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The Life of Marpa the Translator: Seeing Accomplishes All by [Heruka, Tsangnyon]

The Life of Marpa the Translator: Seeing Accomplishes All Kindle Edition

by Tsangnyon Heruka (Author), Chogyam Trungpa (Translator)

11 customer reviews

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Marpa 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 had 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.

Length: 324 pages

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Product details

File Size: 2644 KB
Print Length: 324 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1570620873
Publisher: Shambhala; Reissue edition (March 27, 2018)
Publication Date: March 27, 2018
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B071YBRP8R
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

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Screen Reader: Supported

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Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,895 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #28 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious > Buddhism
- #136 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Tibetan
- #388 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Asia

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Pen Name

precious teachings

August 24, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very good book, it tells of the life of Marpa and how he brought back books to be translated from India. Very good book.

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Sally Anne

Marpa's biography

October 10, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I found this book very useful and interesting. A must read if you are interested in the period when Buddhism was spreading to Tibet in the 11thC.

One person found this helpful

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CHARLES SMITH

Five Stars

February 27, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

great

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swami

good read for meditators and historians alike

March 14, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very easy to use as a reference for all the Tibetan Buddhist terms used since this book is written and edited by scientists. This book is based on historical evidence rather than fiction - so it's more dry and a bit more boring than the other book written on the lives of Marpa and Milarepa but it's very interesting to notice discrepancies between the facts in the two books...from the historical point of view also, you feel like you are there with the masters, listening to their songs, and being part of their feasts... not just an illustration of a Master's life's facts and Master-Disciple relationship (between Marpa and Naropa, and then Marpa and Milarepa) but a beautiful account of lives of Tibetans during those long gone days.

One person found this helpful

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Vinay Varma

The spiritual journey of a worldly teacher

November 25, 2005

Format: Paperback

Marpa the Translator brought Indian Tantric Buddhist traditions to Tibet and founded the Kagyu lineage. This biography deals with Marpa's journeys to India, his travails, his apprenticeship with Naropa and other Buddhist masters and his life and teachings in Tibet.

It recounts how Marpa's persistence helped him secure knowledge of Tantric tradtions and later spread Buddhism in Tibet. It details his relationship with his teachers like Naropa, Kukuripa, and others, particularly the special spiritual relationship he shared with Naropa.

The story of his journeys and apprenticeship is filled with interesting anecdotes, songs and humour and yet captures the spiritual essence of the teachings. Marpa literally sings his way to Tibet and back and breaks into songs (quite beautiful ones) to explain his learning or to acknowledge his humility.

Much of the later part of the book deals with his teachings in Tibet and revolves around his relationship with his disciples, his son, and his wife and the tragic story of his son's death which lead to his attainment of a higher understanding of transcendce of all things and universal compassion.

The biography contains beautiful descriptions of the transference of the soul from one body to another, travels, sceneries, and spiritual experiences. The book is free from heavy philosophical jargon and explains Tantric philosophy in a lucid manner.

11 people found this helpful

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Claus Hetting

Excellent translation and an excellent glossary

January 10, 2006

Format: Paperback

Marpa holds a rare and special place in the pantheon of historical Tibetan gurus as he is considered a father of tantric Buddhism in Tibet, particularly that of the Kagyu tradition (a practice lineage today headed by H.H. the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Thaye Dorje). Marpas story is particularly relevant for Buddhist of today as he was a lay practitioner - as opposed to a monk - and thus proved that the highest realizations are achievable without the impositions of celebacy and monastic asceticism.

The book details his remarkable life and quest for enlightenment finally achieved through an unshakable faith in his teacher, the great Indian Mahasiddha Naropa. Marpa made three visits to India and spent a dozen years with Naropa to finally receive and realize the full breadth of the tantric teachings, the same teachings which he then translated, carried with him to Tibet, and transmitted to other great Tibetan saints such as Milarepa.

The story is by Western standards highly unusual and may be difficult to follow for non-Buddhists, although the translation is exceedingly clear considering the complexity of the content. Fortunately the book includes an outstanding glossary at the end, which comprehensively explains most of the important Buddhist concepts used in the narrative. This glossary is probably the best I have seen in terms of scope and content (incidentally it was written by the late great Chogyam Trungpa as was the preface).

On the other hand it is quite possible to enjoy the book as a tale of adventure and discovery with a spiritual twist, if one is not too taken aback by the use of technical terms in sanskrit and a host of Buddist concepts that may be difficult grasp.

For all Buddhist the book is clearly a must-read and very highly recommended.

16 people found this helpful

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Marpa, the guru of Milarepa

April 18, 2001

Format: Paperback

Nearly every spiritual aspirant has read about Milarepa, the master yogi of Tibet. Now there is information about his guru Marpa, the translater and actually importer of Buddhism from India to Tibet. Marpa stands in the lineage of Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa and then the Karmapas. But Marpa was no regular saint or yogi. He was married and had an awkward personality. His tough and difficult character made it possible to persevere unbearable hardships of traveling, finding a guru in a remote country and following that gurus path. And it was no easy task to become accepted by Naropa as a pupil. And it was no easier to deal with his own pupil Milarepa. Marpas power has proved to outlast history: The Karmapas are still around and they are no easier to deal with today.

20 people found this helpful

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Lorne Ladner

A Touching Story of Spiritual Journeys

November 20, 2013

Format: Paperback

A wonderful story of the life of this unconventional master in the Tibetan tradition. Marpa was a great translator, renowned meditation master, famous teacher, and somewhat unconventional yogi. The tales of his numerous journeys from Tibet to India, his meetings with great yogis there, the trials he endured for the Dharma, his surprising teaching methods, and his spiritual heroism in seeking enlightenment are often moving and sometimes enlightening. How earthy no-nonsense approach to Dharma is refreshing. And of course his relationships with his teacher Naropa, his wife Dagmema (whose very name means 'No-Self'), and his foremost student Milarepa are all marvelous.

2 people found this helpful

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Most recent customer reviews

Wallace Heft

Five Stars

awesome

Published on October 12, 2014

Peace

Life of Milarepa's Guru

After reading about life story of Milarepa, I tried to find if information about life of his master and disciples is available because by reading about them, I can get even a...Read more

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Life of a Mahasiddha

Adventure, courageous effort, dedication, humor, tragedy, magic, and enlightenment. Must reading for anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra in particular.Read more

Published on November 17, 2001

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