The Life of Marpa the Translator
Translated by Chogyam Trungpa
Translated by Nalanda Translation Committee
By Tsangnyon Heruka
-
Amazon eBook Download
Before you go, sign up to receive news & promotions from Shambhala.com
Apple eBook Download
Before you go, sign up to receive news & promotions from Shambhala.com
Kobo eBook Download
Before you go, sign up to receive news & promotions from Shambhala.com
Nook eBook Download
Before you go, sign up to receive news & promotions from Shambhala.com
Shambhala Publications06/18/1995Pages: 320Size: 5.5 x 8.5ISBN: 9781570620874DetailsMarpa the Translator, the eleventh-century farmer, scholar, and teacher, is one of the most renowned saints in Tibetan Buddhist history. In the West, Marpa is best known through his teacher, the Indian yogin Nâropa, and through his closest disciple, Milarepa. This lucid and moving translation of a text composed by the author of The Life of Milarepa and The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa documents the fascinating life of Marpa, who, unlike many other Tibetan masters, was a layman, a skillful businessman who raised a family while training his disciples.
As a youth, Marpa was inspired to travel to India to study the Buddhist teachings, for at that time in Tibet, Buddhism has waned considerably through ruthless suppression by an evil king. The author paints a vivid picture of Marpa's three journeys to India: precarious mountain passes, desolate plains teeming with bandits, greedy customs-tax collectors. Marpa endured many hardships, but nothing to compare with the trials that ensued with his guru Nâropa and other teachers. Yet Marpa succeeded in mastering the tantric teachings, translating and bringing them to Tibet, and establishing the Practice Lineage of the Kagyüs, which continues to this day.Author BioChögyam Trungpa (1940–1987)—meditation master, teacher, and artist—founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books, including Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and The Myth of Freedom.The Nalanda Translation Committee was established in 1976 for the purpose of translating great works of Tibetan Buddhism into English. The fifteen translators were under the direction of the noted Buddhist teacher and author Chögyam Trungpa until his death in 1987. The Committee is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Tsangnyon Heruka (1452–1507), or the “Madman of Tsang,” so named for his eccentric behavior in yogic practice, compiled and arranged this most well-known collection of Milarepa’s songs four centuries after the death of the great yogin. Tsangnyon spent much of his life wandering in the same region as Milarepa and was considered by some to be his emanation.Selected Reader Reviews