Cultures and Religions of the Himalayan Region

DAVID RATHBUN
SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL, MINNEAPOLIS
WHERE IS MILAREPA IN WORLD LITERATURE?

Life of Milarepa

Songs of Milarepa

Images of Milarepa

There literally aren't a hundred thousand songs in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa; it's conventional hyperbole. But there are two volumes worth. Each chapter is comprised of a narrative frame with Milarepa's songs making up the heart of each story. The translator provides useful notes at the end of each chapter.

In the songs Milarepa often provides advice, warnings, Buddhist teachings, and more general 'words of wisdom.' He also expresses his joy and love of life, despite his ascetic lifestyle. Two examples from "The Song of a Yogi's Joy":

Advice to nuns:

Having pity on you, I now give you this instruction.
Listen closely, my young friends!

When you remain in solitude,
Think not of the amusements in the town,
Else the evil one will rise up in your heart;
Turn inward your mind,
And you will find your way.

Milarepa's expression of joy and contentment with his way of life:

Remaining in self-knowledge and self-liberation
Is indeed happy and joyful;
Abiding in the valley where no men dwell,
With confidence and knowledge, one lives in his own way.
With a thundering voice,
He sings the happy song of Yoga.

And some philosophical words for all of us ("Song of the Snow Ranges"):

The belligerence in human nature leads to broken precepts;
Bad company destroys good deeds;
Honest words bring evil when spoken in a crowd;
To argue the right and wrong only makes more foes.

His contentment with his surroundings ("The Invitation from the King of Nepal"):

This is a place where flowers bloom,
And many kinds of trees dance and sway;
The birds here sing their tuneful melodies,
And monkeys gambol in the woods.
It is pleasant and delightful to stay here alone.
Truly this is a quiet and peaceful place.

In "Song of Five Happinesses" (The Life of Milarepa), sung to a group of incredulous hunters, Milarepa's direct and personal style is evident:

I am happy with the hard-cushion beneath me,
I am happy with cotton cloth which covers me,
I am happy with the cord of meditation which ties my knees,
I am happy with this phantom body, neither starved or satiated,
I am happy with my mind which has gained insight into reality.
I am not unhappy; I am happy.

A good way to introduce Milarepa to students might be the first section of Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs from Tibet's Beloved Saint (Wisdom Publications, 1995), called "Milarepa Tells His Story." In ten pages he sort of "sums up" his life in short-lined stanzas, using simple and direct language. For example:

While I was young my father died,
And bereft of wealth by evil relations
We three were forced to work as servants.
Wearing clothing tattered as fishnet
And fed like dogs, we slaved like mules.
My mother, driven by intense resentment,
Charged me to learn evil spells to destroy them,
But later I repented and turned to Dharma.

.....

I the yogi Milarepa
Began meditation with fervent faith.
After initiation, empowerment, and instruction
I practiced with strong determination.

I entered retreat and did difficult practice
Till realization and experience were born in mind.
I realized the inner nature of samsara
Saw the natural-state essence of mind,
Tore off the shackles of samsara,
And untied the knot of self-attachment.

samsara: Literally 'to run around'; the condition of recurrent birth through the force of action (karma) and afflictive mental states. It applies to all states of existence of three realms their six life-forms. (Translator's Glossary)

Hear me, you well-gifted man!
Is not this life uncertain and delusive?
Are not its pleasures and enjoyments like a mirage?
Is there any peace here in Samsara?
Is not its false felicity as unreal as a dream?

from "The Song of Realization" in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

Classroom Exercise: Compare/Contrast-- Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" and Milarepa's songs of 'no-self,' a goal of his Buddhist practice. Both Whitman and Milarepa address their readers and listeners with directness, energy, compassion, frankness, and intimacy. Seven hundred years separate the two poets, but what commonalties can we see in their songs/poems?

Now examine yourself closely:
You, yourself have no color or form.
If sent you won't go.
If restrained you don't stay.
If looked for you can't be seen.
If grasped for you can't be caught.

from "Milarepa Tells His Story"
Drinking the Mountain Stream