8. A Treatise on Water342
Gungthang Tenpai Drönmé
1 May the ocean of the Buddha’s teaching be triumphant!
Its depth of knowledge is beyond comprehension,
it is filled with wish-fulfilling jewels of compassion,
and it has successive undulating waves of supreme deeds.
2 Clear, untainted streams of water
ease the suffering thirst of creatures.
Likewise the nectar of fresh wise sayings
gives relief to people who are intelligent.
3 Pure water infused with perfume
is good however you use it: drinking,
bathing feet, sprinkling for purification, and so on.
Similarly, wise sayings please everyone.
4 Those who know the ethics of the two norms
accomplish their immediate and final objectives.
Similarly, captains who venture across the seas
are masters of everything requiring observation.
5 How can someone who cannot cross a small river
possibly swim across the ocean?
If you are ignorant of the norms of civility
how can you understand the truth of the Dharma?
6 Someone who is impartial and wise
picks up the good qualities of others.
A clean brook in a grassy meadow
gurgles along collecting flowers.
7 Even if evil people travel far and wide,
they collect only imperfect things.
Water flowing through eroded ravines
is tainted by the mud it drags along. [334]
8 Knowledge is difficult to master at first,
and if you are not attentive it easily declines.
It is hard to fill a vessel one drop at a time,
but when it spills it is all lost instantly.
9 If you can bear the burden of hardship,
nothing you undertake poses any difficulty.
Rain does not cause any additional problems
for someone who is already in the water.
10 Anything can be accomplished if you work gradually
and continuously strive without giving up.
Slowly but surely a flowing river
circles vast areas and moves on.
11 Large tasks are accomplished over time;
impatient efforts do not get you to the end.
A river flows slowly but goes great distances;
waves may be powerful but do not go far.
12 Even if others urge you to engage in a task,
if it is beyond your capacity it is not right to do it.
Why would someone who does not know how to swim
jump into the water even if others exhort him?
13 Water is for everyone to drink;
the sun and moon shine their lights for all;
the excellent ones are crown jewels for everyone;
the sublime Dharma is nectar shared by all.
14 A ship with large sails is the ocean’s ornament;
a cloud-free moon is the sky’s ornament;
a learned person is the teaching’s ornament;
a heroic leader is an army’s ornament.
15 Rulers and subjects with principled behavior
mutually promote each other’s well-being.
The great ocean and rivers
come to assist each other in turn.
16 Evil masters and bad servants
cause each other to degenerate.
If you pour water into an unfired pot
both will be spoiled and ruined. [335]
17 Many clever, conceited, and powerful men
will wreck a realm’s ruling council.
It is impossible for a house to be stable
on land that is waterlogged on all sides.
18 When a ruler and the populace are in harmony,
it is hard for foes to defeat them, but not if they are disunited.
Horses may find it difficult to ford a river,
but even sheep can cross one branched into many streams.
19 Although righteous kings collect taxes,
the revenue is for the care of the populace.
Huge clouds draw water from the great ocean
and with gentle rainfall sustain the earth.
20 A bad ruler seizes all the food and wealth of his subjects,
and yet he feels destitute and hungers for more.
The mare’s mouth—an undersea volcano—
drinks in ocean water and is constantly ablaze.
21 You may constantly honor a bad ruler,
but he gets angry if he misses out on a single bribe.
Even if water has been boiling for many days,
it cools as soon as you take it away from the fire.
22 Does anyone enjoy being dependent
on an extremely brutal and arrogant ruler?
Fish and so forth do not dwell
in a very turbulent whirlpool.
23 All beings naturally congregate around
kind people who are able to help them.
All creatures seek to stay close by
the shore of a wish-granting sea.
24 You may obtain glory by associating with powerful men,
but even greater danger may develop from that.
The ocean is the source of precious gems,
but it is also the home of ferocious sea monsters.
25 New friends whom you do not know well
can cause your ruin if you trust them.
Even the bodhisattva, when he was a leader of geese,
was caught in a snare because of certainty about a new lake.343 [336]
26 A dear friend with sensitive ears
is soon driven away by slander.
