37 Practices of the Victorious Line

By Buddha-child Lightfoot Goodness of Quicksilver, Tibet

Translated by Steven RA Johnson

[copyleft] [all wrongs reversed] [public domain] 

Introductory Praise

PRAISE THE GURU, EYE SEE WORLD! 

Whatever it is You see the all – not come, neither gone –
But doing the deed of utmost diligence for good of living beings.
Most supreme Highness, Protector Eye Who Sees,
I’m ever faithfully praying to you in body, speech, and mind. 

~~~ 

Perfectly Awakened Ones, the source of benefit and ease,
Accomplishing their holy Law gives rise to ever more.
If one is called to know just how to take this source in hand,
Then practice what is taught by Buddha-childs who have taken it in hand!  

37 Practices

       I

Now this ship is won, so hard to win!
    with all its freedoms and its ease
To cross the ocean, this self and other
    cyclic sea!
Now, both day and night,
    without restraint – 

LISTEN, THINK, AND MEDITATE. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       II

Ripples on water, attachment to friends;
Blazing like fire, aversion to foes;
The deep dark of ignorance
    couldn’t care for more or less – 

RENOUNCE ANCESTRAL REALMS. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       III

Avoid unwholesome realms,
    afflictions wane;
Keep absolutely still,
    good deeds elaborate;
Clarifying these vivid wares gives birth to faith in truth – 

LIVE LIKE A HERMIT. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       IV

Each and every friend and loved one parts,
Possessions gained by striving
    must be left behind;
Since this body’s consciousness begone
    like a lodger from an inn – 

SACRIFICE THIS LIFE. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       V

Depending on the group:
    when three poisons spread
And hearing-contemplation-meditation
    becomes just sentiment
Minus unconditional love and compassion, then – 

AVOID BAD FRIENDS. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       VI

If in certain company one’s faults are snuffed
And qualities are on the rise
    just like the waxing moon
Then keep that holy guide as close as one’s own skin – 

HOLD HUM DEAR. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       VII

When worldly gods themselves are bound,
Imprisoned in samsara, then who will be the guard?

If one’s inclined toward refuge in a source that’s not a fraud – 

SEEK IT IN SUBLIMITY. 

Rouse it in the stream of being! 

       VIII

The misery of bad rebirths
    so difficult to bear
Is said to be the fruit of sins by Muni
    (he’s our Sage).
So even when injustice reigns
    with loss of life imposed – 

STAND DOWN. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       IX

Happiness here in these three worlds
    is like a drop of dew on a blade of grass,
So miniscule, it decays as phenomena are wont to do. 

How can such a happiness compare to gaining utmost liberty? – 

PURSUE IT TRULY. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       X

Though they’ve loved since beginningless time
What use is happiness if mothers’ pain in vain? 

The purpose is to liberate the endless stream of beings – 

ROUSE THE SPIRIT. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XI

Without exception: suffering comes
    from want of one’s own happiness;
Complete awakening is born from minding others’ benefit. 

The bottom line: one’s own happiness, others’ pain – 

THE PERFECT BARTER. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XII

Say someone has such a great, grand desire
To plunder private property, and,
    coercing others, do it more!
To Hum: this body, its resource, and
    three times the virtue – 

DEDICATE IT ALL. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XIII

Say someone shows up and cuts off my head
When I was perfectly faultless on my own! 

The power of compassion can hold such grave a sin – 

TAKE IT ON. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XIV

Say someone spreads hate on social media
With ugly words spread far and wide
    across the interwebs. 

Even then, return to them the mind of loving-kind – 

COMMENT, LIKE, AND SHARE. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XV

Say someone in the middle of the commons,
    in a crowd,
Manages to drudge some secret faults,
    proclaim them loud! 

Perceiving Hum same as one’s Spiritual Friend – 

BOW WITH RESPECT. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XVI

Say there’s a loved one, beloved as a child,
Turns out to be none other than an enemy.
Such a Hum is sick, so,
    as a mother, sow – 

OVERFLOW WITH AFFECTION. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XVII

Say some official of equal rank,
    or even lower,
All puffed up with pride starts to bully all around. 

With respect befitting of a Highness or a Priest – 

PLACE HUM ON HIGH. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XVIII

When destitute of life and ever-treated with contempt,
And deathly ill, volatile and mad,
Then, take on the ills of all living beings – 

BE COURAGEOUS. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XIX

When one attains a fame so great
    majority leaders bow
Just like they do to they who’ve won monopolies; 

Then, look to see how worldly wealth is heartless,
    void – 

BE HUMBLE. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XX

One’s own anger, if left unchecked
Proliferates all sorts of outer enemies.
Thus, with acts of loving-kindness,
    compassion’s troops – 

SUBDUE THE TYRANT OF THE MIND. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XXI

The qualities of passion taste
    like salty water, sea,
However much indulged,
    the cravings just get worse. 

Insofar as grasping’s roused by such materiality – 

LET IT BE PURGED. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XXII

Naturally, appearances are one’s own mind
And mind itself is free from constructs and extremes,
Thus, having recognized the marks of dualistic thought,
    this and that – 

MIND THE GAP. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XXIII

Encountering an object of sheer delight
Is like a rainbow in the summer sky. 

No matter how truly this beauty seems,
    appeases me– 

LET GO OF GRASPING. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

       XXIV

Such awful grief to dream one’s closest loved one’s passed;
But it’s all the more exhausting to illusions ever grasp. 

Awaken at the moment of meeting such disharmony – 

SEE IT AS FALLACY. 

Bring it wholly on the path! 

        XXV

If one’s body must be sacrificed
    to win enlightenment
Then what to say of letting go of ordinary things? 

This is not to say that one should wish to be repaid in kind – 

JUST GIVE IT ALL AWAY. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXVI

If one’s own purpose lacks morality
To think of helping others is absurd! 

Do not aspire to politics – 

PROTECT MORALITY. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXVII

The Buddha-child who’s bent
    on virtue and the good
Must accept wrong-doers
    as precious gems. 

With nary a bitterness to any or all – 

PRACTICE PATIENCE. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXVIII

See how the Hearers, Solitary Realizers
    only do it for themselves
With diligence as if the hairs were flaming
    on their heads? 

What of the virtue of Spiritual Heroes?
    whose calling is for each and every being! – 

MANIFEST DILIGENCE. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXIX

Know this: a peaceful mind
    endowed with clear sight
Utterly destroys afflictive states
And totally transcends Four Formless Realms – 

STEADY AS SHE GOES! 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXX

Without wisdom, the other five
    transcendences
Do not bring one to absolute enlightenment. 

Don’t bother with trichotomies,
    just act with skillful means – 

ABIDE IN GNOSIS. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXI

The one who dons some beads & robes
    (& too tattoos)
Yet does not look at own delusion
Negates the law for worldly things,
    think! – 

RELINQUISH SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXII

Afflicted, say one to another Buddha-child
Recounts some faults: Hum becomes a parody.
Naturally, this is best for the person who walks the Great Way – 

SPEAK NO EVIL. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXIII

The rich & famous bicker each among themselves
So listening, thinking, and the point of meditation
    parodies the real thing. 

And in the homes of all the families,
    and donors,
    who too agree – 

ABANDON CLINGING. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXIV

Slinging harsh words brings turmoil
    to others’ minds
And is unbecoming of the conduct
    of Buddha-childs. 

So for others to hear something pleasant for once – 

SAY SOMETHING NICE. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXV

It is so hard to change in the throes of afflictive states! 

The mindful one is smart and armed with antidotes
And strikes at once afflictive states upon their geneses – 

WHACK-A-MOLE. (Whack 'em all!)

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXVI

To sum it up, whatever the path,
    however it’s engaged
The circumstance of one’s own mind
    is what to criticize;
Forever be possessed with smarts and mindfulness – 

FOR ALTRUISM SAKE. 

Begone to the extreme! 

       XXXVII

Strive therefor! for virtues here attained
Dispel the miseries of limitless living beings! 

With gnosis of subject, object, activity clear – 

DEDICATE AWAKENING. 

Begone to the extreme!  

Dedicatory Colopha

This scripture here is based on Buddha’s Word, and Treatises
Of Holy Ones who’ve followed what Hum said.
I have arranged these thirty seven practices
For Buddha-heirs who want to walk the talk. 

