Marpa ChÃ kyi LodrÃ ( 1012 â `` 1097 ) was a Tibetan Buddhist lama , the first one who established the Kagyu tradition in Tibet . He is known also as Marpa Lotsawa , which means translator . Marpa Lotsawa ( 1012 â `` 1097 ) , sometimes known fully as Lhodak Marpa Choski Lodos or commonly as Marpa the Translator , was a Tibetan Buddhist teacher credited with the transmission of many Buddhist teachings to Tibet from India , including the teachings and lineages of Vajrayana and Mahamudra .