Julian of Norwich and Other Tibetan Lamas

While the eyes of many Christians in the medieval West glistened with compassionate devotion, so did those of many spiritual practitioners in the Land of Snows, and with no less tenderness. The great Kadam master, Geshe Langri Thangpa (1054-1124), who is “famed for his great compassion,” was often in tears, because of “his constantly contemplating the sufferings of all sentient beings.” ₁ It is said that one of his close attendants reported to him: “’The others call you Langri Thangpa Gloomy-face.’” In reply the master asked, “’How could my face be bright and cheery when I think about all the sufferings in the three worlds of samsara.’” ₂ The 19^th century master, Patrul Rinpoche shares this story of early Kadam master:

It is said that Langri Thangpa only ever smiled once. He saw a mouse trying to move a turquoise that was on his mandala. But the mouse could not lift the jewel on his own, so it called, ‘Tsik, Tsik,” and another mouse came along too. One mouse pushed the turquoise while the other pulled. That made Langri Thangpa smile. ₃

While it may be unsettling – and even off-putting – to hear of such a spiritual posture and practice, the fruit of such foundational exercises is the merciful turning of the heart and mind toward others:

This meditation on the sufferings of samsara is the basis and support for all the good qualities of the path. It turns your mind towards the Dharma. It gives you confidence in the principle of cause and effect in all your actions. It makes you turn away from the goals of this life. And it makes you feel love and compassion for all beings. ₄

Langri Thangpa wrote a short text, a lojong or mind training text, which has come to be embraced by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. This work is called “The Eight Verses of Mind Training,” and its first verse reads: “With the wish to achieve the highest aim, / Which surpasses even a wish-fulfilling gem, / I will train myself to at all times / Cherish every sentient being as supreme.” ₅ Lojong texts share the common vision of transforming “self-centeredness” into “other-centeredness.” ₆ And this first verse marks that aspiration poignantly. The Kadam master, Chekawa (1101-1175,) in commenting on this first verse, explains that “in order to train yourself [to view] each sentient being as a wish-fulfilling gem,” you need to reflect upon “two [important] points of similarity shared by sentient beings and the precious gem.” ₇ The Kadam master continues:

[I]f you submerge the wish-fulfilling gem in a muddy mire, the gem cannot cleanse itself of the mud; however, if you wash it with scented water on a full-moon day, adorn the tip of a victory banner with it, and make offerings to it, the gem can then become the source of all earthly wishes. In the same way, sentient beings afflicted with the various defects of cyclic existence cannot free themselves from the mire of this unenlightened state, nor can they wash away their sufferings and the origins of their sufferings. However, with our help, all the benefits, both immediate and ultimate, can issue from them. Without sentient beings how could you obtain even the immediate benefits – these would cease immediately; even ultimate happiness arises in relation to sentient beings. It is on the basis of sentient beings that you attain the unexcelled state of buddhahood. ₈

In this way, Langri Thangpa affirms that both immediate and ultimate benefits (i.e. happiness) are inextricably relational, and that turning toward sentient beings, orienting oneself toward them, is a beginning in that transformative process.

Endnotes

1. Wisdom of the Kadam Masters. Translated and introduced by Thupten Jinpa. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2013, page 83.
2. Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1998, page 99. “Saṃsara” is sometimes referred to as “cyclic existence.” Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher, Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, depicts “saṃsāra” in the following way: “Saṃsara is sometimes described as a wheel, but it is also often likened to an ocean. Just as an ocean has large, powerful waves and dangerous tides, so in samsara we are tossed up and down endlessly. Sometimes we are up, sometimes we are down. Then we are up again and then down again. It is just endless. The problem is that we are caught in the waves and continuously thrown up and thrown down. We get battered by life.” (Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, The Heroic Heart: Awakening Unbound Compassion. Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala Publications, 2022, page 11.  
3. Patrul Rinpoche, The Word of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1998, page 99.
4. Patrul Rinpoche, The Word of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by the Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1998, page 99.
5. Langri Thangpa, “Eight Verses of Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 276. And alternative translation: “By thinking of all sentient beings / As more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel / For accomplishing the highest aim, / I will always hold them dear.” (“Eight Verses of Training the Mind.” Rigpa Translations. Lotsawa House: Eight Verses of Training the Mind | Lotsawa House
6. Thupten Jinpa, “Introduction,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, pages 1 and 2.
7. Chekawa, “A Commentary on ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 277.
8. Chekawa, “A Commentary on ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, pages 277-278. Regarding the first verse of Langri Thangpa’s text, His Holiness the Dalia Lama comments: “Now, there are two attitudes to consider: that of selfishly cherishing ourselves and that of cherishing others. The self-cherishing attitude makes us very uptight; we think we are extremely important and our basic desire is for ourselves to be happy and for things to go well for us. Yet we don’t know how to bring this about. In fact, acting out of self-cherishing can never make us happy. Those who have the attitude of cherishing others regard all other beings as much more important than themselves and value helping others above all else. And, acting in this way, incidentally they themselves become very happy …. [I]f we want to fulfill our wishes, be they temporal or ultimate, we need to control our minds not to have self-cherishing. For this, we need to rely on other beings much more than on wish-granting gems. In other words, we need always to cherish other beings above all else, because the attitude of cherishing others is what will actually fulfill all our wishes.” (His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation,’ Teachings from Tibet: Guidance from Great Lamas. Edited by Nicholas Ribush. Lincoln, MA: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2005, pages 148 and 150).