The preliminaries · Verse 6 of 37
Verse 6: Cherish the spiritual teacher
Verse 6 of The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, the fourteenth-century Tibetan poem by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1295–1369). It belongs to the section on preliminaries.
When one follows a true, virtuous friend, faults will diminish and good qualities will grow like the waxing moon. Therefore, cherish this virtuous friend even more than your own body. This is the way of a bodhisattva.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is to cherish spiritual friends,
By regarding them as even more precious than one's own body,
Since they are the ones who will help to rid us of all our faults,
And make our virtues grow ever greater just like the waxing moon.
With some teachers, your shortcomings fade away and
Abilities grow like the waxing moon.
Hold such teachers dear to you,
Dearer than your own body — this is the practice of a bodhisattva.
A facilitator's reading across the commentaries
The balance point differs by lineage temperament — GR and KS lead with devotion, AB and TC lead with discernment, KTGR/KM with the functional test (watch what actually happens to your faults). Good session material: how does verse 6 sit alongside verse 5? Same criterion, opposite sign — judge companionship by what it does to your mind.
GR Garchen Rinpoche · HHDL H.H. the Dalai Lama · AB Dr. Alexander Berzin · KTGR Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche · KS Khenpo Sodargye · TC Ven. Thubten Chodron · KM Ken McLeod
What the teachers say
Garchen Rinpoche Drikung Kagyu
Teachers are like our eyes, giving us a pair "not only to see this world but also the next life." Supplicating with body, speech, and mind generates joy in the teacher, which purifies negative karma and transmits merit; Marpa and Milarepa are the model. A guru's instructions are intangible but precious gifts deserving unlimited gratitude — root gurus, parents, and teachers together.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
H.H. the Dalai Lama Gelug
Citing Potowa: "to attain buddhahood there is nothing more important than following a guru." But the guru must be qualified — learned and experienced in vinaya, sutra, sastra, tantra. Rely as a patient trusts a doctor; maintain pure view.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
Dr. Alexander Berzin Gelug
The corrective voice: "entrusting" is examined trust, like choosing a qualified doctor — evaluate actual qualifications, not titles. "We don't worship the teacher either… our disturbing emotions settle down, like muddy water settling down." No attachment or dependency; karmic compatibility matters; the teacher's main gift is inspiration, which works even without constant contact. Students should actively build the relationship, not wait for magic. Part 2
Full commentary: studybuddhism.com
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Karma Kagyu
The definition is functional: whoever's reliance makes your defects wane and qualities wax like the moon is your spiritual friend — Naropa with Tilopa, Milarepa with Marpa, hardship included. "You should consider this friend as more precious than your own body."
Full commentary: dharmaebooks.org (Free ebook, trans. Suzanne Schefczyk.)
Khenpo Sodargye Nyingma, Larung Gar
Examine carefully before committing; unwavering trust after. "Devotion is the major prerequisite for the path; if you have no faith, even Buddha cannot help you." Faith is the vessel through which blessing enters.
Full commentary: khenposodargye.org (Free ebook PDF.)
Ven. Thubten Chodron Sravasti Abbey, Gelug
The teacher's kindness spans lifetimes — "the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, lifetime after lifetime, hanging in there trying to drag us towards enlightenment!" Real compassion often arrives as direct, uncomfortable feedback, not validation. Proper reliance avoids both fantastical projection and dismissing the teacher as ordinary; it demands releasing attachment to being right. Verses 4–6 · Sangye Khadro
Full commentary: thubtenchodron.org
Ken McLeod Shambhala / independent
Note his translation opens "With some teachers…" — same functional test as KTGR. Tricycle verse 6 · Talk 3 (2006)
Full commentary: unfetteredmind.org (Tricycle's per-verse written commentary is behind a subscriber paywall.)
Further reading: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart of Compassion (Shambhala). A purchased book — no text is reproduced here.