When you see a rainbow, take a moment to reflect: “This is truly magnificent, but in a short while, it will disappear without a trace. The same is true of all the splendor, wealth, and fame in this world. When they appear, they seem grand and alluring, but they quickly fade as conditions change.”
The Wondrous Sound of the Waterfall: A Lament on Impermanence
Composed in 1964 by His Holiness Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche, The Wondrous Sound of the Waterfall is a vajra song centered on the theme of impermanence. Although simple in form, it carries deep meaning and inconceivable blessings.
In this two-part teaching, Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche offers a heartfelt and accessible explanation, guiding us to see clearly the fleeting nature of all phenomena. These teachings are especially valuable for modern practitioners who may understand the impermanence intellectually, yet seldom feel its truth deeply in their hearts. We warmly invite you to listen to these recordings with simultaneous English translation, and allow this song of impermanence to inspire and awaken your mind.
This vajra song is a poetic and contemplative work that illustrates impermanence through vivid images drawn from nature, human life, and the ever-changing world. Its verses remind us that all compounded phenomena—youth and old age, meeting and parting, prosperity and decline—are without exception transient. By repeatedly turning the mind toward impermanence, the text aims to reduce attachment to worldly concerns, dismantle complacency, and inspire genuine renunciation. It encourages practitioners to use the uncertainty of life as a powerful motivation to commit wholeheartedly to the path of liberation.
His Holiness never pursued a worldly life. With profound wisdom, he saw through the unions and separations of this world and recognized that all the intricacies of worldly affairs are ultimately impermanent. The “beautiful life” people yearn for cannot conceal the truth: at its core, worldly existence is transient and illusory, far from what we imagine. However beautifully it is described across cultures and ages, worldly life ultimately lacks true substance.
Audio Recordings (with simultaneous English translation)
Once possessing the wealth of the four continents
And enjoying great fame as a Chakravartin,
Now, upon reflection, only an empty name remains.
My own feeble body certainly lacks real substance.
