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Milarepa
The
Song of Transiency and Delusion
Rechungpa
after returning from India had contracted the disease of pride and in
various ways Milarepa tried to cure him. As his disciple required food,
they went for alms but were abused by an old woman who declared that she
had no food. The next morning they found her dead and Milarepa said: "Rechungpa,
like this woman, every sentient being is destined to die, but seldom do
people think of this fact. So they lose many opportunities to practise
the Dharma. Both you and I should remember this incident and learn a lesson
from it."
Whereupon,
he sang:
When the
transience of life strikes deeply into one's heart
One's thought and deeds will naturally accord with Dharma.
If repeated and continuously one thinks about death,
One can easily conquer the demons of laziness.
No one knows when death will descend upon him -
Just as this woman last night!
Rechungpa,
do not be harsh, and listen to your Guru!
Behold, all manifestations in the outer world
Are ephemeral like a dream last night!
One feels utterly lost in sadness
When one thinks of this passing dream.
Rechungpa, have you completely wakened
From this great puzzlement?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I aspire to Buddha and the Dharma.
The pleasure-yearning
human body is an ungrateful creditor.
Whatever good you do to it,
It always plants the seeds of pain.
This human body is a bag of filth and dirt;
Never be proud of it, Rechungpa,
But listen to my song!
When I look
back at my body,
I see it as a mirage-city;
Though I may sustain it for a while,
It is doomed to extinction.
When I think of this,
My heart is filled with grief!
Rechungpa, would you not cut off Samsara?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I think of Buddha and the Dharma!
A vicious
person can never attain happiness.
Errant thoughts are the cause of all regrets,
Bad dispositions are the cause of all miseries,
Never be voracious, oh Rechungpa,
But listen to my song!
When I look
back at my clinging mind,
It appears like a short-lived sparrow in the woods -
Homeless, and with nowhere to sleep;
When I think of this, my heart is filled with grief.
Rechungpa, will you let yourself indulge in ill-will?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I aspire to Buddha and the Dharma!
Human life
is as precarious
As a single slim hair of a horse's tail
Hanging on the verge of breaking;
It may be snuffed out at anytime
Like this old woman was last night!
Do not cling to this life, Rechungpa,
But listen to my song!
When I observe
inwardly my breathings
I see they are transient, like the fog;
They may vanish any moment into nought.
When I think of this, my heart is filled with grief.
Rechungpa, do you not want to conquer
That insecurity now?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I aspire to Buddha and the Dharma.
To be close
to wisked kinsmen only causes hatred.
The case of this old woman is a very good lesson.
Rechungpa, stop your wishful-thinking
And listen to my song!
When I look
at friends and consorts
They appear as passers-by in the bazaar;
Meeting with them is only temporary,
But seperation is forever!
When I think of this, my heart is filled with grief.
Rechungpa, do you not want to cast aside
All worldly associations?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I think of Buddha and the Dharma.
A rich man
seldom enjoys
The wealth that he has earned;
This is the mockery of Karma and Samsara,
Money and jewels gained through stinginess and toil
Are like this old woman's bag of food.
Do not be covetous, Rechungpa,
But listen to my song!
When I look
at the fortunes of the rich,
They appear to me like honey to the bees -
Hard work, serving only for others' enjoyment,
Is the fruit of their labour.
When I think of this, my heart is filled with grief.
Rechungpa, do you not want to open
The treasury within your mind?
Oh, the more I think of this,
The more I aspire to Buddha and his Teachings.
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