If one can look at and question one's own mind, the
instructions
of the ultimate guru will be received.
Khenchen-Thrangu-Rinpoche-The-Life-Spiritual-Songs-of-Milarepa
The account of how Gampopa met, learned from, and practiced under Milarepa serves as an example for us.
If we can practice in the same way, we can become like Gampopa.
This story is found
in the forty-first chapter in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Mila repa. 56
Marpa Lotsawa had prophesied, on the basis of a dream that Milarepa had, that Milarepa would be one of the four "pillars," that is, one of the four main pupils who would preserve and transmit Marpa's lineage. Marpa also prophesied that Milarepa would have an unrivalled pupil who would make Marpa's lineage flourish for a long time and he would benefit countless beings. Milarepa also received a prophecy from Vajrayogini, who said that he would have three pupils that would be like the sun, the moon and the stars. The pupil who was like the sun was Gampopa. Gampopa was also prophesied by the Buddha in the King of Samadhisutra,intheMahakaruna-pundarika57 sutra,andothers, where the Buddha said that there would be a physician monk in
the land of the Himalayas who would follow the Mahayana and benefit the Buddha's teachings and many beings. Gampopa is also
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known as Dagpo Lharje, which means "the Physician from Dagpo" in Tibetan.
Gampopa combined the teachings ofthe Kadampa tradition, which was one of the eight lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, with the teachings ofMilarepa. So Gampopa's lineage, called the Dhagpo Kagyu, contains both an introductory path for beginners and the profound path of the Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa. From this lineage of vast and profound instructions there have been many exceptional siddhas.
From about the age of fifteen Gampopa learned many practices. As his father was a doctor, he also studied medicine. He married a very beautiful woman, but she became very sick. Even though his examination of her indicated that her vital physical elements were exhausted, she still did not die, but clung onto life. Gampopa decided that she must be clinging onto life simply out of attachment to something and said to her, "There is nowhere that is free ofdeath. Give up your attachment to this
life. If you are attached to the land, I will offer it to a temple. If
you are attached to possessions, I will use them to sponsor
? ' 00? ,,
vutuous act1v1t1es.
She answered, "I don't have any attachment to land or
possessions, as the things of samsara have no essence, but I want you to practice the dharma well. " l}e promised her that he would. Then his wife died, and in accordance with his promise, he left home in order to follow the dharma.
He went to Penpo, a place to the east of Lhasa, where there were many masters of the Kadampa tradition. There he took monastic ordination and received the name Sonam Rinchen
(meaning precious merit). He studied many sutra teachings, such as the Sutralamkara and the Prajnaparamita. He also studied many tantras such as the Guhyasamaja. He received the general
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Kadampa teachings on impermanence, bodhichitta, sending and takingpractice (Tib. tong len), and many other instructions from numerous lamas.
He practiced these instructions and developed great wisdom, compassion, faith and diligence. He diminished his defilements and became an excellent monk. During the day he received teachings and contemplated them and during the night he meditated, attaining many good signs. For example, he had no insects on his body, and he could pass four or five days in a state of bliss in which he did not eat but felt no hunger.
One day Gampopa had a vision in his meditation of a dark- skinned58 yogin dressed in a cotton robe who put his hand on his head and spat upon him, and then his meditation and insight improved. He told the other monks of his experience but they said, "You are a good monk, so a vision of a yogin must be the manifestation of a Gyalpo spirit. 59 You must go to the abbot and
request the empowerment of the protector Acala60 so that its blessing will remove this obstacle to your practice. " Gampopa did as his friends advised and recited mantras and prayers, but nevertheless the visions of the yogin became more frequent. Gampopa thought, "Surely this can't be a delusion caused by demons. "
At that time Milarepa was teaching his pupils in the Boto Chipuk cave at Tramar. His older pupils said, "You are now quite old. If you leave us for another Buddha realm, we will need a regent to remove our obstacles, to make our practice progress, and have someone to whom patrons can make offerings so that they can accumulate merit. We need someone to whom you have transmitted the entirety ofyour instructions. Otherwise our lineage will have no future. "
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Milarepa answered, "I will examine my dreams tonight and tomorrow morning you should all assemble here. " The next morning Milarepa told them, "There is an exceptional disciple who can take care ofmy pupils and spread the Buddha's teachings. He is a Kadampa monk who is coming from the west. I dreamt last night that this pupil brought an empty crystal vase and that I filled it with the entire contents of a golden vase, filling it to the
brim. This is a good dream foretelling the future growth of the Buddha's teachings. " Then Milarepa sang a song, which contains many poetical images, but the principal meaning is as follows:
We practice the teachings of Naropa and Maitripa. You all know that they are very profound. If they are not meditated upon, there will be no profound result. But if we do meditate upon them, we can gain the
full profound result.
These profound instructions were obtained in
India by my root guru, Marpa Lotsawa. They are the instructions that Milarepa practices. In the future I will transmit these to one who is worthy.
Meanwhile, one day when Gampopa was circumambulating he saw three beggars, who were in fact emanations of Milarepa. While Gampopa was wondering whether to speak to them or not, he heard one say, "If only we had good clothes and good food so that our stomachs were completely stuffed, we would be so happy. "
Another of the beggars said, "It's not good to wish for food. If I could have a wish fulfilled, I would become like the Lord of yogins, Milarepa, whose food is meditation, whose clothing is a single cotton robe and the heat oftummo, and who meditates day and night in the Mahamudra state. When he wants to go
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somewhere, he just flies through the sky. I wish I could be with him, abandoning all care for this life, practicing as he does. And if that i~ not possible, I would wish to just see him sometimes to practice the dharma under him. That is the kind of wish you should make. "
On hearing this, Gampopa felt overwhelming faith in Milarepa and thought about him well into the night. When he woke up the next morning, he prostrated himself in the direction of Milarepa and prayed to him. He then invited the beggars into his room and gave them good clothes, food, and drink. He said to them, "Yesterday you were talking about someone named Milarepa. If you can take me to him, I will give you half of all I own. And if
you practice the dharma it will be very beneficial for you. "
Two ofthe beggars said that they did not know where Milarepa was, but the older beggar said, "I know where he is. I can take you there. " Gampopa made offerings and recited prayers, and when he slept that night, he dreamed that he was blowing a long horn
very loudly, so that many humans and animals gathered around him. Then a woman came to him, carrying a drum and a bowl of milk. She said, "Beat this drum for the humans and give this milk to the animals. " When Gampopa wondered, "How can I give milk to all these animals when I only have one bowl? " the woman said, "If you drink the. milk, all these animals will obtain milk in the future. "
The humans in the dream were the followers ofthe Hinayana who could not practice one-pointedly. Therefore their minds must be trained through the gradual path of the Kadampas. The animals were the practitioners to whom he could transmit Milarepa's instructions on Mahamudra. In order to do so, he would have to
first practice these instructions himselfand then he would be able to transmit them to others, greatly benefiting beings.
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Gampopa, with the old beggar as his guide, set off to find Milarepa, but halfway through their journey the beggar fell ill and said, "I can go no further. I don't know exactly where Milarepa is anyway. Carry on by yourselfand you are sure to find someone who will take you to him. " Gampopa continued on his own, but when he had nearly reached his destination he became too weak
to go any further due to a lack of food. He could only pray, "May I meet Milarepa, if not in this life, then in the next! "
That day a Kadampa monk happened to come along and came to Gampopa's aid. The monk asked him where he was going and Gampopa said, ''I'm going to see Milarepa. " The monk said, ''I'm going to see him too. " So they travelled on together and reached the area where Milarepa was staying.
