Philosophy and Religion / Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa

Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa

Chapter VII. The Personal Guidance by The Guru

Telling of the Fruits of Jetsün’s Meditation and Study; of Marpa’s Last Journey to India; of Jetsün’s Prophetic Dream and its Interpretation by Marpa; and of Marpa’s special charge to each of his Four Chief Disciples .

Rechung then asked, 'Master, didst thou set off at once to the wild solitudes after receiving the Truths, or didst thou continue to live with thy Guru?'

And Jetsün made reply, 'My Guru commanded that I should continue there, saying that he would supply me with food and other necessities, which he did most liberally; and I retired to meditate in a rock-cave called Lhobrak-Tak-nya, with an ample supply of provisions. There I used to sit in a rigid posture, with a lighted lamp on my head, without moving till the light went out, were it night or day. Eleven months went by. Then my Guru and his lady came to see me, bringing food for the purpose of holding a religious feast. The Guru said, " My son, it is very creditable that thou shouldst be able to meditate for eleven months, without the [meditation] cushion losing warmth. Now thou mayst pull down the wall [enclosing thee], and come to thine old father for a little rest, as well as to recount to me what thou hast experienced.”

'I did not much care about relaxing my meditation, but, seeing that my Guru had thus commanded, I was bound to go. I proceeded to demolish the wall, though it seemed to be a pity to have to do so, and was delaying a little. Thereupon, the Guru's lady came up, and asked me, “Son, art thou coming?” “I feel reluctant to pull down the wall,” I answered. She replied, “Oh, never mind that. Thou knowest that the Profound Mystic Omens are very important. Besides, the Lāma's temper is quite short; and should there occur any bad omens through this delay, it will never do. So I will help thee to pull down the wall and to come out quickly.” With that she pulled it down; ¹ and I went out feeling altogether lost.

'My Guru said, “While we two, father and son, shall be occupied in some rituals connected with this Meditation, do thou, Damema, prepare food.” Then, while we were eating the meal, he asked, “My son, what beliefs or convictions hast thou arrived at regarding these Truths; what experiences, what insight, and what understanding hast thou obtained?” And he added, “Take thy time and recount them to me."

'Upon this, with deep and sincere humility, I knelt, and joining the palms of my hands, with tears in mine eyes, extemporaneously sang to my Guru a hymn of praise, offering him the sevenfold worship - as a prelude to submitting the narrative of mine experiences and convictions:

1
“To the impure eyes of them Thou seekest to liberate,
Thou manifestest Thyself in a variety of shapes;
But to those of Thy followers who have been purified,
Thou, Lord, appearest as a Perfected Being; obeisance to Thee.

2
With Thy Brahma-like voice, endowed with the sixty vocal perfections,
Thou preachest the Holy Truths to each in his own speech,
Complete in their eighty-four thousand subjects;
Obeisance to Thy Word, audible yet inseparable from the Voidness.

3
In the Heavenly Radiance of Dharma-Kāya Mind,
There existeth not shadow of thing or concept,
Yet It prevadeth all objects of knowledge;
Obeisance to the Immutable, Eternal Mind.

4
In the Holy Palace of the Pure and Spiritual Realms,
Thou Person illusory, yet changeless and selfless,
Thou Mother Divine of Buddhas, past, present, and future,
0 Great Mother Damema, to Thy Feet I bow down.

5
[O Guru], to Thy children spiritual,
To Thy disciples who Thy word obey,
To each, with all his followers,
Obeisance humble and sincere I make.

6
Whate'er there be, in all the systems of the many worlds,
To serve as offerings for the rites divine,
I offer unto Thee, along with mine own fleshly form;
Of all my sins, may I be freed and purified.

7
In merits earned by others, I rejoice;
So set the Wheel of Truth in motion full, I pray;
Until the Whirling Pool of Being emptied be,
Do not, O Noble Guru, from the world depart.

I dedicate all merit from this Hymn, Unto the Cause of Universal Good.”

