In this piece, I explore one of Zava Damdin’s (b. 1976) poetic doha, “Чи жинхэнэ оршихуйг хүсвээс”, offering reflections through the lens of the Mongolian Gelugpa tradition. I’ve chosen to frame the commentary using the teachings of Lamrim (Stages of the Path, Ламрим) and Lojong (Mind Training, Ложонг), looking at how each line speaks to a lived principle of inner cultivation and experiential insight.
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IF YOU TRULY SEEK
If you truly seek friendship – seek not profit!
If you truly seek a promise – deceive not yourself!
If you truly seek love – cling not to self-interest!
If you truly seek happiness – commit not wrongdoing!
If you truly seek peace – show respect to others!
If you truly seek virtue – steer clear of unwholesome companions!
If you truly seek firmness – be not false!
If you truly seek wisdom – never be slothful!
If you truly seek the path – go with steadfast intent!
If you truly seek the Way – revere a noble teacher!
If you truly seek insight – make listening your foundation!
If you truly seek mind – rely upon mindfulness!
If you truly seek to live – learn to sit alone!
If you truly seek appearance – train under meditation!
If you truly seek the wondrous – behold your own mind!
If you truly seek the heart of existence – turn to the essence of the heart!
by the son who gladdens Manjushri
25.01.2026
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Translation is always an interpretation into another culture.
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ЧИ ЖИНХЭНЭ ОРШИХУЙГ ХҮСВЭЭС
Чи жинхэнэ нөхөрлөл хүсвээс ашиг бүү хар!
Чи жинхэнэ амлалт хүсвээс өөрийгөө бүү хуур!
Чи жинхэнэ хайр хүсвээс амин хувиа бүү хичээ!
Чи жинхэнэ жаргаланг хүсвээс бурууг бүү үйлд!
Чи жинхэнэ амгаланг хүсвээс бусдыг хүндэл!
Чи жинхэнэ сайныг хүсвээс нүглийн саднаас хол бай!
Чи жинхэнэ батыг хүсвээс хуурмаг үгүй бай!
Чи жинхэнэ эрдэм хүсвээс ямагт бүү залхуур!
Чи жинхэнэ явдлыг хүсвээс чин зоригоор яв!
Чи жинхэнэ зам мөр эгээрвээс сайн багшийг шүт!
Чи жинхэнэ ухааныг хүсвээс сонсохуйг гол болго!
Чи жинхэнэ сэтгэлийг хүсвээс санаж сэрэхүйг шүт!
Чи жинхэнэ амьдрахуйг хүсвээс гагцаар сууж сур!
Чи жинхэнэ үзэгдлийг хүсвээс бясалгал дор суралц!
Чи жинхэнэ гайхамшгийг хүсвээс сэтгэлээ тольд!
Чи жинхэнэ оршихуйг хүсвээс зүрхэн утгыг хай!
Манзуширийг баясгагч хөвгүүн
25.01.2026
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Notes
The following notes offer readers a line-by-line analysis of a doha composed by Zava Rinpoche, a contemporary Mongolian Gelugpa teacher whose writings synthesise classical Buddhist thought with the clarity and directness of Mongolian cultural expression.
The doha, which opens with the refrain “Чи жинхэнэ… хүсвээс” (“If you truly seek…”), forms a complete contemplative cycle—moving from ethical relationships and truthful conduct, through disciplined solitude to the heart of meditative insight.
Grounded in the Lamrim (Stages of the Path) and Lojong (Mind Training) traditions of Tsongkhapa’s lineage, this analysis draws on Mongolian-language interpretations, oral teaching idioms, and English-language scholarship from Ágnes Birtalan, Charles Bawden, Krisztina Teleki, and others. The goal is not to explain the doha away, but to walk beside it — letting each line open into the ethical and contemplative depth from which it was composed.
The analysis unfolds with each original Mongolian line (there are no stanzas in the original), followed by an English translation, a doctrinal-cultural interpretation grounded in Mongolian Gelugpa frameworks, and a quiet reflective reading designed to bring each line alive for personal or shared practice.
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Line-by-Line Analysis
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If you truly seek friendship – look not to gain!
