Milarepa, the great Tibetan yogi and divine model

Milarepa, also known as Thopaga (“Delightful to Listen”)

Milarepa was born in 1052 in Tibet.

Coming from a wealthy family, Milarepa, along with her sister and parents, enjoyed the admiration and respect of all who knew them. When his father, Mila-Dorje-Senge became seriously ill, he called the entire family to make his last wishes known. He wanted his property and all property to be passed into the care of his brother and sister, until Milarepa grew up and married the girl to whom he had been engaged since childhood. According to the tradition of those times.
After her father’s death, Milarepa’s aunt and aunt and uncle divided the entire fortune between them. Thus, depriving the widow and the two children of all rights.

They were thus forced to live in the most precarious conditions. They were offered very bad food and were sent to work in the fields. Over the years their health has weakened and, from the most beloved people of the village, they have become the object of mockery of all.

When Milarepa reached the age of 15, her mother gathered everything she could get from the neighbors and prepared a feast, inviting everyone who had been present at her husband’s death. She then reminded her husband’s sister and brother that they had been asked to take care of the fortune for a while. But now, because Milarepa has come of age, the property and the entire fortune must be returned. But the Avar relatives claimed that they had been the first owners, that they had in fact lent their brother the entire fortune. And so Milarepa’s family had no rights. Moreover, on this occasion they were expelled from the house where they had lived all their lives. To take revenge on those who had ruined her life, her mother sent Milarepa to learn black magic from a notorious sorcerer, threatening him that she would commit suicide otherwise.

Milarepa spent almost a year studying black magic rituals

He learned this from a magician. At the end of the year, she told him about his mother’s desire for revenge. And he asked him to offer him initiation into a ritual through which he could fulfill this desire. With the help of the magician, he put into practice this ritual for 14 days. After that, the tutelary deities appeared to him in a vision offering him the bloody hearts and heads of 35 of his relatives, minus two (even his uncle and aunt). Milarepa’s spell manifested itself at a relative’s wedding when, due to a diversion created outside, the horses in front of the house began to hit the walls very hard, until the house collapsed with a terrible noise, causing the death of all those present.

In order for the relatives of those killed not to seek revenge in their turn, Milarepa performed another warning ritual, by which he caused a heavy rain accompanied by hail to destroy the entire harvest of his enemies.

The magician praised his disciple, who had thus acquired the reputation of a fearsome sorcerer.

When his mother learned of the disasters that had occurred, she was overcome with cruel joy, telling everyone what happiness her son had given her, causing the death and destruction of those she despised so much. However, Milarepa deeply regretted all the deeds that his mother had forced him to commit, being determined to give up any new evil deeds and, implicitly, black magic.

Milarepa went in search of a master who would offer her the true teaching, the path to spiritual perfection

He was directed to the great yogi known as Marpa the Translator. He was famous for his travels to India, from where he brought the sacred teachings to Tibet and had been initiated by the famous yogi Naropa.

Marpa had the ability to predict future events

He could foresee future events by interpreting the signs that manifested themselves in different situations. At that time he had a dream through which he understood that he was going to meet the one who would become his main disciple, whom he had to help “burn” a large part of the negative karma that he had accumulated in this very life, and finally lead him to the state of enlightenment. Therefore, from the beginning he manifested himself as a harsh and tyrannical teacher, although inwardly he was full of love and compassion.

In order to eliminate his disciple’s negative karma, Marpa knew that he would have to constantly put him through difficult tests

Shortly after Milarepa became his disciple, Marpa ordered him to build a stone house, which he finally had him tear down and move all the materials used to the place where he had taken them, telling him that he had changed his plans and wanted the new structure to be built elsewhere. This Herculean work was repeated three times in three different places, and in the end he was going to build a multi-storey edifice, larger than anything he had built before.

During all this time, the disciple never lost confidence in his master

He did not lose confidence or hope that he would obtain the teaching he was looking for with his whole being, and therefore, with superhuman effort, he moved stones that could normally only be lifted by three people together. Due to the overwork, his entire body was full of wounds and he could barely move his arms and legs. However, all he could get from the master was a break of a few days in which he could heal his wounds, after which he had to start his work again.

