String of Pearls

The String of Pearls Advice

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

At the guru's feet, I pay homage.

Impelled by good deeds committed in the past,
You have gained the wishing jewel of freedoms and advantages,
And sat at the feet of a qualified guru.
Child, I think you fortunate indeed.

Now, when you have the chance to savour
The nectar of Dharma, profound and vast,
Do not succumb to the power of indolence,
But practise intensely the heart of the teachings.

The root of all Dharma depends upon
Taming and purifying your own mind.
If you sever the mind at its root as well
You'll realize the non-duality of perceiver and perceived.
Without arising, remaining and ceasing,
There is natural great emptiness, clear light.
This, and this alone, is mind's natural state.
Realize it, and there's no doubt you'll seize
The stronghold of the deathless.

This is the ultimate culmination of
All generation and perfection practices.

Visualize the guru and receive the four empowerments.
Meditate on the generation phase and cut attachment.

Meditating on the perfection stage with signs
Brings the bliss of melting and co-emergent wisdom.
Meditating well on the perfection stage without signs,
You will come to abide in great luminosity,
And all deluded perception will fade into basic space.
You will gain mastery of the kāyas and wisdoms
And carry out unlimited activity for others' benefit.

Contemplate impermanence, renunciation, and the effects of actions,
And generate faith and devotion.
Cultivate loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta.

Regard all that you perceive as the guru.
Visualize him in your heart and merge your mind with his wisdom mind.

Recognizing the union of clarity and emptiness
As the three kāyas brings complete awakening.
Since Buddhahood is present within yourself,
It is not to be found by searching elsewhere.

As I have offered you this garland of advice,
Take its meaning to heart.

May you capture the dharmakāya stronghold
At death and reach the level of mighty Vajradhara!

Yet if you should not attain stability,
May the guru and glorious Yoginī
Guide you to the celestial realm.

Jamyang Chökyi Lodrö wrote these verses of advice based on whatever came to mind and offered them. Siddhirastu.

| Translated by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal Trust, 2020.

Bibliography

Tibetan Edition

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. "zhal gdams mu tig phreng ba/" in ’Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung ’bum. 12 vols. Bir: Khyentse Labrang, 2012. W1KG12986 Vol. 8: 271–272

Version: 1.1-20230608