Aitsha’s Pith Instructions, two versions: ⚪

My friend Nithya Shanti, an internationally respected spiritual teacher, created this version by synthesizing six translations of Atisha's teaching—a Buddhist master who taught in India and Tibet over a thousand years ago.

1. The highest learning is to realize the truth of no-self.
2. The highest discipline is taming one’s own mindstream.
3. The highest quality is the wish to benefit all beings.
4. The highest instruction is constant awareness of the mind.
5. The highest medicine is recognizing the inherent emptiness and non-separation of phenomena.
6. The highest activity is not conforming with worldly ways and concerns.
7. The highest magic is the transmutation of passions and delusions.
8. The highest generosity is non-attachment.
9. The highest goodness is a calm and peaceful mind.
10. The highest patience is to uphold humility in all circumstances.
11. The highest effort is to release attachment to results and outcomes.
12. The highest meditation is no-mind, letting go of all concepts, pretension and contrivance.
13. The highest wisdom is non-fixation, seeing through all appearances and identifications.
14. The highest spiritual teacher is one who points out our flaws and tells us to avoid them.
15. The highest precept is that which strikes at our own shortcomings.
16. The highest friends are mindfulness and introspection.
17. The highest motivating factors are our enemies, obstacles, illnesses, and sufferings.
18. The highest skillful means is to be free of quarrels and apprehensions.
19. The highest benefit for others is to inspire them to engage in Dharma practice.
20. The highest benefit for oneself is to direct one’s attention to Dharma—the nature of things.—Atisha 982 to 1054 AD

I hadn't heard of Atisha before Nithya. Inspired to engage with these teachings through writing, I created my own version in the poetic style of the Tao Te Ching. These two versions act as a beautiful conversation—while language inherently creates duality, presenting both structured/free, traditional/modern, direct/poetic interpretations helps bridge this gap and points toward the non-dual insights Atisha’s teaching invites us to experience.

1. Unlearning separation.
2. Comes from relentless presence.
3. As all are one, there’s only one, wanting for good.
4. When it doesn’t feel that way, best practice is noticing meaning-construction.
5. There is nothing to heal.
6. Nothing to do; 
7. knowing this, everything is a miracle.
8. There is no one to lack, 
9. all activity is peace expressing 
10. no one to take credit 
11. (nothing to take) 
12. no-thing     
13. always evolves, 
14. always shows us where we’re forgetting 
15. (which guarantees remembrance) 
16. Some illusions—like witnessing—are more helpful than others… 
17. the obstacle is the way;   
18. reality can’t fight itself. 
19. What else is done but inspiration 
20. Turning attention to only perceive what is true?

With love, Jordan