This week’s meditation session is led by Rebecca Li and the theme is Awaken. The guided meditation begins at 21:28.

Milarepa is remembered for his remarkable determination and inspiring story of personal growth, which traces the progression from confusion to clarity. He was born to a wealthy family, but his father’s death left him and his mother at the mercy of his aunt and uncle, who put them to work as servants. At his mother’s request, Milarepa studied the craft of black magic so he could retaliate against their cruelty. Once he mastered these magical skills, he used them to kill his aunt and uncle’s entire family. Soon after, his joy faded and was replaced by inescapable remorse, leading him to seek out a master teacher.

Nyingmapa Lama Rongton sent Milarepa to learn with Marpa, who realized that Milarepa had to first purify himself from the negative karma he had accumulated. He gave Milarepa an extremely hard apprenticeship, which included building towers out of rocks with his bare hands, then being ordered to tear them down. But Marpa eventually gave Milarepa full transmissions of all the Mahamudra teachings from Naropa, Maitripa, and other Indian masters. After practicing these teachings for many years in isolated mountain retreats, Milarepa attained enlightenment.