NAMO GURAVE
From innate simplicity, the dharmakāya,
Arises luminosity beyond coming and going;
Through great compassion for the welfare of others,
He manifests as the sambhogakāya;
To this one who tames disciples of the tenth bhūmi,
The sixth sugata, Vajradhara;
To the collector of Vajradhara’s teachings,
The Lord of Secret, Vajrapāṇi;
To the jetsün ḍākinī, Sumati,
Who gave her blessings to the nirmāṇakāya
Renowned as Tilopa;
To the lord of yogin’s heart son,
Nāropa, who endured many trials,
And who is the master of knowing, the ornament of Jambudvīpa;
To the translator, Marpa Lotsāwa,
Who paid homage at the dust of Nāropa’s lotus feet;
To the Great Repa, father and son and many others;
To all these Kagyüs, I respectfully prostrate.
I bow down at the feet of Marpa of Lhotrak,
The lord of dharma who protects beings
By the kingdom of vajrayāna.
Marpa’s First Departure from India
Lord Marpa supplicated glorious Nāropa, “I want the abhiṣeka of Cakrasaṃvara and instructions on the commentary to the tantra.” Nāropa gave him the full abhiṣeka as well as the reading transmission and instructions on the commentary to the tantra, and said, “Practicing them is of great importance.”
Having been given the renowned oral instructions of the four special transmissions, the six dharmas of Nāropa, and the mahāmudrā transmission showing the mind as innate coemergent wisdom, Marpa meditated. In general, many special experiences and realizations of the unsurpassable secret mantra were born in his mind. In particular, while practicing caṇḍālī, he actualized the unity of bliss, luminosity, and nonthought. For seven days, he was unable to move the gates of body, speech, and mind, and he established confidence in this. The ten signs arose, and in a joyful state of mind the days and nights passed.
Later, Marpa thought to himself, “I have spent about twelve years in Nepal and India. Not only have I received abhiṣekas and oral instructions, I have also studied and practiced both their words and meaning. Therefore, I have no regrets, and I do not have to emulate others’ explication and meditation.
“Now that my gold is almost spent, I will return to Tibet for a little while and obtain as much gold as I can. Then I will return to India and please my gurus by offering it to them. I will review thoroughly with them the teachings previously obtained, and I will obtain whatever I did not receive before. Now, in general, I must by all means spread the teachings of Buddha in Tibet, and in particular the teachings of the Practice Lineage.” He then assembled the necessary provisions using the remainder of his gold, keeping just enough for expenses on the road.
Having summoned Brahman Sukhamati and Yoginī Sukhadhari and others, Marpa offered a gaṇacakra of thanksgiving and celebration to the Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa. At the feast, he thought to himself, “Fulfilling my purpose in coming to India from Tibet, I have met many gurus who are learned and who have attained siddhi. I have received and studied many tantras along with their commentaries. I have become the model of a learned translator who knows the languages. Unperverted experiences and realizations have arisen in my being. Now, as I am returning to Tibet without obstacles, there is no happier day than today.”
Marpa then sang the first of eight grand songs to glorious Nāropa, a long song in a voice with the drone of a tamboura. This is the song in which he offered his realization:
Lord, authentic precious guru!
Because of the merit accumulated by your previous practice,
You met the nirmāṇakāya Tilopa in person.
The suffering of existence which is difficult to abandon
You scorned throughout your twelve trials.12
Through your practice of austerities,
You saw the truth in an instant.
I prostrate at your feet, Śrī Jñānasiddhi.
I, the translator, a novice from Tibet,
Through the karmic link of previous practice,
Met you, Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa.
I studied the Hevajra Tantra, famed for its profundity.
You gave me the essence, Mahāmāyā.
I received the inner essence, Cakrasaṃvara.
In general, I extracted the inner essence of the four orders of tantra.
As granted by the mother, Subhaginī,
Whose river of blessings is continuous,
You transmitted the four abhiṣekas to me.
I gave birth to undefiled samādhi
And established confidence in it in seven days.
The sun and moon, the life force and descent,
Were locked in the home of still space.
The experience of self-existing coemergence—
Bliss, luminosity, and nonthought—dawned from my heart.
The confusion of habitual sleep
Was realized as the nature of the path of luminosity.
The movements of the mind, both grasping and fixation,
Dissolved into the simplicity of dharmakāya.
Outer appearance, this illusory wheel of confusion,
Was realized as unborn mahāmudrā.
Inner fixation, this mind consciousness,
Like meeting an old friend,
Realized its own nature.
Like a dream dreamt by a mute,
An inexpressible experience arose.
Like the ecstasy experienced by a maiden,
An indescribable meaning was realized.
Lord Nāropa, you are very kind.
Previously, you gave me blessings and abhiṣekas;
Please continue to accept me with your kindness.
Thus, Marpa offered his realization.
The Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa placed his hand on top of Marpa’s head, and sang this song of oral instructions:
You Marpa, the translator from Tibet!
Do not make the eight worldly dharmas the goal of your life.
Do not create the bias of self and other, grasping and fixation.
Do not slander friends or enemies.
Do not distort the ways of others.
Learning and contemplation are the torch that illumines the darkness.
Do not be ambushed on the supreme path of liberation.
Previously, we have been guru and disciple;
Keep this with you in the future; do not give this up.
This precious jewel of your mind,
Do not throw it in the river like an idiot.
Guard it carefully with undistracted attention,
And you will accomplish all needs, desires, and intentions.
Nāropa said many kind things in which Marpa greatly rejoiced. Marpa made a vow that he would return to see Nāropa, and he then left for Tibet.
