Eighteen Mahayoga Tantras

Tiphupa
ti phu pa, Paravatapada; the “rebirth” of the son of Marpa Lotsawa, Darma Dode (dar ma mdo sde). Darma Dode had died in a riding accident. Marpa was able to revive him briefly, but he passed away shortly after that. Just before his death, he received explict instructions from his father on how to transfer his conciousness into the body of a dead pigeon (ti phu). Having done so, he followed the instructions and directions of Marpa and flew to India where he then transferred his conciousness into the body of a sixteen year old boy who had died just recently. Hence he became known as “Tiphupa”. Tiphupa then practised all the instructions he had received as Darma Dode from his father Marpa and also studied with various Indian Masters. Eventually he became a famous Mahasiddha himself and a holder of the lineage of Naropa. He passed the teachings of the “nine-fold cycle of the formless Dakinis”, the lus med mkha' 'gro skor dgu, on to Rechungpa (ras chung pa), one of the two main disciples of Jetsun Milarepa, when he came to India.