'Having, as a prelude, sung this hymn of seven stanzas, I then continued: “Inseparable from Dorje-Chang² Himself art thou, my Guru, with thy consort, and thine offspring. In virtue of thy fair and meritorious deeds, and of the power of the waves of grace proceeding from thy boundless generosity, and of thy kindness beyond repayment, I, thy vassal, have imbibed a little knowledge, in the sphere of understanding, which I now beg to lay before thee. Out of the unchanging State of Quiescence of Eternal Truth, be pleased to listen unto me for a little while.”

“I have understood this body of mine to be the product of Ignorance, as set forth in the Twelve Nidānas,³ composed of flesh and blood, lit up by the perceptive power of consciousness. To those fortunate ones who long for Emancipation, it may be the great vessel by means of which they may procure Freedom and Endowments; but to those unfortunate ones, who only sin, it may be the guide to the lower and miserable states of existence. This, our life, is the boundary-mark whence one may take an upward or downward path. Our present time is a most precious time, wherein each of us must decide, in one way or the other, for lasting good or lasting ill. I have understood this to be the chief end of our present term of life. Here, again, by holding on to Thee, O powerful Lord and Saviour of sentient beings like myself, I hope to cross over this Ocean of Worldly Existence, the source of all pains and griefs, so difficult to escape from. But to be able to do so, it is first of all necessary for me to take refuge in the Precious Trinity,⁴ and to observe and adopt in a sincere spirit the rules prescribed. In this, too, I see the Guru to be the main source and embodiment of all good and happiness that can accrue to me.”

“Therefore do I realize the supreme necessity of obeying the Guru’s commands and behests, and keeping my faith in him unsullied and staunch. After such realization, then deep meditation on the difficulty of obtaining the precious boon of a free and well-endowed human birth, on the uncertainty of the exact moment of death, on the certain effect of one's actions, and on the miseries of saṃsāric being, cannot fail to compel one to desire freedom and emancipation from all saṃsāric existence; and to obtain this, one must cleave to the staff of the Noble Eightfold Path,⁵ by which only may a sentient being obtain that emancipation. Then, from the level of this Path, one must pass on, by degrees, to the Higher Paths, all the while observing one's vows as carefully as if they were one's own eyes, rebuilding or mending them should they become in the least impaired. I have understood that one who aimeth at his individual peace and happiness adopteth the Lower Path (the Hīnayāna). But he, who from the very start, devoteth the merit of his love and compassion to the cause of others, I understand belongeth to the Higher Path (the Mahāyāna). To leave the Lower Path and to enter upon the Higher Path, it is necessary to gain a clear view of the goal of one's aspirations, as set forth by the unexcelled Immutable Path (the Vajra-Yāna).”

“Again, to gain a clear view of the Final Goal, it is essential to have a perfectly well-accomplished Guru, who knoweth every branch of the four kinds of initiatory rites without the slightest misunderstanding or doubt regarding them; he alone can make the Final Goal thoroughly explicit to a śiṣya. The ceremony of initiation conferreth the power of mastering abstruse and deep thoughts regarding the Final Goal. In meditating on the Final Goal, step by step, one hath to put forth all one's energies, both of grammatical and logical acumen; as well as, through moral and mental reasoning and internal search, to discover the non-existence of the personal Ego and, therefore, the fallacy of the popular idea that it existeth.⁶ In realizing the non-existence of the personal Ego, the mind must be kept in quiescence. On being enabled, by various methods, to put the mind in that state as a result of a variety of causes, all [thoughts, ideas, and cognitions] cease, and the mind passeth from consciousness [of objects] into a state of perfect tranquillity, so that days, months, and years may pass without the person himself perceiving it; thus the passing of time hath to be marked for him by others. This state is called Shi-nay (Tranquil Rest). By not submitting oneself to the state of total oblivion and unconsciousness [of objects], but by exerting one's intellect or faculty of consciousness in this state, one gaineth the clear ecstatic state of quiescent consciousness.”

