Other translations:

The Great Open Wilderness

To all my father gurus I bow down


This is a natural retreat, there’s no one it belongs to
This yogi’s kind of monastery is open to everyone
And ladies and gentlemen, fine people of this countryside
I wonder, could you help this yogi with a little to survive
You wonder why I’m living in a monastery like this
I intend to practice a yogi’s life, here in this natural retreat
So I roam, yes I roam, through the wilderness, not a human being in sight
It’s what my lama instructed, his instructions work like this
You can take them along right with you, they’re lighter than chicken feathers
You can keep them secret easier than hiding jewelry of gold
And they keep you safer than a fortress would, when you’re in some fearsome place
That’s the kind of teaching it is, my guru’s instructions
And I am a yogi, that’s a lion among humans,
In the three months of winter, I’m in bliss in the thick of the woods
In the three months of summer, I’m in bliss in the snow mountain wilds
In the three months of springtime, I’m in bliss where the rocks meet the plains
In the three months of autumn, I’m in bliss begging alms with impartial mind
With the bliss of the instructions of the lama in my mind
And the bliss of putting experience into song that rings from the lips
And the bliss of having a body that is clothed in cotton clothes
I’m blissful and the way I’m blissful is to live like this
May all of you who’d like to, find a happiness like this


Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated and arranged by Jim Scott, Tenerife, April 21, 2003, Tibetan page 691. Translation copyright 2012, Jim Scott