Milarepa, the Story of a Sinner Become a Saint
Not unlike many of the great stories of redemption like that of St. Augustine, an Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church, who practiced a life of sin only to undergo a radical conversion later in life and become a saint, Milarepa was Tibetan Buddhist who practiced sorcery in his early years engaging in radically evil paths until one day:
“I was filled with remorse for the evil I had done by magic . . . My longing for the teaching so obsessed me . . . At night sleep escaped me. I asked myself unceasingly and passionately by what means I might practice the true teaching.” The Life of Milarepa, By Lobsang Lhalungpa
Milarepa’s Unusual Life
Born in the eleventh century, Milarepa learned about hardship young when his father was reaching death. His Uncle and Aunt pledged to his father to look over his wealth and make sure his family was okay, but as soon as he had died, they seized his properties leaving Milarepa and his family homeless and penniless.
A Mother’s Vengeance
Milarepa’s mother showed no difficulty in directing vengeance against these relatives who had suddenly become wealthy and left them penniless. Leading him to find the black lamas who practiced evil sorcery, Milarepa became their disciple and learned to use his mind and will to cause destruction to his relatives ‘down to the ninth generation,’ a not unbiblical concept.
Using sorcery, Milarepa caused a building to fall down upon his Aunt and Uncle and all their guests at a wedding. All the guests were killed. The townspeople tired of Milarepa’s sorcery, vowed to stop him, but Milarepa called upon their crops hailstorms.
Milarepa’s Conversion of Heart
Milarepa awakened one morning with a profound realization of the karmic consequences of his evil actions. With the same fierce determination he originally pursued the black sorcerers, Milarepa turned his intense quest to search for enlightenment and liberation from the consequences of all that had come to pass.
His drastic renunciation is described as being in sharp contrast with the renunciation of other Buddhists, because typical Buddhists see a benefit to giving up sensory pleasures, whereas Milarepa’s conversion was coming from a profound place of self-centeredness. Lobsang Lhalungpa describes this moment as a “shock treatment.”
Milarepa Meets Master Marpa and Devotes His Life to the Good
Milarepa eventually met his future Master, Marpa, at a country home. But Marpa saw the great difficulty with which this soul was imbued and came up with an alternative means for training. Sent out on a variety of humiliating tasks, Milarepa tried to be deceptive but was unable to fool the Master Marpa.
It wasn’t until Milarepa reached the brink of suicide that Master Marpa granted Milarepa the teaching and his great sins were erased. At this moment, his selfishness dissolved.
Milarepa Leaves the Life of the World and Enters into Asceticism
The remainder of Milarepa’s life was lived in a tower and at times a cave where he engaged in total renunciation and a life of utter, destitute poverty, very much like the early desert fathers of the Philokalia. Becoming a profound example in every generation of Tibet, the life of Milarepa is a great testament of redemption and forgiveness.
In the end, Milarepa found that even in the face of injustice and hardship, the path of goodness was unequalled in all worlds.
“Perceiving the innate emptiness of your awareness, and dwelling in a non-conceptual state induced by mind, even though the two appear alike, beware of misjudgment.” The Life of Milarepa, By Lobsang Lhalungpa
Milarepa's life is not dissimilar to that of the Zen Masters of the Soto Zen Tradition.
Sources: The Life of Milarepa – Translated By Lobsang Lhalungpa
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