The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

by Tsangnyon Heruka

  here

  22. TAMING NARO BöNCHUNG

  [song of the Jetsun’s power]

  “The power of this view, which is/Beyond the mind and free from extremes, arose.”

  The Sources of Power

  here

  23. THE LATER VISIT TO DRAKYA VAJRA FORTRESS

  [song on the twelve kinds of yogic happiness]

  Twelve Kinds of Yogic Joy

  here

  [twelve things that tend to be misleading]

  Twelve Things That Tend to Be Misleading

  here

  [song on the eight kinds of mastery]

  Eight Kinds of Mastery

  here

  [song on the six bardos sung by Rechungpa]

  The Six Bardos

  here

  26. MEETING KHYIRA REPA

  [song for the deer]

  The Song of Everlasting Happiness

  here

  [song for the hunter’s dog]

  The Song of Open Compassion

  here

  [song for Khyirawa Gönpo Dorje]

  Song of the Meeting between Milarepa and the Hunter Chirawa Gönpo Dorje

  here

  [invitation to Khyirawa]

  The Places Where I Stay and the Friends I Keep

  here

  [why I wander]

  Why I Wander Around Unpredictably

  here

  [advising the hunter not to return to his family]

  “The thunder’s sound is great, but it is empty sound”

  Why Turning towards Genuine Dharma

  here

  [practice instructions for Khyira Repa]

  Meditation Advice to Chirawa

  here

  27. THE OFFERING OF THE KHOKHOM KING AND THE SCRUTINY OF TSERINGMA

  [last verse of song on heroic pride of yogis]

  “I’ve sung this song of key instructions”

  Why We Sing

  here

  28. GARLAND OF AN ARRAY OF PEARLS

  [song about confidence in realization through complete mastery of fearlessness] “Having great fear only toward death”

  Internalizing Fearlessness and Realization That Has Become Confidence

  here

  [teaching on bringing obstacles to the path]

  Distinguishing the Provisional from the Definitive in the Context of Mahamudra

  here

  29. GARLAND OF THE LIGHT OF AMRITA

  [song on the view of the pinnacle of realization]

  “According to the ultimate truth,”

  An Authentic Portrait of the Middle Way

  here

  30. GOLDEN GARLAND OF STUPAS

  [on the way of traveling to the pure realm of Sukhavati] “Right now, in the bardo of samsara and nirvana”

  Milarepa’s Six Bardos

  here

  34. WINNING THE DEBATE ARISEN THROUGH JEALOUSY, WITH POWER AND MAGIC

  [song on the creation stage]

  The Utpattikrama Song

  here

  [meditating on nadi, prana, and bindu]

  The Sampannakrama Song

  here

  [meditating on Mahamudra]

  Song of Mahamudra

  here

  [on cracking the whip of awareness]

  The Anger Cooling Song

  here

  [reply to Lotön]

  Four Supreme Things and Eleven Supreme Things

  here

  36. MÉGOM REPA

  [instructions for Mégom]

  Looking Nakedly Resting Still

  here

  38. THE STORY OF THE YAK HORN

  [on the six examples of illusion and impermanence]

  “Looking there at objects appearing outside:”

  Six Example of Illusion That Teach Impermanence

  here

  [song to diminish Rechungpa’s pride]

  Ten Things It’s Like

  here

  39. SONG OF THE WILD ASSES

  [song after throwing the boulder] “At this place with a tight and narrow path”

  Songs of Miracles that Milarepa Displayed to Rechungpa: Song of the Appearance-Emptiness Boulder

  here

  [song while soaring in the sky]

  Songs of Miracles that Milarepa Displayed to Rechungpa: The Song of the Wild Asses

  here

  [key points of view and meditation]

  Ultimate View, Meditation, Conduct, and Fruition

  here

  40. LENGOM REPA

  [on the dividing line between happiness and misery]

  Happiness and Misery, Drawing the Line

  here

  42. LOTÖN GENDUN

  [instruction for Lotön]

  Six Words That Sum It All Up

  here

  [song of realization of pointing out]

  “This luminous mind itself, free of arising and ceasing”

  Let Consciousness Ride

  here

  43. DRETÖN REPA

  [on joy at the time of death]

  “In my body, the mandala of the Victorious Ones,”

  The Three Ways Are Fine—Ari Goldfield

  here

  [on joy at the time of death]

  Three Things That Are All Right—Jim Scott

  here

  [on the eight wondrous kinds of happiness]

  Eight Wonderful Forms of Happiness

  here

  44. LIKOR CHARUWA

  [reply to the monks]

  Two Songs of Displaying Miracles

  here

  [on study]

  Equality and Seven Things to Forget

  here

  [on the dharma that’s learned]

  The Dharma That Is Not Learned

  here

  [on yogic conduct]

  Appearance and Sound, Like Reflection and Echo

  here

  [on his vow]

  Milarepa’s Vows

  here

  45. REPLIES TO THE QUESTIONS OF STUDENTS

  [key points of the Six Dharmas and Mahamudra]

  Ten Important Points

  here

  [reply to the female benefactor]

  What I Have Time For and What I Do Not

  here

  [reply to the youth who asked about his monastery]

  The Great Open Wilderness

  here

  48. SHENDORMO AND LEKSÉ BUM

  [sung in reply to questions about old age and sickness] verse 1: “If you don’t realize the reality that is beyond ‘old age’ ” verse 2 “If you don’t realize the reality that is beyond ‘sickness’ ”

  Aging, Illness, and Samsara (Verses 1 and 2)

  here

  49. PREPARING TO HAVE JOY AT DEATH

  [song to Rechungpa on how giving up the eight worldly concerns is not enough]

  “The true reality of samsara that is free of any base”

  Aging, Illness, and Samsara (verse 3)

  here

  50. GOING FOR REFRESHMENT, AND THE BEER-DRINKING SONG

  [song on how beer is drunk in the tradition of Marpa]

  The Yogi’s Beer Drinking Song

  here

  51. RAMDING SKY CAVE

  [response to the disciples’ discussion about the view of meditation of Naropa and Maitripa]

  Eight Ornaments of the Profound Meaning

  here

  [practice requisites, addressed to Rechungpa]

  “The embodiment of the buddhas of the three times,”

  The Eight Certainties You Need to Practice Dharma

  here

  [on his nakedness]

  Twelve Things to Forget

  here

  [sung from atop the cave entrance]

  Eight Authentic Things

  here

  [advice to abandon the eight worldly concerns]

  Seven Practice Advices

  here

  52. RECHUNGPA’S DEPARTURE FOR CENTRAL TIBET

  [on the
four modes of conduct]

  Turning Daily Behavior into a Practice

  here

  53. TONGLA

  [six kinds of confidence in facing death joyfully]

  The Six Confident Ways I Am Delighted to Die

  here

  [six happy ways of being resolved]

  The Six Happy Ways I Am Sure

  here

  [on the way of a crazy man]

  The Way I Am Crazy

  here

  CHAPTERS TRANSLATED UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF KHENPO TSULTRIM GYAMTSO RINPOCHE

  The following list correlates chapters with alternate translations that appear in Stories and Songs of Milarepa, translated under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche (Marpa Foundation: 2006).

  CHAPTER

  ALTERNATE TRANSLATION PRODUCED UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF KTGR

  1. Mila Gathers Wood

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 17

  5. The Prior Visit to Rakma

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 23

  6. Kyangpen Sky Fortress

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 30

  8. The Offering of the Pigeon Goddess Girl

  Jim Scott, Stories and Songs: 34

  12. The Later Visit to Rakma (excerpt)

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 39

  13. Accepting the Teacher Shakya Guna

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 46

  14. Meeting Paldarbum

  Jim Scott, Stories and Songs: 50

  15. Meeting Seben Repa

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 59

  25. Meeting Rechungma

  Palmo (Willa Baker), Ani Jamdron, and Sukhi Barber, Stories and Songs: 65

  26. Meeting Khyira Repa

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 78

  34. Winning the Debate Arisen through Jealousy with Power and Magic (excerpt)

  Scott Wellenbach, Stories and Songs: 89

  43. Dretön Repa

  Jim Scott, Stories and Songs: 95

  44. Likor Charuwa

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 99

  51. Ramding Sky Cave

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 104

  53. Tongla

  Ari Goldfield, Stories and Songs: 111

  Notes

  Folio numbers are given for citations of The Twelve Great Sons and The Black Treasury. However, for citations of Tsangnyön Heruka’s work (TNH), due to the different pagination of the most recent printings of the mTsho sngon mi rigs edition, no page numbers are given to avoid frustration. For those interested, passages may be found in any number of searchable digital files that are available to download online, and then correlated to the preferred edition. See www.​dharmadownload.​net.

  1.Literally, “eyes as big as the rim of a cup” (TNH: mig phor khog tsam). The Black Treasury says their bodies were “the size of thumbs, with eyes as big as cups” (DN 73: gzugs mthe bong tsam mig phor pa tsam yod pa).

  2.T: dmu rdzing.

  3.The translation follows The Black Treasury, DN 78: don go bar mdzod la nyams su longs. TNH reads don go bar gyis la phyir la nyon. BCC 30b reads don de bzhin nyams su len gal che.

  4.This line reads the same in BCC 30b as in TNH: klu byang chub sems kyi rdzu ’phrul gyis; however, DN 80: reads klu byang chub sems dpa’i rdzu ’phrul gyis. The translation is an interpretation of The Black Treasury.

  5.T: lam ’gag med kyi rtsal kha.

  6.The translation follows The Twelve Great Sons, BCC 35a: sbud skyi ’dings g.yos pa’i tha ma la, reading skyi ’dings as an alternate spelling of skyin thang. TNH: bud kyi mdangs g.yogs tha ma la.

  7.Reading skyi ’dong as skyin thang in de ’dra’i skyi ’dong skal ba la.

  8.Literally, “Were measured up on the scale.” This seems to be a colloquial expression; T: srang tu gzhal.

  9.T: phyis nang ’khrug med par gtan khrigs bgyis.

  10.T: phyis ci zer nyan par kha yis blangs.

  11.T: sdang dgra la ru zur ’chor ma smyong. The exact meaning of ru zur (literally, “side of the bone”) remains obscure.

  12.This line is obscure in both Tsangnyön (TNH: sho mas kyang bre mo bgyis pa lags) and The Black Treasury (DN 92: shor lar yang bre mo bgyis pa lags).

  13.Literally, “little stars” (T: skar phran). In contrast to larger, brighter stars, the faint stars that fill the background of the sky cannot be counted.

  14.T: dad zas kha lan bsam ngan ’khrug.

  15.The translation is based on The Twelve Great Sons, BCC 50a: khyod sngon chad bzlas pa rdzun du zad. TNH: ngas sngon chad smras pa rdzun du zad.

  16.T: ban de. This term is borrowed from Sanskrit, where it means “honor”; it is usually used to refer to monks.

  17.T: rang mgo thon. Literally, “make one’s own head emerge.”

  18.See also Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s commentary on this song, “The Essence of Clear Light Sunshine: A Commentary on the Meaning of the Three Nails,” translated by Ari Goldfield. Available at ktgrinpoche.​org.

  19.The original reads “disciple-sons” (T: bu slob); the inconsistency between the nuns (earlier in the story) and disciple-sons here is likely due to Tsangnyön’s personal re-editing of previous versions. See Quintman 2014b.

  20.This line is not in either of the most recent printings of Tsangnyön Heruka’s work by Tso Mirig but is found in The Black Treasury (DN 455: ro gcig mtha’ ru phyin pa yin).

  21.This line is missing in the Tsangnyön Heruka version but is in The Black Treasury (DN 461: ’di sgom pa’i ’dings tshad lags).

  22.The term in Tibetan here (bad ka) actually refers to support beam ornaments that jut out from the side of the structure near the top; they are a feature of traditional Tibetan architecture.

  23.The Tibetan here (mkhar spe) indicates a stone structure or house that is built upon the side of a rocky mountain slope. The Tibetan word (mkhar) is often translated as “castle,” but the connotation here is different as the structure is not necessarily intended for nobility or designed for warfare.

  24.T: dge bcu’i khol spyad bde dang gsum.

  25.T: zhal ngo rags.

  26.The disease Rechungpa contracted is not definitely leprosy, but for the sake of simplicity, I chose the name of this commonly known illness for this translation. According to Peter Alan Roberts, “citi-jvala” is a legitimate possible reconstruction of the Sanskrit transliteration of the Tibetan written here (tsi tsi rdva la). The Medical Tantra by Palpung Ön Karma Tendzin Trinley Rabge states that citi-jvala is the Sanskrit term for the Tibetan mdze, a large class of diseases which includes leprosy. See Roberts 2007: 99, 103.

  27.Peter Alan Roberts states: “The only accounts of Varacandra [wa la tsandra] available to us are those that appear in Rechungpa’s biographies, and they only concern Varacandra’s relationship with Rechungpa. Nevertheless, Varacandra’s historical existence is attested to by the colophons of fourteen canonical texts that he helped to translate into Tibetan, and he may have been involved in the translation of at least another eight texts” (Roberts 2007: 100).

  28.T: gtum po khyung gshog can gyi gdams ngag rnams.

  29.T: nor gang dmar ’khyer ba’i dbang mo che.

  30.T: phu g.yo mda’ dkrug.

  31.T: mi’i bu mo’i ngo ’dzin dang gcig.

  32.Here, the Tibetan “nyama” (nya ma) is being read specifically as a female disciple.

  33.To facilitate better reading English, one “as it is said” (T: skad) was omitted at this point.

  34.The Black Treasury says, “The four gatherings of illness are mixed into one” (DN 379: nad ’du ba rnam bzhi gcig tu ’dres). TNH: nang ’du ba rnam bzhi yongs su ’dres.

  35.Translation follows The Black Treasury, DN 379: mi khyod la nyams tshad byas pa tsam. TNH: mi khyod la nyams sad byas pa tsam.

  36.These two lines are obscure. T: gro tshems ’phrul gyi srab mgo la/ stag gzar ’dzum gyi smin ’khyugs can); DN 380: grod tshem ’phrul gyi srab mgo la// stag ras ’dzum gyis smin khyug btang. According to DPR, it c
ould also possibly refer to some kind of decorative tiger-stripe patterned cloth worn as an ornament around the bridle.

  37.The translation follows The Black Treasury, DN 380: nged btsad po’i pha shig byed tsa na. TNH reads khong rtsad po pha ching byed pa’i tshe.

  38.“Finely drawn” here translates the obscure word smin ’khyugs can. The full line reads dus sna rtse gsum gyi smin ’khyugs can

  39.T: sen thabs can.

  40.The translation follows The Twelve Great Sons, BCC 123b: yul ’dod yon sna tshogs lham sgrog byas; TNH reads yul ’dod yon sna tshogs kyi sngo bran la.

  41.T: nang sprin dkar te’u sna’i khong tshangs can. This line is obscure.

  42.T: thong kha za ’og gzong dras ma. This line is obscure.

  43.The translation follows The Black Treasury, DN 385: khyod pha drin can la tshur nyon dang, as TNH seems to contain a misprint: khyod ma drin can de tshur nyon dang. This line is missing in The Twelve Great Sons.

  44.This line is missing in TNH. The Black Treasury reads des yal ’bor nga yi byang thod yin (DN 387).

  45.Literally, “I don’t know the shame that is contrived” (bcos ma’i ngo tsha ngas mi shes).

  46.The translation follows The Twelve Great Sons, BCC 130b: lam yang mi shes ’tham ma ’thom. TNH: lam yang mi shes phyi ma nang.

  47.The translation is based on The Twelve Great Sons, BCC 146b: khyod skyo mo ’dren ne ma lags pa’i. TNH: khyod cang mo ’dren ne ma lags pa.