Marpa’s Dream of Saraha
On his way to Tibet, Marpa came to a village on the border between Nepal and Tibet called Liśokara where there was a custom-tax collector. Lord Marpa was forced to stay there several days. His last night there, he had a dream in which ḍākinīs lifted him up in a palanquin and carried him to Śrī Parvata in the south. There Marpa met the Great Brahman Saraha who blessed his body, speech, and mind. Saraha gave him the signs and the meanings of the dharma of the essential truth, mahāmudrā. Undefiled bliss dawned in his body, and unperverted realization dawned in his mind, so that Marpa’s dream was filled with immeasurable delight. Even after he awoke, he did not forget what Saraha had said. In a state of delight, Marpa went to the province of Mang where he stayed at Langpokhar about two months and taught the dharma.
In Tsang at Gyerphu, the prince of Lokya had passed away leaving his eldest son as prince. Hearing that Marpa was nearby, the prince sent a messenger to Kyitrong to invite Marpa to Gyerphu. Marpa accepted, set a time for the meeting, and sent the messenger back. The people of Palkhü went to receive him by the lakes of Lhatso and Sintso, and welcomed him warmly when he arrived at Gyerphu. For a month, Marpa taught a good course on the dharma.
On the tenth day of the waxing of the moon, the festival of the ḍākas, a gaṇacakra was held. During the feast, the prince said to guru Marpa, “Guru, my father and I received you warmly before. Now we are doing so again, and today we request you at this gaṇacakra to please sing a song not sung before, a song unifying words and meaning.”
Marpa answered, “Last spring, I came from central Nepal to a place the time of one meal’s journey from there. In that uncivilized border town called Liśokara, the people collect many custom taxes. I stayed there a few days. One night in a dream, women of authentic being dressed in the clothes of a brahman’s daughter came to me and said, ‘Let us go to Śrī Parvata in the south,’ and they took me there. It seemed in the dream that I met the Great Brahman in person. At that time, I heard the essential truth which is not fabricated by the mind, sung from the mouth of the Great Brahman.”
Marpa then sang, in the melody Outstretched Wings of a Soaring Garuda, this grand song, a vajra dohā that captures the mind:
On this glorious and auspicious day of the waxing moon,
The holiday of the tenth day,
At the gaṇacakra feast of the ḍākas,
A son who is unswerving in samaya,
You, the prince of Lokya, have requested, “Sing a song never heard before.”
I have traveled a long way on the road,
And my body is overcome with weariness.
Therefore, this song will not be melodious nor ravishing to your mind,
And I am not even skilled in rhetoric.
But because there is no one more important than you, my friend,
And since I cannot refuse an important man,
I will sing a wondrous song which has never been heard before,
A song of the sayings and thoughts of the Lord Brahman.
You, the many monks and tāntrikas who fill these seats,
Listen carefully and consider this in your heart.
In the third month of last spring,
I came up from the land of central Nepal.
After being on the road the time of one meal,
I arrived at the Nepalese custom-tax station
In a town of lower caste people.
The custom-tax collectors exploit any man they meet,
And detain defenceless traveling Tibetans.
I, too, had to stay several days against my will.
One night, while dreaming in a light sleep,
Two beautiful brahman girls of authentic being,
Wearing the brahmanical thread,
Smiling coyly, and glancing out of the corners of their eyes,
Came before me and said,
“You must go to Śrī Parvata in the south!”
I said, “I have never gone there before;
I do not even know the way.”
The two girls replied,
“Brother, you do not have to do anything difficult;
We shall carry you on our shoulders.”
They put me on the seat of a cloth palanquin
And lifted it into the sky like a parasol.
Like a flash of lightning, in a mere instant of time,
I dreamt that I arrived at Śrī Parvata in the south.
In the cool shade of a grove of plakṣa trees,
On a tira corpse seat
Sat Lord Saraha, the Great Brahman.
I had never before seen such majestic brilliance.
He was flanked by two queens.
His body was adorned with charnel ground ornaments.
His joyous face was beaming.
“Welcome, my son!” he said.
Seeing the lord, I was overwhelmed with joy.
The hairs of my body stood on end, and I was moved to tears.
I circumambulated him seven times and I offered a full prostration.
I received the soles of his feet on the top of my head.
“Father, accept me with kindness,” I supplicated.
He blessed my body with his.
The moment he touched his hand to the top of my head,
My body was intoxicated with undefiled bliss.
Like an elephant drunk with liquor,
There dawned an experience of immovability.
He blessed my speech with his.
By the lion’s roar of emptiness,
He spoke “that without letter.”
Like a dream dreamt by a mute,
There dawned an experience beyond words.
He blessed my mind with his.
I realized the coemergent dharmakāya,
That which neither comes nor goes.
Like a human corpse left in a charnel ground,
There dawned an experience of non thought.
Then, the pure speech of great bliss arose
From the vase of his precious throat.
With sign speech in the melody of Brahmā,
He sang this vajra song which points out things as they are.,
The meaning of an empty sky free from clouds.
Thus, I heard this unborn self-utterance:
“NAMO Compassion and emptiness are inseparable.
This uninterrupted flowing innate mind
Is suchness, primordially pure.
Space is seen in intercourse with space.
Because the root resides at home,
Mind consciousness is imprisoned.
When I meditate on this, subsequent thoughts
Are not patched together in the mind.
Knowing the phenomenal world is the nature of mind,
Meditation requires no further antidote.
The nature of mind cannot be thought.
Rest in this natural state.
When you see this truth, you will be liberated.
Just as a child would, watch the behavior of barbarians.
Be carefree; eat flesh; be a madman.
“Just like a fearless lion,
Let your elephant mind wander free.
See the bees hovering among the flowers.
Not viewing saṃsāra as wrong,
There is no such thing as attaining nirvāṇa.
This is the way of ordinary mind.
Rest in natural freshness.
Do not think of activities.
Do not cling to one side or one direction.
Look into the midst of the space of simplicity.”
The exhaustion of all dharmas is the essential truth,
The summit of views, mahāmudrā.
This sign meaning, which captures the essence of mind,
I heard from the mouth of the Great Brahman.
At that instant, I awoke.
I was caught by the iron hook of this unforgettable memory.
