Advice in Abecedarian Form

Advice in Abecedarian Form[1]

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Ah, supreme child of noble family,
Be careful not to idle away your time.
Causes of regret are gradually approaching,
Due to our bestial, cow-like behaviour,
Especially our fondness for meaningless prattle.
For even as we might feign noble conduct,
Generally we crave tea, alcohol and meat, and
Habitually pursue attractive young partners,[2]
In contradiction to the Tathāgata’s teachings.
Just look at this, our miserable situation.
Know that if this is how it is right now,
Later on, our pain will exceed that of a hundred illnesses.
Make an effort therefore to cultivate pure motivation,[3]
Nurture the training in the transcendent perfections, and
Only be of benefit to all beings,
Purely like the milk of the supremely bounteous cow.
Quite like the cooling camara fan,[4] which
Repels the threat of excessive heat, and
Steadily like the flow of the River Ganges,[5]
Train to develop perfect diligence.
Utterly reject arrogance and haughtiness,
View with disdain coarse, unwholesome conduct,
Wholly avoid all forms of busyness and clamour,
Expertly adopt noble, respectable behaviour.
Yearn to tame the mind that is as tough as yak-horn, and
Zealously refine it until it’s soft and smooth like wool.
Guard yourself in the manner of a deer.
Sustain living beings, just like the great Earth itself.
Give up, in short, all unwholesome forms of conduct
And meditate on the unborn, the meaning of A.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2022.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. gsung thor bu/_'jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros/ (rgya gar bir'i par ma/). (BDRC W21814). 2 vols. null: null, null. Vol. 2: 82–83

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. 'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung 'bum. 12 vols. Bir: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. (W1KG12986) Vol. 8: 338–339

Version: 1.1-20230714