A Song on the Six Perfections, by Milarepa

[//^\\]

A Song on the Six Perfections, by Milarepa

For generosity, nothing to do,
Other than stop fixating on self.

For morality, nothing to do,
Other than stop being dishonest.

For patience, nothing to do,
Other than not fear what is ultimately true.

For effort, nothing to do,
Other than practice continuously.

For meditative stability, nothing to do,
Other than rest in presence.

For wisdom, nothing to do,
Other than know directly how things are.

[//^\\]

~

Working through this, verse by verse.  (Made it through the first three, so far.)

Participation alway welcome!

 

[//^\\]

~

For generosity, nothing to do,
Other than stop fixating on self.

When I encountered this verse, I didn't read it -- I misread it. I misread "nothing to do" as saying that practicing generous acts was unnecessary. I retorted to Milarepa: "Is there NOTHING to do but stop fixating on the self? Like maybe actually doing generous acts?" This was a stupid question. He isn't suggesting that it is unnecessary to actually practice generosity. Milarepa assumes that we are trying to be generous. What Miarepa is giving us, I think, the most direct possible teaching about how to be generous; meaning, how to give in a Mahayana way that benefits ourselves and others, as opposed to giving to assuage guilt, or giving to stockpile merit, and so on. I think that Milarepa assumes that we have tried to be generous and found that it isn't so easy. Jigme Rinpoche writes: "it is important to train in the Six Paramitas because the training... reveals to us how the conditions of samsara obscure the mind." My argumentative misreading is just such a self-deluding thought pattern.

Why would I misread this verse? Well, suppose you really were generous. This verse makes me think of Jesus's teaching to the rich young man about how to be perfect: ``Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me."'' (Matt. 19:21; Milarepa, I think, is just this radical.) Contemplating this commitment evokes terror -- for me, that I would be dismissed and abandoned if I took off armor of the self (the clothes / the job / the fancy PC on which I'm writing this). But why did I assume that I had to do that? I could have thought, what can I do right now that would be generous. Better, I could have done something right now that would be generous. Instead, the prospect of generosity evoked an experience of hunger, need, and fear, so I built a thought world that diverted me from being generous. Thinking about perfection, I protect myself from doing anything generous at all.

Seeing this, I think, is a step toward escape. Suppose I just gave. There is always an opportunity to give. Suppose we just saw it and did it. If the mind reacts in needy fear, just note the samsaric thought, and let it go. Imagine being always ready to give, because we have all we need, not fixated on the self. This, I think, is Milarepa's point.

[//^\\]

~

For morality, nothing to do,
Other than stop being dishonest.

This is a wonderful teaching. Part of Buddhist morality is avoiding harm to others, nevertheless, I am presently engaged in many patterns of living that cause harm.

There are many reasons why I harm others, but one is that I sustain patterns of behavior that harm others by blinding myself to those harms or, when I see the harm, to my responsibility for causing it. This is dishonest. And I blind myself so that I do not have to experience the horror of the harm that I do. And how the effort to change will deprive me of what I am attached to.

Conversely, seeing things honestly, I see that the only alternative to horror is to engage in change. Moreover, seeing honestly means seeing through all my self-deceptive substitutes for change. These include reviling or punishing myself. Self-harm disables change. It is just another form of self-blinding via the pretense that being cruel to oneself compensates others for the damage that you have done. Similarly, seeing honestly requires rejection of despair about not changing myself quickly enough, or about relapsing into harmful patterns of behavior that I thought I had overcome. Seen honesty, despair is just another reactive pattern that sustains harmful behavior by relieving me of the responsibility to change. Finally, seeing honestly means rejecting the excuse that I need wisdom or equanimity first. These virtues should be earnestly cultivated, because they will help me change as they grow. However, really seeing honestly means accepting that if I am striving to abolish suffering, I have to stop making others suffer. The time to engage is now, not when I am wise or calm. Serious attention -- to the harm I cause, to how I can change, and to how I construct a self to subvert that change -- will lead to wisdom, just as much as wisdom will promote my capacity to change. So, just see things honestly and change. Nothing extra.

[//^\\]

~

For patience, nothing to do,
Other than not fear what is ultimately true.

