The Story Of Milarepa.

The life of Milarepa is one of Tibet‘s most beloved stories. Preserved orally for centuries, we cannot know how much of the story is historically accurate. Even so, through the ages Milarepa’s story has continued to teach and inspire. His original name was Mila Thopaga, which means “delightful to hear.” He is said to have had a beautiful singing voice.Thopaga/Milarepa’s family was wealthy and aristocratic and Thopaga and his little sister were the darlings of their village and loved by everyone of the town until one day his father, Mila-Dorje-Senge, grew very ill, and he realized he was dying. Calling his extended family to his deathbed, Mila-Dorje-Sengeasked that his estate be cared for by his brother and sister until Milarepa came of age and married.But Milarepa’s aunt and uncle betrayed their brother’s trust. They kept all the property among them and dispossessed Milarepa. Now outcasts, the little family lived in servant’s quarters. They were given little food or clothing and made to work in the fields. The children were malnourished, dirty and ragged, and covered with lice, and the people who once spoiled they now started to mock them.When Milarerpa approached his 15^th birthday, his mother attempted to repossess his inheritance but all her attempted went to vain when his aunty and uncle declared that the property that the mother calming were never their then.The little family resorted to begging and transient work to stay alive. she urged Milarepa to study sorcery. “I will kill myself before your eyes, she told him, if you do not get vengeance”. Milarepa destroyed the whole village with his black magic along with his greedy Aunty and Uncle. He realized that he had harmed numbers of innocent people and his sorcerer urged his to seek Dharma. He went to Marpa lotsawa. Marpa did not offer him the beginning empowerment. Instead, he put Milarepa to work doing manual labor. This Milarepa did willingly, without complaint. But every time he completed a task and asked Marpa for teaching, Marpa would fly into a rage and slap him. Among the tasks Milarepa was given was the building of a tower. But when the tower was nearly finished, Marpa told Milarepa to tear it down and build it somewhere else. Milarepa built and destroyed many towers. He did not complain. At one point, discouraged, Milarepa did leave Marpa to study with another teacher. When that proved to be unsuccessful, he returned to Marpa, who once again was angry. But now Marpa relented and began to teach Milarepa. And to practice what he was being taught, Milarepa lived in a cave and devoted himself to Mahamudra. Milarepa was a founding figure of the Kagyu order and a great love saint throughout Tibet. He is usually depicted sitting on a yogi’s antelope skin in a cave. He wears a single white cotton robe and a red meditation belt around his body. His skin is either flesh-colored or has a light green hue on account of the years he spent eating only nettle soup. His left hand holds a skull cup and his right hand presses his ear forward in the attitude of singing his songs of realization..