Life is impermanent like autumn clouds,
youth is impermanent like the flowers of spring,
the body is impermanent like borrowed property;
the lord of death, like the shadow of the western mountain,
will not delay.
—Longchenpa
On one occasion he conferred higher empowerments and special advice, as well as pith instructions and explanations of the tantras, on more than a hundred people who were capable of benefiting others with such teachings. Later he said to Gyalsé Zopa, “Close the door to the stairway and let no one enter while you take down this letter,” and then dictated his last testament, Stainless Light, as follows:
Homage to all those exalted ones endowed with supreme compassion!
I pay homage to the one immersed in the experience of basic space, the primordial ground,
who cares for all beings through the proliferation and resolution of activities,
revealing a display in all its variety by the power of his innate compassion —
a sublime sun, exceedingly and superbly radiant.
I pay homage to the one who, having completed his task in full,
went to a most superb and holy site, the town of Kushinagar,
to tame those fixated on the permanence of things.
I have come to understand the nature of samsara,
and because things of this world lack any true essence,
I now cast off this impermanent, illusory body,
so listen as I give this singularly beneficial advice.
We are, as it were, seduced by our belief that this life is real.
Things are by nature impermanent and without any real meaning,
so, having realized with certainty that nothing is reliable,
please practice the sacred Dharma from now on.
Friends and companions are like guests, in no way permanent.
Although they gather around you for a time,
all too soon you are parted from them,
so let go of emotional ties to your friends, who are like magical apparitions.
Please practice the sacred Dharma, a lasting source of benefit.
Wealth and possessions that you gather and hoard are like honey,
things that you amass but others enjoy,
so while you can, gain merit by increasing your generosity.
Please make preparations now for your future journey.
Your dwellings, well built yet subject to destruction, are like something on loan.
You have no power to stay when it is time to move on.
Give up completely your fascination with busy places,
and rely on a place of solitude from now on.
Chapter 12 Extract of LA VIDA DE LONGCHENPA. El Omnisciente Rey del Dharma de la gran amplitud