Thus he sang. Mégom was delighted and said, “Please accept me with kindness and give a single teaching that includes the pointing out of the union of view, meditation, and conduct.” Milarepa sang this song of realization in reply:
I prostrate to the lord of blessings.
The union of view is such a delight!
The union of meditation, oh such joy!
The union of conduct makes me happy indeed!
These three kinds of union are incredibly amazing!
If you don’t understand the union of view,
How can you know all phenomena are dharmakaya?
If you don’t understand the union of meditation,
How can suffering dawn as an ornament?
If you don’t understand the union of conduct,
Then how can revulsion naturally arise?
The sentient beings of the six realms of samsara
And the wisdom of nirvana
Are inseparable. They are of one nature.
Know this to be the union of view.
The myriad appearances of red and white
And the wisdom of dharmata
Are inseparable, one essence, in the dharmakaya.
Know this to be the union of meditation.
Like a water-moon, it pervades everything;
Like a rainbow, there’s nothing to be identified;
Like the light of a candle, there is radiant clarity.
Know this to be the union of conduct.
These are possessed by all sentient beings;
They are the three types of union.
Nonduality is the key point of view,
Nondistraction is the key point of meditation,
Union is the key point of conduct.
These three inseparable is the key point of fruition.
My son, you should practice like this!
Thus he sang. All of the disciple-sons generated a great positive motivation. Then when Mégom went by himself to stay in mountain retreats, he said to the Jetsun, “Please give me advice that will be easy to carry along with me.”
The Jetsun replied, “I have practiced in this way, and because of that, the good qualities have developed in my mind-stream. You should also practice in this way.” Then he sang this song of realization:
I, the yogi Milarepa,
By looking nakedly, see the essence.
Free of elaborations, what I see is like the sky.
By resting directly, I realize the abiding nature.
I realize the empty essence of all things.
By relaxing at ease, wisdom holds its own ground.
The clarity and mire of the river of awareness are separated.
Completely casting them away, I cut through concepts and recollections.
I’ve resolutely cut off the abyss of the six realms.
Through recognizing my mind as buddha,
I have no thing I wish to accomplish.
When realization dawns from within,
It is like the sun that rises over the darkness.
The collections of concepts and afflictions,
Without contrivance, dissolve in their own place.
Thus he sang. Mégom was overjoyed, and according to his guru’s instruction he meditated alone in mountain retreats. By doing that, signs of experience of the paths and bhumis and outstanding good qualities of experience and realization arose in his mind. This close son of Milarepa known as Mégom Repa benefited many fortunate ones to be tamed.
This is the cycle of Mégom Repa.
*1 “Meditator of the Mé Clan.”
*2 The “three nose-tips” (T: sna rtse gsum) are connected with nadi-prana practices of the subtle body.
37
Sahle Ö
NAMO GURU
The Jetsun Milarepa went begging for alms in the practice of equal taste between the Nyanang Belly Cave and Ngokang. He stayed a few days at Lashing and then traveled to Naktra. On his way there, he encountered a young lady sixteen years of age with dark skin, who had bright yellow hair and was wearing beautiful clothing and ornaments. She had been to fetch water when the Jetsun said, “Young lady, please give this yogi today’s meal.”
The young lady replied, “If we whose doors are by the road gave meals to every beggar that came by, we would never manage.” Then she went on to her home.
The Jetsun remained there, and that evening the young lady had an excellent dream. Recalling the dream she thought, “We do not generally know when there is a buddha who is in human form. It is possible that the one called the Jetsun Milarepa is a buddha. If so, then last night’s dream is certainly due to his compassion. I will see who he is.” Then she went carrying one day’s food that she had prepared, and served it to the Jetsun.
“Yogi, where are you from?” she asked.
The Jetsun replied, “I’m one of the beggars in your neighborhood.”
“Are you not the Jetsun Mila who stays at the Nyanang Belly Cave?”
“Yes, that is also so.”
With faith that overwhelmed everything within her body, every hair on her body stood on end. She prostrated to him and said, “You are the one who was in my dream last night.”
Milarepa asked, “What was the dream?”
“I dreamt that the sun and moon were inside of me, but they had no light. Then another sun and moon dawned in the east, and the light from those lit up the sun and moon within. The sun and moon went out of my body, and then mixed with the light of the sun and moon of the east. With that, I could see the entire universe become completely illuminated. If I follow and attend the Jetsun, will the dharma dawn for me?”