Water inextricably mixed with milk
can be separated by a swan’s beak.344
27 The wise act after determining what is true or false,
whereas fools run after popular opinion.
The sound of a splash in the water
caused most of the wild animals to flee.345
28 The increase or decrease of someone’s good behavior
determines whether they are virtuous or sinful friends.
Similarly, clear drinks are deemed to be medicinal or poisonous
based on whether they are helpful or harmful.
29 The angry frown of someone who loves you
is better than the bright smiles of evil friends and harlots.
White clouds may signify a drought,
but black rain clouds give life to farmers.
30 An intelligent, good-natured person
is sought after by everyone, whether high or low.
All creatures joyfully approach
a pond that has accessible banks.
31 Even people who have no reason to do so
rise up as enemies of coarse, arrogant people.
The proud and wild Ganges River
enraged Jahnu, so he drank her in one gulp.346
32 If you overconfidently bully the lowly
you will fall into an abyss of wretchedness.
Fish conceited because they swim in water
will die if they are up on dry land.
33 When ill-bred people become a little bit rich
they have as much arrogance as a king.
Small streams passing through narrow gorges
make roaring noises like the ocean’s surf.
34 Unaware of the vast empire,
a provincial fool is self-important.
Haughty about the water in his spring,
the turtle died when he heard of the ocean. [337]
35 Common people are easily pleased,
but even when joyful they are easily shamed.
The headwaters of a small, short stream
can rise or fall in just moments.
36 Even if you lovingly care for coarse people
they are unappreciative and get hostile.
Even if lava is sprinkled with cool water
the molten rock boils even more and stays hot.
37 Even though good people may be maltreated
they are happy because they are calm and forbearing.
Water that has been treated by a mantra for scalding
may seem to be boiling, but when sprinkled is cool.
38 Even if you help shameless people
they will forget it as soon as the action is done.
When people reach the other side of a river
they abandon their boat without a qualm.
39 The actions of just one bad person
can bring a great empire to ruin.
It is said that the jump of a malevolent sage
split the Sita River into a hundred streams.347
40 People who have been misled by rough brutes
will not trust even holy beings.
Geese fooled by the moon’s reflection on water
will not eat lotus roots even during the day.
41 Even if a bad person seems to reform,
when conditions are right their true colors show.
A river’s channel may be altered,
but when it floods it reverts to its former course.
42 A noble person’s nature does not change
whether they are high or low, rich or poor.
Whether water is cold or hot,
how can it eschew being wet?
43 Unruly people are more easily subdued
by firm insistence rather than advice.
Washing soda works better than plain water
to rinse stains out of your clothing. [338]
44 The flaws and virtues of embodied creatures
are revealed by their external behavior.
Similarly, hovering water fowl signify water,
and from smoke you know there is fire.
45 It is easy to see the flaws and virtues of others
but hard to see your own manner of behavior.
A lake reflects the moon and all the stars in the sky,
but its own depth cannot be seen.
46 Deceitful and hateful actions
may seem expedient but will end in ruin.
Even the course of a meandering river
flows downward, going lower and lower.
47 The birth of a wicked child assures the end of your line;
bad thoughts promise the exhaustion of your merit;
wild, desirous ideas guarantee self-destruction;
too much sediment promises to dry up a spring.
48 A fool may succeed by enduring many hardships,
but someone intelligent will get the credit.
Even if a lotus is grown on a mountain
water gets the credit for growing it.
49 Some men have no knowledge from scriptures or realizations,
but they deceive others by boasting of their sanctity.
The sound of thunder in the clouds is an ominous portent
of a dearth of life-giving seasonal rains.
50 The self-styled omniscient ones of this degenerate era
are duller than ordinary folk when they are learning.
Water from a natural hot spring is already hot
but takes longer to bring to a boil than cold water.
51 An indolent person may be a skillful religious orator,
but his mind is worse than a butcher’s.
A mist that arises in winter
makes the area it envelops even colder.
