The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

by Tsangnyon Heruka

  You come to wish harm upon all sentient beings.

  With a lust for eating flesh and blood,

  You take great delight in killing, cutting, and taking breath.

  You’ve taken bad births as preta demons;

  Now you commit negative deeds; and you’ll be born in the hells.

  Not thinking at all of the seed of liberation,

  You’ve no way to freedom. How pitiful!

  I sit upon the vajra seat of emptiness;

  This magical body sitting here,

  If you can take it away, I’d be happy with that!

  With the compassion of bodhichitta,

  I’m happy when the hordes of demons gather.

  Having sung that, the Jetsun rested in equipoise in the Samadhi of the Totality of Water. After a moment, even more demons came and gathered. Among them was a fearsome female demon who asked, “Where did he go?”

  One of the demons replied, “He’s sitting on the other side of the river, there.”

  Then when the demon threw a stone, the Jetsun appeared in person and said, “Here I am!”

  The demons became frightened and ran away. The demons later returned and again did all kinds of magic, but they could not touch Milarepa. The devas and ghosts said, “This time, let’s all make friends!” Then, in a state of great compassion, the Jetsun sang this song of realization:

  Listen well, now, all you spirits!

  You army of ghosts with negative karma,

  With bad karma and negativity, you bring suffering upon yourself.

  All phenomenal existence arises as dharmakaya for me,

  So you band of demons are a great ornament.

  Now, listen well, you devas and ghosts!

  If you seek refuge in the three precious jewels,

  You’ll find unmistaken, excellent abodes.

  If you don’t take flesh and blood for your food,

  You’ll attain the freedom of the higher realms.

  If you abandon harming beings,

  Then you’ll quickly take hold of the path to enlightenment.

  If you can abandon nonvirtuous actions,

  You’ll enter the teaching of the Buddha.

  If you can practice the ten virtuous actions,

  Then you’ve understood the guru’s key instruction.

  If you can pacify the confusion of the three gates,

  You’ll enter the ranks of the vidyadharas.

  If you can make the commitment of holding the vows,

  Then we all here can be good friends.

  If you can keep the vows of samaya,

  Then I shall accept you as my students.

  Thus he sang. Then, with faith, the devas and ghosts confessed their harmful actions. “Now we will be subjects of your command; please teach us the dharma.” The Jetsun transmitted the refuge and bodhichitta vows to them and explained the dharma of karma, cause and effect. All of the spirits then offered their life-force to Milarepa, vowed to keep their commitment, and left.

  Then the Jetsun asked Rechungpa, “What happened to you last night?”

  “While I was resting in the state of luminosity, a great vision came to me. Last night while the Jetsun was in his bed, someone threw a stone at him. Did it hit his body?”

  “Last night, in a state of great joy, my body transformed into water. Perhaps a stone did hit me; my chest hurts. Take a look!” The Jetsun again transformed his body into water, and Rechungpa removed the stone. After this, the Jetsun felt much better.

  Then, when many other disciple-sons came to see the Jetsun, he said, “Let us go up to that high mountain standing before Lachi for a little refreshment.”

  The disciples said to Milarepa, “Your body is now quite old, you will not be able to make it up the mountain. Please, you should not go.”

  But Milarepa replied, “With something as easy as this, it will be fine,” Then he sang this song of realization:

  I prostrate to the gurus.

  I, Milarepa, wish to go to the mountain peak.

  But, Milarepa has become old;

  His four elements have weakened and cannot go.

  Inanimate mountain, lay yourself down!

  As soon as he had finished singing, the top of the mountain bent down. The Jetsun got a foothold, and up he went to the top. There he sat for a while on top of the mountain peak in the center of dense rainbow light. Then, he took off and flew down to the students and said, “Someone brought beer to me up on the mountain peak.”

  “Tell us, how can we also get up there? How can we get the beer?” they asked.

  “To get to the mountain peak, you should meditate according to this instruction.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  Dear disciples, if you want the view from the mountain,

  To seize it, seize the luminosity of your own mind.

  To subdue it, subdue it like a net.

  To bind it, bind it like an ensnaring knot.

  To hold it, take hold of it like a hook.

  Meditate like that to get to the peak

  Of freedom; then enjoy the view

  And drink the beer of experience.

  You qualified men and women, now come within!

  Look and be satisfied by the view.

  Those unqualified who stay outside,

  If you’re not able to drink the pure beer,

  Can you not at least drink the weaker beer?*2

  If you cannot practice toward pure enlightenment,

  Can you not at least attain the higher realms?

  Then Rechungpa said, “I can practice toward enlightenment. Please allow me to drink the beer too.”

  “Well then, just as Marpa did, who was supremely kind, drink the beer like this,” then he sang this song of realization:

  He who has mastered essential reality,

  For whom primordial reality is without any break,

  At the feet of Marpa the Translator I bow.

  The traits of my father are just like this:

  He’s pure and clear just like the sky;

  All-pervading like the sun and moon;

  Inseparable from me, he sits upon my crown.

  Humans are chief among the six types of beings.

  Every spring and every fall

  They reap the harvest that’s without any essence,

  Then they prepare their golden beer.

  Now, let’s brew a batch of beer and drink!

  So how is it that we brew this beer?

  On the hearthstone of body, speech, and mind,

  Place the copper pot of emptiness.

  Into this, put the barley of pure, excellent faith

  And pour in the water of mindfulness and compassion.

  Stoke the fire of great wisdom,

  Then cook ’til it’s a mash free of center or edge.

  In the midst of the floor of equality,

  Upon the cloth of great bliss,

  Add the starter of the genuine instructions.*3

  Then let it rest on the bed of the four immeasurables.

  It will ferment into a mash of “many with one taste.”

  Pour it into the clay pot of formative force,

  Then brew it with inseparable means and wisdom.

  It is strengthened into beer of the five wisdoms.

  From the tap of the source of all desires,

  The beer, the undefiled nectar, is filtered.

  The raw material, the cause, is the Heruka of Perfect Purity.

  The other ingredients, the conditions, are the Dharmadhatu Heruka.

  The color is the Padma Heruka.

  The taste is the Vajra Heruka.

  The scent is the Variety Heruka.

  The sensation is the Alluring Heruka.

  Now when this yogic beer is drunk,

  The first draft*4 is dharmakaya, clear and pure.

  The second is sambhogakaya, the perfect buddha.

  Third is nirmanakaya, appearing as anything.

  The weaker beer of continual flow

&nb
sp; Will be drunk down by the qualified ones.

  There’s no worry that unqualified ones will drink.

  Here’s another example of how to drink:

  The first portion of beer of pure experience

  That’s brewed in the state of dharmata

  Is offered to the buddhas and guru with three kindnesses.

  The middle portion of wisdom and means

  Is enjoyed by the assembly of mandala deities

  Summoned through the state of samaya.

  The weaker beer of common and supreme siddhis,

  Once experience has been sustained,

  Accomplishes the wishes of self and other.

  In the serving ladle with its six excellent traits

  Is the beer of the pure whispered lineage.

  If you drink this beer, bliss will blaze forth.

  If you taste it, you will attain nirvana.

  This is the way to drink yogic beer.

  It has qualities that cannot be found anywhere else.

  This wonderful conduct is so amazing.

  E MA! Is this not marvelous?

  Then the disciples all developed certainty.

  This is the cycle of the beer-drinking song and going for refreshment at the Great Cave of Taming Demons.

  *1 In Tibetan, Düdül Pukmo Che (T: bdud ’dul phug mo che).

  *2 Ardussi discusses the Tibetan beer-making process: “When the glum [fermented barley, pronounced ‘loom’] is first infused, the beer which is strained off is the first or strongest beer. More water is added and stirred in, making a second, weaker infusion. A third infusion will be very weak in alcohol.” (120)

  *3 Ardussi states: “The cooked barley is spread out onto a large rug (often called a brdal phyar) or winnow to cool, before adding the starter. Tibetan beer starter, like that for sake, contains not only yeast but also mold spores (Aspergillus orzae) chemically essential for fermentation…Phabs [pronounced “pop”, the Tibetan word, here, for starter] is stirred into the cooled barley, which is then kept warm for several days while it ferments as a kind of damp mash (glum). It is then infused with water (bsings) in a large pot, where it absorbs the alcohol, thereby becoming ‘strengthened into beer’ (chang du ngar).” (119)

  *4 This refers to the cycles of infusion mentioned in the above footnote, called “chang dangpo” (first beer), “chang nyipa” (second beer), and “chang sumpa” (third beer).

  51

  Ramding Sky Cave

  NAMO GURU

  When the Jetsun Milarepa, along with Rechungpa, Drigom Repa, and a few other disciples, was staying at Ramding Sky Cave, Rechungpa and Drigom Repa had much discussion about the view of meditation of Naropa and Maitripa. The Jetsun said to them, “Listen to my song, and then continue your discussion.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  What delight! Being free of conventional terms is so joyful!

  The kind lord guru sits at my crown.

  Realization inseparable from his continually dawns in my mind.

  You two teacher-meditators who engage in analysis,

  If your words don’t come from your inner understanding,

  You’re just making noise and inflating your pride.

  Cutting imputations from within,

  Is that not called the view free of extremes?

  Using scripture and reasoning is a great ornament to that.

  Concepts dissolving into dharmakaya,

  Is that not called self-arisen meditation?

  Connecting it with experience is a great ornament to that.

  Purifying the six collections in their own state,

  Is that not called the conduct of equal taste?

  Connecting it with the proper time is a great ornament to that.

  The arising of the experience of bliss-emptiness,

  Is that not the point of the whispered lineage instructions?

  Connecting it with the four abhishekas is a great ornament to that.

  Differentiating clear appearance and emptiness,

  Is that not called the stages of the path?

  Connecting it with the path’s signs is a great ornament to that.

  Carrying one’s mind to the point of its exhaustion,

  Is that not called buddhahood in one life?

  Connecting it with the four kayas is a great ornament to that.

  One who has scripture, logic, and the upadeshas,

  Is that not called the guru who holds a lineage?

  Being connected with compassion is the guru’s great ornament.

  Faithful ones who have great compassion,

  Are those not called students who are suitable vessels?

  Connecting them with devotion is a great ornament to that.

  One gains resolution about the mind through the view;

  Meditation then takes this and brings it to experience;

  Through conduct, one brings it to its completion.

  Its actualization is the four kayas;

  The result is asserted in terms of mind.

  Realization is seeing it all come down to one thing.

  When he had sung this, everyone’s doubts were completely cut.

  Then the Jetsun said to Rechungpa, “If you want the very essence of dharma, this is what you need.” Then he sang this song of realization:

  Awareness-holding disciple-son, listen here,

  If you want to practice dharma, this is what you need:

  The embodiment of the buddhas of the three times,

  The guru who develops all qualities,

  You must have confidence is the dharmakaya.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  The instructions spoken from the guru’s mouth

  Are the supreme medicine for vanquishing the five poisons.

  You must have confidence that they are amrita.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  With the liberating wrathful enlightened activity

  That is part of the guru’s conduct,

  You must have confidence the guru is a nirmanakaya.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  These thoughts and memories that move in the mind,

  Though they [appear to] arise, they’re unarisen and free of base or root.

  You must have confidence in undistracted mindfulness.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  These ocean waves of the poisons and ignorance

  Are like a rope tying wood that’s consumed by fire.

  You must have confidence there is nothing that binds you.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  The bliss of the devas in the desire realm

  Is like the change of the four different seasons.

  You must have confidence that samsara has no comfort.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  All composite phenomena

  Are impermanent like lightning in the sky,

  Like a waterfall, or burning incense.

  You must have confidence that this life has no leisure.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  It is certain that everyone will die.

  Since no one remains and all pass away,

  You must have confidence in attaining deathlessness.

  Do you have certainty in this, Rechungpa?

  Then all of the disciples developed deep certainty. After some time, the students of Nyanang invited Rechungpa to come and receive some offerings, and the Jetsun gave him permission to go there for half a month. The other repas also went to the village for alms.

  In the meantime, Dzesé, Khujuk, and other benefactors and students from Drin came to meet Milarepa. When they saw the Jetsun sitting loosely dressed and fully exposed, the students did not dare come near him. Dzesé went to place some clothes on him, then the students gathered around.

  They said, “We worldly people are shocked and embarrassed to see the Jetsun completely exposed like that. We ask you to please, out o
f compassion for us, cover your private parts.” Then the Jetsun, ripping off his clothes, became completely naked. He rose and sang this song of realization:

  Always traveling around in human domains,

  I’ve naturally forgotten my own native land.

  Spending much time with the noble lord,

  I’ve naturally forgotten my friends and relatives.

  Striving in practicing the genuine dharma,

  I’ve naturally forgotten the dharma of ordinary men.

  Roaming alone in mountain retreats,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all worldly distractions.

  Watching the monkeys and langurs play,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all about calves and sheep.

  Holding on to sharp flint and steel,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all about household affairs.

  Remaining without master and without servant,

  I’ve naturally forgotten about polite, pleasant speech.

  Staying alone, completely relaxed,

  I’ve naturally forgotten about embarrassment.

  Going with whatever arises in the mind,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all about modesty.

  With chandali blazing within my body,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all about wearing clothes.

  Meditating in nonconceptual wisdom,

  I’ve naturally forgotten all my concepts.

  Meditating in the union of luminosity,*1

  I’ve forgotten all about elaborations.

  These twelve things that I’ve forgotten

  Are the way of this yogi here.

  Students, you should all do the same.

  I’ve released the knot of perceiver and perceived.

  Why should I have a need to follow your customs?

  One doesn’t attain enlightenment through artifice;

  The dharma of you people is too hard to practice.

  I will remain alone and relaxed.

  I won’t be deceitful or lie about being embarrassed.

  I don’t know how to do contrived conduct.