Within the dungeon of ignorant sleep,
The vision of insight-wisdom opened up
And the sun dawned in a cloudless sky,
Clearing the dark forest of confusion.
I thought, “Even if I met the buddhas of the three times,
From now on, I would have nothing to ask them.”
This was a decisive experience.
Discursive thoughts were exhausted, what a wonder!
E ma! The prophecies of yidams and ḍākinīs
And the profound truth spoken by the guru,
Although I have been told not to speak of these things,
Tonight I cannot help but speak them.
Except for this very occasion,
I have never said this before.
Listen with your ears and repeat it at a later time.
I am a man who has traveled a long way
Without intimate friends and relatives.
Now, when my body becomes tired and hungry,
Son, what you have done will be in my mind.
I will not forget this; it is impressed deeply in my mind.
My heart friend, your kindness is repaid.
The lords who dwell above, the gurus,
The divine yidams who bestow siddhis,
And the dharmapālas who clear obstacles,
May all these please not scold me.
Please forgive me if there is any confusion in what I have said.
Thus, this song was sung, and the guru Marpa was seen as the Buddha in person by the prince of Lokya.
Marpa’s Third Trip to India
Lord Marpa said, “I am setting out for India.”
All his disciples and servants prostrated and said, “You are growing older now. On the road to India, there is a great plain called the Plain of Plains where even a horse breaks down from fatigue. The pass called Glaciers and Sand Dunes is so terribly cold that it is frozen even in the summertime. 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 monks, 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 Tarmadode 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 ḍākinī’s code and have achieved certainty, I am encouraged to go further. Therefore, I should go.
“Supposing I were to send Tarmadode. 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. 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 Nāropa and Maitrīpa.
The vow I have taken in the presence of Nāropa
Makes it supremely necessary that I go.
Since I have been encouraged to go by solving the ḍākinī’s code,
I have been overwhelmed by the memory of my guru.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although the Plain of Plains is vast,
I have the oral instructions in how consciousness rides prāṇa.
No ordinary steed is a match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although the Pass of Glaciers and Sand Dunes is very cold,
I have the oral instructions of the blazing fire of caṇḍālī.
Ordinary woolen clothing is no match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although Nepal is very hot,
I have the oral instructions in equalizing the elements.
The ordinary six precious substances are no match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although the Ganges river is wide and deep,
I have the oral instructions of consciousness soaring in space.
No ordinary boat is a match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although the primitive borderlands of India have great famine,
I have the oral instructions in how to live on the water of ascetism.
Ordinary food and drink are no match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Although there are great dangers on the road and in the small outlying districts,
I have the oral instructions in mamos who paralyze bandits.
Ordinary escorts are no match for this.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
The gurus Nāropa and Maitrīpa live in India.
Śrī Śāntibhadra lives in India,
And the shrine of Mahābodhi is in India.
Whatever the consequences may be, I am going to India.
Even at the cost of my life, I am going to India.
Thus Marpa sang when he made his decision to go. With the gold he had gathered from offerings and all his students’ offerings, which he exchanged for gold, he filled a large porcelain bowl. He rejected the offer to send others accompanying him as attendants, and left by himself for India.
Marpa’s Farewell to Nāropa
The great and glorious Nāropa said, “I establish this Marpa Chökyi Lodrö as my regent.”
As they were celebrating the farewell gaṇacakra, Nāropa gave this command-prophecy, “You the translator! Previously, I gave you the transmission of the five skandhas as the five buddha families, and the five kleśas primordially existing as the five wisdoms. Since they are free from accepting and rejecting, all the dharmas of the phenomenal world are the essence of the five buddha families. Knowing these as the manifestation that dawns as unobstructed dharmatā, there is no single dharma beyond this unity.
“Therefore, practice in the space of dharmatā, unobstructed, like a bird flying in the sky. This is turning the dharmacakra of what has been experienced, like a cakravartin king. You naturally turn the dharmacakra of what has been told, just as a universal monarch possesses the seven royal treasures. In general, you hold the teachings of the Buddha, both the sūtras and tantras, by means of what has been told and what has been experienced. In particular, you make what has been told and what has been experienced of the mantrayāna teachings shine like the sun.
“Although in this life, your family lineage will be interrupted, your dharma lineage will flow on like a wide river as long as the teachings of the Buddha remain. In the view of some impure ordinary men, you will appear to gratify yourself in this life with sense pleasures. Your desires will seem unchanging, like a carving in rock, so solid and so great. On the other hand, since you yourself have seen dharmatā, saṃsāra will be self-liberated, like a snake uncoiling. All the future students of the lineage will be like the children of lions and garuḍas, and each generation will be better than the last.
“Because of our love, yearning, and intimacy in this life, we are beyond meeting and parting in the realm of luminosity. In the next life, I will receive you in the pure celestial realm, and then we will be inseparable companions. Therefore, rejoice!”
After Nāropa said this, Marpa made this request, “Please be so kind as to prophesy for me the expansion of our dharma lineage. Since ultimately there is no difference between the sūtras and tantras in their view and realization, one can hold the teachings—what has been told and what has been experienced—of both. Is it necessary that in external appearance one adopt the robes of śrāvakas and practice the prātimokṣa? It isn’t, is it?
“I have seven sons of my own blood, headed by Tarmadode. If my family lineage is to be cut, please prophesy the means by which it could not be cut.”
The Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa replied, “In the future of your dharma lineage, there will be one who assumes the external appearance of a śrāvaka. Inwardly, he will realize the meaning of mahāyāna, dwell on the bhūmis, and will be surrounded by bodhisattvas. There will be many like him. Some others of varied appearance will make the teachings of the Practice Lineage flourish and expand.
“Not only if you have seven sons, even if you have thousands of sons, your family lineage will go no further. Nevertheless, without regret, father and sons should practice the sādhanas of divine yidams in strict retreats, exerting themselves in making feast torma offerings to the ḍākinīs and dharmapālas.
