Mi-la-ras-pa

Zhenji Zhang

Tibetans accord The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa a classic status comparable to that of the Mahabharata and the Bible, and revere its author as probably the best single exemplar of the religious life. Milarepa was an eleventh-century Buddhist poet and saint, a cotton-clad yogi who avoided the scholarly institutions of his time and wandered from village to village, teaching enlightenment and the path to Buddhahood through his spontaneously composed songs. Wherever he went, crowds of people gathered to hear his sweet sounding voice "singing the Dharma." The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, says the book's translator, "has been read as the biography of a saint, a guide book for devotions, a manual of Buddhist yoga, a volume of songs and poems, and even a collection of Tibetan folklore, and fairy tales." With titles like "The Salvation of the Dead," "A Woman's Role in the Dharma," and "Challenge from a Wise Demoness," Milrepa's poems are filled with fascinating tales of miraculous encounters and colorful imagery, and present a valuable insight into the living quality of Tibetan Buddhism. Central as this book is to Tibetan culture, the arcane dialect and obscurity of many original passages daunted translators for centuries; this was the first complete version of the classic to appear in the West.

The Life-story and Teaching of the Greatest Poet-Saint Ever to Appear in the History of Buddhism

The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa

Sangharakshita

Experience the magical worlds of Milarepa with this commentary on three of his songs.

Songs of Milarepa

The Yogi's Joy

Milarepa, Tibet's renowned and beloved saint, wandered the terrain of eleventh-century Tibet, guiding countless followers along the Buddhist path. Milarepa's songs and poems are bold and inspiring, his language direct and immediate. Lama Kunga Rinpoche and Brian Cutillo render a faithful translation of this rare collection.

Mi-la-ras-pa

Books

Your next favorite book is out there