018
Just as a barbarian cannot be

Guided in a foreign language,
Ordinary people cannot be guided
Except by way of the ordinary.
— Aryadeva’s Four Hundred Stanzas on the

Middle Way
264
September 21, 2018
How can it be refuted that the last thought

[of the previous life] and the first thought
[of this life]
Form the continuity of the mindstream
[of an ordinary being]?
— Commentary on Valid Cognition
265
September 22, 2018
Even preaching for hundreds of thousands of eons,

The wisdom of the Buddha would not be
completely expounded.
Thus for those who uphold the Buddhadharma,
Their merit is immeasurable.
— The Sutra of the Inquiry of Akasagarbha
118
266
September 23, 2018
Glorious Shantarakshita, the sacred holder

of the vows,
Padmasambhava, the master of both yoga
and accomplishment,
Kamalashila, the king of wisdom,
These are second Buddhas in this age of decadence.
— Sakya Pandita
267
September 24, 2018
For one who lives in someone else’s place

And depends on others for a living,
Regardless of how he is distained,
To keep silent is most suitable.
— Lord Nagarjuna
268
September 25, 2018
The one who awakens from the sleep of ignorance

And thus culminates in wisdom, is named buddha.
— Chandrakirti
119
269
September 26, 2018
The willow fell in love with the small bird,

The small bird fell in love with the willow.
If they love each other in harmony,
The hawk will be unable to get a chance.
— Rigdzin Tsangyang Gyatso
270
September 27, 2018
The eye of mind once covered by the darkness of

discrimination has now become unveiled. With
such accumulated merit, may all beings attain the
wisdom eye that will allow them to perceive true
reality.
— Chandrakirti’s Extensive Explanation on

Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way
271
September 28, 2018
Buddha appears in the world

Removing the darkness of ignorance;
Such a lamp of the world
Is rare and hard to get to behold.
120
272
September 29, 2018
One who is extremely foolish

Forgets that he will die eventually.
His intention to engage in a myriad of things
Indicates that he is under the influence of Mara.
— Acharya Nagarjuna
273
September 30, 2018
In Bodhisattvas, through their intention,

All actions, virtuous and non-virtuous,
Become perfect virtue because
They are in control of their minds.
121
October
274
October 1, 2018
Without empowerment there will be no siddhi,

Just like there can be no butter
from squeezing sand.
Whoever fails to confer empowerment
but teaches tantric texts out of pride
Will fall at the moment of their death, along
with their disciples, into hell
Even if [common] siddhi has been achieved.
— Vital Essence of Mahamudra
275
October 2, 2018
The intention of benefiting sentient beings

should be
As gentle as grass,
As blazing as fire,
As stable as a mountain,
As fierce as an army.
— Nagarjuna
123
276
October 3, 2018
A kind sovereign with a cruel entourage

Is difficult to be relied upon.
It is like a branch of sandalwood twined
by a poisonous snake,
Who would be willing to draw close?
— Water and Wood Shastras
277
October 4, 2018
The wise, with deep insight, improve

No matter what good or bad they experience.
The foolish, lacking self-reflection,
gain nothing from witnessing
Hundreds of different forms of happiness
and suffering.
124
278
October 5, 2018
Seedlings of poisonous and medicinal plants

Will grow accordingly into plants respective
of their natures.
Likewise, virtuous and non-virtuous karma
Will lead to corresponding results rather than those
of any other.
279
October 6, 2018
Although our eyes can see people,

We need a mirror to see ourselves.
Unless you turn your mind within,
It is difficult to see your own faults.
280
October 7, 2018
To satisfy the needs of beings

Dwelling in the ten directions,
to the margins of the sky,
May I reflect in all my deeds
The perfect exploits of Manjushri.
— Shantideva
125
281
October 8, 2018
Oh you white crane,

Please lend me your power to fly.
I will not linger at far away places,
But shall make a trip to Litang and come back.
— Songs of Tsangyang Gyatso
282
October 9, 2018
While the foolish attach to form,

Those of better intelligence detach themselves
from it.
The wise, however, have realized
The nature of form and all other phenomena,
and have achieved liberation.
— Nagarjuna
126
283
October 10, 2018
Those who have less capacities of faith,

wisdom and virtues,
Do not possess the right conditions
to enter the Dharma.
With the power of skillful means,
through my activities,
I will take them as disciples and guide them
to engage in virtuous deeds.
— Sakya Drakpa Gyaltsen
284
October 11, 2018
Tathagatagarbha pervades all sentient beings.