52 Even if holy beings become destitute
they never act contrary to the Dharma.
Even if birds caught in a rainstorm are thirsty
they will not drink water that is on the ground. [339]
53 Engaging in a wrong means of livelihood conflicts
with a desire to strive to do spiritual practices.
Does irrigating with hot water from a hot spring
help people who want to grow flowers?
54 A great person may have trouble at one time,
but his grandeur will increase in the future.
A lake that is covered by a sheath of ice
will gradually emerge in the spring.
55 People with feeble intelligence and weak determination
may become prosperous, but it quickly vanishes.
A small pond whose inflowing water is cut off
will quickly dry up once again.
56 Lacking wealth but wanting expensive clothes and food;
not knowing the scriptures but assuming the role of a scholar;
not knowing how to swim but going across a lake;
such people knowingly purchase their own misery.
57 The magnitude of your power and intelligence
can never exceed the extent of your merit.
If a small pond exceeds the extent of its basin
its banks will break and it will naturally drain.
58 Before something of great importance occurs,
gather the means and make preparations.
If you have not built dikes beforehand,
it is hard to channel a river overflowing its banks.
59 You ruin yourself and it is not heroic
to daringly plunge into pointless activities.
To do so is to be like the lion who died
because he lunged at his reflection in a well.348
60 Act in a gentle and easygoing manner
even when you wish to subdue your enemy.
Look how herons move stealthily
to catch fish and other creatures.
61 Ill will toward others more fortunate
will destroy your own store of merit.
If you jump into a powerful torrent
you commit suicide but do not hurt the water. [340]
62 Therefore strive to cultivate good qualities
if you want a way to overcome your enemies.
The way to cross a great river
is to build a boat while still on land.
63 If your merit and karma have not degenerated,
enemies alone cannot vanquish you.
If a spring does not dry up on its own,
it cannot be stopped even if buried under earth.
64 Wealth and poverty, success and failure, high and low status:
these differences are the result of prior karmic deeds.
From the churning of the great circle of ocean
the strata of peaks, valleys, and other environs were formed.349
65 Very often wise people are poor
and fools are endowed with wealth.
Ponds filled with muddy sediment
teem with frogs, tadpoles, and insects.
66 A hero is one in a hundred;
a wise man is one in a thousand.
Gold comes from Lake Manasrovar’s water;
and jewels come from the great ocean.
67 People who do not have intelligence
may acquire wealth but not know how to use it.
They are like dogs; even if they are thirsty
they lap stream water but do not drink in gulps.
68 Wealth that is not used to help yourself or others
is the same as not having any assets at all.
If an extensive plain has no water,
everyone shuns it, saying, “It is a desert.”
69 Those who wish to increase their possessions
must know how to give a little bit away.
If you draw water from a well its flow increases;
if left alone, the well silts up and becomes dry.
70 Ignorant fools may have tremendous wealth,
but it is nothing but a cause of misery.
Lakes surrounded by golden mountains
are always under cover of gloomy shade. [341]
71 The wealthy must accrue merit;
it is easy to decline when merit decreases.
Even if a tree has extensive branches
it will dry up when deprived of water.
72 Powerful merit and a virtuous mind
are mutual causes for good fortune.
Water increases rain, and rain increases water;
they enhance each other in turn.
73 Whether someone talks a lot or says little,
you know its significance when put into practice.
Whatever the extent of a river’s width,
you will know its depth when you go across it.
74 A master establishes a tradition of good deeds
so it is easy for others to follow in his footsteps.
Once an excellent horse has created a trail
even dogs can follow it along later.
75 Wise people have equanimity toward all others;
desire and hatred fill the eyes of the prejudiced.
It is easy to carry a full vessel
but those half full often wobble.
76 Someone who says whatever comes into his mind
is said to lack credibility and is belittled by all.
Even children can go across
a stream that babbles along.
77 Everyone should deal carefully with people
who smile, say little, but cut to the quick.
It is difficult to assess the depth of a river
that is in full and silent flow.
78 Dispel evil thoughts as quickly
as lines drawn on water disappear.
