Home > Buddhism > Three verses of fake humility

tzal.org
POEMS
tzal.org
Three verses of fake humility

It is not due to peerless humbleness
that I forsake spiritual and mundane status.
I forsake it because I stubbornly crave recognition.
It is not the case that I am relaxed in the true nature
and thus strive so inconsistently and am burdened by effort.
I am burdened because I am lazy, and that’s just a shame.
It is not that I am well versed in excuses,
but I do understand dharma.
So I can’t deceive myself and others.
Zhigpo Padma Dorje

Prayer upon awakening
On of the tracks of Voice of Tibet, a CD by Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, translated and transliterated for recitation. It is actually the beginning portion of the famous Karma Lingpa cycle's ngondro, which quaint orientalists used to call “Tibetan Book of the Dead”.

Emily Wilson: Translator's Note to The Odyssey
When I was eight years old, my primary school put on a production of a (much-shortened) Odyssey, complete with costumes, song, and dance. The play starred the cute troublemaker in my class as Odysseus, the headmaster of the school as Polyphemus (the one-eyed monster outwitted by his tiny opponents),...

Buddhism, Political Engagement and Human Rights
Recently, some internationally renowned Buddhist teachers have expressed restrictions or criticisms regarding the notion of human rights. While these criticisms are valid and appropriate from a decolonial or geopolitical perspective, as well as within a framework strictly related to personal practice, the risk misinterpretation in the Brazilian context is immense.