As there is no other incapable vessel for it,
All beings will attain buddhahood.
127
285
October 12, 2018
Innate absolute wisdom cannot be explained

by others,
Nor can it be obtained in any other way.
Only by relying on the guru’s skillful instruction
And one’s merit, can one realize it.
— Hevajra
286
October 13, 2018
Due to the different intentions of sentient beings,

Their personal deities are different.
Other than to attain liberation
of the treasure mind,
There is no other deity practice.
— Nagarjuna’s In Praise of the Vajra Mind
287
October 14, 2018
Abiding in the great wisdom,

Free from all conceptual thoughts,
It pervades all phenomena.
Though abiding in all things, it is not generated
by any of them.
— Hevajra
128
288
October 15, 2018
Uphold the pure precepts, possess the wisdom

of learning and contemplating,
And engage in Dharma practice
with the most diligent effort.
289
October 16, 2018
A disciples’ words and behaviors reveal

the attainment of the guru.
— Kongtrul Yonten Gyatso
290
October 17, 2018
There’s no satisfaction for the arrogant,

No delight for the jealous,
No contentment for the greedy,
No harmony for the angry,
No prosperity for the stingy,
No success for the fool,
And no happiness for one with a disturbed mind.
— Patrul Rinpoche
129
291
October 18, 2018
Faith is a gateway to the light of Dharma,

for with it one’s mind is unshakable.
292
October 19, 2018
To the superior officers I have paid my taxes

again and again,
But there is no end to it,
forsake it at the right time.
To inferior servants I have given them rewards
again and again,
To relatives and friends I have shown
my lovingkindness again and again,
To my enemies I have felt hostility
again and again,
130
My fertile fields, I have farmed again and again,
But there is no end to it, forsake it
and leave them to become wastelands.
My cozy house, I have lived in for a very long time,
and enter into the solitary mountains by foot.
My delectable food, I have enjoyed again and again,
and lead a life of austerity.
My comfortable clothes I have worn
again and again,
and nakedly go far away.
In this moment, I must immediately engage

in Dharma practice.
In this moment, I must immediately practice
to prepare for my death.
These are my vows, may all buddhas hear me
and grant me their blessings.
These are my commitments,
my mind is my witness.
— The Lotus Garden’s Play
131
293
October 20, 2018
When mental afflictions are weakened, suffering

will decrease.
When mental afflictions are eliminated, suffering
comes to an end.
If you want to eradicate all roots of suffering,
Destroy mental afflictions as your enemy:
this is the sublime path.
— Patrul Rinpoche
294
October 21, 2018
Not pleasing the vajra master and

Not receiving all empowerments,
All one’s efforts applied toward listening
and so forth
Will not only be destructive, there will be no result.
— Tantra
132
295
October 22, 2018
You should act as the protector of yourself,

How can others be relied upon?
Once you become your own protector,
You will be liberated from all suffering.
— Sutra
296
October 23, 2018
A life of such contentment and such pleasure,

Even Indra would be difficult to find!
— Shantideva
297
October 24, 2018
Of all great wealth, contentment is supreme,

Said he who taught and guided gods and men.
So always be content; if you know this
Yet have no wealth, true riches you’ll have found.
— Nagarjuna
133
298
October 25, 2018
Temporary renunciation
is a magical illusion created by Mara.
Can’t you see that it is pointless?
Temporary faith is generated
by an alteration of your mindset.
Don’t you see that it cannot last?
— The Lotus Garden’s Play
299
October 26, 2018
Even if money were to fall like rain,

Foolish people would never be satisfied.
Wealth is meaningless and only serves to
bring out one’s faults,
The wise all understand this.
— Sutra
134
300
October 27, 2018
When many men and women

And even youths die,
How can the living be so confident to say,
“This person is still too young to die”?
Some die in the womb,
Some at birth,
Some when they can crawl,
Some when they can run.
Some are old, some are young,
Some are young adults.
Everyone goes gradually,
Like ripe fruit falling.
— The Collection of Indicative Verses
135
301
October 28, 2018
From time to time, examine the supportive

conditions that you experience;
Through your understanding that they are,
in fact, awareness’s own manifestations,
they will become allies of your
meditative experience.
From time to time, reflect on the harmful
conditions that you perceive;
This is a primary key point in undermining
your fixation on a state of confusion.
— Kunchen Longchenpa’s The Precious Treasury

of Pith Instructions
302
October 29, 2018
Blessings are generated from within,

For this reason, pray constantly
to your guru and deity.
— Indian Master Padampa Sangye
136
303
October 30, 2018
Things happen because there are sufficient reasons.

