A family of advanced Tibetan Buddhist practices that brings waking life, dreams, sleep and the process of dying into the path to awakening. Also called the Six Dharmas of Naropa.
The Six Yogas belong to the completion-stage teachings of Tibetan Vajrayāna. They draw on a foundation of ethical conduct, bodhicitta and understanding emptiness, together with the preparation and transmission of a particular tantric lineage.
They are interconnected methods. Their numbering does not describe six successive levels of spiritual attainment. The ten bodhisattva bhūmis describe a different kind of map: grounds of realization on the Mahāyāna path.
This list counts dream yoga separately. Other presentations group these practices differently.
| Practice | Tibetan name | What it concerns |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inner heat | Tummo · gtum mo | Subtle-body practice associated with inner heat and bliss, used in cultivating insight into emptiness. |
| 2. Illusory body | Gyulü · sgyu lus | Training concerned with the illusion-like character of appearances and the tantric realization of an illusory body. |
| 3. Dream yoga | Milam · rmi lam | Recognizing dreams and bringing the dream state into contemplative training, deepening understanding of appearances. |
| 4. Clear light | Ösel · ’od gsal | Recognizing the subtle luminosity of mind, including in sleep and dying. “Light” here has a contemplative meaning. |
| 5. Intermediate state | Bardo · bar do | Applying the path to the transition between death and rebirth as understood in Tibetan Buddhist teachings. |
| 6. Transference of consciousness | Phowa · ’pho ba | A practice traditionally directed toward a favorable rebirth or liberation in connection with the time of death. |
The editions translated by Glenn Mullin list inner heat, illusory body, clear light, transference, forceful projection and bardo yoga. In this arrangement, dream yoga is included within illusory-body practice.
Forceful projection is a traditional teaching about entering another body, distinguished in that list from phowa. Some presentations include it under transference and give dream yoga its own heading; still others count union separately.
Mahāsiddha is Sanskrit for “great accomplished one.” It is a title for a tantric adept revered for spiritual attainment; siddhi refers to accomplishments or powers associated with the practice. The vocabulary occurs in both Buddhist and Hindu tantric traditions.
In Vajrayāna Buddhism, it often brings to mind the masters of medieval India remembered in lineage histories, songs and sacred biographies. These accounts include women and men, extraordinary feats and unconventional lives. They combine historical memory with religious storytelling; miraculous episodes are part of the traditions’ accounts.
The eighty-four mahāsiddhas form a famous traditional grouping. Different collections give different names and stories, and art also represents other groupings. “Mahāsiddha” therefore has a wider use than membership in one fixed list of eighty-four.
Many Tibetan tantric lineages trace their transmissions to these Indian adepts. The Six Yogas of Nāropa are traced through Tilopa and Nāropa to Marpa.
The traditional transmission runs through Tilopa and Naropa to Marpa in Tibet, and onward through Milarepa and Gampopa. Strongly associated with Kagyu, these teachings also have Sakya and Gelug transmissions; Tsongkhapa’s commentary is an important Gelug presentation.
Niguma’s related system is especially associated with Shangpa Kagyu. It shares the familiar six themes while preserving its own transmission and explanations.
Kālacakra also has a sixfold completion-stage yoga. It is a distinct system, so “six yogas” needs its lineage context.
Traditional practice involves qualified guidance, empowerment and preparatory training. Requirements depend on the transmission and on whether an event is an introduction or an intensive practice course.
Chakrasamvara is one empowerment named in Serkong Rinpoche’s presentation. Follow the linked guide for its place among the prerequisites and other qualifying empowerments.
Glenn H. Mullin’s translation of the Three Inspirations offers an extended Gelug explanation of the system.
A companion anthology translated and edited by Mullin, with Indian and Tibetan source texts and historical context.
English spellings of Tibetan terms vary. These summaries introduce the vocabulary; detailed explanations belong to the linked teachings. [5]
[1] [3] [4][1][9][10][9] [11][3] [10]Lineage context: Naropa’s transmission · Gampopa and Kagyu · Niguma’s system.
[8][2] [5]Original Atlas summaries of traditional teachings. Reviewed October 11, 2026.