The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

by Tsangnyon Heruka

  Qualified guru with great compassion,

  Three precious jewels, excellent sources of refuge,

  The dakinis and dharmapalas, with your great power,

  All of these I’ve described, to you I bow.

  I don’t know how to sing songs with poetic words,

  But these words have the blessings of the lineage.

  Their meaning is the intention of the Victorious Ones.

  O faithful meditator Sahle Ö,

  Wipe the dirt from the mirror of mind

  And look into the space of the stainless sky.

  With the blessings of all the previous siddhas,

  Go meditate in the mountains, in solitary places.

  The reason for wandering in mountain retreats

  Is to gain mastery; look at mind’s nature.

  Now I’ll explain the way to look:

  Listen without distraction, Sahle Ö!

  Taking the mountain up there as an example,

  You should meditate free of any movement.

  To give rise to the Buddha’s good qualities,

  Do this with determination that forbears pleasure and pain.

  Taking the river down there as an example,

  Meditate without breaking the flow.

  To receive the blessings of the guru,

  You must have continuous respect and devotion.

  Taking the sky here as an example,

  Meditate without center or edge.

  Look at the reality of the true nature;

  Do so with means and wisdom in union.

  Taking the sun and moon as an example,

  Meditate without clarity becoming obscured.

  Know the six types of beings to have been your parents;

  Have compassion that fully encompasses them all.

  Taking the ocean down there as an example,

  Meditate without any dullness and torpor.

  Look directly at your own mind;

  Practice according to the guru’s speech.

  Taking the earth as an example,

  Meditate completely free of change.

  To be an appropriate vessel for the instructions,

  Make faith stable within the all-base.

  Looking inwardly at your own mind,

  Meditate without any labels or terms.

  To make appearances dawn as your texts,

  Make your very own mind what you study.

  At all times and in every way,

  Procure the provisions of inexhaustible generosity.

  Beautify yourself with the ornament of discipline.

  Shake off and wear the animal hide of patience.

  Ride the magical horse of diligence.

  Seek out the noble city of meditation.

  Become wealthy with the riches of prajña.

  Not forgetting the kindness of the guru,

  Make many offerings of your experience and realization.

  Do you understand this meaning, you woman of faith?

  Thus he sang. Her faith grew further and she arranged a vast array of offerings and offered them to please the Jetsun. Then, according to the Jetsun’s instruction, she gave up all the deeds of this life and went to meditate in the Nangyul Mountain of Nyanang.

  The great Jetsun then went to the Red Rock of Drin, and while in a state of luminosity in which clarity is not obscured, he looked upon Rechungpa with great love. A beam of bright light from a crystal stupa came directly to him. Due to the power of the black magic that Rechungpa had trained in with the tirthikas, a great storm gathered and disturbed [the vision]. Thinking, “Has my son Rechungpa encountered an obstacle?” he flew from Poto Red Rock to Lachi. On his way, he touched his foot down on the side of the rock known as Rechen Practice Cave, where he left his footprint. Again, while in a state of luminosity, he saw Rechungpa and knew that although his life was not in any danger, he had obstacles of nondharmic mind states.

  Then he went on the road to Nyanang to check up on Sahle Ö. On the way, he encountered several monks, whom he asked of her whereabouts. They said, “She remains in the same retreat that she was originally in. Her body never moves. She never speaks. It’s as though she disregards everything. It seems she has fallen into a fault in her meditation.”

  The Jetsun thought, “That she can meditate like this is not a fault, it’s a very good quality.” Then he went to where she was. She too, in a state of luminosity, saw that the Jetsun was coming and so went into the valley to meet him. She prostrated to him and asked after his health, and then sat down without saying anything. Then to awaken experience within her, the Jetsun sang this song of realization:

  Sahle Ö, who has taken into your mind-stream

  The dharma of relying on solitary mountain retreats:

  First, with devotion you relied on the guru,

  And through the power of blessing, your mind-stream was ripened.

  You relied on the supreme taste of the path of means’ nectar,

  And have developed certainty in the genuine dharma.

  Your meditation hasn’t been too tight or too loose,

  So the signs of experience of those previously on the path have dawned within.

  Since you’ve had no obstacles or adverse conditions,

  You have no questions now and that is also excellent.

  Even if you practice with effort in the dharma,

  That is like filling up on poisonous food:

  It’s not possible to have liberation.

  The musk-deer stays for a long time in caves.

  The black raven’s vajra recitations are many.121

  The white-bellied fish122 with her breath control is excellent.

  The white-cored stalk is skilled in extracting nutrients.

  Marmots meditate on the absorption of cessation.

  Brahmans practice austerities for a long time.

  Parrots know how to intone empty rhetoric.*6

  If the factor of liberation doesn’t dawn in your mind,

  Though you search with longing, you won’t find the freedom path.

  Merely blocking the proliferation of thoughts

  That swirl in your mind like a pool of water

  Will not liberate you from the ocean of samsara.