It is incorrect to believe that one should not fall sick
but nevertheless becomes sick, that one should not
die but dies nevertheless, or that one who should
not encounter misfortune has wrongly undergone
an unfortunate fate. The fact is that those who
succumb to illness are exactly those who should be
ill, and those who have died are exactly those who
should have died.
The sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death
are not things that should not happen but fall
upon us without warning. The only way to avoid
these sufferings, is to eradicate birth. In order
to eradicate birth, we must eliminate mental
afflictions. This means that we should make every
effort to do battle with our mental afflictions.
— Geshe Potowa
137
304
October 31, 2018
To be content with one’s own happiness is vulgar.

To think about the other who is in distress is rare.
The good sovereign is the one who has the
intellectual skills
To contemplate and understand others’ needs.
138
November
305
November 1, 2018
If one engages in wholesome worldly deeds,

To be reborn as a god is not difficult;
If one climbs the ladder of the Human
and God Vehicles,
Liberation will be very close.
— Nagarjuna
306
November 2, 2018
That which subdues all the enemies,

one’s own afflictions,
And guards against future existence
in the lower realms,
Is called a “treatise”, because it subdues
and protects,
These two features are not found
in other traditions.
— Vasubandhu’s Well Explained Reasoning
140
307
November 3, 2018
Accompanying Manjushri, the eldest son

of the Buddha,
To travel to myriads of worlds,
I will witness expressions of extreme joy,
As well as displays of extreme sorrow.
— His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche’s

A Symbolic Song
308
November 4, 2018
If one lays a firm foundation of Buddhadharma

when one is young,
Practice will be easy even when he becomes old.
If one comprehends the essence of
all Dharma teachings,
All of his behaviors will become Dharma practices.
— Experiences Shared by An Old Man
141
309
November 5, 2018
Of all your deeds, your speech is supreme;

Within that too it is this very speech;
So the wise should remember the Buddha
Through this teaching of dependent origination.
— Lama Tsongkhapa’s In Praise of

Dependent Origination
310
November 6, 2018
For those who only meditate during the years

of their youth and for those who come to study
and reflect when they are in their old age,
It will be difficult to accomplish the activities
of promoting the Dharma and benefiting
sentient beings.
— Patrul Rinpoche
142
311
November 7, 2018
Among teachers, the teacher

of dependent origination,
Amongst wisdoms, the knowledge
of dependent origination —
You, who’re most excellent
like the kings in the worlds,
Know this perfectly well, not others.
— Lama Tsongkhapa’s In Praise of

Dependent Origination
312
November 8, 2018
The teaching of dependent origination is the most

profound and precious among all teachings of the
Buddha. Anyone who comprehends the teaching of
dependent origination will perceive the Buddha in
the form of wisdom.
— Nagarjuna
143
313
November 9, 2018
To we, men and women,

who have karmic connections to you,
Please grant your blessings
so that we may come to emulate you:
May all dharma protectors gather
in the castle of our body;
May the power of the unchanging truth
be present in our speech;
May the true nature of Dharmakaya
be realized by our minds.
314
November 10, 2018
Among the many beings seen in the morning

Some are not seen in the evening.
Among the many beings seen in the evening
Some are not seen in the morning.
— The Collection of Indicative Verses
144
315
November 11, 2018
The Buddha has gone beyond nirvana.

Never will his teachings vanish from the world.
To tame the delusions of sentient beings,
Birth and cessation are manifested.
— Tantra of the Web of Magical Illusion
316
November 12, 2018
The knowledge that all phenomena are emptiness

Creates the stream of compassion for all beings.
Limitless deeds of skill-in-means
Are the activity of the supreme determination
to be free.
— Asvaghosa’s Cultivation of the Conventional

Spirit of Enlightenment
317
November 13, 2018
In wars and so forth all of them

Have the same goal, so all possess
The same collective karma, like the perpetrator.
145
318
November 14, 2018
May the blessings of all lineage gurus

be transferred into my mind;
May all deities accept me and grant me siddhis;
May dakinis and dharma protectors
accompany me like shadows;
May all my wishes be fulfilled
and auspiciousness increased.
— Great Master of the Past
319
November 15, 2018
Anywhere we go is the cause of happiness;

