The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

by Tsangnyon Heruka

  The two siddhas both sat together on the same throne, joyfully speaking with each other. Dharmabodhi said to Milarepa, “It is wondrous that you are so happy staying all alone by yourself.” The Jetsun sang this song of realization in reply:

  I supplicate the guru, the nirmanakaya.

  Kagyu siddhas, please grant your blessings.

  To Dharmabodhi of India, the principal one here,

  And to the fortunate people of Tibet and Nepal,

  I, Milarepa, the yogi of Tibet,

  Now sing a wisdom song of experience.

  If I don’t sing such a song of experience,

  Then the people won’t recognize a nirmanakaya siddha.

  The five crooked nadis are straightened through prana.

  The five errant pranas are straightened out on the cushion.

  The five polluted elements are scorched by fire.

  The trunks of the afflictions, the five poisons, are felled.

  The enemy, the karmic pranas of concepts, are straightened in the central channel.*1

  The hero who tames these harmful enemies

  Will not be bound up by negative friends.

  Thus he sang. Dharmabodhi said, “Your way of taming enemies is excellent, indeed. Tell us of an excellent friend that is in harmony with what you just sang.” Then Milarepa sang this song in reply:

  I supplicate all the siddha lords:

  Grant your blessing that companions may dawn from within.

  The mother, the five quintessence nadis,

  Meets with the father, the five quintessence pranas,

  Then the son, the five quintessence dhatus,*2 is born

  And one sees one’s own face, the five quintessences of mind.

  This is the boasting of seizing the fortress,

  The palace of the central channel.

  The edict is proclaimed to the four chakras.

  The armies of the net of illusion

  Are bound by the law of no fixation.

  Whatever arises is the tendrel of awareness.

  One meets with the friend who points out one’s own face.

  All sentient beings within the three realms

  Are pervaded by this suchness of the self.

  That is the close friend of this yogi.

  Because my excellent friend, the awakened mind itself,

  Never comes nor goes, I am happy.

  Thus he sang. Dharmabodhi was pleased and said, “Generally, the experiences of the yogi cannot be described; nonetheless, tell us the key points of the view, meditation, and conduct.” In reply, the Jetsun sang this song of realization:

  If you can look at your mind without distraction,

  Then empty speech is meaningless.

  If you mix with the experience of self-awareness,

  Then the stupid meditation of a sleeping corpse is meaningless.

  If you understand the way interdependence arises,

  Then the eight concerns’ conduct is naturally destroyed.

  If you’re not wrapped up by any error toward mind,

  You’ll be free of deception, pleasing others, and hypocrisy.

  As to the kayas and wisdoms [that transcend] samsara and nirvana,

  If the blessings of the lineage do not enter you,

  Accomplishment won’t come simply through desire and effort.

  When Milarepa had sung this, Dharmabodhi said, “The view, meditation, and conduct of the yogi is truly wondrous.”

  The Jetsun said to him, “Now, you tell me the profound key points of your practice.” Then Dharmabodhi sang this song of realization:

  These fortunate ones assembled here

  Supplicate my practice lineage of excellent view.

  Through this excellent karmic connection,

  Grant your blessing that we may quickly meet.

  What benefit is there in looking at the mind

  Whose concepts and latent tendencies have not collapsed?

  What benefit is there in meditating for a long time

  Where self-clinging and craving for pleasure have not been abandoned?

  What benefit is there in the conduct of pride

  If one does not strive to benefit beings?

  What benefit is there in a joyful retinue that’s gathered

  Where no one listens to the guru’s speech?

  This is the basis of deception, hypocrisy, and shame.

  If the result is not the benefit of others,

  One will not attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

  If one says how things are, then there will be regrets;

  For if one creates conflict, that’s a great basis for ruin.*3

  Remaining silent is profound instruction.

  Yogi of Tibet, you sing melodious songs.

  My songs are not so melodious,

  But some inspiration arose, and so I sang.

  In the glorious pure realm of the expansion of bliss,

  Through the delight of singing, may we quickly meet.

  Thus Dharmabodhi sang. Again, they both joyfully spoke for a long time with each other. Then Dharmabodhi of India journeyed on his way, and the master Milarepa of Tibet with his disciples journeyed upward.*4 The master Jetsun and his disciples returned to Nyanang, and upon meeting some students, they were offered a drink of welcome and asked about the meeting. The Jetsun sang this song of realization in reply:

  When the sun and moon meet the sky, the four continents are illuminated.

  When a mother meets her child, her torment is allayed.

  When moisture meets warmth, plants will grow.

  When siddhas meet, the country is happy.

  The siddha Dharmabodhi

  Came to the forest of the Nepal Fortress

  And granted an audience to Milarepa.

  Dharmabodhi then arose

  And made prostrations to Milarepa.

  Thus, the people who gathered entertained some doubts.

