Mahasiddha Naropa: The Indomitable Disciple (2024)

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai)

The great Mahasiddha Naropa, or Naropada, was born the prince of an ancient kingdom in East India. Descended from a notable and respected royal family, Naropa’s father was the great King Santivarman and his mother was the glorious Queen Srimati.

King Santivarman and Queen Srimati had a daughter, Srijnana, but they had always wanted a son. Unfortunately, all attempts to bear a son were in vain and so they consulted the mystic Yasomati. The mystic declared that they should take heartfelt refuge in the Three Jewels, develop a sublime motivation and make offerings to the Gurus, yidams, dakas, dakinis and Dharma Protectors. That would be the cause for the royal family’s aspirations to be fulfilled.

The royal family arranged for lavish offerings to be made in accordance with the mystic’s advice, and it is said that Naropa was conceived in this manner. That night, the queen had a dream in which the entire kingdom was enveloped in a brilliant light of indivisible bliss and emptiness. The next morning, she informed the king of her dream and he replied,

“A sentient being has taken residence in your womb. It is through the kindness of the Buddhas that he will become a superior being.”

The royal couple continued to make offerings until the special prince was born. In 1016 CE during the fourth lunar month, Naropa came into the world amidst auspicious signs of thunder, gentle earth tremors and a miraculous ray of light. At the time of his birth, he bore all the signs of an exceptional being endowed with special marks and signs. Upon examining Naropa, the Brahmin Guhyamati prophesied that he would be like the son of King Suddhodana. If he was to take up the religious life, he would be the ‘Lord of the Earth’ just like Prince Siddhartha. Thus, the Brahmin gave the young prince the name Samantabhadra.

From a young age, the prince seemed to possess profound wisdom and a sense of loving-kindness and compassion that was beyond his age. From supernatural insight, he would from time to time spontaneously relate incidents from his previous lives and even declare his future qualities and deeds.

As he grew older, it became more and more apparent that he should be in the monastery. In the same way that jewels are not meant to be left on the floor but kept in beautiful ornamented chests, it was not appropriate for Naropa to dwell amidst worldly folk. Even the royal family came to realise that such an extraordinary son should be in the monastery, although they were not happy about it.

Yet, despite being followers of the Dharma, the king and queen were concerned that their son would not fulfil his duties to carry on the royal lineage. In an attempt to deter their son from his spiritual inclinations, the king discouraged him from reading and writing. Nevertheless, the young prince found a way to learn in secret and eventually became a great scholar.

When Naropa was just eight years old, he could already perceive the faults of ordinary existence and became disgusted with the world. His mind was set on Dharma practice and every action he took was motivated by this. Despite his tender age, he urged his attendants to practise the Dharma and reminded everyone of the truth of impermanence. Whenever he witnessed someone practising virtue, he would reward them gladly. Conversely, whenever he saw someone committing negative actions, he would be deeply affected by it.

He eventually pleaded with his parents to allow him to travel to Kashmir to study the Dharma. His mother was deeply saddened and, holding him to her chest, she refused to let him go. He softly sang a verse, entreating his mother not to hold him back as the opportunity to practise the Dharma was rare and the chances of attaining a human life were just as rare. In the end, his mother relented and at the age of 11, Naropa travelled to Kashmir.

Kashmir at that time had many renowned monastic institutions and was a great seat of Buddhist learning. Naropa met the great master Gaganakirti there, became his lay disciple, and was given the name Gaganagarbha. Under this master’s tutelage, Naropa studied grammar, medicine, epistemology, dialectics and the arts. Later, he studied and mastered the Kalachakra Tantra, the Samvarodaya Tantra and the Sariputrapariprccha Sutra; various medical treatises along with treatises on grammar; and the four main Indian languages. Following that, he studied and mastered logic through the Pramanasangraha treatise and its seven commentaries, many of which were composed by Nagarjuna, Aryadeva and other great pandits of India.

Naropa remained in Kashmir for three years and emerged as a leading scholar of the five branches of learning – language, logic, medicine, arts and spirituality. He then returned home with 13 great scholars. Unfortunately, his parents grew impatient as they watched their son delve ever deeper into the Dharma. In the end, the king sent the scholars off with lavish gifts, and demanded that it was time for the prince to choose his bride and fulfil his familial duties. Naropa pleaded for permission to pursue the Dharma instead, but his parents would not back down and threatened to end their lives if he did not comply with their wishes.

Hard-pressed to come to a decision, Naropa reluctantly agreed to take a wife. As a last resort, he came up with a list of special qualities that his bride should have, thinking that such a combination of extraordinary virtues would be impossible to find in a single person and, in this way, he could perhaps avoid marriage. The king grew despondent as he contemplated the impossible task of looking for a girl with such attributes. However, the chief minister approached the king and offered to arrange the search for this illusive girl.

