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Papers by kristin blancke

Traditions, Translations and Transitions in the Cultural History of Tibet, the Himalayas and Mongolia. Ismeo Serie Orientale Rome, n.s. no 42, 2024

This paper was my contribution to the AistHim 2021 conference in Rome. At that time my book about... more This paper was my contribution to the AistHim 2021 conference in Rome. At that time my book about the Milarepa Research was not yet completed. The paper contains a summary of my comparative study of early texts regarding the life and songs of Milarepa and the differences between these early texts and Tsangnyön Heruka՚s Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa.

BRILL eBooks, 2014

In this chapter, the author draws the attention to one rarely visited but very interesting temple... more In this chapter, the author draws the attention to one rarely visited but very interesting temple in Lamayuru: the Chenrezik Lhakhang, rising by the side of a thicket of willows in the northern section of the monastic compound, between the monastery kitchen and the small monks' school. The main feature in the hall is a large eleven-headed and thousand-armed Chenrezik statue. He also discusses explicit illustrations of the Bar do thos grol chen mo . From the Bar do thos grol chen mo , one learns that from the moment of death the deceased will have to pass through three intermediate states, during which he will have a series of experiences that will bring him, after 49 days, to a new incarnation in one of six possible existences: as a god, a demi-god, a human being, an animal, a hungry ghost, or a hell-being. Keywords: Bar do thos grol chen mo ; Chenrezik Lhakhang; Lamayuru; small monks' school

Milarepa Project by kristin blancke

From a literary point of view, the chapters with the dialogues between Milarepa and the five Tser... more From a literary point of view, the chapters with the dialogues between Milarepa and the five Tseringma sisters in Tsangnyön Herukaʼs Songs (Chapters 28-31) are quite different from the rest of the text. Van Tuyl considered them to be ‟an old document integrated into the Mi la ras paʼi mgur ʼbum,” all the more so because they bear colophons that indicate Ngendzong Tönpa and Repa Zhiwa Ӧ as the authors.
These chapters are not extensively narrated in the Golden Rosary life stories of Milarepa. They appeared for the first time in their full length in The Twelve Great Repa Disciples and seem to be inserted integrally in Tsangnyönʼs Songs from that compendium.
In this essay I examine the episodes in all the texts available to me, earlier as well as later than Tsangnyon Heruka, pointing out the differences in the colophons in order to be able to formulate a hypothesis regarding their origin.

Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines no 69, 2024

This volume of the Revue d'Études Tibétaines contains 2 articles. The first one, by myself , is c... more This volume of the Revue d'Études Tibétaines contains 2 articles. The first one, by myself , is called Life and Songs of the Glorious Laughing Vajra – The bZhad paʼi rDo rje Compendia. Here the at present available Mi la ras pa biographical compendia are classified based on their content. The texts are divided into 2 strata and compared to each other, with the help of 2 Song Charts: Song Chart 7 contains the outline of the chapters with stories and songs in the first stratum compendia – The Twelve Great Ras pa Disciples and its ʽvariantʼ versions, whereas Song Chart 8 outlines the same in the second stratum compendia – The Dark/Black Treasury, A River of Blessings, and a Life-and-Song manuscript at the British Library. These Song Charts are found below on this Academia Edu page.
The second article, by Étienne Bock, is called Groping in the Dark Treasury. Exploring the Mi la bzhad pa’i rdo rje compendia in light of a most peculiar manuscript. Bock takes one manuscript kept at the Swiss Tibet Museum in Gruyères (Ms-Bordier) as his basis, first describing it in all its aspects and then formulating some reflections about all these compendia. He also uses the illuminations in the text comparing them with similar illustrations in the other compendia and with a few thangkas of Milarepa.
At the end of his article Bock includes 2 Appendixes, the first one with the outlines of each text, the second with lists ofdisciples in each text.