This is a shocking verse. Patience seems to be an easy and, as it were, domestic virtue. It's about counting to ten before you speak, and about waiting your turn. Patience is something that children lack and, by inference, adults are expected to have achieved. But for Mila, somehow patience lies at the crux of ultimate truth. Starting from the simple and everyday 'patience', the verse seems to run off a cliff.

What is ultimately true? I don't know. If I don't know what is ultimately true, how can I be said to fear it? It was said that the truth will make us free -- if so, wouldn't we be glad to find it, instead of fearful? If Mila is right, I expect that the reason I do not (think I) know the truth is precisely because I do fear it. If I fear it that much, how do I overcome that fear so that I can know the truth? And what does any of this have to do with patience?

First, we need to rethink patience. It is anything but simple and ordinary. Equanimity may be the better English word. Aquinas, quoting Augustine: "'A man's patience it is whereby he bears evil with an equal mind,' i.e. without being disturbed by sorrow, 'lest he abandon with an unequal mind the goods whereby he may advance to better things.'" Patience is therefore a kind of fortitude; it protects the other virtues so that we can hold to them with an equal mind through the suffering in our lives. The ultimate truth we fear is, I suspect, the first noble truth, that there is suffering, including old age, sickness, and death. Patience is, then, precisely not fearing this; not experiencing the fortunes of our lives as opposition to our desires and needs, and instead experiencing them directly, as what they are.

[songbird]

~

For patience, nothing to do,
Other than not fear what is ultimately true.

This is a shocking verse. Patience seems to be an easy and, as it were, domestic virtue. It's about counting to ten before you speak, and about waiting your turn. Patience is something that children lack and, by inference, adults are expected to have achieved. But for Mila, somehow patience lies at the crux of ultimate truth. Starting from the simple and everyday 'patience', the verse seems to run off a cliff.

What is ultimately true? I don't know. If I don't know what is ultimately true, how can I be said to fear it? It was said that the truth will make us free -- if so, wouldn't we be glad to find it, instead of fearful? If Mila is right, I expect that the reason I do not (think I) know the truth is precisely because I do fear it. If I fear it that much, how do I overcome that fear so that I can know the truth? And what does any of this have to do with patience?

First, we need to rethink patience. It is anything but simple and ordinary. Equanimity may be the better English word. Aquinas, quoting Augustine: "'A man's patience it is whereby he bears evil with an equal mind,' i.e. without being disturbed by sorrow, 'lest he abandon with an unequal mind the goods whereby he may advance to better things.'" Patience is therefore a kind of fortitude; it protects the other virtues so that we can hold to them with an equal mind through the suffering in our lives. The ultimate truth we fear is, I suspect, the first noble truth, that there is suffering, including old age, sickness, and death. Patience is, then, precisely not fearing this; not experiencing the fortunes of our lives as opposition to our desires and needs, and instead experiencing them directly, as what they are.

Pateience, not so easy for me.  The other ones mentioned so far, I don't have so much trouble with, but patience, especially with self is something I have always struggled with.  I like how don Juan mentions to Carlos the importance of forbearance.  I strive towards that-- makes it somewhat easier for me. 

However, still it's a tuff one.

Impatience is rooted in fear.... Interesting.
Could be so..

[//^\\]

~

For effort, nothing to do,
Other than practice continuously.

Reading this verse today, I thought it was hilarious: nothing to do just practice continuously, oh, is that all? Seriously, is it possible that Milarepa is having a joke here?

Or maybe he isn't. Spurred by Ken's comments about 'practicing like your hair is on fire', I have been rethinking my attitudes toward practice. Looking back, I have had more anxiety about insufficiency of practice than practice itself. Ken's point, I think, is that our goal is to rest in the experience of what we are doing (and see Milarepa's next verse). That 'falling into presence' is, in a sense, a 'nothing to do' that can be done continuously.

[//^\\]

~

For meditative stability, nothing to do,
Other than rest in presence.

This has the feel of an instruction for an advanced practitioner. Alan Wallace says, "Meditative stability necessarily implies an underlying ground of relaxation and serenity. The mind is peaceful, and the attention remains where we direct it for as long as we wish." Then, an adept will have a sense of what 'presence' is, and the ability to watch natural awareness, and she can simply rest there.