The Jetsun said, “It is possible that it will.” He blessed her with his samadhi and returned to the Nyanang Belly Cave. Then not long after, the young lady from before came with a friend. She came into the presence of the Jetsun and requested dharma teachings. Then, offering a piece of gold as a gift, she sang this song of offering:
E MA! Great Repa Yogi,
Great siddha, now please kindly listen.
When I look at my body that was born,
I see it is impermanent like dew on grass
And that makes this girl uneasy.
When I look at the friends who accompany me,
I see they’re impermanent, like the guests at a gathering.
That too makes this girl uneasy.
When I look at wealth that’s been amassed,
I see it’s impermanent, like the honey of a bee.
That too makes this girl uneasy.
When I look at the land where I was born,
I see it’s like the prison of an evil king.
That too makes this girl uneasy.
In the day, I investigate with intellect,
And at night, without sleeping, I ponder and think.
By the power of my previously gathered merit,
This one time I’ve attained a human body.
Months and years follow at my back;
But only days and hours lead on in front.
With every moment that passes, my death comes closer.
Like a rotting tree trunk, my body’s soon to collapse.
My breath, like mist, will soon dissolve.
When I think of these things, I feel uneasy.
With my mind in a tussle, I can never sleep.
Lord Father, Great Jetsun, at your feet I supplicate:
May my mind stay focused on the genuine dharma.
Now, Lord, Great Jetsun, please be my refuge!
With your kindness, please grant me the sublime dharma.
Thus she sang. In order to test whether she was able to practice dharma devotedly and to see if she would still practice if drawn toward mundane concerns, the Jetsun said to her, “I have no need for your gold. It is not possible for you rich girls to practice the dharma. Even if you could, it is difficult to become self-sufficient through the dharma. Now, since you are young, your focus on mundane, worldly activity is strong.” Then he sang this song of realizatio
n in reply to her:
Glorious Chakravartin King, Nirmanakaya!
I bow at the feet of Marpa, so kind.
Up in the wondrous palace, the divine garden
Of the heavenly realm of Tushita
Are wondrous divine flowers
With sweet fragrance and luster.
But common bees can never find them.
Even if they find them, they cannot draw the nectar.
In Jambudvipa, to the south of Mount Meru,
Is a bathing pool with the eight good qualities*1
That cleanses all negativities, obscurations, and latent tendencies.
Ordinary birds are not able to find it.
Even if they find it, they will not stay.
To the north of Bodhgaya*2
Are medicinal trees of sandalwood
That clear away all bodily illness.
But no sick man can ever find them.
Even if they are found, they won’t know how to use them.
In the north, in the land of snows
At the border of Nepal and Tibet,
There lies a protector of all miserable beings,
The self-arisen image of Wati Sangpo.*3
But unfortunate ones can never encounter it.
Even if they encounter it, they won’t have faith.
In this limitless ocean of samsara,
Are the miserable beings lacking in confidence.
They wander throughout the three lower realms.
Though it’s possible they attain the freedoms and resources,
They cannot consistently accumulate merit.
Even if they accumulate some, they are carried by delusion.
Though one gains a human birth with the freedoms and resources
That is like a shining daytime star,
Feeling comfort, they travel that path of comfort
And don’t enter the path of the genuine dharma.
Even if they enter the gate of dharma,
Those who correctly keep samaya are few.
By the kindness of the father Jetsun,
All appearances are made of gold;
I have no need for your little treasures.
This song with five examples and their meaning, making six,
I have sung for a faithful student.
But your faith right now is merely passing,
And it is difficult for it to become constant and unchanging.
Therefore, young girl, it is best that you go.
In the future, you can focus one-pointedly on dharma.
Care for your spouse as though he were divine.
Care for your children to whom you’re karmically indebted.120
Restore the ruins of the fortress on high.
Work vigorously in the fields and cultivate them fully.
Care for your livestock just like your own child.
Above, make offerings to the three jewels and the guru.
Below, care with kindness for the suffering and poor.
In between, have respect for your parents-in-law.
Be friendly with the neighbors in your own land,
And make supplications to this old man.
Aspire to meet the dharma in the future.
I aspire that your life be auspicious and long.
Thus he sang. The young lady made prostrations to the Jetsun and said, “Remembering the faults of samsara, I wish only to practice the dharma from the core of my being and have no desire at all for mundane, worldly things. And here is the reason why.” Then she offered this song to him:
I bow at the feet of the Jetsun who is so kind.
Grant your blessings that my wishes may be fulfilled;
Lord, Great Repa, please kindly listen.
