The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
Page 54
Much later, Gampopa reflected back and said about the dream, “Those humans who heard the drum were those who must train gradually along the paths and bhumis and are not suitable vessels [for the Vajrayana]. The Kadampa gurus are so very kind. The animals that heard my drum are my great yogi disciples who stay in mountain retreats. This dream was an omen that I will rely solely on the guru Milarepa’s key instructions on the path of means and Mahamudra.”
Accompanied by the old beggar, the lord departed. With great faith and diligence, he went along saying, “When will I meet my guru?” with tears constantly streaming down his face. When it was time to eat, he had no appetite. He journeyed onward forgetting to rest. When they arrived at Tsinesar in Upper Nyang, the old man pretended to be sick and said, “I’m not very familiar with the way from here on. But there is a monastery called Sakya up ahead, you can go there and ask for help.”
With his companion having abandoned him, Gampopa suffered as he wandered the plain like a blind man. Throughout the night, he wept with his face to the ground. The old beggar [appearing again] said to him, “Son, you have almost made it, don’t cry like this. I will show you the way.” Much later, Gampopa came to have confidence that the beggars were emanations of the Jetsun.
Gampopa continued on, asking along the way. At Drangso Trawa Pass, he met many merchants from Latö and asked them the way. One merchant chieftain named Dawa Zangpo from Nyanang said, “The Lord of Yogis, the one called Milarepa, the siddha guru who is greatly renowned throughout Tibet, the Land of Snows, is now residing at Chuwar in Drin.”
Thinking, “Then it is there that I will meet the Jetsun,” he was overjoyed. He hugged the merchant around his neck, weeping many tears. Then having asked about the way, he went in the direction of Dingri. In the center of a great field, he came across a bench there and stopped to sleep. As he had not eaten for a couple of days, his body was completely fatigued, and the wind element of his body became severely unbalanced. Thus, he lost consciousness. He fell off the bench and remained unconscious until midnight. When he finally came to, there was not an inch142 of his body from head to toe that didn’t ache. His thirst was dire, but there was no one to carry him any water, so as he lay there, two days passed by.
Then he thought, “If I cannot meet the Jetsun in this life, in the next life I will be born in the presence of the Jetsun wherever he may be. May my mind completely mix with his.” Thus he made this aspiration. “In this life, the next life, and in the bardo between them, there is no other source of hope but the Jetsun.” Thinking this, he shed many tears and supplicated resolutely.
Then one day, a Kadampa teacher from Jayul came. “Where are you going?” he asked Gampopa.
“I am going toward Drin to meet the Jetsun Milarepa in person.”
“Well, I too am going in that direction.” Then he asked, “Are you not sick?”
“My body is not well at all,” Gampopa replied. “I am also very thirsty. Could you give me some water?” The teacher gave him a bowl of water that he drank to the last drop. After that he was fully refreshed, and they went on together.
At the same time, the Jetsun was teaching dharma at Tashi Gang and was in a happy mood. While teaching he would suddenly stop and meditate, and sometimes he would burst into laughter. One of the benefactors of Drin there, a female benefactor who was a qualified student named Dzesé, said to the Jetsun, “Jetsun, sometimes while teaching, you sit there meditating, and sometimes you laugh. Is it because you think of the qualities of suitable disciples and sometimes you think of the mistaken thoughts of those unsuitable disciples?”
He replied, “I am not thinking of the qualities of suitable disciples or the faults of unsuitable ones.”
“Then, Jetsun, why is it that you laugh?”
“My son, the teacher from Ü, arrived at Dingri today, where he sat against a bench. His entire body was in pain and he called out, ‘Guru Jetsun, please look upon me!’ With great faith and devotion, he shed many tears. Having compassion for him, I blessed him through my samadhi. Then I became very happy, and so I laughed,” said the Jetsun, as he wept with tears.
The woman then asked, “When will he come into the Jetsun’s presence?”
