Milarepa is one of the largest Kagyupa (the White School, Tibetan: བཀའ་བརྒྱུད) monasteries in Tibet. Kagyupa is among the four main disciplines of Tibetan buddhism, the other three being Gelugpa (Yellow School), Nyingmapa (Red School) and Sakyapa (Flower School). The namesake of the monastery, Jetsun Milarepa c. 1052 – 1135, is generally considered one of Tibet’s most famous yogis and poets, and a major figure of the Kagyupa.

The monastery locates in Hezuo, the capital of Gannan Tibetan Prefecture. Besides the monastery Hezuo is somewhat a boring city to visit. The monastery was first constructed in 1777 and then destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The current structure you see here was rebuilt in 1994.