Throughout these years, Marpa continued to offer his initiation to the other disciples.

Several times Milarepa tried to join the group of disciples as well. But every time Marpa banished him, scolding him very harshly and even hitting him, bringing him to the brink of despair. But nevertheless, Milarepa was aware that his master’s behavior was only due to his past bad deeds. That is why he was often on the verge of committing suicide or running away from the master’s house, but each time, Damema, the master’s wife, who was taking care of him, encouraged him by telling him that Marpa would definitely offer him the initiation as soon as possible.

Initiation and asceticism – Attaining the state of samadhi

But one day, discouraged, Milarepa decided to go in search of another master.

He shared his fears and plans with Damema. Agreeing to his decision, she offered some of the things to Naropa, which were now in the care of her husband And sent him to another Lama, said to be equally spiritually evolved, named Ngogpa, who was part of the same spiritual group as Marpa, to give to him as coming from her husband. He wrote a note, asking this Lama to offer Milarepa the sacred teachings, then marked it with Marpa’s own seal.

Arriving at the home of his new master, Milarepa offered him the holy gifts brought with him and asked him for his teaching. But Ngogpa promised to give him what he asked for only after he performed a black magic ritual to defend the disciples who came to see him from the more distant villages, who, on their way to the master, were attacked and robbed of all the gifts they had with them.

Milarepa deeply regretted her fate because, instead of obtaining the spiritual teaching for which she had come, she had to continue committing evil deeds. He succeeded in his ritual, by which he caused a great flood in that area; and the locals were deeply impressed by his power and the attacks ceased; many of the looters became sincere disciples of Master Ngogpa.

Keeping his promise, Lama Ngogpa offered Milarepa the initiation

The initiation was offered in a secret ritual, after which he led him to a cave, the entrance of which was to be blocked with a very large stone, leaving free only a portion through which he could receive food and water.

Milarepa thus began his daily meditations, following with precision and perseverance the instructions given by his new master. However, although he practiced intensively, he did not achieve any spiritual effect or transformation. When the Lama told him in amazement that as a result of this initiation, and after such assiduous practice, anyone should achieve results, he realized that the real reason for his spiritual stagnation was the lack of blessing from his true master. During this period, Ngoepa received a letter from Marpa inviting him to take part with him in a great religious event. He also asked him to bring back his disciple.

When they all arrived at Marpa’s house, the whole “plot” was unmasked

Milarepa fled to a corner of the house to escape the master’s wrath. Once again, he felt filled with despair and fear, and the thought of suicide had appeared to him as the only salvation. But Marpa was not angry, and even sent one of his disciples to bring Milarepa.

Although full of doubt, Milarepa agreed to go and, together with the others, took his place next to his master. It was then that Marpa began to recount in detail everything that had happened since he met his devoted disciple. He confessed that if he managed to bring his disciple into a state of deep despair nine times in a row, he would thus be able to completely purify him of all his negative karma. But due to the misunderstanding of his wife, who interfered in his plans, he was only able to do so eight times. However, the sufferings that Milarepa encountered cleansed him of most of his mistakes.

Now Marpa has announced to him that he will finally give him those initiations and teachings that bring liberation in one lifetime

After this he was going to lock him up in a cave, to begin his meditations. Without knowing whether she was dreaming or not, Milarepa wished that this state of inexpressible joy that engulfed her soul would never stop. “The days of happiness have begun” – he said.

After invoking the deities that govern the succession of spiritual masters of his spiritual path, Marpa offered his disciple initiation into meditation techniques. On this occasion he revealed to Milarepa that he would have, in turn, disciples full of aspiration, intelligence, energy, according to the patience and faith he had shown throughout the tests to which he had been subjected during the purification period.

Milarepa began preparing for meditation. Marpa locked him in the cave prepared for him

He provided him with the food supplies he needed. Milarepa meditated intensely for eleven months. Then the master, together with his wife, Damema, came to get him out of isolation. Because he had progressed a lot during all this time, he did not want any pause in his practice, but he listened to the master’s instructions. Asked what he experienced in the meditations, Milarepa began by singing a hymn glorifying his master and the teachings he gave him. After that, he described the results obtained.

