Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The fragment titled Seven Branch Faults serves as a prescriptive guide for ethical conduct and the selection of spiritual mentors. The text begins with a traditional homage to gurus, establishing a hierarchical framework of reliance on the sublime. It argues for a discerning approach to spiritual transmission, insisting that the practitioner must evaluate whether a recipient is a suitable vessel before imparting knowledge. Furthermore, the text commits the reader to a rigorous ethical standard, explicitly forbidding the exploitation of others for personal desire or material wealth. By linking the protection of the Three Jewels to the prohibition of harmful behavior for financial gain, the text positions ethical integrity as a prerequisite for spiritual practice. The fragment emphasizes the necessity of abandoning self-interest in favor of non-harming, though the text cuts off before completing its final instruction regarding the abandonment of welfare or wealth.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise concerning ethical conduct and spiritual discernment, the yan lag gi nyes pa bdun pa is attributed to the Indian author Nāgārjuna. Preserved within the classical Tibetan tradition, the work is found in the Tengyur, volume ཟི, where it is situated within the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The text serves as a prescriptive guide for the practitioner, beginning with an homage to the gurus and advocating for a reliance on the sublime. It enacts a rigorous ethical framework, insisting that one must evaluate whether a person is a suitable vessel for teachings and strictly forbidding the exploitation of others for personal desire or material wealth. By prohibiting the abandonment of the welfare of others and the pursuit of virtue for any purpose other than enlightenment, the work positions ethical integrity as a prerequisite for spiritual progress. A scholar or serious reader consults this single-page fragment today to examine the specific moral imperatives and the criteria for spiritual transmission as defined within this canonical collection.
This text is significant for its focus on the qualifications of the student and the ethical boundaries of the teacher-student relationship. It reflects a broader tradition of Buddhist cautionary literature designed to prevent the commodification of the Dharma. For a modern reader, it highlights the historical emphasis on the moral character of the practitioner over mere technical knowledge.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Ethical and Pedagogical Guidelines
A series of directives concerning the reliance on gurus, the assessment of students, and the prohibition of harming others for material gain.
Themes
Guru-Student Relationship (1)
Non-harming and Ethics (1)
Materialism vs. Spirituality (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the gurus!
One should rely on the sublime and not others.
One should examine whether a person is a suitable vessel.
One should abandon harming others for the sake of one's desires.
One should not [harm others] for the sake of wealth, such as the Three Jewels.
One should not abandon the welfare of others for even a moment.
One should not engage in virtue for any purpose other than enlightenment.
One should be skilled in the reality of the transference of consciousness.
Otherwise, it is a fault of the branches.
The seventh section on the faults of the branches is complete.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.