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Parting from the Four Attachments

Tibetan Buddhism · Sakya

Amber leaves floating along a clear woodland stream over smooth stones.

The Instructions on Parting from the Four Attachments

revealed to Sachen Kunga Nyingpo

Oṃ svasti siddham!

When he reached the age of twelve, the great Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook a six-month practice of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. One day he had a vision, in which he actually saw, amidst a brilliant blaze of light, the holy Lord Mañjuśrī, orange in colour and seated on a jewelled throne, his feet placed flat upon the ground, his hands in the mudrā of explaining the Dharma, and with an attendant bodhisattva on either side.

Mañjuśrī spoke to him:

“If you are attached to this life, you are not a true spiritual practitioner;
If you are attached to saṃsāra, you have no renunciation;
If you are attached to your own self-interest, you have no bodhicitta;
If there is grasping, you do not have the View.”

When Sachen Kunga Nyingpo examined the truth of these words, he understood that the entire practice of the path of the pāramitās was condensed into training the mind in parting from these four attachments, and he attained a special conviction and insight into all the teachings of the Dharma.

Samāptamithi!

| Rigpa Translations 2011. Revised 2012.

Translations & sourcesEditions & translators
Read at Lotsawa House ↗

Read the short root teaching associated with Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. The source identifies its traditional attribution and translation.

Edition & attribution

Rigpa Translations 2011. Revised 2012. Text from Lotsawa House, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Formatting adapted for Buddhist Atlas; translation wording unchanged.

An introduction. Follow the source link below to explore the translated work.

Introductions, reflection questions and added section headings are editorial material, separate from the attributed translation.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork created for Buddhist Atlas. It is an evocative companion, not a depiction of the text’s historical setting.

Source link checked October 1, 2026. The linked publisher provides the text and its usage terms.

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People & teachers1
  • Tsongkhapa

    Compare another path author: his Three Principal Aspects also join renunciation, bodhicitta and wisdom.

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Traditions & history3
  • Sakya

    The Sakya setting of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo’s instruction.

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  • Tibetan traditions

    Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Tibetan traditions.

  • Sakya

    Study context: this text is included in the Atlas guide to Sakya.

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