Author Topic: Milarepa's Last testament  (Read 13604 times)

bambi

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Milarepa's Last testament
« on: July 01, 2012, 06:00:38 PM »
After the enlightened cave-yogi and songmaster Milarepa left this world, a scrap of rice paper was found inscribed with his handwriting. His ascetic followers were astounded, for it stated that beneath a nearby boulder was buried all the gold that ascetic Mila had hoarded during his life.

A few eager disciples dug around and under that large rock. In the earth they discovered a ragged cloth bundle. Opening the knotted bundle with shaking hands, they discovered only a lump of dried shit.

There was another scribbled note as well. It said: "If you understand my teaching so little that you actually believed I ever valued or hoarded gold, you are truly heirs to my shit."

The note was signed "The Laughing Vajra, Milarepa."

For me, there are 2 ways of looking at this teaching.
- The followers are greedy for the gold like what Milarepa said
OR
- The followers were hoping that Milarepa left something more valuable than gold eg teachings.

What do you think?

Big Uncle

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2012, 06:25:44 PM »
After the enlightened cave-yogi and songmaster Milarepa left this world, a scrap of rice paper was found inscribed with his handwriting. His ascetic followers were astounded, for it stated that beneath a nearby boulder was buried all the gold that ascetic Mila had hoarded during his life.

A few eager disciples dug around and under that large rock. In the earth they discovered a ragged cloth bundle. Opening the knotted bundle with shaking hands, they discovered only a lump of dried shit.

There was another scribbled note as well. It said: "If you understand my teaching so little that you actually believed I ever valued or hoarded gold, you are truly heirs to my shit."

The note was signed "The Laughing Vajra, Milarepa."

For me, there are 2 ways of looking at this teaching.
- The followers are greedy for the gold like what Milarepa said
OR
- The followers were hoping that Milarepa left something more valuable than gold eg teachings.

What do you think?

Wow! Milarepa is a Buddha. Even at his dying bed, he is thinking about his students and the whole exercise was to reveal  the mind of some of his students. It was a funny and yet profound way to examine their base motivation. If after so many years of following Milarepa and listening to countless teachings and engaging in numerous practices together, they still do not know the mind of their Lama, then they have not learnt much. Hence, their spiritual practice is really a farce.

This is an excellent teaching for Milarepa's greedy students and it serves as a tale for us to have complete trust and complete surrender to our Lama. If we have followed the Lama for so long and we still doubt the motivation of our Lama, then what have we been learning from the Lama? If we have no trust, that means we have not been learning and have been harboring lesser motivations.

There are many ways to gauge our level of devotion to our Lama and how well we know our Lama can be an excellent gauge for level of awareness and how we regard our Lama is how much we know of what his needs and wishes are. They are excellent practices to serve our Lama in this manner and from there, the practice can be extended to others and our own view of others.

ratanasutra

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2012, 08:45:52 PM »
Amazing story, we can really learn from these stories. Milarepa really attained and he knew what was his students thought.

Of course, i think that Milarepa's student is so greedy. They are Milarepa's student who has been following, assisting and learning Dharma from him for years but it doesn't go inside their minds, as it still full with delusion ie greed. It quite sad to know that the students who followed and closed to him still think and act like these way.   

I could not stop smiling when read a message from the second scribbled note.. haha i hope his students realize it and turn the practice around otherwise it will bring them nowhere.

This story also reflect that to have a great chance to be closed, to served, assisted, etc to the attained lama, doesn't mean that we will become wiser and improve in our practice faster. Everything still create from our own actions and improvement of the teaching or mind transformation.
 

Jessie Fong

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2012, 01:32:26 AM »
The students should have known better to expect finding gold beneath the nearby boulder.  After having followed him for so long, they were for a moment deluded into thinking that they would find gold.

The second message should have been an eye-opener for them : If you understand my teaching so little that you actually believed I ever valued or hoarded gold, you are truly heirs to my shit.

