Mar-pa

Mar-pa (born 1012, Lhobrag, Tibet—died 1096, Tibet) was one of the Tibetan translators of Indian Vajrayana (or Tantric) Buddhist texts, a significant figure in the revival of Buddhism in Tibet in the 11th century.

The chief source of information on the life of Mar-pa is a 14th-century biography written by the “Mad Yogin of Tsang.” According to it, Mar-pa was born of wealthy parents. He had a violent nature and was sent to a Tibetan monastery to study Buddhism. Eventually he went to India, where he studied for 10 years under the Indian yogi Naropa. Mar-pa’s return to Tibet was celebrated. He married, began to teach, and assumed the life of a wealthy farmer. He undertook another period of study with Naropa in India, this time for six years. When he returned to Tibet, he gathered disciples, among them Mi-la ras-pa (Milarepa). After a third stay in India, Mar-pa spent the remainder of his life in Tibet, integrating the management of his properties with the teaching of his disciples.

Among Mar-pa’s notable translations are several works included in the Bka’-’gyur (“Translations of the Word of the Buddha”) and the Bstan-’gyur (“Translations of Teachings”). He also introduced to Tibet the mystical songs (dohas) of the Indian Tantric tradition, later used with great skill by Mi-la ras-pa and his followers.