Kelsang Gyatso - Little Tiger
Ivan M. Granger November 11th, 2009
Little Tiger
by Kelsang Gyatso
English version by Thubten Jinpa and Jas Elsener
The honey bee, a little tiger,
is not addicted to the taste of sugar;
his nature is to extract the juice
from the sweet lotus flower!
Dakinis, above, below, and on earth,
unimpeded by closeness and distance,
will surely extract the blissful essence
when the yogins bound by pledges gather.
The sun, the king of illumination,
is not inflated by self-importance;
by the karma of sentient beings,
it shines resplendent in the sky.
When the sun perfect in skill and wisdom
dawns in the sky of the illuminated mind,
without conceit, you beautify
and crown the beings of all three realms.
The smiling faces of the radiant moon
are not addicted to hide and seek;
by its relations with the sun,
the moon takes waning and waxing forms.
Though my gurus, embodiment of all refuge,
are free of all fluctuation and of faults,
through their flux-ridden karma the disciples perceive
that the guru’s three secrets display all kinds of effulgence.
Constellations of stars adorning the sky
are not competing in a race of speed;
due to the force of energy’s pull,
the twelve planets move clockwise with ease.
Guru, deity, and dakini — my refuge –
though not partial toward the faithful,
unfailingly you appear to guard
those with fortunate karma blessed.
The white clouds hovering above on high
are not so light that they arise from nowhere;
it is the meeting of moisture and heat
that makes the patches of mist in the sky.
Those striving for good karma
are not greedy in self-interest;
by the meeting of good conditions
they become unrivaled as they rise higher.
The clear expanse of the autumn sky
is not engaged in the act of cleansing;
yet being devoid of all obscuration,
its pure vision bejewels the eyes.
The groundless sphere of all phenomena
is not created fresh by a discursive mind;
yet when the face of ever-presence is known,
all concreteness spontaneously fades away.
Rainbows radiating colors freely
are not obsessed by attractive costumes;
by the force of dependent conditions,
they appear distinct and clearly.
This vivid appearance of the external world,
though not a self-projected image,
through the play of fluctuating thought and mind,
appears as paintings of real things.
— from Songs of Spiritual Experience: Tibetan Buddhist Poems of Insight & Awakening, Translated by Thupten Jinpa / Translated by Jas Elsner
/ Photo by chefranden /
…when the face of ever-presence is known,
all concreteness spontaneously fades away.
Love that line!
There is a lot being explored in this wisdom poem…
In so many ways the “vivid appearance of the external world” can become a trap for the distracted mind. Through the intensity of contact we get caught in constant reaction, running after pleasure, running from pain.
But this poem reminds us that such experiences are not inherently ‘real.’ It is not so much that things are unreal; rather, we tend not to see reality directly and, instead, see our own mental reproduction of reality. It is like looking at “paintings of real things” without realizing it.
This vivid appearance of the external world,
though not a self-projected image,
through the play of fluctuating thought and mind,
appears as paintings of real things.
What we call “experience” is really a story we tell ourselves, a story reflexively created by “fluctuating thought and mind” when it reaches out and touches an object that it perceives to be outside of itself. “Experience” is a mental overlay, and not the thing or event itself.
In the truly natural state, the awareness is at rest, perceiving without tension, encountering reality without an overlay of stories, without attraction or repulsion. In that pure awareness, life becomes a flow of events and interaction, not pushed by the self-will of likes and dislikes. We no longer imagine, “I have done this” or “I have experienced that.” We are simply as we are, in our pure state. Actions are done, but we do not do them. Events still occur, but they don’t happen to us, they simply unfold. We are no longer addicted to the “hide and seek” of life experience; its “waning and waxing” is simply its natural flow.
Then we become like the sun, illuminating and beautifying “without conceit.” We are rainbows, not obsessed by our “attractive costumes,” yet beautiful nonetheless. And like the honey bee, the “little tiger”, we are fiercely true to our nature, gathering nectar, not because we are addicted to its sweetness, but because that is what is in our nature to do.
The honey bee, a little tiger,
is not addicted to the taste of sugar;
his nature is to extract the juice
from the sweet lotus flower!
| Kelsang Gyatso |
Kelsang Gyatso was the seventh Dalai Lama.
He was born in Eastern Tibet and immediately showed himself to be a prodigy of deep wisdom and poetic gifts. While still a young boy, he became famous for his ability to spontaneously compose poetic verse. Inspired by a vision of the poet-monk Tsongkhapa, he travelled to central Tibet. He was immediately recognized for his profound spirit, and gave a sermon before thousands — still as a boy.
In 1751 he became the seventh Dalai Lama.
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I will always remember, Ivan, on a visit to Tucson, AZ
a couple of years ago, how “the vivid appearance of the
external world” - of the Sonoran Desert where Tucson is,
suddenly transformed before my eyes. I was sitting in
a taxi going from the Tucson airport to the Ventana Inn and Spa, where there was going to be a a spiritual gathering.
I was admiring the desert landscape, which I always
loved dearly when I lived there for 3 years in “89, 90, and 91, (my husband and I had a home built there, and there
was to me something truly magical about that desert
environment. As I stared out the taxi cab window, and without any warning, the whole landscape changed
any warning, the whole landscape before my eyes.
To me, I had the feeling that my late husband was painting
it to suit his fancy. Everything swirled as though someone
was painting a huge canvas, and things morphed into
swirling colors of pink and gold and lavender. I was
enchanted by it1 I knew my taxi driver didn’t see what
I saw. It only lasted about 2 minutes and then it all
transfered back into the usual Sonoran Desert that I re-
membered so well. I laughed and somehow knew my
husband did have his artistic hand in this whole apparition. love maryann
Ivan, your e-mails seem to me little lights in an otherwise bleak landscape. Always many Thanks
hey,its another lovely journey in the magical world of universe.i think it also talks about those spiritual beings who are amongst us and like all these have a charm of their own.its a pity that we donot recognise these souls.moon,sun,stars are all there, so is a buddha,a nanak, osho and jesus in every era.
Thank you Ivan,
This poem answered questions I had in last nights dreams..Spot-on!
Namely how we make STORIES of events in our minds, and consequently react to them ….
change your mind-change your life is my thought for today.
Reading your pages daily it strengthens my Dharma study.. and introducing me to the music I normally wouldn’t have time or place to discover..very tempting !!
Thank you again
Namaste
Sandra
I love your interpretations- thanks so much for adding those in!
My totem is the Bee. Much can be learned from this little creation called the bee. Working in a colony they support each other and are industrious. All have a role and the hive prospers.
the bee..little creature,makes everything bloom bright.
That is to my mind pretty much a perfect poem.
“This vivid appearance of the external world,
though not a self-projected image,
through the play of fluctuating thought and mind,
appears as paintings of real things.”
Thank you.
thank you so much…
how nice you share these with the people..
with us..
O MY GOD! THIS IS SO AMAZING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS A LOT. YOU KOW..I JUST LOVE THE PRESENT DALAI LAMA. I LOVE HIM FOR HIS AMAZING THOUGHTS,FOR HIS WARMTH,HIS COMPASSION AND OF COURSE HIS SMILE. I LOVE HIM CUZ HE LOVES BUDDHA!!! DALAI LAMA….INSPIRES ME SO MUCH…..THE WAY HE IS WORKING FOR TIBET…GOD..I REALLY WISH TIBET GETS LIBERATION FROM THE CRUEL CHINA! IT RELLY HURTS TO SEE TIBET UNDR CHINA. HURTS A LOT. WEMUST JOIN HONDS FOR TIET S LIBERATION….BECAUSE CHINA REALY DUZNT KNW TO BE WITHIN ITS OWN BOUNDARY. IF WE GUYS DONT DO ANYTHING FOR TIBET…..SO IT MIGHT BE OUR TURN NEXT. ANYWAYS…THANX A LOT FOR THIS POEM..ITS TRULY ENLIGHTENING.