It shows that the students still have some greed in them, hoping that there would really be gold as stated in the first message.  Maybe they thought that since their teacher has left them, there would be no more teachings for them.

biggyboy

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2012, 03:48:01 AM »
Interesting! Sad to see that after so many years of teachings and practice, the so called devout followers has not truly practised what has been taught by Milarepa.  This is so prevalent even till this date that many Buddhist practitioners that I have came across or known do act similarly.  Even though many whom have been closed to their Teacher, still has not truly transformed with self realisation.  Many just take or came not for the dharma but selfish greed.

biggyboy

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2012, 05:22:24 AM »
Interesting! Sad to see that after so many years of teachings and practice, the so called devout followers has not truly practised what has been taught by Milarepa.  This is so prevalent even till this date that many Buddhist practitioners that I have came across or known do act similarly.  Even though many whom have been closed to their Teacher, still has not truly transformed with self realisation.  Many just take or came not for the dharma but selfish greed.

Over time when one has deepen their knowledge on Buddhism, one's spiritual practice would have shown results. It is important to assimilate the accumulated intellectual information with corresponding enhancement in experiential learning and mind transformation, ultimately.

Obviously, the story depicted as such that the devout followers has not been doing what has been taught.

I would like to share the following, an excerpt of Lama Yeshe's teaching on related subject...
 
Most of us are emotionally unstable, sometimes up and sometimes down. When life is going well we put on a very religious aspect but when things go bad we lose it completely. This shows that we have no inner conviction, that our understanding of Dharma is very limited and fickle.

People say, “I’ve been practicing Dharma for years but I’ve still got all these problems. I don’t think Buddhism helps.” My question to them is, “Have you developed single-pointed concentration or penetrative insight?” That’s the problem. Simply saying, “Oh yes, I understand; I pray every day; I’m a good person” is not enough. Dharma is a total way of life. It’s not just for breakfast, Sundays, or the temple. If you’re subdued and controlled in the temple but aggressive and uncontrolled outside of it, your understanding of Dharma is neither continuous nor indestructible.

Are you satisfied with your present state of mind? Probably not, and that’s why you need meditation, why you need Dharma. Worldly possessions do not give you satisfaction; you can’t depend on transitory objects for your happiness.

Positive Change

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2012, 06:55:06 AM »
Brilliant story... Even in "death" Milarepa was compassionate enough to give a final lesson to his students... a big fat mirror to their egos and selfish minds. Nothing is said as to whether they had any realizations because of it. Even a teacher such as Milarepa had such wayward students.

I wanted to find our more about Milarepa's life and here is what I found which was interesting:

HISTORY OF MILAREPA

Milarepa (mi la ras pa) is one of the most famous individuals in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, but very little of his life is known with any historical certainty. Even the dates of his birth and death have been notoriously difficult to calculate. Tsangnyon Heruka (gtsang smyon heruka, 1452-1507) – Milarepa's most famous biographer – records that the boy was born in a water-dragon year (1052) and passed away in a wood-hare year (1135), dates also found in biographical works from a century earlier. Numerous other sources, including the important mid-fifteenth-century Religious History of Lhorong (lho rong chos 'byung) push back the dates one twelve-year cycle to 1040-1123, a life span widely accepted by modern scholars. A number of prominent Tibetan historians, including Katok Tsewang Norbu (kaH thog tshe dbang nor bu, 1698-1755), Situ Pa?chen Chokyi Jungne (si tu paN chen chos kyi 'byung gnas, 1700-1774), and Drakar Chokyi Wangchuk (brag dkar chos kyi dbang phyug, 1775-1837), however, place Milarepa's birth in 1028. Still other sources place his birth as early as 1026 or 1024. He is usually said to have lived until his eighty-forth year, although sources again record variant life spans of 73, 82, or 88 years. In any case, it is clear that he lived during the eleventh and early-twelfth centuries, at the advent of the latter dissemination (phyi dar) of Buddhism in Tibet.

According to Tsangnyon Heruka's account, Milarepa's ancestors were nomads of the Khyungpo (khyung po) clan from the northern region of the “central horn,” (dbus ru) one of two administrative regions of Tibet's central province (dbus). One early ancestor was a Nyingma tantric practitioner named Josey (jo sras). Khyung po Josey became famous for his exorcism rites, a practice that earned him both respect and a good deal of wealth. While residing in a place called Chungpachi (gcung pa spyi) in the region of Lato Jang (la stod byang), he had an encounter with a particularly fierce spirit and at last caused the demon to cry out in horror “mila, mila (mi la),” an admission of submission and defeat. Josey subsequently adopted this exclamation as a new clan title and his descendents came to be known by the name Mila.

