Milarepa

རྗེ་བཙུན་མི་ལ་རས་པ་

Cotton-clad yogi-poet of Tibet, who sang his way from remorse to awakening

Jetsun Milarepa (rje btsun mi la ras pa), the "Venerable Cotton-Clad Mila", was a Tibetan yogi and poet born in Gungthang, western Tibet, with the name Topaga. Devotees honour him as a great saint of the Kagyu lineage, student of Marpa Lotsawa and teacher of Gampopa and Rechungpa. Sources differ on his dates: c. 1040-1123, or 1052-1135 in the traditional account. His life is told as proof that any heart can change, and that awakening is possible in a single lifetime.

Devotees turn to him for remorse and the purification of past harm, for perseverance in solitary meditation, and for the spontaneous songs of realization. He is revered in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, not only the Kagyu. His passing is remembered each year on Milarepa Day, and he is honoured in thangka paintings and in the Hundred Thousand Songs.

See the gallery

Bhutanese painted thanka of Milarepa (1052-1135), Late 19th-early 20th Century, Dhodeydrag Gonpa, Thimphu, Bhutan, Late 19th-early 20th Century. Wikimedia Commons (public domain), Unknown author

How to recognise Milarepa

White cotton clothA single thin white cloth wraps his lean body, since repa means 'cotton-clad', the sign of a yogi who has mastered tummo inner heat and sits in the Himalayan cold with nothing more.
Hand at the earHis right hand is cupped to his ear in a gesture of singing or listening, the key mark that sets him apart from other yogis.
Skull cupHis left hand often rests in the lap holding a white skull cup (kapala), a tantric ritual symbol of impermanence; some images show a begging bowl or an antelope horn instead.
Antelope-skin seatHe sits on an antelope or deer skin, or on a rock, a lotus base or in a cave, cross-legged or at ease with one knee raised.
Pale, greenish skinHis skin is pale, sometimes tinted green, recalling the years he lived on nettles.
Red meditation beltA red yoga strap (gom-thak) runs from the right shoulder across the chest to the left waist, holding the body in the meditation posture.
Conch earrings and long hairRound white conch-shell earrings and long hair, combed back or tied in a topknot, complete the look of a wandering yogi; his feet are bare and his lips parted as if mid-song.
Companions and scenesA small deer from the cave episode or his disciple Rechungpa, also in white with a hand at his ear, may appear beside him, and narrative thangkas ring him with scenes from his life.

Names and titles

The Cotton-Clad YogiRepa (ras pa) means 'cotton-clad', his thin white cloth showing his mastery of inner heat
Jetsun, the Revered LordJetsun (rje btsun) is the respectful title the Kagyu tradition uses for him
The Singing Yogi of TibetHe taught through spontaneous songs of realization, recalled by his disciples
The Hunters at the CaveStarving hunters found him in his cave and took him for a ghost, until he spoke and taught them about happiness
The Tower at Sekhar GutokThe nine-storey stone tower he built under Marpa still stands at Sekhar Gutok

Feast days

Milarepa Day19 February 2027 (date to be confirmed)

Milarepa Day marks the anniversary of the passing of Jetsun Milarepa, the Tibetan yogi and poet who is revered as a forefather of the Kagyu lineage. It falls during the first Tibetan month, which is known as the Month of Miracles.
How it's celebrated. Communities hold guru yoga practice, offerings and tsok (ganachakra) feasts. At Vajra Vidya Monastery in Sarnath, the day has included a procession of the statues of Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa, prayers, and recitation of Milarepa's songs of realization. Many Kagyu centres spend the day reading from The Rain of Wisdom. Devotees hold that a master's blessings are especially strong on such anniversaries.
Sources: Kagyu Office: Honoring the Forefathers of the Kagyu Lineage · Kagyu Office: Gyalwang Karmapa Presides Over Milarepa Puja · Dechen Choekhor Mahavihara: Parinirvana of Jetsun Milarepa