Our inspiration

"If without error you understand these words, you can be sure that more happiness and joy will come your way.”
Jetsun Milarepa

Our company’s identity derives from the name of one of Tibet’s most famous yogis, Jetsun Milarepa, who lived in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Mila, as he is often called, provides our company with a reminder of the fierce diligence needed to become a better, more mindful and emotionally intelligent communicator. Mila’s life story is also illustrative of how it sometimes takes a compassionate and talented community to help individuals achieve clarity and eloquence.  We hope to be that community for you and your organization.

The Legend of Milarepa

There are various accounts of the life of Milarepa.  It is difficult to assess the precise facts, but it seems that the most important point, as Buddhist scholar Reginald Ray notes, is that “ Milarepa’s biography shows how any ordinary person can aspire to the highest goal”.

Milarepa was born to a prosperous family in a rural Tibetan village.  When his father died, Milarepa's aunt and uncle ended up inheriting the family’s wealth, which incensed Mila’s mother.  She sent her son away to study sorcery so that they could have their revenge. His studies were apparently successful, for during a party to celebrate the coming of age of his cousin, Mila used his magic to destroy his family’s house, killing 35 people. The villagers angrily began to search for Milarepa, who was now known as a murderer, but he escaped and by some accounts, took further vengeance, sending a hailstorm to destroy the villagers’ crops.

Despite these acts of hatred and malevolence, Milarepa knew that his revenge was wrong, and so he set out to find a guide who could help him turn his life around and lead him to spiritual enlightenment.  He wandered until he came upon the famous teacher and scholar, Marpa Lotsawa, or Marpa the translator. Marpa was renowned (and remains so today) for his travels to India, which allowed him to translate the essential texts of Buddhism from Sanskrit into the language of Tibet.  However, Marpa was not easy to win over. He told Mila that he would need to engage in a period of physical labor in order to become a student.  Marpa treated Mila harshly, and ordered him to build and destroy three separate buildings.  Still, Marpa refused to teach him.

Some accounts of Mila’s life suggest that Mila went to Marpa's wife, who took pity on him and forged a letter of introduction to another teacher, Lama Ngogdun Chudor.  Mila went to his new lama and began to practice meditation; still, he made no progress toward enlightenment.  Mila again felt remorse, and confessed the forgery to Ngogdun Chudor.  The lama told him to return to Marpa.  This time, Marpa finally instructed Milarepa and sent him into solitary retreat to practice the teachings. After twelve years, Milarepa attained the state of complete enlightenment.

After becoming enlightened, Mila himself became a well-known teacher.  He lived primarily at Drakar Taso cave, which is still visited today by pilgrims and scholars.

Mila’s contribution to Tibetan literature is perhaps even more extraordinary than his life story and the many legends that grew up around him.  His poems, The Songs of Milarepa, are considered one of the most important texts of Mahayana Buddhism.  Milarepa is also considered a founder of one of the four main branches of Tibetan Buddhism.

Sources
Chang, Garma C. C., trans. The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, Vol. 2. Boulder: Shambhala, 1977.
Ray, Reginald A. Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala, 2002.
“Milarepa.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milarepa, 2008.
“Who was Milarepa.” http://milarepacenter.org, 2008.