The one who has left violence,

who never harms any being,

who neither kills, nor causes to kill,

such a one, gentle, is a holy noble one.

The one who is friendly among the hostile,

who is harmless among the violent,

who is detached among the greedy,

such one is a holy noble one.

—Buddha Sakyamuni, Dhammapada

I bow to the Lord of Compassion!

As I eat and drink, may the hungry and thirsty be sated;

as I go on my way, may all journey safely;

as I sit and lie down, may the tired find rest;

as I breathe in and out, may all draw in joy and expel sorrow.

Bless me to benefit all beings by my thoughts, words, and deeds!

If they lose their way, may they chance on a friend;

when they err, may they meet mild correction;

if they stumble and fall, may they once again rise.

Bless me to wish and pray for their deliverance!

As I wake, may I renew my pledge to free all beings;

as I lie down to rest, may I inspect and purify all faults.

Bless me always to live between these two!

 When all goes well, may I credit the Buddhas;

when it does not, may I take perfect shelter in their grace.

Bless me to neither be proud nor despair,

but to abide in peace, free from self-grasping!

I shall give victory and benefit to others

and take all loss and failure on myself!

Bless me to keep these two,

even at risk of death!

Mind Training 38 – 42: One and Two

In all activities, one intention.

Correct all wrongs with one intention.

One at the beginning, another at the end.

Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.

Observe these two, even at the risk of death.

Let no one deceive another,

or despise anyone anywhere,

or through anger and irritation,

wish for another to suffer.

—Buddha Shakyamuni, Khuddakapatha

I bow to the Lord of Compassion!

When the appearance that harmed me has already departed,

how can I blame another?

Bless me to hold no grudges!

Regardless of their flaws and liability,

to tear at others’ hearts and disturb their composure pollutes my speech.

Bless me to malign no one!

When I harbor the wish to retaliate for wrongs,

harboring vengeance, I burn my limbs with fever.

Bless me to never lay an ambush!

Divulging the faults and lapses of my mothers

exposes my own bastardy.

Bless me to never speak ill of another!

If, by straight or devious means, I shift duties or blame,

I burden others and deprive myself.

Bless me to never transfer the ox’s load to the cow!

All are as they will be, I am as I shall be.

All are pure as they are; I am pure as I am.

Bless me to not compete!

Offerings to the Jewels are not made for my pleasure.

Bless me to never scheme for advantage or gain!

Believing it a river, if I wash in the swamp,

what will I have accomplished?

Bless me to not turn practice into pride!

To rejoice in the sorrow and passing of my enemies

is the sting of a scorpion, its venom in my veins.

Bless me to never revel in the pain of another!

Mind Training 29- 37: Avoid Nine

Don’t seek your happiness in another’s pain.

Once infinite loving kindness has been developed,

frequently practiced, firmly established, expanded,

made a vehicle, a foundation, and brought to full perfection,

then it will be impossible for ill-will to take possession of and obsess the mind,

for infinite loving kindness is the release from all ill-will!

Once great compassion has been developed,

frequently practiced, firmly established, expanded,

made a vehicle, a foundation, and brought to full perfection,

then it will be impossible for cruelty to take possession of and obsess the mind,

for great compassion is the release from all cruelty!

Once rejoicing in the happiness of others has been developed,

frequently practiced, firmly established, expanded,

made a vehicle, a foundation, and brought to full perfection,

then it will be impossible for discontent to take possession of and obsess the mind,

for rejoicing in the happiness of others is the release from all discontent!

Once serene, still, and imperturbable equanimity has been developed,

frequently practiced, firmly established, expanded,

made a vehicle, a foundation, and brought to full perfection,

then it will be impossible for greed and lust to take possession of and obsess the mind,

for imperturbable equanimity is the deliverance from all attachment!

—Buddha Shakyamuni

If you’ve never suffered, may you always have happiness and the causes of happiness!

For those of us who’ve experienced heartbreak, rejection, and disappointment, parted with loved ones, lost our health and possessions, come short of fulfilling our dreams, or realized that there is little we can do about aging and death, it’s fairly easy to accept the first of the four noble truths: life is hard.

These four truths aren’t ‘noble’ only because they were expressed with wisdom, eloquence, and deep compassion. They are noble because they matter.

We may act unconcerned, but we want to be happy. We all do. At one point, maybe we thought we knew just how to do it. If only we could get this job, or this car, or this house, or this partner —or have looks, wealth, fame, and influence. But we know how it all ends. The beautiful, the wealthy, the powerful, the famous, the old and the young, the smart and the dumb, the good and the bad, we all suffer.

The second noble truth tells us that suffering is not random: there is a cause of suffering. There is no effect without a cause, and no cause without an effect. When we pay attention, we begin to notice that all our problems boil down to two: we make wrong decisions on the basis of faulty information and disturbing emotions. We lack clarity and peace.

Is there any aspect of our lives that wouldn’t improve with a bit more clarity and a little more peace? Would we make better decisions if we had the presence of mind and the insight to see things as they are, rather than as we wish them to be —or, more often, as we fear that they may be? Would we stand a better chance at happiness if we were less driven by ignorance and craving?

The last two noble truths assure us that we can put a stop to suffering, and that there is a way to the cessation of suffering. We can clear away the fog; we can see clearly. But we must understand what it is that we’ve been doing that has not made us happy, and we need to find a practical strategy to reduce and eventually eliminate suffering.

We can speculate about ‘ultimate’ truths all we want, but unless we can solve the problem of suffering, what good will it do us? We can convince ourselves that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is ours. But until we remove the causes of suffering and put in place the causes of happiness, it will all be in vain.

We need to avoid harming ourselves and others. We need to contribute to our own and others’ wellbeing. And we need to train the mind, so that it will not continue to lead us into suffering. Once we make this determination, the path starts to open up in front of us. There are no secrets. We need only step forward.

I bow to the Lord of Compassion!

If I fail to observe my commitments, I betray my own purpose.

If I make a show of my high view, I cultivate conceit.

If I become one-sided, I fall into extremes.

Bless me to remain scrupulous, discreet, and impartial!

Like wholesome fruit, my practice ripens gradually and quietly.

Like a lone mendicant, progress arrives without trumpet and drum.

Bless me to remain natural!

Yaks do not fly, and ravens do not till the soil.

It is pointless and callous to comment on the obvious.

Bless me to understand the common and uncommon appropriations!

The impurities of others become mine when I see them;

revealing them to others puts mine on public view.

Bless me to wash my face before mocking the mirror!

If I free myself of the grosser defilements,

the lesser will spontaneously subside.

Bless me to meet fascination with mindfulness,

hatred with patience, dullness with study,

malice with gladness, and arrogance with modesty!

Attracting followers, subduing enemies,

fame and reward, respect and comfort,

are vain and selfish aims.

Hope of success is fear of failure.

Bless me to give up hope!

All I think, speak, and do

is tainted with self grasping and self cherishing.

If I do not give up these two,

even my cultivation will be a cause of suffering.

Bless me to give up me and mine!

Mind Training 22- 28: Basic Commitments

Always abide by three basic principles.

Change your attitude, but remain natural.

Don’t contemplate others’ defects.

Don’t contemplate others’ weaknesses.

Work with your greatest defilements first.

Abandon any hope of fruition.

 Abandon poisonous food.

What you would do if you only had

10 more years to live?

1 more year to live?

1 more month to live?

1 more day to live?

1 more hour to live?

1 more minute to live? 

Would your priorities change?

thinking they are harmless,

because even a small spark

can set fire to a mountain of hay.

Do not disregard small positive acts,

thinking they are without benefit,

because even tiny drops of water

will eventually fill a large container.

—Buddha Shakyamuni, Sutra of the Wise and Foolish

I bow to the Lord of Compassion!

Without faith in the Teacher, I have no guide.

Without faith in the Buddha, I have no shelter.

Without faith in the Dharma, I have no path.

Without faith in the Sangha, I have no support.

Without faith in the Promise, I have no assurance of victory.

When faith is undefiled, the mind is pure.

Obliterating pride, it is the root of reverence,

and the foremost possession in the treasury of Dharma*.

Bless me to have the faith that is clear wisdom!

If I do not practice with constancy and fervor,

my formations will bind me to the cycle of suffering.

If I do not recite the Name with eagerness and gratitude,

I will die in anxiety and oppressed by regret.

Bless me to cultivate the effort that avoids, the one that overcomes,

the effort that develops, and the one that sustains!

If I do not remember the instructions of my Teachers,

I will stumble and fall on the path of perfection.

If I do not recall the mind of renunciation,

I will fall in the pit of delusion and sorrow.

Bless me to keep in mind the ground, the path, and the result!

If I scatter my thoughts, the arrow of my bow will miss its target.

If I squander my time in secondary practices, death will find me unsettled.

Bless me to live with the mind of enlightenment and die with the Holy Name!

If I live with the view of existence, I will collect shadows.

If I die with the view of non-existence, I will stumble in darkness.

Bless me to know the emptiness of the dependent

and the unhindered plenitude of Natural Perfection!

As the wheel follows the ox that pulls the cart,

all my thoughts, words, and deeds have consequences.

Bless me to keep my view as high as a white-tailed eagle’s,

and my conduct as careful as a blind man’s on a steep mountain trail!

Mind Training 19 – 21: Life and Death

Conduct is always important.