Pith Instruction on the Three Crucial Statements

Pith Instruction on the Three Crucial Statements

by Mipham Rinpoche

Namo mañjuśrīye!

Ordinary cognizance, free and open,

Is incommunicable in words; you must know it for yourself 

When fabrication and fixation are naturally eliminated— 

That is what is called ‘knowing the essence of mind’.

Without getting caught up in the tangle of thoughts, 

Not losing the experience of the genuine nature, 

While not striving with deliberate effort—

That is what is called ‘sustaining meditation’.

When remaining mentally composed,

And all the waves of varied thought, like clouds in the sky, 

Bring neither benefit nor harm—

That is what is called ‘immediate freedom’.

This instruction on the three crucial statements

Is to be realized as an inner experience;

Rambling talk and ideas will not lead to understanding.

Written by Mipham Nampar Gyalwa

On the 19th day of the second month of the Fire Monkey (1896).