Life Story of Milarepa: Tibet’s Poet Saint

Description

Milarepa was a Buddhist saint and a singer of spiritual poems who lived in Tibet some nine hundred years ago. Milarepa’s story takes place along the high ridges of the Himalayas and is based in large part on true events in his life. Tibetans in particular, and others who are familiar with Tibetan Buddhism, place Milarepa in an exalted status, as both a folk hero, and a living Buddha. Milarepa’s teachings are the inspiration for the Diamond Way Karma Kagyu lineage, which is an unbroken succession of lamas (lama, meaning: spiritual teacher) dating from ancient times. Milarepa’s life also offers insights into the spiritual richness of ancient Tibet, which included the so-called white Bonteachings. Some episodes may seem outlandish, but the reader/listener can decide whether those parts are true-to-life depictions, or whether they are embellishments that one might expect from centuries of re-telling a story of such epic proportions. This text does not attempt to cover the myriad details of Milarepa’s life, nor does it try to explain the intricacies of Buddhist philosophy, but rather tells the unusual story of a uniquely spiritual man, and the many challenges in his life. Among the great realized yogis of Tibet, nobody touched people through the centuries like ‘Laughing Diamond, ‘ Milarepa Shepa Dorje. Enjoy his words and fi nd inner freedom!-Lama Ole Nydahl, author, Entering the Diamond Way and The Great Seal As a Russian who travels around Tibet, researching Milarepa and Marpa, and such places where they roamed, I was very happy to read this version of Milarepa’s life and found it very inspiring, concise, and touching-unlike more academic editions.-Boris Erokhin / Buddhism.ru