The Life of Milarepa

Here is the illustrated biography of Milarepa, the eleventh-century yogin and poet, who is the most renowned saint in Tibetan Buddhist history. It can be read on several levels: as the biography of mystic, it presents a quest for spiritual perfection, a piece of inspirational literature, tracing the path of a great sinner who becomes a great saint. It is also a personal and moving introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. But it is also a powerful and graphic folk tale, full of magic, disaster, feuds, deceptions, and humor. Milarepa is a holy but captivatingly human figure who developed from an avenging black magician to a supremely powerful yogin, pointing the way to spiritual liberation and complete self-knowledge.