Tummo / Caṇḍālī Inner Heat
Tummo / Caṇḍālī Inner Heat is a Tibetan / Vajrayana — Tummo inner heat body system as transmitted through the lineage Tummo (gtum mo, caṇḍālī) is a completion-stage practice in the Six Yogas of Nāropa that works with inner fire, subtle winds, channels, and drops. This compact rendering shows four principal cakra stations, a separate navel-fire focus, and the central channel while keeping practice imagery distinct from anatomy.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Six Yogas of Nāropa (Nāro chos drug) (Tibetan completion-stage tradition; Tibetan canonical and lineage manuals, section numbering varies) — Sections on gtum mo, the four cakra stations, the central channel, and the red inner fire; wording and chapter divisions vary among Tibetan recensions.
- Tsongkhapa, The Six Yogas of Naropa (trans. Glenn H. Mullin, Snow Lion (1996)) — English translation and practice commentary on the tummo visualisation, channels, winds, drops, and four principal cakra stations.
Known lineage variants
- The number, names, and vertical ordering of cakra stations vary across Tibetan completion-stage manuals; this entry follows a four-station presentation with an explicit separate fire focus.
- The central channel and fire are subtle-body visualisations. Coordinates use a front silhouette and therefore should not be read as physiological heat, nerve, or endocrine anatomy.
Cross-tradition overlaps
- Crown aperture ↔ Crown — visionary aperture (distance 0.005)
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Navel cakra — maṇipūra / navel wheel
- Tummo fire — gtum mo — red inner fire focus
- Heart cakra — heart wheel and mind seat
- Throat cakra — throat wheel
- Crown aperture — upper opening / crown wheel
Frequently asked
What is Navel cakra?
The navel cakra is the principal lower station in the tummo completion-stage visualisation. Its front-view placement is a symbolic torso coordinate for practice attention, not a physiological claim about heat generation.
What is Tummo fire — gtum mo?
This focus represents the red inner fire cultivated below or at the navel region in tummo instructions. The separate point keeps the fire image distinct from the broader navel cakra, while both coordinates remain schematic and lineage-sensitive.
What is Heart cakra?
The heart cakra is one of the principal stations through which winds and drops are gathered in completion-stage practice. We render it on the front midline as a visual focus; this does not identify the physical heart with the subtle cakra.
What is Throat cakra?
The throat cakra is a named station in the four-cakra presentation used by tummo lineages. Its front-view point is an attention coordinate for the subtle body, not a claim about the larynx or endocrine anatomy.
What is Crown aperture?
The crown station completes the four principal stations used in this compact tummo map. The point is drawn as an upper aperture in the front silhouette because the subtle-body image is not reducible to a gross anatomical structure.