“He will arrive by the evening of the day after tomorrow.”
“Do we have the karmic fortune to be able to meet this man?”
“Yes, you do,” he replied. “Whoever puts down a seat for him when he first arrives will be sustained by samadhi. Whoever meets and guides him upon his arrival, I will lead to the domain of liberation and great bliss.”
Gampopa and the Kadampa of Jayul arrived at the center of the marketplace. There, a lady benefactor was weaving, sitting at the head of her loom. Gampopa asked, “It is said that the lord of yogis, one called Milarepa, is staying in this land. Do you know where he resides?”
The lady benefactor asked, “Where do you come from?”
“I am from the sun-like region of Ü*19 and have come to see the Jetsun,” he replied.
“Then I will give you some provisions. Please come inside.” Then going inside, she gave them a seat and served them sweetened tea as well as other provisions. Then she said, “The Jetsun knew ahead of time that you would be coming and also gave a prophecy about the future. Yesterday, he saw that you were fatigued and sent you blessings through his samadhi. I requested to come and usher you to meet him.”
Gampopa thought, “That is true; because of the guru’s blessing, I did not die. He knew that I was coming and that I’m a destined disciple.” Thinking this, a little bit of pride arose in his mind.
The Jetsun knew this and in order to break his pride, he did not permit a meeting with him for half a month. The teacher Seben Repa then brought Gampopa an earthen pot and some wood, and set him up to stay in a small cave on a cliff.
[After two weeks,] the lady benefactor ushered him to meet the Jetsun. When he came into Milarepa’s presence, the Jetsun blessed both Rechungpa and Shiwa Ö, transforming their appearance into his own, and then sat down. Since Gampopa was unable to say which one was the real Jetsun, Rechungpa, pointing with his finger, said, “The Jetsun is in the center.”
With that, Gampopa made a mandala offering with the sixteen measures of gold, and offered a block of tea to the Jetsun in the middle. After he related his journey from Ü in detail, he said, “Jetsun, I ask you, please tell me your life story.”
Then the great Jetsun sat for a while with his eyes half opened. Then he took a small piece of gold from the center of the mandala that Gampopa had offered and threw it into the sky and said, “An offering to Marpa from Lhodrak!” Then from the sky came inconceivable light, sound, and so forth. The Jetsun took a skull-cup full of liquor, drank some, said to Gampopa, “Drink the rest!” and gave it to him. Gampopa, being a fully ordained monk standing in the midst of a crowd of people, could not accept it.
The Jetsun said, “Don’t think too much, just drink!” Then, afraid of missing the auspicious tendrel, Gampopa drank the whole contents without leaving a drop, thus taking hold of the lineage. Knowing this and that he was a suitable vessel for all the key instructions without any left out, Milarepa asked, “What is your name?”
“Sönam Rinchen,” he replied.
“You have accumulated great masses of merit and are most precious among all sentient beings,” the Jetsun said three times.*20
Then the Jetsun thought, “Whoever hears the name of my son will be liberated from samsara. But I should not speak of this now.”
The Jetsun then said to the teacher from Ü,*21 “That you have come here out of faith for me is truly marvelous. I have no desire for your gold or tea. My life story is like this.” Then Rechungpa and Shiwa Ö both accompanied him in singing this song of realization and welcome:
In the unfabricated sky of dharmakaya,
Clouds of unceasing compassion gather.
Destined refuge and protector of beings,
I bow at the feet of Marpa, so kind.
Seated on my right is my son Re
chungpa;
On my left is seated Shiwa Ö.
Those on both left and right join me in singing.
Lhajé, now please listen to our song.
In the glorious and stainless pure realm
Were many who spoke highly of themselves.
But the two, Naropa and Maitripa,
Are renowned in the central land of India
And illuminate it like the sun and moon.
The heart-son of these two father siddhas,
Embodiment of the buddhas of the three times’ essence,
Is the translator Marpa Lotsawa.