  With the mudra of his illusory body,

  He joined his palms, planted his knees,

  And asked after my health within the dharmadhatu.

  In reply I stamped the Great Seal.*5

  In the temple of purity and nonduality,

  We conversed in ineffable luminosity.

  It is certain we’ve a connection of an excellent aspiration

  Previously made at the time of the Victorious One.

  Talk of this excellent meeting of my brother and friend

  Will resound through the lands far and wide.

  Thus he sang. The students were all overjoyed and amazed, and by the power of Dharmabodhi prostrating to the Jetsun, the Jetsun’s fame and merit grew even more.

  This is the cycle of meeting with Dharmabodhi.

  *1 The central channel is another name for avadhuti. It is taught in the yogic tradition here that when the prana enters the central channel through practice, various powerful yogic experiences arise.

  *2 Here, another word for bindu.

  *3 Not everyone is ready to have the truth told to them; those who do try to tell someone who is not ready will have regrets about disturbing others’ minds. (ATW)

  *4 The meaning implied here is that they journeyed back up into the mountains of Tibet from Nepal. Geographical locations in Tibet are commonly described in terms of their altitude.

  *5 Mahamudra.

  34

  Winning the Debate Arisen through Jealousy with Power and Magic

  NAMO GURU

  Because he gained full control over his own perceptions, the Jetsun Milarepa could overpower all perceptions of others. Dharmbodhi of India had offered prostrations to Milarepa, so his fame spread, and all of the offerings collected on behalf of the living and the dead of Nyanang were given to the Jetsun. He stayed at the Nyanang Belly Cave with his merit expanding and his practice and benefit for beings flourishing.

  At that time, there were some teachers from a monastic college of philosophical studies who were jealous of the Jetsun and derided him heavily, saying he was a heretic, a perve
rter of the dharma. At one point, there was a small famine that plagued the region of Nyanang and many of the people went to the teachers for loans. The teachers said, “Since we do not know the perverted dharma, we never received any of the offerings collected for the living and dead. All of our wealth and provisions have been used up for our school of the pure, genuine dharma, which is of no use to you. If you need a loan, then you should go ask that one who perverts the dharma to whom you offered when you had something to give.”

  Since the teachers would not lend them anything, some of the people said, “From one point of view, what they say is true: we definitely should take the Jetsun as our outer source of refuge. However, in this life we also have needs, so we should make offerings to the scholars as well,” and the local people and the monastery came to an agreement.

  At that time, Lotön Gendunbum and Ratön Darma Lodrö, the leaders, along with the other teachers at the monastery, held a council. Some said, “If we do not banish Milarepa from this land, then our teaching and activity for beings will not flourish. Whether the dharma of Milarepa is perverted or not, it is best that we banish him.”

  The leaders said to that, “If we banish him, it would bring shame upon us, and rumors would spread among the local people. You three teachers who are most learned in grammar, scripture, and logic should go and have a dharma discussion with him. Nothing will come out of Milarepa’s mouth besides his tongue, and he will not be able to answer correctly. Out of a hundred questions, he may only get a couple correct. By attacking him as a group and not letting up, you will defeat him. He will be disgraced and helpless and will leave on his own accord.”

  Those three teachers were sent, and conveyed through Rechungpa that they would like to meet with the Jetsun. Rechungpa, not in favor of this, went to the Jetsun and said, “There are three teachers who say they would like to meet you; should I send them in, or not?” The Jetsun answered, “Lhodrak Marpa said to me, ‘Whatever you can do to benefit sentient beings with your body, speech, or mind, even if it is through joking or casual conversation, you should do.’ Therefore, send them here.”109

  So they were brought in. After a hot meal and rinsing his mouth with water,*1 the Jetsun said, “Listen, if these offering substances of the faithful ones were to strike the earth, then the earth would split. If they struck rock, then the rock would split. If they struck water, the waters would stop flowing.*2 Therefore, teachers, I request that you please do a dedication in accord with the sutras.”

  The leader among them rose, snapped his fingers and said, “Oh, very well, sir, we three teachers hold the vows of the three trainings and wear the three dharma robes, the source of all merits. So it is fine whether or not we recite the sutras. But you must have some real guts to accept these devotional offerings and use them for yourself! Who do you think you are?” Then the Jetsun sang this song of realization of practice and realization:

  The essential point of the genuine dharma’s ultimate yana,

  Which has the taste of amrita and includes the scriptures, logic, and upadeshas,

  That crown ornament revered by all the learned and pure

  Remains inseparably as the ornament on the crown of my head.

  I divide my practice into three parts:

  One third is the meditation of the yidam’s creation stage;

  One third is the practice of nadi, prana, and bindu;

  And one third is the meditation of Mahamudra.

  The yoga of my four sessions’ meditation is bodhichitta.

  The accumulated offerings of faith in real things, I purify as empty.

