Marpa - His Life

Marpa

Then Naropa said, ' 'Go meet with your other former gurus as well. Thoroughly review the teachings you received earlier. Later, when you have no doubts concerning these, request other teachings that you have not yet received and discuss them. To whom would you like to go first?"

Marpa replied, "First I will go to Maitripa." Marpa went to stay with Maitripa, pleased him with an offering of gold, and carefully reviewed the teachings he had received earlier. Then he requested the abhiseka and commentary of the Guhyasamaja and the tantra of the Mahamudra-tilaka, and copied their texts.

After a brief return to Naropa at Phullahari, he went to Nalanda where he met the Kashmir! pandita Sri Bhadra. At a welcoming ganacakra, Sri Bhadra asked, "You have heard Master Maitrlpa expound the pith instructions. Which do you think is more profound, the intention of the lineage of Lord Savari, the disciple of the lord Great Brahman, or the intention of our own guru Naropa, the disciple of Tilopa?"

Marpa thought, "A ganacakra always involves song and dance; therefore there is no harm in revealing some aspects of Maitripa's intention in a song."

Then he sang this song:

Listen, heart friend Sri Bhadra!
I am a Buddhist called Marpa.
As you asked which is more profound,
The intention of Naropa or Maitrlpa,
This song is my reply.
Lion-like Naropa
Is the most precious of all.
His great intention
Is to fulfill all needs and desires.
Lord Dharmadhara, please accept us with kindness.

The lotus feet of this mahapandita
These days are my crest ornament.
His intention is as follows.
Please pay attention and listen carefully.

The sky of dharmakaya is thick with rain clouds of wisdom.
The continuous rain of emanations spreads over all beings.
To the supremely born guru of the uninterrupted lineage
I respectfully prostrate with body, speech, and mind.

The dharmakaya like the sky
Is the buddha, great Vajradhara.
The thick rain clouds of wisdom
Are the two bodhisattvas.

The amna rainfall of buddha activity
Is the jetstin, Brahman Saraha.
The emanation who works for the benefit of beings
Is the Lord of Hermits, Savari.

The holder of this unbroken lineage
Is the Master, Prince Maitripa.
I received kindness from this holy one.
This is how to understand his intention.

Self-luminous unchanging insight
Is described as unborn dharmakaya.
Unceasing self-born wisdom
Is described as the multiplicity of nirmanakaya.

These two unified in coemergence
Are described as the sambhogakaya.
These three free from origin
Are described as the svabhavikakaya.

All these, beyond conditions
Are described as the mahasukhakaya.
These are the five ultimate kayas.
Does this gladden your minds, heart friends?

Thus Marpa sang and described how the five kayas function.

Sri Bhadra said, "Now please describe the view, meditation. action, and fruition."

So Marpa sang this song:

Please listen without your minds wandering.
Though I am not skilled in composing songs,
This is the way to understand the true oral instructions.
Keep this in mind and ponder it.
The three worlds are primordially pure.
Ultimately, there is nothing more to understand.
Not negation, unceasing continuity,
Unchanging—such is the view.

The innate essence is naturally luminous.
Unconditioned, meditation is unceasing.
Not negation, beyond losing and gaining,
Without desire or attachment—such is the meditation.

Arising from the natural occurrence of various coincidences,
The play of illusion is unobstructed.
Not negation,
Things are unpredictable, abrupt—such is the action.

Mind shines as bodhicitta.
There is no attainment of the three kayas of buddha.
Not negation, beyond hope and fear,
Without ground or root—such is the fruition.

Thus Marpa sang.

Again Sri Bhadra asked, "Did Maitripa give the practitioners oral instructions all at once, or did he instruct them gradually by way of techniques?"

In reply Marpa sang this song:

O you superior dharma friends!
My Jetsun Maitripa
Touched the feet of Savari,
The heart son of Nagarjuna, protector of beings,
Who was foretold by Avalokitesvara.
Savari gave him the full teachings of the three yanas.
He received the secret name Advayavajra.
He holds the keys of all the orders of tantra.
He accomplished the techniques of the secret mantra.

Victory banner of dharma, treasury of dharma,
Lion of dharma, king of dharma—
He is widely learned in philology, madhyamaka, and logic.
He attained the mastery of a pandita.
He knows faultlessly the reality of things as they are.

He abandoned his royal domain as if it were weeds
And attained the supreme state in one life.
Jetsun Dakini revealed herself to him
And so he received all the ordinary siddhis.
In this way he attained immeasurable virtues.

Now these are the intentions of the father:
To ordinary people who are receptive to the gradual path
He gives the oral instruction of candali for life force,
The oral instruction of illusory body for nonattachment,
The transmission of luminosity for clearing away darkness
The transmission of existence as sambhogakaya,
The transmission of birth as nirmanakaya, and so on.
Thus he guides them through the supreme means of ground, path, and fruition.

To those who are receptive to the sudden path,
He transmits naked mahamudra.
Seeing this father fills one's body, speech, and mind with faith.
Hearing him purifies karmic obscurations.
Meeting him liberates one from the terrors of the lower realms.
If requested, he places buddha in the palm of one's hand.
Holding the lineage of the glorious Lord of Hermits.
Mahapandita Naropa's heart son,
The precious second Buddha,
Lord Maitrlpa possesses these virtues.

These days people arc extremely jealous.
If this is repeated to anyone other than you, friends
Virtue will not flourish and defilement will increase
Therefore, keep this secret from ordinary people.
These are the actions of the guru.
Isn't this good, fortunate vajra friends?

Thus Marpa sang.

Pandita Sri Bhadra, the leader, and the rest were very pleased and said, "Translator, you have done well in accomplishing your purposes."

After this, Lord Marpa returned to glorious Naropa. As Naropa suggested, he went to his gurus with offerings of gold. First he went to the island in the poison lake, where he met Kukkurlpa and Yogini Adorned with Bone Ornaments. Then he went to Laksetra in the West, where he met glorious Jftana-garbha and Simhadvipa. He offered gold to all the gurus, which pleased them very much. Once again, in order to clarify his understanding, he requested the abhisekas, reading transmissions, and oral instructions already received, as well as those not yet received. He translated all the teachings he received, edited them carefully, and returned with them to Phullahari.

From glorious Naropa, he received scrolls of the text and oral instructions on the Cakrasamvara of the lineage of King Indrabhiiti and on the Buddhakapila-tantra according to the tradition of the Great Brahman Saraha. Then Marpa began translating and writing down all the teachings he had previously received.

One day while Marpa was having a meal with Naropa, a learned pandita from Labar in Kashmir, a peaceful, gentle bhiksu named Akarasiddhi arrived. Even Naropa greeted him as an equal. Akarasiddhi supplicated Naropa, saying, "Please bestow on me the abhiseka, reading transmission, commentary, and oral instructions of the Guhyasamaja. ' ' Lord Marpa supplicated for these as well.,

Naropa said, "Now, because the time has come, I will definitely do this."

Together with Akarasiddhi, Marpa received the abhiseka of the elaborate and simplified mandalas of the Guhyasamaja, as well as the great tantric commentary called Advayasamatavijaya in 3,500 slokas and the Pradipoddyotana-namatika.

When the teaching was completed, Akarasiddhi prepared to leave. Marpa saw him off, and asked, "Where are you going now?"

He replied, "I am going through Tibet on a pilgrimage to Wu-t'ai Shan in China."

Marpa thought, "After this learned pandita goes through Tibet, it may be that fewer people will request the Guhyasamaja and other teachings from me."

Through his higher perception, the pandita instantly knew what Marpa was thinking. Then he left for Tibet.

When Akarasiddhi arrived in Knap Kungthang he met Naktso Lotsawa who was teaching the Pradipoddyotana on a rooftop. The lotsawa said,

"Who are you, dzoki? Where are you going?"

"I am a pandita. I am going to Wu-t'ai Shan in China."

Naktso scornfully said, "These so-called Indian panditas wander around with their dirty bare feet looking for gold. They make me laugh. By the way, do you know the pandita Akarasiddhi?"

"That is I."

"In that case you are certainly not looking for gold. You are wonderful." Naktso invited him inside and offered him every hospitality. In general, Naktso requested the profound and vast teachings of the sutras and tantras, and in particular, the Guhyasamaja.

While giving these, the pandita realized through his higher perception, "Although I have arrived in Tibet and taught the dharma, no one here is karmically connected to me as a disciple except for this lotsawa. All those presently in Tibet who have faith in the mamrayana will be disciples of Marpa Lotsawa, an emanation of Dombi Heraka. He alone will tame them. If I go to China, my life will be in danger. It is my destiny to perform buddha activity for disciples in Uddiyana." Therefore he decided to return to India.

After he had received the teachings, Naktso offered considerable gold as well as necessities for traveling in Tibet and said, "Since you are thinking of going to China, you will first have to pass through Tibet. I will send however many guides and servants you need as far as Lhasa."

Because he had great renunciation and because he had in mind what Nalctso said earlier about barefoot panditas looking for gold, Akarasiddhi said, ' 'Now I am going to return to India. I don't need gold or companions," and he would accept nothing.
Naktso asked, "What is your reason?"

Akarasiddhi told him what he had realized through his higher perception. Naktso said, "If you are returning to India, you must accept some gold in order that I may perfect the accumulations." With tears streaming from his eyes, he insisted that Akarasiddhi accept.

"Well, in order for you to perfect the accumulations, I shall take a little." Akarasiddhi took one sang of gold and departed.

Because of his conversation with Akarasiddhi, Naktso Lotsawa experienced sacred outlook and realized that Jetsun Marpa was certainly a great bodhisattva dwelling on the bhumis.

When the pandita arrived in India, he said to Lord Marpa, "My friend, I did not do as you feared. As you wish, the buddha activity of taming disciples in Tibet will be yours."

Marpa thought, "This good pandita knew my trivial bad thoughts through his higher perception. Fundamentally, there was no breach of trust on my part. I don't have to feel ashamed.

Generally, I must be aware of my own mind. I must not give rise to bad thoughts." Marpa related his thoughts to the pandita.

The pandita said, "Ah well, I am just joking. Because of your good intentions in former lives, now the guru accepts you in his heart. In the future you will be the glory of the teachings and sentient beings."

Then Akarasiddhi departed for Uddiyana.

After this, Lord Marpa translated all the texts of the abhisekas, reading transmissions, and oral instructions that he had received from his gurus. With exertion, he finished these compositions quickly.

go to Eighth Chapter: Life of Marpa