Last Updated on May 15, 2024 by pg@petergamma.org
The Saint Milarepa lived according to the teachings of the Buddha:
“The stunning lesson in impermanence gave Milarepa the final push he needed to follow Marpa’s command to meditate in mountain retreat. He stayed there for many years, until his clothes turned to rags, his bones protruded, and the nettles he ate turned his skin green. Hunters and thieves who came upon him thought he was a ghost. When he went begging for food, his uncle, aunt, and neighbors attacked him, and he barely escaped. His sister, who had also become a beggar, wept in misery at his apparently even sorrier state.”
https://www.lionsroar.com/the-life-of-milarepa
Milarepa lived off nothing but nettles:
and that over time his skin turned green. Think of nettles as similar in taste and texture to spinach, for which they are a great substitute.
The Saint Niklaus von Flüe lived according to the teachings of Jesus Christ
He lived for 20 years with nothing but water and the Eucharistic Host:
The Saint Meinrad von Einsiedeln lived according to the teachings of Jesus Christ as well
According to legend, Meinrad was killed on January 21 in the year 861 by two tramps who coveted the treasures left at the shrine by believing pilgrims. The monastery of Einsiedeln was founded in 934 on the site of his hermitage:
