Jangphen Namkha Dzong

Jangphen Namkha Dzong

by Milarepa

Then, the benefactors from Drothang received an audience with the venerable [Milarepa] and asked him “What special qualities does this sacred place have?” As a response he sang the following song:

O lord guru, it is you I supplicate!
Do you know the qualities of this place?
If you know not the qualities of this place,
This is the isolated place Jangphen Namkha Dzong.
In the palace that is Jangphen Namkha Dzong
Warm southern clouds gather above,
While blue rivers flow down below.
Behind are red rocks and the expanse of sky,
And in front, flowers dazzle on meadows.
Wild beasts roar and growl on all sides,
And vultures, kings among birds, fly about.
Light rain gently falls from the sky.
The bees continuously hum their songs,
Jennies and foals dance and play, frolicking about.
Monkeys big and small practice acrobatics.
The mother larks and their young abound with melodious song.
Cool streams of mineral water speak pleasantries.
The languages of the seasons are aids to meditative experience!
The inconceivable qualities of this sacred place
I have sung in the form of a joyful song,
I have spoken of them as an oral instruction.
Ladies and gentlemen, benefactors gathered here,
Follow after me and do as I have done—
Forsake negative deeds and accomplish virtue!

From the Songs of Milarepa.

| Translated by Lowell Cook, 2018.