La vida de Milarepa: El gran yogui del Tíbet

by Francesc Navarro Fàbrega (Translator)

La obra de La vida de Milarepa, escrita en el siglo XV por Tsang Ñon Heruka, es una las piezas literarias más importantes de la literatura espiritual tibetana.

Genres: Buddhism, Religion, Biography, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1488

Reviews

[Nancy Eister · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most amazing story, of how a black magic practitioner and murderer became a living saint , or bodhisattva. Not by being good, but by being truly himself. Among Milarepa's many attributes ( such as living on a diet of nettles til his skin turned green!) the best is that instead of preaching he sang, thousands of beautiful, heartful songs the very tones of which changed reality. A deep spiritual read before sleep, for lovers of Tibetan Buddhist lore.

[Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time that I read someting relating to Milarepa was in the novel The sea the sea by Iris Murdoch. A bit curious I tried to find something but that was hard at that time. Now that has changed and information can be found. I think that the book gives a good impression of the life of Milarepa.

[Craig Werner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A translation of a biography of one of the great gurus of the Kargyupta strain of Buddhism. The biography is presented in the voice of Milrepa's student Rechung, so it's very much from the inside of the story (something like the gospels in the New Testament, though Rechung presents himself as eyewitness to the later years of Milrepa's life.

The two stars aren't for the material; Milrepa certainly has a place among the world's great religious figures. The problems are two-fold. First, the focus of the material is very much on the external events; in some ways it's more chronicle than biography. Those are interesting enough, but there's very little concerning Milrepa's thought or deeper understanding of Buddhism. He repeatedly exhorts relatives and people he encounters to embrace the path of asceticism and we're told that he's initiated into the inner meanings and mysteries, but there's very little that's not common knowledge to anyone who's paid any attention at all to Buddhism. Clearly, to reveal the secrets would have been unthinkable for Rechung, but it does tend to put the emphasis on the externals.

Second, while Evans-Entz, an Oxford don who worked in the early 20th-century, is clearly motivated by a commitment to deep scholarship and profound respect for his subject, his presentation of the translation is deeply embedded in western preconceptions. He repeatedly draws analogies between Buddhism and Christianity which are at best strained and I distrust the vocabulary he uses in the translation; there are way too many points at which Buddhism is presented as a matter of "faith" and "belief" in ways that echo Christian theology. A lesser problem is the type-size on the footnotes, where Evans-Wentz presents much of the philosophical depth that's not present in the text itself. At some point, I quit reading them because I'm familiar with more recent work that covers much of the same ground.

Certainly not a waste, but I'd imagine there are better books on Milarepa available today.

[Matt Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mila was the original bad boy, cast black magic spells for the hell of it, generally nailed his karma as much as possible, killed, lied, stole, he did it all...

The story of his moments of truth, conversion to Buddhism and then subsequent roads to great master and inspirational teacher is very exciting, full of surprise, and even shot through with songs, since he was able to spontaneously compose and sing poems.

Anyone who thinks their karma is way too far gone to look at any religion should read this book. You'll have an inspiration.

Thank you to Jacqui who bought this for my 30th birthday.

[GJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first six chapters of this book tells the macabre story of Milarepa's trials to gain initiation into Marpa's dharma teachings, including the stone tower building episode in chapter five, one of the most famous scenes in world religion literature. The latter half is colored by his famous poems. The last chapter could stand on its own as a single short work. Tibetans often wrote better literature than philosophy, here's some of the best, it's literature it's not self-help or philosophy or religion. It's literature, and it should be read as such. This should be seen along its true peers: Paradise Lost, Crime and Punishment, The Diven Comedy

[Jamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how we sometimes slip into a deep and excited conversation so that you are saying gravity isn't real because Issac Newton also believed in alchemy and half the population of astrophysicists in the world who didn't make time to attend their mother's funeral will commit seppuku when they finally find definite proof that gravity isn't actually a fundamental force and your friend replies that that's straight out of a Rick and Morty episode but you ignore that to say Albert Einstein was wrong too because time isn't real either so that your friend rolls his eyes and asks as to what things are real, and you answer that nothing is, everything is human made and that it sure sounds like nihilism but it's totally true because Buddha himself taught one should question everything and come to one's own conclusion to which your friend shakes his head and gives you a look as if to regard you an utter disappointment to have thus far housed a human brain, says you have got it all ass up, and questions as to the kind of books have you been reading lately, but you also notice he is working himself up to that rabid mania in which he feverishly lectures you on religion and morality and there seldom seems to be escape so you quickly blurt out, "Do you know what this country needs? Black magic", to which he excitedly answers, "Dude, sod all bureaucrats. That's exactly what we need. How did you know?", and then the talk devolves into how the two of you will learn black magic but agree that it will only be used for good so that the two of you will be worshipped as modern day gods with the entire planet in the palm of your hands. No? Me neither.

Well, at least one thing's for certain. I did read this thinking why not go to the big man himself for my foray into black magic, which isn't exactly what he was going for when he narrated his life story but fortunately I finished this book to my utter disappointment. I learned just the two words of incantation which has thus far failed to show any signs of black magic. On the other hand my friend has contracted a cold, so... Anyways, so much for my future as a young, handsome, up and coming talent in the black magic scene.

[Lisa the Tech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book already once and will doubtless read it again in a few years. A wonderful glimpse not only into Milarepa's life but also into the mind of his amazing teacher Marpa. It takes a certain kind of strength to be a good teacher, and Marpa was perfect in the role of Milarepa's teacher. Wonderful stuff.

[Anna Baird-Hassell · Rating 3 out of 5]

to say I read this book is a slight exaggeration but I suffered through enough to grant myself this status. this is actually a pretty compelling story given that it’s a religious text and I think if it were written as a contemporary novel I would actually like it a lot. unfortunately it was just so full of buddhist jargon because it was written so long ago so it took a lot of looking back in the glossary. goodbye milarepa I hope my essay has done you justice

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography of the great Tibetan saint, revered for traveling from the depths of anguish and sin to the heights of enlightened Buddhahood in one lifetime. It wasn't easy though. After vengefully murdering over 30 relatives and villagers, Mila's repentance was many years of harsh discipline under the stern guidance of his gura, Marpa the Translator. Beatings, humiliations and "seemingly" meaningless and endless work projects were the punishment Mila had to persevere through to purge himself of his evil karma. Then years and years in solitary meditation in snowy mountain caves, surviving only on shrubs and pine needles (thus many paintings of Mila depict him with green skin). Milarepa also taught by song, and composed thousands of song-poems - some are quite beautiful, but this translation seems to make them a bit stilted. I hope to pilgrimage someday in Mila's old haunts, the Tibetan Tsum Valley.

[Patrick\ · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love Milarepa, and Evans-Wentz's version of this tale is a terrific read. From Bad Guy to Enlightened (though odd) Saint, the journey is a one-life-time hard one. Humor abounds, and the tale rivets one's attention throughout. The path is real, the result certainly a good one. Americans like a one-stop shop for enlightenment. Here it is.

[Aaron Benarroch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lo comprai in febbrile eccitazione ma leggendolo, beh, mi è passata. Un sacco di favole, poca ciccia. Chiedo umilmente perdono se gli orientalisti leggendomi si offenderanno, ma in tal caso mi spieghino cosa non avrei capito.

[Justin Ngo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Milarepa is often viewed as the quintessential Tibetan story. The Life of Milarepa is a hagiography written about the great tantric practitioner, Jetsun Milarepa. Unlike prior Buddhist stories, it was written with a religious function in mind. Milarepa’s tantric practices and redeeming spiritual journey were written as a model to be followed by Buddhist practitioners. In the story, Milarepa is taught by Marpa— the figure credited for traveling to India to bring back the tantric teachings widespread in Tibet. Although it's not perfect, I think it's a good story containing a lot of insight into Tibetan culture.

