one evening milera returned to his cave after gathering firewood only to find it filled with demons they were cooking his food reading his books sleeping in his bed they had taken over the joint he knew about nonduality of self and other but he still didn't quite know how to get these guys out of his cave even though he had the sense that they were just a projection of his own mind all The Unwanted parts of himself he didn't know how to get rid of them so first he taught them the Dharma he sat on his seat that was higher than they were and said things to them about how we are all one he talked about compassion and shun and how poison is medicine nothing happened the demons were still there then he lost his patience and got angry and ran at them they just laughed at him finally he gave up and just sat down on the floor saying I'm not going away and it looks like you're not either so let's just live here together at that point all of them left except one milara said oh this one is particularly vicious he didn't know what to do so he surrendered himself even further he walked over and put himself right into the mouth of the demon and said just eat me up if you want to then that demon left too melara the Lord of yogis is today recognized as one of tibet's great Masters and an accomplished meditation teacher and practitioner admired for his tenacity courage and discipline he is celebrated as the most renowned figure in tibetan culture the quintessential Tibetan folk hero however his life began with considerable hardship like this metaphor his path was a journey of facing and integrating his own own demons transitioning from confusion to Awakening initially caught in samsar the cycle of mundane existence he committed to the practice of Dharma the way of wisdom his story is not that of a saint on the contrary it's a deeply human story it shows us that even a great master has to deal with immense challenges such as loss and revenge it narrates the transition from a murderer to one of tibet's most famous yog PE before we continue we are excited to share some wonderful news with you all thanks to your overwhelming requests we have created a new YouTube channel called asangani dedicated to the calming chants and mantras from our videos the link to the channel is in the description jetsun marea was born in the 11th century in Western Tibet to a wealthy and prominent family his family surname was Miller while repper meaning cotton clad was a name he acquired later referring to the thin and simple robe he used to wear he lived in a mansion with many servants alongside his sister and parents and he was raised with love his early life took a tragic turn at the age of seven when his father sherub gelsen who was a successful Merchant fell ill and died in his will he appointed his brother and sister-in-law as the guardians of his estate until millera became an adult placing millera his sister and mother under their care things took a terrible turn when milla's Uncle and Aunt seized the family's property forcing him his mother and his sister to live as their servants as he described our food was food for dogs our work was work for donkeys forced to toil without rest our limbs became cracked and raw with only poor food and clothing we became pale and emaciated in response milla's mother who didn't have any resources left and was driven by a desire for Revenge encouraged him to learn black magic and hail making as a way to retaliate for their family's fate in central Tibet millera encountered several teachers renowned for their skills in the Black Arts Who provided him with instructions and helped him develop new powers Upon returning to to his homeland he used these powers to collapse his uncle's house killing dozens of people gathered inside for a wedding celebration although the uncle and Aunt survived to tell the terrible story of Mila's Revenge many others were not so fortunate one of tibet's greatest Saints started out as a mass murderer however soon after he realized the magnitude of his misdeeds and his profound remorse led him to seek Redemption and find a genuine Master millera recounted this period saying during the day I forgot to eat if I went out I wanted to stay in if I stayed in I wanted to go out at night I was so filled with World weariness and renunciation that I was unable to sleep he left his home and set out in search of a Buddhist teacher seeking to devote his life to the Dharma eventually he met marpa the translator who became his principal Guru and master marpa was a celebrated translator of Indian texts as well as a householder and farmer known for his aggressive and quick-tempered personality aware of all the negative Karma millera had accumulated marpa subjected him to a harsh physical and mental regime Mera was forced to build dismantle and rebuild a fortification tower on the border of maa's property four times finally after Mila had built a fourth house he became so discouraged that it seemed he had no choice but to commit suicide because his Guru would not give him the teaching at that point marpa relented but in order for Mila to clear away his past misdeeds marpa had to train him in that way marpa finally revealed that this was a method for purifying the sins of his past he explained that merea was from the beginning a disciple prophesized by marpa's own Guru the Bengali Adept naropa but despite Mila's strong desire to follow marpa's teachings he yearned to reunite with his mother and returned to his ancestral home only to find it in Ruins with his mother's bones inside this account by merea himself illustrates that difficult moment and the profound shift it provoked in him then I walked across the doorstep and found a heap of Rags caked with dirt over which many weeds had grown when I gathered them up a number of human bones bleached white slipped out when I realized they were the bones of my mother I was so overcome with grief that I could hardly stand it I could not think I could not speak and an overwhelming sense of longing and sadness swept over me but at that moment I remembered my llama's old oral instructions I then Blended my mother's Consciousness with my mind and the wisdom mind of the kaju lamas I saw the true possibility of liberating both my mother and my father from life's round after this episode merea finally grasped the true meaning of impermanence and wholeheartedly committed to following Mara's guidance dedicating himself to meditation in a mountain Retreat from that point onward he devoted his life to the study and practice of Dharma millera received all the Transmissions that Mara had brought and translated from India these included teachings such as mahamudra and the six doctrines of naropa which formed the core teachings of his new lineage he lived as a solitary Yogi meditating in remote caves and mountains and teaching small groups of practitioners he also traveled across Tibet and Nepal sharing his insights through poems and songs of realization iconography often depicts him surrounded by Himalayan nature including trees Peaks and wild animals symbolizing the profound interconnectedness of all things that he felt and professed his most prominent male disciples were reuma whom he raised from childhood and the scholar physician gampopa he also taught many accomplished female students most notably palar boom it is even said that Mila's teaching attracted non-human disciples also millera died at the age of 83 or 84 he is said to be the first person to have attained Enlightenment within a single lifetime most Traditions hold that milla's death Left Behind no physical remains but if the Yan's followers lacked a reminder of his life in the form of Corporal relics that empty space was soon filled with literary records of his life and teachings following Mila's passing one of his most prominent disciples gampopa who had received the complete kaju transmission became his primary lineage holder to better understand Mila's life and teachings it is crucial to delve into the lineage he belonged to the kaju school also known as the lineage of devotion which is one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism in tibetan K means sacred world and Jew means lineage and SCU translates to the lineage of the Sacred world the lineage traces its Origins to India where phopa received direct transmission from vajradhara who is revered as the tantric manifestation of shakuni budha tilopa transmitted these teachings to the great scholar naropa who later became marpa's master in India marpa subsequently brought these teachings to Tibet passing them on to marea and then to gampopa and reuma gampopa was particularly significant as he founded an important lineage in Tibetan Buddhism that integrated the esoteric tantric teachings of marpa and Mila with a monastic structure that is well suited to the preservation of the words of previous Masters one of gpa's most important and influential disciples was Dum kenpa the first karmapa this master founded tfu Monastery in central Tibet and became the head of the karmma kaju lineage also known as the karmma Kang which has been upheld for over 900 years through his successive reincarnations leading up to the 17th karmapa today the kaju school is renowned for its profound meditative and devotional practices as well as its comprehensive understanding of Buddhism it is particularly noted for cultivating numerous awakened individuals throughout its history in part due to teachings derived from millera who was known for his very direct and immediate style of teaching he is remembered for using songs that would arise spontaneously as responses to his students questions in fact during his time and especially in Tibet conversing in song was not Not Unusual and because he taught in this way millera is usually depicted with his hand to his ear in the traditional posture of singing he sang hundreds of songs that are compiled today as the 100,000 songs of millera this text is based on transcriptions of orally transmitted songs accompanied by stories about their Origins it also portrays his interactions with people and students challenging and guiding them towards Awakening poems and songs served as the means for expressing his profound teachings and spiritual Mastery in one particular song He declares himself as great in Fame while describing his life as that of an old man I am millera great in Fame the direct offspring of memory and wisdom yet an old man am I for laon and naked from my lips springeth forth a little song for all nature at which I look serveth me for a book The Iron staff that my hands hold guideth me over the ocean of changing life master am I of mind and light and in showing Feats and miracles depend not on Earthly deities millera from the gur boom millera style of teaching is referred to as direct pointing out as it directly points to what should be rejected and accepted as well as the causes of suffering and happiness all without great intellect ual argumentation his songs reflecting this style have been studied for centuries inspiring and guiding people from diverse backgrounds to embrace the path of Dharma they are interpreted in multiple ways as a root to Liberation spiritual poetry or a social commentary on life in 11th century Tibet millera was regarded as an unconventional teacher celebrated for his unusual methods and aesthetic ideals he viewed Family Life Society and monasticism as potential dangers to the Mind impeding one's abilities of achieving Enlightenment from medieval Tibet to the modern world milla's Legacy has transcended time and geographical boundaries his journey itself is a testament to a path from confusion to Awakening reminding us that Redemption and transformation are attainable through perseverance for [Music]