“Because you have the karmic stream of good practice in former lives, you are a mahāsattva dwelling on the bhūmis, and you will benefit many sentient beings. Therefore, in order to tame disciples of the snow land of Tibet, I empower you as my regent.”
Placing his right hand on top of Marpa’s head, Nāropa sang this song prophesying the future:
Possessing the karma of proper training in previous lives,
You are a yogin who has realized the innate truth.
You, Marpa the translator from Tibet,
In the space of dharmatā, where birds of the five families soar,
You will hold the royal treasures of a universal monarch.
The sky flower of your family lineage will vanish,
But your dharma lineage will flow on like a wide river.
Your desires are vivid, like a carving in rock,
But the ripples of saṃsara’s waters will vanish by themselves.
Your sons will be like the children of lions and garuḍas.
Later disciples will be even better than the previous ones.
Having realized the meaning of the great yāna,
Those of good karma will be ripened and freed.
You are the king of those worthy students.
Now depart to Ü in Tibet.
In the northern land of snow,
A place abundant with a variety of fragrant trees,
On a mountain slope blooming with various herbs,
Is a fortunate disciple who is a worthy vessel.
Son, go there and perform benefit for others.
You will ccrtainly accomplish this benefit.
Because of our love, yearning, and intimacy in this life,
In the realm of luminosity, we transcend meeting and parting.
In the next life, in the completely pure celestial realm,
I will receive you.
There is no doubt that we will be inseparable companions.
Son, rest your mind in this.
Thus, Nāropa sang.
Then Nāropa said, “Now go to Maitrīpa from here and persistently request the teachings you desire. Your understanding will be even deeper than before.”
Marpa’s Third Return to Tibet
Marpa was about to depart for Tibet. Having slept under a tree in a mango grove west of Phullahari, at dawn he thought, “In this life, I have come three times to India from Tibet—the first time for twelve years, the second time for six years, and this time for three years. Twenty-one years have passed, and I have stayed for sixteen years and seven months before glorious Nāropa. I have practiced the dharma and have met with siddha-gurus. I realize that I have accomplished my education in language and learning.” Thinking this, Marpa rejoiced.
As for departing to Tibet and leaving his guru and dharma brothers, he felt sad. As for the dangers of rivers, steep cliffs, and bandits on the road, he felt apprehensive. Having obtained the special oral instructions after accomplishing his education, he felt very proud in departing to Tibet. As a parting gesture, he gave a gaṇacakra to the Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa. In that gathering, when Nāropa and he were conversing and reminiscing, Marpa sang in the melody of a bee buzzing in the distance this “Long Song of the Journey,” a grand and renowned song, which he offered to his guru and dharma brothers and sisters.
Lord, kind leader of beings,
Gurus of the siddha lineage,
Please dwell as ornaments on the top of my head.
Dwelling there, please bless me.
Both the Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa of India
And the translator Marpa from Tibet
Met because of previous practice and the same aspiration.
I have attended you for sixteen years and seven months.
I accompanied you, not being separated for an instant.
Therefore, there is no opportunity for me not to be in your mind.
At this glorious monastery of Ravishing Beautiful Flowers,
You completely empowered me by the river of the four abhiṣekas.
You gave me the ultimate oral instructions of the hearing lineage.
In the nondual truth of the supreme unsurpassable vehicle,
I meditated one-pointedly.
I grabbed the śūnyatā-mind.
For the northern land of snow,
You established me as regent and prophesied.
Therefore, I, a novice, now go to Tibet.
As for me, a novice, going to Tibet:
There are three things I miss upon leaving.
There are three things which make me sad.
There are three things I fear on the road.
There are three things I am apprehensive of on the way.
There are three things ahead that make me proud.
There are three great wonders.
If I do not interpret this song,
The words and their meaning will not coincide.
As for the three things I miss upon leaving:
Headed by Lord Nāropa and Maitrīpa,
There are a hundred siddha-gurus.
Leaving them behind, I miss them more than my mother.
Headed by Śrī Abhayakīrti,
There are a hundred dharma brothers and sisters.
Leaving them behind, I miss them more than my mother.
Headed by the place Phullahari,
There are a hundred holy places of siddhas.
Leaving them behind, I miss them more than my mother.
As for the three things which make me sad:
There are divine Dharmabodhi Aśoka and the kind hosts and hostesses.
Not daring to separate from them, I feel sad.
There is the brahman youth wearing the golden brahmanical thread.
Dead or alive, we will always be friends.
Not daring to separate from him, I feel sad.
The dark-skinned daughter of the merchant
Was with me constantly as an authentic consort.
Not daring to separate from her, I feel sad.
As for the three things I fear on the road:
The foremost is the boiling lake of poison,
But soon I have to cross the eastern Ganges river.
Even before I see this, I am afraid.
In the jungle of the Uśiri mountain,
Bandits and thieves lie in wait on the road.
Even before I see them, I am afraid.
At a city in Tirahuti,
Shameless custom taxes fall upon me like rain.
Even before seeing this, I am afraid.
As for the three things I am apprehensive of on the way:
Not only is there the dangerous defile of Palahati,
There are eighty-one dangerous bridges and passages.
Kye ma! I quake like quicksilver.
Not only is there the Pass of Glaciers and Sand Dunes,
There are eighty-one small and large passes.
Kye ma! I quake like quicksilver.
Not only is there the Plain of Plains,
There are eighty-one small and large plains.
Kye ma! I quake like quicksilver.
As for the three things ahead that make me proud:
Headed by the grammars of Kalāpa and Candra,
I know a hundred and eight different languages.
In the company of fellow translators, I will feel proud.
Headed by the Catuḥpīṭha and the Hevajra,
I know a hundred and eight commentaries on the tantras.
In the company of fellow great teachers, I will feel proud.
Headed by the oral instructions of the four special transmissions,
I know a hundred and eight hearing lineage teachings.
