20Naropa

Naropa came from Pataliputra. His father was a liquor seller but he had no intention to follow his father’s profession so he went into the forest to become a wood gatherer.

One day he heard the tale of the great sage Tilopa. Then and there he decided Tilopa was his uru and began to search for Tilopa. Unexpectedly, he chanced a meeting on a road to nowhere and as soon as he recognized his master, he prostrated himself and began dancing circles about him addressing him as “guru”

Tilopa stopped still on the road and gazed angrily to Naropa and shouted “Stop all this nonsense. I am not your guru. You are not my disciple. I have never seen you before and hope never to lay eyes on you again!” Then he trashed Naropa soundly with his walking stick .

But Naropa was not discouraged and his faith unshaken; he simply set off for the nearest town to beg food for the both of them. When he returned, Tilopa ate heartily without a word of greeting and beat him soundly again. Silent, Naropa contented himself with the leftover scraps. Naropa remained by Tilopa’s side for 12 years, begging food and serving him in all things. Not once did he receive a kind word but his faith never waver.

One day, Naropa was given a large helping of the most exquisite curry from wedding feast of a wealthy man’s daughter. When he returned to Tilopa and spread out the feast, an amazing thing happened. For the first time, Tilopa smiled at him and when he finished the serving, he asked “Where did you find this, my son? Please return and fetch me some more.”

Naropa was delighted that Tilopa called him ‘my son’. So he rushed to the celebration to ask for more. This happened several times, but on the 5th time, Naropa was ashamed to show his face, and a great inner struggle raged within him. Finally unable to face his guru’s displeasure, he decided to steal the entire pot.

Tilopa praised him for lowering himself to such a level of humiliation, further commending him for all his years of perseverance. He than bestowed the initiation and blessing of Vajra Varahi upon Naropa and gave instruction in meditation.

Within 6 months Naropa gained mahamudra-siddhi. After many years of devotion to his countless disciples, he was assumed bodily into the Paradise of the Dakinis.

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