LISTEN UP – MILAREPA SINGS – LEVEKUNST art of life

1
listen dear
listen up rechungpa
yr old man milarepa here
I sleep sometimes
& sleeping. . . meditate
sleeping & sleeping
just that is meditation
the murky fog turns clear
there’s a way
& I’m the guy who knows how
others don’t
but if they did, I’d be happy

2.
old man milarepa here
I eat sometimes
& eating. . . meditate
eating & eating,
just that is meditation
food & drink a sacred feast
there’s a way
& I’m the guy who knows how
others don’t
but if they did, I’d be happy

3.
old man milarepa here
I move about sometimes
& moving. . . meditate
moving & moving
just that is meditation
moving & or sitting a sacred thing
there’s a way
& I’m the guy
who knows how
others don’t
but if they did, I’d be happy

4.
old man milarepa here
I work sometimes
& working. . . meditate
working & working
just that is meditation
this way of acting is truly freedom
there’s a way
& I’m the guy who knows how
others don’t
but if they did, I’d be happy

5.
my dear Rechung, practice like this
& you too Megom—wake up!
it’s time to make the soup!

About the Author

Steven Goodman
Prof. Steven D. Goodman is co-director and core faculty in the Asian and Comparative Studies Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (San Francisco). He co-edited Tibetan Buddhism: Reason and Revelation (New York: SUNY Press, 1992), and studied Tibetan Poetics as a Rockefeller Scholar in residence at the Rice University Center for Cultural Studies. Board of director at Jonang Foundation, Working Committee at 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha and Advisor at Khyentse Foundation.

Tangha of Milarepa, courtesy of Exotic India.
This poetry appeared in Tibetan Literary Arts, Curated by Marit Cranmer, published By Shang Shung Institute, Neilson Library, Smith College, May 2007.
Recommended reading by and about Milarepa.

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