mila later came to regret his evil actions and so became determined to practice the buddha's teachings. setting out to find a teacher, he was eventually led to marpa the translator. marpa proved a harsh task master. before marpa would teach mila, he had him build and then demolish three towers in turn and go through many other trials. eventually mila was granted the teachings of the six yogas of naropa and mahamudra. after practicing these teacings very diligently for twelve years in remote himalayan caves of tibet and nepal, mila attained the complete enlightenment. he is said to be the first to achieve this state within one lifetime. during his meditation practice he ate mostly nettle soup which made his skin turn green, and wore only a single cotton robe. he became known as milarepa, which means the "mila, the cotton clad one".