Чи жинхэнэ нөхөрлөл хүсвээс ашиг бүү хар!
From what I can work out based on my own study and participant-observation, in (our) Mongolian Gelugpa traditional practice, friendship (нөхөрлөл) is not defined by emotional closeness alone, but by the ethical field it cultivates. Relationships are seen as karmic encounters: if tainted by self-interest (ашиг), they lose their capacity to support mutual liberation. According to Sagaster (2007), Mongolian Gelugpa values measure the sincerity of a connection by the absence of calculation. Zava Damdin draws from Lojong practice here, specifically the principle of abandoning self-cherishing, which is also central to Lamrim’s approach to compassion.
We are reminded here that real friendship is an ethical practice, not a transaction. When we stop seeking advantage, space opens for sincerity.
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If you truly seek a promise – deceive not yourself!
Чи жинхэнэ амлалт хүсвээс өөрийгөө бүү хуур!
A promise (амлалт) in this context may be a formal vow or an inner resolution. In either case, Mongolian commentaries on Lamrim emphasise that self-deception fractures ethical clarity before any outer action does (Birtalan, 2015). Je Tsongkhapa warns against breaking commitments due to subtle dishonesty with oneself. In modern Mongolian Buddhist settings, this concern is echoed not just in lay and monastic precepts, but in familial and social responsibility — promises made in trust.
The teaching gently points to a simple truth: we cannot walk a path we are not honest about. Integrity begins inward.
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If you truly seek love – cling not to self-interest!
Чи жинхэнэ хайр хүсвээс амин хувиа бүү хичээ!
Here, Zava Damdin frames love (хайр) in its compassionate, bodhicitta-infused form, rather than emotional attachment. In Mongolian Gelugpa commentary, this form of love is defined by the absence of ego-clinging (Tsongkhapa, Lamrim Chenmo). The Lojong slogans teach that love deepens when we give up the view that our happiness matters more than that of others.
This line suggests that for love to be genuine, it must be un-possessive. When we loosen our grip on self-concern, our care can finally breathe.
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If you truly seek happiness – commit no wrong!
Чи жинхэнэ жаргаланг хүсвээс бурууг бүү үйлд!
Жаргалан here implies a happiness that is durable, ethically grounded, and psychologically coherent. Traditional Mongolian Lamrim manuals teach that real happiness cannot arise from actions that cause harm or dissonance, even subtly (Birtalan, 2015). Sagaster (2007) emphasises that Mongolian lay Dharma includes conduct-based happiness as a cultural norm — not merely as spiritual theory.
The line invites us to reflect on how right action lightens the heart. A clean conscience is often the truest ease.
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If you truly seek peace – honour others!
Чи жинхэнэ амгаланг хүсвээс бусдыг хүндэл!
Амгалан (peace) is not mere inner calm, but the relational atmosphere of a mind free from contention. Honouring others (бусдыг хүндлэх) is a direct practice of Lojong’s cultivation of equanimity and respect. Birtalan’s oral sources speak of peace arising where there is mutual regard, especially in the rhythm of shared life.
Here, the teaching gently points to peace not as isolation, but as something that blossoms when we truly honour the presence and dignity of others.
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If you truly seek the good – steer clear of unwholesome companions!
Чи жинхэнэ сайныг хүсвээс нүглийн саднаас хол бай!
Mongolian Gelug ethics, informed by both Lamrim and public moral codes, repeatedly stress the influence of environment. “Unwholesome companions” need not be unwholesome people — they may be habits, voices, or internal alliances that normalise delusion.
We are reminded here that seeking what is wholesome also means protecting the conditions in which wholesomeness can grow.
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If you truly seek stability – be without deceit!
Чи жинхэнэ батыг хүсвээс хуурмаг үгүй бай!
Бат suggests firmness, stability, dependability — not in the rigid sense, but in the calm, ethical sense of internal consistency. Deceit fragments the mind; honesty restores its cohesion (Tsongkhapa, Lamrim Chenmo). Birtalan (2015) notes that Mongolian commentary emphasises honesty as a daily strength — the alignment of what is said, meant, and done.
This line suggests that what truly steadies us in life is not control, but honesty — even quiet, imperfect honesty.
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If you truly seek wisdom – never be lazy!
