Sixty Songs of Milarepa - Buddhist Publication Society

Knowing that all must be left behind,
One realizes that all great love
And attachment must be futile
When that final moment comes,
Only Holy Dharma helps.
You should strive, dear patroness,
For a readiness to die!
Be certain and ready and when the time comes,
You will have no fear and no regret.
(pp. 556–557)
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A married couple of the village Mang Yul, had no children and invited Milarepa to their house
when he came that way for alms. They sought to adopt him into their family and said: “We have
a good strip of land which we can give you; you can then marry an attractive woman, and soon
you will have relatives.” Milarepa replied, “I have no need of these things and I will tell you
why:”
Home and land at first seem pleasant;
But they are like a rasp filing away
one’s body, word and mind!
How toilsome ploughing and digging can become!
And when the seeds you planted never sprout,
You have worked for nought!
In the end it becomes a land of misery—
Desolate and unprotected—
A place for hungry spirits, and of haunting ghosts!
When I think of the warehouse
For storing sinful deeds,
It gnaws at my heart,
In such a prison of transiency I will not stay,
I have no wish to join your family!
(pp. 119–120)
31
At first, when a man greets his relatives,
He is happy and joyful; with enthusiasm
He serves, entertains and talks to them.
Later, they share his meat and wine.
He offers something to them once, they may reciprocate.
In the end, they cause anger, craving and bitterness;
They are a fountain of regret and unhappiness.
With this in mind, l renounce pleasant and sociable friends;
For kinsmen and neighbours, I have no appetite.
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