Buddhism 101

Lesson 3: Important Buddhist Figures and Related Mythology

Milarepa

Milarepa (1040-1123 CE) is likely one of the most popular of all Tibetan Buddhist folk heroes. He is held in high regard by all Tibetan schools, and even though he was a historical person – and has left written documents to attest to this fact – much mythology has grown up around him. He is unique in that he is a completely Tibetan character – he was born in Tibet, practiced in Tibet, and was uninterested in even exploring the Indian heritage of Buddhism.

His story begins with the death of his very wealthy father. He and his mother are then swindled out of their inheritance by his wicked uncle, and Milarepa vowed to take revenge. He was able to learn black magic from a local sorcerer, and soon cleverly employed it to destroy the fortunes of his wicked family members, and eventually even killed several of them. Following this rampage he began to regret his actions, and, feeling intense remorse, came to understand the negative karmic implications of what he had done. Thus he renounced his ways and began to search for someone to instruct him in the dharma.

He set out on a quest to find a wise spiritual teacher, and eventually came upon the Buddhist Marpa. Even though Marpa seemed to treat Milarepa quite harshly, he did so only to ready him and prepare him for future teachings. Initially, he set him to work hard and would not allow him to study with his other students at all, but Marpa realized that Milarepa was destined to become his greatest student. The relationship between Milarepa and Marpa would later been seen in the Tibetan tradition as the ideal for a relationship between a student and a teacher.

Milarepa would eventually be accepted as a student of Marpa, and would retreat into the caves situated along the Himalayan Mountains to meditate in complete solitude. He would stay in these caves, locked in deep contemplation, for extended periods of time. He was often interrupted, however – at times by Marpa, to give him further instruction, and at other times to do battle with evil demons who sought to distract him. He would receive some help from local people, in the form of food offerings, but most often he ate a soup he made of nettles. Legend has it that he ate this food so often that he eventually became green and prickly like the nettles themselves. Milarepa, though initiated, was a Buddhist for the people – he enjoyed their company, and would criticize established religious institutions in a time when they failed the common person.

As an adept of Tibetan Buddhism, Milarepa was initiated in tantric rites. His major work is the Hundred Thousand Songs, a large collection of verses compiled in the form of traditional Tibetan song – further attesting to his affinity for his Tibetan heritage and his strong camaraderie with the Tibetan people. This work is a collection of tantric songs that is still very popular today with the Tibetan people.

  1  2  3  4  5  6  7