Khyungpo Jose eventually married and had a son. This son in turn had two sons, the elder of whom was known as Mila Doton Sengge (mi la mdo ston seng ge). The latter's son was named Mila Dorje Sengge (mi la rdo rje seng ge). Dorje Sengge, who was fond of gambling, lost his family's home and wealth in a fateful game of dice. The family was thus forced to seek out a new life elsewhere and eventually resettled in the small village of Kyangatsa (skya rnga rtsa) in Mangyul Gungtang (mang yul gung thang), close to the modern border of Nepal. The father Doton Sengge served as a local village priest, performing various rituals and religious activities, while the son undertook trading trips in Tibet and to Nepal. In this way they were able to regain a good deal of wealth. Dorje Sengge married a local woman and had a son they named Mila Sherab Gyeltsen (shes rab rgyal mtshan); the latter in turn married a woman named Nyangtsa Kargyen (myang rtsa dkar rgyan). This couple then gave birth to the boy who would become Milarepa.

Upon hearing the news of his child's birth, Mila Sherab Gyeltsen is said to have exclaimed, “I am delighted to hear the news that the child has been born a son,” and so the boy was named Topaga, literally “delightful to hear.” He later proved to have a pleasing voice and so lived up to this name. Several years later, his sister Peta Gonkyi was born and eventually Milarepa was betrothed to a local village girl named Dzese.

When the boy turned seven, his father was stricken with a fatal illness and prepared a final testament that entrusted his wife, children, and wealth to the care of Milarepa's paternal uncle and aunt, providing that Milarepa regain his patrimony once he reached adulthood. The uncle and aunt, usually depicted as greedy and cold-hearted, responded by taking the estate for themselves, thus casting Milarepa's family into a life of abject poverty. In at least one version of the life story, by the fourteenth-century author Yungton Zhije Ripa (g.yung ston zhi byed ri pa), the relatives' actions are partially justified, noting that local marriage customs dictated that following Sherab Gyeltsen's death, the estate should have rightfully remained within the family of his brother, i.e. Milarepa's paternal uncle. In any case, the boy was sent to study reading and writing with a Nyingma master while his mother and sister were forced to labor as servants for their uncle and aunt.

Nyangtsa Kargyen then sent her son to train in black magic in order to seek revenge upon their relatives. Carrying out his mother's wishes, he trained in black magic with Nupchung Yonten Gyatso (gnubs chung yon tan rgya mtsho) and thereby murdered thirty-five people attending a wedding feast at his aunt and uncle's house. From Yungton Trogyal (g.yung ston khro rgyal) he then learned the art of casting hailstorms. Unleashing a powerful storm across his homeland, he destroyed the village's barley crops just as they were about to be reaped, washing away much of the surrounding countryside.

Milarepa eventually came to regret his terrible crimes and in order to expiate their karmic effects he set out to train with a Buddhist master. He first studied Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) with Rangton Lhaga (rang ston lha dga') in Nyangto Rinang (myang stod ri nang). His practice, however, proved ineffective, and Rangton instead directed Milarepa to seek out Marpa Chokyi Lodro (mar pa chos kyi blo gros, 1002/1012-1097), the great translator residing in Lhodrak (lho brag) in southern Tibet.

Milarepa eventually reached Lhodrak where he met a heavyset plowman standing in his field. In reality, this was Marpa who had had a vision that Milarepa would become his foremost disciple. He had thus devised a way to greet his future student in disguise. Marpa was famous for his fierce temper and did not immediately teach Milarepa. Instead, he subjected his new disciple to a stream of verbal and physical abuse, forcing Milarepa to endure a series of ordeals, including a trial of constructing a series of four immense stone towers. Marpa eventually revealed that Milarepa had been prophesied by his own guru, the Indian master N?ropa. He further explained that the trials were actually a means of purifying the sins he had committed earlier in his life. Marpa first imparted the lay and bodhisattva vows, granting Milarepa the name Dorje Gyeltsen (rdo rje rgyal mtshan). Milarepa then received numerous tantric instructions that Marpa had received in India, especially those of tummo (gtum mo), or yogic heat, the aural instructions (snyan rgyud) of tantric practice, and instructions Mah?mudr?. Marpa conferred upon Milarepa the secret initiation name Zhepa Dorje (bzhad pa rdo rje) and commanded him to spend the rest of his life meditating in solitary mountain retreats.