I believe the story of Milarepa is so greatly admired in Tibet because Tsangnyon Heruka was the first to inspire audiences with a Buddhist rags-to-riches story: Milarepa was an ordinary and flawed human who, through great devotion to tantric practices, was able to transform into an enlightened bodhisattva. In contrast to the bodhisattvas in prior Buddhist texts, Milarepa does not begin his story enlightened or in a place of power. He is instead, deprived of wealth and subjected to poor conditions by his aunt and uncle. The story of Milarepa’s transformation from a place of poverty under his evil family members to eventual enlightenment parallels that of many other popular Cinderella-esque stories. People are known to love stories of an individual going from rags to riches, and the story of Milarepa is no different. The story of Milarepa inspired many to be good, kind, and devoted to the tantric path in the hope that one day they would be recognized by higher spiritual authorities.

Another takeaway from my reading that I would like to note is that I believe Tsangnyon Heruka’s goal in telling the story of Milarepa was not to simply tell the same story as others such as Tenzin Chogyel’s The Life of Buddha. Instead, his goal was to take stories that his audience thought they knew and undermine it by challenging the traditional themes contained in prior Buddhist texts. Heruka wanted to make people think they knew where a story was going and surprise the reader when it is otherwise revealed to take a different direction than anticipated. Heruka crafts The Life of Milarepa under the assertion that Milarepa is not a god and is in fact constrained by human principles. Milarepa, just like everyone, else faces tough moral decisions that are not always necessarily right or wrong. Milarepa challenged traditional Tantric Buddhism because tantric practices were often conducted as an excuse to do whatever one wanted without concern for immorality. For example, in prior Buddhist texts Buddhism consistently justified men immorally leaving their family to practice Buddhism and pursue enlightenment. However, in The Life of Milarepa, Milarepa sets out to pursue enlightenment with the intention of eventually returning to his family. Therefore, in contrast to the characters in prior Buddhist texts, Milarepa does not use his practice of Buddhism as an excuse to make immoral decisions and to do whatever he wants: Milarepa demonstrated that he was able to become an accomplished practitioner all without choosing to willingly leave his family to practice Buddhism.

[Azam Ch. · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf was this shit lmao, i remember one time a buddy was arguing that tibetian (vajyrana) buddhist was basically old men scamming a society based on edgy tantra misinterpretations of mahayana buddhism - and those old tib guys in term being scammed by weird edgy nepali and indian tantra buddhists.

i ofc as a good global citizen was wary of his comments and still am, but this book made no efforts in making me be able to look up better at edgy tibetian vajyrana buddhism - "we know the top secrets of blood, sex, sperm, non-duality tantra version of buddhism concerned with extreme materialism, just trust your semi-senile buddhist master to recieve the magic secrets and be a good bootlicker to him)

the book used beautiful buddhist notions and concepts like jewellery over its prose, but it was like jewellery over a ugly idol which folks would use to fool others.

by reading this i got an materialistic stone idol instead of shunyata(emptiness),
instead of deep compassion i instead got the overview of an insufferable idea for a society trapped in dogma of old snake oil salesman,
and instead of warmth, i was left questioning my own feelings about a-priori esoteric mumbo jumbo which i have had a exceptional ability to tolerate over the past years.

the best parts of the book were the few parts about his depression and grief, as it connected the protagonist to the human condition.

that was it, that was my review. thank you for reading.

p.s : i am not against materialism, i am against intellectual dishonesty, hypocrisy, and selling lies.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I went into this thinking it was a straight biography, and was a little disappointed when people started throwing magic spells out like a horror movie. Also, if you were to cut out the long lists and repetitive bits, this would be half as long and twice as readable.

Still, if you are interested in the subject there is enough meat here to make it worth reading.

