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Marpa - His Life
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Marpa's third journey to India
Having accepted Jetsun Milarepa, Marpa gave him abhisekas and oral instructions and sent him into retreat at Taknya in Lhotrak. In accordance with the vow he made in the presence of glorious Naropa, Jetsiin Marpa intended to return once more to India. Together with Marpa Goiek and many other disciples, Marpa went again to northern Uru to gather offerings of gold. Because of Marpa's fame, many people requested teachings, and therefore he received many gifts of gold. After-ward, Marpa performed an abhiseka at Marpa Golek's residence. When he had completed the abhiseka itself and was about to chant the concluding liturgy, Lord Marpa passed into a state where sleep and luminosity mix, and had this vision: Three lovely maidens clothed in silks and wearing ornaments of bone walked toward him, side by side. In order to decipher the coded verses of Mahapandita Naropa, which Marpa had not understood previously, the maidens on the right and left accompanied the leader in this song: The dakini
is the flower blooming in the sky. At that moment Marpa woke up. He joined his palms and tears ran from his eyes. "What is it?" his disciples asked. "I must go quickly to glorious Naropa; I will go tomorrow," Marpa replied. Then he performed the concluding liturgy. Afterward, Marpa Goiek supplicated Marpa, "Please tell us your reasons in detail," and Marpa told them at length. Marpa Goiek said, "Well then, I and the other disciples will give you gold and make other offerings that can be exchanged for gold." As Marpa Goiek said, the other gifts were exchanged for gold. Then Marpa, together with Marpa Goiek, traveled to Lhottak. Marpa remained here for a few days, thinking that he must go to India. At the same time, Jetstin Mila was staying in strict retreat at Taknya in Lhotrak. One night, Mila dreamt that a lady appeared, sky blue in color, beautiful with clothing of silk and ornaments of bone, and having eyebrows and moustache of bright yellow. She said, "You have the mahamudra and the six yogas of Naropa, which bring buddhahood through prolonged practice; but you don't have the special teachings of the ejection and transference of consciousness, which bring buddhahood with little effort." When he awoke,
Mila did not know whether this was a revelation or an obstacle. He thought,
"If this is a revelation, then my guru, who is the buddha of the three
times, must have these Marpa said, ''This is a message from the dakinis. When I was about to return from India, Mahapandita Naropa spoke of the transference of consciousness and the hearing lineage. I don't think that I received these instructions, but we can look through my texts." Both master and disciple looked through the Indian texts. There were many texts on ejection, but they did not find any texts on transference. ''The coded verses deciphered in northern Uru also urged me to request this teaching. Moreover, I don't even know what kind of oral instructions there are of the hearing lineage. I will go quickly to India," Marpa said. His wife, Dagmema, and the disciples opposed him insistently, citing his old age and many other reasons as objections. "No matter what you say, I vowed to meet glorious Naropa once again. Naropa himself advised me to come. Therefore, whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India." Saying this, Marpa refused to listen. Since there was nothing else to do, they hid the gold and provisions needed for the trip to India. Marpa said, "If I don't have the strength to do this, it can't be done. I would rather die than break my vow to go to the guru." Getting angry, he went to bed. The next morning, his bedroom was disordered and empty. The disciples ran in all directions to look for him, and Jetsun Mila found him. Some others came to that place and offered supplication. Marpa said, "Now, even without gifts, I will not break my vow; even without gold, I will go to India." "Well all right, but you must come home to Trowo valley for a while. Then you can go to India." They urgently requested this and Marpa returned. When Marpa was about to leave for India, once again all his disciples and servants prostrated and said, "You are growing older now. On the road to India, there is a great plain called Paimo Palthang, where even a horse breaks down from fatigue. The snow pass called Khala Chela is so terribly cold that it is frozen even in the summer time. The tropics of Nepal are very hot, and the great Ganges river is very fearsome. In the small districts along the road through the primitive borderlands of India, great famine and wild bandits abound. All this has been said by the guru himself and must certainly be true. Now, if in spite of these dangers you were to go to India and were to lose your life, we who are students and disciples would have no one to look to with hope. What would we do? "If anyone is able to practice the dharma, what has already been brought to Tibet is enough for their needs. Meditating on the guru who dwells inseparably in the center of your heart, and supplicating him, his compassionate blessings are beyond near and far; therefore, you should stay here. "In any event, if you must bring more dharma teachings to Tibet, give the directions and instructions to your son Tarma Dode and his attendants. Send him to ask for the dharma. Guru, this time, have consideration for your disciples in Tibet and by all means stay. Please accept us with your kindness." Thus they supplicated. The guru replied, "Although the guru's compassion is beyond near and far, I promised to go to meet him again. Because of my affection for my Tibetan disciples and because there are special oral instructions I have not yet received, now that I have solved the dakinis' code and have followed their urging stage by stage, I have achieved certainty. Therefore, I should go. "Suppose I were to send Tarma Dode. Generally, he is so young that everyone could not help but worry. In particular, I told my guru I would come myself, and I never said I would send my son. As is said in the proverbs, 'Although an old merchant's body is feeble, he knows the way well.' Although my body is a little old now, I am not so old that I cannot travel to India, and I have the greatest knowledge of the customs of India. "From now on, whatever the consequences may be, I am going to receive the dharma. There are dangers on the road to India, but I have these indomitable confidences. Now, even at the cost of my life, I am going to India." Marpa then sang this song of going to India: I pay
homage at the feet of glorious Naropa and Maitripa. Since
I have been encouraged to go by solving the dakinis' code, Although
the great plain Paimo Palthang is vast, Although
the snow pass Khala Chela is very cold, Although
Nepal is very hot, Although
the Ganges river is wide and deep, Although
the primitive borderlands of India have great famine, Although
there are great dangers on the road and in the small outlying districts,
The gurus
Naropa and Maitripa live in India. Thus Marpa sang when he made his decision to go. With the gold he had gathered from previous offerings and the gold that he had received in exchange for his students' offerings, he filled a large porcelain bowl. He rejected the offer that others accompany him as attendants, and left by himself for India.
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