The Hundred Thousand Songs Of Milarepa Paperback – September 10, 2010
by Garma C. C. Chang (Translator)
4.7 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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A carbon-based life form, inseparable & aloof
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the NECESSARY books of my life!
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
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This is a book that is takes one on many adventures of awareness. Just when I believe I'm really "getting it", Mila has me laughing at myself and learning that I'm still a stumbling dunce in too many ways. At other times, traveling with him, I understand that there is a kind of ridiculous bravery that has grown up within my nature and it wasn't even anything noticeable before. This also has me laughing along with him at all the "ferocious ones" in the world who hide behind their so-called powerful masks of ownership and authority or thick-skulled machismo, which is all illusory and meaningless. When I walk into the presence of those I consider Hell-Beings, it is always with the companionship of Milarepa in my thoughts quite powerfully... and somehow the sense of humor remains with me, no matter what insanity comes across the fence or in the street in my direction. So they are bullies who have made a lot of noise and cat called me? They wasted a great deal of time and energy. All cowards, of course. This is the reason there is never only one making noise.
I bought the Hardcover edition and am very happy I made this decision. This is a book that will travel with me as much as it takes me traveling. It is almost as though it transports me in time, to be in these places with this most amazing of teachers. It is very healthy to laugh at oneself through times of adversity! Even in my dreams, it seems I'm visiting these magickal places more often. So powerful, these teachings and the worlds that are opened up like intricate paintings in the heart.
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Craig Shoemake
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous depiction of a true Son of the Buddha
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2012
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Anyone who knows anything about Tibetan Buddhism has heard the name Milarepa (literally "Mila the Cotton Clad"). He is Tibet's Dante, Socrates and Shankara, all rolled into one. Reading this book you cannot help get the sense he was also one of the most remarkable people to ever walk the earth and I just have to wonder: Why have I never managed to meet someone like this? My karma, I guess. But then, it's also my karma to read and appreciate what has been recorded of him.
I would advise readers tackle first his autobiography, of which there are several translations. (I will shortly be reviewing Lobsang P. Lhalunpa's translation, done in 1977 and only the second in English since Evans-Wentz's in 1951.) This is critical, because without that background many things referred to in this book won't make sense. If the biography gives you the structure or bones of Milarepa's life, this book fills it out with flesh.
True to the title, much of the book is in verse. This may bother some people, and if you're one of those who can't bear reading verse then perhaps you should pass. However, this is not poetry in the ordinary sense. It is, rather, an example of "singing dharma," of Buddhist teachings via song. (Sadly, of course, the melodies Milarepa set his verse to are lost. I suspect they were popular and well known tunes of the day.) I can only say I wish I'd been there to see Milarepa sing his songs and teach his patrons, antagonists, and disciples. Apparently he had a lovely singing voice (it is described as "deep" in one verse), and he composed his teaching-songs extemporaneously. This in itself is a remarkable talent, and even if we didn't consider his accomplishments as a yogi, it indicates an extremely gifted, quick and sharp-witted person.
What also stands out is the extraordinary range and depth of Milarepa's meditative accomplishments. He seems to have practiced and mastered most of the contemplative systems in Tibet at the time. The book is replete with descriptions and references to these systems, so there is a fair bit of technical language; the fact that they are related via song and verse in no way means the contents are "dumbed down." As a result, while I am very familiar with Mahayana and Theravadan Buddhism but somewhat new to the Vajrayana, I was sometimes at a loss. So, one should be familiar not only with the general worldview of Tibetan Buddhism, but specifically with tantrism and the terms of subtle physiology. While the translator has provided a great many explanatory footnotes of various terms, a general education in the Vajrayana is really prerequisite.
Now to the contents specifically. Milarepa's songs are interspersed amid a welter of biographical incidents that while seemingly random do in fact follow a roughly chronological order. (It seems a lot of them occurred later in his life as Milarepa is always referring to himself as an "old man.") There are stories about how demons were subdued, how disciples were met and converted, how various antagonists confront Milarepa and then are disarmed, enchanted or just plain bowled over by his spiritual and magical acumen. (Scholars come in for a hard whacking!) The verses themselves have a variety of functions, chiefly instructive and inspirational. They also serve to boast of Milarepa's accomplishments--not, I should note, for the purpose of self-aggrandizement, but for letting people know why he does what he does, what they can achieve through practice, and to exhort those who seem intent on remaining mired in their particular habits of thinking. I feel that the book is at its best in this regard. Some might take it as a meditation instruction manual, but there is clearly a lot of explanatory material missing, so I'm doubtful just how far one would get trying to practice as Milarepa describes. If you educated yourself in Tibetan Buddhism and language, got a lama, and then went at it in the original language, the book might indeed be very helpful as a "how-to" manual. But without all that I think inspiration and exhortation are its best uses.
All of which makes me wonder: Why hasn't someone with the noted credentials done an in depth study of Milarepa's life and habits and really tried to figure out what exactly his practices were? It seems like an obvious task for a motivated scholar-practitioner. Using the Songs and the Life, existing tradition and the rich folklore connected with Milarepa, someone ought to create a scholarly biography that could, I think, go even further in inspiring and instructing us. I would love to see such a book. Please, someone, do this!
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JeffwithBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars A book that established Tibetan Buddhism in the West
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 1999
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Garma C.C. Chang, the translator of these songs, single-handedly preserved this book for the West, for it surely would have disappeared, overlooked by religious popularizers. The degree, Cha Gyur Khan-po, 'professor of translation,' was conferred upon the late Professor Chen-Chi Chang by his guru, a living Buddha, Kong Ka Lama, at the Kong Ka Monestary at Meia Nya, Tibet. The monastery is of the Kargyutpa School, which descended directly from Milarepa's line of gurus. C.C. Chang was more than a translator, however. He was among the greatest Buddhist scholars and teachers of the twentieth century. His studies of both exoteric and esoteric Buddhism are powerful because they are unvarnished. Unfortunately, not all his works are still in print. As he brought Milarepa to the West, he also brought what is perhaps China's greatest contribution to Buddhism (and recall, it was China that gave us Zen), the teachings of the 8th century Hwa Yen school, which is contained in C.C. Chang's book, still in print: The Teaching of Totality. I was deeply fortunate to have known Professor Chang, and I remember his reverence for Milarepa, his delight at the songs. I remember him imploring his students to delve deep into these teachings, from one of Tibet's greatest masters. Now there is this new edition. By itself, the story of Milarepa is magnificent, a tale of naive cruelty, healing, heroic effort and finally mercy and enlightenment. Milarepa is the psalmist of the Himalayas, and the late Professor's translation is a triumph of the heart. The book is a monument and a refuge.
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Stumptown
5.0 out of 5 stars The best and most complete translation.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2013
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The best translation I've found of Milarepa's fameous songs/poems. Wonderfully complete. Easy to understand. And highly recommended. Well worth the price!
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pam
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2017
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great book, I just love it
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Mr. Clayton L. Hill
5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom content
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2015
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Great book with wisdom content need I say anything more Boom!
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Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2010
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A brilliant collection of Milarepa's wisdom. These songs are a collection of meditation instructions and means to overcome obstacles.
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gary
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2014
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5 stars for the contents! 3 stars for the quality of the book itself, cheaply made.
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