A year passed and the search party eventually arrived at a village in Bengal where they discovered a girl who matched the description given by Naropa. Her name was Vimala and she was from a priestly Brahmin family. On behalf of the prince, the search party pleaded with the girl’s father for her hand in marriage. At first, the father outright refused but later relented when the search party threatened to commit suicide. Overjoyed, they returned to their homeland and reported the good news to the palace.

Shortly thereafter, the king sent his ministers along with a retinue bearing elaborate gifts to escort Vimala to the palace. Although Naropa did not expect such a girl to exist, he went ahead with the marriage just as he had promised, and they were wed according to tradition. Later, he instructed his wife in the teachings of the Mahayana tradition, and she became his devoted disciple and served him accordingly.

However, the feelings of renunciation remained ever strong in Naropa, and one day, not being able to withstand his desire to renounce samsara any longer, he spoke to his wife about it. He told her of his spiritual aspirations that had never left him since he was a child. He spoke of his wish to leave home and of being hampered by the guilt of disappointing his parents. Lastly, he expressed his need to leave his royal life behind one way or another, and gave her permission to remarry or follow the path of the Dharma.

Vimala replied that she realised death could come at any time, and so she would not hinder his Dharma practice. She offered herself as a scapegoat and told him to say that she had many faults. In this manner, their marriage could be annulled.

So, Naropa approached his parents and told them that his wife had beguiled him. He announced that he could no longer live with her. His parents tried to talk him out of it and even enlisted the help of Vimala’s father to smooth things between the two of them. However, so determined was Naropa to leave the marriage that both sets of parents turned to Vimala to seek proof of his accusations.

In accordance with her agreement with Naropa, Vimala cried and admitted that she had no real virtue and that she had indeed beguiled him. She accepted the separation and they went through divorce proceedings. Thereafter, according to some scriptural traditions, Vimala continued her practice and eventually became known as the famous Niguma, the black dakini. In other scriptural traditions however, Niguma was actually Naropa’s sister.

After the divorce, Naropa entered a hermitage called Anandarama when he was just 25 years old. The abbot, Buddhasarana, and the master Jnanaprabha gave him his novice vows, at which time he was also given the name Buddhajnana. He remained with them for three years to study the Vinaya or the monastic code of conduct; the Lalitavistara Sutra that contains stories from the Buddha’s life; the Karmasataka collection of monastic tales; the Smrtyupasthana or preparatory stages of meditation; and the Jataka tales of the Buddha’s previous lives. He went on to study Tantra under many other masters and scholars. He learned the Guhyasamaja system specifically, but also other important tantric treatises.

When he turned 28, Naropa travelled to Puna in Kashmir in order to receive full monastic ordination. Amidst a congregation of Sangha, the abbot Dharmaguru ordained Naropa in the presence of great masters like Dharmajnana and Dharmabodhi, and gave him the name Dharmadhvaja. Naropa remained in Kashmir for three more years, and studied the Kalachakra Tantra; the Vimalaprabha, the Stainless Light commentary to Kalachakra; the Mahamaya Tantra; and Sri Catuhpithamahayoginitantraraja. Upon completing his studies, he travelled to Pullahari.

While at Pullahari, Naropa became known as a great master and scholar. He gathered many disciples and monks around him, many of whom later became extremely learned. Some even developed signs of realisation as well. His fame spread like wildfire and he became known as the elder, Sasanadhara. Aside from teaching and practice, he spent the next six years composing various commentaries to the practices of the Guhyasamaja, Cakrasamvara and Hevajra Tantras, as well as various other works on Sutra and Tantra.

Nalanda Monastery at that time was the largest and most prestigious monastic institution that had ever arisen in India. It is said that there were 500 scholars in Nalanda and 84 were extremely famous. Amongst them, four stood out as the greatest of all and each was installed as one of the four gatekeepers (mahapanditas) of the monastery, according to the cardinal directions.

At that time, Prajnabhava was the foremost authority on the immediate and intuitive understanding of reality and he was the eastern gatekeeper. The legendary Krsnacarya or Nag-po-pa was the foremost authority on the Vinaya or monastic discipline and he was the southern gatekeeper. Ratnakarasanti was foremost in his knowledge of grammar, epistemology or Abhidharma, spiritual precepts, and logic or pramana and he was the western gatekeeper. Jetari was foremost in his realisation that rejection and attainment are the same when all obstacles are overcome and he was the northern gatekeeper.

One day, Jetari passed away suddenly and no scholar in the monastery was fit to take his place. Therefore, 500 scholars gathered and decided that Naropa was the only master with the wisdom and knowledge deep enough to take up the post of gatekeeper. Representatives of the monastery were dispatched to appoint Naropa to his position and it took the monks nine days of pleading before Naropa finally accepted the appointment. Thereafter, Naropa was escorted to Nalanda and installed in his position.

The old traditions of Nalanda dictated that the appointment of such an esteemed scholar should be followed by a grand debate with scholars of other philosophical systems. Accordingly, the monastery issued an official announcement for the debate and invited scholars from all over to attend. It was to be held a fortnight later and a throne was set up, right in the middle of the monastery, for the king who would preside over the event. Scholars were to be seated on the left and right of the throne, Buddhists on one side and Hindus on the other.

During the first two weeks of the event, a succession of Buddhist scholars were called upon to debate with Naropa but none could defeat him. In the next two weeks, the greatest Hindu scholars were called forth to debate with Naropa and once again, none could refute his points or defeat him in debate, and he remained victorious throughout the event. As a result, 100 Hindu scholars shaved their heads and converted to Buddhism while 600 more became ordained as Buddhist monks.

King Digvarman presided over the debate and proclaimed Naropa the champion with great pomp and ceremony. Thus, Naropa ascended the seat as the northern gatekeeper of Nalanda, and was given the name Abhayakirti.

It is said that Naropa’s search for his Guru began with an impetus that was brought on by none other than Vajrayogini herself. One day, Naropa was sitting quietly in his room reading a Buddhist text when a terrifying shadow suddenly appeared on the floor. He immediately looked up to see what it was and, to his surprise, he saw a very ugly, wrinkled and disheveled old hag with a gaping, toothless mouth standing before him. She was so decrepit that she needed the support of a walking stick.

She hobbled over to Naropa and asked, “What are you reading?” Naropa replied, “I am studying the Buddha’s teachings.” The old hag then asked, “Do you understand the words or the meaning?” Naropa immediately replied, “I understand every single word in these teachings.” Naropa’s response brought on great joy and jubilation in the old woman. She laughed and danced in an ecstatic manner and said,

“It is very fortunate for this earth that such a scholar as yourself exists!”

Since the old woman was so jubilant at the mere mention of his literal understanding of the Sutras, Naropa thought that she would be even more joyful if he said that he understood the essential meaning of the Dharma. So Naropa added, “I also understand the meaning of the teachings.” The expression on the face of the ugly old woman immediately switched from joy to sadness, and she fell to the floor and beat it with both her hands and cried, “To think that such a great scholar could actually utter a lie!” This embarrassed Naropa and he asked, “Is there anyone who can understand the inner meaning of the Dharma?” The old woman replied, “Yes, my brother, Tilopa.”

The moment Naropa heard the name “Tilopa,” pure devotion arose in his mind and tears came to his eyes. He asked, “Where can I find this master?” and the old woman replied,

“Go search for him. If your mind is filled with devotion and confidence, and you yearn to meet him then, the right direction will appear to you.”

The old hag uttered these last words then disappeared like a rainbow fading in the sky. Although she was actually Vajrayogini, Naropa was only able to perceive her as an ugly old hag due to his negative karma and obscurations that were not completely purified. His mental obscurations prevented him from perceiving her true identity.

Naropa decided there and then that he would go in search of Tilopa. He gave up all his belongings and books. He then requested leave from the abbot of Nalanda University. Wanting very much for him to stay, the abbot, scholars and the other gatekeepers requested that Naropa remain. However, Naropa had made up his mind and, with a deep yearning, he set off on his search for his master while requesting Tilopa’s blessings in his heart.

During his search for Tilopa throughout the length and breadth of India, Naropa experienced extreme hunger, thirst and exposure to the elements, but he was not deterred by the hardship. The many obstacles that he had to overcome have become known as the “Twelve Minor Trials of Naropa.”

He first encountered a limbless leper woman, who blocked his path and was unable to move aside. She told him to go around or jump over her if he was in a hurry. Pinching his nose, Naropa jumped but the woman disappeared into a rainbow halo and all he could hear were words admonishing him for being fettered by habit-forming thoughts and limitations. After that, he fell unconscious.

When he came to, he continued on his journey. While on the road, he came across a dog infested with lice and maggots. The stench of rotten flesh was overpowering and so, he had to pinch his nose and jump over the animal. The dog arose in the air, disappeared in a rainbow halo once again and he heard a voice admonishing him for not developing compassion for all living beings in accordance to the Mahayana path. Again, he fell unconscious.

When he woke up, he continued along the path. He then came across a man who was in the midst of playing tricks on his parents. He asked for Naropa’s help to turn their minds around and in return, he would reveal Tilopa’s whereabouts. However, Naropa declined, and the man receded into rainbow light. He heard a voice admonishing him for not eliminating his ego.

Further down the road, he met with a ghastly scene. A stranger was tearing up a corpse for its intestines and when Naropa asked him for the whereabouts of Tilopa, the man said he would answer if Naropa helped him in the bloody act. Too afraid to help, Naropa declined. Once again, the man disappeared into rainbow light. A voice was heard admonishing Naropa for not cutting out samsara, and he fell unconscious.

When he came to, he chanced upon a man with an open stomach wound and another man cleaning the wound with water. Naropa asked if the man knew Tilopa’s whereabouts. The man replied that he would show the way if Naropa would first help him clean the wound. When Naropa declined, the man disappeared into rainbow light and a voice was heard admonishing him for not cleansing his mind stream of samsara and all habit-forming thoughts. He fell unconscious.

Then, he came to a great city and went before its king, asking if he knew of Tilopa’s whereabouts. The king told him that he would show him the path if Naropa married his daughter. Before Naropa could agree, the king took his daughter, the dowry and withdrew from the room. Discovering that he was locked inside by a kind of spell, Naropa was about to use a forceful ritual according to the Chakrasamvara Tantra to free himself when the entire city disappeared into rainbow-coloured light and a voice admonished Naropa for falling into the pitfalls of desire and hatred. He fell unconscious.

When he came to, he travelled down the road and came across a hunter with a pack of hounds, a bow and some arrows. Naropa enquired if he knew of Tilopa’s whereabouts. The hunter said he would answer if Naropa took up the bow and arrow to kill a deer but Naropa declined. The hunter then sang a verse to Naropa and disappeared. The verse revealed that Tilopa would be fishing at the lake the next day. At long last, Naropa had a hint of where he might find his Guru.

Naropa went to the lake and discovered an old couple living on its shore. He asked them if they knew where Tilopa was. The old man replied that Tilopa had been living with them but before he would lead Naropa to Tilopa, he asked his wife to bring Naropa some food. The old woman started to cook some fish and frogs in the fire. This horrified Naropa because he didn’t eat meat and it was against his vows to have evening meals.

Later, when the old man discovered that Naropa didn’t touch his meal, he flew into a rage and threw the pan into the fire, causing the fish and frogs to rise into the air. The old man admonished Naropa for not consuming the fish of habit-forming thoughts and craving after attachments instead. Finally, he said that he would next be killing his parents, a clue as to his next manifestation. Then, Naropa fell unconscious.

Later, Naropa came across the terrifying scene of a man who had impaled his father on a stake and imprisoned his mother in a dungeon. Both parents were crying to be released from their misery and this adversely affected Naropa as he mustered all his courage to ask the man where Tilopa might be. The man answered, “If you help me to kill my parents who have brought me tremendous problems, I will show you Tilopa.” Naropa hesitated as he felt sorry for the parents and did not want to collaborate with a murderer. The man disappeared and a voice admonished Naropa for not eliminating the three poisons of ignorance, hatred and desire, along with the fact that he would next appear as a beggar. Naropa fell unconscious.

When he came to, he continued his journey. Down the road, Naropa came across a hermitage and the residents recognised Naropa as the great Abhayakirti and asked if he had come to visit them. They received him with great pomp and circ*mstance as accorded by his status. Then, they asked him again for the purpose of his visit and Naropa responded that he was looking for Tilopa. The residents said that his search was over as there was a beggar living on the premises with that name. Naropa found the beggar Tilopa sitting over a fire and frying fish. When the other residents saw what he was doing, they were furious and began hitting the beggar. The beggar asked, “Don’t you like what I am doing?”

“How could we when you are doing something so evil?”

The beggar snapped his fingers, chanted “Lohivagaja (Fish, go away)” and the fish miraculously returned to the lake. Naropa folded his hands and begged for teachings. In response, Tilopa took his hand, placed a handful of lice into his palm and said,

“If you would kill the habit-forming thoughts and ingrained tendencies on this endless path to the ultimate nature of all beings, first, you must kill these.”

Naropa hesitated and said that he could not do it. Tilopa disappeared with parting words admonishing him for not killing the ‘louse’ of habit-forming thoughts. Then he said Naropa would visit a freak show the next day.

The dejected Naropa continued his search and came to a wide-open plain populated by strange people with various physical abnormalities. He asked one of them if he knew where Tilopa was, and was told that if he really wanted to find Tilopa, he would have to do as follows:

Out of confidence, devotion and certainty, become
A worthy vessel, a disciple with the courage of conviction.
Cling to the spirituality of a Teacher in the spiritual fold.
Wield the razor of intuitive understanding as the viewpoint,
Ride the horse of bliss and radiance as the method of attention,
Free yourself from the bonds of this and that as the way of conduct.
Then shines the sun of self-luster which understands
One-eyedness as the quality of many,
Blindness as seeing without seeing a thing,
Deafness as hearing without hearing a thing,
Muteness as speaking without saying something,
Lameness as moving without being hurried,
Death’s immobility as the breeze of the Unoriginated (like air moved by a fan).

When he had finished, Naropa fell unconscious. These words spell out the basic symbols of the Mahamudra, the Great Seal, that introduces oneself to the nature of the mind and leads to Enlightenment. What Naropa had just experienced was the manifestation of his Guru to purify his mind.

