The Lament That Teaches the Impermanence of Life-the Melodious Sound of a Waterfall

By Dharma King Jigme Phuntsok

1. The creator of the emanative, convergent and vast mandala of all deities, the unsurpassable kind Dharma King Mipham Rinpoche, please abide the wonderful disc of the lotus flower in my heart and spontaneously sing songs of impermanence.

2. On the green grassland in summer, grass flourishes and flowers blossom; it is as pleasant as a fairy land, but once it is devastated by the wind, frost, rains and snow in winter, a great feeling of distress is enhanced by the bleak and desolate scene.

3. In the colorful and gorgeous garden, the diligent and lovely bees view each other to sing euphonic songs. Although people all wish the wonderful time of happily frolicking and romantically chasing could last forever, how will they ward off the force of the karmic effects from previous lives?

4. In the exuberant forest, cuckoos chirp and sing joyfully; their silvery and euphonic sound appeals to all; what a wonderful offering! However, with early fall approaching, if one recalls this, what a supreme teacher it is demonstrating the impermanence of life!

5. Through the drizzle, a colorful and dazzling rainbow arches in the sky ornamented with white clouds, how fluffy and elegant! Transitorily, it disappears without traces of having been there at all. If contemplating carefully, you will find it is a vivid and living vision of impermanence.

6. In the fall, white clouds intimately piling up, just like the continuously rolling snow-covered mountain peaks. Instantly, they disappear in the sky without a bit trace. Aren’t all of these metaphors for people with renunciation that, “All the glory and happiness in this life are drifting and unreliable?”

7. The stout and vast cosmos of the three-thousand fold universes will be completely destroyed by the disasters of fire, water and wind, so the palaces, gardens and walls built up by humble human beings are more difficult to preserve and more unreliable.

8. Even those gods and risis, who can live longer than an eon, have clairvoyance and live on the joy of meditative concentration, cannot escape and have no freedom when facing Yama and their enemies. It is a completely wrong and malicious thought to believe one is able to avoid death.

9. In the past, there were few so-called “universal monarchs” who have reined the four great continents, and have the power to call hundreds into action, but now what they left for the posterity is just the memory of their prestige in their splendid time. Thus, it is also impossible for our own weak bodies to be of essential meaning.

10. Tathagatas and Bodhisattvas who perfected all the purification of obscuration and attainment of realization had been as immeasurable as the stars in the sky. However, in order to reveal impermanence they successively manifested entering paranirvana. All these phenomena clearly demonstrated the principle of impermanence.

11. In the jewel topped Samye great temple which is acclaimed as a pure land, when recalling the vivid scenes of the Venerable Three, the Masters and the King, I could not help being jubilant and overjoyed. However, when thoughts came back to reality, how could I help myself from being melancholy and heartbroken.

12. Without proper listening and reflecting on the pure supreme sutras and shastras which can withstand the examination by the three ways, it is impossible to cut off the root of samsara by only acting in accordance with one’s own thinking and conjecture. On the contrary, one will get married, have children, and have lots of family members, get old and weak; and at the time of death, the old monk is bound to take rebirth again and transmigrate to the lower realms for having not practiced virtue.

13. If one does not diligently study and practice the trilogy of the sutra, magic and mind — the Sutra of Condensed Meaning (Sutra), the Magical Net (Magic) and the Eighteen Mother-Son Tantras (Mind); but only treats formality, such as playing a drum, blowing a Chinese flute and other performance, as the profound meaning of the Dharma; insatiably and unscrupulously consuming the properties offered by believers; when death arrives, all sorts of one’s past non-virtuous actions will be unveiled.

14. Smart and eloquent young monks in monasteries! You wholeheartedly cling to the fame in teaching and debating, but when the time comes for you to get the Geshe title, your hair will be as white as conches. All the worldly happiness you enjoy cannot escape the fate of the transient blooming of udumbara trees.

15. Ostensible practitioners, who neglect the merit of the path of practice, such as discipline, concentration and wisdom, but single-mindedly seek benefit of present life! You cannot reach your goal even when death arrives and the strict law of Yama does not allow exception or postponement!