Because he’s chief of the mandala,
This fortunate one who ravishes the mind
Is renowned among the dakas and dakinis.
Hearing his name I could not bear it
And through great efforts I went to him.
As soon as we met, I obtained joy and bliss.
Bowing at his lotus feet
I told him I needed the profound key instructions
For attaining buddhahood in this very life.
My Father Buddha also said,
“There’s an instruction that’s like a mother, a guide,
That in this very life cuts the continuum of samsara.
This was taught out of the compassion of Naropa.”
Since I was poor, I had no material things,
But striving with my three gates, I fulfilled my samaya.
Through the compassion of he who knows the three times,
Because he knew my altruistic intent,
With great love, he thought of me:
“The key instructions of the four lineage transmissions
I will teach without adding to them or taking away.”
Making this oath, thus he gave them.
“Now in this age of the teachings’ corruption
There are many adverse conditions; there’s no leisure in this life.
So without getting lost in conceptual knowledge,
Engage in the essential practice,” he said.
To repay the kindness of my guru,
I cracked the whip of the fear of death.
Then through the power of meditating with great diligence,
Concepts and bad omens I made my friends.
Because the three poisons’ own nature is awareness,
The spontaneous presence of the three kayas was pointed out.
In order to transfer to qualified students
All experience and realization, the lineage’s blessing,
The key instructions that include all that is profound,
Teacher, I bestow them upon you.
Practice them and make the teachings flourish.
Lhajé, while keeping this in your heart,
Please don’t be rigid; just rest, relaxed.
The story of this yogi is just like that.
We can speak about it slowly and thoroughly.
Gold is not agreeable for an old man like me,
And I have no stove to boil your tea.
If you want to hold the Kagyu teachings,
Look at my conduct, and practice like me.
The teacher’s question was answered in this song.
Thus he sang. “This is my welcome for the teacher,” said the Jetsun. The lord then brewed some tea and offered it, which the Jetsun enjoyed immensely. Then he said to Rechungpa and the others, “We should offer the teacher tea in return; go get some.” He went off to get some tea and brewed it. “We need to add some seasoning,” he said. The Jetsun added some cool water to it, and the tea took on a superior flavor.
Then the monk from Jayul requested blessings from the Jetsun and to make a dharma connection with him. The Jetsun said, “Whatever object of attachment you have, offer it to me for a blessing.”
“I have nothing to offer,” he replied.
The Jetsun said to him, “You are hiding lots of gold on your body, but you claim to have nothing. Such a shame. What use is a blessing with no faith, or key instructions without any certainty. Further, you have come here for the sake of wool trade. Go on, may you have no obstacles in your endeavors.”
Gampopa thought, “When in the presence of the Jetsun, there is no place for pretense or hypocrisy. One needs to have a focused and present mind.” With this, he never became separate from the perception of Milarepa as a buddha.
Then the Jetsun said, “Teacher from Ü, have you previously received abhisheka?”
Gampopa relayed that he had received some abhishekas and key instructions from previous gurus and told of how samadhi had arisen in his mind-stream.
The Jetsun burst out, “Ha ha! If you squeeze sand, you will not get oil. You will only get oil from mustard seeds. Meditate on my a-tung chandali, then you will see the essence of mind. For this practice, I am not saying that the abhishekas you received before are unqualified, but because the great power of tendrel is involved, you must have the blessings of my tradition.”
Then, in accord with the tradition of the whispered lineage, with a sindhura mandala,*22 Milarepa gave him the blessing of Vajrayogini. He was given the key instructions, and excellent experiences arose for him through meditation. Recollecting the instructions of his previous gurus, Gampopa did much analysis of the view, meditation, and conduct in order to cut through doubts and uncertainties toward the Jetsun. Then afterward he requested the key points of view, meditation, and conduct directly, and the Jetsun cleared all remaining uncertainties. After that, Milarepa sang this song of realization on the greatness of the Secret Mantra in general, and in particular of the practice lineage:
With certainty in view, look at your mind.