Somehow Naropa found himself in a village. After the hardships of enduring the “Twelve Minor Trials”, Naropa was at the point of contemplating suicide while he held a razor, thinking that he would continue his search in another lifetime. Then from the sky a booming voice said, “Not far from this village is the master whom you seek. You must have faith and confidence in him.” Naropa ran to the outskirts of the village and enquired with the villagers about the whereabouts of Tilopa.

Nobody seemed to know of a master by the name of Tilopa, but people pointed to a fisherman drying fish down by the river who was known by that name. Naropa was taken by surprise to hear that Tilopa was a fisherman but he recalled his prior experiences of his Guru’s manifestations and realised that Tilopa manifested as a fisherman due to his own negative perceptions and mind.

Without dwelling too much on this fact, Naropa went down to the river to meet Tilopa. The moment he arrived, he saw that Tilopa was transferring the consciousness of each fish to a pure realm with a snap of his fingers. After doing that, he would take each fish and bite its head off, throwing the heads onto a small pile, and place the body to dry on the sand so it could be taken to the market to be sold.

Naropa ran over, prostrated in the dirt at Tilopa’s feet and requested to be accepted as his student. However, Tilopa turned around, scrutinised Naropa from head to toe three times and said,

“No matter from what angle I look at you, you seem to be of a royal family. You look like royalty and speak like royalty, so why would you come to seek a low-caste fisherman for teachings?”

Having endured the “Twelve Minor Trials” in order to come face to face with Tilopa, Naropa next had to go through the “Twelve Major Trials” over the next 12 years under his Guru’s tutelage and guidance before he attained complete Enlightenment.

In the first year, 
Naropa approached Tilopa and requested for instructions but Tilopa just looked at him and walked away. Naropa followed Tilopa as he climbed the stairs of a multi-storeyed temple. When they got to the top, Tilopa sat down, resting his back against the wall, and said, “Well, if I had a devoted student, he would jump from here.”

Naropa immediately took the plunge without hesitation and landed in a heap with all his bones broken. In tremendous pain, Naropa thought he would not achieve Enlightenment in that lifetime and began making prayers to meet Tilopa again in his next life.While he was praying, Tilopa appeared next to him and asked, “What happened to you?” Naropa replied, “I jumped, because my lama told me to do so. But I am lying here in so much pain with all my bones broken. It is terrible. I feel like I am half dead.”

Tilopa then told him, “Your body is a result of your actions and your disturbing emotions. That is what creates your physical body. In a way, it is not so important if you have it or not.” He ran his hand over Naropa’s skin and completely healed him. Then Tilopa transmitted the teachings on the Ordinary Wish-Fulfilling Gem to Naropa.

After a year had passed, Tilopa came over to Naropa and said, “Why didn’t you ask me for more instructions?”Immediately, Naropa started to offer a mandala and requested for instructions, and once again Tilopa walked away with Naropa following in his wake.
They came to a big empty field with a bonfire in the middle. Walking over to the fire, Tilopa said, “If I had a student who was really devoted, he would jump into the fire.”

Naropa immediately went into the fire and suffered tremendous burns as a result.Tilopa then came over and asked, “What happened to you now?” Naropa answered, “Well, my body is burnt and I am suffering.” Tilopa replied, “It is alright to burn self-clinging and I have the practice and instructions on how to balance the internal elements in order to do this.” He touched Naropa’s skin and healed him completely, and the fire disappeared.Tilopa then gave Naropa the teachings on One-Valueness.

A year later, Naropa went into a town to beg for alms. He was offered some very good food from a banquet, which he brought back to Tilopa. Tilopa greatly enjoyed the meal and said, “Oh, this is delicious; the food is really good.” Pleased to see his Guru so light and happy, Naropa decided to go and beg for more food and told Tilopa of his intentions. Tilopa said, “One can only go to beg for food once and that is the tradition here. If you go again, you will get into trouble but you can try. Why not? Take this water. If you have problems you should sprinkle the water. If they are still after you then take this wooden sword and make circles in the air. Then you should be alright so, go and get the food!”

Naropa returned to the town but since he could not beg for more food, he resorted to stealing it. As he tried to escape, he was caught red-handed and the townsfolk came after him. He first sprinkled the water that Tilopa gave him and a lake appeared between him and his pursuers.Next, he used the wooden sword, but, by using it, he was trapped by an iron fence so it was very easy for the people to catch him. They first set him on fire and when he escaped, they caught him again and beat him up terribly. When he finally made it back to safety, Tilopa healed him and bestowed upon him the instructions on the Wish-Fulfilling Gem of Commitment.

Naropa remained with Tilopa and continued his practice. One day, Tilopa suddenly walked away and Naropa followed him. They came upon a deep pond full of leeches and Tilopa settled at the shore in meditation. Naropa went up to Tilopa, offered a mandala, prostrated before him and requested for instructions.Tilopa then said, “If I had a good student, he would make a bridge so I can cross over this pond.”

Naropa immediately began constructing a bridge but before he could finish, Tilopa decided to cross over. He stepped hard on Naropa’s back before jumping to the other side of the pond. Naropa fell into the water and it was terrible. The water was ice-cold and he nearly drowned. He was covered with leeches, which started sucking his blood.

Tilopa asked him, “What is the matter? What is wrong?”
Naropa replied, “The leeches are eating me alive and it is very cold. This is awful.” Tilopa then said, “This is not a problem. I can give you instructions that will warm you up and you will not feel any pain. I have the instructions on the Inner Fire, based on Emptiness.” Tilopa healed Naropa and then gave him the complete transmission of the Tummo or Inner Heat practice.

Another year went by while Naropa continued to practice. Then Naropa offered a mandala to Tilopa and requested further instructions from him. Tilopa told him to get ten pieces of bamboo, pour melted butter over them, apply heat to harden them, and then to sharpen them. Next, Tilopa took the sharpened sticks and inserted them all into Naropa’s body. He then walked away while Naropa was suffering terribly.

When Tilopareturned, he asked, “What happened to you?” Naropa answered, “I’m pierced by these bamboo sticks and it is extremely painful. I think I am going to die.”Tilopa then touched Naropa with his hand and the wounds and the pain disappeared. Thereafter, Tilopa transmitted the teachings on the Illusory Body to Naropa.

The following year, Tilopa came to Naropa and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me for more instructions?”

Naropa quickly got up, prostrated to Tilopa and requested instructions from him. Tilopa left immediately. Naropa followed him and they came to a big sandy plain where a man was walking. Tilopa said, “Well, if I had a good disciple then he would go immediately and catch that man, otherwise he is going to harm me.”

Naropa tried his best to catch the man, running as fast as he could, but he couldn’t keep up. He finally collapsed on the ground, totally exhausted. Tilopa came up to him and asked, “What happened?” Naropa replied that he was trying to catch the man but he could not reach him. It was just like a phantom or a mirage.Tilopa then said, “Well, that’s how it is in samsara. Everyone is chasing after illusory objects and always trying to attain something which does not really exist. That’s the problem with samsara. Now I will give you instructions on Dream Yoga — that everything is like a dream.” Tilopa then transmitted the instructions on Dream Yoga to Naropa.

Naropa meditated for another year on Dream Yoga while Tilopa entered into deep meditation. After one year, Tilopa suddenly stood up and left. Naropa followed him, offered mandalas and requested for instructions but Tilopa did not speak. Finally, when they came across the wedding procession of a minister’s son, Tilopa told Naropa, “Well, if I had a good disciple he would go and pull down the groom from his horse. He would also pull the hair of his wife and try to get her.”

Naropa had no doubts and immediately did as Tilopa requested. Naturally, the entire clan was infuriated and beat him up. Returning only when Naropa was half dead, Tilopa touched him and again healed his wounds. This time he transmitted the teachings on the Clear Light.

Another year passed and Tilopa once again indicated that it was time for Naropa to request for more teachings. Announcing that those who sought instruction should follow after him, Tilopa left. After walking for a long time, they met a procession with a king and queen. Tilopa said, “If I had a good disciple, he would go and pull down the king from his horse.”

Naropa did exactly as requested and this time, he nearly died from his injuries after being beaten up by the king’s followers. Tilopa came over to him, healed his wounds and said, “The reason that it is still painful is because you have not dissolved your ego-clinging. Now I will give you the Phowa or mind transference instructions.”

Over the course of the year, Naropa practised the Phowa of mind transference.

A year later, Tilopa left and Naropa, seeking more instructions, followed. When they arrived at a big plain, they saw an Indian prince accompanied by his servants, having some leisurely fun. 
Tilopa said to Naropa, “Well, this time there are not so many people. You should go and hit the prince, snatch his ornaments, and then come back to me. In case there are any problems, call me.”

Naropa hit the prince, took his ornaments and started running back to Tilopa. However the prince’s servants called for assistance and many soldiers, who were nearby, began to chase after Naropa.

Naropa shouted, “Tilopa help me! Protect me!” He had just reached Tilopa when the soldiers caught up. Tilopa asked the soldiers, “What did he do?” They replied, “He hit the prince and stole his ornaments.” Tilopa answered, “That’s very bad. We should beat him up.” Together they beat up Naropa and he nearly died.

When the troops left, Tilopa asked him what had happened. Naropa said, “Well, I was beaten up, and though you said you would help me, you did not. I think I will die this time.”Tilopa touched him, healed him and then gave him the Phowa teachings on resurrection at the point of death.

Naropa meditated for one year on this special form of Phowa and then requested for more instructions.This time, Tilopa instructed Naropa to take on a consort who was a good Dharma practitioner. Following this advice, Naropa married and at first, the couple were very loving but after some time, problems arose between them and they had many arguments. Naropa eventually became completely embroiled in his problems with his wife. During this time, Tilopa came to visit and asked how things were going. Naropa divulged that he and his consort were having a very difficult time.

In response, Tilopa said, “These problems are caused by your dualistic clinging. You have to abandon dualistic clinging and passion and then rely on a tantric consort.”
Tilopa then transmitted to Naropa the instructions on the Karma-Mudra practice. Next, Tilopa told Naropa that he had broken his monastic vows by having sexual intercourse with his consort. Therefore, he had to purify himself. Immediately, Naropa took a stone and hit his secret organ many times until he passed out. Then, Tilopa healed him and bestowed upon him the teachings on the Six-fold Sameness of Value.

A year passed and Naropa decided to request for more instructions. He offered the mandala and asked for teachings. In response, Tilopa requested for his consort. Naropa willingly obliged but his consort was still in love with Naropa and would cast sidelong glances at him. Noticing this, Tilopa became enraged and beat her up, saying that she cared not for him but only for Naropa.

Then, Tilopa looked at Naropa and asked him how he felt. Naropa replied that he was happy to offer up his consort and had no doubt in the propriety of Tilopa. This pleased Tilopa greatly and he decided to bestow upon Naropa the teachings on Mahamudra.

Naropa practised these teachings for a year, after which he once again offered a mandala and requested for instructions. Telling Naropa to follow him, Tilopa entered a desert. This time, no matter how fast Naropa ran, he could not keep up with Tilopa. This went on for some time until Naropa collapsed out of sheer exhaustion. 

He begged Tilopa to tell him if he had achieved any attainments through his efforts or if he had realised the ultimate.

In response, Tilopa said that Naropa should offer a mandala. As he had nothing else on him, Naropa obliged by using the sand of the desert. As there was no water to sprinkle on the mandala, he slit his wrist and offered his own blood. As he could not find a flower despite searching all around, he offered his head and limbs in lieu. Upon doing so, he passed out. When he came to, Tilopa asked if he was happy. Naropa replied that he was happy to offer a mandala of his flesh and blood to his guru. Pleased with the answer, Tilopa gave Naropa the teachings on the Intermediate State.

After undergoing such tremendous suffering for 12 years, Naropa once again requested Tilopa to give him the profound instruction. Tilopa replied, “You are not yet pure enough to be introduced to the nature of mind!” Without warning and with a wrathful expression, Tilopa removed his slipper and slapped Naropa across the face so hard that Naropa passed out. When he regained consciousness, Naropa had gained equal realisation to that of his teacher – he had attained the Mahamudra siddhi.

From then onwards, Tilopa became very loving towards Naropa and explained that he had to be very wrathful and subject Naropa to so much suffering for a reason. He said,

“The fact that I led you deliberately into many trials and tribulations does not mean that I am a cruel person. You see, your negative karma could not be purified by your own effort alone. It was only through experiencing hardship could you purify the negative karma that obstructed you from realising the ultimate nature of Buddhahood. Throughout all the hardship, you did not develop any doubts, hesitation, or wrong views, and you diligently obeyed all commands. In this manner, you were finally able to overcome all delusions and gain the highest realisation.”

According to Keith Dowman in ‘Legends of the Mahasiddhas: Lives of the Tantric Masters‘, there was once a major wedding feast of a wealthy man’s daughter. As it was an honour and blessing for newlyweds to offer food to ascetics, Naropa, together with other mendicants, were given large helpings of the most exquisite curries from the wedding. When Naropa returned to Tilopa and laid out the curries, an amazing thing occurred. For the first time, Tilopa smiled at Naropa and when he finished eating the food, licking his fingers in delight, he asked, “Where did you find this, my son? Please return and fetch me some more.”

Naropa was delighted that Tilopa had called him ‘my son’. So he rushed to the celebration to ask for more. This happened several times. By the fifth time, Naropa was ashamed to show his face as the wedding party might think him greedy and deny him more curry, and a great inner struggle raged within him. Finally, unable to face his guru’s displeasure, Naropa decided to steal the entire pot.

Upon his return, Tilopa praised Naropa for lowering himself to such a level of humiliation, further commending him for all his years of perseverance. Tilopa then drew in the dirt, the ‘sindhura’ mandala of Vajravarahi, bestowed the initiation and blessing of Vajravarahi upon Naropa, and gave instructions on the meditations involved in the practice.

From that point forward, Naropa intensely engaged in her practice and within just six months, he gained Enlightenment. He beheld a direct vision of Vajravarahi in the form of Vajrayogini, which is today known as Naro Kechari or Naro Kachö (Naropa’s Dakini), with both of her sacred feet planted on the ground.

This special form of Vajrayogini represents a more potent form of her practice that brings quicker results for practitioners of today. Her mantra is the only mantra by which one can gain attainments just by reciting it, without any accompanying visualisations or meditations, as long as one has received her initiation from a qualified guru and kept up the vows and commitments.