Milarepa returned to his homeland for a brief period and then retired to a series of retreats nearby. Most famous among these is Drakar Taso (brag dkar rta so) where he remained for many years in arduous meditation. With nothing but wild nettles to eat, his body grew weak and his flesh turned pele green. He later traveled widely across the Himalayan borderlands of southern Tibet and northern Nepal, and dozens of locations associated with his life have become important pilgrimage sites and retreat centers. In his account of the life story, Tsangnyon Heruka drew largely upon earlier sources in order to document dozens such locations, but he reorganized them to create a new map of sacred sites—many of which were designated “fortresses” of meditation—along Tibet's southern border:  six well-known outer fortresses, six unknown inner fortresses, and six secret fortresses, together with numerous other caves. Stories of Milarepa's taming and converting demons in these locations, recorded in Tsangnyon Heruka's companion volume The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa (mi la ras pa'i mgur 'bum) echo accounts of the eight-century Indian master Padmasambhava. Many of Milarepa's most famous retreat locations were said to have been previously inhabited by Padmasambhava himself. Tsangnyon Heruka's reckoning of Milarepa's meditation sites therefore reveals a process of spiritual re-colonization, one that effectively claimed much of the Himalayan border for Milarepa's lineage. Three famous sacred sites of southern and western Tibet – Ts?ri (tsA ri), Lapchi (la phyi), and Kail?sa (ti se) – are said to have been established or prophesied by Milarepa, and all three later became important Kagyu retreat and pilgrimage centers, identified as Him?laya/Himavat, God?var?, and C?ritra/Dev?ko?a from the list of twenty-four p??has of the Cakrasa?vara Tantra, as well as the ma??alas of Cakrasa?vara's body, speech, and mind. Drakar Taso became in important monastic institution and printing house under the direction of Tsangnyon Heruka's disciple Lhatsun Rinchen Namgyel (lha btsun rin chen rnam rgyal, 1473-1557).

Milarepa spent the rest of his adult life practicing meditation in seclusion and teaching groups of disciples mainly through spontaneous songs of realization (mgur).  One of the first of Milarepa's songs recorded in Tsangnyon Heruka's takes place after returning to his homeland for the first time and poignantly marks his decision to take up a life of solitary meditation:

I bow down at the feet of most excellent Marpa.
Bless this beggar to turn from clinging to things.

Alas. Alas. Ay me. Ay me. How sad.
People invested in things of life's round—
I reflect and reflect and again and again I despair.
They engage and engage and stir up from their depths so much torment.
They whirl and they whirl and are cast in the depths of life's round.

Those dragged on by karma, afflicted with anguish like this—
What to do? What to do? There's no cure but the dharma.
Lord Ak?obhya in essence, Vajradhara,
Bless this beggar to stay in mountain retreat.

In the town of impermanence and illusion
A restless visitor to these ruins is afflicted with anguish.
In the environs of Gungtang, a wondrous landscape,
Grasslands that fed yaks, sheep, cattle, and goats
Are nowadays taken over by harmful spirits.
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.

This home of four pillars and eight beams
Nowadays resembles a lion's upper jaw.
The manor of four corners, four walls, and a roof, making nine
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.

This fertile field Orma Triangle
Nowadays is a tangle of weeds.
My cousins and family relations
Nowadays rise up as an army of foes.
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.
My good father Mila Shergyal
Nowadays, of him no trace remains.
My mother Nyangtsa Kargyen
Nowadays is a pile of bare bones.
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.

My family priest Konchok Lhabüm
Nowadays works as a servant.
The sacred text Ratnak??a
Nowadays serves as a nest for vermin and birds.
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.

My neighboring uncle Yungyal
Nowadays lives among hostile enemies.
My sister Peta Gonkyi
Has vanished without leaving a trace.
These too are examples of impermanence and illusion,
Examples that call me, a yogin, to practice.

Lord Ak?obhya in essence, compassionate one,
Bless this beggar to stay in mountain retreat.



