Marano Ticino

Marano Ticino








THE HUNDRED THOUSAND SONGS OF MILAREPA
Pray, great Repa, listen to this girl's request.
With ignorant and bewildered mind
I have thought and searched.
In the depths of my heart
I have reflected on the transiency of life.
I have seen death strike down both young and olo
Since first I saw the light of day.
Life is precarious and fleeting
Like dew upon the grass.
Time flies unnoticed, and then life is o'er.
I have never seen or heard of an immortal man.
I am certain beyond doubt
That I shall die one day.
I have no freedom or choice
Of where to go when I am dead.
I am sad and fearful
When I think of the pains that I
In Lower Realms might bear.
This world is but a play -
The endless toil of housework,
The struggle for a living,
Leaving one's gracious parents,
Giving up one's life to one's betrothed-
If into the Lower Realms one falls,
Progress and Liberation will be lost.
Sometimes to myself I thought, ·
How does it make sense -
Freely to give yourself with your parents' goods
To someone who for life enslaves you as a servant?
At first a lover is an angel,
Next a demon, frightening and outrageous,
In the end a fierce elephant,
Who threatens to destroy Y.OU.
Thinking thus, I feel sad and weary.
Now, this maid shall devote herself to the Dharma,
Now, she will join her Vajra-brothersl4
Most men are but credit-collectors
Seldom does a gifted one appear.
First they steal your youthful beauty,
Next they snatch your food away,
Then they pull jewels from your hands.
Thinking thus, I feel sick at heart.
Now, I shall devote myself to practicing the Dharma.
Hereafter I shall foster the children of Wisdom.
Houses and temples are like prisons;
At first, they break your heart,
Then they give you an aching back,
In the end, they leave you in despair.
Thinking thus, I feel sick at heart.
This maid will now devote herself
To building a chapel for the immortal Dhyana.
'Tis meaningless to worship symbols and the Siitras
Except for those who have real faith and sincerity.
I see people fighting over land,
Then they quarrel over water,
In the end, blows are exchanged.
Thinking thus, I feel sick at heart.
Now I shall farm the land of self-discipline,
Now I shall devote myself to practicing the Dharma.
If one adheres to the Bodhi-Mind
His merits will surely grow.
Yet should he crave for wealth
He will commit much sin in his endeavors.
In the beginning, burning desire consumes one,
Then is he possessed by pride and jealousy,
In the end he fights his foes in desperation.
Thinking thus, my heart is filled with grief.
Now I shall devote myself to the Dharma,
Now I shall cultivate goodwill to all men.
Clearly we see others' faults
But seldom see our own.
How, then, can harmony exist among us?
Even the immaculate Buddha,
All-knowing and all-perfec