This is Lesson 30 from A Comprehensive Commentary on the Words of My Perfect Teacher, covering the third meditation on impermanence — the impermanence of holy beings. The lesson surveys the entire lineage of enlightened masters, from the Buddhas of past kalpas whose teachings have vanished without trace, through the Buddha's chief disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, to the great Siddhas of India, the Dharma kings of Tibet, and the patriarchs of every major school of Chinese Buddhism — none of whom remain in this world. The teacher emphasises that the Buddha's final words to his disciples were an instruction to always contemplate impermanence, making it the deepest teaching in the entire Dharma. A celebrated story of Chan Master Dushun illustrates how easily disciples miss the extraordinary nature of those around them — his disciple travels to Mount Wutai seeking Manjushri, only to return and find his master, who was himself Manjushri, already in parinirvana. The lesson closes with the story of a Kham practitioner who received the entire teaching in two sentences — "I will die; you will die too" — and through that alone attained realisation, reminding us that no instruction is more profound than a living conviction in impermanence.
Practice Guide
To practice the meditation related to this teaching, please refer to:
