In the genealogy of Kagyu, Tilopa and Naropa are the top two links of the "golden beaded garland". One of them is a great siddha who was born as an Indian fisherman, and the other is the gatekeeper scholar of Nalanda Temple; one passed down the "four kinds of teachings", and the other compiled "the Six Yogas of Naropa". This article will talk about how this pair of masters and disciples brought the deepest esoteric teachings from India to the edge of Tibet.

Tilopa (Tilopa, about 988-1069) was born in East India. In his early years, he made a living by pounding sesame seeds and pressing oil on the banks of the Ganges. He also used a fishhook to "catch" fish to show his madness. According to the "History of Indian Buddhism" and the Kagyu tradition, he received the tantric teachings directly from the original Buddha Vajradhara and was regarded as the incarnation of Vajradhara. He brought together the "four teaching traditions" (kabab shyi gyü): the teachings of oral formulas, expedients, dreams, illusory bodies, etc., which is the original source of the name Kagyu "oral transmission". In other words, the reason why Kagyu is called "oral transmission" comes from this strange man who "performed Buddhist deeds as a fisherman".

Naropa (Naropa, 1016–1100) was originally the guardian of the north gate of Nalanda Temple, and his knowledge was unparalleled. But Tilopa told him: "You only understand words, but you have not verified the nature of the mind." In order to seek confirmation, Naropa followed Tilopa and experienced the famous "Twelve Great Ascetics": being pushed from a high tower, trapped in fire, frozen in snow, and beheaded in public... Each near-death trial peeled off a layer of ego. In the end, Tilopa slapped his forehead with the sole of his shoe, and Naropa immediately confirmed Mahāmudrā. This process of "exchanging the physical body for the seal of the heart" has become the most extreme example of Kagyu's "guru correspondence".

Naropa organizes Tilopa's formula system into "the Six Yogas of Naropa" (Six Yogas of Naropa): tummo (inner fire), phantom body, dream yoga, light, bardo, and transferred consciousness (powa). The brilliance of the Six Methods lies in not avoiding sleep, dreams, and death, which are experiences that everyone has, but directly transforming them into auxiliary conditions for enlightenment: Dream Yoga teaches people to maintain awareness in dreams, Bardo Teachings teaches people to spend their dying days and beings peacefully, and Shifting Consciousness directly sends the mind to the Pure Land at the end of life. Today, the foundation of the perfection stage practiced by Kagyu practitioners is still the Six Dharmas.

Tilopa-Naropa's gold chain passed through Maitrīpa and others to the Tibetan translator Marpa who went to India to seek Dharma. In other words, without these two Indian patriarchs, there would be no songs of realization by Milarepa or "The Ornate Precious Treatise on Liberation" by Gampopa. They are the invisible cornerstone of "Tibet Kagyu". When we recite the Kagyu mantra and practice the Six Yogas of Naropa today, this golden chain that started from the fisherman on the bank of the Ganges is still flowing at our fingertips.

The the Six Yogas of Naropa compiled by Naropa is the core of the Kagyu practice system, including: tummo (inner heat energy), phantom body, light, dream yoga, bardo, and shifting consciousness (powa). The Six Methods are not six parallel techniques, but a set of trainings from different angles that focus on the same goal—recognizing the nature of the mind, mastering death and the bardo.

Among them, tummo is the most valued and is regarded as the basis of everything: through the practice of Qi channels, heat energy is generated in the body to dissolve gross worries and physical obstacles. In today's Kagyu retreat center, the Six Yogas of Naropa is still a compulsory course in the traditional retreat of three years and three months.

Q: Are Tilopa and Naropa real people?

Answer: Yes. Both of them were great siddhas in India around the 11th century. Their deeds can be found in the "History of Indian Buddhism" and Kagyu's biography. There are also historical records of Naropa being the guardian of Nalanda Temple.

Q: What are the six methods of the Six Yogas of Naropa?

Answer: tummo, illusory body, dream yoga, light, bardo, and shifting consciousness (powa).

Q: Why are they called the "first ring"?

Answer: Because Kagyu's oral transmission gold chain started from Tilopa-Naropa and passed through Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa to today, so the two of them are at the top of the "golden bead chain".

▶WatchLiving Buddha — Kagyu Tekchen ChölingKagyu Tekchen Chöling Argentina · Watch on YouTube

Image source: YouTube (Tilopa and Naropa documentary), can be embedded after oEmbed verification.

This article is compiled based on public Buddhist historical data, aiming at cultural and faith exchanges, and is not a final conclusion of religious authority. If there is any discrepancy with the inheritance received by readers, please refer to their respective masters and classics.

Images (all from Wikimedia Commons, see notes for licensing):

• Saint Tilopa — Prof_Ra..., CC0
• Mahasiddha Naropa (Google Art Project) — Unknown author, Public domain
• Image: YouTube documentary (can be embedded after oEmbed verification)