Virtuous promises should be held
as firmly as if carved in stone.
79 When your intent is good
worldly actions become the practice of Dharma.
Water drawn up an aqueduct by a waterwheel
can reach the peak of a high mountain. [341]
80 If the Three Jewels and karma are your primary focus
you will accomplish whatever you desire.
When the king of gods makes it rain
the harvest will be marvelous.
81 We have now reached the end of the chapter
of worldly norms, wandering through Brahma’s matted hair.350
In order to wash away the stains of the two obscurations,
I will guide you along the path of holy Dharma.
82 The best of the seven varieties of water
is water from snow on mountain peaks.
Likewise, the unmistaken, faultless Dharma
must come from the speech of the Conqueror.
83 Complete and error-free instructions
that are organized as three successive paths
of vast and profound practices come from him.
This is refreshing water offered to the fortunate.
84 Nevertheless, when it degenerated over time
the guru Mañjuśrī illuminated it,
just as Viṣṇu in the form of a fish drew forth
the four Vedas that were submerged in the ocean.351
85 Who would enter a counterfeit path
when they encounter teachings like this?
Who would dig a well for brackish water
right next to the heavenly River Ganges?
86 Unfortunate people with little intelligence
are duped by claims of profundity and go wrong.
Animals confused by a mirage of water
experience pointless suffering.
87 To enter the path of the Dharma,
you first rely on a spiritual friend.
The first task of those wishing to cross the sea
is to seek out a skilled sea captain.
88 Your guru is the root of all good things:
both mundane and supramundane.
All the vegetation and grain in the world
stem from the kindness of Lake Manasarovar’s nāgas.352 [343]
89 You become a suitable vessel for the holy Dharma
by eliminating pride and pacifying yourself.
Rivers do not stay on high ground,
they meander through valleys below.
90 You may not understand all the Dharma at once,
but whatever you do understand will be useful.
Even though you do not drink up a whole river,
whatever you drink will slake your thirst.
91 If you do not put your vast learning into practice
it will not benefit your mind.
Although a rock may be in water for a hundred years,
the essential nature of stone remains dry.
92 A float is used in the process of learning to swim:
first held always, then sometimes, and then never.
Study, contemplation, and meditation are taught
as the three ways to rely on words and concepts.
93 Now that you have found the ship of human existence,
rely on the sails of study, contemplation, and meditation
to cross over the ocean of cyclic existence.
It will be difficult to find such a boat again.
94 There are infinite doors to birth in the six realms,
but a life with all eight types of leisure is very rare.353
Countless rivers may flow downstream,
but a mere few have eight special qualities.354
95 From the very moment of your birth
you approach the death lord’s jaws without pause.
Rivers flow down to the sea,
never reversing even for an instant.
96 How can you expect to prosper and live happily
while in the grip of the demon of impermanence?
There is no chance at all for happiness
when you are caught in the jaws of a sea monster.
97 Resolutely stop mundane activities;
they never end no matter how you try.
One water ripple pushes and another one follows;
they never cease no matter how many go by. [344]
98 You may be very intelligent, strong, and skillful,
but time’s messenger binds you against your will.
The dancing waves of a great body of water
are trapped below ice during the winter.
99 Negative physical, verbal, and mental behavior
will definitely result in a bad future rebirth.
Water falling from a mountain basin
continuously tumbles and surges off cliffs.
100 Then for hundreds and millions of years
you will roast and burn, but cannot die.
Continuous rain falling on volcanic magma
will boil for eons on end.
101 The refuge that saves you from that fearsome fate
is none other than the unerring Three Precious Jewels.
Surely someone swept away by a river
can be rescued only by a boatman.
102 The blessings of the Three Jewels are limitless,
but how can they protect you if you have no faith?
Although the ocean is vast, it cannot slake
the thirst of little birds sheltering from rain.
103 Do not rely on an ordinary person
who has not gotten across the swamp of samsara.
If you grab on to someone being swept away
by a river, both of you will drown.