[Shashidhar]

Very much Interested to read

[dp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Life of Milarepa simultaneously motivated me and put me to shame. I laughed, I cried, and felt damn near everything else in between. He was a saint. 10/10 would recommend

[Rogelio Melo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confusing in several parts but there's indeed wisdom in this book if you try hard to understand and focus in certain passages and chapters.
Compassion is the key.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superhero stories can be surprisingly hard to make interesting. The hero’s vast powers make it hard to build obstacles that seriously challenge him. Make no mistake; while this book may be the biography of a Tibetan Buddhist yogi who was born in the eleventh century, it’s a superhero story as well. At various points, the titular character can control the weather, fly, read minds, predict the future, and cover a distance that would take a mere mortal months in just days. Milarepa is basically the entire cast of the X-Men rolled into one monk. [Note: the introduction of 1962 Lobzang Jivaka edition features a series of rants against Westerners that put a bad taste in my mouth early in the reading--basically suggesting the reality of these magic powers should be taken as a given even though the deficient Western mind has trouble wrapping its head around difficult concepts. It made me think I’d probably not like the book, but I’d forgotten it by the time I got around to the end of the book.]

“The Life of Milarepa” is essentially a hero’s journey, which begins with his widowed mother, his sister, and he being taken advantage of by a mean Uncle and Aunt. Milarepa takes up Black Magic to influence the weather so that he can exact revenge. Doing so makes him feel great shame, and puts him on the path of a religious ascetic. After his initial training, he is put through a great series of trials by Marpa, the man who will eventually his guru. Were it not for the encouragement and support from Marpa’s wife, Milarepa would never have made it through the training, and at one point—in fact—he goes away to learn from one of Marpa’s most advanced students because it seems Marpa unwilling to teach him.

Eventually, Milarepa ends up returning to his home and, thereafter, meditating on his own. Here he runs into the aunt and uncle (now separated) who made his family’s life hell after his father died. These elders aren’t the only ones who think Milarepa is a ne’er-do-well. However, most people are too scared of his superpowers to create problems for him, at first. He eventually wanders off and becomes the poorest of ascetics—with not so much as covering for his naked body as he live off nettles.

There are oddities in the book. The Buddhist teachers he studies under both use him as weapon (i.e. his hailstorm magic) as a requirement to taking him on as a student, despite the fact that this will pile onto his Karmic debt (and ostensibly theirs), and it leaves him feeling horrible—as well, it seems, these black magic powers make Marpa hostile to the young man and not take him seriously as a student until the guru receives an omen.

So why does this story turn out to be so satisfying? For one thing, for all his powers, Milarepa is constantly confronting challenges that keep the story tight. (I should again emphasize that this is nominally a work of biography. It just doesn’t read like one because of all the magic and the classic story elements. Few people have such a novel-shaped life. A hagiography is a more apt descriptor but instead of only displaying Milarepa’s good side (boring), this book presumably dances around facts to make a more engrossing product.) While Milarepa could concoct all manner of magic, he mostly doesn’t with the exception of some ESP. After Marpa has taught him, Milarepa deals with people with calm and compassion. (His return home is a little like Alex’s from “A Clockwork Orange” in that people have ill feelings about him because of his past, but at first they are afraid of him. When they discover he can’t defend himself, they start to lay into him.) For another, we can see Milarepa’s growth and we come to respect his intense devotion tremendously as he becomes quite virtuous of the course of the book. While he is a superhero, he’s also an ascetic who denies himself with the utmost of discipline in pursuit of liberation.

I’d highly recommend this book for those who like biographies—especially if you like to learn about Buddhism in the process. In the latter half of the book there are some lessons transmitted through the text as Milarepa interacts with students and other people. Eventually, even his loathsome aunt becomes a student.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Milarépa, ses méfaits, ses épreuves, son illumination" est la biographie d'un grand maitre de l'école Kagyüpa du bouddhisme tibétain écrite par sa disciple Heruka au XIVe siècle. Plutôt qu'une simple œuvre hagiographique, il faut le regarder comme l'épopée de l'éveil spirituel d'un grand saint. En même temps, c'est un plaidoyer éloquent en faveur de "l'ascétisme radicale" ce qui consiste à vivre nu dans les lieux isolés (les déserts, les cavernes), à rien boire et à rien manger.

