yeshe sogyal songs | machik labdron songs | song of seven delights
paldarbum learns meditation
From among the twenty-four closest disciples of the beloved Tibetan saint Milarepa, four were women. Here is a song from one of these women, Paldarbum.
Paldarbum then beseeched [Milarepa] with great sincerity; "Dear Lama, I have not made any preparations for the next life. In order that I may start to do so, please kindly teach me how to meditate." The Jetsun was extremely pleased and replied, "In my tradition, if you sincerely wish to practice Dharma, you do not have to change your name. Since you can reach Buddhahood with a full head of hair, you don't have to cut it off or change your clothes. He then sang a song for her called "The four parables and five meanings," giving the meditation instruction of mind-practice:
Listen, lady Paldarbum,
Faithful, wealthy woman.
Take this sky as a likeness
And meditate without center or limit.
Take the sun and moon as similes
And meditate without fluctuation in clarity.
Take this mountain as a likeness
And meditate without movement or change.
Take the great ocean as a likeness
And meditate without limit in depth.
Take your mind as their meaning
And meditate without doubt.
Having said that, he taught the techniques of body and mind and sent her to meditate. Through doing so, she generated excellent experience and realization. In order to remove doubts and impediments, she offered the following song:
Please listen, precious, noble lord,
Supreme being, nirmanakaya.
Meditation on the sky is easy.
But meditation on clouds is slighty hard.
Now teach me what to do about clouds.
Meditation on the sun and moon is easy
But meditation on stars and planets is slightly hard.
Now teach me what to do about planets and stars.
Meditation on the mountain is easy
But meditation on trees is slightly hard.
Now teach me what to do about trees.
Meditation on the ocean is easy
But meditation on waves is slightly hard.
Now teach me what to do about waves.
Meditation on my mind is easy
But meditation on thought is slightly hard.
Now teach me what to do about thought.
The noble lord, thinking "meditation has arisen within her," was extremely pleased. In answer to her request, he sang the following song to remove impediments and bring enhancement:
Listen, lady Paldarbum,
Faithful, wealthy woman.
If meditation on the sky is easy,
Since clouds are expressions of the sky,
Rest in the nature of the sky.
If meditation on the sun and moon is easy,
Since stars and planets are expressions of the sun and moon,
Rest in the nature of the sun and moon.
If meditation on the mountain is easy,
Since trees are expressions of the mountain,
Rest in the nature of the mountain.
If meditation on the ocean is easy,
Since waves are expressions of the ocean,
Rest in the nature of the ocean.
If meditation on your mind is easy,
Since thoughts are expressions of the mind,
Rest in the nature of mind itself.
Through meditating, she discovered dharmata, the nature of mind. Later, in that very body, she went to the celestial realm, accompanied by music.