“Although there be this state, which may be called a state of superconsciousness (Lhag-tong), nevertheless, individuals, or ego-entities, so long as they are such, are incapable of experiencing it. I believe that it is only experienced when one hath gained the first [superhuman] state [on the Path to Buddhahood]. Thus, by thought-process and visualization, one treadeth the Path. The visions of the forms of the Deities upon which one meditateth are merely the signs attending perseverance in meditation. They have no intrinsic worth or value in themselves.”⁷

“To sum up, a vivid state of mental quiescence, accompanied by energy, and a keen power of analysis, by a clear and inquisitive intellect, are indispensable requirements; like the lowest rungs of a ladder, they are absolutely necessary to enable one to ascend. But in the process of meditating on this state of mental quiescence (Shi-nay), by mental concentration, either on forms and shapes, or on shapeless and formless things, the very first effort must be made in a compassionate mood, with the aim of dedicating the merit of one's efforts to the Universal Good. Secondly, the goal of one's aspirations must be well defined and clear, soaring into the regions transcending thought. Finally, there is need of mentally praying and wishing for blessings on others so earnestly that one's mind-processes also transcend thought. These, I understand, to be the highest of all Paths.”

“Then, again, as the mere name of food doth not satisfy the appetite of a hungry person, but he must eat food, so, also, a man who would learn about the Voidness⁸ [of Thought] must meditate so as to realize it, and not merely learn its definition. Moreover, to obtain the knowledge of the state of superconsciousness (Lhag-tong), one must practise and accustom oneself to the mechanical attainment of the recurrence of the above practices without intermission. In short, habituation to the contemplation of Voidness, of Equilibrium, of the Indescribable, and of the Incognizable, forms the four different stages of the Four Degrees of Initiation, - graduated steps in the ultimate goal of the mystic Vajra-Yāna [or Immutable Path]. To understand these thoroughly, one must sacrifice bodily ease and all luxuriousness, and, with this in mind, face and surmount every obstacle, being ever willing to sacrifice life itself, and prepared for every possible contingency.”

“As for myself, I have not the means to recompense thee, my Guru and the Reverend Mother, - my benefactors; your loving kindness is beyond my power to repay by any offer of worldly wealth or riches. So I will repay you by a lifelong devotion to meditation, and I will complete my final study of your Teachings in the 'Og-min Heaven.”⁹

“To my Guru, the Great Dorje-Chang,
To Damema, the Mother of all Buddhas,
And to all Princes Royal, the Avataras,
I make as offering, to Their ears, this essence of my learning gleaned.

If there be heresy or error in my speech,
I pray that They will kindly pardon it,
And set me then upon the Righteous Path.

Lord, from the sun-orb of Thy Grace,
The radiant Rays of Light have shone,
And opened wide the petals of the Lotus of my Heart,
So that it breatheth forth the fragrance born of Knowledge,
For which I am for ever bounden unto Thee;
So will I worship Thee by constant meditation.

Vouchsafe to bless me in mine efforts,
That good may come to every sentient being.
Lastly, I ask forgiveness, too, for any lavishness of words.”

‘My Guru was delighted, and said, “My son, I had expected much from thee; my expectations have been fulfilled.” Next the lady said, “I knew that my son had the will and intellect to succeed.” Both were highly gratified, and we conversed on religious topics for a long time. Then my Guru and his lady took leave of me, and I resumed my meditations in the close retreat.

'About this time, my Guru, being on a pastoral tour in the North Uru villages, was performing a religious ceremony in one Marpa Golay's house when he had a vision. In it the Ḍākinīs appeared, and reminded him of some enigmatical hints of his Guru Naropa, which, when given, he had not understood; and these the Ḍākinīs interpreted and explained to him. The outcome of this led him to go to India to see Naropa.

