Other translations:

The Offering of Sahle Ö

Sahle Ö then offered the Jetsun her realization:

There’s one who holds the lineage of the great Dorje Chang,
Four kinds of dakinis prophesied his great deeds.
Great bearers of the teachings of the practice lineage—
Tilo and Naro’s compassion shone on him,
And the meaning of the tantras dawned in his heart,
It’s Marpa the Translator, who helps the world to see.
His compassion’s great harvest grows in every direction,
And a pure fruit ripened for each of his students.
The fruition liberated his own mindstream,
And his lotus feet you take upon the crown of your head,
Great Repa from Gung-thang with a heart of purest love,
In all ten directions flies the banner of your fame.
Upon my head, supreme one, you are the crowning jewel,
With my mind filled with faith, I supplicate you.
Father lama, you are the one who has been so kind
To all of us students, who need to be tamed.
You steer our analysis towards the true Dharma
And put us on the path that never is wrong.
The ones who haven’t ripened, your empowerments make ripe
And the ones who are not free, your methods liberate.

A variety of appearances is shining outside—
You teach us how to know they are illusory,
And awareness meets its mother, pure reality.
The movements of the mind, its magical display,
Like waves in the ocean, dissolve in their own place.
Many worldly paths could lead me astray,
But my practice is strong and my courage does not yield,
So I cut through my concepts the moment they appear.

Secret mantra’s skillful methods form the unmistaken way,
And now in my mindstream, I know what these mean—
I don’t mistake the higher paths for the lower ones.
I wanted enlightenment but I couldn’t do it alone,
So I went before the lama and asked so carefully
For the excellent support of secret mantra’s teachings.
Together with my wonderful vajra brother, Ngen-dzong-wa,
We compare our experiences and realizations.

I’m a pretty clever lady, I’m grounded and smart—
When sweet-talkers try to fool me, I eat them for lunch.
I don’t waste too much time in the stupor of sleep,
I simply keep the stream of shamatha in steady flow.
I don’t try to make a catch from among the pool of men,
It was many years ago that I last slept on a pillow.

Mahamudra’s reality just drops down on my head—
Without any distraction I’m one-pointed in that.
I practice what will take me to the goal of nirvana—
Emptiness and compassion, I never leave behind,
So I don’t put others down and I am not arrogant,
And I never get too tired of talking Dharma with friends.
The lama is the one who has been so kind to me—
To me he is the Buddha and nothing else than that.
In deep gratitude to him, I offer him this song,
May the dakinis revel in this ganachakra of sounds.


Tibetan pages 576-7.
Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield, World Trade Center Observation Deck, New York City, August 9, 2001. Translation revised August 20, 2001. Translation copyright 2012, Ari Goldfield.