Handwritten Biography of Milarepa

W3PD894From the rare text collection of the Seru Gongma Family, Kham

The Life of MilarepaMilarepa (1052-1135) is one of the most famous yogis and poets in all of Tibetan Buddhism. After killing thirty-five people and unleashing hailstorms on a village in sorcerous anger, he realized the cruelty of his magic and turned toward the Dharma and found his teacher, Marpa.

The story of Milarepa’s attainment of enlightenment in a just a single lifetime has left an indelible mark on the Tibetan cultural imagination: the story of his life is one of the best known in all of Tibetan Buddhism.

Printing Milarepa’s Biography

Tsangnyon Heruka (1452-1507) is the best-known biographer of Milarepa. He composed his versions of the Life and Songs of Milarepa in 1488; they would soon become the most widely read works in all of Tibetan literature.

Tsangnyon was a pioneer in using the relatively new wood-block printing technique, which enabled him to make many copies of his works and distribute them widely across Tibet.

Besides being one of Tibet’s greatest authors, he was a key figure in the history of printing in the Tibetan Buddhist world and beyond.

Remarkable Handwritten CopySo why would someone handwrite a copy of one of the most widely distributed printed texts in the Tibetan world?

Devotion? As a meditation practice? To accumulate merit?

Preservation Story

This rare handwritten copy of the biography of Milarepa was scanned as part of the personal library of the Seru Gongma Tshang Family in Drakgo County, Kham.

The family has a collection of exceptionally rare manuscripts in its private library. TBRC was extremely fortunate to gain access to this handwritten collection.