The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

by Tsangnyon Heruka

  The condensed meaning for the key points of practice.

  For the deity’s form that is like a rainbow,

  Its union, its empty nature, is important.

  For demons and ghosts, mind’s magical emanations,

  Understanding that they’re illusory, appearing nonexistents is important.

  For the Jetsun guru who is extremely kind,

  Devotion that never ceases is important.

  For activities and work that never come to an end,

  To completely cut their ties is important.*9

  For the practice with the nadis, pranas, blissful heat, and chakras,

  Effort without distraction is important.

  For integrating dream and illusory body practices,

  Strong motivation to join them is very important.

  For the essence of mind that is naked and luminous,

  To practice free of terms is important.

  For the variety of appearances that are emptiness,

  The key instruction that cuts their base and root is important.

  Toward all sentient beings without realization,

  Continuous compassion and love are important.

  Toward one’s own mind, the unborn dharmakaya,

  Confidence free of hope and fear is important.

  This father’s sons should cherish these points.

  Put them into practice, my disciple-sons.

  Thus he sang. The disciple-sons gave rise to strong motivation. Then Rechungpa requested the Jetsun to give a pointing-out of the wisdom of the four joys. After an extensive explanation, the Jetsun sang this song of realization:

  In a solitary place such as a forest,

  See the four activities as equality.

  Make the four inner elements completely balanced,

  Then the four joys’ wisdom will dawn in the mind.

  Thus he sang.

  Another time, the Jetsun Milarepa went to beg for alms at Phu Yak Za in Drin. The benefactors he encountered said, “There is a place called Lasé Monastery where there is a very pleasant cave. If you stay there alone, we can serve you. However, there is a demoness there who may try to harm you.”154

  “Tell me, what are this cave and demoness like?” the Jetsun asked.

  “The cave is very pleasant, but the demoness there will eat whoever stays there. If she can be tamed, please tame her.”

  So the Jetsun went there and stayed in the cave. In the middle of the night, a woman came. “Who is here in my home?” she asked threateningly. At that, Milarepa meditated on loving-kindness and compassion.

  “There is a demon and a defiled one155 here,” she said, and then went away.

  She called a great army of demons, who then came overthrowing mountains, hurling lightning bolts, and displaying a whole myriad of magic.

  As the Jetsun was sitting in a state of samadhi, the demons were not able to do any harm to him. The army of demons said, “We need our place to sleep! Whatever the reason it was you came here, now, go back to your own home! If you do not go, we will call more of our armies, and then whoever gets your flesh and blood will eat it.”

  The Jetsun, with great compassion, then sang this song of realization:

  You assembly of pretas, listen well:

  Vicious and cruel demoness

  And all the preta spirits here,

  Your own karma has ripened for you.

  You have malicious minds and such great suffering.

  You rouse evil intent and exhaust your merit.

  You wish to eat something, but you rarely can.

  With such great hunger, you have no good fortune.

  You’ve accumulated bad karma and accomplished no benefit.

  Boasting and bragging will not tame your enemies.

  This magic of you malevolent demons

  Just makes this yogi want to laugh.

  I, a yogi, have thorough reason

  For seeing your magic as tainted and false.

  If you want this bed, then take your stand.

  Let us continue with our discussion:

  You’ve cast many meditators out from this place

  But I have come to eradicate this problem.

  You are the ones who possess this place

  But I have found what had not been found before.

  All you ghosts here, don’t any of you leave;

  Call every demon and spirit to join!

  Thus he sang. Then the leader of the ghosts said, “You are wearing the armor of emptiness and compassion; we cannot defeat that.” Then all of them prostrated and offered their life-essences to the Jetsun, and thus they were bound. Then Milarepa taught them the dharma of karma, cause and effect, and he returned to the benefactors.

  The benefactors asked, “Have the demons been tamed?”

  “Yes, they have,” he replied, and then he sang this song of realization:

  At the Lasé Monastery in Drin

  With this illusory body in lotus posture,

  I rested in nondual equipoise.

  Upon the focal object that is unborn,

  I rested my mind without any distraction.

  The demoness’ malevolent minds were transformed into awakening

  And they became disciples free of such malice.

  Now whoever goes there will have no reason to despair.

  Whoever sits there, their practice will flourish.

  This site is now the Auspicious Goddess Cave,*10

  And the one who dwells there is an unsurpassed protector upasaka.

  All of us are now good friends.

  You should think like this, and whoever wishes should go.

  You will attain the siddhi of long life, free of illness.

  Thus he sang. All of the benefactors were overjoyed, developed faith, and offered their respect and service. The Jetsun stayed there for several days.

