by Jigme Tromge Rinpoche
Gracious father guru, please think of me!
This present time is the awful age of degeneration.
The merit of the six classes of mother-like beings has diminished.
The young are under the influence of others, and don’t practice dharma.
Those growing up into maturity delight in the games of pleasure, and don’t practice dharma.
The elderly have lost their vitality, and don’t practice dharma.
Those who are dying are stricken with terror of the bardo, and don’t practice dharma.
For the sake of them–your dear grandmothers–
exert yourself in the instructions of your gracious father guru.
In some areas where there is draught and famine, there is the intense pain of hunger and thirst.
Elsewhere, because of attachment, aversion, and ignorance, the bloody wheel of slashing and killing continues to turn.
For the sake of those who suffer like that–your dear grandmothers–
exert yourself in the instructions of your gracious father guru.
As the doctrine of our Lord Buddha verges on disappearing,
the few who are inwardly taming their minds are as rare as stars in the daytime;
while all over the world those who outwardly appear to be spiritual practitioners
turn the wheel of teaching with clever talk and deceptive words.
Reflecting on this situation, exert yourself in the teachings of your gracious father guru.
Your precious human life is not the result of chance or destiny,
but is the result of a cause–the accumulation of merit.
Your body is a wish-fulfilling gem.
It is a lasso that can capture life’s meaning.
With this body as a basis, dharmakaya for your own benefit can be accomplished.
With this body as a basis, rupakaya for the benefit of others can be accomplished.
This life, however, is impermanent and unpredictable.
From infancy to youth, to maturity, to old age, to death–it is impermanent.
All who are born, even great rulers of the world, are impermanent, and will die.
All accumulations, even the greatest wealth and riches, are impermanent, and will come to nothing.
All gatherings, even of close dharma friends, are impermanent, and will disperse.
All buildings, even those of steel, are impermanent, and will collapse.
Time–with the past changing into the future–is impermanent.
Years–with summer becoming autumn, then winter, and then spring–are impermanent.
Days–with daylight changing into night–are impermanent.
When you consider the significance of this, your mind will change.