Head and features of massive reclining Lord Buddha, pilgrimage, Bangkok, Thailand, 1993

Head and features of massive reclining Lord Buddha, pilgrimage, Bangkok, Thailand, 1993, a photo by Wonderlane on Flickr.

A Melody of Eight Dreamy Practices

I bow to my gurus.

The town, the home, and the market
These are three places for your mind’s bucking horse
Of depression and craziness.
Your Higher Perception is the bad guy.
Your Peaceful Abiding is weak on details.
You don’t hold tight to the reigns
Of this horse of crazy depression.
It gallops all over the plains of bad karma.
It bucks you off into the crevasse of sorrow.
Be like a dear who doesn’t say a word.
Live in the wilderness when you practice.

Disputes abound where many gather.
Blind gossip abounds when you live as a couple.
Be like an orphan girl.
Live by yourself when you practice.

Friendly monks who take your side,
Being counted in the roles of the Sangha’s members,
The sponsorship of male and female patrons:
These are three Flour Tormas for the demons.
Practice the Dharma as if you didn’t want it.

Great craving for what is presented,
Great attachment to money and wealth,
Great desire for food and drink:
These are three scummy drinks for a great meditator.
Purge your mind of them
Right down to the unreachable roots.
Practice the Dharma like a small child.

Beer diminishes the memory.
Meat diminishes compassion.
Girls diminish reputation.
These are three cancers for a great meditator.
Get the spark of renunciation right away.
Practice the Dharma like a madman.

Watching over the pillows of the sick,
Healing the stingy children of the rich,
Describing the supernatural powers of perverse people:
These are three stray paths for a great meditator.
Recognize that patronage is a demon.
Practice the Dharma without getting well acquainted.

The bliss in stretching out Peaceful Abiding,
The ignorance where taste is the same as flavor,
The meditation on emptiness that has no compassion:
These are three side tracks for a great meditator.
Be like a great garuda soaring in the sky.
Practice the Dharma the interactive way.

Students who are respectful,
Friends who are connected through karma,
A bride who has the samaya:
Make friends that meet you at the heart when they are present.
Don’t feel too much grief when they leave.
Practice the Dharma the dreamy way.

WORDS OF THE SAKYA MASTERS
-Translated from the Tibetan by Christopher Wilkinson