In Search of Mila’s Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2024

"In Search of Mila’s Collected Songs: Back to the Basics" is a comparative study of stories and s... more "In Search of Mila’s Collected Songs: Back to the Basics" is a comparative study of stories and songs of Milarepa in Tibetan texts from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. Through the comparison of these texts, we see the evolutions that have taken place over time - in the songs, the stories, and the changes in spiritual practice - that led to Tsangnyön Heruka’s standard image of Milarepa and his disciples.

The translation and study of this life story of Milarepa attributed to Ngendzong Tonpa, mi la rdo... more The translation and study of this life story of Milarepa attributed to Ngendzong Tonpa, mi la rdo rje rgyal mtshan gyi rnam par thar pa, is of crucial importance for the evaluation of the evolution of the life and songs of Milarepa, for two reasons. First of all, because Ngendzong Tonpa was a direct disciple of Milarepa; therefore, the text provides us with a very early witness of the kind of songs Mila would sing. Secondly, the structure, as well as the content of this liberation story of Milarepa, is very similar to the golden rosary life stories of Milarepa in Rechungpa's lineage, which would become the basis for the creation of the biographical compendia such as The Twelve Great Repa Disciples and The Black Treasury. As such, this life story could be considered an early attempt to structure Milarepa's life and songs according to the qualities he developed along the path to liberation, which would become more elaborated later on.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs Back to the Basics

What can the Life-and-Song Stories of Milarepa teach us regarding the Dharma transmission from Ma... more What can the Life-and-Song Stories of Milarepa teach us regarding the Dharma transmission from Marpa to Milarepa?
This essay contains the translation of the episodes relative to the teachings Marpa gave to Mila in the different texts of the Milarepian corpus up to Tsangnyön Heruka. In this way, one can assess the developments that have taken place through the times. The episodes are also analysed in the life stories of Marpa present in the same collections whenever there is any mention of the relationship between Marpa and Mila (in most Marpa biographies Milarepa is hardly mentioned). The texts are ordered according to the lineage in which they are transmitted, as explained in Part One of my forthcoming book, In Search of Milaʼs Collected Songs. Back to the Basics. At the end of this article, some comments are added.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs Back to the Basics

What can we learn about the meeting between Jetsün Milarepa and Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (sGam po pa... more What can we learn about the meeting between Jetsün Milarepa and Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (sGam po pa bSod nams Rin chen) by analysing the biographical corpus regarding these two eminent masters?
To start with, in this article the episodes of Gampopa's stay with Milarepa are studied in two “autobiographical fragments” of Gampopa's life and his life stories recounted in the early Golden Rosaries in the different lineages. Next, the same episodes are studied in the first stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia – The Twelve Great Repa Disciples and its variants – in Shamar Khachö Wangpo's liberation stories of Milarepa and Gampopa and the second stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia – The Black Treasury, A River of Blessings, and a similar manuscript at the British Library. Finally, Tsangnyön Heruka's version of their relationship as narrated in the Songs of Milarepa is summarised.
Thus, in a cross-section of the same episode presented throughout these works, some light can be shed on the development in the narrative regarding Milarepa and his disciple Gampopa that had taken place between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics

In the biographies of Milarepa and Rechungpa belonging to Rechungpa's lineage, it is very clear t... more In the biographies of Milarepa and Rechungpa belonging to Rechungpa's lineage, it is very clear that the central aspect of Mila's teaching legacy was the Demchok Nyengyü (bDe mchog snyan brgyud), the Saṃvara Aural Transmission, entrusted in its entirety only and exclusively to Rechungpa. Many instructions belonging to this tradition had also been bestowed to Ngendzong Tönpa, and some parts of it to Gampopa as well, but – at least in this lineage – it was Rechungpa who was said to be the exclusive holder of the tradition. Surprisingly, the authors from the other lineages do not mention this crucial aspect.
In Zhijé Ripa's Illuminating Lamp of Sun and Moon Beams, some elements of this Aural Transmission are pointed out: in a discussion with his disciples, the Jetsün explains the difference between the instructions of the path of means, given also to his other disciples, and the path of blessing, reserved exclusively to Rechung Dorje Drakpa. In particular, he presents an outline of the transmission to some of his junior repas.

