“This life of leisure is even more precious than a wish-granting jewel;
That I have found such an existence is only this once;
So hard to find yet like a flash of lightning it is easy to vanish;
Contemplating this situation it’s vital to realize that all mundane pursuits
Are like the empty grain husks floating in the winds
And that we must extract the essence of human existence.
I, a yogi, have practiced in this manner;
You, who aspire for liberation, too should do likewise.”
From The Concise Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment also known as Song of the Stages of the Path by Je Tsong Khapa
As translated in: Songs of Experience on the Stages of the Path by Je Tsong Khapa. Translated by Thubten Jinpa, PhD. PDF available from the Institute of Tibetan Classics.
Photo: His Holiness the Dalai Lama giving the 2012 Jangchup Lamrim Teachings, Drepung Monastery, Mundgod, India, December 2012 © Manuel Bauer/JLTOC
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