(1) If, after having been born a human being, one gives no
heed to the Holy Doctrine, one resembles a man who
returns empty-handed from a land rich in precious gems;
and this is a grievous failure.
(2) If, after having entered the door of the Holy Order,
one return to the life of the householder, one resembles
a moth plunging into the flame of a lamp; and this is a
grievous failure.
(3) To dwell with a sage and remain in ignorance is to be
like a man dying of thirst on the shore of a lake; and this is
a grievous failure.
(4) To know the moral precepts and not apply them to
the cure of obscuring passions is to be like a diseased man
carrying a bag of medicine which he never uses; and this is
a grievous failure.
(5) To preach religion and not practice it is to be like
a parrot saying a prayer; and this is a grievous failure.
(6) The giving in alms and charity of things obtained by
theft, robbery, or deceit, is like lightning striking the surface
of water; and this is a grievous failure. [1]
[1] According to this simile, lightning in striking water fails of
its true purpose, which is to set afire some inflammable object, even
as does the giving in alms and charity of things dishonestly
acquired.
(7) The offering to the deities of meat obtained by killing
animate beings is like offering a mother the flesh of her own
child; [1] and this is a grievous failure.
[1] All living things are inseparably parts of One Whole, so that
any injury or suffering inflicted upon the microcosm affects the
macrocosm. See {pp. 11 and 90} XXIII (10) [1]. Herein the
Kargyupta Sages prove themselves to be true to the great
compassionate doctrine of ahimsa (or "not hurting"), which is
stressed by Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, and Sufism.
(8) To exercise patience for merely selfish ends rather than
for doing good to others is to be like a cat exercising patience
in order to kill a rat; and this is a grievous failure.
(9) Performing meritorious actions in order merely to
attain fame and praise in this world is like bartering the
mystic
wish-granting gem [1] for a pellet of goat's dung; and
this is a grievous failure.
[1] The wish-granting gem of oriental myth, known in Sanskrit as the
Cintamani, like Aladdin's magic lamp, grants any desire which its
possessor request.
(10) If, after having heard much of the Doctrine, one's
nature still be unattuned, one is like a physician with a
chronic disease; and this is a grievous failure.
(11) To be clever concerning precepts yet ignorant of the
spiritual experiences which come from applying them is to
be like a rich man who has lost the key of his treasury; and
this is a grievous failure.
(12) To attempt to explain to others doctrines which one
has not completely mastered oneself is to be like a blind
man leading the blind; and this is a grievous failure.
(13) To hold the experiences resulting from the first stage
of meditation to be those of the final stage is to be like a
man who mistakes brass for gold; and this is a grievous
failure.
These are The Thirteen Grievous Failures.