'Then, one night, some days after my Guru had returned to Wheat Valley, I dreamt that a woman of somewhat dark blue colour, dressed in silks and beautifully adorned with the six bone ornaments, having eyebrows and eyelashes of a golden hue, appeared to me, and said, “Son, by long continued application to meditation thou hast obtained the Truths of the Great Symbol,¹⁰ which will enable thee to attain Nirvāṇa. Thou hast also obtained the Six Doctrines.¹¹ But thou lackest the precious teaching of the Drong-jug¹² by which thou mayst attain Buddhahood in an instant; and this thou must procure”

'I thought over the dream, and concluded that the woman was a Ḍākinī, since she had all the appearance of one. Nevertheless, I was doubtful whether the vision was an intimation from the Ḍākinīs of some coming event or a temptation from Mārā. ¹³ Anyway, I was firmly convinced that my Guru, the Embodiment of the Buddhas, past, present, and future, would certainly be able to tell me, since there could be nothing which he did not know. Especially as regarded knowledge, I knew that his understanding embraced its whole extent, from the Sacred Truths above-mentioned [whereby Nirvāṇa is obtained] to the science of patching broken earthenware. And if he took it to be a premonitory revelation, I should have to obtain the Drong-jug. So I pulled down the partition, plastered together with mud, and went to my Guru. He seemed shocked, and said, “Why hast thou come, instead of remaining in close retreat? Thou runnest the risk of incurring some mishap.” I informed him of my dream and said I wanted to be assured whether it was a revelation or a temptation; if the former, I begged that he should bestow on me the revealed science for which I had come. He sat in silence for some time, and then said, “Yes, that was a revelation from the Ḍākinīs. When I was about to return from India, my Guru, the great Paṇḍit Naropa, spoke about this same Drong-jug, but I do not recollect having obtained it. I will look over all mine Indian manuscripts and search for it.”

'Thereupon, both of us spent a whole day and night in ransacking the whole collection of manuscripts, searching for the Drong-jug. But although we found several treatises on Pho-wa¹⁴ not a single letter regarding Drong-jug was to be found. So my Guru said, “Ah, the dream which I had in North Uru is likewise a sign directing me to go and obtain this same work [on Drong-jug]. Besides, I know not how many other works there may be to procure. Therefore I shall go to India to obtain them.”

'In spite of entreaties and expostulations, urging his age as obstacles to this toilsome journey, my Guru was resolved on undertaking it. His disciples contributed liberally towards his travelling expenses; and, the offerings being converted into a cupful of gold, with this he set out for India, where he arrived just about the time of Naropa's disappearance.¹⁵ He had made up his mind to sacrifice life itself in attempting to obtain an interview with his Guru and various hopeful signs and omens he interpreted as predicting his final success and the fulfilment of his wish.

'Seeking his Guru with fervent prayers, he at last met him in a jungle; and, taking him to the monastery of Phulahari, asked of him the science of Drong-jug. Thereupon Saint Naropa asked Marpa, “Didst thou recollect this thyself, or didst thou receive a revelation?” Marpa replied, “I did not recollect it myself, nor was a revelation vouchsafed to me personally. I have a disciple named Thöpaga to whom the revelation was granted, and it was on that account that I came.” “Excellent,” said Naropa, “there are in the benighted land of Tibet some bright spirits, like the sun illuminating the mountain peaks.”

'It is said that Naropa, then holding out his hands in prayer, chanted as follows:

“In the gloomy regions of the North,
Like the sun illuminating the mountain peaks,
Dwelleth he who is called Thöpaga;
Obeisance to that Great Being.”

'Then Naropa closed his eyes reverently, and nodded his head thrice towards Tibet; and all the Indian mountain-tops and the trees also nodded thrice towards Tibet. It is said that even until to-day the hill-tops and the tops of trees round about Phulahari incline towards Tibet.¹⁶

‘Having transmitted the whole of the Ear-Whispered Tantra of the Ḍākinīs ,¹⁷ Saint Naropa interpreted certain omens as predicting future events. The manner of Marpa's obeisance, for example, foretold the failure of Marpa's own offspring, but predicted the perpetual continuance of the Hierarchy through me; and after Marpa returned to Tibet he lost his son, Darma- Doday, just as had been predicted at the premonitory ceremony of his obeisance.

