: After a vision from a dakini (female wisdom being), he left the monastery and spent years in menial labor. His name, "Tilopa," comes from his work as a sesame seed grinder ( Tila = sesame; pa = one who works).

The is a seminal "song of realization" composed by the 10th-century Indian mahasiddha Tilopa . It consists of 28 pithy verses delivered to his disciple Naropa on the banks of the Ganges River, encapsulating the direct, non-conceptual path to enlightenment that founded the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The Life of Tilopa (988–1069 CE)

: While he studied under several human gurus like Nagarjuna and Saryapa, Tilopa claimed his ultimate realization came directly from the primordial buddha Vajradhara .

Tilopa's life is characterized by "transgressive" or unconventional behavior designed to break through religious dogma and intellectual pride.

The text emphasizes that the true nature of the mind is like open space—vast, unchanging, and impossible to stain with "good" or "bad" deeds.

: Born into a high-caste Brahmin family in Bengal, he was initially a highly trained scholar in both Vedic and Buddhist traditions.