The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
Page 35
Then he rested evenly in the abiding nature—the base—and sang this song of realization about confidence in realization through complete mastery of fearlessness:
This place named Dingma Drin,
A marketplace where they gather to sell their wares,
Is a place to where Indians and Tibetans travel.
The fierce Tseringma on the snowy heights
With a topknot of resplendent crystal,
Queen, divine physician, upon the hem of her skirt,
Is that pasture not the summer place, the Menlung Valley?
At Chuwar, delineated there in its corner,
You eighty-four thousand obstructing spirits gather.
From those in the deva realm of Controlling Others’ Emanations*14
Down to the mahoragas beneath the ground;
From the speech-free nagas82 up to those hovering in space;*15
Gandharvas, putanas, and kimnaras;
Mahoragas, kumbandas, rakshasas, and demons;
Vetalas, yakshas, and bhuta spirits.
An inconceivable number has assembled;
Every one of their names, I’m not able to utter.
In particular are the five fearful rakshasa demonesses.
You shouted horrific things at me.
“You must traverse from this life to the other side!” you said.
Having great fear only toward death,
I trained in the deathless innate state—
That’s the basic key point of the self-liberation of samsara.
This essential reality has been pointed out to me.
Naked inner awareness, free of support,
Its movement is pure and clear—that’s confidence in view.
I’ve determined my mind is luminous and empty.
I have no fear of birth or death.
Having great fear toward the eight freedomless states,
I meditated on impermanence and the faults of samsara.
I put deep trust in the refuge, the three jewels,
And developed careful heed toward karma, cause and effect.
By training my mind-stream in bodhichitta, the means,
I cut the continuum of obscurations, the latent tendencies.
I realize that whatever appearances dawn are illusions.
I have no fear of the three lower realms.
Having great fear of how life is fleeting,
I made a connection of the nadi-prana path.
Since I’ve trained in Three Vital Points of Mixing,
When the appearances of the sixfold collection cease,
I have confidence in dharmakaya’s pointing out;
Then ejecting consciousness out the aperture of Brahma,
Unborn mind is transferred to dharmadhatu.
I have no fear of dying now.*16
Now, you worldly devas and yakshas
Who seek to take the lives of beings,
My illusory body of skandhas here,
This object of impermanence and decay,
No matter what, it must be cast away.
So, ghosts, if you want it, take whatever part you like.
In general, I offer it as a ransom*17 for all beings.
In particular, I dedicate it for the sake of my kind parents.
By dedicating this offering of my body’s flesh and blood,
May you be satisfied, have great joy,
And put an end to the connection of debt
We’ve had from beginningless samsara until now.
Be free of all grudges and retribution.
The movement of mind, insubstantial and empty,
Ghosts, you can’t see it, nor even can I.
The buddhas of the three times have never seen it.83
Though the eighteen hell realms arise as foes,
If I think, “How frightful!” then it’s I who am menaced.
I’m a space-like yogi of emptiness.
Because I understand the true nature of confusion,
Ghosts, I have no fear of you.
Everything is a manifestation of mind.
E MA! The phenomena of samsara’s three realms
Not existing, they appear: how wonderfully amazing!
After the Jetsun had sung this song of realization about gaining mastery of fearlessness, he then pronounced these words of truth*18 to the demons: “Since beginningless samsara, all the way up until now, we’ve had an unspeakable number of births and have had more bodies than there are atoms. [During this time] we have only accumulated the composite aggregates of suffering and abandoned them meaninglessly. Not even for a moment have we done anything meaningful.
“This present body of defiled aggregates comprised of the four elements and the thirty-two impure substances, if you assembly of devas and ghosts want it, why should I not give it to you? Since sentient beings—the six classes of beings84—have all been my parents, I give up my body as a ransom to cast away any karmic retributions and as redemption for any grudges. From the top of my head down to the soles of my feet—my twelve different branches, with the head making thirteen; my five sense faculties; my five vital organs; my six inner parts; my flesh and bones; marrow and fat; my brain and membranes; oils and blood; my hair and nails; skin and odor; my breath and life-force; vitality and complexion; and so on—all of the things that each of you may desire, take them right now and be contented. May you have only delight.
“Further, because of this offering of my body, flesh, and blood, from this day forward may the negative intentions of malevolence and aggression of this assembly of yakshas and rakshasas be pacified. May your mind-streams be completely filled with only undefiled great compassion. With that compassion as the substantial cause and cooperating condition,*19 from now on may you do no harm or injury to sentient beings. By turning away from such harm and injury, may your minds have great love. With many intentions of loving-kindness and joy, may you all have the wealth of abundant happiness.” Thus, the Jetsun made this aspiration with words of truth.