While staying at Drakar Taso, Milarepa later reaffirms his commitment to meditation practice in a stirring song about his the aim of dying in solitary retreat:

I address my prayers to the lord lama's body.
Bless this beggar to stay in mountain retreat.

My happiness unknown to loved ones
And misery unknown to foes—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

My aging unknown to companions
And sickness unknown to my sister—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

My death unknown among people
And rotting corpse unseen by vultures—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

Flies sucking on my putrid flesh
And insects gnawing my bones—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

No footprints upon my doorstep
And no sign of blood inside—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

No one to stand round my corpse
And no one to mourn for my death—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

No one to ask where I've gone to
And no one to say I have come—
If thus I can die in this mountain retreat
The aims of this yogin will be complete.

May the prayer of this beggar to die
In a cave of some lonesome locale
Be cast for the benefit of beings.
When cast, my aims are fulfilled.


Milarepa passed away at the age of 84, after eating poisoned curds given by the jealous geshe Tsakpuwa (rtsag phu ba). After Milarepa's body was cremated, ??kin? goddesses are said to have carried away his corporeal relics, leaving his disciples with little more than a piece of his robe, a lump of rock sugar, a knife and flint steel, and the yogin's many songs of inner realization.

Milarepa is credited with gathering numerous disciples; the best known are Rechungpa Dorje Drak (ras chung pa rdo rje brag, 1084-1161) and Gampopa Sonam Rinchen (sgam po pa bsod nam rin chen, 1079-1153). The latter helped to establish a lineage of Kagyu masters and institutions that continue to play an important role in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism.


Here are some beautiful illustrations of Milarepa and the last one if of Milarepa and Marpa

bambi

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2012, 04:15:22 PM »
Well, one cannot deny the fact that there are people out there that have benefitted so much yet they still take and take without benefitting others. These people rather hoard their knowledge than sharing it. How sad!  :-[

Milarepa's students is the perfect example of being greedy. Milarepa having taught them so much yet their mind have not transform. They should be transforming for the benefit of beings and not indulging themselves into samsaric pleasures. Milarepa went through so much when Marpa was teaching him and he transformed and received tantric teachings. Its definitely a wake up call for the students!

Klein

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2012, 05:17:09 PM »
I believe Milarepa was giving his last teaching on the 3 poisons, greed, hatred and delusion. These are the primary source of all bad Karma trapping ourselves in Samsara. Thus we have to abandon them by all means.

Greed

Greed is the cause of many offences. The five greedy desires are wealth, sex, fame, eating and sleeping.
Greedy desire is endless and therefore can never be satisfied. The less greedy desire, the happier and more satisfied we are.

Anger

Hatred to people is another cause of negative deed. We should not lose temper and get angry when we are unhappy. We should be calm and patient.

Delusion

It means the persistent belief in something false and distorted. We have to observe and think in an objective and rational manner, so as to avoid prejudice and misunderstanding.

Vajraprotector

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2012, 06:09:33 PM »
I think Milarepa wanted his students to learn a final lesson and hence this was set-up as a reminder of non-attachment and of course, his spontaneous (and humourous) approach to the truth (Dharma).

Milarepa was known as a great poet. He is said to have wandered from village to village, teaching enlightenment and the path to Buddhahood through his spontaneously composed songs. Wherever he went, crowds of people gathered to hear his sweet-sounding voice "singing the Dharma.

I’d like to share some information from a good article about Milarepa, called “What Tibet’s Greatest Ever Yogi Can Teach Us About Living Life” (http://www.thedailymind.com/happiness/what-tibets-greatest-ever-yogi-can-teach-us-about-living-life/)

1. Be humble
“Take the lowest place, and you shall reach the highest.” – Milarepa

Milarepa was known to be very humble. He would wear nothing but a few dirty old rags and he would never sit on a high throne or seat. He had no fancy monastery but instead chose to dwell in caves and on mountains.

Many of his songs are about humility. Milarepa often talks about how humility allows us to develop compassion and love whereas arrogance causes us to feel better and more important than everyone else. He often scolded local people for being arrogant saying that pride is the cause suffering because it is so self-centered. And when you are arrogant and proud and things don’t go your way, you suffer.