Le livre qui possède une structure dramatique très solide qui est divisé comme suit:

-1- la naissance. Milarépa est né dans une famille aisée de la noblesse tibétaine
-2- la jeunesse. Après la mort de son père, son oncle lui vole ses biens.
-3- les méfaits - Milarépa devient sorcier. Il obtient une revanche très meurtrière.
-4- la conversion - Milarépa comprend il a fait des péché très sérieux. Il décide de suivre la voie bouddhique. Il se rend chez le grand lama Marpa dans l'espoir de devenir son disciple.
-5- les épreuves (a) - Marpa lui demande de construire trois tours qu'il détruit l'un après l'autre.
-6-les épreuves (b) - les épreuves prend fin. Milarépa comprend qu'il a du les subir afin d'expier ses péchés
-7- les méditations (a) - il médite auprès du lama. Le graine de la bonne pensée est semé.
-8- les méditations (b) - il médite et obtient toutes les doctrines générales.
- 9- les méditations (c)- il continue à méditer et prend conscience du néant du monde.
-10- les méditations (d) - il se rend compte de la non-réalité du monde sensible
-11- les ermitages - Milarépa fait des pèlerinages afin de rencontrer des disciples
-12- la mort- à 84 ans sur son lit de mort, il exhorte ses disciples à méditer et à pratique son ascétisme '"terrible"
Épilogue - Le Nirvâna - Les prodiges et les disciples se multiplient après la mort Milarépa

Milarépa insiste sur le fait que la méditation et les privations extrêmes sont nécessaires pour atteindre le Nirvâna. Si on est riche, on veut plus de richesses. Plus on mange, plus on a faim. Si on travaille, on s'accroche à ce que l'on gagne. Pour atteindre le Nirvâna, il faut vivre en ascète loin de la société humaine. Le leitmotiv de l'œuvre est: "O Seigneur ... Bénis le mendiant pour qu'il atteigne la perfection au désert."

Le bouddhisme de l'école de Milarépa a des importants points en communs avec le Taôisme. Les deux systèmes de penser demande au disciple de ne pas chercher la réussite dans le monde physique mais de perfectionner don "moi" intérieur en méditant. D'après les éditeurs de la série "Les grands initiés" le meilleur synthèse du Taôisme et le Bouddhisme tibétain se trouve dans le Zen japonais.

[Chris Lemig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the amazing story of the poet-saint Milarepa. As I read the book I felt like he could be a buddy of mine, a quality that I'm sure explains why he has been so endeared by millions of Tibetans for centuries.

Milarepa started out as quite an unsavory character. After being cheated out of a sizeable inheritence his mother demanded that he learn the arts of sorcery and black magic in order to exact revenge on his greedy aunt and uncle. He wound up being quite successful at this, killing dozens of people, wreaking havoc on people's crops and making many enemies back home.

Once he had realized what he had done, he was filled with profound remorse and vowed to repent by living a devoted religious life. After many years of penance, study with his guru and solitary meditation he attained perfect enlightenment, becoming the first Tibetan to demonstrate that it is possible to attain Buddhahood in a single life time.

What I love about this story is that Milarepa doesn't dance around the truth or try to candy coat anything. You simply cannot have your cake and eat it too. If you want to experience the Truth you must immediately renounce all worldly pursuits and meditate with devotion like nobody's business. Period. Everything in the world is impermanent and fades away. According to Milarepa, clinging to impermanent things is a waste of this precious human life. Meditation is the only way.

Anyway, it's an awesome book. If you are interested in Tibetan Buddhism you should definitely check this one out. The footnotes (which I usually find totally distracting) by W.Y. Evans-Wentz are all worth reading.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though there are many aspects of this story that are gripping, the instructive, Master-to-pupil style in which it is written makes me doubt whether those who are not interested in Tibetan Buddhism would find "The Life of Milarepa" to be as engaging as those who are. It is a classic work of that religion, and the repeated theme, that all those who genuinely regret their past negative actions may still become become spiritual adepts, is a powerful one. As a modern American reader, I craved insight into Milarepa's mind as he made his transformation from vindictive sorcerer to devout Mahayanan buddhist. However, to expect that from "The Life of Milarepa" is to miss a bit of the point--it isn't really a novel but a religious text and spiritual guidebook. In that context, I found it to be an enriching and compelling read.