~~~ 

These verses are for those who have but small experience
And not for wizened folk who seek out fancy prosodies.
Because these words are based on Scripture and on Sage
The practices are clear and easy to engage. 

~~ 

The great blessings and activities of Buddha-heirs
Are hard for lesser folk like me to comprehend.
And though these verses may be full of contradictory remarks
I supplicate the Holy Ones, that they show patience in their deeds. 

~ 

The little bit of virtue here’s for all the living beings –
For absolute and relative, supreme Awakening!
Without abiding in extremes – in the world or in peace –
I pray to be on par with our Protector Eye Who Sees!

 ~~~§~~~ 

Composed in Year Pig at  the jewel of Quicksilver, for the benefit of self and other, and as an  expression of the scriptural transmission, lineage, and reasoning of  Tsunpa Thogme, Reverend Lightfoot. 

Translator’s Colophon

This translation was accomplished in  the year of Wood Sheep due to the primary condition of refuge granted by my Spiritual Friend, where the Rockies meet the Plains, near the local Safeway, in a garden-level dwelling, in Boulder, Colorado. The  translation was further embellished, and the book ultimately designed  and published via the secondary conditions of tips, and spontaneous gaps  of employment in Boulder’s service industry. Gratitude to Penor Rinpoche, Gyatrul  Rinpoche, and Sangye Khandro for the teachings and translation that is  the little, chatechismal book of source-text and translation called Path  of the Bodhisattva by Vimala Publishing. Its gilded pages were my first  source of study and contemplation of these verses, and the inspiration  for this little book here. Much of the reason herein is thanks to  training in the lineage of scripture and transmission. The rest is from  anarcho-philosophers of the freedom movement.