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

Venerable Thubten Chodron gave two extensive commentaries on mind and awareness.

The first set of teachings was a commentary on Geshe Jampel Sampel’s text Presentation of Mind and Awareness, Composite of All the Important Points, Opener of the Eye of New Intelligence: A Presentation of Mind and Awareness (2012-13).

This series covers topics such as:

• Divisions of the selfless
• Classification of objects
• Object possessors and the seven types of cognizers

Separately, Venerable Chodron taught extensively on mind and mental factors, the sautantrika tenet system presentation of the mind and its functions: Mind and Mental Factors (Teachings 1995-96)

This 25-part series includes topics such as:

• Primary minds and mental factors
• Omnipresent mental factors
• Virtuous mental factors
• Afflictive mental factors
• Mind training
• Antidotes to the afflictions

Venerable Chodron also taught a more concise (4-part) presentation of mind and mental factors at a retreat in Singapore: Creating the Causes of Happiness Retreat (Singapore 2014).

An outline of the 51 mental factors and their definitions can be accessed here.

In 2019, Venerable Sangye Khadro gave an overview of mind and awareness during the weekly Thursday evening Course in Buddhist Reasoning and Debate (2017-19).  Her teachings from this longer series can be accessed at:

• Seven Kinds of Awareness with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2019)
• Mind and Mental Factors with Venerable Sangye Khadro (2019).

Teachings

Audio recordings from Venerable Thubten Chodron’s in-depth commentary to the text, given from 2004–06: Wheel of Sharp Weapons (2004–06).

Audios from a shorter 12-part commentary by Venerable Chodron, given in 2004: Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat (Castle Rock 2004).

Two short retreats focused on the text: Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat (Missoula 2013), and Wheel of Sharp Weapons Retreat (Australia 2014).

Venerable Chodron recently published a commentary to The Wheel of Sharp Weapons as Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the Causes of Suffering. Since 2021, she has been giving commentary on this book as part of the annual Memorial Day Retreat at Sravasti Abbey: Good Karma (2021–present)

Access information about this book and various teachings Venerable Chodron has given from it here: Good Karma: How to Create the Causes of Happiness and Avoid the Causes of Suffering.

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