Gampopa met one ofMilarepa's female patrons. She said to him, "You mu'st have come from central Tibet to meet Milarepa, I know because Milarepa has already said that you are coming. " Gampopa thought, "I must be a worthy pupil if he knows that I am coming," and became somewhat proud. But then Milarepa refused to see Gampopa for two weeks to eliminate that pride. At least, that is what is described in the text, but since Gampopa was a special being who was prophesied in the sutras by the Buddha, it is not possible that he could have been subject to
pride. Gampopa must have manifested this pride in order to demonstrate to future generations that pride is something to be avoided on meeting the guru.
When Gampopa finally met Milarepa, Gampopa offered him sixteen ounces of gold in a mandala offering. He also made a request that Milarepa tell his life-story. Milarepa sat with his eyes half-closed for a little while and then took a pinch of gold from the center of the mandala offering and scattere~ it into the air, saying, "I offer this to you, Marpa Lotsawa. " Milarepa had been
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? The Story ofGampopa
drinking beer from a skull bowl. He handed this to Gampopa, saying, "Drink this. " Gampopa hesitated,61 but Milarepa said, "Don't think so much, drink! "
Gampopa thought, "This lama is omniscient. He knows whatever is in my mind. So this must be a very auspicious thing to do," and he drank the beer to the last drop, which was indeed very auspicious. Milarepa said, "That you had faith in me and have come here is a wonderful thing, so I shall tell you the story of
my life. " Milarepa then sang a song:
Naropa and Maitripa's instructions contain all that is taught by the Buddhas in the three times. Marpa Lotsawa possessed these instructions. I felt faith in him on just hearing his name and I received all these instructions from him.
Marpa Lotsawa told me, "This is the age of degeneration; life is short and uncertain. There are many causes ofdeath, therefore do not make the error in believing the instructions are the mere acquisition of knowledge because practice is their essence. " Due to the kindness of the guru, that has been my view. I meditated upon the fear of death; I meditated with diligence in caves; my meditation transformed my
thoughts and wrong views into merit.
The three poisons ofanger, desire, and ignorance
appear"to be the powerful causes ofthe accumulation of negative karma. But when their essence is seen to be emptiness, those poisons are recognized to be the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya.
The blessings, experiences and realizations of Naropa and Maitripa are transmitted through the
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lineage to the worthy pupil. I shall give their profound instructions to you. Practice them correctly, and spread the Buddha's teachings for the benefit of beings.
I have no need for the gold you have offered me. Gold does not agree with this old man. If you want to practice the dharma properly, observe my conduct and my practice, and do as I do.
The monk who had come with Gampopa came to receive a blessing from Milarepa. Milarepa asked the monk to offer him everything that he had in order to receive a blessing. The monk said that he didn't have anything to give. But Milarepa said, "You have a lot of gold concealed about your body, so your statement that you don't have anything is truly wonderful. If you have no faith you are incapable of receiving a blessing. If you have no faith, the instructions that you receive will not benefit you. Your inner thoughts are of going to Nepal to do business, so that is the best thing for you to do. I will pray that you meet no obstacles. "
Gampopa thought, "This lama knows what people think. It is impossible to deceive him. I will have good control over my mind and think carefully before I ask him anything. He truly is a Buddha. "
Milarepa asked Gampopa, "Have you received any empowerments? What instructions have you been given? What practices have you done? " Gampopa answered Milarepa's questions and described his success in meditation, but Milarepa just laughed and said, "You can't get oil by grinding sand, you have to use mustard seeds. These empowerments you have received are useless for seeing the true nature of your mind. If you meditate on my tummo instructions you will see the true nature of your mind. "
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? The Story ofGampopa
Milarepa then gave Gampopa the Vajravarahi empowerment, using a sindhura62 mandala. Then he gave Gampopa the instructions and Gampopa put them into practice.
Gampopa had good experiences and realizations, and had many thoughts on view, meditation, and conduct. He asked Milarepa to explain them, and in answer, Milarepa sang a spiritual song describing the view, meditation, conduct, commitment and result, in terms of the true nature as the basis of the path:
The ultimate view is to look at your own mind.
What does Milarepa mean by that line? If one has never practiced that may seem a simple thing to do, but this is the ultimate view in Vajrayana practice. The sutra tradition teaches emptiness and selflessness which are to be understood through analysis by searching vainly for the self from the crown of the head to one's toenails. Deduction brings conviction that the body
and all phenomena have no reality. This is the understanding of emptiness. Meditation upon this conviction will then lead to the ultimate goal. The sutra path is therefore called "the path of deduction. " The Vajrayana, however, does not use deduction, but uses the direct perception of emptiness, of the true nature of phenomena. So it is called "the path of direct experience. "
The true nature cannot be seen directly in outer phenomena, but, by looking into one's own mind and seeing that the mind cannot be found. 63 The mind is the embodiment of emptiness, the essence of emptiness, but throughout beginningless time we have never looked at our own mind. The emptiness ofthe mind is notavacuitybutaclarity. 64 Itisamistaketotryandfindemptiness other than in the mind.
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? TheLife& SpiritualSongsofMilarepa
To illustrate this there is a story of a man who had a jewel iqset into his forehead. Whenever he was tired the skin on his head sagged. One day when he was very exhausted and the skin sagged and covered the jewel completely. The man felt his forehead and thought he had lost the jewel, and ran around anxiously trying to find it, only becoming more tired in the process, so that the jewel was more deeply hidden.
In the same way, Milarepa says, "to search for the true nature anywhere other than our own mind, is like a blind monster looking for gold. "
Milarepa then described meditation to Gampopa in a single line ofsong:
The ultimate practice is not to consider lethargy and excitability as faults.
A beginner of meditation, of course, does need to work on eliminating lethargy and excitability in meditation, but the nature of lethargy and excitability is the nature of the mind and this nature never changes. If you see these two qualities of mind as obstacles or faults, you will not be able to see the essence of the . mind. Therefore you should not attempt to eliminate them, which
would as Milarepa says "be as pointless as lighting a candle in the daylight. " Next, Milarepa described conduct:
The ultimate action is to cease to accept and reject.
The usual Buddhist practice is to accept what is positive and to reject what is 'negative. In terms of the true nature there should be no adoption ofgood actions or abandonment ofnegative actions.
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Whatever arises in the mind has the ultimate nature of the clarity and emptiness ofthe mind, so we should not think, "this is good and has to be cultivated or this is bad and has to be rejected. " Ifwe attempt to adopt and reject, we will be like a fly struggling in a cobweb, which only binds itself tighter the more it does.
Next Milarepa describes commitment:
The ultimate discipline is to rest in the ultimate view.
Discipline is usually made by promising to keep all our commitments and vows. But remaining in the realization of the true nature of our mind is truly keeping the commitment. If we strive to maintain a commitment that is other than the mind, we will always fail. It is just as Milarepa says, "we can't stop water's natural propensity to flow downward. " Next Milarepa describes the accomplishment or result of our practice:
The ultimate accomplishment is full conviction in one's mind.
The ultimate result is the true nature ofthe mind manifest. If one seeks a result that does not already exist, that would be like as Milarepa says, "a frog jumping up into the sky," which is inevitably going to fall back onto the ground. The result can only be found in the mind itsel?
The Buddha's wisdom is described as "the sudden result" even in the sutra tradition, because the wisdom spontaneously appears as soon as the defilements are eliminated without having to be created. In the Vajrayana tradition, the result is described as the manifestation of the true nature of one's mind. This nature is
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primordially present, but unrecognized, within all beings. Once the nature ofthe mind is recognized, the ultimate result is attained.