16. White-haired and senile old men! You are still planning for your years’ life blueprint without noticing your age as if unaware you are just like an exhausting butter lamp; the journey of this life is about to end. Don’t you think it is time to prepare some money for the journey in the intermediate state after death?

17. Young men and women imbued with vitality and in the prime of life! You are proud of your flying bloom and have never had a shadow of death in your mind, but nobody knows when death is coming. When the messengers of Yama arrive and bind your neck, you will feel it too late to repent.

18. Pubescent boys and girls who find one another so congenial and have a complete meeting of minds! You confided to each other endless sugarplums under the rose, made solemn pledge of eternal love, dreamed the mirage of being lifelong companions and never being separated, but no matter what, your lifespan could not be predicated by anyone.

19. Those who were wealthy, noble and with a perfect fortune in past years have already become miserable paupers. When these scenes are clearly reflected on the mirror of mind, how could one not feel lamentable and weary of all contaminated phenomena?

20. Your thirty-some white teeth have already fallen here and there. The wrinkles covering your body are just like interlaced spiral mountain trails. All the scenes from blooming to senile are quietly warning: your death is coming soon! If you are still confused and muddling, how can that be different from yaks?

21. After the coming spring and fall pass, at the same time next year, countless people would have run into their death. Who can guarantee you will not absolutely be one of them? Therefore, next life is actually not far away!

22. After a hundred years, none of the people on the earth right now will still remain. All lives are doomed to die. In this transitory dream-like deluded appearance, what is the significance to pursue the benefit of present life?

23. Most good friends in the same age as me are now drifting in other lands, unsettled. Many lives have already fallen into the darkness of the intermediate state. How could it be possible for me to exist in this world alone?

24. When the all-conquering messengers of Yama arrive, even if hiding oneself in an indestructible and seamless castle, guarded by ten thousand armored and armed soldiers, one still cannot stay in this world for just another moment.

25. Even if your wealth and jewels could cover the entire three realms, the messengers of Yama would not accept your bribe. Even Brahma and Indra who reign over the three thousand-fold universes could not come up with a way to escape death.

26. Even if you look as charming and pleasant as a rainbow at the edge of the sky, however voluptuous and curvaceous, and are good at all sorts of skills for cajolement, flirtation and enticement, nevertheless, not even a hair of the deathful army of Yama will be wavered by your trick.

27. After seeing many people, whether sick or healthy, have died successively, one should get down to carefully think and contemplate in this way: all of these are the alarm bell and spur for the certainty of my own death, so I must turn all my attention onto the great path of diligent practice for liberation.

28. The great chiefs and officials who reign over thousands and hundreds families of many tribes! When death arrives, you have no freedom of taking a bite of food with you, let alone taking a subordinate away. Only the authentic supreme Dharma is absolutely beneficial at that time, so please do not postpone again and again and let the time wasted.

29. When the suffering of the complete ceasing of every phenomenon in this life resulting from karma appears, no matter how many relatives, friends and companions you have, none of them can share a bit with you. Even if you cry till tears cover all of your cheeks, it brings neither change nor help at all. Do not resign yourself to death, but devote yourself from now on to practicing the Dharma that is beneficial at death!

30. Through careful contemplation, you will find all phenomena of the outer material world and the inner sentient world are textbooks demonstrating the impermanence of life. Infinite sentiments have naturally radiated from my heart, but here, I only present this piece of cloud-like Dharma song to you, my dear confidant!

31. Dear friends in the same camp! Make sure to listen to it repeatedly: everything in samsara is unreliable. In order to attain the everlasting, undefiled perfect fortune of great bliss, you should, from now on, put on the armor for diligently practicing Dharma wholeheartedly!

32. From now on til the end of space, may I be able to unwaveringly pay homage to the Protector – Guru Manjushri; at the same time, teach sentient beings the profound Dharma and obtain the same wisdom and mind strength as that of Warrior Manjushri!

The above thirty two verses, which is a wonderful number, are sincere feelings naturally radiated from my heart. My good friend Otse Yana’s repeated request was the favorable condition and the strong mind of renunciation toward impermanence in my mind was the inner cause. Ngawang Lodro Tsungmed composed this on the 27th day of the first month of 1964. May it be auspicious!