  One herder who had gained faith said to Milarepa, “Please teach me some dharma that will benefit my mind.”

  The Jetsun said, “Even if the dharma is taught, those who really practice it are few.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  In the ocean of the suffering of samsara,

  Though the dharma of giving rise to disillusionment is taught,

  Those who have revulsion are very few.

  With what remains of our lives that are passing by,

  There is no leisure time to remain idle.

  However, those who remember death are very few.

  At this time of having gained a human birth with freedoms and resources,

  It’s rare for someone to keep perfect discipline.

  Even those who keep the single-day precepts*11 are few.

  Though the benefits of the freedoms of the higher realms

  And the faults of samsara are taught,

  Those who enter dharma’s gateway are few.

  Though the profound key instructions of the whispered lineage

  Are taught without any stinginess,

  Those who practice them are few.

  Though the explanations and pointing out

  Of the genuine dharma of Mahamudra are given,

  Those who recognize their minds are few.

  Though by staying in mountain retreats—the guru’s intention—

  Delight will always arise,

  Those who gain accomplishment are few.

  The profound path of means of Naropa,

  Though it is taught without any concealment,

  Those who have signs of accomplishment are few.

  Your human life with its freedoms and resources,

  If you want to make it meaningful, then follow after me.

  Thus he sang. The herder developed unwavering faith and became a follower of the Jetsun. He was given the abhishekas and instructions, and after meditating he gained excellent realization.

  On another occasion when the Jetsun Milarepa was begging for alms to benefit beings, he came upon a large village. In the center of it there were many people playing all kinds of game
s such as dice, throwing stones and arrows, and chess.*12 The Jetsun went over to the women who were sitting in the center making things from wool. He said, “I am in need of some provisions.”

  A young girl replied to him, “Guru, do you not have any homeland, no parents, or relatives?”

  “I do and they are better than other people’s.”

  The girl said, “If you have them, then your relatives should be able to provide you food for your dharma practice. Please tell us about your family.” In reply, Milarepa sang this song of realization:

  My homeland is the all-excellent great bliss.

  My field is excellent motivation.

  My house is great compassion.

  My father’s side is the great family of Tathagatas.

  My father’s relatives practice dharma in the ten directions.

  My paternal ancestors are Tilopa and Naropa.

  My father is the king of means.

  My mother, she is excellent prajña.

  My elder brother is pure samaya.

  My younger brother is strong diligence.

  My older sister is bright, clear faith.

  And I am spontaneously self-arisen.

  I have meditated on the abiding nature.

  My elements are the elements of the good qualities.

  I am one who spontaneously encounters the deity.

  Whatever arises, arises as dharmakaya.

  Thus he sang. All of those who were playing had gathered around, and the girl said, “Guru, this is all quite amazing. You have very little to do, so please stay and be our object of service; be our object of reverence who dispels negative conditions in this life and the next. Your blessing, I’m sure, would be very great.”

  Some other young men said, “Yogi, our games and the work of our women are a sign of our happiness. Is this what the enjoyment of the gods is like? Your voice is very good, please sing a song about these things.”

  “In reply to your question, the activities of you men and women are not like the enjoyments of the devas. This is what they are like,” then he sang this song of realization:

  The images of devas in the homes of all you laypeople here

  Are like the root of accumulating karmic results.

  This butter lamp of the bonds of avarice

  Is like the fire that ministers stand in front of to warm their bellies.*13

  The owners of many goats and sheep

  Are like the blades of the rakshasa’s teeth.

  The parents of many young children

  Are like the slaughter-pen of a heedless hand.

  The sweeping and cleaning of these old decrepit houses

  Is like gandharvas in an empty barn.

  The landlord who has many types of conduct

  Is like a treasurer of mistaken views.

  Your dice, stones, arrows, and so forth

  Are like the games of the fighting asuras.

  Your games of chess, go, and the like

  Are like the basis of quarreling in an evil royal family.

  Laying out the ground of gambling and sport

  Is like the bhuta spirits fighting over tormas.156

  Your production from spinning and weaving

  Is like cobwebs on the tops of the trees and grass.

  Your playing with all kinds of music, song, and dance

  Is like the deception of a messenger demon.

  Those who look upon this show

  Are like grazing animals craving after a mirage.

  The commentators of all of these games

  Are like one’s head and hands being consumed in a fire.157

  For those who are distracted by desire toward this,

  It’s like being herded to a gandharva’s belly.

  Thus he sang. All of them gave rise to faith, prostrating to him and giving him much respect and service. In particular, the young girl invited him to her home and made abundant offerings of service to the Jetsun. She received teachings from him and practiced, taking hold of the path at the time of death.

