Villa San Carlo

The Song of the Snow Ranges
Of my experiences last winter when meditating.
May all at this delightful meeting
Drink the heavenly nectar of my song.
May everyone be gay and full of joy.
May your pure wishes be fulfilled.
This is the silly song sung by this old man;
Do not belittle it, this gift of Dharma,
But with joyous hearts stride forward
On the Path of the Blessed Doctrine!
33
Shindormo cried, "Jetsun! Most Precious One! You are like unto
the Buddhas of the past, present, and future. The opportunity to serve
yo)J and to learn from you is a rare privilege. Those who do not have
faith in you are indeed more foolish than the animals."
l\1ilarepa replied, "It may not be so very important for a person
to have faith in me. It does not matter much either way. But if you
have a precious human body and have been born at a time and place
in which the Buddhist religion prevails, it is very foolish indeed not
to practice the Dharma." Milarepa thus sang:
At the feet of the Translator Marpa, I
prostrate myself,
And sing to you, my faithful patrons.
How stupid it is to sin with recklessness
While the pure Dharma spreads all about you.
How foolish to spend your lifetime without meaning,
When a precious human body is so rare a gift.
How ridiculous to cling to prison-like
cities and remain there.
How laughable to fight and quarrel with your
wives and relatives,
Who do but visit you.
How senseless to cherish sweet and tender words
Which are but empty echoes in a dream.
How silly to disregard one's life by fighting foes
Who are but frail flowers.
How foolish it is when dying to torment
oneself with thoughts of family,
Which bind one to Maya's ~ mansion.
How stupid to stint on property and money,
Which are a debt on loan from others.
How ridiculous it is to beautify and deck the body,
Which is a vessel full of filth.
How silly to strain each nerve for wealth and goods,
And neglect the nectar of the inner teachings!
In a crowd of fools, the clever and sensible
Should practice the Dharma, as do I.
The people in the assembly said to Milarepa, "We are deeply grate-
ful for your songs of wisdom. But we can never emulate your indus-
try and intelligence. We can only try to avoid the foolish things you
have cited. Our only wish is for the privilege of your continued pres-
ence, that the living may give their service and obtain instruction
from you, and that the dead, too, may be saved through your grace."
Milarepa replied, "In obedience to the order of my Guru, I have
been meditating on Lashi Snow Mountain. I may stay here for a time,
but I can never stay here as you worldly people do. Disrespect, and
not goodwill, would result if I were to remain among you. He then
sang:
Obeisance to Marpa the Translator.
May all my patrons and patronesses here assembled
Have immutable faith, and pray to me with
sincerity unfeigned.
If one stays too long with friends,
They will soon tire of him;
Living in such closeness leads to dislike and hate.
It is but human to expect and demand too much
When one dwells too long in companionship.
The belligerence in human nature leads to
broken precepts;
Bad company destroys good deeds;
Honest words bring evil when spoken in a crowd;
To argue the right and wrong only makes more foes.
To cling to sectarian bigotry and dogma
Makes one vicious and more sinful.
An obligatory response to the offerings of
the faithful ever causes evil thoughts.
The Song of the Snow Ranges
To enjoy the Food of the Dead24 is sinful
and dangerous. '
The offerings of worldly beings are low and worthless.
Companionship itself causes contempt;
From contempt hate and aversion grow.
The more houses one owns, the more one
suffers at the time of death.
These sufferings and lamentations are indeed
intolerable,
Especially to yogis who dwell in solitude.
1, Milarepa, am going to a quiet hermitage,
to live alone.
Faithful patrons, your endeavor to amass
merits is wonderful;
My patrons and patronesses, it is good
To make offerings and to serve your Guru.
I confirm my wish to meet you soon,
And see you many times.
35
The patrons all said to Milarepa, "We never tire of hearing your
instruction and preaching; it may be that you have tired of us. No mat-
ter how warmly we entreat you to remain here, we know it will be in
vain. We only hope that from time to time you will come to visit
us from Lashi."
The villagers then offered Milarepa many provisions and other goods,
but he did not take them. All the people were inspired with venera-
tion and paid him deep respect. In a mood of great delight and hap-
piness, the villagers strongly confirmed their unshakable faith in the
Jetsun.
This is the Song of the Snow Ranges.
NOTES
I Dunba (T.T.: sTon.Pa.): a high priest who is versed in Buddhist s