LONGCHENPA
The Great Perfection
Meditations on Awakening — Inspired by Longchenpa
Longchenpa – Now That I Come to Die
Homage to the Noble Ones whose great compassion is boundless
Homage to the Sun of Wisdom radiating purity and goodness
From the vast space of reality compassionate manifestations arise
Guiding beings through enlightened action
Homage to the Buddha who departed for Kushinagar
The ancient city of Kushinagar, the final resting place of Gautama Buddha
Named after Kusha, son of the legendary God-king Rama who founded and ruled the city
Teaching impermanence to those still clinging to illusions of permanence
...
I have known the nature of samsara
Its endless cycles
Its fleeting joys
Now as I leave behind this temporary body
I offer these words for your benefit alone
Worldly things are meaningless
While alive they seem real
But in the end they deceive
If you see through their impermanence
Turn to the Dharma
The only refuge
The only true wealth
...
Wealth and property must be left behind
Like honey
They are enjoyed by those who never gathered them
Use them wisely now
To prepare for the path beyond
Your house will crumble
Your body will fade
It is only a temporary dwelling
You cannot stay
Let go of attachment and craving
Seek solitude
Friendships and rivalries are like a child’s game
Love and hatred fleeting and baseless
Burn like fire
Let them go
Worldly pursuits are like a magic show
They captivate for a time
But in the end they are empty
Stop chasing shadows
Turn toward liberation
...
This human life is a precious boat
A rare vessel that can cross the ocean of suffering
Do not let laziness distraction or idleness waste this opportunity
The true teacher is a guide on the dangerous road of samsara
Trust them
Follow their wisdom
Let their compassion protect you from illusion
The profound teachings are like the nectar of immortality
They cure the disease of ignorance and suffering
Drink deeply
Let them transform you
...
View reality as the boundless sky
Free of limits
Free of labels
Beyond all dualities
Meditation is the ocean
Deep
Unmoving
Unstained
Let all concepts dissolve into clarity
Conduct is the way of wisdom
Responding skillfully to what arises
Free yourself from grasping and rejection
Realization is effortless
Like a treasure already in your hand
When hope and fear subside
Bliss arises naturally
...
The mind like the sky is vast and unobstructed
Phenomena arise and dissolve within it
Understand this fully right now
All forms and thoughts are like reflections in a mirror
They appear vividly
Yet nothing is truly there
Do not grasp at emptiness or form
Know their unity
The dream-like nature of experience is undeniable
There is no true separation
Yet habitual patterns create the illusion of duality
See through this illusion straight away
Samsara and Nirvana are like a magic show
Though suffering and liberation seem separate
Their true essence is the same
Vast
Open
Unborn
...
Generosity is a treasure
Ever increasing
Never depleted
Give freely and wisely
Cultivating boundless merit
Discipline is a chariot
A vehicle to higher realms and ultimate happiness
Uphold it with care
Straight away
Patience is the vast ocean
Unshaken by storms
Cultivate it through acceptance and compassion
Wisdom is a sky of gathering clouds
Bringing rain that nourishes the field of awakening
Seek it straight away
Compassion is like a mother’s love
Tireless in guiding all beings toward liberation
Let it grow boundless within you
Equanimity is the great earth
Unshaken by closeness or distance
Praise or blame
Rest in this evenness straight away
Devotion is the vast ocean
It deepens faith
It carries one to the shores of realization
Let it fill your heart straight away
Mindfulness is an iron hook
Taming the wild elephant of mind
Let it reside in you always
...
This body is like a phantom dwelling
Here for a moment
Gone in an instant
Remember this again and again
All beings are transient
Like travelers passing through
None will remain
None can hold on
Realize this truth straight away
Life is like a single day
Death will come as swiftly as the setting sun
Use this moment wisely
Before it is gone
...
When all that matters has been spoken
Remember this final truth
What is born must dissolve
What has come together will separate
There is no true refuge in samsara
Sit firmly in the throne of reality
The unborn unchanging expanse of Dharmata
The emptiness of your absolute nature
Where nothing can hide
Worldly distractions are like tricksters
Leading the mind astray
Turn away from illusion
Seek only the Dharma
Even great wealth brings no contentment
The greatest treasure is inner peace
The path of the sages is solitude and contemplation
Turn toward the stillness of wisdom
...
Now like a traveler setting out
I depart with joy
Greater than all wealth
All power
All pleasure
The time has come
To take my seat in the deathless bliss of realization
This life is finished
Karma is exhausted
The illusions of the world are done
As I pass through the luminous space of the bardos
I return to the beginning of all and everything
Do not mourn for me
For I die with joy and freedom
Instead pray that we meet again
In the expanse of wisdom
...
These words like lotus flowers
Are offered for the benefit of all beings
May they awaken all who hear them
May all beings return to their true home
The unborn radiant space
Of primordial awareness