Чи жинхэнэ эрдэм хүсвээс ямагт бүү залхуур!
Эрдэм refers to realised wisdom — not knowledge alone. Laziness (залхуур) in Gelug thought includes distraction, busyness, and hopelessness. Tsongkhapa details these three kinds of laziness that sabotage growth. In Mongolian pedagogy (Birtalan, 2015), wisdom is said to “come to those who return to their studies even after forgetting.”
This might speak to the simple truth that wisdom doesn’t come all at once, but through small, steady steps.
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If you truly seek the path – walk it with true resolve!
Чи жинхэнэ явдлыг хүсвээс чин зоригоор яв!
Чин зориг is not harsh discipline but quiet commitment. Mongolian Dharma teachings often equate resolve with tenacity in the ordinary — a willingness to continue through difficulty. This echoes the Lamrim idea that intention (motivation) is what empowers every stage of the path.
What seems to emerge here is a sense that spiritual life isn’t something we wait for — it’s something we begin, with sincerity and a steady heart.
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If you truly seek the path – rely on a noble teacher!
Чи жинхэнэ зам мөр эгээрвээс сайн багшийг шүт!
A сайн багш is not only doctrinally qualified but ethically luminous. Mongolian Lamrim traditions (Birtalan, 2015) emphasise the teacher as a mirror of possibility, not a controller. To “rely on” means to listen, to observe, and to be transformed through contact and effort.
We are reminded here that the path doesn’t unfold clearly on its own — we walk it better when we follow someone who walks with care.
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If you truly seek wisdom – make listening your foundation!
Чи жинхэнэ ухааныг хүсвээс сонсохуйг гол болго!
Listening (сонсохуй) is the first of the three classical stages of Dharma learning. In Mongolian contexts, it includes not just hearing Teachers, but listening deeply to silence, to suffering, and to the ethical lessons of life (Birtalan, 2015).
The line invites us to reflect on how wisdom begins not with speaking or solving, but with listening — deeply, and with humility.
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If you truly seek the mind – rely on mindfulness!
Чи жинхэнэ сэтгэлийг хүсвээс санаж сэрэхүйг шүт!
To seek сэтгэл (mind/heart) is to turn inward — and mindfulness (санаж сэрэхүй) is the lamp we carry. Lamrim teachings describe mindfulness as “recalling the purpose” (Diemberger 2002, 132)— keeping the path in view even when no one is watching.
Seen through lived experience, this may be a reminder that the mind we long to understand cannot be grasped through force — only through steady presence.
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If you truly seek life – learn to sit alone!
Чи жинхэнэ амьдрахуйг хүсвээс гагцаар сууж сур!
Solitude (гагцаар суух) is not loneliness but self-encounter. In Mongolian oral commentary, “sitting alone” is a sign of maturity — the readiness to meet the mind and not flee it (Birtalan, 2015). Tsongkhapa affirms solitude as a field where Dharma matures.
The line invites us to reflect on how being truly alive sometimes means being quietly present with ourselves — without numbing, hurrying, or hiding.
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If you truly seek vision – train under meditation!
Чи жинхэнэ үзэгдлийг хүсвээс бясалгал дор суралц!
True vision (үзэгдэл) arises not from study alone but through staying present long enough for direct experience to clarify itself. Tsongkhapa refers to this as “staying with the object until seeing is born” (Цонхава, 2019, х. 92; Tsongkhapa, 2000, p. 135). This line suggests that meditation is not mere silence, but relational seeing — a dialogue with the mind.
What seems to emerge here is a sense that true vision doesn’t come from looking harder, but from sitting deeper.
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If you truly seek the wondrous – behold your own mind!
Чи жинхэнэ гайхамшгийг хүсвээс сэтгэлээ тольд!
The wondrous (гайхамшиг) is not elsewhere. It is found in the simple, raw act of turning toward the mind without judgment. Mongolian teachers describe this as “meeting the one who sees” (Birtalan, 2015).
The line invites us to reflect that when we stop trying to fix the mind and start witnessing it, we may glimpse its quiet, luminous nature.
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If you truly seek the heart of existence — turn to the essence of the heart!
