Milarepa

Milarepa

 

Milarepa is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints. In a superhuman effort, he rose above the miseries of his younger life and with the help of his Guru, . the Translator, took to a solitary life of meditation until he had achieved the pinnacle of the enlightened state, never to be born again into the Samsara (whirlpool of life and death) of worldly existence. Out of compassion for humanity, he undertook the most rigid asceticism to reach the Buddhic state of enlightenment and to pass his accomplishments on to the rest of humanity. His spiritual lineage was passed along to his chief disciples, Gambopa and Rechung. It was Rechung who recorded in detail the incidents of Milarepa's life for posterity. The narrative of his life has thus been passed down through almost a millennium of time and has become an integral part of Tibetan culture. Milarepa extemporaneously composed innumerable songs throughout his life relevant to the dramatic turns of events of himself and his disciples in accordance with an art form that was in practice at the time. These songs have been widely sung and studied in Tibet ever since and have been recorded as the ‘Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa’. His faithful devotion, boundless religious zeal, monumental forbearance, superhuman perseverance, and ultimate final attainment are a great inspiration today for all. His auspicious life illumined the Buddhist faith and brought the light of wisdom to sentient beings everywhere.

Mailarapa has sung several Songs and his voice was very melodious. Since the whole of his cannot be included, some extracts …

Songs About Meditation & Mahamudra

How to settle your own mind at rest, 
The secret lies in letting go, 
Making no strain, doing nothing, 
Like sleeping child you should do so. 
Like calm ocean without waves, 
Like a brilliant lamp without wind, 
Rest your mind in peace. 
Like corpse without pride, 
Rest it steadfastly. 
Like sea without tide, 
Free from any kind of grind. 

Songs About Impermanence

Death leads to the path of liberation, 
Death brings joy to him who is practicing. 
…….

In the state of non-duality 
I watch myself and contemplate. 
At death is lost through one's confusion.
Even though one spends his life
In learning holy scripture,
It helps not at the moment
When mind takes its departure.

Songs of renunciation

Temples are like stations for driftwood, 
Divine life! Though priests have such mood, 
But it is deceptive to me. 
……..
To talk and debate without meditation 
Is like womens quarrel and agitation. 
I'm a man who cherishes peace of mind, 
Abhors all gossip and accusation.
….
When renunciation grows within, 
All possessions are of nothing, 
Of business I have no need, 
All wealth to me has no meaning. 

Refuse the Offering of Temple 

Unborn-mind is the Temple I dwell with, 
Its top is the prana without moving. 
I create the pillars of reality, 
On the base of immutability. 
On the ground of my warm meditation, 
I draw an altar of observation. 
…..

The Six Similes of Meditation 

If there be obstacles, it is not space, 
If there be numbers, it is not stars, 
If there is a deep mountain 
Without shake it should maintain 
If there is the great ocean, 
No different drops should be mentioned. 
If one needs a bridge to pass, 
Not a true swimmer he is, 
If it is a rainbow, 
To grasp it, who and how?

"My religion is to live--and die--without regret." – Milarepa

Who Was Milarepa

Milarepa was a yogi, sage, and poet much-beloved by the Tibetan people. He was often depicted as in the illustration shown here, with a hand raised to his ear in a listening gesture, symboling his way of teaching the Buddhist wisdom through songs. His skin had a greenish hue, due to the fact that over the many years of meditation, his diet often consisted of nothing but nettle soup. He was also significant to the development of Buddhism as an example of an ordinary person who attained enlightenment in a single lifetime. His life story was a testament of the power of both good and evil.

Early Life - Becoming a Sorcerer

Milarepa was born around 1040 A.D. His father passed away when he was seven. According to the local custom, the family's property was entrusted to his uncle until Milarepa came of age. Unfortunately, his uncle and aunt were greedy and mean-spirited. They took over the property and subjected the widow and the children to years of hardship as their servants.

To avenge the mistreatment, Milarepa's mother sold the only asset she possessed and sent him on a journey to learn black magic. Milarepa abode his mother's wish well. He returned to his village after becoming a powerful sorcerer, and found his uncle's family just about to celebrate his cousin's wedding. Using his magic power, he brought about a hailstorm and destroyed the uncle's crops. Furthermore, he collapsed the roof of the house, killing his cousin and many people at the wedding banquet. At last, he brought the uncle to his knees.

Meeting Marpa

Instead of rejoicing in the long-sought revenge, he became deeply remorseful of his deeds. This led him to renounce all worldly goods and embark on a second journey, this time in search of a teacher who'd quiet his troubled mind. He finally met Marpa, a tantric master and a remarkable scholar. Called "Marpa the Translator", he was known for introducing many works from India to Tibet.

To test the young man's will and to purge his sins, Marpa acted cruelly and subjected Milarepa to much physical hardship. Over and over, he ordered Milarepa to build a tower, tore it down, and returned all building materials to where he found them. The young man never wavered. Finally Marpa was satisfied and initiated Milarepa. However, instead of grooming Milarepa into a scholar like himself, Marpa set him off on a life of meditation.

Milarepa remained much devoted to his teacher all his life. This devotion to one's master is quite characteristic of Tibetan Buddhism. As Sogyal Rinpoche put it, "It is my devotion to my masters that gives me the strength to teach, and the openness and receptivity to learn, and go on learning."

Meditating in Solitude

In the subsequent years he lived in caves in the mountains, meditating in solitude. He also practiced inner-heat yoga, which helped sustain him in the harsh physical environment. Many of his songs were about his inner reflection in the meditation process. He also had poem exchanges with dakinis (the enlightened feminine in Tibetan Buddhism ) and demons (benevolent or benign nature spirits) The conversion of demons and demonesses of the traditional belief to protectors of Buddhism by renowned masters constitutes a central and unique part of the Tibetan Buddhist history.

From time to time he went down to the villages and preached by way of song. He had many disciples and followers, who later compiled his poems into the book The Hundred Thousand Songs. After Milarepa passed away, those who were at the cremation ceremony witnessed his relics being carried up into the sky by dakinis.

If you do not obtain the light of Inner Peace,
Mere external ease and pleasure will become a source of pain.

If you do not suppress the Demon of Ambition,
Desire for fame will lead to ruin and to lawsuits"

"If you do not acquire contentment in yourselves,
Heaped-up accumulations will only enrich others.

If you do not obtain the light of Inner Peace,
Mere external ease and pleasure will become a source of pain.

If you do not suppress the Demon of Ambition,
Desire for fame will lead to ruin and to lawsuits"

Milarepa

I am the Master of the Dharma. 
I am the Assembly of the Hearers.
I am the Master of the Universe and the Object of Realization. 
I am the Conditioned and the Unconditioned.
I am the Innate Nature of Spontaneous Bliss.