My dear Ananda, look at the world outside; the universe is expanding fast, and the climate is changing rapidly. Epidemic diseases rage, and global peace is at its lowest. The nuclear threat has reached astronomical heights; all these are signs that we are in the dark age.
Look into our lives. As someone has said, we spend our entire youth in studies and our adult life accumulating wealth. Now, as we grow old, we must spend our wealth and time on health improvement. Moreover, we do not know where we are headed when we die, unless we prepare now. Start putting an end to the endless cycle of rebirth, dear Ananda.
The world population is seven to eight billion, making it seem that being born as a human may be easier. However, the chances of being born as a human who can receive and practice Dharma are extremely low. Realize how precious your life has become by choosing to be a Buddhist; make this life of yours Dharma-worthy today, dear Ananda.
This world has seen many extraordinarily brilliant scientists, but none have found a way to evade death. All of us are destined to die one day or another. Our lives are fragile, and death is inevitable, with its timing uncertain. Do not struggle to prolong this life, dear Ananda.
Regardless of the six realms (Three upper realms - gods, demigods, and humans. Three lower realms - hell, hungry ghosts, and animals) into which you are born, you are still subject to the four sufferings (birth, aging, pain, and death). Especially if you are born into the three lower realms, you will only go downwards. Today, while you have this precious life with Dharma at your disposal, think about the vicious state of samsara and master your Dharma practice, dear Ananda.
Beyond this samsara lies a valley of liberated ones called the pure realm, where supreme happiness coexists with nirvana. There, you won't even hear of epidemic diseases, war, famine, or the four sufferings. Everything is of utmost majesty, and anyone willing to join the journey can get there; you should therefore embark on this voyage today, dear Ananda.
You should find a Buddhist master, an ardent follower of Lord Buddha and an ordained monk, to guide your Dharma journey. However, finding a perfect master is futile in today's dark age. Therefore, without being misled, follow someone who has renounced the craving for mundane name, fame, and wealth, dear Ananda.
All four schools (Kagyü, Nyingma, Sakya, and Gelug) of Buddhism are the same in essence, and the teachings of Mahamudra, Ati Yoga, and Madhyamaka in those schools are symbols of Buddha Dharma. While preparing for the transition to pure realms, do not waste time on symbolic studies, dear Ananda.
When you see a prominent Guru preaching Dharma, first visualize if he has embodied those teachings in his own life. Secondly, see if he has subdued the five kleshas (five poisons or conflicting emotions: desire, anger, delusion, pride, and envy) within himself. Respect him if his life resonates with his teachings and follow him if he has subdued those five poisons; avoid others, dear Ananda.
Enrich yourself with the seven treasures of noble Aryans: faith, morality, generosity, learning, conscience, modesty, and wisdom, dear Ananda.
Strive for three novice transcendent actions by practicing generosity, discipline, and patience. These three accumulate fundamental merits for your journey towards enlightenment. Then, enhance diligence, concentration, and intellectual knowledge in Buddha Dharma. By doing so, you will accumulate yambhāra and nāsambhāra merits through the six paramitas, crucial for bolstering your journey to enlightenment, dear Ananda.
Powerful positions, influence, fame, grand mansions, luxury automobiles, and monetary wealth may seem glamorous now. But we cannot take a penny when we die. Therefore, limit your attachment to worldly riches, dear Ananda.
Spending all day glued to the cellphone, staying up-to-date with news, being online on social media, and engaging in social discourses like politics, economics, and religion are distractions mobilized by darkness. They may seem to bring happiness, but in reality, they rob you of inner peace and precious time. Focus only on Dharma practice, dear Ananda.
The practice of Dharma equates to taming your own mind. If you have tamed your mind, you have mastered Dharma practice. Without taming your mind, living in monasteries, wearing robes, and doing Dharma activities all day is meaningless. Do not wait to change your physical appearance to practice Dharma in monastic ways. Just do it wherever you are and however you live, dear Ananda.
The unchanging original space of primordial purity and uninterrupted great bliss, or mahasukha’s innate state of luminosity, are beyond all partitions or biases, present within our mind. That is the unbounded liberation from extremes. If you recognize that, you see your own primordial original self, which is true Dharmakaya. If you don't, you fall back into the cycle of continued rebirth in Samsara, dear Ananda.
Pay heartfelt homage to my guru His Holiness Zhenphen Choki Nangwa, Rahor Pelden Chodrak, and Khenpo Sonam Dondrup. You will discover true bliss from within, and your guidance in the Dharma journey will be perfect. Recite the Avalokiteshvara mantra (Om Mani Padmi Hun) and be kind to yourself, dear Ananda.
We are together for a brief moment in this world due to their blessings, to intersect us again in the next generation in a pure realm; we have their absolute assurance. Expand your faith and trust in the unfailing interdependence of cause and effect, called the law of relative truth, dear Ananda.
Without a scholarly education from Oxford or Harvard, trying to write a sweetly worded and grammatically perfect piece of guidance is futile for me. But with my experience of stepping into the land of infinite all-encompassing universal purity and my confidence in where I am headed next, I urge you to bestow your faith on the innermost sadhana that I’ve entrusted to you, dear Ananda.
This motivational piece of verses may not hold deep poetic lines, but I am sure it holds the significance of the tale of an old woman and a dog’s tooth. I believe this serves as a catalyst to purify your heart. Finally, I dedicate the merits of this work for everyone who comes across this piece to be born in Potala, the residence of Avalokitesvara.
This piece is from Yogi Karma’s Tibetan note for a pupil named Ananda.
