Milarepa

He was a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is also famous for the feat of climbing Mount Kailash.

• Illustration — Overlooking Pelgyeling Gompa at Milarepa's Cave, Tibet. • Illustration — The nine story tower that Milarepa single-handedly built, Sekar Gutok Monastery, Lhodrag, Tibet. Milarepa's life-story is famous in Tibetan culture, and retold many times. The best-known biography, The Life of Milarepa, written by Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507) in the fifteenth century and drawing on older biographies, is still very popular. Most of the present-day stories on Milarepa come from this single source, with oral lineage predominating as well as relics including his bearskin coat. While "very little [is known] about him as a historical person at all," Milarepa is venerated by all Tibetan schools "as an exemplar of religious dedication and mastery." His life story established the lineage of the Kagyu sect and its key figures.

According to The Life of Milarepa, Milarepa was born in western Tibet to a prosperous family. When his father died, his family was deprived of their wealth by his aunt and uncle. At his mother's request, Milarepa left home and studied sorcery to take revenge, killing many people.

Later he felt sorrow about his deeds, and became a student of Marpa the Translator. Before Marpa would teach Milarepa, he had him undergo abuse and trials, such as letting him build and then demolish three towers in turn. Milarepa was asked to build one final multi-story tower by Marpa at Lhodrag, which still stands. Eventually, Marpa accepted him, explaining that the trials were a means to purify Milarepa's negative karma. Marpa transmitted Tantric initiations and instructions to Milarepa, including tummo ("yogic heat"), the "aural transmissions", and mahamudra. Marpa told Milarepa to practice solitary meditation in caves and mountain retreats. According to the biography, after many years of practice, Milarepa came to "a deep experiential realization about the true nature of reality." In some other sources, it is said that Milarepa and Marpa both came to India to seek one most important thing for ultimate realisation from Marpa's guru, but even he didn't know about it. Later on he tried for many years and finally attained enlightenment. Thereafter he lived as a fully realized yogi, and eventually forgave his aunt, who caused his family's misfortune. According to Lopez, The Life of Milarepa represents "Buddhism as it was understood and practiced in Tibet in the fifteenth century, projected back in time." It contains "many of the key terms and doctrines of Buddhism." Tsangnyön Heruka did his best to establish a lineage of teachers that connects the Kagyu tradition with the Indian siddha tradition, portraying Marpa as a student of Naropa, though Naropa had already died when Marpa went to India.

• Illustration — Milarepa statue, Pango Chorten, Gyantse, Tibet. The acclaimed spiritual poetry of Milarepa is known of as The Hundred Thousand Songs. Previous biographies of Milarepa were enlarged with religious poetry and song cycles, which doubled the volume of biographical information. Collected for publication in English translation by the Oriental Studies Foundation in 1962, in 1999 these songs were re-published in a separate volume entitled The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa translated and annotated by Garma C.C. Chang, then in 2017 a new translation by Christopher Stagg of the Nitartha Translation Network, both published by Shambhala. These summarize the various song cycles in chapter eleven of The Life of Milarepa.

Milarepa lived during the so-called second dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet (10th–12th century), when Buddhism was re-introduced. Three pivotal figures in this Tibetan Renaissance were Rinchen Zangpo (958–1055), who translated sutras, tantras and commentaries; Atiśa (982–1054), whose student Dromtön founded the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism; and Marpa the Translator, the teacher of Milarepa, and himself regarded as student of Naropa. Marpa introduced tantric texts and oral instructions from the siddha tradition into Tibet, and Marpa's purported connection with Naropa established the lineage of the Kagyu school, thereby reaching back to the Buddha himself.

• Literature • Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Milarepa ("Milarepa", 1997). • Film • Milarepa (1973), dir. Liliana Cavani • Milarepa (2006), dir. Neten Chokling

• Illustration — Bhutanese painted thangka of Milarepa (1052–1135), Late 19th-early 20th century, Dhodeydrag Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan • Illustration — Milarepa, Tempera on cotton, 2008 Otgonbayar Ershuu • Illustration — Tibetan or Nepalese painted thangka of Milarepa, 19th century, mineral pigments and gold on cotton clothes of Nepal.

Milarepa is recorded with the occupation translator. Recorded with the occupation writer. Recorded with the occupation poet. Established in Bibliothèque nationale de France under 12086494t. Established in Library of Congress under n80034328. Recorded as poet, writer and translator. Established in Discogs under 1270338. Established in FAST under 52064.