  Another time, when the Jetsun Milarepa went begging for alms in the practice of equal taste, he came to the center of a large town where many people were working on a house, and there at that place he lay down to sleep. One of the female benefactors said to him, “Yogi, I will bring you some food if you patch up this bag for me,” leaving the bag and materials to fix it with Milarepa.

  After some time, she returned to pick up the bag and said, “When they say that yogis should just be kicked out, they are really right. Here, you have nothing to do, and you couldn’t even put on one patch. How shameful.”

  Then the Jetsun went to where the workers were eating and said, “I am looking for provisions.”

  The female benefactor said, “I have no need for someone who doesn’t help with the work when his body is free but helps with the eating when his mouth is free!”

  “I was busy doing something more important than your work, so I wasn’t free to do it,” Milarepa replied.

  The lady said, “What work was it that you were so engaged in?”

  He replied, “I am free, but in my being free, I was busy doing these practices.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  I prostrate to the guru lords.

  In particular, the one who is so kind, protect me, I pray.

  When people like you look at me, I seem to be free.

  But when I look, I seem to be busy.

  In the field that is birthless and free of extremes,

  I build the castle of meditative concentration;

  Therefore, I’m not free to build an earthen castle.

  On the northern plain of dharmata’s emptiness,

  I tame the rough earth of the afflictions;

  Therefore, I’m not free to plow my father’s field.

  At the border of ineffable nonduality,

  I tame the enemy, the demon of clinging to an “I”;

  Therefore, I’m not free to tame hostile enemies.

  To the palace of nondual mind itself,

  I invite the bride of dharma practice;

  Therefore, I’m not free to take an ordinary wife.

  In my own body, the mandala of the Victorious Ones,

  I care for the small child of awareness;

  Therefore, I’m not free to care for a snot-nosed child.

  In the all-joyous courtyard of my upper torso,

  I amass the wealth of hearing and contemplating;

  Therefore, I’m not free to amass material wealth.

  On the mountain of unchanging dharmakaya,

  I look after the wild horse of self-awareness;

  Therefore, I’m not free to look after cattle and sheep.

  Out of the mud of flesh and bones,

  I build the stupa of spontaneous presence;

  Therefore, I’m not free to make any tsa-tsa molds.

  In the center of my heart, a three-sided vessel,

  I hoist up the oil lamp of luminosity;

  Therefore, I’m not free to make offerings for oracle trances.158

  In the shrine room of bliss and emptiness inseparable,

  At the thangka*14 of the mind in equipoise,

  I make the offering of the unchanging feast;

  Therefore, I’m not free to make material offerings.

  On the paper of the completely pure mind itself,

  I write the letters of nonattachment;

  Therefore, I’m not free to take down any notes.

  Into the skull-cup of emptiness,

  I pour the poisons in sets of three and five;

  Therefore, I’m not free to do black magic rites.

  At the threshold where love’s anguish meets my mind,

  I care for my kin, the six realms’ beings;

  Therefore, I’m not free to care for my own family.

  The key instructions I received from the father gurus,

  I carry that load into my mind-stream;

  Therefore, I’m not free to do ordinary activity.

/>   In the solitary mountain retreats,

  I practice toward the essence, enlightenment;

  Therefore, I’m not free to fall into the sleep of ignorance.

  With my mouth, the opening of a three-sided conch,

  I sing out this melody of the key instructions;

  Therefore, I’m not free to idly chatter.

  Thus he sang. Hearing this, everyone’s outlook changed. They asked, “Are you the Jetsun Milarepa?”

  “Yes, I am the one who cannot work,” he replied.

  “Oh, how fortunate we are!” Saying this, they all did many prostrations and circumambulations and made abundant offerings of respect and service. There, too, the woman offered her confession.

  There were some youths among them who said, “We also want to practice dharma in the presence of the guru. What is your monastery? Who provides you with your provisions?” Milarepa sang this song of realization in reply:

  I prostrate to the father gurus.

  Mountain retreats without any fixed direction

  Are this yogi’s monastery.

  Male and female benefactors of this land,

  I hope you can provide this yogi’s provisions.

  You wonder why this yogi roams

  In the monastery of mountain retreats, free of people:

  These were key instructions spoken by the guru.

  When carried, they’re lighter than the feather of a bird.

  Keeping them secret is easier than hiding precious gold.

  When in fearsome places, they’re mightier than a fortress.

  I am a yogi, a lion among humans.

  In the three months of winter, I’m in bliss in the forests.

  In the three months of summer, I’m in bliss on the snow mountainsides.

  In the three months of spring, I’m in bliss where rocks meet the plains.

  In the three months of fall, I’m in bliss begging with equal taste.