Six Dharmas of Naropa
Advanced tantric practices for accelerated Buddhahood.
The Six Dharmas of Nāropa are an advanced set of Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices. They were compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa (1016–1100 CE) and then passed to the Tibetan translator-yogi Marpa Lotsawa (c. 1012). These teachings are also known as "the oral instruction transmission for achieving liberation in the bardo," or "the Bardo Trang-dol system," where bardo refers to the three states of waking, sleep, and dying. In Kagyu literature, they are called "the path of means" (thabs lam). While sometimes referred to as the Six Yogas of Nāropa, this term does not appear in traditional texts, which never use ṣaḍaṅga-yoga or sbyor-drug.
The six dharmas are a collection of completion stage practices drawn from Buddhist tantras, designed to accelerate the path to Buddhahood. They require tantric initiation, personal guidance from a tantric guru, and various preliminary practices. These techniques work with the subtle body, especially through generating inner heat (tummo) energy.
The teachings of Tilopa (988–1069 CE) are the earliest known work on the six dharmas. He received them from the mahasiddhas Nagarjuna (not the Madhyamaka philosopher), Lawapa, Luipada, Shavari, and Krishnacharya. The sources for these practices are 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 yogi Milarepa. Milarepa then taught Gampopa, who wrote meditation manuals (khrid chos or khrid yig) on the six dharmas, collected in the Dakpö Kambum. From Gampopa, the teachings spread to the various Kagyu sub-schools and lineages, where they remain a central practice.
Numerous commentaries exist, 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* (book eight, part three). Today, the six dharmas are a main tantric practice in the Kagyu school, often undertaken in three-year retreats by both monastic and non-monastic yogis.
Through Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), the six dharmas also became important in the Gelug tradition. Tsongkhapa wrote a commentary, *A Book of Three Inspirations: A Treatise on the Stages of Training in the Profound Path of Naro's Six Dharmas*, which became the standard Gelug reference. Other Gelug figures who wrote on them include Gyalwa Wensapa, the First Panchen Lama, and Lama Jey Sherab Gyatso. Many Gelugpa practitioners, including the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas, were lineage holders. Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa are recent Gelug teachers of the six dharmas.
The six dharmas are meant as a comprehensive collection of completion stage practices from Indian Buddhist tantra. In both Kagyu and Gelug, initiation into at least one Anuttarayogatantra system (generally Cakrasaṃvara and/or Vajrayogini/Vajravarāhi Tantras) and practice of its Generation Stage are prerequisites. After visualizing oneself and all beings as deities and reciting mantras during the first empowerment, the practitioner uses the six dharmas (belonging to the second empowerment) to create strong experiences of bliss, presence, and non-thought, offering a first glimpse of Awakening.
The most widely used list of six dharmas, from Gampopa's work, is: - tummo (gtum mo; caṇḍālī) – the yoga of inner heat. - ösel (od gsal; prabhasvara) – the yoga of clear light or luminosity. - milam (rmi lam; svapnadarśana) – the yoga of the dream state. - gyulü (sgyu lus; māyākāyā) – the yoga of the illusory body. - bardo (bar do; antarābhava) – the yoga of the intermediate state. - phowa (pho ba; saṃkrānti) – the yoga of transference of consciousness to a pure Buddhafield.
Other dharmas sometimes grouped with these or set as auxiliary practices include Generation Stage practice (Milarepa lists it as part of the dharmas), karmamudrā (action seal, involving sexual union with a consort, physical or visualized, requiring tummo and generation stage practice as a basis), and forceful transference (drongjuk phowa), a variation of phowa.