First of all, the disciple understood that his body is a product of ignorance, composed of flesh and bones and maintained by the power of consciousness

This life and the body we have are for us the means by which we can evolve or decay. And everything depends only on us. The most precious thing we have is the present, in which we have to choose between good and evil. Milarepa spoke to him about the spiritual advantages of altruism and compassion, about the importance of love and goodness.

By meditating on the ultimate goal of spiritual liberation and communion with God, we discover that the ego is illusory, ephemeral. And to achieve this state we must keep our mind as calm as possible. All efforts in this way must be accompanied by compassion and perseverance, and by the humility to give all the merits of these efforts to God. Just as the word food does not satisfy the hunger of the hungry, but for this he must eat, so the one who learns about the Supreme Consciousness must meditate on It in order to realize it, it is not enough just to know its definition.

Marpa, very satisfied with the results of his disciple

He confessed to him that all his expectations had been exceeded. He then allowed Milarepa to return to the cave to continue his meditation. But not before giving him the initiation into the secret Tibetan technique of tumo (through which the unification of the ascending and descending flows of energy along the spine occurs, thus producing, among other things, the vital heat so necessary for the realization of meditation in the cold caves). Milarepa continued his cave meditations for many years, under the direct guidance of his master.

One day, Milarepa had a dream that seemed extremely real and shocking to her

The house he had lived in as a child he saw in ruins, and the sacred books destroyed by the rains. His old mother had died, and his sister was wandering from place to place, without a single friend. In the dream he was seized by a deep sadness and lamented the fate of his family. When he woke up, the same state of sadness followed him. He tried to meditate, but he couldn’t change his state. And that’s why she decided to go out into the world to find her family. He knocked down the stone at the entrance to the cave and went to his master, Marpa.

When he entered his room, he found him sleeping. Marpa was very astonished to learn that Milarepa had left his place of retreat. The disciple tells him about the dream and announces the decision to go in search of his loved ones. Marpa allowed him to leave. The fact that Milarepa had found her master sleeping was a sign that they would never see each other again in this life. Although deeply saddened by this thought, he did not give up his decision.

Marpa gave him the last and highest initiation into the secret tantric doctrines. Of all the disciples, Milarepa was the only one to whom the master offered these teachings. He commissioned Milarepa to provide this information only to his most deserving disciples. And to manifest the paranormal powers that he will acquire from the practice only for a divine cause. Marpa advised him to meditate in several sacred caves, where various saints had meditated before. And then he gave him a sealed scroll that was to be opened only when he felt that death was approaching. With deep sadness, knowing that they would never meet again in this lifetime, Milarepa said goodbye to her spiritual master, thinking that they would definitely meet again in the heavenly paradises.

After a rather difficult journey, he arrived at the house from his childhood, where everything was exactly as in his dream.

His mother had died. On the site of the house there were only ruins, and all the neighbors were afraid to approach it, believing that it was haunted by ghosts and demonic spirits. He entered the house and, removing the weeds that grew everywhere, found in one place the remains of his mother’s body. Remembering the teachings of his master, he sat down on a stone and entered a state of deep meditation. He soon entered the samadhi, and remained so for seven days. When he returned to his normal state of consciousness, he understood that for him this world has nothing left to offer him, nothing that could tempt him. Now he was sure that he would spend his entire life in meditation. By selling the land for a little food, you leave those places forever. And he left for the Draktar-Taso cave, the first in the long line where he would stop to meditate.

He was doing continuous tutoring, he hardly slept at all. He took only one break daily, during which he prepared his food from water mixed with flour and from any edible root found in the surroundings

During this time, he achieved perfection in the tumo technique. This allowed him to keep his body warm during the cold Tibetan winters, wearing only a cotton coat.

His daily meditation continued for four years

until the flour supplies are over. This worried him very much. Because he feared lest he leave the physical plane before attaining liberation. That’s why he decided to go out of the cave, in search of new food. The only edible food found was nettles, its food for a long time to come. He continued the meditations, but his body lost a lot of weight and his hair took on a green tint. He often thought of opening the sealed parchment he received from the master. However, advances in meditation continued to occur.