After his Enlightenment, Naropa returned to Pullahari where his former wife had became a great yogini after following Naropa’s earlier guidance. She had become known as the black dakini Niguma and is often referred to as Naropa’s sister (as it was an Indian custom to refer to one’s wife as a sister). A lineage of her instructions survives to this day.

Naropa is also renowned as the teacher of the Tibetan mystic, Marpa of Lhodrak. When a young Marpa first left Tibet, he traveled over the high passes to Parphing in Nepal. He stayed at Parphing for some time, adjusting to the climate, prior to traveling down into the hot plains of India.

It was at Parphing that he met two mendicant brothers, both disciples of Naropa who were known as the Pamthingpa brothers. This encounter led Marpa to eventually seek out Naropa and become his disciple. Marpa received the full Four Transmissions of Oral Instructions of Tilopa from his guru, and also gathered further instructions in Dream Yoga and the After-Death state. These teachings continue to be transmitted to modern-day practitioners as the Six Yogas of Naropa.

The Pamthingpa brothers also received the Vajrayogini initiation according to Naropa’s visionary experience and they passed the lineage to a Tibetan translator, Melgyo Lotsawa Lotro Drakpa, who brought the teachings north into Tibet.

A reliable historical account of Naropa comes from the writings of Ngatso Lotsawa, a Tibetan translator who visited Naropa at his monastery in Pullahari while waiting for an opportunity to meet Atisha at Vikramashila. He wrote,

I went alone as an insignificant monk to see the Lord Atisha but he was in Magadha for a year. So I thought I would go see the Lord Naropa, since his reputation was so great. I travelled east from Magadha for a month, as I had heard that the Lord was staying in the monastery known as Pullahari. I felt a great fortune due to past merit arising from being able to go see him. On the day I arrived, they said some feudal prince had come to pay homage to the Lord Naropa. So I went to the place where a great throne had been erected. I sat right in front of it.

Suddenly, the whole crowd was abuzz, “The Lord is coming!” I looked all over and I saw the Lord. He was physically quite corpulent, with his white hair [stained with henna] and bright red, and he had a vermilion turban on. He was being carried [on a palanquin] by four men, and was chewingbetel-leaf. I grabbed his feet and thought, “I should listen to his teachings!” Unfortunately, people pushed me further and further from his feet and finally I was tossed out of the crowd. Therefore, I had the good fortune to behold the Lord’s face, but did not actually hear his voice.

After Naropa attained Mahamudra Siddhi equal to his teacher, Tilopa assured him that they were inseparable. They had never been separated in the past, were not separate at present, and would never separate in the future. Tilopa and Naropa became so famous throughout India that in the eyes of the people, they were like the sun and the moon.

Naropa turned the wheel of Dharma uncountable times in all directions and continued the great legacy of his teacher, Tilopa. Their sacred bond remains to this day at their caves above Surya Ghat just upstream from the famous Pashupati Temple Complex in Nepal. These caves evoke the time when Naropa meditated in the cave at night while during the day, he would beg for food and attend to the needs of his Guru.

Intrepid pilgrims continue to pay homage at these caves in memory of Naropa’s pure devotion to his Guru, Tilopa, and also to connect with Naropa’s Dakini — Vajrayogini — with recitations of her praise, mantras and pujas.

The legendary Mahasiddha Naropa has since become synonymous with pure Guru Devotion, an essential attitude for Tantric practitioners everywhere. His legacy to the world is the great tantric tradition of Naro Kachö Vajrayogini and the Six Yogas of Naropa.

When it was time for Naropa to pass on, it is said that he ascended bodily into the Paradise of the Dakinis — Kechara, Vajrayogini’s Pure Land. Following in his footsteps, many other masters have ascended in a similar fashion to Kechara Paradise. In fact, all diligent practitioners of Vajrayogini’s Tantra can ascend to Kechara in this manner as long as they have pure samaya with their lama, faith in Vajrayogini, keep their vows and commitments especially the daily recitation of specific prayers and mantras to Vajrayogini, along with the bi-monthly tsok offering (tantric feast commitment).

This perfect story of the indomitable disciple Naropa has been told countless times in the great monasteries of India and Tibet to inspire practitioners on the tantric path. It is a timeless tale of the guru-student relationship and has been upheld as the perfect example of a disciple and the epitome of devotion to a teacher. I hope my retelling of Naropa’s story has inspired you to examine your own relationship with your teacher — your ultimate spiritual friend — and to always hold it as the precious foundation of your spiritual path.

Pastor David Lai

The texts above were sourced from legitimate book-hosting services offering these texts for free download. They are made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes. Some of the books above require appropriate initiation or transmission prior to reading. Therefore please check with your teacher before reading them.

VIDEO: Lama Yeshe introduces the Six Yogas of Naropa

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VIDEO: Tilopa & Naropa Caves Beside the Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal

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VIDEO: Tsem Rinpoche doing puja by the picturesque Pashupati River next to Naropa Cave, Nepal

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