- Compiled by
- Tilopa and Nāropa
- Field
- Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices
- School
- Kagyu (originally unique); also taught in Gelug
- Also known as
- Bardo Trang-dol system, path of means (thabs lam)
Lore & Background
The teachings of Tilopa (988–1069 CE) are the earliest known work on the six dharmas. He received these from various teachers. According to Glenn Mullin, Tilopa's lineage teachers were the mahasiddhas Nagarjuna (not to be confused with the Madhyamaka philosopher), Lawapa, Luipada, Shavari, and Krishnacharya. The sources for this compilation of tantric practices were said to be the Guhyasamaja Tantra, the Hevajra Tantra and the Chaturpitha Tantra. Nāropa learned the six dharmas from Tilopa. Nāropa's student Marpa taught the Tibetan Milarepa, renowned for his yogic skills. Milarepa in turn taught Gampopa, who wrote various meditation manuals (khrid chos or khrid yig) on the six dharmas, which are collected in the Dakpö Kambum (The Manifold Sayings of Dakpo) in a section titled "Meditation manuals on the six dharmas of Naropa" (na ro 'i chos drug gi khrid yig). 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 on these practices, including Shamar Chokyi Wangchuk's the Quintessence of Nectar. They are also described in Dakpo Tashi Namgyal's Light Rays from the Jewel of the Excellent Teaching and in Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge, (book eight, part three). Through the efforts of Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), Naropa's Six Dharmas also became important in the Gelug tradition. Tsongkhapa wrote a commentary on them called A Book of Three Inspirations: A Treatise on the Stages of Training in the Profound Path of Naro's Six Dharmas. This commentary became the standard reference work on these practices in the Gelug tradition. Other figures who wrote on the six dharmas include Gyalwa Wensapa, the First Panchen Lama and Lama Jey Sherab Gyatso. Many Gelugpa practitioners including the Dalai Lamas and the Panchen Lamas were lineage holders of the six dharmas.
Reader's Guide
The six dharmas are a main practice of the Kagyu school (and was originally unique to that school) and key Kagyu figures such as Milarepa, Gampopa, Phagmo Drugpa and Jigten Sumgon taught and practiced these dharmas. 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 Kagyu and Gelug, initiation or empowerment into at least one Anuttarayogatantra system (generally Cakrasaṃvara and/or Vajrayogini/Vajravarāhi Tantras) and practice of its Generation Stage are the bases for practice of the six dharmas. The most widely used list of six dharmas in the work of the Kagyu school figure Gampopa conforms to the following list: 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 those above, or set as auxiliary practices, include Generation Stage practice, karmamudrā, Forceful Transference (drongjuk phowa), 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 sometimes called the Six Yogas of Nāropa, though traditional literature never uses the term ṣaḍaṅga-yoga or sbyor-drug.
- Tilopa's lineage teachers included a mahasiddha named Nagarjuna who is not the Madhyamaka philosopher.
- Gampopa's meditation manuals on the six dharmas are collected in the Dakpö Kambum in a section titled 'Meditation manuals on the six dharmas of Naropa'.
- Tsongkhapa's commentary, A Book of Three Inspirations, became the standard reference work on these practices in the Gelug tradition.
- The six dharmas are practiced in three-year retreats by both monastic and non-monastic yogis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Six Dharmas of Nāropa?
They are a collection of advanced completion-stage tantric practices drawn from Buddhist tantras, compiled by the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Nāropa and transmitted to the Tibetan translator-yogi Marpa Lotsawa. The system is designed to accelerate the path toward full Buddhahood by working with subtle channels, winds, and drops.
Are the Six Dharmas the same thing as the 'Six Yogas of Nāropa'?
In popular modern usage the two names often refer to the same body of practice, but traditional Tibetan literature does not actually use the label 'Six Yogas.' The canonical names are the Six Dharmas of Nāropa, the Bardo Trang-dol (liberation in the bardo) system, or the path of means (thabs lam).
Which Buddhist school originally preserved the Six Dharmas of Nāropa?
The Kagyu school is the primary lineage holder, having received the transmission through Marpa and then through the Karmapas and other Kagyu masters. The Gelug school also teaches the material, but the Kagyu tradition treats it as a central advanced curriculum.
What is the ultimate purpose of practicing the Six Dharmas of Nāropa?
The goal is to achieve liberation and full Buddhahood in a compressed timeframe by directly manipulating the subtle body's winds, channels, and drops. The practices also include specific instructions for navigating the bardo—the intermediate state between death and rebirth—to secure liberation at that critical moment.
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