2. Be mindful of death
“Life is short, and the time of death is uncertain; so apply yourselves to meditation. Avoid doing wrong, and acquire merit, to the best of your ability, even at the cost of life itself. In short, act so that you will have no cause to be ashamed of yourselves; and hold fast to this rule.” – Milarepa

One of the key themes in Milarepa’s poems and songs is death. It seems as though his past as a murderer stayed with him and he was always mindful of the fact that death could come at any time. But Milarepa used this knowledge as inspiration, not as a cause for depression. Instead of worrying about death he faced his fears and used his mortality as his primary motivation to practice hard.

I often try to encourage my readers to do the same. We have no idea when we are going to die but we know that death is a certainty. So we should use this precious opportunity to achieve our goals and do some good. That is what Milarepa did. He made the most of his time by being constantly aware of the fact that time could run out.


3. Be mindful of impermanence
“All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.” – Milarepa

One thing that I wish my parents spent more time educating me on is the truth of impermanence. It is a very useful thing to understand but one which most people, sadly, never really grasp.
Milarepa often told people not to be too attached to things because it wouldn’t last. Relationships, wealth, jobs, houses, countries, etc. All of it will fade like a rainbow. None of it will last forever. And by understanding and respecting this truth one is able to enjoy life a lot more. Our relationships to the world become more realistic and healthy. We are not always grasping at things trying to prevent them from ending. When we understand impermanence we are more likely to appreciate something while it is here.


4. Don’t be fooled by worldly distractions
“The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.” – Milarepa

I love this quote. In fact, I have it as my desktop background and I read it when I need to remind myself that there is something else to do other than work, eat, sleep and work.

We can all identify with this saying, even if we aren’t meditation practitioners. The affairs of the world will go on forever. There will always be someone or something getting in the way of our hopes and dreams. It might be work or money or some other obstacle but as soon as you overcome it, a new one will appear.
Milarepa is telling us not to waste time but to get on with it. There are always going to be distractions and problems but we need to make progress anyway. This is very important.


5. Live and die without regret
“My religion is not Buddhism. My religion is to live and die without regret.” – Milarepa.

This is my favorite quote of all time. Not just of Milarepa, but of anyone, anywhere. I read it and I feel inspired to be a better man and to do everything I can to make my life beneficial and worthwhile. I love it because it hits to the heart of the matter and expresses how horrible it would be to be on death’s door and have regrets about things you have done (or not done!) during your youth.


Dondrup Shugden

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2015, 01:15:19 PM »
The Guru never gives up on His students.  It is such an amazing story of Milarepa who even taught his students after having entered clear light.

Knowing the greed of Samsara, Milarepa left notice to his students that he had left gold hidden in the ground but alas that was not true.

The final teaching is not to be attached and have expectations.

kelly

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #11 on: April 07, 2015, 06:14:43 AM »
Wow amazing story! The moral of the story is to tell us not to be greedy even your own spiritual guru who teach you the Dharma after his passing the student still want to take advantage is really ridiculous.

MoMo

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #12 on: April 12, 2015, 02:23:07 PM »
Milerapa’s biography never fail to amaze me, I read the book titled “ Hundred thousand songs of Milerapa” twice but couldn’t remember this passage mentioned here. But my immediate response was “Bad boy Mila” does it again!
His ascetic disciples that mentioned here goes into asceticism practice not because they want to emulate their Lama’s practice but just to be near to him as if there was something to gain by physically close to him but their faith in the practice and his teachings burst when their Lama passed away.  This reminded me to the words of my kind guru who once said: A true Lama will always train his student to be independent of him and not dependent on him!  This  tells us that regardless of whether  we are in the presence of our Lama or not ,  hold his instructions to heart even in the costs of our live.

eyesoftara

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Re: Milarepa's Last testament
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2015, 10:41:39 AM »
Naturally anyone will dig for it. The difference is what is the view to the "gold" or if there is any at all. For some it the mundane value of the gold, for others it is "gold of Milarepa. Yet for others still what Milarepa left behind is "gold". So for this last group Milarepa's shit is more invaluable tha gold and lastly the gem that is invaluable is the teaching itself. At once, everyone is confronted with a teaching of some kind depending of the level of the person.

This is how a Buddha like Milarepa teaches. I can't help but smile and be blown away.