OM SVASTI – Auspiciousness, hapinness and well being!
Fortunate beings—you who seek the instructions of the profound and vast nectar of
sacred Dharma— come to the place in which the teaching is to be given. On arriving there,
you should clean the room and erect a proper seat for the teacher, such as a lion- or jewel-
throne. Put up an awning and curtained canopy, and arrange offerings such as incense,
flowers, rows of lamps, and a gold or silver mandala, all beautifully set out and in the proper
order. Welcome and receive the teacher in procession with incense and musical instruments,
and show every courtesy and respect.
Everyone listening to the teaching should refrain from covering their heads, carrying
weapons, wearing shoes, and any other such faults in physical conduct. Verbally, you should
avoid chatting and laughing. And mentally, you should give up all attitudes that are
influenced by the eight worldly concerns and the afflictive emotions—finding fault in or
looking down on the teacher, and so on. Instead, sit up straight with hands folded together,
and cultivate great devotion and respect, keeping your mind concentrated and undistracted,
for you should realize that to encounter a teacher and a sacred teaching like this is very
difficult, and that to do so is extremely beneficial.
Conducting yourself respectfully, with care and cleanliness, present whatever material
offerings you can. For the sake of all sentient beings, and in order to request the teachings,
fill space with all kinds of offerings— both those that are owned by someone and those that
have no owner—and offer too your own body, possessions, and all the merit gathered in
past, present, and future. With regard to everyone in the assembly, you must not feel
attachment, aversion, or jealousy toward them, indulge in idle chatter, or say unpleasant
things about them. Train yourself, rather, in having only pure perception. In short, adopt the
right qualities described in the precious sutras and tantras, and without separating from the
precious bodhichitta, sit in the teacher’s presence listening to the teaching in the proper
manner.
