Lack of understanding, ignorance, and confusion—these three:
How great are these hidden faults in the world.
“So it is said, and how true it is! We thought you were someone who consumed others’ offerings thanks to your crazy, know-nothing dharma. But, you have answered all of our questions without any difficulty. We confess that earlier we debated with you wrongly. Your gurus cannot be seen by just anyone. But since we supplicate you with devotion, that may be enough for us to receive the entire treasury of siddhis. So we ask you to please give us the oral instructions.” As they said this with humility and respect, the Jetsun was very pleased and gave them abhishekas and instructions, and sent them to meditate.
They gave rise to experience and realization, and became the three realized teacher-meditators that are like snow lions.
At one time, the master Jetsun and his disciples, along with all the teachers, had been invited to where a great banquet was to be held in Nyanang. Alongside thrones that were erected for both Lotön and Darlo was the row of teachers. A throne was also erected for the Jetsun, and alongside where he sat was the row of all the repas. Just beyond the middle of where the repas were arranged sat the three teachers who had previously gone to dispute the Jetsun, dressed and acting as yogis. They drank liquor from kapalas,*3 gulp by gulp. Lotön and Darlo both saw this and became upset.
“If we let these charlatans who destroy the teachings remain in this land, then our own teaching will be destroyed,” they said quietly, acting as though engaged in genuine discussion. As they slandered them, they thought, “We need a skillful way to banish them.”
Then Lotön said to the Jetsun, right from within the full row, “O yogi, you are truly special. Therefore, you are surely very learned in pramana.*4 If that is not actually the case, then with such dress and conduct you will destroy the Buddha’s teachings and bring ruin to everyone, yourself and others. Due to that, you would be expelled from the commitments of a dharma practitioner. Therefore, give us a rough presentation of the tenets of pramana.”
The Jetsun replied, “Teacher, you should not be attached to the fortress of conventional terms. Rather, while in meditative equipoise, rest within the state of innate dharmata. In postmeditation, apply the antidotes to the afflictions as much as you can. Let the good qualities of the nature of reality arise and abide within. Moreover, since the result of the five poisons, such as jealousy, is being carried to the lower realms, do not let your own mind-stream be scorched. I do not know about your system of pramana, but within my system of pramana, in the first part of my life, I received the ‘valid’*5 key instructions of the guru. Then, with ‘valid’ perseverance, I meditated in ‘valid’ mountain retreats. Through that, the ‘valid’ signs of experience developed in my mind-stream. Thus, the ‘valid’ benefactors with faith present their offerings to a ‘valid’ recipient. You ‘valid’ teachers who desire fame, indeed, have ‘valid’ jealousy. Thus I fear that you will experience the ‘valid’ suffering of the ‘valid’ hell realms. Other than that, I definitely don’t know any ‘valid’ pramana. If you need me to explain this in more detail, then listen to this song.” Then he sang this song of realization:
I bow at the feet of the guru free of afflictions.
Sentient beings of the polluted age have great jealousy.
Now, Lotön and Darlo, listen to me.
If I’d not been born from my mother’s womb,
How could I have drunk the sweet milk from her breast?
If I had not drunk the sweet milk of her breast,
How could I have eaten a few mouthfuls of flour?
If I had not eaten those few mouthfuls of flour,
How could my body have developed through its consumption?
If my body had not developed through consuming,
Then how could I have crossed the mountain-pass threshold?
If I had not crossed the mountain-pass threshold,
Then how could I roam the lands with no fixed direction?
If I had not roamed the lands with no fixed direction,
How could I have met the guru lord?
If I had not met the guru lord,
Then how could I have received the whispered lineage key instructions?
If I had not received the whispered lineage key instructions,
Then how could I wander in rugged mountain retreats?
If I had not wandered in rugged mountain retreats,
How could signs of experience and realization’s heat develop?
If signs of experience and realization’s heat hadn’t developed,
Then how could I be warm with a single cloth?
If I were not warm with a single cloth,
Then how could male and female benefactors have faith?
If male and female benefactors did not have faith,
Then how could you teachers become so jealous?
If you teachers were not so jealous,
Then how could you teachers end up in the hell realms?
In the fields up in the heights,
The grazing animals dance and play.
The wolves are agonized by that.
Are those wolves not simply deluded?
Like that, in the Nyanang Belly Cave,
The teachers of words are agonized
Over the merit of Milarepa.
Are you teachers not simply deluded?
You monks and scholars have become so jealous
Toward the faithful food offerings of the male and female benefactors.
Are you monks and scholars not even more deluded?
Do not take the empty sound
Of your meaningless words to be true, O great teachers!
The tirthikas also know such words and terms.
All kinds of concepts follow after such words,
And two-thirds of your life pass by unnoticed.
Therefore, tame the demon of clinging to a self.
Words give rise to other words, and you never stop talking.
I know nothing about “valid” pramana.
So this time, you teachers have won this debate!
Thus he sang. Then Darlo said, “You did not answer my question using any dharma language; you just sang a song that ordinary people would use when trying to deceive people. I too could sing such a song. You may be able to deceive ignorant ordinary people, but you can’t deceive me. If you can give an appropriate answer using dharma language, then that would be fine. But instead, your mouth eats only faith offerings and sings improper songs.110 Since you enjoy eating faith offerings, then you need a bit of this to go with it. Now eat!” The teacher took a handful of dirt and threw it at the Jetsun’s face.
The Jetsun wiped the dirt from his face, smiled, and said, “Oh, you great teachers who embrace the words and logic of scripture for the sake of this life, it’s like that, isn’t it? You have such strong negativity, and in particular, the studies of the first part of your life have given you the ability to create the ropes of suffering; it’s really impressive.111 I have trained and understand that all dharma acts as an antidote for the afflictions; but the measure of your dharma training is that you have trained and understand the afflictions to be your companion. Therefore, how could our dharma language and dharma practice be harmonious with each other?”
At that point, Rechungpa thought, “Although I don’t match even a single body hair of my guru, if I do not liberate this evildoer who does harm to his body, I will have a severe root downfall, but if I liberate him then I will accumulate great merit.”*6 Then he took a stick and was about to beat the teacher with it when the Jetsun stopped him and said, “Son, Rechungpa! The wealth that does not help when one is in need, the antidote that does not help when one suffers, and the dharma that does not help in adverse conditions are all very unfortunate. Generate the strength of the antidote, and with mindfulness restrain yourself! I must crack the whip of mindfulness and awareness for my son.” Then he sang this song of realization to Rechungpa on cracking the whip of awar
eness:
Lord, protector of beings, jewel of my crown.
I bow at the feet of Marpa, who is so kind.
Grant your blessing that I may bring adverse conditions to the path.
Son, Rechungpa, listen a moment, free of distraction.
Dharma practitioners with satisfied mouths and happy bellies
Act like ordinary people when adverse conditions arise.
With their unwholesome minds, they make their own suffering.
If you fight with someone, you’ll surely lose it all.
Son, listen a moment to your guru’s command.
The king of dharmic view is like the sky.
Son, train your garuda chick’s wings of awareness;
Do not let your garuda chick’s wings become weak.
If you let your wings become weak,
You’ll fall into the abyss of bias.
Son, Rechungpa, listen to your guru’s command.
The king of dharmic meditation is the sea.
Son, train your little fish of awareness;
Do not let your little fish become weak.
If you let your little fish become weak,
There’s a danger you’ll fall into the net of delusion.
Son, Rechungpa, listen to your guru’s command.
The king of dharmic conduct is the snow mountain.
Son, you should train the lion cub of awareness;
Do not let your lion cub become weak.
If you let your lion cub become weak,
There’s a danger it will get lost in the blizzard of the eight concerns.
Son, Rechungpa, listen to your guru’s command.
The king of dharmic fruition is a precious jewel isle.
Let your merchant apprentice of awareness set up shop;
Don’t let the merchant apprentice’s watch guard become weak.
If that watch guard should become weak,
Then you’ve the danger of losing the jewel of dharmata.
Son, Rechungpa, listen to your guru’s command.
Son, don’t let anger get strong, or your mind will be scorched!
Don’t let your afflictions grow; apply the antidote!
As he sang this, Rechungpa’s anger was pacified. The benefactors scolded the teacher; they also scolded Rechungpa a little. But they had even more devotion for the Jetsun than before.
When all of the people had gone back to their own abodes, the teacher Darlo had not publicly disgraced the Jetsun and was very unhappy that he himself had been disgraced. That evening, bringing a side of meat and many volumes of texts, Darlo and Lotön, along with several monks, offered their confession, saying they needed to meet with the Jetsun. Rechungpa said, “There is no need for a confession, nor is there need for further debate. Therefore there is no need for any meeting,” and so kept them from an audience with Milarepa.
Pleased with requests of some other monks,*7 the Jetsun said, “To not commit any faults from the start is best. But if one does commit any, it is best to confess them in a heartfelt way. Show in the teachers.” Saying that, he granted the teachers a meeting.
They offered the Jetsun the side of meat and said, “We confess that yesterday you were right, and so we offer you this meat. These texts we place as an arbiter, to act as the standard that clears up112 our dharma discussion. Let us now have a friendly chat about the dharma.”
The Jetsun said, “Teacher, there is a worldly proverb that says you can tell if someone has eaten or not by how rosy their face is.113 Likewise, you can know if someone understands dharma or not, and whether they practice dharma or not, by whether or not their afflictions and self-clinging have been tamed. If the afflictions and self-clinging are tamed, then that is a sign of understanding and practicing dharma. Someone may come out victorious in all the dharma discussions and debates, but if they have not shaken even a bit114 of their self-clinging or afflictions, then they merely have surface-level knowledge and practice, and although they win in discussions with empty words, it just adds to their pride. Thus, since this is a means for staying even longer in samsara and for becoming more deeply entrenched in the hell states, to engage in discussion would bring definite defeat. Therefore, that you have confessed is wonderful! Now that we’ve had this discussion, you may go back to your homes.”
