Marpa Lotsawa

Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (1012–1097) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama, the first one who established the Kagyu tradition in Tibet. He is known also as Marpa Lotsawa, which means translator. Not only did he translate Buddhist texts, but he also made a complete system of methods to reach Enlightenment, or the state of a Buddha. Marpa made three difficult journeys to India and spent about twenty years there. He received teachings and oral transmission of many gurus. Most important among them are Naropa and Maitripa. His main student and successor to his lineage is Milarepa.