In the next verse Milarepa describes the guru: The ultimate guru is one's mind.
On the relative level one has a root guru whose instructions one follows. On the ultimate level the guru is one's mind.
If one can look at and question one's own mind, the instructions of the ultimate guru will be received. If one seeks a guru that is other than the mind, it is as Milarepa says, "trying to leave one's mind" which is impossible. All appearances are nothing other than one's
mind, so there is no gr1=ater guru than the true nature ofthe mind. On hearing this song, Gampopa felt great faith. He then meditated with diligence practicing the tummo meditation. On the first night, his body filled with warmth and bliss. At dawn he fell asleep briefly and when he woke up his body was cold as stone. After seven days of meditation he had a vision of the five
Buddhas of the five Buddha families. He thought this was very important and told Milarepa. Milarepa said, "If you press your eyes you see an illusion of there being two moons. In the same way, the particular movement of airs in your body caused your experience, which was neither good nor bad. Just carry on with your meditation.
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? 11
Victory over the Four Maras
g will conclude this introduction to the songs of Milarepa with this sixtieth chapter65 that describes victory over the maras. This is very auspicious from the Tibetan point of
view. The Buddha taught that there were four maras: the divine mara (Skt. devaputra-mara), the disturbing emotion mara (Skt. klesha-mara), the aggregate mara (Skt. skandha-mara), and the death mara (Skt. matyupati-mara). They cause obstacles, bring suffering, and prevent the attainment of liberation.
The "divine mara'' is traditionally portrayed as a beautiful and attractive being. This mara represents the attachment to the sensory pleasures of samsara, which seems very beautiful at the time, but from the ultimate point of view, these attachments lead people astray and create an obstacle to liberation and omniscience. Therefore it is called the "divine mara. "
The "mara ofdefilement," or the disturbing emotion mara, is the attachment to a self, which leads to the defilements of ignorance, anger, and desire. They appear within our mind and cause the accumulation ofnegative karma, which results in future suffering. This mara is traditionally portrayed as an old, weak Brahmin who doesn't have long to live because it is a delusion,
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without any solid basis, and therefore easy to eliminate. As soon as the truth is realized, delusion ceases to exist.
The "mara of the five aggregates" is next. When there are the aggregates or skandhas (form, sensation, recognition, mental events and consciousnesses), there is samsara. Until the true nature of these aggregates is realized, there is suffering. This mara is traditionally portrayed as a physically powerful being, because the skandhas are an actual presence, and their true nature is more difficult to realize than that of the defilements.
The "mara who is the Lord of Death" is death itsel? At death we must leave all the activities ofour life, and we feel afraid. Death will be a cause of suffering for as long as we remain in samsara. This mara is traditionally portrayed as black and terrifying, because it is brings impermanence and fear.
The way to eliminate these four maras is to practice the dharma and to realize the true nature ofphenomena.
In this chapter Milarepa sings of his own victory over the maras, beginning with a song that describes the need to escape from samsara. Later it is told that Milarepa was blown over a precipice by a wind and was seen to be impaled upon a tree. His students were mortified until Milarepa showed them his body to be unharmed, without any wound at all. He then sang them a song:
The wind made me fall, and an inanimate tree harmed my body causing me unendurable agony. However, the dakinis healed me so that I was healed from all injury.
Another time, Milarepa's students were with him on top of a very high rock when he fell of? They thought he must have died and passed into nirvana and went down to recover his body. But
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when they reached the bottom, Milarepa was still alive and laughed at them. When they asked him what had happened, Milarepa replied with a song:
The vulture of union spreads its wings. When the vulture ofthe union ofemptiness and clarity spreads its wings, it does not fly using only one ofthem. When we meditate, the wisdom of the emptiness of
phenomena alone is not enough, and the wisdom of clarity alone is not enough to cause the realization of the true nature of phenomena.
The essence of clarity is emptiness. Emptiness, the unreality ofphenomena, is not a voidness but has clarity. This is "the union ofspace and wisdom. " The realization of this union will enable us to reach liberation from samsara.
This is what Milarepa meant by "the vulture ofunion spreading
Its wmgs.
The flight was from the peak of Tramar,66 The landing was in the ravine below. I played a joke upon my followers.
Milarepa, through a miracle, flew from the top ofTramar and then landed on the ground below. Then he explained:
There was a purpose to the joke: The wings of the union of wisdom and emptiness realized the true nature so that there is freedom from the obscurations caused by the defilements and the obscurations to
. . ,
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knowledge. 67 Then liberation from both samsara and nirvana is demonstrated. Then there is the peace of emptiness united with perfect bliss.
Another time, Milarepa and his disciples were at the foot ofa rocky cliff. One of his disciples said to him, "You shouldn't stay here, it's too dangerous. " But he did and a little later there was a rockslide. Milarepa stared and pointed at the falling rocks and they immediately scattered into different directions, without harming him. His students returned certain that Milarepa had been injured. When they arrived, he sang them a song:
This yogin's body is like a flower. The avalanche of rocks was like a murderer wanting to kill a flower. A dakini appeared on my right and left so that the rocks did not fall upon me. I am not afraid of the maras, they could never cause an obstacle to me.
The students asked, "You have been in an avalanche, fallen off a precipice, and been impaled upon a tree, without being harmed. How is this possible? "
Milarepa answered, "My realization of the true nature of phenomena has made my body as insubstantial as a rainbow and it has transformed my defilements into wisdoms. My certain knowledge that all phenomena are unborn has blown away the eight worldly dharmas. 68 This is a sign that the four maras are ashamed, have lost their confidence and are powerless.
His pupils then asked, "Does this mean that you have conquered the four maras? " And Milarepa replied, "Yes, there has been victory over the maras. For the next thirteen successions
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? Victory Over the Four Maras
of my lineage, the maras will not be able to cause any obstacles to its practitioners. "
A tantrika student arrived from central Tibet, and Sebenrepa
a$ked him what siddhas were in that region. The tantrika replied,
"There are many siddhas there, and they are served by non-
hb. " uman emgs.
Milarepa said, "That doesn't make anyone a siddha. " Sebenrepa then asked Milarepa, "Do non-human beings serve you? " Milarepa replied that they did and sang a song:
The food of samadhi that is served to me is inexhaustible, like the treasury of space. I am free of thoughts and feelings of hunger and thirst. This is a service rendered to me by dakinis, but I do not think of it as a siddhi. It is only an experience within meditation, not the ultimate siddhi69 of realizing the
true nature of phenomena.
The tantrika said that there were masters in the central region that had seen the face of the yidam. But Milarepa said, "Just seeing the yidam's face is of no benefit. " Then he sang:
Due to my meditation on the instructions I have received from Marpa Lotsawa, I have seen the nature ofthe mind. This dispelled the darkness ofignorance from my mind. All the dakinis revealed their faces to me, but there are no faces in the true nature, which contains no objects of perception.
I have seen the yidam's face, but only the root guru's teachings are important. I have attained the
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general siddhis but the realization of the true nature transcends them.
The tantrika then asked, "Can you give me an example of what you mean by 'seeing, the nature of the mind'? " In answer Milarepa sang a song:
The mind has no true reality and is therefore unborn and unceasing. In every instant the mind gives birth to thoughts. But if you see the nature of the mind, you know that it has no reality, and has never been born. You cannot find the mind's location and so it is
unborn.
There is no example that can be given to depict
the unborn mind, because nothing resembles it. It has no birth or cessation. Only what is born comes to an end. When you realize the nature ofthe mind you know that nothing can serve as an example for it, except for the mind itself Then the example and the meaning will be the same.