In the company of fellow meditators, I will feel proud.
As for the three great wonders:
Besides the mixing of mind and prāṇa and the ejection of consciousness,
I know a hundred and eight special dharmas.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
Besides the devī Vetālī,
I know a hundred and eight protectors of the teachings.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
Besides the oral guidance in the five stages,
I know a hundred and eight sampannakramas.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
All these are the kindness of the lord guru.
Even though I cannot repay his kindness,
Still the lord dwells inseparably as an ornament on the top of my head.
Finally, I, a novice going to Tibet,
Request from my dharma brothers and sisters
Good wishes that my journey be free from obstacles.
This is the last time we will ever meet.
Let us definitely meet in the next life
In the celestial realm of glorious Uḍḍiyāṇa.
Thus, the guru translator sang this song.
His elder friends, the brahman Sumatikīrti and the yoginī Sukhadhari, eight altogether, burst into tears. Lord Marpa received the four abhiṣekas of the body maṇḍala of the guru, prayed, and then departed. His dharma brothers and sisters escorted him away, carrying all his belongings and gear. Lord Marpa himself, walking backwards and prostrating until he reached the bottom of the stone steps of Phullahari, prostrated to the guru at each step. At the bottom of the stone steps he prostrated many times with intense yearning. At that place, Lord Marpa left a footprint in the stone, which is still there now.
Having offered farewell prostrations to the kind gurus Maitrīpa, Śrī Śāntibhadra, Jñānagarbha, and others, Marpa thought he would rest and stay in Nepal for the winter. He departed toward Tibet, and went to Phamthing in Nepal.
At that time, Chitherpa who possessed the eye of dharma had died there, and the many dharma brothers and sisters led by Paiṇḍapa held a gaṇacakra to welcome Marpa. During the gaṇacakra, Paiṇḍapa said, “You, the translator! From the very first, the compassion of the master and the devotion of the student were in harmony. Therefore, I told you that you would certainly find Nāropa, and later I heard the wondrous news that you did.
“Besides where we previously searched together for the guru, where else did you look? And where did you meet the guru? What wondrous signs and great virtues of his did you see? Besides both Nāropa and Maitrīpa, how many gurus did you attend?
“We have given this small gaṇacakra as a celebration of your arrival here without obstacles. In return, please sing a song in answer to these questions.”
In answer, Marpa sang in the melody Whistling Song of the Dharmapālas, which removes the sadness of fervent longing. He offered this grand song of the eight wondrous signs of meeting his guru to the guru Paiṇḍapa and his brothers and sisters.
Leader, glorious Kanakaśrī,
Brothers and sisters sitting here, listen to me!
If you ask who I am,
I am the famous Marpa the translator.
My umbilical cord was cut in Ü of the land of Tibet.
I was educated in southern Nepal and India.
I traveled to India three times.
This last time, I truly made persistent request.
Touching their lotus feet to my head,
My gurus bestowed on me the amṛta of true speech.
Generally, I have many gurus with whom I have a dharmic connection.
Led by glorious Siṃhadvīpa,
They have completely mastered insight and the higher perceptions,
And thirteen of them can transform one’s perception of the world.
Amongst all of them, the most worthy of offering
Is the unrivaled Lord Nāropa
Who is great Vajradhara in human form.
There is no way to repay this lord’s kindness.
Though deeply missing the father nirmāṇakāya,
I could not find him anywhere.
Whatever face I saw, it was not his.
Finally, in the foothills of Dark Forest Mountain,
I saw on a boulder of wondrous crystal,
Like a symbol carved in relief,
Footprints left by the father jetsün.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
On the trunk of a medicinal sandalwood tree,
Through a miraculous display of Nāropa’s compassion,
The nine emanation devas of the Hevajra maṇḍala appeared.
From the heart center of the coemergent consort,
The aṣṭamantra wheel
Appeared as if drawn with the tip of one hair,
With a variety of light rays streaming forth.
Thus, Nāropa granted me the permission-blessing.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
I helplessly burst into tears.
Filled with yearning, I felt like crying forever.
Overwhelmed completely, I wailed aloud.
I supplicated him with one-pointed mind.
He looked on me with compassion, and came before me.
Joy arose in me, like on the path of seeing.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
I offered rare and precious gold dust.
He said, “I do not want all that.”
Again and again, I asked him to accept.
He said, “Offer it to the father gurus and the three jewels,”
And casually tossed it into the jungle.
I was stunned with loss.
Saying, “If you want it, here’s more,”
He opened his joined palms.
Not lost, unspoiled, it was there just as before.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
Striking his big toe on the ground,
Rocks and pebbles became gold.
He said, “Everything is a land of gold.”
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
He gazed into the sky,
And from the stomach of a clear white fish,
He set out the offerings of a gaṇacakra
With food of a hundred flavors.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
As Nāropa bathed in a pool of eight qualities,
A crow snatched away his protection yantra.
He gazed at it and made the mudrā of threatening.
At that very moment, the crow was paralyzed and fell to the earth.
Nāropa said, “Victory over the obstacles of Māra!”
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
“You should not stay here, but go to Tibet.
In that northern land of snow
Will be disciples who are worthy vessels.”
Thus, he gave this prophecy to me.
O how wondrous, how great indeed!
These are the eight wonders I saw
Of the nirmāṇakāya, Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa.
Besides you vajra brothers and sisters,
If I repeated this to anyone, they would not believe it.
In this dark age of the teaching,
People with perverted views and great envy
Will slander you if you speak of virtue.
Therefore, please keep this secret
And do not discuss these words with others besides yourselves.
I present this song of offering to the lord guru.
May it gladden your minds, my heart friends.
Thus, he sang and pleased the hearts of all.
That evening, at the memorial service for Chitherpa that coincided with the tenth day gaṇacakra, about twenty yogins and yoginīs led by the bhikṣu Abhayakīrti assembled together. The bhikṣu Abhayakīrti then said to Marpa, “In general, you are a Tibetan skilled in song. In particular, you, the translator, stayed in India for a long time and completely accomplished your studies without obstacle to your life. Therefore, we would like you to sing an auspicious song. Your guru Maitrīpa is said to emphasize the view in his teaching. Please tell us what his approach is.”
In answer, Marpa sang this song of Maitrīpa’s approach and expositions.
Blessed by the feet of the glorious hermit
Who has completely mastered the ultimate wisdom, the essential truth,
The dharma of mahāmudrā,
I pay homage at the feet of the great lord master.
Vajra brothers and sisters, my heart friends,
We cannot be separated by any means.
Brothers and sisters, though our bodies are separate, our minds are one.
Are you not the glorious Abhayakīrti?
I, who came from the land of India,
And you, who dwell in central Nepal,
Since the conditions for our long lives have not waned in strength,
Now on this holy day
At this gaṇacakra
We meet together again.
It must be that there is no hypocrisy in our samaya.
I feel completely joyful.
Do you, who are sitting here, feel joyful too?
Though I am a stupid novice from Tibet,
You call me the famous translator.
You said, “Translator, sing a Tibetan song.”
Though my voice is not good,
I cannot refuse the request of you, honorable ones.
Here is a song recalling the kindness
Of both Lord Nāropa and Maitrīpa.
There are various ways of seeing their wonders.
Listen carefully, brothers and sisters!
The realized Lord Maitrīpa
Is famed far and wide
As a nirmāṇakāya who lives in India.
In a city in the valley of Vaiśālī,
The king, the protector of the earth, touches his crown
To the anthers of the lord’s lotus feet.
Among the mahāpaṇḍitas of the five sciences,
Maitrīpa is known as the master, the crest jewel.
The banner of his fame is proclaimed in the ten directions.
In the month of miracles of the Bird year,
Through mastering offerings to the Sugata,
His name became universally renowned as the master.
This lord buddha gave the transmission
Of the perfection of the yānas, the essential truth,
The dharma of mahāmudrā:
“Outer grasping, the appearance of sense objects,
Continuously flows as great bliss.
Realize it as unborn dharmakāya.
Inner fixation, the mind-consciousness
Is thought-occurrence, which cannot be grasped as real.
Therefore, see it as naked insight without support.
Generally, all dharmas of apparent existence
Are primordially nonexistent and unborn.
Realize them as the essence of simplicity.
Do not desire to abandon saṃsāra
And there is no nirvāṇa to attain.
saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are the self-liberated innate state.
Realize this unity as great bliss.
Even if you emptied out the minds of the buddhas of the three times,
There is nothing more ultimate than this,” Maitrīpa sang.
I have cut all such doubts with this.
This is the approach of the great Lord Maitrīpa.
If you approach the view, do it this way.
I present this offering song to the three jewels.
May it gladden the hearts of those sitting here.
Thus, he sang. Everyone there was struck with further wonder at Lord Marpa.
At Mejadvīpa, there was a guru named Asamavajra who was one of the dharma brothers gathered around the master Maitrīpa, and who was an ācārya who had once given teaching in kriyā yoga to Lord Marpa himself. One day, Marpa went to pay his respects to Asamavajra. Asamavajra and others were consecrating a maṇḍala of Śrī Guhyasamāja made by a friend, a Kāśmīri artist. When Marpa arrived at this gaṇacakra, they said, “You, the translator, went to India and stayed a long time. Your guru Nāropa is extremely famous. How long did you stay with him? What dharma did you hear and how much certainty have you gained in your understanding of it? Please sing a song as a gift from India.”
In answer, Marpa sang this song of how he met Nāropa:
I prostrate to the lord siddhas.
Grant your blessings to me, a fortunate one.
Guide me, your yearning son, on the path.
Though I have no skill in singing,
I cannot refuse your request, my honorable dharma brothers and sisters.
Now I will sing this song of pride untouched even by death.
You who are assembled here, receive this into your hearts,
And practice the dharma properly.
Both I, Marpa the translator from Tibet,
And the Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa of India
Met together in a city in a valley blooming with flowers,
At the mountain monastery of the Golden Land.
This seemed to be the result of pure aspiration in former lives.
At this famous and blessed place,
I studied with the renowned jetsün
For sixteen years and seven months.
I received the complete, full, four abhiṣekas seven times.
He granted me the blessing of Śrī Cakrasaṃvara.
He taught me the profound tantra of Hevajra.
He gave me the yidam, the coemergent consort.
Again and again, I requested oral instructions.
I grabbed the path of the nāḍīs and prāṇa,
And the Buddha was in the palm of my hand.
One day, when so-called death is revealed,
I will be freed from the trap of my inherited body,
I will have the confidence of the profound teachings on the moment of death,
I will join together the technique of mixing and ejection,
And I will be received by ḍākas and ḍākinīs.
Accompanied by victory banners and a symphony of music,
I will go to the celestial realm of great bliss.
There I am certain to meet glorious Nāropa.
Now, even if I die, I feel proud.
All you venerable tāntrikas sitting here,
If you do not receive the transmission of the hearing lineage,
Do not hope to attain enlightenment in one lifetime
Through the sophistry of the scholastic lineage.
However, if you intend to practice the holy dharma wholeheartedly,
Take hold of the lineage of Nāropa and Maitrīpa.
Later disciples will be even better than previous ones.
They go from bliss to bliss.
Did my song agree with you, you who are sitting here?
Please forgive me if the meaning is confused.
Thus, Marpa sang.
Then they asked Marpa, “You, the translator! In general, how many gurus did you have beyond Nepal? Whom do you regard as your principal guru? Having stayed at the feet of this master, what virtues of his greatness did you see? What principal oral instructions did you request?”
In reply, the translator sang this song:
Successor of the Great Brahman,
He has realized the innate truth free from extremes,
And is therefore the yogin of space beyond analogy.
