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

About the author

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.

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 One 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 Two elaborates on this topic with an interwoven explanation of the causes and  effects of higher rebirth and highest good. 
3. Chapter Three 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 Four, 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 Five 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.

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. Coupled  with Venerable Chodron’s clear commentary on how modern-day practitioners can understand and relate to this centuries-old advice, this set of teachings will prove meaningful for new and  seasoned practitioners alike. 

Resources

From 2006-2008, Khensur Jampa Tegchok gave a commentary on Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland at Sravasti Abbey: Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland with Khensur Jampa Tegchok (2006-08)

Khensur Jampa Tegchok’s extensive commentary on this text has also been compiled into the text Practical Ethics and Profound Emptiness: A Commentary on Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland,” edited by Venerable Thubten Chodron and available from Wisdom Publications.

From 2015-2017, Venerable Thubten Chodron gave teachings on Practical Ethics and Profound Emptiness: A Commentary on Nagarjuna’s “Precious Garland” at Sravasti Abbey: Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland (2015-2017)

Venerable Thubten Chodron gave short talks on verses from Precious Garland during the 2015 Manjushri Winter Retreat: Verses from Nagarjuna (2015)

In 2016, Venerable Thubten Chodron gave teachings on Precious Garland in Germany: Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland (Germany 2016)

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