Though grief in the Ocean of Samsara
Is preached, and its renunciation is urged,
Few people are really convinced
And renounce it with determination.Though knowing that life will ever turn to death,
Few feel uneasy, or think that it will end.
Though their life is blessed with good prospects,
Few can practice abstention for a day.Though the Bliss of Liberation is expounded
And Samsara’s pains are stressed,
Few can really enter the Dharma Gate.Though the profound Pith-Instructions
Of the Whispered Lineage are given without stint, few
Without fail can practice them.Though the teaching of Mahamudra is expounded
And the Pointing-out demonstration is exercised,
Few can really understand the Essence of Mind.To the hermit’s life and the Guru’s wish
One can always aspire, but few
Can put them into practice.The perfect, skillful path of Naropa
May be shown, without concealment,
But those who can really follow it
Are very few. My dear lad,You should follow in my footsteps
If in this life you want to do
Something that is worthwhile.
Milarepa
from the book Buddhist Wisdom: The Path to Enlightenment
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