Milarepa’s Dream of the Four Pillars

Milarepa’s dream of the four pillars, painted by the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1962 while residing in India, symbolizes the future of Milarepa’s lineage and his own journey. The dream involves four pillars, each topped by a different animal: a lion (his disciple Tsurtön Wang-nge), a tiger (his disciple Ngoktön Chödor), a garuda (his disciple Metön Tsönpo), and a vulture (Milarepa himself). His guru, Marpa, interprets the dream to mean that Milarepa, represented by the vulture, will have many followers who are devoted to their practice.

Translation of the inscription:

The establishment of that great pillar in the north
Is you, Milarepa of Kungthang.
That vulture soaring above the pillar
Is your vulture-like character.
The vulture fully displaying her brilliant feathers
Means that he has received the oral instructions of the hearing lineage.
The vulture making a nest among the rocks
Is the sign that his life-force will be harder than rock.
The flock of birds filling the sky
Is the sign that the Kagyü teachings will spread.
The vulture giving birth to a young one
Is the sign that one without rival will come.
Son, this dream is not bad, but an excellent dream.

Ornamented with the words of the vajra song of Lord Marpa, the great translator, this painting contains the same meaning as the song. Born as the last in the line of Kagyü siddhas, who are famed throughout the Land of Snow, youthful Abhya, Gyur-me Künsang Chökyi Gyatso respectfully wrote this at Pañchāla in the Land of the Āryas. May excellent virtue increase!

Written on the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month of the Water Tiger year [1962].

All effort was taken to ensure the highest quality reproduction for this limited-edition print. The color separations were made directly from the original artwork to minimize the distortion in the final print. The artwork was printed by the Stinehour Press, Lunenberg, Vermont, one of the foremost color printers in North America, specializing in four-color limited editions of precious artwork on uncoated paper.

The artwork is printed on an uncoated archival-quality paper, Mohawk Superfine, so that the print closely reproduces the feel, color and texture of the original artwork. Under the proper matting, mounting, and storage conditions, this reproduction should last hundreds of years with little deterioration.

Milarepa’s Dream painting reproduction 15.5″ x 33″