If you search for something outside of the mind,
It’s like a strongman looking for wealth—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
With certainty in what meditation is, don’t clear away the faults of dullness and torpor.
If you clear away the faults of dullness and torpor,
It’s like lighting a lamp in the middle of the day—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
With certainty in what conduct is, don’t sort out what to adopt or reject.
If you sort out what to adopt and reject,
It’s like a bee getting caught in a trap—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
With certainty in what samaya is, rest in confidence of the view.
If you don’t keep it this way and look for some other samaya,
It’s like a river flowing back upstream—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
With certainty in what fruition is, rouse certainty in mind.
If you search for some other unobtainable fruition,
It’s like a frog leaping into the sky—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
With certainty in what the guru is, ask your own mind.
If you search for another guru apart from that,
Then you are abandoning your own mind—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
Thus all appearances are subsumed in one’s mind—
Is it not like that, my dear teacher-physician?
Thus he sang, and Gampopa thought, “This is so true.” Perseverance developed for him and he meditated. On the first evening, he meditated nakedly outside a cave, and heat and bliss blazed within him. At daybreak, he fell asleep upright, with his body motionless like a stone. Then after seven days of meditating, with heat and bliss blazing within him, he had a vision of the five families of Victorious Ones.
When he told the guru of his experience, Milarepa replied, “This is just like when you press on your eyeball while looking at the moon and then see two moons. This means you have taken hold of the pranas of the five elements. It is neither a fault nor a positive quality.”
Though he was told it was not any particular good quality, still, he felt very inspired and continued to me
ditate. Early, on several mornings, after three months of meditating, the thousandfold universal realm swirled about him like a spinning wheel. Then he had many dry heaves, fainted, and remained unconscious for a long time. He told of this to his guru.
The Jetsun said, “The prana of the lalana and rasana have entered the avadhuti. This is neither a fault nor a positive quality. Continue to meditate.”
Then again on another morning, filled with great compassion, he saw the sphere of the moon on top of his head. He told of this to his guru.
The Jetsun said, “The bindu at the crown chakra of great bliss is expanding. This is neither a fault nor a positive quality. Continue to meditate.”
Then one evening at dusk, he saw the Black Line Hell,*23 and because of that, the heart-prana filled into his upper body and he developed a deep feeling of depression. He told of this to his guru.
The Jetsun said, “Your meditation belt was too short, and this bound up the nadis. Lengthen your belt a little. You have taken hold of the upward moving wind; it is neither a fault nor a positive quality. Continue to meditate.”
One day, he saw vividly all the desire devas of the six realms, and a rain of amrita came down through their ranks arranged from top to bottom. The devas all were contented and satisfied. He said to his guru, “I saw my mother die of thirst,” and the Jetsun said, “The rain of nectar is the expanding of the bindu in the lalana and rasana at the throat chakra of enjoyment. Your mother’s thirst was because the avadhuti has not opened. Do these trulkhor exercises.”
For a month he did the vigorous trulkhor exercises of “beating.”143 He constantly had the desire to leap, quake, and shake his body, and he had the urge to uncontrollably weep and wail. “Is this some kind of demon?” he asked his guru.
“The bindu has filled the heart chakra of dharma. Do not stop doing the trulkhor exercises and continue in your efforts in meditation. It is neither a fault nor a positive quality.”
Continuing with his practice, Gampopa then needed little food. One day, he saw the sun and the moon in the sky in front, eclipsed by Rahu. Upon Rahu there were two lines, thin like the hair from a horse’s tail. He told this to the guru, and the Jetsun replied, “The winds from the lalana and rasana have entered the avadhuti. It is neither a fault nor a positive quality.” Then he said, “What a brave man you are! And now…and now…” Three times he repeated this.