Whenever I see beings who are wicked in nature, and overwhelmed by violent negative actions and suffering, I shall hold such rare ones dear, as if I had found a precious treasure.
– Geshe Langri Tangpa
Reflections On ‘The Eight Verses Of Thought Transformation’ (Part 4 of 8):
第四颂：愿惜此宝
秉性邪恶众有情，
恒为猛烈罪苦迫，
见时如遇大宝藏，
愿恒惜此难得宝。
– 朗日塘巴尊者
《修心八颂》
The Fourth Verse: Aspiration [To] Cherish These Treasures
[With] ‘natural’ disposition wicked [and] evil, all [such] sentient beings,
[who are] constantly by violent suffering [from their] misgivings compelled,
when seeing [them], like encountering great hidden treasures,
may [I] constantly cherish these difficult [to] attain treasures.
– Venerable Langri Tangpa
(Eight Verses [For] Cultivation [Of The] Mind)
Notes: As most around us are not with extreme wickedness in thoughts, words and deeds towards themselves and others, those encountered are very rare. They are precious because they offer us great lessons, to learn how to respond to those with the three poisons (of greed, hatred and delusion) that are very intense, without ourselves also succumbing to our three poisons, being affected or ‘infected’ by theirs. This is when all of our ‘three antidotes’ have to be fully activated to help deactivate their poisons and ours.
If such difficult people can be helped, to the extent we attempt to help them, whether we succeed or not, our Bodhisattva path progresses – greater than usual, as they are more challenging, and thus fruitful to help. This also helps our Bodhicitta to be truly all-encompassing in compassion, embracing even the very difficult and unpleasant, who most urgently need our sharing of the ‘three antidotes’ to discover their own Buddha-nature.
See the Fifth Verse next week
Related Articles:
The Eight Verses Of Thought Transformation
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/eight-verses-thought-transformation
Commentary On The Eight Verses Of Thought Transformation
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/commentary-eight-verses-thought-transformation
Mind-training (Lojong) root text by Kadampa Geshe Langri Tangpa (1054–1123)
Translated (in prose form) by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche (1980)
Lightly edited by Ven. Constance Miller (1997)
Retranslated (in verse form from Chinese) with basic notes by editor (2018)
