The Short Path of Vajrayana

by Jetsun Milarepa

Bodhi Raja of Ngandzong asked to Milarepa:

"... Revered Master, I beg you to tell us if you are the incarnation of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva."

The Master replied:

"I never heard whose incarnation I am.  Maybe I am the incarnation of a being from the lower three realms, but if you see me as Buddha you will receive his blessings by virtue of your faith.  Although this belief that I am an incarnation springs from your devotion to me, actually there is no greater impediment to your practice.  It is a distortion of the true Dharma.  The fault lies in not recognizing the true nature of the achievement of great yogins.

The Dharma is so effective that even a great sinner like myself has reached a stage not far from Enlightenment due to my belief in karma, my subsequent renunciation of the aims of worldly life, and due, especially to my single-minded devotion to the Dharma...."

"Whoever wholeheartedly believes in karma and dreads the suffering of the lower realms, a great longing for illumination will arise in him.  This will lead him to devote himself to a lama, to meditation, and to maintaining a deeper insight.  It is possible for very ordinary man to persevere as I have done. To consider a man of such perseverance as the reincarnation of a Buddha or as a Bodhisattva is a sign of not believing in the short path.  Put your faith in the great law of cause and effect.  Contemplate the lives of the enlightened teachers; reflect upon karma, the misery of the cycle of existence, the true value of human life, and not knowing the hour of death. Devote yourselves to the practice of the Vajrayana...."

"Follow my example with your whole heart."

"Life of Milarepa" translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa.