Milarepa

Timeline

1. c. 1052–1070Gungthang · GungthangBorn in Ja-a-tsa, Gungthang, Tsang, with the childhood name 'Delighting in Hearing'. After his father's death, his uncle and aunt seized the family property, leaving mother and son in poverty. As a youth he went elsewhere to learn evil spells and hail-making, taking revenge on enemies with spells and incurring killing karma.
2. c. 1070–1084Lhodrag · LhodragDeeply repentant of his spell-killing sin, he went south to Lhodrag to follow Marpa the Translator. Marpa ordered him to repeatedly build and tear down stone towers to exhaust karmic obstacles, withholding deep teachings for a long time. Years later he transmitted tantric teachings such as Hevajra and instructed him to enter the mountains for ascetic practice.
3. c. 1084–1110Caves such as Tsagala-tso · TsangWearing a single cotton garment (repa), he practiced for years in the rock caves of Tsang, living on nettles, and attained experiences of tummo and Mahamudra. During this period he took few disciples, transforming his early killing karma through personal realization.
4. c. 1110–1135Gungthang · GungthangIn his later years he taught herdsmen and disciples through religious songs (mgur) on renunciation and the wish to escape samsara; among his disciples were Rechungpa and Gampopa. He passed away c.1135. His biography and songs were later edited and became one of the best-known sacred biographies in Tibetan Buddhism.