Songs and Poems Series

• Acrostic Song by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A simple song of advice addressed to yogins and yoginīs in acrostic form, meaning that each line begins with the successive letters of the Tibetan alphabet—an effect that is (inadequately) reproduced in the translation.

• A Song for Travelling from Sikkim to Tibet by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Written for a disciple who was about to travel from Sikkim to Tibet, this brief song encapsulates the message of the intermediate and final turnings of the Wheel of Dharma and explains how to practise the indivisibility of emptiness and compassion.

• Khandro's Plea by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

In response to a question from his spiritual consort, Khandro Tsering Chödrön, Jamyang Khyentse explains the essence of the path in just a few lines. (Khandro's question is in the form of an acrostic poem, the opening syllables of its four lines being the first four syllables of the Tibetan alphabet).

• The Blissful Path to Awakening: A Song on the Essence of Definitive Meaning by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A short song of advice on the theme of the 'Three Greats', i.e., Great Middle Way (Madhyamaka), Great Seal (Mahāmudrā) and Great Perfection (Dzogpachenpo).

• The Sound of the Divine Drum: Advice at a Time of Victory by Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok

Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok sang this doha spontaneously in 1996 at a time when various outer, inner and secret obstacles had been overcome. It stresses the importance of meditating on Dzogchen, cultivating bodhicitta, maintaining ethical discipline, and having a positive basic character.

• Many Are the Scholars who Travel Empty-Handed to the Realm of the Dead by Khenpo Chime Rigdzin

A poem warning monk-scholars of the risk of pursuing the path of intellectual study alone at the expense of the kind of deeper practice that brings genuine attainment.

• Divine Music: Words of Encouragement for the Authentic Path by Khenpo Shenga

Said to have been composed some time around 1909 or 1910, this poem expresses the author's appreciation for the Sakya teachings and is intended as an encouragement to fellow disciples (of Loter Wangpo) to pursue their study and practice.

• A Song of Amazement Inspired by Practice Experience by Sera Khandro

This song of amazement originates in a vision that Sera Khandro had while staying in retreat at Nyimalung in Amdo at the age of twenty-nine. The text is her response to the spirits and demons who appeared to her, asking what she was doing.

• Rain of Accomplishments: A Song that Incorporates the Four Mindfulnesses from an Instruction on the View of the Middle Way by Seventh Dalai Lama

This famous song summarizes four forms of mindfulness, which Mañjuśrī taught to Tsongkhapa: 1) mindfulness of the guru; 2) mindfulness of bodhicitta; 3) mindfulness of the body as a divine body; and 4) mindfulness of the view of emptiness.

• Types of Spiritual Song by Khenpo Shenga

A list of the various types of spirtiual song (mgur dbyangs) including dohas based on realization, songs of devotion, and expressions of joy and contentment.

• A Song of Compassion by Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol

The great yogi Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol is, like Milarepa, famous for the songs of realization through which he communicated the teachings. In this song, inspired by the repeated appearance of some beggars at his door, he expresses his compassion for all beings—his very own mothers from previous lives—who are now suffering in saṃsāra's various realms.

• When Remembering My Mother by Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol

Inspired by a thought of his mother, Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol sang these verses to himself, as a reminder of the importance of recognising all beings as one's mother and remembering their kindness.

• A Lamenting Plea for Compassion by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A spontaneous song in which Jamyang Khyentse mourns the passing of Tertön Sogyal Lerab Lingpa (1856–1926) and calls upon him to continue his work through a further incarnation.

• A Song Recalling the Noble Guru’s Kindness by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Composed in 1934, this brief devotional song recalls the kindness of Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso (kaḥ thog si tu chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1880–1925), Jamyang Khyentse's root guru.

• Lament Composed in a State of Deep Sadness by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Composed in 1949, this song of lament is addressed to Jamyang Khyentse's principal guru, Jamyang Loter Wangpo (1847–1914). The song expresses the author's grief and sadness at his own misfortune for having failed to encounter his master in visions or dreams.

• Lightning Bands of Compassion: A Song of Lament for Khenchen Kunzang Palden Tupten Chökyi Drakpa by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Jamyang Khyentse wrote this lamenting prayer in early 1944 as soon as he heard that his teacher, Khenpo Kunzang Palden, had died just a few days earlier in late December 1943.

• Piercing Devotion: A Lament for Lama Sakyapa by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A devotional invocation of the great Sakya patriarch Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158) with a request for his blessings and assistance on the path.

• Tremendous Piercing of the Heart: A Lament Recalling the Guru by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Jamyang Khyentse composed these verses in November 1925 upon learning of the passing of his teacher Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso (1880–1925). The text makes it clear that Katok Situ's death occurred in the ninth month of the Wood Ox year.

• The Spontaneous Sound of Uncontrived Song: A Lament Recalling the Great Guru of Oḍḍiyāna by Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok

A spontaneous song of lamentation composed at Tso Pema, India, in 1990 and later transcribed from an audio recording.

• The Song of the Vajra from the Words of the Buddha

This famous vajra song (rdo rje’i glu), named after its initial syllables "ema kiri", appears in the Tantra of the Union of the Sun and Moon (nyi zla kha sbyor). It consists of a series of arranged syllables which a practitioner should intone melodiously. The individual syllables and their arrangement as a mantra are considered particularly sacred since they are said to have been revealed by the primordial buddha Samantabhadra.

• Song of Experiential Certainty by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A spontaneous song or doha expressing confidence in Dzogchen realization, which Jamyang Khyentse tells us he offered to the guru of his own awareness.

