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Tilopas **Six Words Of Advice**

CittaCitta Veteran
edited March 2014 in Philosophy

Tilopa was a great Siddha and Yogi.

He was the teacher of Naropa.

Who was the teacher of Marpa Lotsawa.

Who was the teacher of Milarepa, who was the teacher of Gampopa.

Who founded the Karma Kagyu.

From Tilopa flowed the unbroken transmission of Essence Mahamudra.

Tilopa gave Naropa a teaching which became known as The Six Words Of Advice

Because in the original Tibetan there are just six words. However it takes a lot more than six words to translate them because they deal with very subtle ideas

One translation goes

' No analysis

No reflection

No cultivation

No Intention..

Let it settle itself

and rest, '

Chazzenffmisecmisc1

Comments

  • misecmisc1misecmisc1 I am a Hindu India Veteran

    one question, may be a stupid question, but still asking - in above 6 words, there is No Intention.. - the question is can we live without having any intention in mind?

    if i consider myself, i think i am not without intention even for a second - even if i sit in meditation, the act itself is an intention to sit - then there is intention to watch the natural breath - after the sitting time, through out the remaining day by doing normal day activities which includes work activities - there is always something going in the mind to try to figure out something, so the intention becomes so subtle thing that obviously it should be there, otherwise why would i figure out something or do something like eating food or drinking water, if i take the basic things, leave the other things like work activities. may be i am too stupid to ask the above question, or may be it is something like a child who started to learn the numbers 1 2 3 is trying to understand trigonometry's theorems - but somehow with No Intention.. thing something inside me feels something is missing somewhere, may be my understanding of the thing - so just trying to understand this No Intention.. thing.

    is it really possible to have no intention in mind and live in this world? please suggest. thanks in advance.

  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited March 2014

    No intention except to be with things as they are.

    Neither passive nor manipulative.

    A ' still point of the turning world '.

    sovamisecmisc1
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited March 2014

    Since "six words of advice" seems to turn into a whole lot more words, I guess five words might be better: "One word is too much."

    zenff
  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited March 2014

    Erm . Is it a lemon ? A finger pointing to the moon ? The cyprus tree in the yard ? A pound of flax ? Am I close ?

  • CittaCitta Veteran
    edited March 2014

    Yes thats a nice rendition.

  • Could be simplified as:
    Go to sleep.

    Bunks
  • CittaCitta Veteran

    @Steve_B said:
    Could be simplified as:
    Go to sleep.

    Which would be the complete opposite of what is being said.

    Chazlobster
  • jaynejayne Explorer

    or could be simplified to two words perhaps -

    'just be'

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Or as a Bikkhuni once said to me:

    'Simplify!'

  • is it really possible to have no intention in mind and live in this world?

    The clearest and easiest way to experience this is formal sitting.

    Being a still point in the arisings of every day experience, rather than a life of yogi stillness, is not so easy. Without attention, awareness, recalling and mindfulness we get caught up . . .

    VastmindZenshinpegembaraJeffrey
  • @misecmisc1 said:
    one question, may be a stupid question, but still asking - in above 6 words, there is No Intention.. - the question is can we live without having any intention in mind?

    if i consider myself, i think i am not without intention even for a second - even if i sit in meditation

    The theory is, there is intention right up to the moment of awakening. In the moment of awakening, there is no intention.

    is it really possible to have no intention in mind and live in this world?

    No, but the practice does lead to a place where you're not attached to living in this world, so I guess you hold your attentions more lightly at that point. Enlightened people including the Buddha definitely act with intention.

    Jeffreymisecmisc1
  • pegembarapegembara Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @misecmisc1 said:
    one question, may be a stupid question, but still asking - in above 6 words, there is No Intention.. - the question is can we live without having any intention in mind?

    >

    is it really possible to have no intention in mind and live in this world? please suggest. thanks in advance.

    No. Even if there is no self, there are still intentions since intentions are not self.

    As Buddhaghosa says in the Visuddhimagga:

    Suffering alone exists, none who suffers;
    The deed there is, but no doer thereof;
    Nirvana is, but no one seeking it;
    The Path there is, but none who travel it.

    The only important question is whether that intention is accompanied by greed, hatred and delusion which is absent in the case of an enlightened one. Thus there can still be an intention to eat, walk, talk or relieve oneself.

    JeffreyZenshinmisecmisc1
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