His name is renowned as Maitrīpa.
I am a follower of the tradition of this father jetsün.
He is a yogin for whom meditation is inseparable from the path.
This Marpa the translator
Was born in an inferior place, but the place he visited is supreme.
I went to India three times.
Without consideration for life and limb, I sought the holy dharma.
I met the lord nirmāṇakāya buddhas
Who accepted me with abhiṣekas along with their oral instructions.
Now I will repay their kindness.
You asked me, “How many gurus do you have?”
There are thirteen dharmic connections of aspiration.
In particular, there are five siddhas.
Then, there are two lords unrivaled by anyone,
Chiefly, the Mahāpaṇḍita Nāropa
And after him, the Prince Maitrīpa.
The kindness of Maitrīpa is even greater than a mother’s.
Missing him more and more,
I went to the eastern shore of the Ganges river.
At the monastery that blazes like a mountain fire,
In the cool shade of a nyagrodha tree,
I saw the great lord master sitting there.
Joy like the first bhūmi arose.
I presented an offering to please the ḍākinīs.
As a maṇḍala to please the guru,
I set out flowers of pure gold.
I joined my palms and offered a full prostration.
Longing with one-pointed mind, I supplicated him.
I requested the profound tantra Mañjuśrīnāmasaṅgīti,
And the yidam Hevajra.
He gave me the perfect mahāmudrā.
He is glorious Advaya Avadhūtipa.
Thus, the father jetsün kindly accepted me.
He empowered me with the four profound inner sign abhiṣekas.
He blessed me, completely purifying my being.
The germ of motivation sprouted deep within.
As the character of mind, inner insight,
Is continually flowing luminosity,
He showed me the unfabricated, innate essence.
Momentary thoughts dissolved into space,
And undefiled bliss arose within.
The stream of ālaya, primordially pure,
Was understood as the ground, path, and fruition of the trikāya.
I met mother dharmatā face to face.
At that time, there were wondrous signs:
A cedar torch the size of a finger span
Burned for seven days.
A tree, though inanimate,
Became unbearably agitated and moved.
There emanated seven red jackals
Whom I actually saw receive torma.
Ḍākinīs dwelling at the three celestial levels,
Invisible, proclaimed the sounds of mantras.
Kṣetrapālas filled the sky,
And I heard the sounds of various musical instruments.
“After three births, you will attain the supreme siddhi,”
Thus I heard from the great lord master.
Even though I am unworthy, my guru is good.
Thus, I solved the final point of the view of dharma
And have no fear of falling into inferior views.
This is the approach of the great Lord Maitrīpa.
Gladden your hearts and practice in this way.
This song was given as an arrival gift to the dharma brothers and sisters led by the guru Asamavajra.
Later, Lord Marpa was staying at the Rinchen Tsül monastery in Nepal. There he received from guru Paiṇḍapa a few selected instructions on the abhisamaya of Ekajaṭī, on the Amṛtaprabhasādhana, and on sampannakrama.
One night, Marpa dreamt of the lord master Maitrīpa traveling through the sky riding on a lion. Marpa cried out and wailed, saying, “Father jetsün, kindly accept me!”
Maitrīpa arrived in the sky before him, and showed him a sign teaching. He uttered the dharma beyond analogy, and Marpa achieved realization free from extremes. Thus, in this dream, Marpa had a meditation experience that he had never had before. Then, awakening from the dream and recalling the guru, he wept greatly.
The next evening, Marpa arranged an excellent gaṇacakra thanking guru Paiṇḍapa now that his studies were completed, and supplicating Maitrīpa. During the gaṇacakra, Paiṇḍapa said, “Tonight, at this gaṇacakra, we wish to hear whatever song arises from your heart.”
Thus, Lord Marpa sang this grand song repeating a dream prophecy in the melody of sparkling water, which clears away slothfulness.
The lord who has realized the essential truth, the dharmakāya,
His name is renowned as Maitrīpa.
When I think of him and his kindness,
I miss him greatly.
I yearn one-pointedly, continuously for him.
Father nirmāṇakāya, grant your blessings.
You, kind guru, are the guide.
Headed by Śrī Paiṇḍapa,
You yogins and yoginīs sitting here,
Listen a while to this song.
This song possesses the blessings of the ḍākinīs.
I, the teacher Marpa Chökyi Lodrö,
Spent one-third of my life in India.
For forty years, I have learned and studied.
Last year, the dangerous Snake year,
In the Hawk month of miracles,
I was on the road.
I crossed the terrifying river Ganges.
Two low-caste bandits, happy to die,
Dove into the water like fish,
And raced toward me like horses across a plain.
Thinking of past and future lives, I panicked.
I meditated on the father jetsün on the top of my head.
They looked at me again and again, stopped, and turned around.
Like rescuing a drowning man, his kindness saved my life.
Father, it is impossible to repay your kindness.
In the first part of the previous month,
In particular, on the tenth day of the waxing of the moon,
At the Ramadoli charnel ground,
I presented offerings to please the guru.
I conducted a gaṇacakra to please the ḍākinīs.
When I saw the yogins assembled there,
I suddenly recalled Lord Nāropa and Maitrīpa.
Inseparable from their loving kindness, I am protected.
Therefore, I called to mind the actions of the father.
Overwhelmed with yearning, I burst into tears.
Then I thought, “Should I return to India again?”
In a dream at the break of day,
A woman dressed in clothes made of leaves
Stretched out her right hand
And touched my head with her fingers,
Saying, “You should not return to India,
But go to Ü in the land of Tibet.
You will arrive in the land of snow
Without any outer and inner obstacles arising.
There are students there who are worthy vessels.”
She gave me this blessing and prophecy.
Surely, she was a kṣetrapāla-ḍākinī.
Then, through the kindness of the jetsün,
Last night, after my dreams born from habitual patterns,
I saw the lord master, Prince Maitrīpa,
Traveling through the sky riding on a lion.