  With the chandali of meditating on attributes,

  Unbiased prajña will burst forth.

  With the chandali of resting the mind,

  You will recognize the bardo’s pristine awareness.

  With the chandali of innate reality,

  You’ll realize reality free of birth and cessation.

  With the chandali of bindu and nadi,

  You’ll be free of clinging to things as real.

  The central channel, the avadhuti, that is free of effort

  Is uncontrived, self-arisen, and primordially pure:

  There the knot of duality is untied in its own place.

  Its essence is the key point of Mahamudra.

  Do you realize this, dear Sahle Ö?

  Thus he sang. Then Sahle Ö offered her realization to him:

  There is one who holds the lineage of Vajradhara

  Who received the prophecy of the four classes of dakinis.

  Through the compassion of Tilo and Naro,

  Holders of the teachings of the practice lineage,

  The intention of the tantras dawned in his heart.

  The harvest of compassion of the translator Marpa Lotsawa

  Expands in all the ten directions,

  And pure fruit ripens for every one of his students.

  Because of this fruit, I take to my crown

  Your lotus feet that liberate my own mind-stream.

  Great Repa of Gungtang, with such compassion,

  Your banner of renown flies in the ten directions.

  Precious jewel upon my crown,

  With faith and respect, I supplicate you,

  Father, guru, who has been so kind

  To myself and all of those to be tamed.

  You steer our analysis t
o the dharma

  And establish us upon on the unerring path.

  Through abhisheka you ripen mind-streams that are unripe.

  Through means you liberate those without freedom.

  These appearances that dawn as a variety outside,

  Through your pointing-out are like an illusion.

  Awareness meets dharmata, the mother.

  The magical displays of the wavering mind

  Dissolve in their own place, like waves of the ocean.

  Through the great strength and force of my practice,

  I directly cut through every conceptual imputation,

  All the deviations of the mundane path.

  The unmistaken path has taken birth in my mind.

  I understand the Secret Mantra’s path of means.

  I don’t mistake higher paths for those that are lower.

  I wanted buddhahood, but I couldn’t realize it,

  So in the guru’s presence I fervently requested

  The excellent support of the Secret Mantra.

  Together, with my special dharma brother Ngendzongpa,

  We compare our experiences and realization.

  I’m a clever lady, grounded and smart.

  Those who try to deceive me, I make them my meal!

  I make short my time in ignorant sleep

  And prolong my mind-stream in the state of shamatha.

  I turn down all men to their face.

  Many years have gone by since I gave up my soft pillow.

  Mahamudra’s reality descends upon my head;

  I rest within it one-pointedly, undistracted.

  In my striving for the state of nirvana,

  I am not separate from emptiness and compassion,

  Thus I have no pride or disregard for others.

  I’m never unhappy with discussing the dharma.

  The guru who is endowed with kindness,

  I’ve always seen him as the Buddha.

  I offer this song in deep gratitude to him.

  May the dakinis revel in this feast of sound!

  Thus, she offered her realization. The Jetsun was pleased and said, “So, the young lady has shown more signs of meditation. For vipashyana to dawn like this is very rare. You have entered into the path of omniscience, and you should continue to meditate in mountain retreats.”

  Accordingly, Sahle Ö remained inseparable from mountain retreats and meditated. Through this, she became a self-liberated dakini who benefited the teachings and sentient beings.

  This is one of the stories of the four primary female disciples of the Jetsun that were written down by Ngendzong Tönpa Jangchung Gyalpo, who has the dharani of perfect memory.

  This is the cycle of Sahle Ö.

  *1 This refers to the eight good qualities of water: sweet, cool, soft, light, clear, clean, does not harm the throat, and helps the stomach (TDC).

  *2 In Tibetan, Bodhgaya is referred to as the “Vajra Seat” (rdo rje gdan).

  *3 “Wati Zangpo (wati bzang po) or the Jowo of Kyirong (skyid grong jo bo). A famous sandalwood image of Avalokiteshvara in the form of Khasharpana, which is one of the five statues brought from Nepal by Akaramatishila at the order of King Songtsen Gampo…This highly venerated image is said to have spoken several times to the temple keepers and to have given prophecies. People used to come from all over central Tibet to seek its blessing. About the size of a five-year-old child, it was saved by Tibetan refugees and is now preserved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at Dharamsala in India” (Shabkar: 390).

  *4 These two lines refer to the work of making statues and working for the teachings of the Buddha. Besides that kind of work, no other work, such as working in fields or on the farm, has any meaning.

  *5 “Vivid Light.”

  *6 These lines give examples of methods that could be used in connection with dharma (staying in caves, vajra recitations, breath control, extracting nutrients [or rasayana], etc.) but fail because of being devoid of the “factor of liberation.”

  38

  The Story of the Yak Horn

  NAMO GURU

  Sahle Ö, the yogini of the awakened class, made progress in her practice, and the Jetsun Milarepa went to Palkhü in order to greet his heart-son Rechungpa. Along the way, he stayed at Betse Döyön Fortress. Rechungpa, who was approaching from Gungtang, had given rise to a slight bit of pride. Within the state of luminosity, the Jetsun saw this and went out to greet him.

  When the father and son met each other in the center of the field at Palkhü, Rechungpa thought, “I have now gone to India twice, and this time, I went according to the command of the guru in order to benefit beings and the Buddha’s teaching. In terms of blessings and compassion, the Jetsun is greater, but I am more learned in scriptures and logic. When he greets me, I wonder if he will also prostrate to me in turn.”

  Thinking this, Rechungpa gave the Jetsun the agarwood staff that Tipupa had given him to offer, and prostrated to Milarepa. But the Jetsun had no intention at all of prostrating in return. Although Rechungpa was displeased at this, he said to Milarepa, “Lama, since I have gone to India, what sites have you stayed at? Are you physically well? Where are my master and his disciples going? Are my repa companions well?”

  The Jetsun thought, “Is this pride of Rechungpa because of some evil done by those tirthikas? Is it by the curse of some demon? Whatever the case, I must use methods to clear away this obstacle of pride.” Smiling, he sang this song in reply:

  I’m a yogi who traverses the snowy mountainsides.

  My body is healthy; it flourishes in the mandala of space.

  The harsh illness of the five poisons has been removed;

  Thus depression never comes, and I am happy.

  I’ve relinquished the distraction of attachment to busyness;

  All alone, I attained mastery, and so I am happy.

  I have relinquished the variety of activities;

  In uninhabited, solitary lands, I am happy.

  I’ve relinquished the family life with its worldly suffering;

  Without the work of hoarding or protecting, I am happy.

  I’ve no wish to be learned, I have not studied texts;

  With virtuous activity free of worries, I am happy.

  I don’t have great pride or flaunt my speech;

  Since I don’t debate or have disputes, I am happy.

  I know nothing of deception or hypocrisy;

  Without having to do “this” for “that,” I am happy.

  Without any arrogance or desire for fame,

  Gossip and slander are no more, and so I am happy.

  Anyplace is fine—anywhere, I am happy.

  I can wear any clothes—with anything, I am happy.

  Any food is fine—with what I get, I am happy.

  At anytime, I am always happy.

  I, the old father Milarepa,

  Because of the kindness of Marpa the Translator,

  Know samsara and nirvana to be complete within the mind;*1

  Thus I’m a yogi who is always happy.

  The repa companions have excellent health;

  In solitary mountains, their practice has flourished.

  Son, Rechungpa Dorje Drakpa,

  Have you returned from India?

  In all the places you went and paths you took,

  Have your mind and body been free of fatigue?

  Are your mind and awareness vivid and bright?

  Have your songs of realization and your voice been blissful?

  Did you accomplish the instructions of your guru?

  Did you obtain the dharma that was desired?

  Did you obtain the other key instructions to make nine?123

  There were things unknown: do you now know nine?

  Are you free of pride and self-regard?

  Is all that you have done for the benefit of others?

  Rechungpa has returned from a foreign land!

  Let this melody be a gift for your arrival.

  Thus he sang. Then Re
chungpa sang in reply:

  To fulfill the lord guru’s command, his vajra speech,

  I went to the land of India.

  The road was fearsome and treacherous;

  Thus, I endured many hardships and sufferings.

  But it was worth the price of enduring such hardship.

  I met Tipupa, the Tree of Secret Mantra*2

  And I met Machik Drupé Gyalmo.

  I saw the yidam deity of great wonder

  And witnessed signs of the prophecies of dakinis.

  As to the upadeshas we wished to receive,

  I received Awareness: The Lamp of Wisdom

  Nadis, Prana, and the Lattice of Chakras

  Equal Taste: The Mirror of Outer Phenomena

  Great Bliss: The Precious Jewel of Speech124

  Samaya of the Mirror of One’s Own Mind;

  Samaya Substance: The Sun of Realization.

  I received Conduct: Striking Water with the Sword125

  Self-Liberation: The Mahamudra;

  And Deathlessness: The Extraction of Amrita;

  Further, I received the Gold-Like Dharma;

  Pointing Out the Essential Points of the Bardo;

  Key Instructions on Resting for a Session in Meditation;126

  The Three Symbols and Five Precious Things;

  The Six Dharmas To Be Put into Practice;

  Necessary Key Instructions for This Life, and so forth:

  These were the inconceivable key instructions.

  The mamos and dakinis gathered like clouds,

  And the gurus and deities were very pleased.

  Their minds and mine mixed together as one.

  Siddhis came down like a rain of flowers.

  The tendrel of good omens was placed around my neck.

  The celestial birthright was placed in my mouth.

  The upadeshas and naked instructions were put into my hand.

  And aspirations for auspiciousness acted as my guide.

  At midnight, my meaningful intentions were accomplished,

  Then the sun of joy and happiness dawned.