The Six Yogas of Naropa are a very powerful, detailed, and profound transformation of the mind and body. They are believed to be one of the most powerful and beautiful devotional practices of Tibetan Buddhism. These are heavenly lessons imparted by an Indian yogini called Naropa and are intended to help those who use them to pass through the stages of spiritual enlightenment, culminating in enlightenment. The practices are deeply embedded in the millennia of tradition and express a unique and integrated approach to overcoming the barriers of the prosaic world – physical, mental, and emotional. With such yogic practices, they will then be able to transcend the limits of their normal experience and create an extraordinary knowledge of the true reality. The Six Yogas of Naropa not only represent a map of the spiritual world, but they are also an inner spiritual experience and a deep practice of self-mastery, of overcoming suffering and reaching a new level of peace and wisdom.
Origin of the Six Yogas of Naropa
The Six Yogas of Naropa are the teachings of tantric Buddhism that were passed on to him by his spiritual teacher, Tilopa, in the 11th century from the legendary Indian yogi, Naropa, who was a renowned scholar and practitioner of tantric Buddhism. Naropa studied at the Nalanda University, one of the great centres of learning in ancient India, but it was in his spiritual journey with his master that he came to be able to absorb these profound teachings of yoga.
Naropa’s spiritual journey was not without its challenges or obstacles, as he encountered numerous difficulties and challenges along the way, which he surmounted to receive the teachings that were not available through a traditional academic education. In the course of years of difficulties, such as facing his own difficulties and undergoing many tests to establish his worthiness, Naropa was finally awarded the Six Yogas by Tilopa, who revealed that he was a valuable means for achieving his ultimate goal of joining and becoming enlightened. Naropa then passed these teachings on to his students, and it is a basic practice in Tibetan Buddhism, if not in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Six Yogas of Naropa were passed down through the ages, and they continue to be an important aspect of Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice, which are used to gain control of the physical body and mind and to raise them above the ordinary mind and to tap into the highest potential of the mind.
Inner Heat (Tummo): The Fire of Change
The first one is Tummo, or inner fire, and involves developing inner heat through breathing, visualization, and concentration. Tummo is a great power mentioned in ancient Buddhist texts that can be used to help regulate the flow of energy in the body, in order to balance and to produce warmth. This spiritual fire clears the physical flesh; it helps you to transcend this emotional numbness and pain. Tummo is the manifestation of the changing power of the spiritual energy which dissolves the ignorance and the attachments and brings mental clarity, emotional and physical liveliness, and a sense of belonging to oneself and the universe.
Gyulu: The Yoga of Fancied Body
Another training practice is called the Illusory Body (gyulu), which is a way of training the mind to realize that the body doesn’t have the solidity and impermanence that it seems to. From the practice, the practitioners start to meditate on the emptiness of the body, and they will develop a mindset that will allow them to be disconnected from the physical appearance and identity. As this learning unfolds, at every stage, freedom and elevation occur when the physical is overcome, and moving deeper down the immortal way of being, tranquility is achieved at each turn of transition in the face of life.
Mahamudra: The Great Seal
Mahamudra, the Great Seal, is a highly complicated meditation in Tibetan Buddhism that helps people to grasp the nature of their minds. It assists practitioners in feeling clear and calm, so that they do not think about other things. The highest purpose is to remove this veil of illusion in perception to attain natural wisdom and awareness. In Mahamudra, the natural clarity of the mind and the natural light in the mind dissolve the status of the self and the world. Finally, it promotes deep peace, clarity, and insight and brings the illumination of interdependence into reality.
Bardo: The Middle Ground
The in-between state between death and rebirth, a very important part of Tibetan Buddhism as it gives insight into the dying process and life after death, is called Bardo. Students are introduced to the scary but interesting and peaceful realities of death and learn to be fearless in the face of impermanence at Bardo Yoga. This practice not only helps one to pass through the state of Bardo clearly, but will also change the attitude of one towards life and help him/her to experience the present without fear and in fullness.
Phowa: The yoga of change of consciousness
The Tibetan Buddhist method of self-help to attain enlightenment or a good rebirth through the directing of consciousness at death is known as phowa, or the Yoga of Transference of Consciousness. The practice teaches to develop a positive attitude towards death, for there is always something more than the body; the mind remains. Phowa is a skill which can be employed to eradicate rebirth and to attain liberation.
Dream Yoga: Sleep Awakening
Dream Yoga is the final of the six Yogas, where one has to be aware in the dream and obtain the dream. The dream state is regarded by practitioners as the externalization of the waking consciousness, and their discovery and spiritual enlightenment. The practice of dream yoga is used to transcend the gap between waking and dreaming and learn to see the reality around, and for the development of mindfulness and awareness in everyday life.
