The Story of Nyama Paldarbum
From the songs of Milarepa
commentated on by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
In the fourteenth chapter of The One Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa contains the teachings that Milarepa gave in response to the questions of Nyama Paldarbum. She asked Milarepa many questions and the answers Milarepa gave her are profound and beneficial to our own practice.
One autumn Milarepa came to a place named Gepa Lesum, where the people were bringing the harvest season. He was asking the people for food and a young girl named Nyama Paldarbum said, “Go to that house over there and I will come to you soon, and give you food.”
Milarepa went to the door of the house and tapped on it with his staff. There was no response. He tapped again and an old woman came out who said, “You so-called yogins do a lot of begging and when there”s no one at home you go in and steal, which is exactly what you were planning to do!”
Milarepa then sang her a song describing the suffering of old age and how in the midst of those sufferings we must practice the Dharma and follow a dharma master. When he had finished, the old woman was filled with regret and faith in Milarepa. With her hands together she supplicated him with tears streamed from her eyes.
Paldarbum arrived at this point, and thought that the yogi must have hit her. “What do you think you”re doing, hitting an old lady
” she asked him.
The old lady said, “He didn”t hit or insult me; I insulted him. Then he gave me Dharma teachings which has aroused great faith in the Dharma in me. I”m crying because I feel great regret for what I said to him. I”m very old now, but you”re still young, so you should serve this lama, Milarepa, and request the Dharma from him.”
Paldarbum said, “You are both amazing. If you are Milarepa, then I am very fortunate to meet you. I have heard that when pupils listen to the account of your lineage they develop great faith and their perceptions are transformed. I have heard that you have very profound instructions. What are they
”
Milarepa could see that this girl had the karma to be an excellent pupil and so he sang her a spiritual song that described the profundity of his lineage. The usual description of his lineage is the succession of gurus (Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa). However, here he describes his lineage as the Dharma which begins with the Buddha. Therefore the source of the vajrayana teachings is described to be the three kayas (the three bodies or aspects in which the Buddha manifests).
The dharmakaya is the all-pervading wisdom of the Buddha”s mind, the all-pervading Samantabhadra who is not an inpidual Buddha but represents the compassion and wisdom of Buddhahood.
The dharmakaya gives rise to the sambhogakaya which is beautified by the eighty major and minor signs physical signs. It is a manifestation of form for pupils. This is called Vajradhara which is not to be confused with the dharmakaya Vajradhara. This Vajradhara is not an inpidual Buddha but represents the changeless continuity of the sambhogakaya.
The nirmanakaya that benefits beings is the Shakyamuni Buddha who has manifested from the sambhogakaya to guide impure beings.
I am a yogin who possesses the lineage which is exceptionally superior because it originates from the three kayas.
Paldarbum said, “This is an excellent lineage, but one needs a root guru from whom one can directly receive the instructions. What kind of root guru did you have
” Milarepa could have answered quite simply that his guru was Marpa Lotsawa, but he sang her a song of the outer, inner, and ultimate gurus:
The outer guru is the one who communicates the continuity of knowledge through signs. He or she is the guru who teaches the instructions through symbols and other various methods.
The inner guru i…
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