One day, some hunters in the area asked Milarepa to share with them the supplies he had. When they understood that they would not find anything they were looking for in him, they began to hit him. Three of them picked him up several times and threw him to the ground, causing him terrible pain. The fourth hunter sought to stop the others, feeling that Milarepa was a truly spiritual being. Before leaving, the fourth man asked Milarepa to remember him in his prayers, as she had done nothing to hurt him. Milarepa later learned that the four had been arrested by the governor of that province. The leader of that gang had been killed, and the others, except for the one who had saved Milarepa, had their eyes gouged out.

The ascetic continued to meditate, but his body was weakening more and more

The hair on her entire body became even greener. Again, a group of hunters arrived in the area and also asked for supplies. Seeing that he ate only nettles, they left Milarepa their own food. So he was very grateful to be able to have hearty food on a daily basis. The food gave him a new spiritual impulse, the likes of which he had not experienced for a long time, and the meditations became more intense. But eventually, the feeding ran out and once again used nettles for survival.

A few years after this, her sister, Peta, heard that Milarepa was living in a cave and was about to starve to death

Amazed to learn that he was still alive, she came to visit him, bringing with her fresh food as well as something to wear. To his sister, Milarepa was a madman. She urged him to go out into the world to beg for food, but Milarepa refused. He himself thought that if he did not obtain liberation in this life, he would be reborn in a much inferior condition, because of the evil done in the first part of his life. That is why he persevered in continuing his meditations. But no matter how much he sought to focus, he could no longer enter the samadhi state. His whole body was filled with pain, and his mind full of thoughts. Feeling that the greatest danger was that he would not be able to continue the meditations, he then opened the parchment from his master. And find there the necessary instructions to get out of such a state.

“I experienced a state of supersensory calm and clarity, which exceeded in depth and ecstatic intensity everything I had experienced before. Thus was born in me a transcendental knowledge hitherto unknown. I knew at that moment that evil had been changed for the better.”

Milarepa had reached spiritual liberation.

Paranormal powers arose by themselves:

– it could give its body any form or substance, it could fly through the air, it could multiply into hundreds of personalities,
– all endowed with the same powers, he could listen to the secret teachings of the Buddha in His paradises and much more.

People quickly found out about it and started looking for it

That is why, many times, Milarepa had to leave to look for another cave. When his sister sought him out once more, he endeavored to convince her of the effectiveness of meditation. Refusing completely, she felt that even if she had to beg for a portion of food or some clothes, her life was far better than her brother’s. What managed to transform her, however, was the visit Milarepa received from her aunt, who bitterly regretted all the harm she had done. Bringing Milarepa food, she asked him to offer her spiritual teaching. Milarepa gave him spiritual knowledge about the law of karma. And the aunt left to put into practice what she had learned, becoming one of her disciples. After this meeting, his sister, Peta, radically changed her vision of spirituality.

Milarepa aspirationally continued her meditations, in complete isolation

In total, he used twenty caves from the Kailasa Mountains in Tibet to Nepal as a place of meditation.

Among his first disciples whom he led to the state of liberation were the disembodied spirits who came to torture him, including the goddess Tseringma. One of the twelve guardian deities of Tibet. Then many other disciples gathered around the master and many reached spiritual perfection by following his teaching. Among his main disciples were Gambopa and Rechung. The latter was the one who convinced him to tell the story of his life in detail. This is to remain as a witness and model of aspiration for all his disciples.

At the age of 84, Milarepa said:

“The time has come for this visible, illusory body, a form emanating from the Divine Body, to be merged into the Land of Spiritual Light.”

Like Naropa, the master of Marpa, Milarepa did not die. Rather, it simply entered the subtle worlds through the direct transmutation of the gross physical body

At his death, celestial beings, carrying various offerings, were seen by people coming to receive Milarepa. And the sky was embellished with bright rainbows. Gods and people met, and so for a moment, the Satya yuga manifested itself again on earth.

Milarepa appeared many times afterwards to his disciples, to give them advice and teachings.