Naropa stands within the Kagyu tradition as one of its foundational Indian masters, serving as a crucial link in the transmission of both doctrine and practice from India to Tibet. He was the principal teacher of Marpa Lotsawa, the great Tibetan translator who journeyed repeatedly to India in search of authentic tantric instruction. Under Naropa’s guidance, Marpa received extensive teachings and empowerments, which later became the lifeblood of the emerging Kagyu current in Tibet. In this way, Naropa is regarded not merely as a historical figure, but as a root guru whose realization and instructions shaped the very character of the lineage.

Central to Naropa’s legacy within the Kagyu school are the advanced tantric practices known as the Six Yogas of Naropa. These include inner heat (tummo), illusory body, dream yoga, clear light, the intermediate state (bardo), and consciousness transference (phowa). Within the Kagyu milieu, these yogas are not treated as abstract doctrines but as experiential methods intended to transform perception and reveal the nature of mind. Alongside these, Naropa also transmitted profound Mahamudra instructions, which came to be revered as the supreme contemplative path of the lineage, emphasizing direct recognition rather than mere conceptual understanding.

The living thread of this transmission can be traced in an unbroken line: from Naropa to Marpa, from Marpa to Milarepa, and from Milarepa to Gampopa. Gampopa, drawing on what he received through this stream, established the monastic and institutional framework that allowed the Kagyu school to take clear shape in Tibet. From this core transmission, various Kagyu sub-lineages later emerged, all looking back to Naropa and his teacher Tilopa as central Indian forebears. Thus, Naropa functions as a bridge between the Indian siddha tradition and the Tibetan Kagyu school, providing both the authoritative lineage and the contemplative methods that continue to define its spiritual ethos.