Category Archives: Translation

Bringing Experiences Outside of Meditation to the Spiritual Path

Inside the temple of Triten Norbutse Monastery in Nepal. Photo credit: Raven Cypress Wood

Ripening and loosening the mindstream through mind training and meditation are essential for being able to liberate oneself from the turbulent winds of the five poisons and the continuation of cyclic existence. Additionally, there are many methods for integrating the experiences between meditation sessions into spiritual practice. For those individuals who have a higher capacity, His Holiness the 22nd Menri Trizin Rinpoche has given this tenfold advice for training the mind by bringing experiences outside of meditation practice to the spiritual path. 

  1. Bringing Deprivation and Oppression to the Path: For anyone who takes all of my food and wealth, even though they carry away everything, just like a mother for her child generates a mind of caring, I will dedicate my virtue of the three times for them.
  2. Bringing Destruction to the Path:Without any fault of my own, even if someone is cutting off my head or destroying my body and life force, I will compassionately accept their wrongdoing onto myself and I will guide them along the path of enlightenment.
  3. Bringing Slander and Disregard to the Path:Even though someone continually expresses unpleasant things about me to the entire world, I will maintain a mind of kindness and speak about their good qualities.
  4. Bringing Criticism and Blame to the Path: Even though someone in the midst of a group of many people blames and insults me even though I am blameless, remembering that I practice virtue, I will resolve to respectfully feel happiness towards them.
  5. Bringing Mistreatment from Family Members to the Path:Even though the people that I love such as my mother, father, and children always treat me like an enemy, I will love them with a special kindness like one has for a child that has been stricken with an illness.
  6. Bringing Mistreatment from Strangers to the Path:Even though a person that is equal to me insults and disrespects me because of the influence of their pride, I will be respectful towards them just like the spiritual master that I hold at the crown of my head would act towards them.
  7. Bringing Disadvantages to the Path:Even though I have used up all of my food, money, and possessions, and I am in bed with sickness throughout my body, I will not blame anyone for the happiness of others or my own suffering. Without any [negative] actions in the past, suffering and misery would not exist for me.
  8. Bringing Wealth to the Path:Even though my fame pervades the three thousand-fold universe, I am respected by many people, and I have prosperity like that of a wealth deity; if I do not know that worldly possessions are without essence, I will discern that nothing can fill an empty mind.
  9. Bringing Restraint to the Path:If I do not subdue the enemy of my own five poisons, the enemies from outside will increase. Therefore, with the great abiding nature and the army of compassion I will subdue the illusory enemies of my mind.
  10. Bringing Attachment to the Path:The qualities of desire and attachment are comparable to salty water. No matter how much you drink, thirst only increases. Having immediately renounced whatever material things are desired or yearned for, I will know that what I have is enough and feel content.

— Translated by Raven Cypress Wood from The Forty-three Trainings for an Enlightened Mind composed by His Holiness 22nd Menri Throneholder Sonam Lodro Rinpoche, also known as Sherap Gongyal. 1784-1835

All translations and content by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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Ripening the Mind-stream with the Practice of Realizing Impermanence

A traditional offering of butter lamps for the deceased. Photo credit: Unknown

In the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition, the practice of realizing impermanence is used as a method to ripen the mind-stream of an individual in order to prepare a solid foundation for further spiritual development. By reflecting upon the truth of the impermanent nature of all worldly phenomena, the wild mind that craves entertainment and distraction, and constantly seeks things to acquire or posses, is tamed. When the truth of impermanence is deeply realized rather than merely understood intellectually, the mind has a more open and relaxed relationship with worldly phenomena. Positive experiences such as love and joy are more appreciated since they are understood to be fleeting. Patience with discomfort and suffering is easier knowing that it too will not last. For the spiritual practitioner, the realization of the truth of impermanence turns the mind away from meaningless distraction and towards the spiritual path.

Traditionally, in order to deeply realize impermanence, the practitioner would reflect upon worldly phenomena. For example, thinking about how each season has come and gone since childhood, or the constant changing of the weather. Often the practitioner would go to the cremation ground or cemetery and reflect upon the fact that no matter how powerful, rich, famous, or adored a human being has ever been, no one has been able to live forever. In modern times, the truth of impermanence can be seen throughout the world.

As a support for the practice of realizing impermanence, the English translation of The Chanted Verse of Impermanence from the Aural Transmission of Zhang Zhung is being made publicly available for personal use. While undergoing the practice of realizing impermanence as a foundational practice, this prayer is chanted before and/or after a fervent period of reflection. Once impermanence has been realized and the mind has been tamed, this prayer can be chanted daily as a reminder and motivation to remain focused upon meaningful activities of body, speech and mind. The translation can be downloaded from this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/146WL9uyT8u842TVHKnmXJH60CHr5dHJz/view?usp=sharing

“Even though all phenomena change, I alone expect to be permanent.

How sad!

Bless me that the realization of impermanence will arise in my mind-stream!

When thinking of death, I am instantly without distraction, but then I become lazy and procrastinate.

How sad!

Bless me that the realization of impermanence will arise in my mind-stream!”

—From The Chanted Verse of Impermanence

All translations and content by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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Practicing Generosity and Non-attachment

His Eminence Menri Ponlop Yangtön Thrinley Nyima Rinpoche being offered a mandala representing all inner and outer offerings. Photo credit: Unknown

“Mandala Offering

Emaho!

Within a golden mandala of a boundless buddha realm are arranged heaps of beautiful and brightly shining precious jewels.

These vast clouds of offerings, both real and imagined, that include the completely fulfilling and marvelous wealth and riches of both gods and humans,

I and all other sentient beings present this offering to the three precious jewels in order to perfect the two accumulations of merit and wisdom.

Please accept this with your compassionate blessings!”

— From The Accomplishment of Purifying Defilements with DU TRI SU, A Lamp that Clears Away the Darkness and Shakes the Depths of Cyclic Existence

All translations and content by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved.

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Dispelling the Darkness

 

Butter lamp offering at Menri Monastery. Photo credit: Unknown

“How wonderful!

Within these small, circular containers is placed a wick of twisted gauze.

They are filled with clarified melted butter which is a divine, concentrated essence.

By lighting these bright offering lamps, the fire of the lamps clears away darkness and obscurations, and radiates throughout the vast, clear space of the sky.

Performing these activities mainly for our kind mothers and fathers who are the sentient beings within the three realms of cyclic existence,

and with compassion for those who have passed away into the realm between this life and the next,

may all of them be liberated from cyclic existence!”

— Extract from Raising a Victory Banner of Butter Lamps

Tibetan translation by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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A Wheel of Sound

Dra Khor at the entrance to the temple of Triten Norbutsé Monastery near Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo credit: Raven Cypress Wood

Within the Yungdrung Bön religious tradition there is a style of poetry that is considered an advanced art and is often used to praise spiritual masters or states of realization. The poetic verse is written in a kind of graph in which each syllable is written within its own geometric space often in contrasting colors that form patterns or images. These syllables then intersect with other lines of poetry or verse. The arrangement of syllables must be made in such a way that they must make sense with each intersecting syllable.

There are easier and more difficult versions of this poetic style. The easier style can be read left to right and top to bottom. The more difficult styles can be read left to right, top to bottom, diagonally, and from bottom to top. This style of poetry is called Künzang Khorlo་or the short form Kün Khor, Wheel of All Goodness. However, it is also often referred to simply as dra khor, a wheel of sound.

Examples of dra khor styles created by graduates of the Gyalrong Dialectic School. Originally published at: https://www.himalayabon.com/news/2018-04-16/1250.html

The top image of a dra khor in this article hangs in the entrance way of Triten Norbutsé Monastery located near Kathmandu, Nepal. This dra khor praises the founder of Menri Monastery and the realized master who is considered the second buddha, His Holiness Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoché. The well-known “De Chen Gyalpo” prayer in his honor is featured within the yellow, diagonal squares.

“De chen gyal po kün zang gyal wa du,

mi jé zung den sherap ma wé seng,

dzam ling bön gyi tsuk gyen nyam mé pa,

shé rap gyal tsen zhap la sol wa deb.

 

King of great bliss, embodiment of Küntu Zangpo and Gyalwa Düpa,

You are like the wisdom deity Mawé Sengé,

Never forgetting what you have perceived,

You are the unequaled crown ornament of the Bönpo world.

At the feet of Sherap Gyaltsen, I pray!”

The first line begins with the syllable “de” inside the yellow square located in the top left corner and reads diagonally downward to the center. Moving the Bön way, counter-clockwise, the second line begins with the syllable “mi” inside the yellow square in the bottom left corner and reads diagonally upward to the center. The third line begins with the syllable “dzam” inside the yellow square in the bottom right corner and reads diagonally upward to the center. The fourth and final line begins with the syllable “shé” inside the yellow square in the top right corner and reads diagonally downward to the center.

When the top line is read straight across, the first syllable “de” in the top left corner now becomes part of the word “dewar” “blissfully” and the line praises the realization of Nyammé Sherap Gyaltsen Rinpoché.

“You are the very essence of the three bodies of those who have blissfully gone; with unobscured, exalted knowledge, you embody the entirety of Bön.”

Examples of dra khor styles created by graduates of the Gyalrong Dialectic School. Originally published at: https://www.himalayabon.com/news/2018-04-16/1250.html

To begin a dra khor, the number of boxes needed is determined by the number of syllables in the poem. Once a design is determined and the boxes are drawn, a single syllable is drawn inside each box. Each dra khor can contain either a single poem or multiple poems or verse relating to a single subject or theme. These dra khor are often placed in the entrances of temples as they are considered to be objects of auspiciousness and blessing.

Examples of dra khor from the collected works of Mawang Kunga Rangdrol Rinpoche.

Beginning with the first establishment of a Yungdrung Bön dialectic school in exile in 1978 at Tashi Menri Ling, His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoché reformed the curriculum to include subjects originally taught in the renowned dialectic school of Yeru Wensaka and to also include subjects that were previously taught individually rather than as an organized part of the studies. In this way, he aimed to preserve traditional knowledge that was in danger of being lost. One of the subjects added to the mandatory curriculum was poetry. The current dialectic school teaches poetry according to three aspects: 1) style and meaning, 2) rhyming and meter and 3) symbolic meaning.

The complete Dra Khor inside the temple of Triten Norbutsé Monastery near Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo credit: Raven Cypress Wood

All translations and content by Raven Cypress Wood ©All Rights Reserved. No content, in part or in whole, is allowed to be used without direct permission from the author.

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