Again, Darlo spoke: “No one but a buddha can know whether someone’s afflictions and self-clinging are tamed. Although someone may not have tamed them, if they know how to discuss and engage in debate, then they will not stay even longer in samsara or become more deeply entrenched in the hell states. You are saying that learned ones have great negativity. You think that the stupidity of not giving a response in debate is only a small negativity, but it is very heavy. One may think one is doing virtue and yet end up deep in the hell states. Since one needs to determine whether one understands correctly or not, it is essential to engage in discussion. Since we are learned, we can guide you. For this discussion, yogi, you can make a thesis about a dharma topic you are familiar with, and we will examine to see if it is correct or not. Or else, if you think that we are not learned in a particular dharma, then you can ask us a question first, and we will give an answer.”
Then the Jetsun said, “If the teacher absolutely will not listen, all of us here have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears. Those here have spent time with us, so they know who we are. I will ask a question about a topic of dharma of no consequence,115 and I will also propose a thesis. So, teacher, please answer: Is this space obstructing or not?”
The teacher said, “No one would ever ask that kind of question. But since I have accepted to guide you, then I must answer. Of course, space is unobstructing.”
The Jetsun replied, “I say that space is obstructing.”
The teacher said, “Where is your proof statement that backs up what you say?”
When he said this, the Jetsun rested evenly in the samadhi called “Space That Is Hard and Obstructing Like a Vajra”116 and said, “Let’s see whether space is obstructing or not. Go ahead, get up, sit down, and move about.”
He tried to move as Milarepa said, but he was not able to move at all from the seated position he was in, nor was he able to open his mouth to speak; and for a while, he was stuck like that. Meanwhile, in that space, the Jetsun did various activities—he got up, walked about, lay down, and sat in the lotus posture. Then the Jetsun came out of his samadhi and said, “What happened? How was it you were obstructed by the unobstructing space?”
The teacher replied, “You have had tirthika masters who are learned in black mantra and tricks. But apart from someone able to do such black magic and tricks, everyone who has a mouth will say that space is unobstructing.”
The Jetsun said, “Is it so that everyone accepts space as unobstructing without having analyzed space? Do animals also say that space is unobstructing? You and your masters who are proponents [of the view] that space is unobstructing have been proven false. This may be due to ‘black mantra,’ but I have sufficiently shown you that space is obstructing. Now the thesis that I will propose is that the rock of this cave is unobstructing. What do you say to that?”
The teacher answered, “Unless you perform some of your black mantra or tricks, it is not suitable to be anything but obstructing.”
The Jetsun said, “In accord with what you previously agreed to, since I don’t think that you are learned in tricks, you should perform a trick to make this rock that I see here unobstructing.”
He said, “Whatever tricks you may know or do, though it may deceive ordinary people, [it won’t deceive me].”117
The Jetsun said, “I thought you knew everything. For you, everything is wrong. You would even say that one who has attained buddhahood would be foremost among those doing unsuitable things, with them falling like rain.”*8
Lotön said, “Just as you showed that space is obstructing, yogi, show us a sign that this rock is unobstructing.”
Then the Jetsun rested evenly in the samadhi called “Exhaust
ing Space” and went up through the rock and back down; he went forward through the rock and came back; he put half of his body in the rock and half outside. After displaying various things like this, [he threw the rock in the air] and when it landed, he picked it up again. He said to Rechungpa, “Bring a pillar!”
Rechungpa went and brought back a large boulder shaped like a pillar and put it down [underneath the boulder Milarepa held]. The Jetsun then put his handprint in the upper rock, which can still be seen today.
Then Lotön said, “You have made the rock seem unobstructing. If this is not just a trick, then we too should be able to pass through the rock. I will see if it is really unobstructing.”
The Jetsun said, “It is unobstructing for you as well. If it weren’t, when the rock fell, would I not have been killed?”
Lotön said, “Well, the rock never came near me. What use is there saying anything about it being unobstructing if there is no rock in the first place?”
The Jetsun said, “That in itself is a sign of its unobstructive nature. Just because you didn’t see a thing directly does not mean that thing does not exist.”
At that point, the teacher Darlo became even angrier, but Lotön began to doubt himself. “This seems to be genuine, but it is difficult for us logicians to come to believe in something like this. If all of these things aren’t just the yogi’s tricks, and are signs of his being on the path, then you should have trained in the six paramitas. Tell us how to practice the six paramitas.” Then Milarepa sang this song of realization in reply:
The victorious great refuges are the three precious jewels.
Great bliss resides at the crown of my head.
Be inseparable from me, from my heart, I pray.
Take, with the hook of undistracted compassion,
The six beings who have all been your father and mother;
With a mind of love, always keep them.
The yogi of the Mahayana*9
The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa Page 44