You can't describe the nature of the mind in the way that you can describe an outer object as white or red. You can't say that the nature ofthe mind exists or that it doesn't exist. The mind is inconceivable, beyond deduction, beyond the scope of speech, but due to
the blessing of the root guru and the lineage gurus, you can see it for yourself.
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? Notes
1. See L. P. Lhalungpa The Life ofMilarepa. Published by Shambhala Publications, 1985.
2. For more information on Tsang Nyon Heruka see The Life ofMarpa the Translator. Boston: Shambhala, 1986 pages xx-xxiv.
3. Tib. dbus. This is the region of central Tibet that had Lhasa as its capital.
4. This is the region of central Tibet that had Gyantse as its capital.
5. In the Vajrayana, there are two paths- drollam and thap lam- that are generally followed simultaneously or alternately by the practitioner. Drollam, the path ofliberation, is what sometimes we refer to as formless meditation and includes Mahamudra. In this approach to meditation one relates to the mind in terms of the
awareness aspect of mind.
Thap lam, the path of means or method, includes all tantric
practices employing visualization, mantras, mandalas, yogas such as the Six Dharmas ofNaropa or the Six Dharmas ofNiguma, etc. These practices relate to mind in terms of the energy aspect of mind. By properly integrating the distorted karmic energies ofone's mind, one brings about the same enlightened awareness that is reached as the fruition of the formless meditation approach of the path of liberation. The virtue of the path of liberation is that it tends to be smoother, while the path ofmeans is that it tends to be faster; therefore, they make a good complement to each other.
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Neither path can be practiced properly- and in the case of the path ofmeans it would be dangerous to do so -without the guidance of a qualified tantric master. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
6. These four thoughts also called the four ordinary foundations are more fully explained in Thrangu Rinpoche's The Four Foundations ofBuddhist Practice. Namo Buddha Publications.
7. All meditation can be divided into the two categories of tranquillity meditation (Shamatha) and insight meditation (Vipashyana). Vipashyana in turn can be divided into the Vipashyana of the sutra tradition and the Vipashyana of the Mahamudra tradition. In the sutra tradition there is analytical Vipashyana and placement meditation. In the Mahamudra or tantric tradition, Vipashyana is based on the direct pointing out of the nature of mind and the nature of things by a fully qualified and experienced holder of the
Mahamudra lineage. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
8. One of the greatest lamas of the nineteenth century (1820 - 1892)
and one of the most important tertons. He was considered to be a body emanation ofJigme Lingpa. He was heavily involved in the development of the non-sectarian Rime-movement. The goal of which was for the practitioner to attain complete mastery of the teachings ofall the lineages, so as to then be able to give each ofhis students the precise teaching to fit their individual needs.
9. Gampopa had previously been a great bodhisattva and at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha had taken rebirth as a monk. At that time Lord Shakyamuni in the King ofSamadhi Sutra prophesied that Gampopa would again take rebirth in a distant land as a monk namedTzodzad. The nameTzodzad indicated that the monk would be a doctor, so this prophecy can be seen to point to the case of
Gampopa, who was born in Tibet, became a doctor, and later took monastic ordination at a Kadampa monastery. This prophecy of the Buddha is more fully described in Thrangu Rinpoche's The King ofSamadhi which is one of the few sutras which directly discusses Mahamudra meditation. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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? Notes
10. The lineage from Dorje Chang to Gampopa is referred to as the "general" Kagyu lineage, because it is the source of all Kagyu traditions. Dusum Khyenpa, founded the Kamtzang Karma Kagyu tradition. Tsultrim Nyingpo received the lineage of Gampopa's monastery, Daglha Gompa, and founded the tradition known as the Tshelpa Kagyu through his disciple Tsondru Trakpa. Baram Dharma Wangchuk travelled north to Baram, settled there his tradition became known as the Baram Kagyupa. Khampa Dorgyal, the most expansive teacher of the group, also went north, found a place called Phagmodru in the forest of Samantabhadra, and built
a monastery there. He became known as Phagmo Drupa, named from the place where he built his monastery. His tradition became known as the Phagmodru Kagyupa.
The Kamtzang, Tshelpa, Baram, and Phagmodru subsects are called the four "primary traditions" of the Kagyu because they originated from the four main disciples ofGampopa.
Phagmo Drupa, from the vastness ofthe teachings he had collected, gave different instructions to various and numerous disciples, and
in doing so gave rise to eight different traditions. These are the Drigung, Taklung, Yabzang, Shugseb, Marpa, Yelpa, Throphupa and the Drukpa Kagyu sects, which are collectively known as the eight "secondary lineages. " From all of these lineages came a large number of siddhas and incarnated lamas.
Due primarily to the efforts of their early teachers, of the eight "secondary traditions," three became especially prominent: Drigung Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo's Drigung lineage; Taklung Thangpa Trashi Pal's Taklungpa lineage; and the Drukpa Kagyupa lineage, which took its name from the Namdruk Gon Monastery founded by Tsangpa Gyarepa, a disciple of Lingchen Repa, and from which came a great many siddhas. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
11. Garma Chang: The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1962. Pages 1-10. In Garma Chang's book thischapterisentitled TheTaleofRedRockjewelValley.
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12. Blessing is. the process by which one individual introduces some of their accumulated merit intQ another's "stream ofbeing. " The ability to bestow blessing depends on the donor's degree of spiritual attainment and on the recipient's faith. The donor is usually the root-guru, whose blessing is said to contain that of all the sources ofrefuge combined. Although future experiences are largely shaped by present actions, the root-guru's blessing can partially modify this. That is, it can create conditions favourable to the maturation ofany religious pre-dispositions our past actions may have generated,
giving us the inspiration and energy we require to begin practising. In this way, unless our acts have been extremely unwholesome, the guru's blessing can help us overcome conflicting emotions and other obstacles. Thus the guru's blessing helps us realize the Buddha- potential we all possess.
13. The word is derived from the Sanskrit acharya or a religious master. 14. The word deity is ofren used rather broadly, here it is referring to beings that are not enlightened. Local deities are beings who inhabit
specific places, although they are not visible to most humans they can be quite powerful and can cause harm or obstacles to one if they are not respected; just as we would get upset and angry if someone violated our home, we should consider and respect the home or territory of others, even if we cannot visibly see them. Therefore Buddhist practitioners often make offerings to local deities for good circumstances.
15. In the Sanskrit bodhi means "awakened" or "enlightened" and chitta means "mind," so bodhichitta means awakened mind. The generation of bodhichitta is based on the altruistic wish to bring about the welfare, and ultimately the total liberation, ofall sentient beings from all forms ofsuffering. What distinguishes bodhichitta from the ordinary compassionate aspirations to benefit others shared by all people of good will is the recognition that one cannot
ultimately fulfill these aspirations until one has attained the state of men? tal purification and liberation of Buddhahood, which is the
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source ofall positive qualities, including the omniscience that can see, individual by individual, the causes ofsuffering and the causes and path of liberation &om suffering. This understanding gives rise at some point to the initial generation ofthe aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings &om suffering and to establish them all in states ofhappiness. This is called bodhichitta ofaspiration, which must be followed by what is called the bodhichitta of application, which is the training in loving-kindness, compassion, the six paramitas or transcendent perfections, etc. , which lead to the accomplishment ofBuddhahood. Aspiration bodhichitta and application bodhichitta are both
included in the term relative bodhichitta. Ultimate bodhichitta is direct insight into the ultimate nature. This st~te of primordial awareness is compassion and loving-kindness and gives rise spontaneously and without preconception to compassionate activity.
in the forty-first chapter in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Mila repa. 56
Marpa Lotsawa had prophesied, on the basis of a dream that Milarepa had, that Milarepa would be one of the four "pillars," that is, one of the four main pupils who would preserve and transmit Marpa's lineage. Marpa also prophesied that Milarepa would have an unrivalled pupil who would make Marpa's lineage flourish for a long time and he would benefit countless beings. Milarepa also received a prophecy from Vajrayogini, who said that he would have three pupils that would be like the sun, the moon and the stars. The pupil who was like the sun was Gampopa. Gampopa was also prophesied by the Buddha in the King of Samadhisutra,intheMahakaruna-pundarika57 sutra,andothers, where the Buddha said that there would be a physician monk in
the land of the Himalayas who would follow the Mahayana and benefit the Buddha's teachings and many beings. Gampopa is also
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known as Dagpo Lharje, which means "the Physician from Dagpo" in Tibetan.
