Timeless Rapture: Inspired Verse from the Shangpa Masters

96 Timeless Rapture
To not apply ourselves in undistracted diligence
During what time remains in our lives,
But to waste life meaninglessly
Trying to help others who can’t be satisfied is pointless.
The small sparrow of awareness
Will receive a reminder from Lord of Death.
Since we ride the acts we’ve cultivated in the past,
To act negatively is pointless.
Our impure aggregates are suffering’s vessel,
The place where birth, aging, sickness, and death dwell.
Since we’ll one day throw this body away like a broken clay pot,
To always harbor hope for it is pointless.
To not use for our own and others’ benefit
Food and wealth that have an illusory nature,
But to remain trapped by past habits of greed
And to not make gifts or offerings is pointless.
When the demons of discursive thought arrive,
To not see them as an invitation [to realize] the nature of reality,
But to become anxious in fear
Of the body and mind separating [at death] is pointless.
During the four daily sessions, to not meditate undistracted
On tantric practices that accomplish all activity,
But to pass the time
Indulging in endless conversations is pointless.
To not meditate on the mind’s nature, this wish-fulfilling jewel,
As never separate from enlightenment’s three bodies,
But to pursue terminology,
Like a wild animal chasing a mirage, is pointless.
To not reach the nature of reality’s firm land,
But to continually maintain self-clinging,