A Commentary on the “Leveling out all Conceptions”
Seeking refuge, I pay homage to the precious spiritual teacher Protector Serlingpa, and to the entire lineage of this master and his disciples. Pray, bless me!
Embodiment of wisdom and great compassion, the protector Serlingpa once said to Atisha. ‘O my son, if you wish to serve others in these degenerate times, you must distill the sacred words of all three collections of discourses, scriptures, and reasonings, as well as all the heartwood instructions of the spiritual teachers, and practice them in one sitting. To accomplish this you need the teachings I shall now give you, teachings that will make you invulnerable to sickness, harm, interference from obstructive forces, demons, or upholders of false teachings, and any other adverse conditions and impediments.’ Then, he taught the following:
Level out all preconceptions,
Bring forth the force of all antidotes,
Cultivate the aspiration that embodies all wishes,
And seek the path where all paths converge.
These are the antidotes, the four enlightened factors.
They are essential to tame places that are far from dharma,
They are essential too in times of degeneration
To help bear negative samsara and its misguided ways.