The Six Yogas of Naropa
The Six Yogas of Naropa or Naro Choe Druk (T: Narö chö druk), also called the six dharmas of Naropa, describe a set of advanced Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices and meditation sadhana (practice, discipline) which originated in India. The Six Yogas were intended in part to help in the attainment of siddhi and enlightenment in an accelerated manner.
The teachings of Indian mahasiddha Tilopa (988-1069 CE) are the earliest known work on the Six Yogas transmitted to Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa successively. Gampopa's student, the future first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa, attained enlightenment while practicing the Six Yogas.
The Six Yogas are a synthesis, or collection of the completion stage practices of several tantras. In the Kagyu traditions by which the Six Yogas were first brought to Tibet, abhisheka (transmission, empowerment, blessings of a lineage) into at least one Tantra system (generally Chakrasamvara and/or Vajrayogini/Vajravarahi) and practice of its utpatti-krama (stages) is the basis for practice of the Six Yogas.
Note: The three first are considered the main practices of the completion stage (T: dzog rim, S: saṃpanna-krama) in the Anuttarayoga Tantra.
– Tummo (T: gtum-mo, S: caṇḍālī) — the yoga of inner heat, or mystic heat.
– Gyulu (T: sgyu-lus, S: māyākāyā) — the yoga of the illusory body.
– Ösel (T: hod-gsal, S: prabhāsvara) — the yoga of the clear light or radiant light.
– Milam (T: rmi-lam, S: svapnadarśana) — the yoga of the dream state.
– Bardo (T: bar-do, S: antarābhava) — the yoga of the intermediate state. This is well-known through the "Book Of The Dead" Bardo Thödöl. Bardo yoga may include aspects of Gyulu and Milam.
– Phowa (T: pho-ba, S: utkrānti) — the yoga of the transference of consciousness, to a pure Buddhafield.
Additional four yogas, sometimes grouped with those above, or set as auxiliary practices, include:
– Forceful projection into another body, this technique may no longer be extant, or is kept secret. The forceful projection of the mindstream into the bodymind of another is a variation that consists of elements of Phowa, Ösel and Gyulu.
– Keown, a "seventh yoga" that is a variation of Phowa, in which the sādhaka by transference (grong 'jug), may transfer their mindstream into a recently deceased body.
– Kamamudra or "loveseal" (sometimes Karmamudra or "actionseal") (T: las-kyi phyag-rgya). This is the tantric yoga involving a physical partner. Like all other yogas, it cannot be practiced without the basis of the inner heat yoga, of which kamamudra is an extension.
– Wisdom of non-duality, Naropa himself, in the Vajra Verses of the Whispered Tradition, adds the practice of self-liberation (by remaining in non-dual awareness, free of grasping and aversion) in the "wisdom of non-duality", which is the resolved view of Mahamudra and Dzogchen (Natural Great Perfection, a distinct path).
There are many preliminary practices, and physical exercises called yantras, to the inner heat yoga. A good example of this is the visualization of the body as being hollow: "here the body and the energy channels (nadis) are to be seen as completely transparent and radiant". This essential technique releases tensions and gives suppleness to the prana channels.
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