'On the anniversary of his son's death, after the completion of the ceremony [in commemoration of it], as Marpa sat amidst the assembly of all his disciples they addressed him in a body, representing to him his advanced age and the unfortunate loss of his saintly son, who was the very embodiment of the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, and who, had he lived, would have been a worthy successor. They said, “Now we must first of all consider the best method of rendering our Kargyütpa Hierarchy as enduring and eminent as possible. We also pray that thou wilt be pleased to leave special directions to each of us, thy śiṣyas, as to what particular branches of doctrine each should adopt, and what particular lines of practice each should pursue.” ¹⁸ The Guru said, “I, the spiritual disciple of the Great Pandit Naropa, rely upon occult directions by omens and dreams. The Kargyütpa Hierarchy hath the blessings of the Saintly Naropa. Do ye, my chief śiṣyas, go and await your dreams and report them to me.”

'Accordingly, the chief disciples concentrated their minds upon their dreams and reported the results. All or nearly all were more or less good, but none of them were revelations regarding the future of the Hierarchy. I, however, had a dream of four great pillars, which I reported to the Guru in the following verses:

“Obedient unto Dorje-Chang's command,
The dream of yesternight I now narrate,
Exactly in the manner it was dreamt;
Be pleased [O Guru] to vouchsafe Thine ear awhile.

In the ample regions of the World's North,
I dreamt there stood a mountain grand,
Its summit touching the very skies.
Around this summit moved the sun and moon,
Their rays illumining the heavens above.
The base of the mountain covered the Earth;
From its four sides flowed four perennial streams,
Quenching the thirst of every sentient being.
Their waters fell into an ocean deep,
And on their shores bloomed varied flowers.
Such was the general purport of my dream,
Which to my Guru, the Eternal Buddha,¹⁹ I narrate.

Eastward of that glorious mountain,
Of a pillar high I chiefly dreamt.
Upon the pillar's top a lion ramped;
The mane of the lion was luxuriant,
His four outstretched paws clawed the mountain-side,
His eyes upturned were looking heavenward.
[Then] over the mountains the lion roamed free.
This to my Guru, the Eternal Buddha, I narrate.

Southward [of the mountain] stood a pillar high;
Upon the pillar's top a mighty tigress roared;
The stripes of the tigress were beautiful,
The inner stripes were triple and bold,
Her four paws clawed the jungles deep,
Her eyes upturned were looking heavenward.
[Then] through the jungles the tigress roamed free,
And passed through the groves of wood and plain.
This to my Guru, the Eternal Buddha, I narrate.

Westward [of the mountain] stood a pillar high;
Above the pillar's top an eagle soared;
The wings of the eagle were wide outspread,
The horns of the eagle pierced the skies,
The eyes of the eagle gazed heavenward;
Then it soared on high, in the blue above.
This to my Guru, the Eternal Buddha, I narrate.

Northward [of the mountain] also stood a pillar high;
Above the pillar's top soared a vulture bold;
The wings of the vulture were wide outspread,
Upon a rock the vulture's nest was perched,
And I beheld it had a young one fledged,
And that the skies were filled with smaller birds.
The vulture turned its eyes heavenward,
Then soared away to the regions high.
This to my Guru, the Eternal Buddha, I narrate.

Deeming these to be auspicious signs,
Foreboding good and virtuous deeds,
With joy ecstatic was I thrilled;
I pray Thee, tell to us their meaning.”

'On my recounting the above, my Guru was highly pleased, and said, “The dream is excellent.” Then, addressing his lady, he said, 'Damema, prepare an ample meal.” When she had done so, all the pupils and disciples were invited to it. The Guru then addressed the meeting, and said, “Mila-Dorje- Gyaltsen²⁰ hath had such and such a dream, which is an excellent sign.” The chief disciples asked him to interpret the dream and to unravel the mysterious signs. Then [our saintly Guru], the Great Avatāra and Translator, sang extemporaneously the interpretation of the dream, foretelling the future destiny of the Kargyütpa Hierarchy to his disciples, as follows:

“Lord, Refuge of all Sentient Beings, Thou, the Eternal Buddha,
0 Saintly Naropa, I bow down at Thy Feet.

