Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland of Advice for a King”

The person is not earth, not water,
not fire, not wind, not space,
not consciousness, not all of them [together].
What person is there other than these?

— Verse 80, Precious Garland of Advice for a King

Nagarjuna, thought to have lived around 150–250 CE, was an erudite and renowned scholar-practitioner of ancient India. A prolific writer, his view of dependent arising and emptiness is regarded as the highest set of philosophical teachings on the nature of reality and liberation available in Tibetan Buddhism. Sravasti Abbey teachings by Khensur Jampa Tegchok and by Venerable Thubten Chodron examine his seminal text, Precious Garland of Advice for a King.

Teachings highlighted in bold are listed at the bottom of the page.

Who it’s for

A source text for the lamrim or stages of the path to awakening literature, Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland provides an in-depth and yet accessible presentation of the path to awakening. This set of teachings will prove meaningful for new and seasoned practitioners alike.

About the text

In Precious Garland, Nagarjuna demonstrates the practicality of his wisdom regarding how to navigate the intricacies of worldly life to balance everyday needs with spiritual practice. Through various lines of reasoning, Nagarjuna shows us how to take advantage of human life to secure future happy rebirths for the purpose of making ongoing progress towards the ultimate goal of full awakening.

Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland takes the form of five chapters of 100 verses each:

1. Chapter 1 addresses how to create the causes for higher rebirth—ethical conduct, generosity, the dedication of merit and so on—and the highest good of full awakening—the wisdom realizing emptiness.
2. Chapter 2 elaborates on this topic with an interwoven explanation of the causes and effects of higher rebirth and highest good.
3. Chapter 3 inspires us with an in-depth explanation of the causes for full awakening—the two collections of merit and wisdom—alongside encouragement that bodhisattva practices provide us with the tools necessary to create such causes.
4. In Chapter 4, Nagarjuna imparts advice on how to be an effective, skillful leader who acts from a foundation of ethical conduct, compassion, and kindness. Venerable Chodron’s commentary contextualizes this advice within our modern setting, showing the enduring relevance of the Buddha and Nagarjuna’s wisdom.
5. Chapter 5 focuses on the practices of bodhisattvas—those who aspire to full awakening for the benefit of others. These teachings provide a roadmap regarding what faults to abandon and what qualities to cultivate in our spiritual endeavors. By doing so, we actualize our own lasting state of happiness and are able to help others do the same.

Teachings

Khensur Jampa Tegchok, former abbot of Sera-je Monastic University, gave a commentary on Precious Garland at Sravasti Abbey in 2006 and 2008: Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland (2006-2008)

A more extensive commentary by Khensur Jampa Tegchok, edited by Venerable Thubten Chodron, has been published as Practical Ethics and Profound Emptiness, available from Wisdom Publications. A description of the book can be found here–Practical Ethics and Profound Emptiness–along with short talks by Venerable Chodron on the story behind the book and a reading of several excerpts.

Thubten Chodron has taught Precious Garland several times:

• Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland (2015-17)
• Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland (Germany 2016)
• Verses from Nagarjuna (2015)

 

Remaining for an immeasurable time
and wishing to obtain immeasurable awakening
for the sake of immeasurable beings,
the bodhisattvas perform immeasurable virtue,

So how could they not obtain before long awakening,
even though it is immeasurable,
through the collection of these four
that are immeasurable?

— Verses 219–220, Precious Garland of Advice for a King