Gampopa combined the teachings ofthe Kadampa tradition, which was one of the eight lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, with the teachings ofMilarepa. So Gampopa's lineage, called the Dhagpo Kagyu, contains both an introductory path for beginners and the profound path of the Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa. From this lineage of vast and profound instructions there have been many exceptional siddhas.
From about the age of fifteen Gampopa learned many practices. As his father was a doctor, he also studied medicine. He married a very beautiful woman, but she became very sick. Even though his examination of her indicated that her vital physical elements were exhausted, she still did not die, but clung onto life. Gampopa decided that she must be clinging onto life simply out of attachment to something and said to her, "There is nowhere that is free ofdeath. Give up your attachment to this
life. If you are attached to the land, I will offer it to a temple. If
you are attached to possessions, I will use them to sponsor
? ' 00? ,,
vutuous act1v1t1es.
She answered, "I don't have any attachment to land or
possessions, as the things of samsara have no essence, but I want you to practice the dharma well. " l}e promised her that he would. Then his wife died, and in accordance with his promise, he left home in order to follow the dharma.
He went to Penpo, a place to the east of Lhasa, where there were many masters of the Kadampa tradition. There he took monastic ordination and received the name Sonam Rinchen
(meaning precious merit). He studied many sutra teachings, such as the Sutralamkara and the Prajnaparamita. He also studied many tantras such as the Guhyasamaja. He received the general
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Kadampa teachings on impermanence, bodhichitta, sending and takingpractice (Tib. tong len), and many other instructions from numerous lamas.
He practiced these instructions and developed great wisdom, compassion, faith and diligence. He diminished his defilements and became an excellent monk. During the day he received teachings and contemplated them and during the night he meditated, attaining many good signs. For example, he had no insects on his body, and he could pass four or five days in a state of bliss in which he did not eat but felt no hunger.
One day Gampopa had a vision in his meditation of a dark- skinned58 yogin dressed in a cotton robe who put his hand on his head and spat upon him, and then his meditation and insight improved. He told the other monks of his experience but they said, "You are a good monk, so a vision of a yogin must be the manifestation of a Gyalpo spirit. 59 You must go to the abbot and
request the empowerment of the protector Acala60 so that its blessing will remove this obstacle to your practice. " Gampopa did as his friends advised and recited mantras and prayers, but nevertheless the visions of the yogin became more frequent. Gampopa thought, "Surely this can't be a delusion caused by demons. "
At that time Milarepa was teaching his pupils in the Boto Chipuk cave at Tramar. His older pupils said, "You are now quite old. If you leave us for another Buddha realm, we will need a regent to remove our obstacles, to make our practice progress, and have someone to whom patrons can make offerings so that they can accumulate merit. We need someone to whom you have transmitted the entirety ofyour instructions. Otherwise our lineage will have no future. "
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Milarepa answered, "I will examine my dreams tonight and tomorrow morning you should all assemble here. " The next morning Milarepa told them, "There is an exceptional disciple who can take care ofmy pupils and spread the Buddha's teachings. He is a Kadampa monk who is coming from the west. I dreamt last night that this pupil brought an empty crystal vase and that I filled it with the entire contents of a golden vase, filling it to the
brim. This is a good dream foretelling the future growth of the Buddha's teachings. " Then Milarepa sang a song, which contains many poetical images, but the principal meaning is as follows:
We practice the teachings of Naropa and Maitripa. You all know that they are very profound. If they are not meditated upon, there will be no profound result. But if we do meditate upon them, we can gain the
full profound result.
These profound instructions were obtained in
India by my root guru, Marpa Lotsawa. They are the instructions that Milarepa practices. In the future I will transmit these to one who is worthy.
Meanwhile, one day when Gampopa was circumambulating he saw three beggars, who were in fact emanations of Milarepa. While Gampopa was wondering whether to speak to them or not, he heard one say, "If only we had good clothes and good food so that our stomachs were completely stuffed, we would be so happy. "
Another of the beggars said, "It's not good to wish for food. If I could have a wish fulfilled, I would become like the Lord of yogins, Milarepa, whose food is meditation, whose clothing is a single cotton robe and the heat oftummo, and who meditates day and night in the Mahamudra state. When he wants to go
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somewhere, he just flies through the sky. I wish I could be with him, abandoning all care for this life, practicing as he does. And if that i~ not possible, I would wish to just see him sometimes to practice the dharma under him. That is the kind of wish you should make. "
On hearing this, Gampopa felt overwhelming faith in Milarepa and thought about him well into the night. When he woke up the next morning, he prostrated himself in the direction of Milarepa and prayed to him. He then invited the beggars into his room and gave them good clothes, food, and drink. He said to them, "Yesterday you were talking about someone named Milarepa. If you can take me to him, I will give you half of all I own. And if
you practice the dharma it will be very beneficial for you. "
Two ofthe beggars said that they did not know where Milarepa was, but the older beggar said, "I know where he is. I can take you there. " Gampopa made offerings and recited prayers, and when he slept that night, he dreamed that he was blowing a long horn
very loudly, so that many humans and animals gathered around him. Then a woman came to him, carrying a drum and a bowl of milk. She said, "Beat this drum for the humans and give this milk to the animals. " When Gampopa wondered, "How can I give milk to all these animals when I only have one bowl? " the woman said, "If you drink the. milk, all these animals will obtain milk in the future. "
The humans in the dream were the followers ofthe Hinayana who could not practice one-pointedly. Therefore their minds must be trained through the gradual path of the Kadampas. The animals were the practitioners to whom he could transmit Milarepa's instructions on Mahamudra. In order to do so, he would have to
first practice these instructions himselfand then he would be able to transmit them to others, greatly benefiting beings.
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Gampopa, with the old beggar as his guide, set off to find Milarepa, but halfway through their journey the beggar fell ill and said, "I can go no further. I don't know exactly where Milarepa is anyway. Carry on by yourselfand you are sure to find someone who will take you to him. " Gampopa continued on his own, but when he had nearly reached his destination he became too weak
to go any further due to a lack of food. He could only pray, "May I meet Milarepa, if not in this life, then in the next! "
That day a Kadampa monk happened to come along and came to Gampopa's aid. The monk asked him where he was going and Gampopa said, ''I'm going to see Milarepa. " The monk said, ''I'm going to see him too. " So they travelled on together and reached the area where Milarepa was staying.
Gampopa met one ofMilarepa's female patrons. She said to him, "You mu'st have come from central Tibet to meet Milarepa, I know because Milarepa has already said that you are coming. " Gampopa thought, "I must be a worthy pupil if he knows that I am coming," and became somewhat proud. But then Milarepa refused to see Gampopa for two weeks to eliminate that pride. At least, that is what is described in the text, but since Gampopa was a special being who was prophesied in the sutras by the Buddha, it is not possible that he could have been subject to
pride. Gampopa must have manifested this pride in order to demonstrate to future generations that pride is something to be avoided on meeting the guru.
When Gampopa finally met Milarepa, Gampopa offered him sixteen ounces of gold in a mandala offering. He also made a request that Milarepa tell his life-story. Milarepa sat with his eyes half-closed for a little while and then took a pinch of gold from the center of the mandala offering and scattere~ it into the air, saying, "I offer this to you, Marpa Lotsawa. " Milarepa had been
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? The Story ofGampopa
drinking beer from a skull bowl. He handed this to Gampopa, saying, "Drink this. " Gampopa hesitated,61 but Milarepa said, "Don't think so much, drink! "
Gampopa thought, "This lama is omniscient. He knows whatever is in my mind. So this must be a very auspicious thing to do," and he drank the beer to the last drop, which was indeed very auspicious. Milarepa said, "That you had faith in me and have come here is a wonderful thing, so I shall tell you the story of
my life. " Milarepa then sang a song:
Naropa and Maitripa's instructions contain all that is taught by the Buddhas in the three times. Marpa Lotsawa possessed these instructions. I felt faith in him on just hearing his name and I received all these instructions from him.
Marpa Lotsawa told me, "This is the age of degeneration; life is short and uncertain. There are many causes ofdeath, therefore do not make the error in believing the instructions are the mere acquisition of knowledge because practice is their essence. " Due to the kindness of the guru, that has been my view. I meditated upon the fear of death; I meditated with diligence in caves; my meditation transformed my
thoughts and wrong views into merit.
The three poisons ofanger, desire, and ignorance
appear"to be the powerful causes ofthe accumulation of negative karma. But when their essence is seen to be emptiness, those poisons are recognized to be the dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya.
The blessings, experiences and realizations of Naropa and Maitripa are transmitted through the
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lineage to the worthy pupil. I shall give their profound instructions to you. Practice them correctly, and spread the Buddha's teachings for the benefit of beings.
I have no need for the gold you have offered me. Gold does not agree with this old man. If you want to practice the dharma properly, observe my conduct and my practice, and do as I do.
The monk who had come with Gampopa came to receive a blessing from Milarepa. Milarepa asked the monk to offer him everything that he had in order to receive a blessing. The monk said that he didn't have anything to give. But Milarepa said, "You have a lot of gold concealed about your body, so your statement that you don't have anything is truly wonderful. If you have no faith you are incapable of receiving a blessing. If you have no faith, the instructions that you receive will not benefit you. Your inner thoughts are of going to Nepal to do business, so that is the best thing for you to do. I will pray that you meet no obstacles. "
Gampopa thought, "This lama knows what people think. It is impossible to deceive him. I will have good control over my mind and think carefully before I ask him anything. He truly is a Buddha. "
Milarepa asked Gampopa, "Have you received any empowerments? What instructions have you been given? What practices have you done? " Gampopa answered Milarepa's questions and described his success in meditation, but Milarepa just laughed and said, "You can't get oil by grinding sand, you have to use mustard seeds. These empowerments you have received are useless for seeing the true nature of your mind. If you meditate on my tummo instructions you will see the true nature of your mind. "
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? The Story ofGampopa
Milarepa then gave Gampopa the Vajravarahi empowerment, using a sindhura62 mandala. Then he gave Gampopa the instructions and Gampopa put them into practice.
Gampopa had good experiences and realizations, and had many thoughts on view, meditation, and conduct. He asked Milarepa to explain them, and in answer, Milarepa sang a spiritual song describing the view, meditation, conduct, commitment and result, in terms of the true nature as the basis of the path:
The ultimate view is to look at your own mind.
What does Milarepa mean by that line? If one has never practiced that may seem a simple thing to do, but this is the ultimate view in Vajrayana practice. The sutra tradition teaches emptiness and selflessness which are to be understood through analysis by searching vainly for the self from the crown of the head to one's toenails. Deduction brings conviction that the body
and all phenomena have no reality. This is the understanding of emptiness. Meditation upon this conviction will then lead to the ultimate goal. The sutra path is therefore called "the path of deduction. " The Vajrayana, however, does not use deduction, but uses the direct perception of emptiness, of the true nature of phenomena. So it is called "the path of direct experience. "
The true nature cannot be seen directly in outer phenomena, but, by looking into one's own mind and seeing that the mind cannot be found. 63 The mind is the embodiment of emptiness, the essence of emptiness, but throughout beginningless time we have never looked at our own mind. The emptiness ofthe mind is notavacuitybutaclarity. 64 Itisamistaketotryandfindemptiness other than in the mind.
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? TheLife& SpiritualSongsofMilarepa
To illustrate this there is a story of a man who had a jewel iqset into his forehead. Whenever he was tired the skin on his head sagged. One day when he was very exhausted and the skin sagged and covered the jewel completely. The man felt his forehead and thought he had lost the jewel, and ran around anxiously trying to find it, only becoming more tired in the process, so that the jewel was more deeply hidden.
In the same way, Milarepa says, "to search for the true nature anywhere other than our own mind, is like a blind monster looking for gold. "
Milarepa then described meditation to Gampopa in a single line ofsong:
The ultimate practice is not to consider lethargy and excitability as faults.
A beginner of meditation, of course, does need to work on eliminating lethargy and excitability in meditation, but the nature of lethargy and excitability is the nature of the mind and this nature never changes. If you see these two qualities of mind as obstacles or faults, you will not be able to see the essence of the . mind. Therefore you should not attempt to eliminate them, which
would as Milarepa says "be as pointless as lighting a candle in the daylight. " Next, Milarepa described conduct:
The ultimate action is to cease to accept and reject.
The usual Buddhist practice is to accept what is positive and to reject what is 'negative. In terms of the true nature there should be no adoption ofgood actions or abandonment ofnegative actions.
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? The Story ofGampopa
Whatever arises in the mind has the ultimate nature of the clarity and emptiness ofthe mind, so we should not think, "this is good and has to be cultivated or this is bad and has to be rejected. " Ifwe attempt to adopt and reject, we will be like a fly struggling in a cobweb, which only binds itself tighter the more it does.
Next Milarepa describes commitment:
The ultimate discipline is to rest in the ultimate view.
Discipline is usually made by promising to keep all our commitments and vows. But remaining in the realization of the true nature of our mind is truly keeping the commitment. If we strive to maintain a commitment that is other than the mind, we will always fail. It is just as Milarepa says, "we can't stop water's natural propensity to flow downward. " Next Milarepa describes the accomplishment or result of our practice:
The ultimate accomplishment is full conviction in one's mind.
The ultimate result is the true nature ofthe mind manifest. If one seeks a result that does not already exist, that would be like as Milarepa says, "a frog jumping up into the sky," which is inevitably going to fall back onto the ground. The result can only be found in the mind itsel?
The Buddha's wisdom is described as "the sudden result" even in the sutra tradition, because the wisdom spontaneously appears as soon as the defilements are eliminated without having to be created. In the Vajrayana tradition, the result is described as the manifestation of the true nature of one's mind. This nature is
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primordially present, but unrecognized, within all beings. Once the nature ofthe mind is recognized, the ultimate result is attained.
In the next verse Milarepa describes the guru: The ultimate guru is one's mind.
On the relative level one has a root guru whose instructions one follows. On the ultimate level the guru is one's mind.
If one can look at and question one's own mind, the instructions of the ultimate guru will be received. If one seeks a guru that is other than the mind, it is as Milarepa says, "trying to leave one's mind" which is impossible. All appearances are nothing other than one's
mind, so there is no gr1=ater guru than the true nature ofthe mind. On hearing this song, Gampopa felt great faith. He then meditated with diligence practicing the tummo meditation. On the first night, his body filled with warmth and bliss. At dawn he fell asleep briefly and when he woke up his body was cold as stone. After seven days of meditation he had a vision of the five
Buddhas of the five Buddha families. He thought this was very important and told Milarepa. Milarepa said, "If you press your eyes you see an illusion of there being two moons. In the same way, the particular movement of airs in your body caused your experience, which was neither good nor bad. Just carry on with your meditation.
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? 11
Victory over the Four Maras
g will conclude this introduction to the songs of Milarepa with this sixtieth chapter65 that describes victory over the maras. This is very auspicious from the Tibetan point of
view. The Buddha taught that there were four maras: the divine mara (Skt. devaputra-mara), the disturbing emotion mara (Skt. klesha-mara), the aggregate mara (Skt. skandha-mara), and the death mara (Skt. matyupati-mara). They cause obstacles, bring suffering, and prevent the attainment of liberation.
The "divine mara'' is traditionally portrayed as a beautiful and attractive being. This mara represents the attachment to the sensory pleasures of samsara, which seems very beautiful at the time, but from the ultimate point of view, these attachments lead people astray and create an obstacle to liberation and omniscience. Therefore it is called the "divine mara. "
The "mara ofdefilement," or the disturbing emotion mara, is the attachment to a self, which leads to the defilements of ignorance, anger, and desire. They appear within our mind and cause the accumulation ofnegative karma, which results in future suffering. This mara is traditionally portrayed as an old, weak Brahmin who doesn't have long to live because it is a delusion,
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without any solid basis, and therefore easy to eliminate. As soon as the truth is realized, delusion ceases to exist.
The "mara of the five aggregates" is next. When there are the aggregates or skandhas (form, sensation, recognition, mental events and consciousnesses), there is samsara. Until the true nature of these aggregates is realized, there is suffering. This mara is traditionally portrayed as a physically powerful being, because the skandhas are an actual presence, and their true nature is more difficult to realize than that of the defilements.
The "mara who is the Lord of Death" is death itsel? At death we must leave all the activities ofour life, and we feel afraid. Death will be a cause of suffering for as long as we remain in samsara. This mara is traditionally portrayed as black and terrifying, because it is brings impermanence and fear.
The way to eliminate these four maras is to practice the dharma and to realize the true nature ofphenomena.
In this chapter Milarepa sings of his own victory over the maras, beginning with a song that describes the need to escape from samsara. Later it is told that Milarepa was blown over a precipice by a wind and was seen to be impaled upon a tree. His students were mortified until Milarepa showed them his body to be unharmed, without any wound at all. He then sang them a song:
The wind made me fall, and an inanimate tree harmed my body causing me unendurable agony. However, the dakinis healed me so that I was healed from all injury.
Another time, Milarepa's students were with him on top of a very high rock when he fell of? They thought he must have died and passed into nirvana and went down to recover his body. But
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? Victory Over the Four Maras
when they reached the bottom, Milarepa was still alive and laughed at them. When they asked him what had happened, Milarepa replied with a song:
The vulture of union spreads its wings. When the vulture ofthe union ofemptiness and clarity spreads its wings, it does not fly using only one ofthem. When we meditate, the wisdom of the emptiness of
phenomena alone is not enough, and the wisdom of clarity alone is not enough to cause the realization of the true nature of phenomena.
The essence of clarity is emptiness. Emptiness, the unreality ofphenomena, is not a voidness but has clarity. This is "the union ofspace and wisdom. " The realization of this union will enable us to reach liberation from samsara.
This is what Milarepa meant by "the vulture ofunion spreading
Its wmgs.
The flight was from the peak of Tramar,66 The landing was in the ravine below. I played a joke upon my followers.
Milarepa, through a miracle, flew from the top ofTramar and then landed on the ground below. Then he explained:
There was a purpose to the joke: The wings of the union of wisdom and emptiness realized the true nature so that there is freedom from the obscurations caused by the defilements and the obscurations to
. . ,
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knowledge. 67 Then liberation from both samsara and nirvana is demonstrated. Then there is the peace of emptiness united with perfect bliss.
Another time, Milarepa and his disciples were at the foot ofa rocky cliff. One of his disciples said to him, "You shouldn't stay here, it's too dangerous. " But he did and a little later there was a rockslide. Milarepa stared and pointed at the falling rocks and they immediately scattered into different directions, without harming him. His students returned certain that Milarepa had been injured. When they arrived, he sang them a song:
This yogin's body is like a flower. The avalanche of rocks was like a murderer wanting to kill a flower. A dakini appeared on my right and left so that the rocks did not fall upon me. I am not afraid of the maras, they could never cause an obstacle to me.
The students asked, "You have been in an avalanche, fallen off a precipice, and been impaled upon a tree, without being harmed. How is this possible? "
Milarepa answered, "My realization of the true nature of phenomena has made my body as insubstantial as a rainbow and it has transformed my defilements into wisdoms. My certain knowledge that all phenomena are unborn has blown away the eight worldly dharmas. 68 This is a sign that the four maras are ashamed, have lost their confidence and are powerless.
His pupils then asked, "Does this mean that you have conquered the four maras? " And Milarepa replied, "Yes, there has been victory over the maras. For the next thirteen successions
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? Victory Over the Four Maras
of my lineage, the maras will not be able to cause any obstacles to its practitioners. "
A tantrika student arrived from central Tibet, and Sebenrepa
a$ked him what siddhas were in that region. The tantrika replied,
"There are many siddhas there, and they are served by non-
hb. " uman emgs.
Milarepa said, "That doesn't make anyone a siddha. " Sebenrepa then asked Milarepa, "Do non-human beings serve you? " Milarepa replied that they did and sang a song:
The food of samadhi that is served to me is inexhaustible, like the treasury of space. I am free of thoughts and feelings of hunger and thirst. This is a service rendered to me by dakinis, but I do not think of it as a siddhi. It is only an experience within meditation, not the ultimate siddhi69 of realizing the
true nature of phenomena.
The tantrika said that there were masters in the central region that had seen the face of the yidam. But Milarepa said, "Just seeing the yidam's face is of no benefit. " Then he sang:
Due to my meditation on the instructions I have received from Marpa Lotsawa, I have seen the nature ofthe mind. This dispelled the darkness ofignorance from my mind. All the dakinis revealed their faces to me, but there are no faces in the true nature, which contains no objects of perception.
I have seen the yidam's face, but only the root guru's teachings are important. I have attained the
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general siddhis but the realization of the true nature transcends them.
The tantrika then asked, "Can you give me an example of what you mean by 'seeing, the nature of the mind'? " In answer Milarepa sang a song:
The mind has no true reality and is therefore unborn and unceasing. In every instant the mind gives birth to thoughts. But if you see the nature of the mind, you know that it has no reality, and has never been born. You cannot find the mind's location and so it is
unborn.
There is no example that can be given to depict
the unborn mind, because nothing resembles it. It has no birth or cessation. Only what is born comes to an end. When you realize the nature ofthe mind you know that nothing can serve as an example for it, except for the mind itself Then the example and the meaning will be the same.
