At all times and in all situations, examine your mindstream moment by moment: are thoughts positive or negative? When you recognise a thought to have negative content, be aware of its potential for harm and lay it aside. This is crucial.
Otherwise, when craving or other negative thoughts start to take shape, if you let them take hold, who knows where you will wind up in the end.
You may not care about becoming a great scholar, but at least do your best to generate goodwill toward others and steadfast devotion to the Three Jewels.
Your future rebirths stretch out ahead much farther than this one life. The circumstances of those lifetimes will depend on your current aspirations, positive or negative. Don’t jeopardise your future lives by seeking fame and status in this life.
You have come to a fork in the road: one path goes up, the other down. If you wait till you are on your deathbed to make your choice, you will be out of luck.
Whether others have good or bad qualities is hard to know. Whether others applaud you or criticise you, you need to turn away from both craving praise and avoiding blame.
Though you may not accomplish great acts of merit, at least avoid evil actions, great or small.
Paltrul Rinpoche
