The Four Letters - The Essence of the Glorious Saraha's Mahamudra Beyond Activity of Mind by Marpa

Web source Kagyu Asia Te!t Layout by "ampa #am$yal % "anuary &'(')

Marpa - The Four Letters

The Four Letters The Essence of the Glorious Saraha's Mahamudra Beyond Activity of Mind

On this glorious and auspicious day of the waxing moon, The special time of the tenth day, At the ganacakra festival of the viras The son who does not stray from samaya You, the prince of ogkya have re!uested "#ing a song not previously heard$" % have travelled a long way And my body is overpowered by tiredness$ #o this song is not melodious or captivating to the heart$ % am not skilled in poetic composition$ &owever, because there is no'one more important than you, And % cannot refuse an important man % will sing a wondrous song which has never been heard before A song of the thought of the great (rahmin$ You followers of sutra and tantra, who sit on these seats, )lease listen carefully and consider this in your heart$ %n the third month of last spring, % came up from central *epal$ After being on the road till lunchtime % arrived at the *epali customs office %n a city of rough people$ As the officials exploit anyone they meet, Along with other imprisoned Tibetans % was detained for several days unable to resist$ One night while dreaming in a light sleep Two beautiful brahmin girls, With marks of noble birth, wearing a sacred thread, #miling coyly, and glancing out of the corners of their eyes +ame up to me and said, "You must go to #ri )arvata in the south-" % said, % have never gone there before And % do not know the way$" The two girls said, "You do not need to do anything difficult$ We shall bear you there on our shoulders$" They seated me in a palan!uin with silk fringes And lifted it into the sky like a parasol$ ike a lightning flash, in an instant % dreamed that % reached #ri )arvata in the south$ %n the cool shade of a grove of plaksa trees On a corpse seat
2/4

Marpa - The Four Letters

#at ord #araha, the .reat (rahmin$ % had never before ga/ed upon such splendour face to face$ &e was flanked by two !ueens$ &is body was adorned with the ceremony ornaments$ &is 0oyful face was smiling$ "Welcome, my son-" &e said$ #eeing the lord, % felt unbearable 0oy$ The hairs of my body stood on end, and % could not hold back my tears$ % circumambulated him seven times and prostrated to him$ % received the soles of his feet on the crown of my head$ "1ather, hold me with your compassion," % supplicated$ &e blessed my body with his$ As he touched the crown of my head with his hand 2y body was intoxicated with undefiled bliss$ ike and elephant drunk on beer, An experience of immovability dawned$ &e blessed my speech with his$ (y the lion"s roar of emptiness, &e uttered the meaning of the "four letters"$ ike the dream of a mute An experience of inexpressibility dawned$ &e blessed my mind with his$ % realised the meaning of the simultaneously'arising dharmakaya$ (eyond coming and going, ike being in a cemetery An experience of non'thought dawned$ 1rom the vase of precious song, The pure speech of va0ra'bliss With the melody of brahma and in symbol speech &e sang the va0ra'song showing the true nature The meaning of an empty sky free from clouds$ Thus % heard this unborn utterance$ "*amo+ompassion and emptiness are inseperable$ The unceasing flow of natural mind %s primordially pure thusness$ #ee it like space mixed with space #ince the root remains at home 2ind'consciousness is imprisoned$ As you meditate on this *othing is sewn together in the mind$ 3ecognising that the phenomenal world is the nature of mind There is no need for meditation as antidote$ The true nature of mind is beyond thought #o settle in this uncontrived state$ %f you can see this meaning you will be liberated$
3/4

Marpa - The Four Letters

ike a little child, with the behaviour of savages 4at flesh and be a cra/y man$ (e like a fearless lion$ et the elephant of mind go free$ #ee the bees hovering among the flowers$ *ot viewing samsara as wrong$ *or striving to attain nirvana$ The way of ordinary mind %s to rest in uncontrived nowness$ 5o not think of activities$ 5o not cling to one side or direction, ook into the space of unelaboration$" The exhaustion of dharmas is the essential truth, The summit of views is mahamudra$ This symbolic meaning which captures the very essence of mind % heard directly from the .reat (rahmin$ At that instant % awoke$ % was caught by the iron hook of this unforgettable memory$ Within the prison of unawareness, % saw the vision of the wisdom of awareness, ike the sun rising in a cloudless sky, +learing the darkness of error$ "4ven if % met the (uddhas of the three times % would have nothing to ask them$" % thought$ When this decisive experience of mind arose 2ental functions were exhausted, how wondrous4 ma- The prophecies of devatas and dakinis, And the profound words of the guru, Although % have been told not to discuss them, Tonight % cannot help but talk of them, 4xcept for this very occasion % have not discussed this before$ isten with your ears and repeat it later$ % am a man, who has travelled a long way Without friends or relatives$ *ow when my body is weary, #on, what you have done is in my mind$ % will not forget this, it is held strongly in my mind$ 2y dear friend you kindness is repaid$ The lords who dwell above, the gurus, The bestowers of siddhi, the devatas The removers of obstacles, dharmapalas, 2ay these, please, not be angry with me$ 2ay they forgive me if there is any error$
(Translated into English by the layman Jampa Thaye.

4/4