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{{redirect|Talika|the village in Iran|Talika, Iran}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
[[File:Tilopa.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Tilopa.]]
'''Tilopa''' ([[Prakrit]]; [[Sanskrit]]: '''Talika''' or ''Tilopadā'') (988–1069) was born in either Chativavo ([[Chittagong]]), [[Bengal]] or Jagora, Bengal in India. Jagora may be an alternative transliteration of Chattogram, the Bengali name for Chittagong, i.e. may be the same city. Chittagong is now a city within Bangladesh rather than India. Tilopa's name translates to "the tahini maker". He lived along the [[Ganges River]], with wild ladies as a [[tantra|tantric practitioner]] and [[mahasiddha]].<ref>{{cite book |last= Nydahl|first= Ole|date= 2019|title= The Four Foundational Practices of the Great Seal|location= Ontario WI|publisher= Diamond Way Press|page= 117}}</ref> He practiced [[Anuttarayoga Tantra]], a set of spiritual practices intended to accelerate the process of attaining [[Buddhahood]]. He became a holder of all the tantric lineages, possibly the only person in his day to do so. As well as the way of Insight, and [[Mahamudra]] he learned and passed on the Way of Methods, today known as the 6 Yogas of Naropa, and guru yoga.<ref name="Nydahl 2019 119">{{cite book |last= Nydahl|first= Ole|date= 2019|title= The Four Foundational Practices of the Great Seal|location= Ontario WI|publisher= Diamond Way Press|page= 119}}</ref> [[Naropa]] is considered his main student. At [[Pashupatinath Temple|Pashupatinath temple]] premise, greatest [[Hindu]] shrine of [[Nepal]], there are two caves where Tilopa attained [[Siddhi]] and initiated his disciple Naropa.

==Life==
Tilopa was born into the priestly [[caste]] – according to some sources, a royal family – but he adopted the [[monastery|monastic life]] upon receiving orders from a [[dakini]] (female buddha whose activity is to inspire practitioners) who told him to adopt a [[mendicant]] and [[itinerant minister|itinerant]] existence. From the beginning, she made it clear to Tilopa that his real parents were not the persons who had raised him, but instead were primordial wisdom and universal voidness. Advised by the dakini, Tilopa gradually took up a monk's life, taking the monastic vows and becoming an erudite scholar. The frequent visits of his dakini teacher continued to guide his spiritual path and close the gap to enlightenment.<ref name="kagyu">[https://www.amazon.com/Mahasiddha-Tilopa-Chos-Kyi-Blo-Gros-Marpa/dp/8185102910/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347265919&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=The+life+of+the+Mah%26%23257%3Bsiddha+Tilopa The Life of the Mahasiddha Tilopa by Chos-Kyi Blo-Gros Marpa]</ref>

He began to travel throughout India, receiving teachings from many gurus:

* from [[Saryapa]] he learned of [[tummo|inner heat]] (Sanskrit: ''caṇḍalī'', Tib. ''tummo'', inner heat);
* from [[Nagarjuna]] he received the [[Ösel (yoga)|radiant light]] (Sanskrit: ''[[prabashvara]]'') and [[Six Yogas of Naropa#Pure illusory body|illusory body]] (Sanskrit: ''maya deha'', Tib. ''gyulu'') teachings (''[[Cakrasaṃvara Tantra]]''), [[Lagusamvara tantra]], or Heruka [[Abhidharma]];
* from [[Lawapa]], the [[dream yoga]];
* from [[Sukhasiddhi]], the teachings on life, death, and the [[bardo]] (between life states, and consciousness transference) ([[phowa]]);
* from [[Indrabhuti]], he learned of [[wisdom in Buddhism|wisdom]] (''prajña'');
* and from [[Matangi]], the resurrection of the dead body.

As advised by Matangi, Tilopa started to work at a brothel in Bengal for a prostitute called Dharima as her solicitor and bouncer. During the day, he was grinding sesame seeds for his living.<ref name="kagyu2">[http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/lineage/kag02.php Kagyu Lineage History: Tilopa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228050913/http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/lineage/kag02.php |date=28 February 2013 }}</ref> During a meditation, he received a vision of [[Vajradhara]] and, according to legend, the entirety of [[mahamudra]] was directly transmitted to Tilopa. After receiving the transmission, Tilopa meditated in two caves, and bound himself with heavy chains to hold the correct meditation posture. He practiced for many years and then met the mind of all buddhas in the form of Diamond Holder [[Vajradhara]]. He is considered the grandfather of today's [[Kagyu Lineage]].<ref name="Nydahl 2019 119"/> [[Naropa]], his most important student, became his successor and carried and passed on the teachings.<ref name="kagyu"/>

==Teachings==
[[File:Mahasiddha Tilopa, southern Tibet, 16th-17th century AD, bronze - Linden-Museum - Stuttgart, Germany - DSC03693.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Mahasiddha Tilopa, southern Tibet, 16th-17th century AD, bronze - Linden-Museum - Stuttgart, Germany.]]

===Six Precepts or Words of Advice===
Tilopa gave [[Naropa]] a teaching called the Six Words of Advice, the original [[Sanskrit]] or [[Bengali language|Bengali]] of which is not extant; the text has reached us in [[Tibet]]an translation. In Tibetan, the teaching is called ''gnad kyi gzer drug''<ref>[[Tsele Natsok Rangdröl]] (tr. Erik Pema Kunsang), [https://www.amazon.com/Lamp-Mahamudra-Immaculate-Perfectly-Illuminates/dp/9627341312 ''Lamp of Mahamudra: The Immaculate Lamp that Perfectly and Fully Illuminates The Meaning of Mahamudra, The Essence of All Phenomena'', Boston & Shaftesbury: Shambhala, 1989], p. 72 and n. 18.</ref> – literally, "six nails of key points" – the aptness of which title becomes clear if one considers the meaning of the English idiomatic expression, "to hit the nail on the head.”

