Gassho Richard,

Thanks for posting that. It's a very interesting story.

Its funny that so many stories involving the biography of people who are successful in become enlightened, have them starving to death and naked in a snowy cave. It seems a bit extreme to me. While the Dharma teaches us to seek the Middle Path, Milarepa seems to have lived his life no where near middle. At first he was a vengeful individual, raining terror and death down on his people and then he's living the other extreme of extreme deprivation in himself.

So, here's my question. Is the Middle Path something that is relative to the individual? Is it possible that a life of extreme deprivation such as Milarepa's IS the Middle Path to that particular person? Is that what is "Right" to that person? We all look for a balance in our lives. The Buddha taught us that neither living a life of opulence nor deprivation was the Middle Way. He went from rich palace living to nearly starving himself to death in his quest for enlightenment and found the real way was to balance life and live by the Noble Eightfold Path. It's about attachments really. Does one have to become physically detached from it all or should it be enough if they are honestly and truthfully no longer mentally attached to it. So, why is it that is seems there are so many stories of people who gain enlightenment by physically living their lives to such deprived extremes? Should it not be possible to just 'get it' without first having to starve yourself green in a snowy cave?

Metta
Ann

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