Anyone we meet is our respected teacher;
Any place we live in is the land of happiness;
All of this is because of the blessings
of the Three Jewels.
— Khenpo Depa
146
320
November 16, 2018
To take refuge in and pray to the Three Jewels

is the outer fortress;
To maintain mindfulness, vigilance,
and carefulness is the inner fortress;
To abide in naked awareness is the secret fortress;
One who possesses these three fortresses
cannot be harmed by demons.
321
November 17, 2018
Only when the scope of your perception

becomes vast enough
To accept both the good and bad
that comes your way,
Then finally you will enter the world
of true men and women.
Thus, having a vast scope of perception is principal.
— Kunchen Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche
147
322
November 18, 2018
Of former generations countless beings

have already passed,
And most of those who now are on this earth
Within a century’s time will surely be no more.
For those who follow after, it will be the same.
— Longchenpa’s Finding Rest in the Nature

of the Mind
323
November 19, 2018
To gather the Sangha to attend a Dharma teaching,

The ghanta (ritual bell) and drum are struck.
By merely hearing the sound,
one can attain liberation,
Let alone the merit accumulated by listening
to the Dharma teachings.
— The Ghanta Sutra
148
324
November 20, 2018
Anyone who makes obeisance with the three doors

Reverently to the body of the Tathagata
Will accumulate merits, which, were they
to be made tangible,
Even the entire world could not contain.
— Tantra of the Web of Magical Illusion
325
November 21, 2018
Throughout the four clans of U-Tsang,

The definitive meaning is abandoned
for the expedient meaning,
Go seek for the definitive meaning, Rechungpa;
In all six ridges of Do-Kham,
The foolish are welcomed instead of the wise,
Go and rely on the wise, Rechungpa.
— The Last Words Milarepa Bestowed

Upon Rechungpa
149
326
November 22, 2018
One who falls from the top of a mountain

Will definitely tumble downward
even if he doesn’t want to;
One who receives the transmission and teaching
from a revered teacher
Will absolutely attain liberation
even if he doesn’t want to.
— Nagarjuna
327
November 23, 2018
Now we should be frightened by death. At the

time of death we should be fearless. But we are
the opposite — we are not afraid now and at
the moment of death we dig our fingernails into
our chests.
— Karmapa
150
328
November 24, 2018
The faith of total trust allows blessings

to enter you.
When the mind is free of doubt,
whatever you wish can be achieved.
— The Precious Lord of Oddiyana
329
November 25, 2018
Just as a drop of water that falls into

the great ocean
Will never disappear until the ocean itself runs dry,
Merit totally dedicated to enlightenment
Will never disappear until enlightenment
is reached.
— Sutra Requested by Sagaramati
330
November 26, 2018
If one lacks faith in his guru, the situation

is similar to that of a north-facing cave.
The sunlight of the guru’s compassion
can never shine into him.
— Guru Padmasambhava
151
331
November 27, 2018
In those who lack faith

Nothing positive will grow,
Just as from a burnt seed
No green shoot will ever sprout.
332
November 28, 2018
Having relied on qualified and realized lineage

masters, if one prays to them with one’s entire trust
and complete faith, then as a result of this kind
of devotion and reverence, their realization will be
transferred to the practitioner’s mind and bless
him to realize the ultimate reality that is beyond
description — the Great Perfection.
— Kunchen Jigme Lingpa
152
333
November 29, 2018
Without praying to the guru

But wishing for primordial wisdom
beyond the intellect to dawn
Is like waiting for sunshine in a north-facing cave.
That way, our mind cannot mingle
with guru’s mind.
— Jetsun Milarepa
334
November 30, 2018
You might have killed a brahmin every day

Or committed the five acts with
immediate retribution,
But once you encounter these instructions
You will, beyond any doubt, be liberated.
— Buddha Vajradhara
153
December
335
December 1, 2018
Neither conceptualizing nor thinking,

Abide in the nature of mind without any fabrication.
This is the precious treasury of non-changing
and non-arising,
The footsteps of all buddhas of the three times.
— Non-arising Precious Treasury
336
December 2, 2018
When something and its nonexistence

Both are absent from before the mind,
No other option does the latter have:
It comes to perfect rest, from concepts free.
337
December 3, 2018
To obtain rebirth in the higher realms,

discipline is paramount,
To remove afflictions, meditation is essential.
155
338
December 4, 2018
Fearing death, I went to the mountains.

