A Gift of Dharma for 11.6.09 November 6, 2009
Posted by Danny Fisher in A Gift of Dharma.Tags: Jetsun Milarepa
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Today’s quote comes to us from the great Tibetan saint Jetsun Milarepa (1052-1135).
Perhaps the most easily recognizable of all of Tibet’s yogis, Milarepa is best known for his dohas (or, songs of spiritual realization). (His collected works are published in translation by Garma C.C. Chang for Shambhala Publications as The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa.) In the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, he is considered one of the foundational and most important figures.
Stories tell us of the young Milarepa studying sorcery and “black magic” following the death of his father–this was so that he could take revenge on his paternal uncle for stealing the family’s inheritance. Milarepa ultimately renounced his vengeful ways, however, and became a student of Marpa Lotsawa (or, “Marpa the Translator”). After twelve years of practice and study, Milarepa attained the state of Vajradhara–complete enlightenment.
He then began to live and practice in Namkading Cave, Nyalam County, Tibet, though he also wandered and taught widely.
Many wonderful biographies of Milarepa have been produced in English, including The Life of Milarepa: A New Translation from the Tibetan by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, Tibet’s Great Yogī Milarepa: A Biography from the Tibetan by W.Y. Evans-Wentz, and The Life of Milarepa: Tibet’s Great Yogi by Lobzang Jivaka. In addition, Bhutanese writer/director (and Buddhist monk) Neten Chokling Rinpoche’s has made a feature-length biopic of the beloved mahasiddha entitled simply Milarepa.
Here’s the quote–one of Milarepa’s dohas:
All the water and drink you’ve consumed
From beginningless time until now
Has failed to satisfy your thirst or bring you contentment.
Drink therefore of this stream
Of enlightened mind, Fortunate Ones.
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