བྱང་ཆབ་སམས་དཔའ་སྤྱད་པ་ལ་འཇག་པ 10

10

is seen no more. / Even in this brief lifetime, / many friends and foes have passed away. / Whatever terrible sin was committed for their sake / stands right before me. / Thus, failing to realize / that I am merely transient, / out of delusion, attachment, and aversion, / I committed many sins. / Without pause day or night, / this life is constantly diminishing; / with no addition coming from elsewhere, / how could someone like me not die? / Even while I lie in bed, / surrounded by all my relatives and friends, / the sensations of the severance of life / will be experienced by me alone. / When seized by the messengers of Yama, / of what use are relatives, of what use are friends? / At that time only merit provides protection, / yet I did not cultivate it. / O protectors, heedless as I was, / not knowing of such terror, / for the sake of this impermanent life / I accumulated many sins. / When a person is led today / to the place where their limbs will be severed, / they are terrified; / with parched mouth, dreadful eyes, and the like, / they appear entirely changed from before. / What need is there to speak of the intense misery / when seized by the messengers of Yama, / possessing dreadful bodily forms, / and stricken with great illness and terror? / 'Who will properly protect me / from this great terror?' / With eyes wide and wild with terror, / I will search for refuge in the four directions. / Seeing no refuge in the four directions, / I will become entirely despondent. / If there is no refuge in that place, / what shall I do at that time? / Therefore, in the Jinas, the protectors of migrating beings, / who strive for the welfare of protecting migrating beings, / possessing great strength and dispelling all fears, / I take refuge this very day. / In the Dharma realized by them, / which dispels the fears of saṃsāra, / and in the assembly of bodhisattvas / I likewise truly take refuge.