He arrived in front of me,
And showed three signs revealing the unborn.
He spoke the dharma without letter.
I realized an inexpressible truth.
An unprecedented experience dawned.
At daybreak, as soon as I woke up,
I remembered Lord Maitrīpa again and again.
I could not separate him from my mind.
I wailed and cried, covering my face with tears.
I could not breathe; my lungs were blocked.
Father, in my heart I long for you like a thirsty man for water.
Do you know of my longing?
Father nirmāṇakāya, guide me on the path.
Although generally dreams are born from habitual patterns,
The father jetsün appeared; what a great wonder!
The greatest joy and deepest sorrow arose.
You who are sitting here, this is what I say to you.
Thus, Marpa sang.
Then, guru Paiṇḍapa inspired Lord Marpa to feel proud. Paiṇḍapa sang this song to show how, from his point of view, the one essence of the guru in Marpa’s dream manifested various virtues.
You, the translator, are a heart friend.
I have profound faith in you, my son,
I have great respect for your attainment of fundamental mastery,
And I have the greatest love and compassion for you.
We hold the vows which purify our being.
You are the noble son of an excellent family.
In your former lives, you did not despise the guru.
Therefore, you have now met real siddhas.
This was through the kindness of me, your friend.
Since you are grateful for this,
You also see me as a crest jewel.
Son, what a great wonder that you know what I have done!
On the supreme path, the imperial mantrayāna,
You have the superior samaya,
Which is the foundation of all traveling.
What is granted by the devas and ḍākinīs
And the oral instructions of the guru have entered into your heart.
It is certain that you will obtain bliss in this life.
Of all the buddhas of the three times,
The guru is the root of all siddhis.
As for this supreme nirmāṇakāya, the jetsün:
If you recognize him as space,
You will realize the unborn truth.
If you recognize him as the sun,
All pervading great compassion will arise.
If you recognize him as the moon,
You will dispel the anguish of the kleśas.
If you recognize him as the ocean,
You will acquire supreme, unwavering samādhi.
If you recognize him as a jewel,
Needs, desires, and hopes are spontaneously fulfilled.
If you recognize him as the captain of a ship,
He will convey you to the jewel island of liberation.
If you recognize him as a general,
He will quell the attack of the enemies, perverted views.
If you recognize him as a sword,
You will cut the bonds of fixation.
If you recognize him as a wheel,
You will realize the truth of not dwelling in extremes.
If you recognize him as a lion,
You will overpower the wild animals of grasping and fixation.
If you recognize him as an elephant,
You will be freed from dreadful māras.
If you recognize him as a steed,
He will carry you to the realm of nirvāṇa.
If you recognize him as a king,
All will honor you and make offering.
O you of noble family, however you see him,
You recognize him as the kind father.
The kingdom of dharma is continuous.
My son, after your dreams born from habitual patterns,
The great lord master appeared.
He showed a sign revealing the unborn
And spoke the dharma without letter.
Having realized the truth beyond extremes,
An experience dawned, never before arisen.
It would be good if you would speak about these truths.
Thus, Paiṇḍapa sang.
Then, Lord Marpa offered his realization of what he saw in his dreams and what he experienced in his mind to the dharma brothers and sisters headed by guru Paiṇḍapa.
Lord Paiṇḍapa, you who practice yogic discipline!
Your name has been prophesied by the devas; what a great wonder!
Under the hand of glorious Advayalalita
Are the vajra brothers and sisters whose minds do not differ.
Headed by Śrī Guṇamati,
Ḍākas who are sitting in the right hand row, listen to me!
After them, the secret yoginīs,
Headed by the consort Sukhavajrī,
Ḍākinīs who are sitting in the left hand row, listen to me!
Generally, all dharmas are illusion.
Dreams are exalted as special illusion.
Early in the night, dreams arise born from habitual patterns.
There is nothing whatsoever to rely on there.
At midnight, the deceptions of Māra appear.
One should not trust in these.
At dawn, there are prophecies by the devas.
How wondrous, how great indeed!
At the break of dawn this morning,
The great lord master appeared
And taught the dharma which revealed the ultimate.
This is the unforgettable memory of what Maitrīpa said:
“In general, all dharmas are mind.
The guru arises from mind.
The guru is nothing other than mind.
Everything that appears is the nature of mind.
This mind itself is primordially nonexistent.
In the natural state, unborn and innate,
There is nothing to abandon by discursive effort.
Rest at ease, naturally, without restriction.
This can be shown by signs:
A human corpse, an outcaste, a dog, a pig,
An infant, a madman, an elephant,
A precious jewel, a blue lotus,
Quicksilver, a deer, a lion,
A brahman, and a black antelope; did you see them?” Maitrīpa asked.
The realization of the truth was shown by these signs:
Not fixated on either saṃsāra or nirvāṇa,
Not holding acceptance or rejection in one’s being,
Not hoping for fruition from others,
Mind free from occupation and complexity,
Not falling into the four extremes,
Nonmeditation and nonwandering,
Free from thought and speech,
Beyond any analogy whatsoever.
Through the kindness of the guru, I realized these.
Since the experience of these realizations has dawned,
Mind and mental events have ceased,
And space and insight are inseparable.
Faults and virtues neither increase nor decrease.
Bliss, emptiness, and luminosity are unceasing.
Therefore, luminosity dawns beyond coming or going.
This transmission of the innate, the pith of the view
Through the sign meanings which reveal the unborn,
I heard from the great lord master.
The reason why I sing these words
Is the insistent request of the honorable lords.
I could not refuse the dharma brothers and sisters.
Ḍākinīs, do not be jealous!
Thus, this song was sung for the dharma brothers and sisters headed by Paiṇḍapa at the Rinchen Tsüi monastery in Nepal to show the meaning of the signs of mahāmudrā as revealed by Maitrīpa’s appearance in a dream.