Milarepa, the most recognized and credited yogi from Tibet. When I was staying at the Tibetan monastery Kopan, the monks told us that he used to cook a soup from a kind of moss that grew on the Himalayan rocks and the snow he let melt. Why am I starting this article with Milarepa? Because before becoming the greatest Tibetan ascetic, he was also a “spiritual terrorist.” In his case, there were, we can say, non-virtuous motives, of course, such as revenge. Any harm done comes back like a boomerang.
Born in the year 1052 in the Gungthang province, a region very close to Nepal, he experienced a highly emotionally impactful life scenario from an early age. His father died prematurely, and his uncle deprived the family of all its wealth.
Milarepa’s mother sent him to study black magic to be able to take revenge on those who oppressed them and left them homeless. He fully embraced the dark arts and managed to ruthlessly annihilate all his enemies.
One of the famous scenes from Milarepa’s story refers to his use of black magic to retaliate against his adversaries. He practiced magic to create frightening phenomena, including storms and diseases, to terrorize those who had wronged him. However, after achieving his goal and destroying his enemies, Milarepa felt that this did not bring true liberation or happiness.
Later, deeply disturbed by the consequences of his actions and aware of the karma he had created, Milarepa changed his path. He sought knowledge and wisdom in Buddhist teachings, found a spiritual teacher in the person of Marpa Lotsawa, and began a spiritual journey of transformation. Milarepa spent the rest of his life in meditation and spiritual practices, becoming renowned for his achievements on the path to enlightenment.
This story emphasizes that, despite past mistakes, people always have the possibility to change and evolve on the path to enlightenment and spiritual wisdom. Milarepa becomes an example of the power of inner transformation and the path to liberation and profound understanding.
Dear ones, we all have a personal history where we haven’t always chosen the right path but have gone astray. The certainty is that we don’t like to fall, but when we do, we learn what it means to rise from helplessness. Milarepa managed to climb so high on the ladder of evolution, completely freeing himself from Samsara because he knew its opposite.
Today’s spirituality is volatile and superficial and requires a reinvention. If an evil force wanted to give a superficial image to the spiritual movement, it certainly succeeded. A Romanian yoga practitioner with 40 years of experience told me that after the 1989 revolution, he and his fellow yogis had a great momentum and were confident they would go far through the practiced techniques. Especially since there was the possibility to travel in the post-communist world.
He confirmed that a kind of energetic intelligence seemed to take hold of their minds and scattered them. They didn’t practice as much. They didn’t study as intensely. The little they had before the revolution, which was even more than the information overflow they had later, was gone.
Spirituality is not, and should not be, something cool, a form of show-off, but a clear, concrete path of spiritual transformation. The highest goals of any authentic spiritual practice are:
- Attaining Divine Grace
- Building the Light Body
- Realizing the Self (connecting with the Angelic Guardian)
- Transcending Karma
Not everyone can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Yeshua said. And he was right. There is a way forward and a way back. We cannot go back deliberately arguing that we are moving forward. To move forward, it is necessary to accumulate virtues.
These things are possible in one lifetime only through practice. Think about Milarepa. Through the feeling of compensating for the wrong done, having the attitude of a spiritual warrior, he achieved the highest results a person can achieve in one lifetime. He is an example of forcing and surpassing the limits of the three-dimensional reality. In the Nepalese cave that can be visited by trekking the Annapurna circuit, you can see Milarepa’s handprint in hard stone. He did this demonstration for a curious student who witnessed the transformation of matter into a malleable substance.
This article is not for everyone, and honestly, it shouldn’t be. Everyone knows better what their needs are. Some of you may not even believe that there are levels of perception you have never visited. But for the bold ones, there are two precious gifts: the crown and the kingdom. The crown is the halo of saints, the kingdom is the realm where “milk and honey” flow, the internal Paradise.