An authoritative new translation of the complete Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa; the teaching songs and stories from Tibet's most beloved Buddhist yogi; poet; and saint. Powerful and deeply inspiring; there is no book more beloved by Tibetans than The Hundred Thousand Songs; and no figure more revered than Milarepa; the great eleventh-century poet and saint. An ordinary man who; through sheer force of effort; faith; and perseverance; overcame nearly insurmountable obstacles on the spiritual path to achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime; he stands as an exemplar of what it is to lead a spiritual life. Milarepa; a cotton-clad yogi; wandered and taught the dharma; most famously through spontaneously composed songs; a colorful and down-to-earth way to convey the immediacy and depth of the Buddhist teachings. In this work; the songs are woven into a narrative that tells the stories of his most famous encounters with his students; including Gampopa and Rechungpa; and recount his victories over supernatural forces in the remote Himalayan mountains and caves where he meditated.In this authoritative new translation; prepared under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche; Christopher Stagg brilliantly brings to life the teachings of this extraordinary man. This classic of world literature is important for its narrative alone but is also a key contribution for those who seek inspiration for the spiritual path.
#785712 in Books 2009-10-19Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .72 x 5.98l; 1.04 #File Name: 155849796X324 pages
Review
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. Detailed Readable Portrait of Puritan ColonistsBy Brian O'MalleyRoger Thompson examines the English genealogies; biographies and careers of a large sample of Puritan colonists. Thompson finds that most Puritans; before leaving Britain; lived; worked and socialized in the same network of communities in which their ancestors had lived for many generations. Even the merchants; the most mobile group Thompson studies; were only incrementally mobile. Over years; or over generations; merchants moved town-by-town; steadily closer to London. Most Puritan colonists; Thompson asserts; would have found the move to another continent a drastic break from both their heritage and their experience.The examination of callings; both religious and occupational; proves extremely interesting. Thompson shows how these men and women lived in England; and why they finally felt compelled to leave. Details of their lives; both personal and professional; enrich Thompson's study.The work is a tremendous contribution to our understanding of the Puritans; in both England and America. Thompson offers a work of outstanding skill and readability.Other works in the same field would be the section on East Anglians relocating to New England in David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America; and the entirety of D. (David Grayson) Allen's In English Ways: The Movement of Societies and the Transfer of English Local Law and Custom to Massachusetts Bay; 1600-1690. Thompson's work is an invaluable contribution to the study of the transatlantic Puritan community.