  The accumulated offerings of the foolish and faithful, I dedicate as torma.

  The accumulated offerings of my own faith, I offer to the deities.

  The accumulated offerings of the leftover torma, I give to the bhuta spirits.

  Because this yogi who turns the wheel of ganachakra

  Knows that offerings have no intrinsic nature,

  As a recipient of offerings, I’m not bad, but good!

  Thus he sang. One of the teachers said, “If one does not have the good qualities of knowledge that come from study, it is like someone without hands trying to climb a rock; it will be impossible for them to attain liberation. If one does not do the practice of meditation, just like a blind man looking at a temple, one cannot see the genuine reality. In order to practice the creation stage, one must know how to meditate upon it. Do you know the creation stage? How do you meditate on it?” In reply, Milarepa sang this song of realization:

  When meditating on the yidam creation stage

  My body, appearance-emptiness, is like a rainbow in the sky.

  Since there’s nothing to grasp on to, craving is exhausted.

  My speech, sound-emptiness, is like an echo in an empty valley;

  Since there is nothing good or bad there, adopting and rejecting are exhausted.

  My mind, luminosity-emptiness, is like the light of the sun and moon;

  Since there is no bias there, self-clinging is exhausted.

  My ordinary body, speech, and mind

  Are the self-arisen vajra body, speech, and mind.

  With nothing left of the ordinary three gates, my mind is blissful.

  Whatever I do is in accord with dharma—how happy!

  That dharma is progressing on the path—what a delight!

  Thus he sang. Then the teacher said, “All of what you said may just be talk. Now tell us what are nadi, prana, and bindu, and how do you meditate upon them?” Then Milarepa sang this song of realization in reply:

  When I’m meditating on nadi, prana, and bindu,

  There are three principal nadis and the four chakras.

  The body’s craving is exhausted, I seem to disappear.

  Dhatu is refined into letter—it shines without stop.

  Since I see reality’s face, there is no mistake.

  Prana collects in the avadhuti and hits the vital point.

  Both the white and red elements meet together.

  Bliss, clarity, and nonthought are spontaneously present.

  The knot of mind’s doubt is directly dissolved.

  Dharma isn’t left just to speech—it mixes with my mind-stream.

  Mother and child luminosity mix into one.

  The skandhas of defiled craving and desire dissolve.

  Appearance and emptiness mix into one—how blissful!

  Emptiness is no longer just a theory—so joyful!

  Confusion is exhausted into space—what a delight!

  Thus he sang. Again the teacher said, “Marmots that live underground can sleep without moving for four months with only a single prana-breath, and although fish stay in the water continuously, it is impossible for them to drown. This is because of their good qualities of prana. However, they do not have a horsehair’s worth of good qualities in their minds. Your prana ability is also like that. Because it’s necessary to have qualities in the mind, tell us how you practice the meditation of Mahamudra.” Then Milarepa sang this song of realization in reply:

  When I’m meditating on Mahamudra,

  In the nature of reality, I rest without effort.

  Without any distraction, I rest loosely.

  In the state of emptiness, I rest with clarity.

  In the state of bliss, I rest with awareness.

  In nonconceptuality, I rest radiantly.

  Within the variety, I rest in equipoise.

  While resting in the nature of mind,

  Many certainties dawn, unhindered.

  Without any effort, self-luminous activity is accomplished.

  Not wishing for results, I’m completely happy.

  Free of hope and fear, I feel so joyful!

  Confusion dawns as wisdom—what a delight!

  Thus he sang. Then the teacher said, “We thought it was just your tongue wagging in your head. But what you have just said is good, even excellent. It seems that you just memorized what’s been written in texts. Tell us of the guru who taugh
t you this.”

  The Jetsun said, “I have studied my own mind, and appearances have dawned as my texts. If I am not separated from appearances, then I am never separated from texts. Appearances have been pointed out to me to be mind, and mind has been pointed out to be luminosity. Those who have pointed this out are my gurus.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  The venerable gurus of this man

  Take my pure body as their buddhafield.

  My five pure pranas are their lion thrones.

  My five pure nadis are their lotus seats.

  My five pure dhatus are their sun and moon seats.

  The empty mind itself is the guru’s form.

  Vajradhara, with the wisdom-kaya,

  Tilopa, endowed with the six higher perceptions,

  Naropa of the net of magical display,

  And the form of Marpa with incomparable kindness—

  All adorn my crown, inseparably.

  If you know how to look with the eye of devotion,

  You are no different from Vajradhara.

  If you know how to supplicate with respect and faith,

  From the gathering of the clouds of compassion,

  The gentle rain of blessings will unceasingly fall.

  If you know how to make the offering of practice,

  You’ll receive the treasure-lode of all the siddhis.

  Thus he sang. Then, all three of the teachers uncontrollably gave rise to faith. They rose, offered prostrations, and said: