Proverbs from Buddhist Maha Siddha's

I have a deep love for my Ancestors. They are the Jewels that are worth beyond the price, they are the sun that is shining in the darkness. Maha Siddha is a Sanskrit word. Maha means great and Siddha means someone who has achieved spiritual attainment.

After reading their biography, I have found these precious proverbs, today I would like to share them with the world. Please forgive my weak translation. 

One of the beauties of my Maha Siddha Ancestors

Even though they are the highest of the highest, gods of the gods for me but they always claim to be the lowest of the lowest, they claim themself to be wandering beggars and I respect that a lot.

A small River will always make a big noise but Ocean is always calm. This is the great beauty of their compassion and wisdom. May hearing the names of Maha Siddhas, and Bodhicitta grows in our mind. 

Maha Siddha from Kagyupa school 

Maha Siddha Drukpa Kunley

1. A young woman finds pleasure in love.

A young man finds pleasure in sex. 

An old man finds pleasure in his memoirs.

2. Rich people, tight fists.  An old man, with a tight mind. 

3. Lama without compassion will definitely cheat so don't worship him. 

4. Haven't let go of attachment, what's the point of leaving home town?

5. Don't hurt a woman who follows you her whole life.

6. Don't challenge wisdom with Sakya Pandita and Tsongkhapa.

7. A person who wears Dharma Robes and engages in worldly deeds will dishonor Buddha's Dharma.

8. Women are precious, even the highest teachings of Buddha are known as the Great Mother.

9. Wandering in Samsara, again and again, is a sad thing.

10. Harmonize with all but don't trust all. 

11. If ignoring the Karmic law of cause and effect, even though it looks like Buddhism, take it as non-Buddhism.

12. Like in a young girl's dream, a son was born and the son was dead in the same dream. She was happy when a son was born. She was sad when her son was dead. You should know that all phenomena are just like that. 

13. Your devotion is like closing eyes and joining palms of hands all the time but it's incredible that your devotion is not in the mind, it's so deceitful to cheat Lama.

14. Needs lots of merits, just to acquire the name Lama. 

These are the great proverbs from Maha Siddha Jetsun Drukpa Kunley that I have found in his biography which I have bought in Lhasa.

Maha Siddha Milarepa 

1. If no ashamed is in mind, what's the point of understanding the Buddha Dharma?

2. Milarepa won't make wealth, if Milarepa makes wealth, renouncing worldly life is meaningless. 

3. Whether I live or die, for my faith, I will not regret it.

4. A mind without attachment and hatred is Buddha Dharma Practitioner.

5. Walk slowly and you will reach faster. Stay at the lowest and you will reach the highest.

6. In the biography of Jetsun Milarepa, Gold, and Stone have no difference. 

7. If just picking a name can get enlighten then let me call you 'Buddha.' 

8. Stay alone and you will meet your friend.

9. Although all pleasure and pain are impermanent,  if you can endure such pain, you will get the permanence of happiness. 

10. Is there a thorn in your mat, why can't you seat and practice?

11. I was expecting you to become a practitioner who makes holes in the meditation mat, you are wanting to become a practitioner who makes a hole in the shoes.

12. May all action becomes Buddha Dharma. If all actions won't become Buddha Dharma, practicing compassion is meaningless.

13. Dhamobodhi doesn't want gold, if Yogi Dhamabodhi wants gold, attaining Siddha is meaningless. 

14. Rechungpa doesn't want profit. If Dorje Drakpa wants to gain profit, following Lama is meaningless. 

15. hardship practice can even achieve rareness. 

16. If any thought of eight worldly dharma arises, I will suicide. If any thought of seeking comfort arises, may Dikinis take my life. ( Jetsun Milarepa's commitment when staying at a retreat alone )

Photo: Maha Siddha Jetsun Milarepa

17. In the strict retreat, where there are no humans and dogs, there is a lamp, which is a sign of quick success in spiritual practice.

18. My body looks like a skeleton, even my enemies, when they see me, they will shed tears. 

19. Right now you are rich and famous and it's a good thing but did you ever think, when you die, you have nothing? 

20. If mind and body are attached together, at the time of death, why do the mind and body get separated? If mind and body are separated, when the body gets sick, why the mind is in pain? 

21. If you don't practice Buddha Dharma, saying I understand is deceiving. 

22. Generally, Lay people's devotion is in the mouth, and Yogi's devotion is in the heart. 

23. If you really want to practice Buddha Dharma, instead of cleaning your face, you should start cleaning your mind. 

24. If you really want to practice Buddha Dharma,  you have to take all the good qualities of Samsara as a fault. All the obstacles you get in Samsara as a friend on the path to enlightenment.

25. Constantly thinking about Death will conquer laziness. 

26. If not practicing the orally transmitted instructions from Lama, staying in a retreat place is like making unhappiness for your own. 

27. Like that river, practice Dharma continuously. 

28. If you don't realize that everything is a projection of your own mind, even conquering the world of Brahma has no happiness. 

Maha Siddha Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje

1. Devotion is the root of Buddha's Dharma.

2. Let go of this life, stay at the lowest like a beggar, and take everything above your head. 

Maha Siddha's from Sakyapa School

Maha Siddha Sachen Kunga Nyingpo

Maha Siddha Drakpa Gyaltsen 

Maha Siddha Sakya Pandita

1. If can't stay alone, won't attain Siddhi. 

2. Not following an Authentic Lama, what's the point of leaving the hometown?

3. Not practicing the teachings of Buddha, what's the point of only hearing the teachings? 

4. At the time of death, other than Buddha's Dharma, nothing can help. 

5. I have heard that it's hard to attain a precious human body. I have heard that it's hard to find an Authentic Lama. I have heard that you have to leave everything and go. I have heard that Samsara is suffering. I have heard that Nirvana is happiness. 

6. I am not a person with merits but having attained the human body and Buddha Dharma prevailed on the world, happened at the same time. The moment I left my hometown and I have found an Authentic Lama, happened at the same time.  The moment I saw the sufferings of Sentient Beings and great compassion has arisen from my heart, happened at the same time. 

7. Humans are preparing, preparing, preparing for their whole life, however, didn't prepare for the next life.

8. Seeking your own enlightenment has no meaning when all Sentient Beings are our mothers. Mothers are suffering and it's sad to seek your own happiness. 

9. Intoxicants are the source of losing awareness. Meat is the source of losing compassion. Women are the source of losing reputation. 

10. The main Dharma practice is to let go of worldly deeds, even if you didn't attain Siddhi, there is nothing to regret. 

11. Put your mind on the Buddha Dharma, even if you are born in hell, there is nothing to regret.  

12. Put your whole life on the Buddha Dharma, even if death comes, there is nothing to regret.

13. In order to acquire merit, you have to take the vow, even if your friends are unhappy, there is nothing to regret.

14. You have to make sure to do things that are not regretful, even if others talk bad about you, there is nothing to regret. 

15. If you cling to this life, you are not a Buddha Dharma Practitioner. 

16. If you cling to the three realms, that is not renunciation.

17. If you cling to self-interest, you are not a Bodhisattva. 

18. If grasping arises, it is not the view.

19. Even though they are many stars, the moment the sun comes, they can't shine. Even though they are many scholars, the moment Buddha comes, they can't be known. 

Maha Siddha's from Kadampa and Gelukpa school

Maha Siddha Atisha

Maha Siddha Dromtonpa

Maha Siddha Potowa

Maha Siddha Langri Tangpa

Maha Siddha Tsongkhapa

Maha Siddha Lamrinpa

1. If you are looking for enlightenment from the bottom of your heart, instead of following a scholar without discipline and a vow, you should start following a monk who has taken a vow. 

Instead of following a scholar who talks about Buddha Dharma all the time, you should start following a scholar who practices Buddha Dharma all the time.

Instead of following a scholar who seats or chose higher seats, you should start following a scholar who stays at the lowest. 

Instead of following a scholar with wisdom but no devotion, you should start following a scholar who has strong devotion. 

Not understanding the Buddha Dharma is not the problem, the problem is following a person who does things against the Buddha Dharma.

2. We are born alone, we will die alone, there is no friend in Samsara. 

3. No desire is a monk. No selfishness is a Bodhisattva. No entertainment is a Siddha.

4. Have no hatred for enemies and no attachment to friends.

5. Having deep trust in Karma is more precious than seeing the face of the Yidam Deity. 

6. Whenever Maha Siddha Atisha meets someone, instead of asking how are you? He will always ask, do you have a kind mind today? 

7. Once when Maha Siddha Atisha had a headache and he asked his disciple Maha Siddha Dromtonpa to give him a blessing by putting his hand on Maha Siddha Atisha's head. Later a disciple asked that there was never a disciple giving a blessing to Guru, why Guru asked that of disciple Dromtonpa, after hearing that Maha Siddha Atisha said: Because Dromtonpa has a kind compassionate mind so I have asked for a blessing. This shows that a kind compassionate mind is very precious. 

8. If you don't envy any worldly achievement, you are a Buddha Dharma Practitioner. 

9. It is very important to let go of this life, I say it three times because the key to practicing the Buddha Dharma is right there. 

10. Take the cause and effect as precious as one's own life. 

11. Don't attach to this life, practice Buddha Dharma, there is nothing else need to do.

12. Don't practice Buddha Dharma for fame.

13. Choose the uncomfortable path. 

14. If something happens to you, and you don't like it, then stop doing such things to others.

15. How happy we are to be practicing Buddha Dharma from our mouths, but how much more wonderful it would be if we were practicing Buddha Dharma from the bottom of our hearts.

16. Whenever I see someone, I think of their suffering, and instead of laughing, I feel like crying.

17. Your problem is your path. 

18. In order to become a better spiritual person, you need to become a person first, that is the key.

19. The reason for us to not get liberated and bound to Samsara is the attachment.

20. If you have a kind mind, everything will be kind. If you have an unkind mind, everything will be unkind. Everything is related to your mind so do your best to have a kind mind.

Maha Siddha from Nyingmapa school

Maha Siddha Padmasambhava

Maha Siddha Kandro Yeshe Tsogyal

Maha Siddha Jigme Lingpa 

Maha Siddha Dza Patrul

1. Taking refuge and keeping vows are the root of Buddha Dharma Practice.

2. My realization is higher than the sky but my observance of Karma is finer than grains of flour.

3. The eagle that is flying high in the sky should not forget that it should come down one day to see its shadow.

4. In order to help others, you should first help yourself. 

5. When you realize that Samsara is suffering, you should find an authentic Lama for liberation. When you realize that life is impermanent, you should diligently practice Buddha Dharma.

6. Best offering to Guru is the offering of practicing Buddha Dharma. 

7. May I never be deluded by worldly expectations.

8. Je Padmasambhava, Je Garab Dorje, Je Shiri Sing he, Je Milarepa, Je Rechungpa, and Je Gampopa, all these great Maha Siddha's have attained realization because of dwelling in the cave. 

9. I am the child of white Loin, a Fox cannot wander in the snow. 

10. The root of Vajrayana is the Samaya. (Taking vow)

11. The lowest place is the seat of the Maha Siddha's in the past.

Even though I am a person with no merit, I still rejoice in hearing the names of these great Buddhas and having the merit to read some of their biographies. May bodhicitta arise in the heart of all Sentient Beings.