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

And Chen-ngawa spoke in reply, "My master, leave alone any hope of realizing
all the steps to Buddhahood—I would rather even to be a person who had just
begun to get some glint of understanding, who could say to himself that he had
started off on the first of these steps to Buddhahood.
RIG PA'I GNAS LNGA LA MKHAS PA DANG , TING NGE 'DZIN LA BSKAL
PA'I BAR DU MNYAM PAR BZHAG THUB PA DANG , MNGON PAR SHES
PA LNGA DANG LDAN PA DANG , GRUB PA CHEN PO BRGYAD THOB PA
DE RNAMS SNGON CHAD GRANGS MED PA ZHIG BYAS KYANG 'KHOR
BA LAS MA 'DAS MA 'PHAGS, JO BO'I BYANG CHUB LAM RIM LA NGES PA
RNYED NA NGES PAR 'KHOR BA LAS BZLOG STE MCHI ZHES GSUNGS PA
DANG ,
"Why would this be my choice? In all my lives to now I've been a master of the
five sciences, countless times. And countless times I've gained single- pointed
concentration, even to where I could sit in meditation for an eon. The same with
the five types of clairvoyance—and the eight great attainments. But never have I
been able to go beyond the circle of life—never have I risen above it. If I were
able to gain a realization of the steps to Buddhahood that Atisha taught, I would
surely be able to turn from this round of births."
GZHAN YANG , BRAM ZE'I KHYE'U TZA NA KYA DANG , KYE RDO RJE'I
RNAL 'BYOR PA SOGS KYI SNGON BYUNG LO RGYUS LTAR YIN, RJE
BTZUN 'JAM PA'I DBYANGS KYIS 'JAM MGON TZONG KHA PA CHEN PO
LA, 'KHOR BA'I NYES DMIGS DANG THAR PA'I PHAN YON MTHONG BA'I
DRAN SHES NA RE BSTEN NAS SNANG SHAS LA BLO 'GROR MI STER BAR
SRID PA'I MTSANG BCAR ZHING , THAR PA'I PHAN YON LA SEMS 'DZIN
PA'I DMIGS RNAM GOMS NAS NGES 'BYUNG LA MYONG BA MA BTON
PAR SBYIN PA,
The same point is conveyed by the stories of the Brahmin's son by the name of
Tsanakya,[28] the master meditator of the practice called "Lo Diamond,"[29] and
others as well. The lord Gentle Voice said it to our protector, the great
Tsongkapa:
Suppose you fail to devote some part of your practice to thinking
over the various problems of cyclic life, and the different benefits of
freedom from it. You don't sit down and meditate, keeping your
mind on trying to open your eyes to the ugliness of life, or holding