100,000 Songs of Milarepa

A DHARMAKAYA CENTER RETREAT

Milarepa, Tibet’s renowned and beloved enlightened master, was known for his ability to present complex teachings in a simple, approachable manner through song and poetry. Through his famous 100,000 songs he guided his followers along the Buddhist path.

This program is a rare opportunity to study Milarepa’s teachings with Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche, who is recognized as an emanation of Milarepa. In this program Rinpoche uses eight of Milarepa’s songs as a framework for his teaching. To intensify our understanding, we sing the songs together; we also meditate on Milarepa’s messages. It is a unique, engaging, and powerful weekend.

ONLINE OPTION: To make the teachings more broadly available,  Rinpoche is also offering this program via live-stream. Please click here to register.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Milarepa, known in Tibetan as the Lord of the Yogis, was a great sinner who became a great saint. He achieved enlightenment in one lifetime—despite having murdered 35 people, including family members. He became a revered teacher, and his ability to render any lesson into spontaneous song is one of his great legacies.

In each of our four weekend sessions, Rinpoche will give teachings on two songs, and we will sing those songs together. As Rinpoche explains, singing these texts is much richer than simply reading them and helps us really understand and internalize the teachings within them.

Because Milarepa’s actual music was not passed down, we have created new contemporary music to accompany the teachings. We distribute this music and the words approximately one month before the program to help you prepare and enable you to participate more fully.

For each song:

• Rinpoche sets the context: Where was Milarepa, to whom was he singing, what were their circumstances?
• Everyone sings the song together
• Rinpoche teaches on the text of the song, expanding on its meaning so that we can understand it properly
• Everyone sings the song again, now with a far deeper connection
• Rinpoche answers questions from retreatants

Through this process, you will gain a deeper appreciation both for Buddhist teaching and for Milarepa and his legacy of illumination through song.

THE GANACHAKRA FEAST

In a ganachakra feast, practitioners gather to sing, make offerings, and share a meal as part of a sadhana or spiritual practice. During this program, we hold such a feast twice; our meal will be symbolic, including a small cookie and a few sips of wine as amrita.

SAMPLE SONG

Some songs from previous years are available on our Sound Cloud channel. Here is a sample song from 2024:

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

• • Intimate setting with personal access to Rinpoche
  • Interactive sessions with question and answer periods
  • Small group discussion
  • Group singing
  • Tsa-Tue yoga practice
  • Ganachakra Feast
  • Delicious all-vegetarian meals with locally sourced ingredients
  • Option to extend stay on Personal Retreat
  • Extensive library of dharma books
  • Expansive wooded grounds with walking trails

OPEN TO ALL

There are no prerequisites for this program; it is appropriate for all. We will supply the music and lyrics to the songs prior the program, so that you can familiarize yourself with them. We also supply percussion instruments for you to use during the program—or you can bring your own.

PRE-READING

There is no requirement to study or read in advance of the program, but many people have asked for recommendations. Over the weekend, the texts and songs will be drawn from these two books:

100,000 Songs of Milarepa
Tsangnyon Heruka, translated by Christopher Stagg

The Life of Milarepa
Tsangnyon Heruka, translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa

SCHEDULE

(subject to change)

Friday, May 16

Saturday, May 17

Sunday, May 18