The Life and Teachings of Marpa and Milarepa
Click here to jump to talk playlist and clip
One of our many discoveries here at the Library is that of the over 1,500 talks Chögyam Trungpa gave, the most frequent theme was lineage, with emphasis on the Karma Kagyu lineage. As the Trungpa tulku, he himself was a major holder of this lineage. Trungpa Rinpoche gave 22 seminars on the “practicing lineage” — a total of 142 talks! Presented in the playlist below are three newly-released seminars on two original holders of the Kagyu lineage: Marpa Lotsawa (1012-1097) and his chief disciple Jetsun Milarepa (1040-1123). In the talk “Milarepa meets Marpa”, Trungpa Rinpoche tells the compelling story of their meeting and the trials Marpa puts Milarepa through to prepare him for becoming his student.
The Life and Teachings of Marpa
The Life and Teachings of Marpa seminars — I (Karmê Chöling, Vermont, 1973) and II (Kensington, California, 1975) — make up Trungpa Rinpoche’s body of work on the brilliant translator and householder-farmer Marpa. These talks illuminate his life and teachings, particularly on the Kagyu practice of mahamudra. The first seminar is focused on the life and example of Marpa and explores the topics of commitment to meditation practice, using one’s intelligence as a guide, and mahamudra practice in thorough and accessible terms. The second is a pithy three-talk seminar which links Marpa’s householder-farmer life with ours of balancing jobs, family, meditation practice, and studying and teaching the dharma. These are particularly special recordings because almost all these teachings on Marpa have never been published!
Message of Milarepa
The Message of Milarepa (Karmê Chöling, 1973) is one of four seminars Trungpa Rinpoche gave on the legendary poet-yogi, which are all published in his book Milarepa: Lessons from the Life and Songs of Tibet’s Great Yogi (edited by Judith Lief). In this seminar, Milarepa’s journey with its challenges and breakthroughs are presented as teachings for the modern-day practitioner on the path. Themes include devotion, karma, renunciation, meditation, spiritual and psychological materialism, loneliness, retreat practice, the evolution of Milarepa’s poetry, mahamudra practice, and expansive compassion. Fortunately for us, this seminar was filmed. The footage captures the beauty of summertime in Vermont and the intimacy of hearing these teachings under the tent at Karmê Chöling. Seeing his expressions and gestures adds another dimension of understanding and delight. Enjoy!
Marpa and Milarepa Playlist
The Message of Milarepa (Karmê Chöling, 1973)
- Talk 1: Milarepa and the Origins of the Kagyu Lineage (Audio)
- Talk 2: One-Upmanship (Audio)
- Talk 3: Renunciation (Video)
- Practice Day Talk (Video)
- Talk 4: Milarepa Meets Marpa (Video)
- Talk 5: Spiritual Romanticism (Video)
- Talk 6: Mahamudra (Video)
- Talk 7: Milarepa’s Compassion (Video)
- Full Seminar Playlist
The Life and Teachings of Marpa I (Karmê Chöling, 1973)
- Talk 1: Surrendering Insanity
- Talk 2: An Ordinary Householder
- Talk 3: Teaching Becomes Discipline
- Talk 4: An Element of Unreasonability
- Full Seminar Playlist
The Life and Teachings of Marpa II (Kensington CA, 1975)
- Talk 1: Spiritual Training
- Talk 2: A Full-Fledged Practitioner
- Talk 3: Becoming a Member of the Lineage
- Full Seminar Playlist
Previously released Milarepa Seminars:
- 100,000 Songs of Milarepa (Karmê Chöling, 1970)
- Yogic Songs of Milarepa (Naropa University, 1976)
Learn More
Milarepa: Lessons from the Life and Songs of Tibet’s Great Yogi by Chögyam Trungpa, edited by Judith Lief
Message of Milarepa notes by Robert Walker. Detailed, insightful descriptions of each talk from the seminar on The Chronicles website. (Excerpts are also included in some of the Library summaries for this series)
A special thank you to Jeffrey Krouk who videotaped the Message of Milarepa seminar, which is now available in the Library.