Je Tsong Khapa
Lobsang Drakpa
(1357-1419)
“Although in all of us there is the thought that at the end of our days death will come, every day we think ‘I will not die today,’ ‘Also today I will not die.’ That way, even right until we are about to die, the mind holds on to the idea that we are not going to die. If you do not take to heart an antidote to this, if you are stupefied by such an idea and think that you will remain in this life, you will keep thinking about ways of achieving happiness and eliminating suffering in this life only, thinking: ‘I need this and I need that…’ A mind investigating meaningful goals such as future lives, liberation, and omniscience will not arise, whereby no allowances are made for engaging in Dharma.”
From Middle Length Lam-Rim with Trijang Rinpoche’s Additional Outlines by Lama Tsongkhapa (and Trijang Rinpoche). Translated by Philip Quarcoo. Unpublished DRAFT translation (May 2012) by FPMT, Inc. Download the PDF here.