Milarepa is remembered for his remarkable determination and personal growth. His inspiring story traces the very familiar, human progression from confusion to clarity. Early in his life, Milarepa came to understand tenents of both privilege and oppression. Though born to a wealthy family, the death of Milarepa’s father left him and his mother at the mercy of his aunt and uncle, who put them to work as servants for their own family. At his mother’s request, Milarepa studied the craft of black magic to be better able to retaliate against their cruelty. Not only was he successful in mastering these magical abilities, he promptly used his skills to take the lives of his aunt and uncle’s entire family. In this way, Milarepa had invited an immense amount of negative karma into his life as a young adult. Soon after committing these crimes, Milarepa’s joy at having aided his mother began to fade, making way for inescapable remorse. This transformation led Milarepa to seek out a master teacher.