Maura OConnor
Maura OConnor is an illustrator and designer specializing in book publishing, product design, and fine art. Working with traditional and digital mediums, her work is inspired by a love of the natural world and all the textures it holds. To learn more, visit mauraoconnorillustration.com.
Books, Courses & Podcasts
Milarepa, Milarepa, Who Are You?
Coming soon! This book will be published in November 2025. Enter your name and email below to be notified when the book is available for purchase.
A charming, beautifully illustrated, bilingual book about one of Tibet’s greatest spiritual teachers—sure to inspire awareness, compassion, and wisdom in children and adults alike that includes an online guide for parents and teachers.
Milarepa is celebrated throughout the Himalayas as one of the most inspiring Buddhist figures from Tibetan history. This beautifully illustrated telling of his life and teachings, with Tibetan translation, lets children explore his extraordinary story. Milarepa went through an incredible transformation, overcoming suffering and his own misdeeds with the help of a wise teacher to become a great spiritual teacher in his own right.
Through the story and teachings of Milarepa, we can see that it is always possible to let our inner goodness shine, no matter what we’ve done in the past. Every moment creates a new opportunity to settle the mind and open the heart. Milarepa’s resilience, fearlessness, mental clarity, and compassion have been beacons of inspiration for a thousand years and resonate as deeply today as they have through the centuries.
To honor Milarepa’s spontaneous songs—classically known as dohas in Sanskrit, which communicated his experiences to others—this book is written in poetic form. It explores the wisdom of his teachings in the form of a rhythmic, call-and-response duet.
Click here to receive an online guide for parents and teachers that further expands on the themes of the book by providing lesson ideas, meditation activities, and guidance for learning about language, history, and art.