Over and over again I meditated on death’s
unpredictable coming,
And took the stronghold of the deathless
unchanging nature.
Now I have lost and gone beyond all fear of dying!
— Jetsun Milarepa
339
December 5, 2018
Virtuous deeds bring happiness,

And lead one to numerous buddha lands;
Unvirtuous deeds cause suffering,
And lead one to suffer in the blazing lower realms.
340
December 6, 2018
The karma that has been created

will not disappear,
But will give corresponding black or white
results in samsara.
156
341
December 7, 2018
All kinds of happiness in the Three Realms

Come from the Three Jewels.
Anyone seeking happiness
Should constantly make offerings
to the Three Jewels.
— Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha
342
December 8, 2018
Tomorrow or the next life,

Who knows which one will arrive first?
Rather than work diligently for a better tomorrow,
We should apply our best efforts to preparing
for the next life.
— Sutra
343
December 9, 2018
He who has made the Buddha his refuge

Cannot be killed by ten million demons;
Though he transgress his vows or be tormented
in mind,
It is certain that he will go beyond rebirth.
— Sutra of the Heart of the Sun
157
344
December 10, 2018
To be free from the mind, the intellect,

and consciousness
But without giving up concentration
Is the inconceivable wisdom of all Tathagatas.
345
December 11, 2018
If you have hea rd t he precious k i ng of t he

Mahayana sutras, The Sutra of the Basket’s
Display, you will be born from the lotus in Buddha
Amitabha’s Pure Land and receive the Dharma
teaching from Buddha Amitabha.
— The Basket’s Display: Buddha Spoken

Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra
346
December 12, 2018
One who enters into emptiness without compassion

Will not find the supreme path.
One who cultivates compassion alone
Will not achieve liberation from samsara.
— The Glorious Saraha
158
347
December 13, 2018
Even compared with the practice of

unconcentrated meditation
For kalpas as numerous as the sands
in ten million Ganges Rivers,
One who has truly received the transmission of
just one verse
Accumulates more merit than that.
— Sutra
348
December 14, 2018
Never look askance at what the teacher does,

For most of the great siddhas of
the Noble Land, India,
Were menials or outcasts, evildoers,
And, even by the worst of standards, dissolute.
— Treasury of Precious Qualities
159
349
December 15, 2018
Such teachers are like heaps of refuse.

Even if they have great followings,
keep far away from them.
Their faithful followers they lead on false paths
to the lower realms.
If you desire the path to freedom,
never count on them.
— Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind
350
December 16, 2018
Even if all buddhas and bodhisattvas

of the ten directions
Were to stand in front of me
And tell me of another path to liberation,
My mind would not be moved, my friends.
— Rendawa Shyonnu Lodro
160
351
December 17, 2018
When the degenerate age comes,

Meditation will be disturbed by desire and hatred,
Sense pleasures and the mara of wealth
will frequently seduce practitioners.
— Collection of the Father’s Teaching in Kadampa
352
December 18, 2018
The name of the Tathagata

Is rarely heard in the world.
Human existence is difficult to obtain.
To become ordained as a monastic is also difficult.
It’s even more difficult for one who has taken
monastic vows to observe the precepts purely.
— Pratimoksha Sutra
161
353
December 19, 2018
There is no reference point —

no “How is it?” “What is it?” “It is this!”
What can any of you do? Where is the “I”?
What can anyone do about what was so before
but now is not?
Ha! Ha! I burst out laughing
at such a great marvel as this!
— Kunchen Longchenpa
354
December 20, 2018
To me it’s a game I play

But for ordinary beings, it is a heavy burden.
— The Great Mahasiddha Saraha
355
December 21, 2018
To some people, the precept is the source

of happiness,
While for others, it is the cause of suffering.
Observing the precept generates supreme peace
and happiness,
Violating it brings only suffering.
— Sutra of Admonishment to the Bhikkhus
162
356
December 22, 2018
Alas! All phenomena are impermanent.

What arises is destined to be extinguished.
In the moment of its arising is also the moment
of its ceasing.
Thus, only nirvana can bring ultimate peace
and happiness.
— The Sutra on Impermanence
357
December 23, 2018
The precept is the sublime peace and happiness;

The precept is the path to liberation;
The precept is the field of merit;
The precept is the cause of buddhahood;
The precept is the most supreme;
Thus one should observe the precept
as one would protect one’s own eyes.
Never give up the precept even at the cost
of one’s life.
To abandon the precept would be extremely foolish.
— Sutra of Admonishment to the Bhikkhus
163
358
December 24, 2018
How amazing that, as long as we refrain

from logical analysis,
Appearances seem to truly exist
and thus make us happy.
In ultimate truth, all appearances
Lack self-existence and thus,
are not inherently real.
Yet on the everyday operative level
This seeming appearance has relative truth.
To fully understand this deep
and profound meaning
Will not be easy for ordinary beings
with lesser capacity.
— Dharmarakshita’s The Wheel Blade of