104 It is important when relying on the precious Three Jewels
to strive to act in accord with the laws of karma.
If you trust the ship captain but do not get in the boat,
how can he ferry you across?
105 All the joy and sorrow experienced in the world
arises unerringly from the previous karma of beings.
It is taught that a bowl of water appears differently
to each of the four classes of migrating beings.355
106 Little acts of virtue and nonvirtue
add up to pervade your mind.
A boundless ocean circle is formed
by gathering together drops of rain water. [345]
107 Something may temporarily appear to be virtuous
but is often corrupted by motivation or dedication.
The supremely sweet water of the Ganges River
becomes bitter when it merges with the ocean.
108 Those blinded by the darkness of ignorance
and bound by the snares of karma
are swept away by torrents of desire,
moving through oceans of unbearable rebirths.
109 The salt water of desire is never satiating
no matter how much of it you drink.
So, like what a swan feels about a frozen lake,
feel disgust for samsara and resolve to become free.
110 You will journey to the land of liberation
by taking the ship of the three trainings
that liberates you from samsaric misery—
an ocean filled with the sea monsters of karma and afflictions.
111 In particular, the commitments of ethical discipline
should never be soiled by the stains of downfalls and infractions.
Always protect your vows with stable mindfulness,
just as the ocean is never compatible with corpses.
112 However, it is unworthy to work for your own aims
and forsake all living beings, your aged mothers.
Abandoning friends and relatives on a desert island
is not proper conduct for a ship captain.
113 The reflection of the moon in water has three qualities:
being on the water, unsteadiness, and unreality.
Likewise the three types of compassion for living beings
constitute the living core of the Mahayana path.356
114 The virtues held by the altruistic awakening mind
are inexhaustible and become the cause of great enlightenment.
Rose apples that fall into Lake Manasarovar
come to have the characteristics of pure gold.
115 Although a bodhisattva’s actions are limitless,
they can be categorized as the six perfections.
Similarly, hundreds of streams flowing from mountains
merge into a single river down below. [346]
116 Bodhisattvas engage in superb generosity,
giving all their possessions along with that merit.
Rainfall nourishes all plants, protecting them
without any expectation of a return.
117 Pure ethical conduct removes all the impurities
of the moral downfalls and infractions.
Sand mixed with a ketaka gem357
cleanses the impurity of polluted water.
118 Anger is what incinerates all your merit;
patience is what will destroy that enemy.
Water is the corrective that destroys
the tongues of flame of an all-consuming blaze.
119 There is nothing that cannot be accomplished
if you do not cease consistently persevering.
We can see that mountain crags are eroded
by the constant dripping of droplets of water.
120 All good qualities shine in the clarity of concentration
free of the faults of lassitude and excitement.
Everything is plainly reflected by a clear lake
that is like a mirror of polished lapis lazuli.
121 All the suffering of samsara is cleared away
by meditating on the emptiness of all things.
Because the sage Agastya assessed all the rivers
by sipping them, they all became nectar.358
122 The vast ocean of Nāgārjuna’s insight
robbed the realists of their self-confidence.
The awesome, dark ocean terrifies the childish
with its unfathomable depth and breadth.
123 To investigate profound ultimate reality
you must first identify the object of refutation.
To retrieve precious gems from the ocean
it is important to know what dangers there are.
124 In confusion you imagine “I am”
on the basis of designation—the group of aggregates.
A river may seem to have always been a torrent,
but it is just a collection of many small streams. [347]
125 When you logically analyze a referent object
you find nothing has any substantive existence.
When a stream is diverted into hundreds of canals
not even a droplet remains left behind.
126 Everything that was taught by the Teacher
leads to emptiness and dependent origination.
All the rivers on the vast earth
flow to and converge in the great ocean.
127 Bodhisattvas who have matured their own minds
care for disciples with the four ways of gathering.359
A captain experienced in traversing the ocean
leads others so that they too can obtain wealth.
128 Although the causal vehicle is a lengthy process,
you progress quickly with the methods of secret mantra.
