How frightful are the many offences of not fulfilling hopes!
Making offerings to inappropriate objects
Is like entrusting your wealth to a charlatan.
How frightful is such a basis for delusion!
Giving without compassion
Is like tying yourself to a whipping post.168
How frightful to bind yourself up so!
To have a high view without taming your mind-stream
Is just like boasting and speaking with doubts.169
How frightful to disregard cause and effect!
The meditator who doesn’t get to the vital point
Is like a liar who puts the roof on his house of deceit.
How frightful to think he’s doing something of meaning!170
Conduct in which tendrel does not arise
Is like a crazy man who drinks salt water.
How frightful is the increase of desire and craving!
Samaya that involves the eight worldly concerns
Is like wrapping filth in silk.
How frightful to be rotten from within!
The fruition where one’s desires have not been abandoned
Is like a human figure made of clay.
How frightful it is to disintegrate under adverse conditions!
Thus he sang. Leksé Bum, having developed regret, offered the best piece of turquoise from her jewelry as a gift to Milarepa and then asked him to take her with him. The Jetsun then sang this song of realization, “The Vajra Verse” to Leksé Bum.
Listen now, wealthy Leksé Bum,
Who has such clear, bright intelligence.
When you turn in and look at your body,
Do meditation that’s free of desire for comfort.
When you turn in and look at your speech,
Do meditation that’s free of expression.
When you turn in and look at your mind,
Do meditation that’s free of concepts.
Without distraction in body, speech, and mind,
Do meditation that’s free of meditating.
Thus he sang. She meditated and experiences arose for her. Then she offered the seven branches to the guru.
Wondrous lord clad with the cotton cloth,
You with pride free of reference point,
Who, free of any worry or fear,171
Have confidence that’s completely free of attachment;
To the repa with yogic discipline, at your feet I bow.
Great repa, I make offerings to you.
To the repa with yogic discipline, I confess my negativities.
Guru, I rejoice in you.
I supplicate you to turn the wheel of dharma.
I supplicate that you not pass into nirvana.
I dedicate this virtue for the sake of all beings.
When I turn in and look at my body,
Though I do meditation free of desire for comfort,
Still, my desire for comfort continues to come.
When I turn in and look at my speech,
Though I do meditation free of the desire to speak,
Still, my desire to speak continues to come.
When I turn in and look at my mind,
Though I do nonconceptual meditation,
Still, concepts continue to come.
Though with undistracted body, speech, and mind
I do meditation that’s free of meditating,
Still, meditation continues to come.
Please give key instructions for clearing hindrances and enhancement.
In reply, the Jetsun sang this song of realization on clearing hindrances and enhancing the practice:
Listen, listen now, Leksé Bum!
For your body, when you have desire for comfort,
Separate yourself from your relatives and friends
And give away all the wealth you’ve amassed.
Remain in the state that’s free of attachment.
For speech, when you desire to say something,
Leave the eight worldly concerns behind;
Give your pride and self-importance to the wind.
Remain in the state that is free of pride.
For mind, when concepts are present,
Take hold of your mind with the hook of mindfulness.
Not fixating on samsara and nirvana as two,
Remain in the state of equality.
Sustain the state free of following after things that arise.
If there still is some kind of meditation,
Meditate with compassion upon sentient beings.
Meditate on your body as the Great Compassionate One.*5
Meditate with the guru at the crown of your head.
Extend the meditation on emptiness,
Then afterward, seal it with dedication.
Understand this and practice the sublime dharma.
Thus he sang. She practiced as the Jetsun had said and became a yogini who took hold of the path.
This is the cycle of Shendormo and Leksé Bum.
*1 It’s said that while in the womb, one is still able to remember one’s previous life, but because of still being in the womb, one cannot speak. (DPR)
*2 T: ’jur mig. A drawing die is a small hole that metal wires are pulled through to reduce their cross-section diameter.
*3 Folding the body in thirds is connected with how a corpse is prepared for disposal.
*4 A Te’u rang deity is “a type of malicious spirit, associated with hungry ghosts, which is said to influence the weather and send hailstorms” (Harding 2003: 337).
*5 Avalokiteshvara.
49
Preparing to Have Joy at Death
NAMO GURU
When the Jetsun Milarepa was staying at the Nyanang Belly Cave, the eight worldly concerns were manifesting slightly for his heart-son Rechungpa. The Jetsun had advised him again and again to abandon them, but Rechungpa thought, “I have relinquished my own homeland, and I believe I am untainted by the faults of the eight worldly concerns. But the Jetsun says to relinquish one’s homeland is only practicing dharma half-way. Can this really be so?”
The Jetsun said, “This is what is said in the general dharma language; however, that in itself is not enough.”172 Then he sang this song of realization:
The essence of the lord of the family,
In the palace of great bliss at the crown of my head,
Guru unstained by any faults,
You are ornamented with a host of good qualities.
Never satisfied when looking at him, I praise this lord.
Though you’ve abandoned your homeland for foreign lands,
Still, you must properly keep to their customs.
If you prefer to have praise and fame,
At that point, you’ve arrived at the eight concerns.
Though you’ve abandoned food and service for small morsels,
Still, you must properly amass them in great hoards.
If you prefer a full belly of tasty food,
At that point, you’ve arrived at the eight concerns.
Though you’ve abandoned fine woolen clothes for ragged garments,
Still, you must properly sew and tailor them.
If you prefer them to be soft and warm,
At that point, you’ve arrived at the eight concerns.
Though you’ve abandoned house and home for earthen caves,
Still, you must make proper preparations.
If you prefer one that will withstand attack,
At that point, you’ve arrived at the eight concerns.
Though you’ve abandoned large fields for small,
Still, you must properly keep to the ways of farming.
If you prefer great, excellent crops to your small ones,
At that point, you’ve arrived at the eight concerns.
The true reality of samsara that is free of any base,
If analyzed, there is nothing to be identified;
If that is realized, then that is nirvana.
Yogi, always be free of any fixation
Toward the dharmata, the empty nature of everything.
Thus he sang. Rechungpa asked, “Since my practice in Secret Mantra’s path of means has become stable, is it okay to rely upon just a few sensory pleasures?”
The Jetsun replied, “It is okay to use sensory pleasures to support your practice, but it’s not okay to use your practice to support sensory pleasures. When I came from Marpa of Lhodrak’s side, I had abandoned the eight worldly concerns. He told me that I should practice in reliance on a few sensory pleasures. I practiced accordingly, and because of that, some good qualities arose in my mind-stream. You too should abandon the eight concerns, and without thinking that you have any leisure for practicing, practice now!” Then he sang this song of realization:
The lord guru’s life-story is impressed upon my mind,
And I never forget his advice that was like amrita.
If you think you have leisure to put off the dharma, you will miss your chance.
Mix dharma with your mind-stream, and apply yourself in meditation.
If you’re attached to this life, the next life will be difficult.
To delight in temporary pleasure is a great hindrance.
If you think you have leisure to put off the dharma, that is foolish.
If you fear your death, apply yourself in meditation.
If you engage in negative action, you’ll fall to the lower realms.
If you’re deceitful or conniving, you’ll just lose yourself.
If you develop malicious intentions, you’ll exhaust your merit.
If you want to purify your karmic results, apply yourself in meditation.
If you wish to wear nice clothes, your outlook is confused.
If you wish to eat good food, you’ll strive in negative conduct.
If you long for pleasing words, you’ll be wrecked by fame.
Abandon the eight concerns, and apply yourself in meditation.
If you wish for a rich patron, you’ll encounter enemies.
If you wish to be surrounded by many retinues, you’ll have great regret.
If you want to amass many things, you’ll have many wrong views.
Make your mind harmonious with the dharma, and apply yourself in meditation.
If you can meditate, then realization will dawn in your mind.
If you cannot, then you’ll just have empty speech and lies.
Since you don’t have much time left to meditate,
Exert yourself in meditation without distraction.
If you mix your mind with dharma, everywhere you’ll have bliss.
Remaining alone is also excellent.
My son, Rechungpa, let your mind abide
In the precious samadhi of clarity-emptiness meditation!
Thus he sang. Milarepa thought, “Rechungpa has only lessened his involvement with the eight concerns somewhat, but his hidden faults have not been fully revealed. I must do this by inciting him to revulsion.”
When they came upon Nyanang, where there were many butchers, the master and his disciple Rechungpa went begging for alms. There were stacks of flesh, piles of animal heads, flayed skins displayed, and pools of blood collecting all around. Many sentient beings were tethered waiting to be slaughtered there, and in the center of them was an old man from Mön with a crippled arm. A large black sheep managed to escape the man’s grasp, and as it ran the sheep’s intestines were pulled through a small tear in its flesh. Terrified, the sheep let out loud screams, limping and hobbling over to the Jetsun and his son for protection. As the sheep’s life came to its end, the Jetsun wept with many tears and performed transference for the sheep, placing its consciousness on the bodhisattva path. Then he sang this song of realization with unbearable great compassion:
E MA! Sentient beings of samsara,
Look to the path of liberation.
