Precious Garland of Precepts

At the feet of the foremost holy Lama –
Entity of all the three times’ Conquerors,
Dharma treasury of instructions on ways to adopt and reject,
Crown ornament of the assembly of the three vehicles’ Sangha –
I make this request:
Pacify all my wrong conceptions,
Bless me that my mind be turned toward the Dharma.

“Many are vessels of vows but rare are they who guard them.
Many ask for precepts but few are they who practice them.
Benefiting others is hard, nonetheless, it must to be the one precept
Held in the hearts of faithful disciples.”
Unable to ignore such an earnest plea,
I’m going to mention a few key precepts
in the way that they spontaneously occur to me.

Make actions and their results a witness to all that you do.
Whatever occurs, be it happiness or suffering,
entrust your mind to the Three Jewels.
From among all the textural traditions
hold mainly to that of the stages of the path to enlightenment and
From among all the practices hold mainly to that of ethics.
This is the way to train in the teachings in general.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

When rising think, “I woke this morning.
I didn’t die in the night. It’s all because of the kindness of the Three Jewels.
If I’d been born in hell, what could I do now?
Through the Dharma I’m going to make this a meaningful day.”
This is the way to give yourself direction at the outset.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

The offerings that you enjoy when you’ve no assurance of a happy migration,
The Conqueror likened to blazing balls of iron.
The ways of giving of a trainee in virtue – the ten recognitions,
The welfare of others of a bodhisattva, and
the practice of burnt-offering of mantra –
These are the yogas of eating.
They’re worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Don’t go to extremes regarding good or bad clothes.
Wear what’s appropriate in keeping with custom.
When dedicating offered materials to one’s inner lama-deity,
Do so that oneself and others may complete the collections and purify obscurations.
These are the ways to make use of clothes, residence, and so forth.
They’re worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Even when alone avoid carelessness with your body,
Amidst many examine yourself for faults in your speech, and
At all times put right your mind;
Bring all conduct of the three doors into conformity with the Dharma.
These are the ways to continually apply mindfulness and introspection.
They’re worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Don’t be overly attached to those with whom you’re close,
Nor hold strong grudges against your enemies,
Nor make new friends and abandon old ones, and
Don’t get caught-up in the excitement of the crowd.
These are ways of conduct of genuinely good people in the world.
They’re worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Don’t go to places of great wrong without need and
When going be calm, disciplined, careful, and conform with vinaya.
Cultivate the projecting thought thinking,
“ I’m going to the pure land of Sukhavati.”
This will make going meaningful both for immediate and long term aims.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Though you’re happy don’t glory in it but see it as the kindness of the Three Jewels.
Though you’re suffering don’t resent it but think of it as your own karma.
Don’t be pleased with praise, you’ll degenerate your merit, and
Don’t get angry at ridicule, meditate on it as a broom of negativity.
This advice is on a par with that of the ‘eight worldly concerns’.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Just before going to sleep examine what actions
have occurred during the course of the day.
If most are virtuous, cultivate joy,
If most are negative, cultivate regret and restraint,
And having made amends don’t befriend them for a day.
This is the best method for purifying faults and downfalls.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

Rely on the crown ornament of an authentic spiritual friend,
Stay with those good companions who accord with the Dharma
just as your shadow stays with you, and
Rid yourself of non-virtuous friends and wayward companions
As if they were the smiles of an ogress or the poisons of Hala.
This will stand the whole of your practice in good stead.
It’s worth keeping in mind without forgetting.

“A Dharma practice that knows the mere names of medicines
Will never cure the ills of the tormenting afflictions.
What we know must be applied to our minds
Making sure that it becomes a path to enlightenment.”
Please, you who are so fortunate,
Don’t turn a deaf ear to this request. Practice in just this way.

Precious Garland of Precepts (bsLab bya rin chen phreng ba) appeared in the Tibetan language publication Shakye Od-Nang (Shakya’s Shining Light) Magazine (Drebung Gomang Monastery, Mongod, India: Shakye Od-nang Editorial Board, 1998), pp. 55-56. Translated by Ven. Jampa Gendun.

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