These words that I offer you with devotion,
You’ll know if they are sincere or not.
I have such great sadness and despair.
And pondering over what can be done,
I remember impermanence and death from deep within.
Since I was born to my mother, up until now,
I’ve seen many die, both old and young.
Life is impermanent like a dewdrop on grass;
Days and hours go by unnoticed.
There is no place, anywhere,
Where death will not come; this I understand.
That I will die is completely certain,
And once I die, there’ll be no control over where I’m born.
When I contemplate the sufferings of the lower realms,
I’m terrified, thinking, “I could suffer like that.”
Contemplating the other modes of samsara,
I’ll engage in the bad karma of getting married.
When doing the work of samsara,
You leave your kind parents behind;
You are yoked, and then taken to an unkind man.
It’s a foundation laid out near the three lower realms,
Where the tree of the higher realms and liberation is felled.
He carries away your parents’ food and wealth,
And meaninglessly, you work as his slave.
This companion who jumps with you into samsara:
First, he’s a divine prince, with a sweet smile;
In the middle, he’s a demon, with an angry black face;
In the end, he’s a young bull, always ready to beat you.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore, this girl will practice sublime dharma.
For companions, I’ll stay with vajra brothers and sisters.
Then, as for corporeal sons you give birth to:
Very few are endowed with any merit.
Though it’s possible that a few do have good karma,
Most are just after karmic debts to be repaid.
First, they plunder your body’s beauty;
In the middle, they plunder food from your mouth;
In the end, they plunder wealth from your hands.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore, this girl will practice sublime dharma.
For a son, I’ll care for the child of awareness.
As for temples, guesthouses, and so on,
Very few were built with any real meaning.
All of these prisons of samsara
First bring suffering to your mind;
In the middle, they torment your body;
In the end, they send you to utter ruin.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore this girl will practice sublime dharma
And will build the castle of fearless meditation.
Besides the stream of virtue of the faithful—
The forms and teachings of the Tathagata—*4
All field and farm work is meaningless.
First you fight over empty land;
In the middle, you fight over getting water;
In the end, you fight with other people.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore this girl will practice sublime dharma;
I’ll tame the field of my savage mind-stream.
If you seize the mind with the bodhichitta intention,
Then it will be possible for merit to come.
If not, then through focusing on the gathering of wealth—
Raising sheep and cattle—you’ll have negative karma.
First, mere covetousness will be thrown over by strong desire;
In the middle, pride and jealousy grow;
In the end, it will be a signal for enemies to come.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore this girl will practice sublime dharma;
With compassion I’ll care for cattle, sheep, and the six classes of beings.
Not taking hold of your own faults,
You will always see faults in others.
How can you ever be harmonious with everyone?
Even the Buddha, our omniscient teacher,
Was seen to have a heap of faults
By unwholesome and nonvirtuous ones.
Thus, you’ll never be harmonious with everyone
And will never be able to please them.
Thinking this, weariness has arisen within.
Therefore this girl will practice sublime dharma;
Now I’ll look at the face of my own mind.
For you, an emanation of the Buddha,
All appearances have dawned as gold.
Even if they do not dawn in this way,
There is no existence or nonexistence.
Since I have abandoned attachment,
I must offer my worldly, mundane piece of gold.
All the Victorious Ones have said,
“Abandon those things that generate great attachment.”
All the buddhas, too, have said,
“If you use illusion-like food and wealth
Toward virtue, they will become meritorious.”
Thus I have heard with my ears.
On that account, I offer this to you,
And having received this sign of my devotion,
Please kindly teach the sublime dharma, I pray.
Thus she offered this song. The Jetsun accepted her gold, returned it to her, and said, “If you will truly practice even at the risk of your life, then you have entered the gate of dharma. Therefore, prepare offerings for the guru and the yidams.” Then, with devotion, she made a vast collection of offerings.
The Jetsun then gave her the upasaka vows from the sutra tradition as well as the abhishekas from the mantra tradition, and then gave her the name Sahle Ö.*5 Taking the instructions to heart, she was then sent to meditate, and the good qualities of the signs of experience quickly developed. She became capable of remaining in the mountains.
The Jetsun said, “I am so pleased with your perseverance and meditation. By the experience and realization that you have attained, you will be able to stay in the mountains. Now go to the mountains to meditate in solitude. Keep this essential instruction in your heart until we meet again.” Then he sang this song of realization of instruction:
The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa Page 47