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(1) If, having been born a human being, one give no heed to the Holy Doctrine, one resembleth a man who returneth empty-handed from a land rich in precious gems; and this is a grievous failure. (2) If, after having entered the door of the Holy Order, one return to the life of the householder, one resembleth a moth plunging into the flame of a lamp; and this is a grievous failure. (3) To dwell with a sage and remain in ignorance is to be like a man dying of thirst on the shore of a lake; and this is a grievous failure. (4) To know the moral precepts and not apply them to the cure of obscuring passions is to be like a diseased man carrying a bag of medicine which he never useth; and this is a grievous failure. (5) to preach religion and not practice it is to be like a parrot saying a prayer; and this is a grievous failure. (6) The giving in alms and charity of things obtained by theft, robbery, or deceit, is like lightning striking the surface of water; and this is a grievous failure. (7) The offerings to the deities of meat obtained by killing animate beings is like offering a mother the flesh of her own child; and this is a grievous failure. (8) To exercise patience for merely selfish ends rather than for doing good to others is to be like a cat exercising patience in order to kill a rat; and this is a grievous failure. (9) Performing meritorious actions in order merely to attain fame and praise in this world is like bartering the mystic wish-granting gem for a pellet of goat's dung; and this is a grievous failure. (10) If, after having heard much of the Doctrine, one's nature still be unattuned, one is like a physician with a chronic disease; and this is a grievous failure. (11) to be clever concerning precepts yet ignorant of the spiritual experiences which come from applying them is to be like a rich man who hath lost the key of his treasury; and this is a grievous failure. (12) To attempt to explain to others doctrines which one hath not completely mastered oneself is to be like a blind man lead the blind; and this is a grievous failure. (13) To hold the experiences resulting from the first stage of meditation to be those of the final stage is to be like a man who mistaketh brass for gold; and this is a grievous failure. These are The Thirteen Grievous Failures. |