The Life of Milarepa

The Life of Milarepa is the most beloved story of the Tibetan people amd one of the greatest source books for the contemplative life in all world literature. This biography, a true folk tale from a culture now in crisis, can be read on several levels: a personal and moving introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, it is also a profoundly detailed guidebook in the search for consciousness. It presents the quest for spiritual perfection, tracing the path of a great sinner who became a great saint. But it is also a powerful and graphic folk tale, full of magic, disaster, feuds, deceptions, and humor.

This definitive translation, originally published in 1977, was the first to appear in any Western language in half a century and renders this classic of spiritual literature into a simple modern English that reflects the direct power of the original.

The Life of Milarepa Introduction
Prologue: Homage to My Lama
First Part
First Chapter: Birth
Second Chapter: Youth
Third Chapter: Misdeeds
Second Part
First Chapter: The Seeking of the Dharma
Second Chapter: Ordeals
Third Chapter: Initiations and Instructions
Fourth Chapter: Meditation
Fifth Chapter: Meditation
Sixth Chapter: Meditation
Seventh Chapter: Meditation
Eighth Chapter: Retreats
Supplementary Note
Colophon
Translators' Notes