What about for someone like me, whose attention does not remain where he wants it for as long as he wishes? It's helpful to take this verse as a reminder to skip the drama, that I do not need to sit down with the burden of another expectation. Just sit. Maybe I fill find a moment of "body like a mountain, breath like the wind, mind like the sky." And maybe I will not.

What does meditative stability mean for you?

[FunkyPlasma]

Well, I appreciate I have a lot of practice to do with meditation too, but with regard to stability, I find sitting in a way that feels physically comfortable can help with regard to helping to feel more relaxed and able to focus on the meditation itself

I do use a yoga block, but not a hard yoga block, as some use.  It has some give.

Also, a person can have blocks approximately under each knee, but adjust to comfort

Whatever adjustments help one to feel comfortable and relaxed

I appreciate the above relates to physical stability, yet I find a few simple adjustments help me personally to be able to focus attention more easily upon the meditation itself

It is not to say I do not have a lot of practice to do: I am sure I do, if one is to accept that meditation is appropriate, when on a spiritual path

Some suggest withdrawing from spiritual practices

But if one does withdraw, it can beg the question, what does one replace spiritual practices with

An example would be a walk in the countryside, that I would suggest to some people, can actually bear similar hallmarks to experiencing a more formal meditative state


I find a lot of truth in the quote:

"For meditative stability, nothing to do,
Other than rest in presence."


It is not to say the above is the only perspective, yet I see a lot of truth in it


Some people use tools and techniques to help with regard to meditation

A potential problem with regard to using tools and techniques, is that such things can bring the mind into play, yet deep meditation is beyond mind

An alternative perspective is that tools and techniques are valid is so far as they can help to facilitate a stepping stone to go beyond mind


Most meditative practices encompass sitting with eyes closed, but to sit with eyes closed and looking upwards, is a simple adjustment one can make

I do feel the above technique can be helpful

Also, once ones eyes are looking upwards, they are up

That is not to say may not need a gentle reminder from time to time

As with all things, it can just take practice, not just the above technique, but meditation in general

If a technique is other than very simple, I would suggest it can clutter, rather than to help facilitate a stepping stone beyond mind

There is such a thing as active meditation, as used by Osho

I have participated in active meditation a couple of times in groups and did actually find it helpful

It was standing and moving, involving some quite vigorous exercise

Noises and even screams were encouraged, during parts of the above

I do not speak as an expert on meditation, but as a man who appreciates I have yet to do much practice

With regard to more mainstream meditation, one thing I find helps is to sit outside, with  a view to melting into the oneness of all around

Meditation can be done at any time, but I find dusk or in dim light can be helpful too, as I find that relaxing in itself

I do not speak as an expert on meditation, but as a man who at times feels bewildered I am even alive today

I can only say what works for me

Hope that helps


Love,

Michaelwoof

[//^\\]

~

For wisdom, nothing to do,
Other than know directly how things are.

This is like staring at a 10,000 meter peak (hint: there aren't any). I do not see a path to this way of knowing.

Still, from time to time I can see how invested I am in seeing things in ways they are not (my stories of exclusion and doom). Maybe "nothing to do" can mean "do nothing": stop feeding the demons, and just deal with what's in front of you.

[FunkyPlasma]

I would question whether there needs to be (a path)

It is about melting into beingness

What the writer seems to be saying, to me, feels as if beyond paths


"A great Zen master said, “Do not seek the truth; simply cease cherishing illusions.” If there is a primary practice or path to enlightenment, this is it—to cease cherishing illusions. Seeking truth can be a game, complete with a new identity as a truth-seeker fueled by new ideas and beliefs. But ceasing to cherish illusions is no game; it’s a gritty and intimate form of deconstructing yourself down to nothing. Get rid of all of your illusions and what’s left is the truth. You don’t find truth as much as you stumble upon it when you have cast away your illusions." - Adyashanti

Hope this helps


Love,

Michaelwoof

[//^\\]

~

Thank you Michael for your thoughtful comments.  (Forgot to mention that via your previous comments as well.)

[Rasputin]

It's so easy to think you have to do something...to turn spirituality into a goal to achieve...yet true spiritual development lies in living in the moment...which means letting go of resistance and effort.