Here I offer a translation of the references to the entrustment of The Aural Transmission to Rechungpa found in all the hagiographies I studied. As will be seen, this essential element, accentuated especially in the fourteenth-century Golden Rosary life stories of Rechungpa, had been disregarded in the first stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia – The Twelve Great Repa Disciples and its variants – but it was integrated into the second stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia – The Dark/Black Treasury, A River of Blessings, and a similar manuscript at the British Library.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics

Tsangnyön Heruka recounts the episode of the meeting between Jetsün Mila and the female disciple ... more Tsangnyön Heruka recounts the episode of the meeting between Jetsün Mila and the female disciple Paldarbum in Chapter 14 of his Songs. It is famous because it is a paradigm of Tsangnyönʼs view regarding women: although socially they are considered inferior to men, they can also practise Dharma and become excellent meditators and yoginīs. Tsangnyön stresses this social disparity by adding songs about the female condition in most chapters dealing with women. Besides the Paldarbum story, this is also evident in Chapters 25 (Meeting Rechungma), 29 (Garland of the Light of Amrita) and 37 (Sahle Ӧd).
Paldarbumʼs story and her name as one of the Jetsünʼs female disciples do not appear in any of the Golden Rosaries. We meet her only starting from the first stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia (13th century). All versions of The Twelve Great Repa Disciples contain a shortened version of what later became Tsangnyönʼs narrative. In the second stratum Zhepé Dorje Compendia, the Dark/Black Treasury in Rangjung Dorjeʼs Collected Works and the British Library manuscript follow the same Twelve Great Repa Disciples narrative. By contrast, all versions of A River of Blessings expand the narrative with a long song describing the woes of the female condition and some extra songs in the question-and-answer exchange between Paldarbum and Milarepa.
To analyse this story, we need to check what was missing from Tsangnyönʼs version. And that is very clear: the accent on the inferior position of women, together with the possibility of overcoming this handicap by renouncing their social status and dedicating themselves to the practice of meditation.
In this paper, I compare the narrative of the Zhepé Dorje Compendia with Tsangnyönʼs version, adding a few comments at the end.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics, 2023

Life and Songs of the Glorious Laughing Vajra" (dPal bzhad pa'i rdo rje'i rnam thar 'gur chings d... more Life and Songs of the Glorious Laughing Vajra" (dPal bzhad pa'i rdo rje'i rnam thar 'gur chings dang bcas pa), an anonymous "compendium" presumably created in the thirteenth century, explains the liberation story of Jetsün Milarepa in terms of several qualities the yogin developed on the path to realisation. The original work is no longer extant, but numerous versions of the text - manuscripts, 1 xylographic edition and computerised inputs - have been transmitted since the 13th century, undergoing significant changes over time. Based on their content (the narrative episodes and the songs contained in them), all these versions, here referred to as the Zhepé Dorje Compendia, can be divided into two strata: a first stratum containing The Twelve Great Repa Disciples and its variants, presumably created in the 13th-early 14th centuries and a second stratum created in the late 15th-early 16th centuries, containing different versions of A River of Blessings, The Black/Dark Treasury, and an untitled manuscript at the British Library.
This paper examines one particular episode in these compendia – the episode at the Zangyü kitchen ( bzang rgyud phyag tshang gi skor) – comparing it with the corresponding Chapter 24 in Tsangnyön Heruka's Songs, “Meeting Shengom Repa.” As will be seen, there are quite a few differences with Tsangnyön's version.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics

In this essay I discuss a particular episode from the life-and-song stories of Milarepa, comparin... more In this essay I discuss a particular episode from the life-and-song stories of Milarepa, comparing how it was rendered through time in different versions. The episode here analysed is a song cycle titled ‟The Cycle at Tsibri, in the Gyal Region of Latö,” (la stod rgyal gyi rtsib riʼi skor) in two late – probably sixteenth century – versions of The Twelve Great Repa Disciples, namely Ms-Drukpa and Ms Gansu. I first translate the entire story and then look for parts of the story described in earlier Golden Rosary collections and in later works concentrated exclusively on Milarepa, from the twelfth through the sixteenth century. I end this survey with some comments on the way the episode is rendered by Tsangnyön Heruka.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2021

The episode examined here narrates how Milarepa helped a Bönpo follower obtain liberation at his ... more The episode examined here narrates how Milarepa helped a Bönpo follower obtain liberation at his death. On this occasion, he explained to his sister Peta how he had helped their parents, inspiring her to practise meditation. The story is first analysed in the life stories of Jetsün Milarepa contained in the Golden Rosary collections, divided into three groups, whether referring to Gampopa, Ngendzong Tönpa or Rechungpa as Mila's main disciple. Next, the same episode is studied in the Zhepé Dorje Compendia. Finally, a comparison is made with how Tsangnyön recounts it, and some comments are given.
I chose this chapter because in two of the Golden Rosaries – Montsepa's and the Dochen Rosary – this is the only episode referring to a song cycle included in Tsangnyön's Collected Songs. The other episodes in these two rosaries relate to Milarepa's Life. As such, the choice to include this chapter must have seemed important to the authors.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2021

In the first part of the Illuminating Lamp of Sun and Moon Beams, Zhijé Ripa presents a liberatio... more In the first part of the Illuminating Lamp of Sun and Moon Beams, Zhijé Ripa presents a liberation story of Milarepa in the style of the Golden Rosary biographies in Rechungpaʼs lineage, very close to and containing almost all the same songs as Milaʼs life story in the Demchok Nyengyü Biographies. The story is delivered in the form of two main chapters: the first one is his early life and the second one is structured in episodes of 18 qualities the yogin had to obtain on the path to realisation.
The first chapter of the Illuminating Lamp of Sun and Moon Beams, dedicated to the Jetsünʼs early life, has been exhaustively commented upon and translated by Quintman. It is much longer than in the other biographies, in that it contains details that are not present elsewhere.
The second chapter, with its division into 18 qualities, is much closer to the other biographies of Milarepa in Rechungpaʼs lineage.
However, in the 17th quality, after the same songs as the ones included in the Demchok Nyengyü Biographies, Zhijé Ripa adds more details, including information from Gampopaʼs, Rechungpaʼs and Ngendzong Tönpaʼs lineages.

In addition to all the information previously provided by Andrew Quintman about this text and the author, here I offer a translation of a few fragments I found particularly interesting.
§ 1 Zhijé Ripa's take on the story of Naro Bönchung and some considerations about the holy places of Tisé and Tsari.
§ 2 Zhijé Ripa's list of Milaʼs most important songs.
§ 3 A conversation between Milarepa, Gampopa and Likhor Charuwa regarding the difference in teachings transmitted to them and to Rechungpa
§ 4 A short anecdote regarding his sister Peta
§ 5 A conversation between Milarepa and eight junior repas regarding the Demchok Aural Transmission
§ 6 A brief anecdote expressing Milaʼs gratefulness to Lama Ngok
§ 7 A short fragment about Milaʼs death, different from the other life stories of Milarepa.
§ 8 Zhijé Ripaʼs position regarding the importance of Milaʼs disciples
§ 9 Zhijé Ripa's credentials as stated by himself
As a conclusion, I express a few perplexities brought up while reading this text.
Although my contribution is limited, I hope it encourages future researchers to study this work in its entirety.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2021

What follows is a translation of two doctrinal texts regarding the intermediate states attributed... more What follows is a translation of two doctrinal texts regarding the intermediate states attributed to Jetsün Milarepa
The first text is included in the Ngendzong Aural Transmission collections (Ngam rdzong snyan brgyud). It is called ‟Nondual Self Arising Instructions on Mahamudrā: Illuminating Primordial Wisdom and Instructions on the Intermediate States.” The text, attributed to Ngendzong Tönpa (Ngam rdzong ston pa – a direct disciple of Milarepa), is said to collect his teacherʼs words. As indicated in the title, it has two parts: instructions on mahāmudrā and instructions on the intermediate states. Here I offer the translation of the second part.
The second text, of which four versions are studied here, is transmitted in the lineages descending from Rechungpa, in the manuals of the Saṃvara Aural Transmission (bDe mchog snyan brgyud). It is called ‟Profound Instructions Pointing Out the Intermediate States for Reaching the End of the Path with the Mind” (lam blo nas gcod pa bardo ngo sprod kyi gdams ngag zab mo). Said to be an oral instruction from Milarepa to Rechungpa, Jangchup Zangpo (Byang chub bzang po, 16th century), Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye (ʼJam mgon kong sprul blo gros mthaʼ yes, 1813–1899) as well as two modern editions attribute the text to Milarepa. However, Pema Karpo (Padma dkar po, 1527–1592) attributes it to Zhang Lotsāwa (Zhang lo tsā ba Grub pa dpal, † 1237), which seems more likely. Here, the mahāmudrā and bardo instructions are considered separately, whereas in the Ngendzong Nyengyü version, they are part of the same text.
These texts are interesting because they illustrate the theories on the intermediate states at the time of Milarepa (or Zhang Lotsāwa?). Comparing them, first of all, we can see a few differences in terminology, according to the lineage in which the teachings were transmitted. Next, it is also clear that the instructions became more elaborated through time.
The doctrinal content in the 2 texts studied here is partially expressed in The Twelve Great Repa Disciples, in a song cycle called ʼphrang sgrol gnad kyi bar do, ‟The key points for liberation in the treacherous bardos.” Tsangnyön Heruka inserted the entire song cycle verbatim in his Songs, in Chapter 30, ‟The Five Tseringma Sistersʼ Investigation: Golden Garland of Stupas.” It includes a song by Mila to the Tseringma sisters (30.5), later explained in prose.
I wish to thank Caroline Mcauley for kindly revising the English version of my original Italian translation.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics, 2021

In three versions of A River of Blessings, a Compendium of Life and Songs of the Jetsūn Milarepa ... more In three versions of A River of Blessings, a Compendium of Life and Songs of the Jetsūn Milarepa (Ms-Drepung, BCG-D and BCG-Si), we find an interesting addendum attributed to Lord Barompa, not included in any other version of the Zhepé Dorje Compendia. Barompa Darma Wangchuk (1127–1199) was a direct disciple of Gampopa. This addendum sheds light on some curious, incomprehensible and magical aspects of Milaʼs life stories.
Here I offer a provisional translation of the fragment. I apologise for possible mistakes because I am not quite familiar with the tantric content. Following what Barompa himself wrote, may the Lamas and the Ḍākinīs forgive me for translating this!

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs : Back to the Basics, 2020

This song chart shows the page number of each song in Tsangnyön's Songs and the death episode in ... more This song chart shows the page number of each song in Tsangnyön's Songs and the death episode in his Life of Milarepa, in the Tibetan version (TN-Dha) and the English translations by Stagg and Quintman (last chapter). Moreover, the location of the songs is indicated in two versions of ‟The Twelve Great Repa Disciples,” – a work presumably created in the 13th century – in two ‟Late Zhepé Dorje Compendia” – The Dark/Black Treasury in Karmapa Rangjung Dorjeʼs Collected Works and ‟A River of Blessings” in the Drikung mChos mdzod Chen mo – both works presumably contemporary with Tsangnyön's book – and in the second Shamar Khachö Wangpo's life stories of Milarepa and Gampopa, dated late 14th century (1350-1405). A comparison between these texts shows how the various episodes were recounted over time. It shows that most of the narrative in Tsangnyön's work was already written down long before him. It also shows that he manipulated the content, placing it in different contexts, thus inventing his own narrative. For details about this comparative study see my book ‟In Search of Milaʼs Collected Songs. Back to the Basics” and my article in Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines no 69, ‟Life and Songs of the Glorious Laughing Vajra. The Zhepé Dorje Compendia.”

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: back to the basics , 2020

This chart contains a list of episodes and songs found in the earliest life stories of Milarepa i... more This chart contains a list of episodes and songs found in the earliest life stories of Milarepa in Gampopa's lineage. Compared to the texts produced in Rechungpa's lineage, the number of songs included is scarce and the structure of the life stories is quite different: here we find a loose narrative of different episodes, without subdivisions. For details see 'In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics'.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: back to the basics , 2020

This Song Chart contains an outline of "'The Complete Liberation of Mila Vajra-Victory-Banner," a... more This Song Chart contains an outline of "'The Complete Liberation of Mila Vajra-Victory-Banner," a life story of Milarepa by his direct disciple Ngendzong Tonpa and the latter's disciple Gung Rechen. The chart shows 20 quality chapters, with 1 or 2 songs in each. My translation of the liberation story can be found on this same website.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics., 2020

This Song Chart contains an outline of the chapters with relative songs in the Life of Milarepa d... more This Song Chart contains an outline of the chapters with relative songs in the Life of Milarepa described in the earliest Golden Rosaries in Rechungpa's lineage. Compared to the life stories produced in Gampopa's lineage, the number of songs is more abundant and the structure of the life stories is slightly different: two main quality chapters, the second divided into 17/18 sub-chapters. Here we find the same subdivision in qualities and song cycles that would be followed later in the biographical compendia (see Song Charts 7 & 8). Except for a slight difference in structure, the narrative cycles and the songs contained in these texts are very similar to Ngendzong Tonpa's 'The Complete Liberation of Mila Vajra-Victory-Banner' (see my translation of this life story and Song Chart 3). For details see 'In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: back to the basics' .

Traditions, Translations and Transitions in the Cultural History of Tibet, the Himalayas and Mongolia. Ismeo Serie Orientale Rome, n.s. no 42, 2024

BRILL eBooks, 2014

Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines no 69, 2024

In Search of Mila’s Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2024

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs Back to the Basics

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics, 2023

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2021

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics, 2021

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs : Back to the Basics, 2020

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: back to the basics , 2020

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics., 2020

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs: Back to the Basics, 2020

This chart contains an outline with songs regarding Rechungpa's life in the early Golden Rosaries... more This chart contains an outline with songs regarding Rechungpa's life in the early Golden Rosaries. It is important because these songs are early witnesses of the relationship between Milarepa and Rechungpa. Most of these songs were later integrated into the Twelve Great Repa Disciples (Song Chart 7) and the late Zhepé Dorje Compendia (Song Chart 8). These texts also recount Mila's entrustment of the Samvara Aural Transmission to Rechungpa. This episode was not included in The Twelve Great Repa Disciples but it came in the Late Zhepé Dorje Compendia.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs - Back to the Basics, 2020

This chart contains an outline with episodes and songs in The Life of Milarepa and The Life of Ga... more This chart contains an outline with episodes and songs in The Life of Milarepa and The Life of Gampopa in the Collected Works of Shamar Khacho Wangpo (1350-1405), as well as in The Life of Milarepa included in Montsepa's collection and the mDo chen Lineage Rosary (both 15th century). In these texts, the biographies place the major accent on the first part of Mila's life. The stories are narrated in the style used in Gampopa's lineage, without recurring to the quality structure seen in Ngendzong Tonpa and Rechungpa's lineages. These would be the life stories followed by Tsangnyon Heruka in the first part of his book. Khacho Wangpo also inserted various songs from The Twelve Great Repa Disciples, not included in Montsepa's text and the Dochen Lineage Biographies. For details about these developments see "In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the basics."

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics., 2019

Il testo qui tradotto è la seconda parte di «rJe mar pa dang rje btsun mi la’i rnam thar», «Agiog... more Il testo qui tradotto è la seconda parte di «rJe mar pa dang rje btsun mi la’i rnam thar», «Agiografie del Signore Marpa e del Getsün Mila». Benché sia attribuito a Gampopa Sönam Rincen (1079-1153), non è composto da lui: si tratta del resoconto di un discorso orale di Gampopa compilato da Gyalwa Ciungtsangpa Yesce Lama (rgyal ba khyung tshang pa ye shes bla ma), tra il 1153 e 1176.
Questo racconto, un breve ‘florilegio’ di alcuni dettagli della vita di Milarepa con accenni ad alcuni dei suoi canti più famosi, è una delle primissime testimonianze circa Milarepa a nostra disposizione. Nelle note ho indicato i riferimenti agli episodi e i canti corrispondenti ne «I centomila canti di Milarepa». Si notino anche alcune differenze nella narrazione, soprattutto riguardanti la prima parte della vita.
Il testo è stato ripreso con modifiche marginali in almeno due racconti posteriori, uno di Lama Shang (1160-1193) e l’altro di Donmo Ripa (nato nel 1203).
Nella sua struttura – un susseguirsi di brevi episodi a sé stanti – è un esempio delle biografie di Mila trasmesse nei lignaggi che fanno riferimento a Gampopa come principale discepolo di Mila.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics., 2024

Lo studio comparativo delle circostanze dell'incontro tra Milarepa e Reciungpa nelle prime agiogr... more Lo studio comparativo delle circostanze dell'incontro tra Milarepa e Reciungpa nelle prime agiografie di Milarepa e di Reciungpa, nei compendi biografici e ne I Centomila Canti di Tsang Nyön Heruka fornisce alcune indicazioni delle variazioni nel modo in cui Milarepa e Reciungpa furono rappresentati nel corso dei secoli, a seconda del lignaggio di trasmissione.
Presento qui la traduzione dell’episodio ne I Dodici Grandi Discepoli-Repa, la Teca Nera, e le diverse recensioni di Continuo Flusso di Benedizioni. Nelle note indico le differenze con la narrazione di Tsang Nyön Heruka, che commento alla fine del paper.

In Search of Mila's Collected Songs. Back to the Basics., 2022

Questo paper è il mio intervento al secondo convegno Aisthim tenutosi a Roma dal 7 al 9 luglio 2... more Questo paper è il mio intervento al secondo convegno Aisthim tenutosi a Roma dal 7 al 9 luglio 2021.
ABSTRACT: ALLA RICERCA DEI CANTI DI MILAREPA - RITORNO ALLE ORIGINI
In questo paper presento alcuni aspetti della mia ricerca sui canti e gli episodi di vita di Milarepa raccolti nel corpus di testi riguardanti Mila e i suoi discepoli creatosi tra il XII e il XV secolo. La ricerca è centrata quasi unicamente sulla fase dell'insegnamento di Mila, e non considera quindi gli elementi della sua storia personale prima di incontrare il maestro Marpa, poiché questi sono già esaminati approfonditamente in altre ricerche. Partendo da “ I Centomila Canti di Milarepa” ad opera di Tsang Nyön Heruka (fine 15imo secolo) mi sono posta alcune domande.
Nei tre secoli e mezzo trascorsi tra Milarepa e Tsang Nyön Heruka, quali sono le modifiche e gli sviluppi nelle agiografie trasmesse nei differenti lignaggi e nei compendi biografici - I Dodici Grandi Discepoli-Repa, Teca Nera (Black Treasury) e le differenti recensioni di Continuo Flusso di Benedizioni (River of Blessings) circa il modo di presentare il Getsün Mila, le sue relazioni con i discepoli e i suoi insegnamenti? E, più specificamente, quali sono le situazioni e i canti ritrovati oppure non ritrovati nei testi anteriori? Quali sono i motivi di tali cambiamenti? E che cosa ci può insegnare un tale ritorno alle origini per il nostro modo di leggere e capire gli episodi e i canti narrati ne “ I Centomila Canti di Milarepa”?

ABSTRACT: IN SEARCH OF MILA'S COLLECTED SONGS: BACK TO THE BASICS
In this paper, I briefly present some aspects of my research regarding the songs and episodes in the life of Milarepa collected in the literary corpus regarding Mila and his disciples which came into being between the 12th and 15th centuries. The research is centred almost exclusively on Mila's teaching period. It does not consider the elements of his personal history before meeting his teacher Marpa, as other researchers have studied these extensively. Starting from “The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa” composed by Tsangnyön Heruka (end of the 15th century) I asked myself the following questions:
In the three and a half centuries that elapsed between Milarepa and Tsangnyön Heruka, which changes and developments in the way of presenting Jetsun Mila, his relationships with his disciples and his teachings have occurred in the hagiographies transmitted in the different lineages and the biographical compendia The Twelve Great Repa-Disciples, The Black Treasury and A River of Blessings? More precisely, which songs and situations are found from the beginning, and which stories have not been found in previous works? What are the reasons for these changes? And what can a return to the basics teach us for reading and understanding the episodes and songs narrated in “The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa”?

I CENTOMILA CANTI DI MILAREPA, 1989

Questo libro è la prima traduzione dei 'Centomila Canti di Milarepa' di Franco Pizzi e Kristin Bl... more Questo libro è la prima traduzione dei 'Centomila Canti di Milarepa' di Franco Pizzi e Kristin Blancke, pubblicata nel 1989. Si tratta di un 'florileggio' di episodi tratti dall'opera più vasta con lo stesso titolo, di cui finora è pubblicato il primo volume con Adelphi Ed, mentre altri 2 volumi sono in preparazione. La scelta degli episodi era basata sulla preferenza personale dei traduttori. Vi erano inclusi soprattutto episodi riguardanti i due principali discepoli di Milarepa, Reciungpa e Gampopa. Condivido questo volume perché non è più disponibile in commercio, e perché vi sono contenuti episodi importanti non inclusi nel primo volume di Adelphi già in commercio.
Con introduzione del Prof. Giangiorgio Pasqualotto, dal titolo: 'Ascesi senza estasi, bontà senza etica.'

Traduzione del primo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang Nyon Heruka Ed. Adelphi, 20... more Traduzione del primo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang Nyon Heruka
Ed. Adelphi, 2002
A cura di Roberto Donatoni
Introduzione di Fabrizio Torricelli
Traduzione dal tibetano di Kristin Blancke e Franco Pizzi
https://www.viaggiinasia.com/milarepa.html

In questo file ho situato ogni canto del secondo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang ... more In questo file ho situato ogni canto del secondo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang Nyon Heruka nei testi antecedenti a Tsang Nyon. In questo modo è possibile renderci conto della complessità del lavoro di Tsang Nyon. Infatti risulta che egli ha preso in esame la maggior parte dei manoscritti sulla vita e gli insegnamenti di Milarepa esistenti prima di lui, pur apportando alcune modifiche e cambiando i contesti nei quali sono presentati i singoli canti. Allo stesso tempo si nota che la maggior parte dei canti erano davvero già esistenti prima di lui.

Traduzione del primo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang Nyon Heruka Edito Adelphi.E... more Traduzione del primo volume dei Centomila Canti di Milarepa di Tsang Nyon Heruka
Edito Adelphi.Ed 2002
A cura di Roberto Donatoni
Introduzione di Fabrizio Torricelli
Traduzione dal tibetano di Kristin Blancke e Franco Pizzi
https://www.viaggiinasia.com/milarepa.html