Mind Transformation
359
December 25, 2018
With things that in this way are empty

What is there to gain and what to lose?
Who is there to pay me court and honors,
And who is there to scorn and to revile me?
Pleasure, sorrow — whence do these arise?
What is there to give me joy and pain?
— Shantideva
164
360
December 26, 2018
If I had any thesis,

That fault would apply to me.
But I do not have any thesis,
So there is indeed no fault for me.
— Nagarjuna’s Refutation of Objections
361
December 27, 2018
When conceptual thoughts arise,

to directly observe their nature is crucial;
Having obtained the conviction,
to settle in it is crucial;
When meditating and abiding,
to rest on nothing is crucial.
“Remain undistracted”
is my heart advice.
— Kunchen Longchen Rabjam’s Thirty Pieces

of Heart Advice
165
362
December 28, 2018
From this moment on, throughout

all my future lives,
May I be cared for by the guru and supreme deity,
Master the treasury of oceanic qualities
that come from the threefold training,
And effortlessly bring vast benefit
to the teachings and beings!
363
December 29, 2018
I have found a Dharma like ambrosia,

Deep, peaceful, simple, uncompounded, radiant.
If I explain it no-one will understand,
So I shall stay here silent in the forest.
166
364
December 30, 2018
Having gone beyond thinker and thinking,

Remain like a new baby, free of thoughts,
Focus on the master’s words
and apply great effort —
There is no doubt that your inherent nature
will arise.
— The Great Mahasiddha Saraha
365
December 31, 2018
Through this virtue may all beings

Gather accumulations of merit and wisdom;
May they attain the two sublime Buddha bodies,
Which arise from merit and wisdom.
— Sixty Stanzas of Reasoning
167
Postscript
Without interruption for every day of the past year,
I have posted and translated into Chinese for all of
you a Dharma teaching from the Tibetan Buddhist
scriptures. Did you read them all?
Sodargye
December 31, 2018
Cover Design by Wang Punkway

Khenpos Diamond - Living With Wisdom Volume I (English) - Khenpo Sodargye

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Khenpos Diamond - Living With Wisdom Volume I (English) - Khenpo Sodargye

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Khenpos Diamond - Living With Wisdom Volume I (English) - Khenpo Sodargye

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the structure and content of the book?

What is the structure and content of the book?

What advice is given on January 3rd, 2018?

What advice is given on January 3rd, 2018?

One Diamond, One Day

From Jan 1, this year (2018), I started to post Buddhist

Now I translate them into Chinese (and then into

Do not lose your own path;

— His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche

Conducting oneself with virtuous deeds and

— The Play in Full

My property, my honor — all can freely go,

Each day one should take to heart a few words

— Sakya Pandita’s Tresaury of Good Advice

The deeper we go into classics of the tirthika,

— Praise of the Exalted One

You should read these words of profound advice

Having realized that all things are like illusions

— Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras

It is impossible to retain past mind,

— The Diamond Sutra

Devotion is the prerequisite of all good qualities; it

— The Dharani of the Jewel Torch

— Autobiography of the Dakini Sera Khandro

Not from itself and not from something else,

— The Root Stanzas of the Middle Way

There may appear people who, after my death,

— The Mahaparinirvana Sutra

With regard to themselves, their wives,

— Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras

Merely listening without practicing

— Water and Wood Shastras

Among fools, there exist men of riches;

Although the king of gods sends down rainfall,

— Maitreya’s The Ornament of Clear Realization

Someone may build a precious

— Four Hundred Stanzas on the Middle Way

Anyone with the right view of this

Abandon laziness and distraction!

It is extremely difficult to grasp all teachings and

— Konchok Tenpe Dronme

Among people, there are good and bad whose

— Jamgon Mipham’s The Just King

The rich complain from the place of the rich.

If you can visualize the guru and the deity as being

— Changkya Khutukhtu’s Nectar of the Essence

Causes of death are numerous;

My disciples, do not be sluggish in your Dharma

Stay alone in a cave in a secluded mountain valley,

My dissolution and my hour of death

— The Way of the Bodhisattva

When something ought to be utterly secret,

From childhood to the later years of life, how many

Good works gathered in a thousand eons,

— The Way of the Bodhisattva

Aho! Mighty sage Shakyamuni and all buddhas

— Nyala Pema Dundul

When exposed to teachings that are profound

May it be that in all lives to come,