The Life and Teaching of Naropa

Herbert V. Günther

In the history of Tibetan and of Tantric Buddhism the Indian pandit Naropa occupies an unusual position. The life and teach-ings of this eleventh-century mystic mark at the same time the culmination of a long tradition and the beginning of a new and rich era in Buddhist thought. Naropa's biography, translated by Dr. Guenther from hitherto unknown sources and first published in England in 1963, describes with great psychological insight the spiritual development of this scholar-saint of the Orient. It is unique in that it also contains the detailed analysis of his teaching
that has been authoritative for the whole of Tantric Buddhism. This modern translation is accompanied by a commentary that re- lates Buddhist concepts to Western analytic philosophy, psychia- try, and depth psychology, thereby illuminating the significance for our own time of Tantra and Tantrism. The cover sketch, based on Tibetan sources, shows Naropa's Däkini, the goddess Naro
mkha-spyod-ma, in the special form in which he visualized her.

"Full of novel and enormously important insights ... a work
which will remain of signal importance." – A. Bharati, Journal of Asian Studies

Biography

1963

Clarendon Press

English