O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
Give ear attentively unto the meaning of this wondrous and prophetic dream,
Which to you I will now interpret.

The ample regions of the World's North
Symbolize the Buddhist Faith in Tibet prevailing.
The mountain grand signifieth the Kargyütpa Sect,
Founded by my aged self, Marpa the Translator,
And by my followers and all the Hierarchy.
The mountain's summit touching the skies
Symbolizeth our Peerless Goal;
The sun and moon revolving
Are full Enlightenment and Love;
Their rays illumining the heavens above
Are Grace enlightening Ignorance;
The base of the mountain covering the Earth
Showeth how our deeds will fill the World;
The four streams from the four sides issuing
Symbolize Rites of Initiation and the Truths;
Their waters quenching the thirst of every being
Portend that every living thing shall ripen and be saved; ²¹

Their waters falling in an Ocean Deep
Are the blending of the Inner with the Outer Light; ²²
The varied blossoms blooming on the shores
Are Fruit Immaculate, Truths Realized.
O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
The dream entire is good, not ill.

The great pillar eastward of the mountain grand
Is Tsurtön-Wang-gay, of Döl.
The lion ramping on the pillar's top
Showeth Tsurtönto be in nature lion-like;
The lion's mane luxuriant, showeth how
With the Mystic Truths he is imbued;
The lion's four paws clawing the mountain-side
Show him endowed with the four boundless motives;
The lion's eyes turned heavenward
Show he hath bidden farewell to saṃsāric life;
The lion's roaming free o'er the mountains high
Showeth that he hath gained the Realms of the Free.
O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
The dream regarding the East is good, not ill.

The great pillar southward of the mountain grand
Is Ngogdun-Chudor, of Zhung;
The tigress roaring on the pillar's top
Showeth him to be in nature tigress-like;
The stripes appearing well-defined and beautiful
Show him well imbued with the Mystic Truths;
The triple all-encircling stripes
Show that he hath, within himself, realized the Trinity;
The four paws clawing the jungles deep Show that by him the Duties Four will be fulfilled;
The eyes of the tigress turned heavenward
Show that he hath bidden farewell to saṃsāric life;
The tigress roaming the jungles free
Showeth that he hath attained Salvation;
The tigress traversing the groves of wood and plain
Showeth that his Hierarchy will be continued through his progeny.
O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
The dream regarding the South is good, not ill.

The great pillar westward of the mountain grand
Is Metön-Tsönpo, of Tsang-rong;
The eagle soaring above the pillar's top
Showeth him to be in nature eagle-like;
The wings of the eagle wide outspread
Show him well-imbued with the Mystic Truths;
The eagle's horns piercing the skies
Show that he hath passed meditation's pitfalls; ²³
The eyes of the Eagle turned heavenward
Show that he hath bidden farewell to saṃsāric life;
The flight of the eagle in the blue above
Showeth that he hath passed to the Realms of the Free.
O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
The dream of the West is good, not ill.

The great pillar northward of the mountain grand Is Mila-Repa, of Gungthang;
The vulture soaring above the pillar's top
Showeth him to be in nature vulture-like;
The wings of the vulture wide outspread
Show him well-imbued with the Mystic Truths;
The vulture's nest perched on a rock
Showeth his life to be enduring as the rock;
The vulture's bringing forth a chick
Showeth that he will have a peerless [spiritual] son;
Small birds filling the heavens wide
Show the spread of the Kargyutpa Sect;
The vulture's gazing heavenward
Showeth that he hath bidden farewell to saṃsāric life;
The flight of the vulture in the regions high
Showeth that he hath attained the Realms of the Free.
O ye, my śiṣyas, in assembly seated here,
The dream of the North is excellent.

Now is the duty of my life fulfilled;
On you my mantle now hath fallen.
And if my words prophetic be,
Then shall the Kargyütpa Hierarchy
Attain pre-eminence and glorious growth.”