A huge boat is difficult to draw across the land,
but when in the ocean it moves swiftly.
129 The secret mantra well taught by Vajrapāni
has powers that cannot be conceived of.
Just by uttering the invocation “Mother Ārti”
you can summon the water of the heavens.360
130 Union is the abode of the nāga king
amid the vast ocean of the Vajrayāna.
The stairway of the precious four empowerments
is a set of convenient steps leading to its portal.
131 Nevertheless it is the vows and commitments
that are the foundation of the two types of attainment.
If an ocean completely dries up,
where can a series of waves originate?
132 A yogi who has realized suchness
may enjoy sensuality but has no attachment.
Fish move in the depths of the ocean,
but the water does not drown them.
133 The faulty mental afflictions, desire and so forth,
are destroyed by taking the afflictions into the path.
Water removes water that has gotten into your ear;
the pain of something burned is alleviated by fire. [348]
134 The subtle and coarse generation-stage practices
purify life, death, and the intermediate state.
Similarly, the water offering of Bhagīratha361
washed away all the poisonous pollutants.
135 The conate great bliss of the four joys
intensifies the gnosis of the four emptinesses.
The continuous flow of the four rivers
makes the undersea volcano, Aśvamukha, blaze.
136 From the subtle innate mind and prāṇa
the body manifests like an illusion,
just as bubbles rise in pure water
and clouds appear in the clear sky.
137 Just as a reflection of the moon appears
in the dewdrops on every blade of grass,
every successive simile can exemplify
all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana.
138 Good worldly behavior up through
the stages of the paths of sutra and tantra
have been exemplified by a single analogy:
this is an ocean that transforms into good advice.
139 In the lake of the sambhoga-cakra
a swan with a melodious voice plays;
from her mouth come waves of wise sayings
roiling and moving in every possible way.
140 The new moon of wise sayings born from the lake of my thoughts
purges the darkness of worldly ignorance, and its cooling touch relieves heartache.
May its virtue spread a lovely cloth of white light through the three realms,
increasing the reservoir of teachings and the good deeds and thoughts of beings.
Previously, to help plant good propensities in my own mind, I had written various treatises that might be counted among the works on sutra and tantra appropriate for our time. However, my Treatise of Trees spread widely, and it appeared to have attracted the esteem of many people. [149] Thus the Mongolian religious official Kalsang Dargyé, who comes from Barön Sunyi, is praiseworthy, and wears a garland of many good qualities, said that it would be wonderful if I could write a commentary on that treatise. After being urged again and again, as I began to write I realized the following: when it comes to the chapter on Dharma, there is no need write something separate from what is found in the Stages of the Path (lamrim) texts; and as for the rest, the text had been written in an easy language with analogies easily comprehensible by both the learned and the ignorant. So there seemed nothing that required further elucidation. If, however, an explanation were to be offered with quotations drawn from suitable sources, such as glorious Nāgārjuna’s three works—A Hundred Stanzas on Wisdom, Staff of Wisdom, and A Drop to Nourish a Person—the Chāṇakya Treatise on Kingship, Masūrākśa’s Treatise on Norms, Sūryagupta’s Treasury of Verse, Vararuci’s Hundred Stanzas, Kamalagupta’s Vimala’s Questions and Answers, the Sakya Wise Sayings (Jewel Treasury), as well as other sources like epistles and advice, such a work will be extremely heavy with words. So here I expanded a bit using the analogy of water that makes trees grow in order to supplement parts of A Treatise on Trees, thus making that text more complete. There the chapter on the Dharma is presented first, since the text is organized by hierarchy and importance. Here I wrote as a meaning commentary, so the text is arranged as steps proceeding upward and is organized sequentially.
This text, A Treatise on Water: A Hundred Waves of Wise Sayings on the Two Norms, was composed by the monk Könchok Tenpai Drönmé at the retreat site of Yiga Chözin. Bhikṣu Ratna Ānanda, who has the wisdom-eye to see the scriptures, acted as the scribe. May this work be the cause that illuminates the entry to virtuous activity for all living beings.