With that, all of the assembled devas and ghosts became inspired and filled with devotion. Their manifestations of magic and ill omens were tamed and they came to abide in a state of great peace.
From among them, the five extremely savage rakshasa dakinis who had displayed such fearsomeness said, “Yogi, that you would offer your flesh and blood without any attachment or feeling of loss toward your body is truly amazing. However, we sincerely did not wish to harm or injure you. We only came to examine what kind of meditation experience and confidence in realization you have. Generally, all outer illusions of demonic obstructions are caused by the inner conceptual mind. Upon your arrival, we thought you had a bit of trepidation as you summoned an army of deities and dakinis. Seeing that you had doubts and fear, we said many unpleasant things and inflicted harm. But now that you have spoken such words of truth, we who have come here have great regret and shame.
“Now, yogi, cut the outer and inner movement of mind that is so treacherous, and rest in the equipoise of the unfabricated nature of mind. Doing that, when you encounter any other obstacles besides what we have created here, even if the entire realm of Brahma*20 should quake, they will not be able to intimidate or disturb you.” Having given this heart advice, it is said that from the sky, the five savage yakshas, all in single voice, offered this song to the Jetsun:
Kye! Listen here great Repa Yogi!
By accumulating merit, you’ve obtained a human birth.
With the fortune of the freedoms and resources gathered,
Fulfilling your aspiration, you met the dharma.
Because of your karmic propensity of training, you engage in meditation;
Thus you’re a supreme being, a son of noble family.
We unfortunate worldly ones,
Because of inferior intellect, are obscured.
Because of an inferior rebirth, we have bodies of women.
Having accumulated no merit, we have malevolent minds.
Having accumulated bad karma, w
e must wander in space.
Sentient beings who are so deluded85
Cannot know the realization in others’ mind-streams;
Thus, we’ll use words to give examples;
Gain certainty in their meaning through inference.
Though it’s possible you may have some doubts,
Sit down, relax, and listen to our song.
At the prosperous gate86 of China in the east
The women there weave bolts of fine silk.
If the weft shuttle doesn’t go awry in the warp threads,*21
No wind outside will be able to unravel it.
Be astute! Then a quality garment will be made.
In Gyimshang, Mongolia’s*22 capital to the north,
They go to war with strength and might.
If there is no internal political revolt,
They won’t have fear of even Gesar’s*23 men.
Rule through peace, wise, brave warrior!87
In the west, at the narrow pass of the Persian king,
On its hero’s gate with calling trumpets,88
If the iron nails inside do not break,
They won’t have any fear of the catapults outside.
Fasten it well from inside! It’s a magical gate.
In the south, Nepal, a land of bored-out stones
Where trunks of medicinal sandalwood grow:
If the trees of the Thayu*24 aren’t felled from within,
The Mön outsiders won’t attack with their axes.
Protect the trees and inner affairs! It will remain a forest land.
At the solitary place of Chuwar in Drin,
You, Milarepa, have excellent meditation.
If your inner concepts don’t turn to ghosts,
You won’t be frightened by outer demons and obstructions.
Yogi, train your inner mind-stream.
Do not have doubts, you with yogic discipline!
At the rocky mountain of dharmata-emptiness,
You took hold of the fortress of unwavering samadhi;
You donned the armor of bodhichitta
And sharpened your weapon of compassion and prajña.
Though you were surrounded by the four maras’ army,
You didn’t go to the city of perceiver and perceived.
Though the world of Yama arose as your foe,
You won’t lose the battle; your victory is certain.
Outside, desirable appearances make a great show;
Inside, shamatha’s meditation has much dullness and agitation.
Attachment to your homeland has long accompanied you.
Your wisdom of vipashyana is only momentary.
The enemy devas and ghosts of concepts are very skilled.
With hopes and fears all lying in wait,
There’s a danger you’ll be bound by the noose of ego.
With the sentinel of your mindfulness and awareness,
Protect well the fortress, O yogic practitioner.
Four examples and their meaning in this song make five—
Pleasant words, like pearls, strung on a thread.
The mirror that illuminates reality is bright in your mind.
Understand this well, you fortunate one.
Thus they sang this song of four examples and their meaning to the Jetsun.
Then the Jetsun replied, “Generally, all the outer obstructing devas and ghosts of the class of maras come from the substantial cause of inner conceptuality. Though what you have said here is true, in my yogic tradition, we don’t see obstacles as faults. Whatever omens or magical displays should manifest, I see them as being kind and take them as something desirable.
“With the instruction on taking bad omens as good fortune,89 [obstacles] crack the whip of diligence for beginners who are lazy; then those persons immediately apply the antidotes and intensify their awareness. By doing this, they incite their bodies and speech to spiritual practice, which becomes the cause for meditative concentration to quickly dawn in their mind-streams. For those who are familiarized with the path and have gained stability, [obstacles] foster mindfulness-wisdom. They make the glow of the luminosity of awareness shine forth and they become trained in inner samadhi experiences. Due to that, the special bodhichitta arises in the mind-stream, and enhancement of the path improves more and more.