'When the Guru had uttered these prophetic words, each of the śiṣyas was filled with joy. Then he opened out to them his treasures of religious books and scrolls of Mystic Truths and Sciences. By day he gave them instruction, by exposition, lecture, and sermon; by night he encouraged them to meditation. Thus each made good progress in spiritual development.

'One night, during a special Initiation Rite of the Yūm (Mother Text), the Lāma thought that he would find out, by the aid of his clairvoyance, what particular line of study and truths was most suitable for each of his four chief disciples, so that he might give to each just those texts of the Scriptures which would be most useful. So he resolved to observe the omens of the dawn. Accordingly, at daybreak next morning he regarded all his principal disciples with his clairvoyant vision. He saw Ngogdun-Chudor, of Zhung, engaged in explaining and elucidating the rituals of Gaypa-Dorje. Tsurtön-Wang-gay, of Döl, was engaged in meditating on Pho-wa (Transference - of the Principle of Consciousness); Metön Tsönpo, of Tsang-rong, was engaged in meditating on Od-Sal (Clear Light), and I myself had been observed meditating on Tūm-mo (the science of generating Vital Heat).²⁴

'Thus was he occultly apprised of the innate aptitude of each of his chief disciples for mastering that particular line of study which would be most profitable and into which he should confer initiation.

'Accordingly, he favoured each of us with the gift of his last and best teachings. To Lāma Ngogpa he gave the text categorically explaining the Gyüd (Tantras), according to the four methods and the six aims, which set forth the explanations so clearly and methodically that it may be said to resemble a row of pearls strung upon a thread. To this he added the six ornaments, the sacrificial spoon, and the ruby rosary which were originally Naropa's. He also gave to him the Indian commentaries on the texts already given, and exhorted him to serve the universal aim by preaching to all sentient beings.

‘To Tsurtön-Wang-gay, of Döl, Marpa gave the text on Pho-wa (Transference - of the Principle of Consciousness), which is to be likened to a bird flying out of an open skylight.²⁵ This was accompanied by the reliques of Naropa's hair, nails, and medicinal pills,²⁶ and ritual head-dress illuminated with paintings of the Five Dhyānī Buddhas,²⁷ and the injunction to practise Pho-wa.

'To Metön Tsönpo, of Tsang-rong, he gave a text on the Öd-sal (Clear Light), which is like unto a lighted lamp illuminating the gloom of night,²⁸ along with Naropa's lāmaic sceptre (dorje) and bell, small double-drum (damaru), and oyster-shell libation-cup, with the exhortation that he should take the short path across the Bar-do (the Intermediate State - between death and rebirth).

'To myself Marpa gave a text on Tūm-mo (the science of generating Vital Heat), which is like unto a blazing faggot, with Maitri's²⁹ hat and Naropa's raiment, and commanded me to meditate in various solitudes - on mountain peaks, in caves, and in wildernesses.

'Then, before a vast assembly [of disciples], Marpa [chiefly addressing the four disciples named] said, “I have given to each of you those Texts and Branches of the Truth by which ye will be most benefited; and I foretell that these same Teachings shall be the best adapted to the followers of each of you. I have no longer my son, Doday-Bum. Therefore, I entrust to you the entire charge of all my sacred Kargyütpa texts and reliques. May you prove to be devoted guardians of the Faith, that it may flourish and expand." Thereupon, [three of] the chief disciples departed, each to his own country.

'To me he said, “As for thee, stay a few years longer with me. I have several more Teachings and Initiations to impart; besides, thine understanding should develop well in thy Guru’s presence.”

'Thus, according to Marpa's command, I shut myself up in close retreat in the Zang-phug (Copper Cave) - a cave prophesied of by Naropa. Both my Guru and his lady ever sent me a share of any food of which they partook, and a part of the offerings from every religious ceremony - even the smallest - which they celebrated.

'In this wise did I pass my time in delightful meditation, developing mine understanding in the presence of my Guru for some years, until the shoots of Spiritual Wisdom shot up in my heart.'

[This constituted! Milarepa's Fourth Meritorious Act]

Footnotes

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