Born a brilliant Brahmin scholar in eleventh-century Kashmir, Naropa rose to become one of the most celebrated teachers at the great Buddhist university of Nalanda — only to have a mysterious vision shatter everything he thought he knew. This timeless Tibetan classic, compiled in the fifteenth century from the oral traditions of Naropa's disciples, tells the story of his extraordinary transformation: his renunciation of fame, his desperate search for the elusive guru Tilopa, and the twelve harrowing trials by which Tilopa burned away his pride and opened his heart. It closes with the songs of realization — the luminous, sometimes startling verses in which Naropa sings of the awakened mind. This new edition renders the ancient tale in clear, present-day English while remaining faithful to its meaning, humor, and spiritual depth. A story of devotion, disillusionment, and radical trust, it speaks to anyone who has ever questioned whether achievement can satisfy the soul. Part of The World Scriptures Library.