Chapter 26 Chapter 3 Everything Is Empty

Shortly after Siddhartha's enlightenment, his words, which we call Dharma, began to permeate the lives of all walks of life in India.It transcends the caste system and appeals to the masses, rich and poor.King Ashoka in the third century BC was originally a cruel warrior and tyrant who killed his closest relatives without blinking an eye in order to consolidate his regime.Even Ashoka, however, eventually found truth in the Dhamma, became a man of peace, and is considered one of the most influential patrons in the history of Buddhism. Thanks to many supporters like Ashoka, Buddhism continued to prosper and spread beyond the borders of India.Around the first century AD, more than a thousand kilometers away from Bodhgaya, in a small village called Chagecha in Tibet, another mortal with extraordinary potential was born.His childhood was miserable, and the bewildered young man learned witchcraft.In revenge, he murdered dozens of relatives and neighbors.After the incident, he fled and met a farmer named Marpa.Marpa was a great Dharma teacher and great translator, who taught him the nature of phenomena and the way of life, as Siddhartha had taught.The young man was transformed.He is Milarepa, one of the most famous yogis in Tibet.To this day, his songs and life story still inspire many people.His legacy of wisdom has been passed on from generation to generation by teachers and disciples, and continues uninterrupted until today.

Milarepa taught us that Siddhartha's words are not like other philosophical treatises that we read for pleasure or excitement and put them back on the shelf.In fact, Buddhism can be practiced and applied in daily life.Among the first generation of disciples of Milarepa, there was an intelligent scholar named Ruiqiongpa.Although Milarepa advised him that it is more important to pay equal attention to study than to study books alone, Ruichungpa went to India and went to the great Buddhist philosophy academy at that time, determined to accept the orthodox teaching method.In fact Ruichungpa also followed many great Indian scholars and saints and studied diligently.Years later, when he returned to Tibet, his old master Milarepa came to meet him on an empty plain.They were greeting each other, and when they were discussing Ruichungpa's studies there, suddenly a violent hailstorm fell from the sky, and there was nowhere to hide in the wilderness. Milarepa saw a yak horn not far from the ground, and he hid on the ground. Went inside -- the horns of the bull didn't get bigger, and Milarepa didn't get smaller.Inside the horn, Milarepa sang a song to let Rechungpa know that there is still a lot of space in the horn...if the disciple realizes emptiness.

You might think that Milarepa's yak horns are just a fairy tale.Or, if you're the credulous kind, you might think it's a kind of spell performed by Tibetan yogis.But it is neither, as we shall see as we read on.