Marpa

Marpa is one of the greatest tibetan mystics… one of the rare geniuses. You cannot count more than ten of his equal in the whole world.
– Be Realistic: Plan for a Miracle, Chapter #13

Marpa is one of the greatest Tibetan mystics… He was one of the very very rarest beings in the whole history of human consciousness… like Buddha, like Jesus, of that calibre and of immense profundity. Read, meditate over his sayings: they will give you great insight.
– Believing the Impossible Before Breakfast, Chapter #23

It is the great work of Marpa, the Tibetan mystic. Even his followers don’t read it; it is not meant to be read, it is a puzzle. You have to meditate over it. You have just to look at it and then suddenly the book disappears — its contents disappear, and only the consciousness remains.
Marpa was a very strange man. His master Milarepa used to say, “Even I bow down to Marpa.” No master has ever said that, but Marpa was such….

Somebody once said to Marpa, “Do you believe in Milarepa? If so then jump into this fire!” Immediately he jumped! People ran from all sides to extinguish the fire knowing that Marpa had jumped into it. When the fire was put out they found him sitting there in a buddha posture laughing hilariously!
They asked Marpa, “Why are you laughing?”

He said, “I am laughing because trust is the only thing that fire cannot destroy.”
This is the man whose simple songs I count as the tenth — THE BOOK OF MARPA.
– Books I Have Loved, Chapter #4

Marpa became a great master. His teacher’s name is not known. Marpa managed to transform the whole of Tibet to the path of the Buddha.

So sometimes it has happened that the teacher may not know, but if the disciple trusts, his trust can create miracles.
– The Great Zen Master Ta Hui, Chapter #15