Milarepa, the great Buddhist saint and poet of Tibet, was born in 1052 A.D. His early life was full of misfortune: his father died when he was still young, his relatives shamelessly seized his inheritance and left his family destitute, and he was reduced to near slavery. Finally, persuaded by his mother, he took revenge through magic and killed many of his relatives, as well as causing great destruction in his native valley. The realization that he would reap the karmic results of these crimes filled Milarepa with remorse and he resolved to seek a teacher and practice the Buddhist Dharma for the rest of his life.

The story of his encounter with his great teacher, Marpa Lotsawa, is legendary. Perceiving that his disciple had committed grevious sins and that these stood in the way of his great potential, Marpa set his disciple trial after trial. In spite of his great devotion, all of Milarepa's attempts to receive teachings were rebuffed, until at last he was driven to near suicide. Finally he was accepted as the heart disciple of his teacher and rewarded with instructions. Then he meditated alone in caves and attained enlightenment in one lifetime.

In his songs Milarepa revealed his personal yogic experiences and left instructions and information concerning the practical problems encountered by serious meditators, for whom these songs are a valuable guide. He also inspires the ordinary person with his unending joyousness, his insights into the nature of everyday life, and his powerful faith in his teacher and the Buddhist teachings.

For the complete life story of Milarepa see The Life of Milarepa by Gtsan-Smyon He-Ru-Ka, Translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa

For the complete texts to all of the songs of Milarepa and the stories that go with them, see The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa: The Life-Story and Teaching of the Greatest Poet-Saint Ever to Appear in the History of Buddhism by Milarepa, Translated by Garma C. C. Chang

Sixty of the songs of Milarepa, as translated by Garma C. C. Chang, have been made available as a free Acrobat PDF ebook. Download Now