“At that point, the classes of demons are transformed into dharmapalas. When you see the dharmapalas as nirmanakayas, adverse conditions become siddhis. Obstacles are brought to the path, and concepts dawn as the dharmakaya. The faults become liberated as good qualities, and you will attain all the favorable conditions for the common path. Ultimately, within the nature of knowable phenomena, neither devas nor ghosts exist. The characteristics of hopes and fears to be adopted and abandoned are self-liberated in their own place. The realization that confusion is baseless, and the dawning of samsara as Mahamudra, is called the dharmakaya free from meeting and parting in which adventitious concepts dissolve into basic space.” Then the Jetsun taught these points in verse:
In this world, the pure realm of the Victorious One,
There is one renowned as a second buddha
On the victory banner of the teachings that do not set.90
He’s like the crowning jewel at the top,
He’s an object for all to respect and make offerings.
The sound of his rippling banner of fame
Completely pervades all directions.
Is this not the Lord Maitripa?
One who served at his very lotus feet with respect
And who drank the vital elixir
Realized genuine meaning free of extremes:
Mahamudra, the pinnacle view.
He completely perfected all good qualities
And became unsullied by any faults.
Emanation of the Sugata in human form,
That supreme being, Marpa, taught like this:
However outer appearances may arise,
When they’re not realized, they’re confused appearances.
It’s through attachment to objects that you become bound.
When realized, they appear as illusions;
Objects that appear dawn as mind’s friend.
But in ultimate reality, they never appeared;
As the unborn dharmakaya they are pure, he taught.
This consciousness, the inner movement of conceptual mind,
When not realized, is ignorance.
It is the basis of all afflictions and karma.
When realized, it becomes self-aware wisdom
And all the good qualities are perfected.
In ultimate reality, there is no wisdom.
Carry dharmas to the point of exhaustion, he taught.
This body of the perpetuating skandhas,*25
When not realized, is the body of the four elements;
Suffering and sickness come from that.
When realized, it’s the deity’s body of union
That transforms ordinary fixation.
In ultimate reality, there is no body;
It is pure, like the sky free of clouds, he taught.
These appearances of male and female demons and yakshas,
When not realized, are maras;
They create obstructions and inflict harm.
When realized, obstructing spirits are dharmapalas;
A variety of accomplishments will arise from you.
In ultimate reality there are no devas or ghosts.
Carry concepts to the point of exhaustion, he taught.
Generally, within the ultimate yana,
Through the anuttarayoga tantra*26 of Secret Mantra,
When the gathering of dhatus aligns with the nadis,
The forms of outer ghosts are seen, he taught.
Not knowing that one’s perceptions are mistaken
But thinking they are real—that is utterly deluded.
Until now I have been fooled by delusion
And entered the den of confusion and
ignorance.
The benefit of devas and the harm of ghosts were taken as real.
But now, through the kindness of the siddha lord,
I know it won’t do to accept nirvana or reject samsara:
Anything that arises dawns as Mahamudra.
Through realizing that confusion is without any base,
The water-moon of awareness becomes clear, free of silt;
The sun of luminosity becomes free of clouds;
The darkness of ignorance is cleared to all ends;
Delusion’s deception disappears with no trace;
A glimmer of the way things are dawns within.
So, these precious concepts that perceive ghosts
Illuminate the unborn base. How wondrous indeed!
Thus, authenticating the teaching of his guru, the Jetsun sang these songs of realization on giving rise to certainty in the oral instructions.
Then the assembly of devas and ghosts led by the eighteen great demons said, “You’re a yogi who has attained real stability. We didn’t realize that. We feel very sorry and have regret for inflicting harm and creating obstructions before. Thus, we ask you to please forgive us. From now on we will be your subjects and listen to whatever you command. Henceforth, we devas and ghosts will do whatever activity you command us to accomplish.”
Milarepa accepted this and the assembly of devas and ghosts, like a falling wall, prostrated to him. It is said that they then dispersed and went back to their own abodes.
This is the story of how the great Repa Lord, whose name is not lightly uttered, the glorious Shepa Dorje, replied with a song of realization to the five worldly female dakinis. It was written down in letters with the power of perfect memory by Ngendzong Bodhiraja,*27 in the poem called “The Garland of an Array of Pearls.”
*1 This and the subsequent three chapters are part of a single larger cycle in the original text with the full title “The Five Tseringma Sisters’ Investigation and Sequence of Answers to Their Questions (T: tshe ring mched lngas drod nyul dang zhus lan gyi rim pa).