Objection: Though self-torment is of no benefit, nevertheless it cannot be dispensed with if one is to have a relationship with the surviving relatives Answer: Through the force of their actions ordinary beings become men and women and continue to wander, full, as it were, of suffering Why fill with more fresh suffering beings who already suffer of their own accord? It is like rubbing salt into a wound Since there is not the slightest use in having relationships with them, put effort into the means of freeing yourself from cyclic existence It is like the following analogy: There were two brothers whose father had died in the presence of one and whose mother had died in the presence of the other When they met they made each other miserable, which was not of the slightest use Objection: Though parting causes suffering, being with one's family causes happiness Therefore attachment is reasonable Answer: It is not If meeting is a source of joy to you, why would it not be appropriate for you to consider parting also as a source of joy? It should be, for not meeting and parting both seem to go together? They only ever go together Understand that it is like the following analogies: Mistress Black Nose follows Lady Luck Though poisonous food may bring a little pleasure, in the end it produces suffering A man went to propitiate his tutelary deity and prayed for good luck He received a promise That night Lady Luck followed by Mistress Black Nose entered his home The man asked Lady Luck, "Who is this?" She replied that it was Mistress Black Nose He protested that he had received no promise regarding her Lady Luck answered, "Wherever I am, she inevitably is too." Similarly, wherever there is meeting, there is also parting Anyone who eats poisonous food will undoubtedly die or experience mortal suffering Similarly, all the pleasures of meeting are connected with the suffering of parting Objection: The suffering of separation can be discounted, for though an eventual parting is certain, the time spent as friends is long Answer: The periods of separation are not short, nor are those of being together long When beings in cyclic existence have a beginningless past and an endless future, why you notice the very short periods of being together but not notice the separations, although they are long? Why are you not depressed by them? Whoever is attached to such brief periods of being together should be depressed by the long separations Someone who had been living abroad, and whose wife had become another man's partner, began to suffer as soon as he reached home It is just as unreasonable when ordinary people who not grieve over lengthy separations grieve over brief ones A man who had gone to another country and lived abroad left behind a wife who became another man's partner When the man came back he heard about it from people living near his village, but nevertheless went to the seducer's house He suffered from the pangs of separation that arose then and there, though he had not suffered because of the preceding separation He even got involved in a dispute about it.34 Objection: Though separations are long, the suffering of separation vanishes when the mind is distracted by the marvels of the different seasons, such as the flowers blooming in spring and the bright autumn moon Answer: Since time, consisting of instants, moments, brief spans and so forth which gradually add up, consumes the moments of your life, it is certainly like an enemy which robs you of life For that reason not be attached to that which is your enemy An old servant, made to suffer continually by her mistress, was attached to her and did not complain Ordinary people who are attached to the different seasons in spite of the heat, cold and so forth are just like this Objection: Though what has been said is reasonable, separating from one's family is hard, and fearing that, one cannot go off to the forest Answer: Fool, if you not definitely leave family life behind to live in seclusion because of your fear of separation from family and friends, the Lord of Death will certainly separate you from your family and friends Therefore who that is wise about what must be adopted and discarded does what must be done in any case because of being forced definitely to it by Death's punishment? Go off to the forest therefore, before Death threatens you with punishment, and make effort to attain liberation Do not act like villagers who would not pay the taxes they definitely had to pay until they were made to suffer Objection: Though one must certainly leave one's relations, nevertheless only after bringing up one's son and handing over responsibility for the family to him can one definitely go off to the forest Answer: You may think that later you must obviously, that is definitely, go off to the seclusion of the forest once you have done tasks like bringing up your son and so forth, but whatever you must inevitably be left behind What is the value of having done that which does not yield even the slightest desired result? It is right to give it up from the start It is like the following analogies about throwing away a useless stone and discarding a mango covered with dirt after washing it A traveller stopped on his journey and began to file a stone Asked what he was doing with it, he simply said he was filing it down After his companions left him, he had many difficulties without managing to make the stone square Understand that the domestic activities of travellers in cyclic existence are like this.35 Someone picked up a mango that had fallen in the dirt Somebody else asked him, "What will you with that?" "I'll wash it and throw it away," was his answer Likewise, if things must be relinquished, why take such trouble to get them?36 Objection: Though going off to the forest is of greatest importance, fear because of attachment to "I" and "mine" makes one unable to go Answer: If you make effort to meditate on death and impermanence, you will become free from attachment to both "I" and "mine," for it is like this: whoever thinks, "It is uncertain when I'll die, but I will die soon," and has certainty about it, will abandon busyness Having also completely given up attachment to the existence of the self, why would such a person fear even the Lord of Death? Since you will attain liberation through abandoning fear, you will not be afraid to go off into the forest and part from your son It is like the following analogies of wearing a ring to detoxify food and giving up poisonous foods Like wearing a ring on one's hand to detoxify food, the wise maintain awareness of impermanence to destroy disturbing emotions.37 Just as one will enjoy well-being through giving up poisonous foods, one will achieve definite goodness by giving up all attach- ments.38 Although some versions of the text read "certainly has," this does not contradict what has been explained.39 Therefore, as has already been explained, think again and again that, being in Death's power, you are certain to die and that the time of your death is uncertain By establishing a sound basis regarding this, more advanced paths will arise effortlessly Furthermore, according to the Spiritual Friend Bo-dowa,40 since the path to generating insights is blocked until an awareness of death and impermanence has arisen in the mind, continually meditate on coarse and subtle impermanence The summarizing stanza: This concludes the commentary on the first chapter, showing the means to abandon the belief in permanence, from the Essence of Good Explanations, Explanation of the "Four Hundred on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas" COMMENTARY TO CHAPTER I BY GESHE SONAM RINCHEN Unless we remember death, there is no real incentive to practise, because we will not think about future lives nor about the need to ensure our well-being during them Even if we recognize the need to practise, without remembering death we will procrastinate There will be no sense of urgency Though we may actually begin, unless we are mindful of death, what we will not be pure in that it will remain directed primarily towards benefits in this life such as prosperity, good health and longevity While practices may accomplish these things, they are not pure unless, having understood the narrowness and triviality of our normal concern for this life, we maintain a long-term perspective and direct our activities towards the achievement of future wellbeing, liberation and enlightenment Without constant mindfulness of death, even properly directed practices will not be undertaken with sufficient energy to leave a strong and lasting imprint Our practices should not be like writing on water, but should leave an indelible impression, like an engraving on stone The thought of death is sobering and helps us to keep a sense of proportion Without it, we may be tempted to act in an irresponsible and destructive way Though none of us think we will live forever, we act as if certain we will not die today, tomorrow, next month or next year In fact our hopes and plans are based on the assumption that we will live for a long time We plan to secure our ... arisen in the mind, continually meditate on coarse and subtle impermanence The summarizing stanza: This concludes the commentary on the first chapter, showing the means to abandon the belief... Objection: Though separations are long, the suffering of separation vanishes when the mind is distracted by the marvels of the different seasons, such as the flowers blooming in spring and the bright... permanence, from the Essence of Good Explanations, Explanation of the "Four Hundred on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas" COMMENTARY TO CHAPTER I BY GESHE SONAM RINCHEN Unless we remember death, there is