Six Dharmas of Naropa

Lore & Background

The teachings of Tilopa are the earliest known work on the six dharmas. He received them from various teachers, including the mahasiddhas Nagarjuna (not the Madhyamaka philosopher), Lawapa, Luipada, Shavari, and Krishnacharya. The sources for this compilation were said to be the Guhyasamaja Tantra, the Hevajra Tantra, and the Chaturpitha Tantra. Nāropa learned the six dharmas from Tilopa, and his student Marpa taught the Tibetan Milarepa, renowned for his yogic skills. Milarepa in turn taught Gampopa, who wrote various meditation manuals on the six dharmas, collected in the Dakpö Kambum. From Gampopa, these teachings were passed on to the various Kagyu sub-schools and lineages, where they remain a central practice. Numerous commentaries have been composed, including Shamar Chokyi Wangchuk's Quintessence of Nectar, Dakpo Tashi Namgyal's Light Rays from the Jewel of the Excellent Teaching, and Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge. Tsongkhapa wrote a commentary called A Book of Three Inspirations, which became the standard reference work in Gelug. Many Gelugpa practitioners, including the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas, were lineage holders.

Reader's Guide

The Six Dharmas of Nāropa are a main practice of the Kagyu school and were originally unique to that school. Key Kagyu figures such as Milarepa, Gampopa, Phagmo Drugpa, and Jigten Sumgon taught and practiced them. They are also taught in Gelug, where they were introduced by Je Tsongkhapa, who received the lineage through his Kagyu teachers. The six dharmas are meant to be a comprehensive and holistic collection of the completion stage practices of Indian Buddhist tantra. In both Kagyu and Gelug, initiation into at least one Anuttarayogatantra system and practice of its Generation Stage are the bases for practice. The most widely used list of six dharmas, from Gampopa, includes tummo (inner heat), ösel (clear light), milam (dream state), gyulü (illusory body), bardo (intermediate state), and phowa (transference of consciousness). Other dharmas sometimes grouped with these include Generation Stage practice, karmamudra, forceful transference, and self-liberation. Today, the six dharmas are one of the main tantric practices of the Kagyu school and are practiced in three-year retreats by monastic and non-monastic yogis.

Did You Know?

• The six dharmas are also called the Bardo Trang-dol system, referring to the three bardos of waking, sleep, and dying.
• Tsongkhapa's commentary, A Book of Three Inspirations, became the standard reference work in the Gelug tradition.
• The six dharmas are practiced in three-year retreats by both monastic and non-monastic yogis.