Чи жинхэнэ оршихуйг хүсвээс зүрхэн утгыг хай!
Зүрхэн утга — the “heart’s essence” — is the most intimate of teachings. In Mongolian Gelugpa view, this points to the union of emptiness and compassion, the wisdom that arises when one no longer looks outward for grounding.
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The Exclamation Mark (!) in Contemplative Literature
In Rinpoche’s doha, the exclamation mark seems to function not as a mere indicator of emotional excess, but as a rhetorical device that underscores urgency and immediacy in contemplative instruction. Rather than heightening sentiment, it acts as a punctuated imperative, drawing the reader out of conceptual rumination into direct recognition.
As Lewis (2016) notes in his study of contemplative language, the exclamation mark in spiritual verse is often “a comma turned upward—punctuating a turning of the heart” (p. 412). Similarly, Kachru (2019) observes that in Buddhist contemplative texts, punctuation like the exclamation point “does not merely close a sentence; it opens a space of attention” (p. 114). This suggests that such punctuation may signal a moment of experiential shift—from reflection into resolve.
Furthermore, in his study of poetic expression in East Asian Buddhist contexts, Heine (2023) remarks that “exclamatory punctuation in contemplative verse can act as a textual bell, marking the transition between inner states” (p. 48). In this light, the exclamation mark in Rinpoche’s verse should probably not be read as a dramatic flourish, but as a compassionate jolt, awakening the reader to a truth that must not only be understood, but inhabited.
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Summary
“Чи жинхэнэ оршихуйг хүсвээс” unfolds as a mirror of the Mongolian Lamrim path itself — from outer conduct to inner vision, from ethical companionship to contemplative solitude, from structured teaching to the unstructured heart. Each line stands alone and yet builds upon the last.
To my way of thinking, it is at once a teaching, a prayer, and a map —composed not to impress, but to guide.
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Further Reading
Bawden, Charles R. “The Lamrim Tradition in Mongolia.” Asia Major, Vol. 10, 1964, pp. 117–144.
Bareja-Starzyńska, Agata. “The Biography and Works of Zaya Pandita Namkhaijamts: A Lamrimpa in 17th Century Mongolia.” Central Asiatic Journal, Vol. 55, 2011, pp. 205–233.
Birtalan, Ágnes. “The Khalkha Lamrim: Mongolian Buddhist Pedagogy in Oral and Textual Transmission.” In Mongolian Buddhism Past and Present, edited by Vesna A. Wallace, pp. 73–102. Leiden: Brill, 2015.
Diemberger, Hildegard. 2002. The People of Porong and Concepts of Territory. In: Blondeau, Anne-Marie, and Buffetrille, Katia (eds), Authenticating Tibet: Answers to China’s 100 Questions, Leiden: Brill, pp. 127–144. (Originally presented at the Ninth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Leiden, 2000).
Heine, Steven. The Zen Poetry of Dōgen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace. Oxford University Press, 2023, p. 48.
Kachru, Shubha. “On Learning to Overhear the ‘Vanishing Poet’.” In Readings of Śāntideva’s Guide to Bodhisattva Practice, pp. 110–124. De Gruyter, 2019.
Lewis, Bradley. “Narrative Medicine and Contemplative Care at the End of Life.” Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 55, No. 2, 2016, pp. 408–417.
Teleki, Krisztina. “The Popularization of the Lamrim Teaching in 19th-century Mongolia.” Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, Vol. 68, No. 4, 2015, pp. 475–489.
Tserenpil, D. and Kohn, M. A Modern Mongolian-English Dictionary. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006.
Tsongkhapa. (2000). The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lamrim Chenmo), Vol. 1. Translated by The Lamrim Chenmo Translation Committee. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications.
Tsongkhapa. (2019). Stages of the Path to Enlightenment: A Source-Critical Mongolian Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Trans. Kh. Ider. Ulaanbaatar: Admon Press. (Бодь мөрийн зэрэг: Төвөдөөс орчуулсан эх сурвалж судлалын оршил, тайлбар хавсарсан орчуулга).
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If there are any errors of judgement in this article, they are of my own making.
For these, I humbly apologise.
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Refer to the INDEX for other articles that may be of interest.
End of transcript.
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