An authoritative new translation of the complete Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, the teaching songs and stories from Tibet’s most beloved Buddhist yogi, poet, and saint.
Powerful and deeply inspiring, there is no book more beloved by Tibetans than The Hundred Thousand Songs,
and no figure more revered than Milarepa, the great eleventh-century
poet and saint. An ordinary man who, through sheer force of effort,
faith, and perseverance, overcame nearly insurmountable obstacles on the
spiritual path to achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime, he stands
as an exemplar of what it is to lead a spiritual life.
Milarepa,
a cotton-clad yogi, wandered and taught the dharma, most famously
through spontaneously composed songs, a colorful and down-to-earth way
to convey the immediacy and depth of the Buddhist teachings. In this
work, the songs are woven into a narrative that tells the stories of his
most famous encounters with his students, including Gampopa and
Rechungpa, and recount his victories over supernatural forces in the
remote Himalayan mountains and caves where he meditated.
In this
authoritative new translation, prepared under the guidance of Dzogchen
Ponlop Rinpoche, Christopher Stagg brilliantly brings to life the
teachings of this extraordinary man. This classic of world literature is
important for its narrative alone but is also a key contribution for
those who seek inspiration for the spiritual path.
|
