Milarepa sang to the Rakshasa Demoness of Lingpa Valley:
Mindfulness has awakened powerfully!
Looking up in the center of the blue sky,
I suddenly remember dharmata-emptiness.
I have no fear of existent phenomena.
When I look out at the sun and moon,
I suddenly remember of the luminosity of mind itself.
I have no fear of agitation and dullness.
When I look out at the mountain’s peak,
I suddenly remember unmoving samadhi.
I have no fear of thoughts that move and change.
When I look down to the center of the river,
I suddenly remember unbroken flow.
I have no fear of fleeting conditions.
When I see a rainbow drawn in the sky,
I suddenly remember the union of appearance and emptiness.
I have no fear of eternalism and nihilism.
When I see a reflection of the moon in water,
I suddenly remember self-clarity free of fixation.
I have no fear of the concepts of perceived and perceiver.
Looking inward at the self-aware mind,
I suddenly remember the lamp in a vase.
I have no fear of dullness and ignorance.
…
I suddenly remember discriminating self-awareness.
I have no fear of hindrances and obstructions…
And I’ve understood the suchness of mind.
…
I am a yogi who is like a lion,
I have no fear or apprehension.
Source: Milarepa’s song to the Rakshasa Demoness of Lingpa Rock. English translation by Christopher Stagg in The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, p.48-49.
Notes
Mindfulness and remembering: are the same word in Pali/Sanskrit (sati/smrti) and Tibetan (drenpa).
Existent phenomena that are permanent and independent of causes and conditions are simply an illusion.
Dharmata is a word for the true nature of phenomena, the very suchness of reality.
Lamp in a vase: mind is luminous and always present, but isn’t seen if awareness is obscured, as a lamp would be obscured if placed in a vase.