Alas! These here with such negativity—such a shame!
Ignorant of karma in this human birth with leisures,
How devastating is this killing of beings!
How regrettable to have such self-delusion!
How shameful,173 indeed, to kill one’s parents!
What’s to be done with this stacking of killed flesh?
What to do with all this pooling of blood?
Eating meat, however hungry one is;
Such confused perception, thinking anything;174
Such negativity without any compassion;
Delusive ignorance that’s obscured everything;
What can be done with such cultivation of negativity?
Giving torment however they please;
Such wickedness of those who act this way;
How shameful! Oh, such sadness and heartache!
So busy with negativity in all that they do,
Later, they won’t remember a single moment.
When I see such people, I fear for them.
I think of those with such negative conduct, and I am disturbed.
Rechungpa, doesn’t it make you think of the sublime dharma?
If it does, then give rise to sadness and disillusionment.
If you meditate, go to mountain retreats.
If you contemplate, contemplate the guru’s kindness.
If you escape something, escape from the root of nonvirtue.
If you let go of something, let go of mundane deeds.
If you keep something, keep your promise to practice.
If you understand, then bring your life to the dharma.
Thus he sang. Then disillusionment and renunciation arose deep within Rechungpa, and he wept with many tears. “Lama, now I will do as the guru says and will abandon the eight concerns and the provisions of food obtained through negativity; I will meditate. To which isolated mountain will we, master and student, go and meditate?” Then in reply, the Jetsun sang this song of realization:
E MA! Sentient beings of samsara
Are in darkness, obscured by negative karma.
The thief of conceptuality creates much agitation;
The jewel of meditation will likely be lost.
It’s time to set the watchman of nondistraction.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
The continuum of samsara is a long, treacherous path.
The bandits of the five poisons agitate and churn;
They’ll likely seize the child of awareness.
It’s time to seek out the guide of primordial wisdom.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
The mountain of faults is very high.
The afflictions are like the hunter and his dog;
It’s likely they will kill the deer of samadhi.
It’s time to flee to the ultimate true nature.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
In the worn down house of the illusory body,
Days and hours fall like rain.
The drops of the years and months beat down.
The worn house of the illusory body will soon collapse.
It’s time to make preparations to have joy at death.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
The ocean of samsara is very deep.
It’s time to swim with the child of awareness.
It’s likely you’ll be distracted by the waves of confusion.
It’s time to escape to the land of nonduality.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
The swamp of lust is truly vast,
And the thick mud of home-life is very deep.
It’s likely the elephant of renunciation will get stuck within
.
It’s time to pursue a place for the meditation of liberation.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
The view and meditation of the lower vehicle is a steep precipice.
The immature, with inferior minds, have many deeds.
It’s likely they’ll fall off the cliff of the six realms.
Men with negativity never think that death will come.
Rechungpa and I will go to Lachi Snow Mountain.
Thus he sang. The master and his disciple departed together, and most of the people at the market uncontrollably gave rise to faith. With this, they showed respect to the father Jetsun and his son. Although they offered many material provisions to them, Milarepa and Rechungpa said that it was food produced through negativity and the eight worldly concerns. Without accepting the provisions, they went on to Lachi Snow Mountain.
This is the cycle of preparing to have joy at death.
50
Going for Refreshment, and the Beer-Drinking Song
NAMO GURU
While the Jetsun Milarepa and his son were staying at the Great Cave of Taming Demons*1 in Lachi, they were attacked by the wrathful magic of some spirits. Rechungpa went into the back part of the cave and stayed there, hiding, while in a state of samadhi. The devas and ghosts displayed a variety of fearsome forms to the Jetsun and rained down many weapons upon him. They cried out many threatening things to Milarepa, like, “Whichever one of us seizes your flesh and blood will carry it away!” To that, Milarepa sang this song of realization:
I supplicate the guru lords!
Grant your blessing that the harsh poison of the afflictions be pacified!
O you pretas, so pitiful,
Army of demons, it’s due to karma you’re so deluded.
When you’re habituated to such a malevolent mind,
The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa Page 63