You can't describe the nature of the mind in the way that you can describe an outer object as white or red. You can't say that the nature ofthe mind exists or that it doesn't exist. The mind is inconceivable, beyond deduction, beyond the scope of speech, but due to
the blessing of the root guru and the lineage gurus, you can see it for yourself.
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? Notes
1. See L. P. Lhalungpa The Life ofMilarepa. Published by Shambhala Publications, 1985.
2. For more information on Tsang Nyon Heruka see The Life ofMarpa the Translator. Boston: Shambhala, 1986 pages xx-xxiv.
3. Tib. dbus. This is the region of central Tibet that had Lhasa as its capital.
4. This is the region of central Tibet that had Gyantse as its capital.
5. In the Vajrayana, there are two paths- drollam and thap lam- that are generally followed simultaneously or alternately by the practitioner. Drollam, the path ofliberation, is what sometimes we refer to as formless meditation and includes Mahamudra. In this approach to meditation one relates to the mind in terms of the
awareness aspect of mind.
Thap lam, the path of means or method, includes all tantric
practices employing visualization, mantras, mandalas, yogas such as the Six Dharmas ofNaropa or the Six Dharmas ofNiguma, etc. These practices relate to mind in terms of the energy aspect of mind. By properly integrating the distorted karmic energies ofone's mind, one brings about the same enlightened awareness that is reached as the fruition of the formless meditation approach of the path of liberation. The virtue of the path of liberation is that it tends to be smoother, while the path ofmeans is that it tends to be faster; therefore, they make a good complement to each other.
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Neither path can be practiced properly- and in the case of the path ofmeans it would be dangerous to do so -without the guidance of a qualified tantric master. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
6. These four thoughts also called the four ordinary foundations are more fully explained in Thrangu Rinpoche's The Four Foundations ofBuddhist Practice. Namo Buddha Publications.
7. All meditation can be divided into the two categories of tranquillity meditation (Shamatha) and insight meditation (Vipashyana). Vipashyana in turn can be divided into the Vipashyana of the sutra tradition and the Vipashyana of the Mahamudra tradition. In the sutra tradition there is analytical Vipashyana and placement meditation. In the Mahamudra or tantric tradition, Vipashyana is based on the direct pointing out of the nature of mind and the nature of things by a fully qualified and experienced holder of the
Mahamudra lineage. - Lama Tashi Namgyal
8. One of the greatest lamas of the nineteenth century (1820 - 1892)
and one of the most important tertons. He was considered to be a body emanation ofJigme Lingpa. He was heavily involved in the development of the non-sectarian Rime-movement. The goal of which was for the practitioner to attain complete mastery of the teachings ofall the lineages, so as to then be able to give each ofhis students the precise teaching to fit their individual needs.
9. Gampopa had previously been a great bodhisattva and at the time of Shakyamuni Buddha had taken rebirth as a monk. At that time Lord Shakyamuni in the King ofSamadhi Sutra prophesied that Gampopa would again take rebirth in a distant land as a monk namedTzodzad. The nameTzodzad indicated that the monk would be a doctor, so this prophecy can be seen to point to the case of
Gampopa, who was born in Tibet, became a doctor, and later took monastic ordination at a Kadampa monastery. This prophecy of the Buddha is more fully described in Thrangu Rinpoche's The King ofSamadhi which is one of the few sutras which directly discusses Mahamudra meditation. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
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10. The lineage from Dorje Chang to Gampopa is referred to as the "general" Kagyu lineage, because it is the source of all Kagyu traditions. Dusum Khyenpa, founded the Kamtzang Karma Kagyu tradition. Tsultrim Nyingpo received the lineage of Gampopa's monastery, Daglha Gompa, and founded the tradition known as the Tshelpa Kagyu through his disciple Tsondru Trakpa. Baram Dharma Wangchuk travelled north to Baram, settled there his tradition became known as the Baram Kagyupa. Khampa Dorgyal, the most expansive teacher of the group, also went north, found a place called Phagmodru in the forest of Samantabhadra, and built
a monastery there. He became known as Phagmo Drupa, named from the place where he built his monastery. His tradition became known as the Phagmodru Kagyupa.
The Kamtzang, Tshelpa, Baram, and Phagmodru subsects are called the four "primary traditions" of the Kagyu because they originated from the four main disciples ofGampopa.
Phagmo Drupa, from the vastness ofthe teachings he had collected, gave different instructions to various and numerous disciples, and
in doing so gave rise to eight different traditions. These are the Drigung, Taklung, Yabzang, Shugseb, Marpa, Yelpa, Throphupa and the Drukpa Kagyu sects, which are collectively known as the eight "secondary lineages. " From all of these lineages came a large number of siddhas and incarnated lamas.
Due primarily to the efforts of their early teachers, of the eight "secondary traditions," three became especially prominent: Drigung Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo's Drigung lineage; Taklung Thangpa Trashi Pal's Taklungpa lineage; and the Drukpa Kagyupa lineage, which took its name from the Namdruk Gon Monastery founded by Tsangpa Gyarepa, a disciple of Lingchen Repa, and from which came a great many siddhas. - Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
11. Garma Chang: The Hundred Thousand Songs ofMilarepa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1962. Pages 1-10. In Garma Chang's book thischapterisentitled TheTaleofRedRockjewelValley.
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12. Blessing is. the process by which one individual introduces some of their accumulated merit intQ another's "stream ofbeing. " The ability to bestow blessing depends on the donor's degree of spiritual attainment and on the recipient's faith. The donor is usually the root-guru, whose blessing is said to contain that of all the sources ofrefuge combined. Although future experiences are largely shaped by present actions, the root-guru's blessing can partially modify this. That is, it can create conditions favourable to the maturation ofany religious pre-dispositions our past actions may have generated,
giving us the inspiration and energy we require to begin practising. In this way, unless our acts have been extremely unwholesome, the guru's blessing can help us overcome conflicting emotions and other obstacles. Thus the guru's blessing helps us realize the Buddha- potential we all possess.
13. The word is derived from the Sanskrit acharya or a religious master. 14. The word deity is ofren used rather broadly, here it is referring to beings that are not enlightened. Local deities are beings who inhabit
specific places, although they are not visible to most humans they can be quite powerful and can cause harm or obstacles to one if they are not respected; just as we would get upset and angry if someone violated our home, we should consider and respect the home or territory of others, even if we cannot visibly see them. Therefore Buddhist practitioners often make offerings to local deities for good circumstances.
15. In the Sanskrit bodhi means "awakened" or "enlightened" and chitta means "mind," so bodhichitta means awakened mind. The generation of bodhichitta is based on the altruistic wish to bring about the welfare, and ultimately the total liberation, ofall sentient beings from all forms ofsuffering. What distinguishes bodhichitta from the ordinary compassionate aspirations to benefit others shared by all people of good will is the recognition that one cannot
ultimately fulfill these aspirations until one has attained the state of men? tal purification and liberation of Buddhahood, which is the
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source ofall positive qualities, including the omniscience that can see, individual by individual, the causes ofsuffering and the causes and path of liberation &om suffering. This understanding gives rise at some point to the initial generation ofthe aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood in order to liberate all sentient beings &om suffering and to establish them all in states ofhappiness. This is called bodhichitta ofaspiration, which must be followed by what is called the bodhichitta of application, which is the training in loving-kindness, compassion, the six paramitas or transcendent perfections, etc. , which lead to the accomplishment ofBuddhahood. Aspiration bodhichitta and application bodhichitta are both
included in the term relative bodhichitta. Ultimate bodhichitta is direct insight into the ultimate nature. This st~te of primordial awareness is compassion and loving-kindness and gives rise spontaneously and without preconception to compassionate activity.
