A Reminder to Myself

A Reminder to Myself[1]

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

At the feet of the father guru, I pay homage.
Embrace me at all times with compassion!

This body, a borrowed house of the four elements,
Does not last beyond a moment but swiftly perishes.
Life is as impermanent as a dewdrop upon the grass.
The enemy, the ferocious, demonic Lord of Death,
Waits before me even now, ready to receive me.

The great burden of negative deeds I’ve committed
I’ll bear within my mind and consciousness as I go.
Dear friends and companions I must leave behind
And I’ll be unable to take possessions I’ve amassed.[2]

At the moment of proceeding who knows where,
I’ll be driven on by the fierce winds of karma.
As I experience untold hallucinations of Yama.
How terrifying the abyss of the three poisons!

The misery of the lower realms is unendurable.
To think of it now causes my heart to tremble.
The more I think of it the more I recall the guru.
When this karma arises, no one but the teacher
Could be my refuge. Hold me in your compassion!

Guru, only father, I call to you: consider me with love.
I pray: embrace me, an evildoer, with compassion.
Bless me that my mind may turn toward the Dharma.
Guru, watch over me!

Thus, Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö wrote this as a reminder to himself on the 15th day of the fourth month of the Water Sheep year.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2023.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. 'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung 'bum. 12 vols. Bir, H.P.: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. (W1KG12986). Vol. 8: 283–284

Version: 1.0–20230608