• Song that Arose Spontaneously at Taktse Podrang, Sikkim by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Verses on Dzogchen, which occurred to Jamyang Khyentse spontaneously while he was at Taktse Podrang (stag rtse pho brang) in Sikkim in 1956.

• Spontaneously Written Song of Experience by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Spontaneously composed verses on the uniqueness and profundity of the Dzogchen approach, which centres on the recognition of mind's intrinsic awareness.

• A Song of Advice for Gok Zangden by Khenpo Gangshar

A simple Dzogchen instruction written in verse.

• A Song to Introduce the Unmistaken View of the Great Perfection by Khenpo Gangshar

In this short yet powerful song, Khenpo Gangshar Wangpo points out the unmistaken view of the Great Perfection through a series of pithy instructions, which are rich in imagery and direct in tone.

• Verses to Remove Hindrances and Sustain Realization of the Nature of Mind by Khenpo Gangshar

Gangshar Wangpo tells us that he based these verses—which explain how to eliminate obstacles to practice and sustain realization of mind's essential nature—on scripture, the oral instructions of his guru, and his own experience.

• In This Pure Awareness by Khenpo Shenga

A song of realization expressing the futility of ordinary, contrived practice from the perspective of naturally perfect, pure awareness.

• Aho Ye: Impressions of an Insightful Experience by Lachung Apo

A poem expressing Dzogchen insights that arose to the author spontaneously when inebriated one evening in 1968.

• Five-Verse Doha of Yogic Realization by Mipham Rinpoche

Mipham composed this doha of five four-line verses expressing realization of the supreme yoga towards the end of his life, in 1909.

• Mindfulness: The Mirror of the Mind by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje

With a characteristic blend of bluntness and humility, Nyoshul Khenpo explains the importance of mindfulness (smṛti; dran pa) and exhorts his followers to rely upon it at all times.

• Natural Great Peace by Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje

In this short poem of just five lines, the great Dzogchen master Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche evocatively conveys the healing power of meditation.

• Upon Hearing the Fluted Speech of Kunzang Dechen Tsomo, Queen Mother of Sikkim by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Inspired by the speech of Kunzang Dechen Tsomo (1906–1987), Queen Mother of Sikkim, these verses acknowledge the kindness of past dharma patrons and masters and appeal for nonsectarianism and the flourishing of the teachings.

• Nectar of the Heart: An Experiential Song of Parting from the Four Attachments by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

This experiential song (nyams dbyangs) based on 'Parting from the Four Attachments' (zhen pa bzhi bral) was composed in the cave of Rangjung Dorje, where Mañjuśrī is said to have delivered the original teaching to the Sakya patriarch Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092–1158).

• A Short Song of Practice by Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol

In this short song the famous yogi Shabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol explains the essence of all practices, from the contemplations of the outer preliminaries to the practices of the inner preliminaries, and the main practices of the generation and perfection stages.

• When Flowers Were Ravaged by the Frost by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

When Jamyang Khyentse witnessed the devastating effect of frost upon flowers, he considered this a metaphor for impermanence in a broader sense and composed a poignant song of reflection.

• Verses of Advice for Meditating on Impermanence by Könchok Tenpe Drönme

In this famous poem Könchok Tenpe Drönme offers a powerful and moving contemplation on impermanence and mortality, inspiring the reader to focus on Dharma practice without delay.

• A Yogi’s Song of Happiness: The Melody that Brings Universal Auspiciousness and Fulfilment by Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok

Written in 1999, this short spontaneous song expresses the joy of living the fortunate life of a Dzogchen yogi.

• Drawing Out the Quintessence of the View by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

This brief song expressing the quintessence of the view of Lamdré—the inseparability of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa ('khor 'das dbyer med)—was composed in Darjeeling on 11 June 1958.

• Song of Deathlessness by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

In this short song on the theme of longevity every line of the original Tibetan begins with the syllable 'chi, which means death or mortality.

• The Excellent Path of Definitive Meaning: An Unmistaken Expression of the Definitive Mahāmudrā by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A short song of realisation that succinctly describes the ground, path and fruition of Mahāmudrā.

• A Song of Prayer to Jamyang Loter Wangpo by Khenpo Shenga

Verses in praise of the great Sakya master Jamyang Loter Wangpo (1847–1914), from whom Shenga received a number of major teachings and transmissions.

• Auspicious Dance of Longevity: A Song for Touring the Sacred Sites of Nepal by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

A spontaneous song of joy, composed while on pilgrimage to Nepal in late 1956.

• Upon Arriving at Yangleshö by Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok

Composed at the cave of Yangleshö in Nepal, this spontaneous song praises the power of this sacred site, a place where Guru Padmasambhava once meditated and gained accomplishment, while also attesting to Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok's own poetic mastery and realization.

• Jangphen Namkha Dzong by Milarepa

In this spiritual song (mgur), the great yogi Milarepa praises the qualities of Kyangpen Namkha Dzong or Jangphen Namkha Dzong (rkyang phan nam mkha' rdzong), which he likens to a palace, and explains why it is so conducive to meditative retreat. The place is listed among the six well-known outer 'fortresses' associated with Milarepa.

• Twelve and a Half Crippled Verses by Lama Zhang Tsöndrü Drakpa

Noted for its unusual verse form, this little song (glu chung) by Lama Zhang expresses wonder at encountering the path of Dharma and successfully following it to completion.

• Acrostic Series

• Calling the Guru from Afar

• Literary Theory