When you pass away, nothing will do you any good except for the pure Dharma. You will not simply disappear when you die. Rather, what happens next will be dictated by your previous actions.

For these reasons, you should exert yourself by whatever means necessary to free yourself from samsara, which is nothing but a vast ocean of suffering! Practice your teacher’s guidance concerning what to do and what to give up to the letter, without falling under the influence of immature friends or bad influences. To the best of your ability, incorporate this genuine teaching on the certainty of death into each and every day.

Keeping all this in mind, arouse faith in the Three Jewels so that you will be able to practice in this manner, thinking to yourself, “Think of me, Three Jewels!” At the same time, be sure to generate an intense sense of renunciation and subdue your mind stream. ~ Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

Three Jewels or Triratana in Buddhism. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Entrance to the Great Perfection: A Guide to the Dzogchen Preliminary Practices, edited and translated by Cortland Dahl, pages 82-83.