[The Key that Unlocks the Door to the Noble Path (Lam bzang sgo ...

All the most vital points of the path then have been packed into the three
principal paths, and made into an instruction which can be carried out by
students. These words of advice, imparted directly to our precious lord by Gentle
Voice himself, are therefore very special indeed.
DE YANG THOG MAR BLO CHOS SU 'GRO BA LA NGES 'BYUNG , CHOS
THEG PA CHEN PO'I LAM DU 'GRO BA LA BYANG CHUB KYI SEMS, SGRIB
PA GNYIS YONGS SU SPONG BA LA YANG DAG PA'I LTA BA MED THABS
MED PAS DE GSUM LA LAM GYI GTZO BO RNAM GSUM ZHES GSUNGS,
There's no way to turn your mind to spiritual practice unless you have
renunciation from the very first. And there's no way for this practice to serve as a
path of the greater way unless you have the desire to become a Buddha for the
sake of every living being. And there's no way to rid yourself totally of the two
obstacles[33] unless you have correct view. This is why these three attitudes were
spoken to be the "three principal paths."
LAM GTZO GSUM PO 'DI LA MYONG BA ZHIG THON PHYIN CHAD BYAS
TSAD CHOS SU 'GRO BA ZHIG 'ONG , 'DI GSUM GYIS MA ZIN NA CI BYAS
'KHOR BA'I RGYU LAS MA 'DAS PA YIN TE, LAM RIM CHEN MO LAS,
Once you have gained some facility in the three principal paths, everything you
do becomes a spiritual practice. If your mind is not filled with these three
thoughts, then everything you try leads you nowhere further than the same old
circle of births. As the Greater Steps to Buddhahood says,
DE LTAR NA 'KHOR BA LA RNAM GRANGS DU MAR NYES DMIGS SU
BRTAGS TE BSGOMS PAS 'KHOR BA'I PHUN TSOGS LA SRED PA SUN 'BYIN
PA'I GNYEN PO YANG MA RNYED, BDAG MED PA'I DON LA SO SOR RTOG
PA'I SHES RAB KYIS TSUL BZHIN DU YANG MA DPYAD, BYANG CHUB
KYI SEMS GNYIS LA GOMS PAR BYED PA DANG BRAL BA'I DGE SBYOR
RNAMS NI
Suppose you try to perform some kind of virtuous deeds, but you
have yet to find that special antidote that destroys your tendency to
crave for the good things of this circling life—you have yet to
succeed in that meditation where you've analyzed all the
drawbacks of the circle of life using all the various reasons we've
set forth above. Suppose too that you still haven't been able to
investigate the meaning of "no self-nature" as you should, using the