[Brad McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Tibetan Saint (of sorts) Milarepa, it was interesting to see not just how Tibetans practice Buddhism but also how their folk tales work.

Milarepa's story is one of extremes. He suffers extreme hardship, dapples in extreme black magic, and as always meditates in extreme austerity. The supernatural (he flies at one point) and the long lists of poisons and realms and gods make me a tad uncomfortable. I was drawn to Buddhism for the simplicity that really isn't simple at all, but a lot of the Tibetan culture seems foreign to me. Because it is.

It was really good to read about an important figure in Buddhism that wasn't the Dalai Lama or Siddhartha himself. While a bit much for me at times, I really did think it was a good read.

[César Carranza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leí este libro buscando entender un poco mejor de qué va la doctrina budista (como debería ser un "iluminado", como es que sucede ese cambio en el ideal, etc., ...) y la verdad es que me llevé una muy agradable sorpresa, además de ser más clara la doctrina que siguió Milarepa, encontré un libro muy divertido y ameno de leer, se puede leer como una novela muy entretenida, pero no hay que olvidar que Milarepa es uno de los mayores iluminados para el Tibet, así que para quien tenga alguna curiosidad sobre la doctrina, puede ser muy ilustrativo. A mi me gustó mucho, además de que la edición está muy bien cuidada, lo único que lamento es que la traducción es de una edición en francés, me parece Anagrama tiene una directa del tibetano, aún así fue muy bueno.

[bad · Rating 5 out of 5]

milarepa was the son of a prominent tibetan merchant. tragedy took his father when he was young, and disloyal relatives stole his inheritance. penniless, he left his sister and mother to study black magic in order to effect his revenge, which later he did. subsequently finding a true yoga master and struggling for years to become fit for teaching, milarepa become a spiritual disciple. devoting the rest of his life to purification of his previous misdeeds he became a seeker only of the true and divine. when he died, milarepa was one of tibet's greatest saints and a true yoga master. this book was entrancing and deeply moving. but then again, i'm into this weird stuff..

[Rajesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after my recent sojourn in Ladhak where I encountered numerous Buddhist monasteries. The book relates a tale of the great Tibetian yogi Milerepa. It talks of how he commits evil karma in his youth and repenting his actions seeks to attain enlightenment in one lifetime. The disappointing part, to me, was the fact that while the book describes in great detail about how Milarepa exhorts people to adopt an ascetic lifestyle to gain enlightenment, not much light is shed on the actual philosophy or path to follow. Overall, a light and refreshing read for a total novice to Mahayana, like yours truly.

[A.B. McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, because I don't expect the biography of a person who lived nearly 1,000 years ago to be narrated mostly in the first person. So it was quite interesting to read first hand the famous details of Milarepa's life. It's all there: family drama, black magic, being tested by his teacher Marpa, his years of asceticism and many of his songs of realization. We also get to find out the circumstances of his passing and what happened with his students afterward. Good stuff.

[Sjoen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and certain scenes from Milarepa's life really stuck in my mind, such as when he was living in a cave in the mountains, spending all his time meditating, with green moss growing on him. His sister came up to exhort him to return to the bosom of his family, but he .......(I will not put a spoiler here). Read it!

[Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic and deeply involving experiential read. One to be read and re-read as one navigates through future life stage transitions. There is usage of specialised Vajrayana buddhist terminology, but this is not an insurmountable barrier and the appropriately brief glossary essentially dissolves this barrier (into emptiness...unforgivable pun!)

[Bish Denham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this slowly. One may need a certain understanding of Tibetan Buddhism to understand everything, but if not, then read it for it's poetry. Which is beautiful. I love the descriptions, the names of places, and the wondrous magical quality that is the life of Milarepa. It is no less wondrous than the life of any other saint or prophet.

[Jigmet katpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

a book passed on by my father . a life my father wanted me to know about and learn how one can be enlightened by realizing the truth and changing their deeds. the only who illuminated himself from the samsara in just one life time. as a buddhist , i believe Milarepa's life is must to know .