Question asked by P
Dear Pastors,
I read a quote from Milarepa that said: "words that are printed in black ink are deceptive, I trust only the whisper of the secret lineage". Does this means he does not believe in buddhist scripture? He depend solely on the lineage teachings? This doubt did create some chaos in my mind. Because most of my understanding is based on Mahayana scriptures. I did put a lot of faith in these scriptures.
Dear P,
I do not think that Milarepa meant to say that the Buddha’s scriptures were deceptive. I think he meant to say that our interpretation of the Buddha’s written words are deceptive because they are clouded by our perception and lack of merit. Hence, you would notice that Milarepa did not specifically mention scriptures but used “words”. The meaning of words can mean different things to different people. Hence, do not take Milarepa’s quote literally.
In the study of the scriptures, teachings are classified into definitive and interpretive teachings. Hence, the real intent of the Buddha can only be gleaned through the words of our perfect Gurus, who received authentic training by the lineage masters and are sound understanding of the scriptures and so the real intent of the Buddha is revealed to us through the instructions and teachings of the Guru that are like “the whispers of the secret lineage” to us. I hope this helps you to clear the misconception about what Milarepa meant with that quote.