Signs of a Sublime Personage and Useless Things

The Eleven Signs of a Sublime Personage

What does a genuinely realized person actually look like? If the previous chapters have been a catalog of what goes wrong, this list is a portrait of what goes right. And the answer will surprise anyone expecting rainbow lights and miraculous powers. Gampopa's sublime personage is marked not by displays of attainment but by absence — less envy, less conceit, less craving, less pretension. Greatness, in Gampopa's portrait, looks like simplicity.

1. It is a sign of a sublime personage to be less envious and conceited.

2. It is a sign of a sublime personage to have less craving and be content with just the basics of living.

3. It is a sign of a sublime personage not to be pompous, haughty or arrogant.

4. It is a sign of a sublime personage to be without hypocrisy and double-dealing.

5. It is a sign of a sublime personage to examine, precisely and conscientiously, any course of action, and then carry it out with mindfulness.

6. It is a sign of a sublime personage to be on guard concerning the karmic consequences of actions, as carefully as he would protect his own eyes.

7. It is a sign of a sublime personage to be free from duplicity in keeping vows and samaya commitments.

8. It is a sign of a sublime personage not to be prejudiced or false-hearted towards sentient beings.

9. It is a sign of a sublime personage to be forgiving and unaggressive towards those who do evil.

10. It is a sign of a sublime personage to offer all victories to others and accept all defeats for himself.

11. It is a sign of a sublime personage to differ from worldly-minded people in all thoughts and deeds.

Gampopa adds: their opposites are the signs of not being a sublime personage.

The Unremarkable Qualities of the Remarkable

What is striking about this list is its modesty. The signs of a sublime person are not miraculous powers, not visions, not the ability to levitate or read minds. They are moral and psychological qualities: less envy, less craving, no arrogance, no hypocrisy, careful attention to karma, pure samaya, equanimity toward all beings, forgiveness, willingness to accept defeat.

This is profoundly practical teaching. Gampopa is saying that spiritual attainment shows itself not in what you can do but in who you have become. The tenth sign — offering all victories to others and accepting all defeats for yourself — is the essence of lojong (mind training), the Kadampa practice of exchanging self and other. It is among the most demanding practices in all of Buddhism, and Gampopa places it as a sign of the realized being.

The eleventh sign — differing from worldly-minded people in all thoughts and deeds — is deliberately broad. It does not specify how the sublime person differs, only that they do. The difference is in orientation: where the worldly person acts from attachment, aversion, and ignorance, the sublime person acts from wisdom, compassion, and freedom.

The addendum is equally significant: "their opposites are the signs of not being a sublime personage." This makes the list into a mirror. You can read it in both directions — as an aspiration of what to become, and as an honest assessment of where you fall short.

The Ten Useless Things

Gampopa now confronts us with impermanence in its most uncompromising form. Each point names something that people pour enormous effort into, and then shows that effort to be ultimately futile.

1. It is useless to cater to and perform protective rituals for this illusory body since it will most certainly perish — no matter how much trouble you take.

2. It is useless to crave material things and be stingy with them since the day you die you leave poor and empty-handed — no matter how much trouble you take.

3. It is useless to build castles and mansions since the day you die you leave alone and even your corpse will be thrown out — no matter how much trouble you take.

4. It is useless to thoughtfully bequeath things to your children and descendants since they have no power to help you at the moment of death, not even for one instant — no matter how much trouble you take.

5. It is useless to affectionately care for friends and relatives since the day you die you leave alone and friendless — no matter how much trouble you take.

6. It is useless to have possessions that will surely be squandered when given to children and descendants since they are all impermanent — no matter how much wealth you may have.

7. It is useless to have property, dominion, and enterprises since the day you die you proceed aimlessly without fixed abode or dwelling — no matter how much trouble you take.

8. It is useless to act in discord with the teachings since such "spiritual practice" will cause a rebirth in the lower realms — even if you have entered the gateway to the Dharma.

9. It is useless not to practice after training your mind in learning and reflection since there is then nothing to apply at the moment of death — no matter how much Dharma you understand.

10. It is useless to lack trust and respect since a sublime spiritual teacher's superior qualities and blessings are not transmittable — even if you have stayed a long time near him.

The Refrain of Death

The repetition of "no matter how much trouble you take" creates a relentless refrain. Gampopa is not being pessimistic. He is being realistic in the most compassionate way: by forcing us to confront what cannot be avoided. Every external accomplishment — wealth, property, family, possessions — is left behind at death. This is not a theory. It is the most certain fact of every life.

But the list does not stop at material things. The last three points target spiritual practitioners specifically. Acting in discord with the teachings — even after entering the Dharma — leads to lower rebirths. Learning without practice leaves you with nothing at the moment of death. And staying near a great teacher without trust means the blessings cannot enter.

The ninth point echoes one of the fourteen meaningless things: being like a rich man without the key to his treasury. You can accumulate vast knowledge of the Dharma, but if you never apply it, at the moment of death — the one moment when everything is tested — you have nothing to draw upon.

The tenth point is a reminder about the nature of spiritual transmission. The teacher's qualities and blessings are real, but they require a receptor — the student's trust and respect. Without that openness, the transmission cannot take place, no matter how close you are physically or how long you remain in the teacher's presence.