According to [[Ken McLeod]], the text contains exactly six words; the two English translations given in the following table are both attributed to him.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Six Words of Advice
|-
! !! First short, literal translation !! Later long, explanatory translation !! Tibetan (Wylie transliteration)
|-
| 1
| Don't recall || Let go of what has passed || mi mno
|-
| 2
| Don't imagine || Let go of what may come || mi bsam
|-
| 3
| Don't think || Let go of what is happening now || mi sems
|-
| 4
| Don't examine || Don't try to figure anything out || mi dpyod
|-
| 5
| Don't control || Don't try to make anything happen || mi sgom
|-
| 6
| Rest || Relax, right now, and rest || rang sar bzhag
|}
<br>
'''Watts-Wayman translation'''

An earlier translation circa 1957 by [[Alan Watts]] and Dr. [[Alex Wayman]] rendered Tilopa's "Six Precepts" as<br>
:No thought, no reflection, no analysis,
:No cultivation, no intention;
:Let it settle itself.

In a footnote, Watts cited a Tibetan source text at partial variance with McLeod's in sequence and syntax, namely:<br>
:''Mi-mno, mi-bsam, mi-dpyad-ching,''
:''Mi-bsgom, mi-sems, rang-babs-bzhag.''

Based on an "elucidation" provided by Wayman, Watts explained that<br>
:''Mi-mno'' is approximately equivalent to the Zen terms ''wu-hsin'' or ''wu-nien'', “no-mind” or “no thought.” ''Bsam'' is the equivalent of the Sanskrit ''cintana'', i.e., discursive thinking about what has been heard, and ''dpyad'' of ''mimamsa'', or “philosophical analysis.” ''Bsgom'' is probably ''bhavana'' or the Chinese ''hsiu'', “to cultivate,” “to practice,” or “intense concentration.” ''Sems'' is ''cetana'' or ''szu'', with the sense of intention or volition. ''Rang-babs-bzhag'' is literally “self-settle-establish,” and “self-settle” would seem to be an almost exact equivalent of the Taoist ''tzu-jan'', “self-so,” “spontaneous,” or “natural.”<ref>''The Way of Zen'' by Alan Watts (© Pantheon NY, 1957), Vintage Books paperback 1999, p. 79 and n. 3</ref>

Watts had studied Chinese, and Wayman was a Tibetologist and professor of Sanskrit associated with UCLA and later Columbia University.

===Mahamudra instructions===
Tilopa also gave [[mahamudra]] instruction to [[Naropa]] by means of the song known as "The Ganges Mahamudra,"<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Tilopa-Ganges-Mahamudra/dp/1877294225 "The Life of Tilopa and the Ganges Mahamudra"]</ref> one stanza of which reads:

:The fool in his ignorance, disdaining Mahamudra,
:Knows nothing but struggle in the flood of samsara.
:Have compassion for those who suffer constant anxiety!
:Sick of unrelenting pain and desiring release, adhere to a master,
:For when his blessing touches your heart, the mind is liberated.<ref>[http://www.keithdowman.net/mahamudra/tilopa.htm Keith Dowman / Tilopa's Instruction to Naropa]</ref>

===Attachment and enjoyment===
One of the most famous and important statements attributed to Tilopa is: “The problem is not enjoyment; the problem is attachment.”{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

==See also==
* [[Erdne Ombadykow]], as ''Telo Tulku Rinpoche'', supposed reincarnation of Tilopa
* [[History of Tibet]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1=Rinpoche|first1=Chökyi Nyima|last2=Nyima|first2=Rinpoche Chokyi|title=Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E8C3_VZr-QsC&pg=PA51|year=1994|publisher=Rangjung Yeshe Publications|isbn=978-962-7341-21-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Blo-Gros|first1=Mar-Pa Chos-Kyi|last2=(Na-ga.)|first2=Saṅs-rgyas-bstan-dar|title=The Life of the Mahāsiddha Tilopa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BCALAAAAYAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Library of Tibetan Works and Archives|isbn=978-81-85102-91-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Rinpoche|first=Sangyes Nyenpa|title=Tilopa's Mahamudra Upadesha: The Gangama Instructions with Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W7lJAwAAQBAJ|year=2014|publisher=Shambhala Publications|isbn=978-0-8348-2974-9}}

==External links==
* [http://www.keithdowman.net/mahamudra/tilopa.htm An English translation of "The Ganges Mahamudra"]
* [http://www.naturalawareness.net/ganges.html Several English translations of "The Ganges Mahamudra"]

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{{succession box
| before = [[Dorje Chang]]
| title = [[Kagyu]] school
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{{Buddhism topics}}

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[[Category:History of Tibet]]
[[Category:Kagyu lamas]]
[[Category:Mahasiddhas]]
[[Category:988 births]]
[[Category:1069 deaths]]
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[[Category:10th-century Indian monks]]
[[Category:11th-century Indian monks]]
[[Category:Bangladeshi philosophers]]
[[Category:History of Tibetan Buddhism]]

Tilopa - Revision history

imported>RandomSigma at 23:18, 8 June 2021