For a Western reader, "Naropa of Life" presents several difficulties. This is a work of elegiac for the edification and instruction of the faithful. The vocabulary used and strictly religious concepts that are brewed there therefore remain impenetrable to the layman, despite the glossary. It then details the events leading to the awakening of the famous Indian sage but it will look in vain for any wisdom applicable to oneself. Awakening of another is not very useful for who attends "The experiencing the realization is unspeakable" (p.84). From a narrative point of view, half the text recounts the tribulations of Naropa, his meetings and disappointments in an esoteric, poetic style, often hermetic: "After receiving the initiation of the vase, it is necessary to recognize the lack of proper nature of pure divinity appearing in a vision "(p.87). Finally, the magical nature of the text assumed the closer Buddhist mantras, without excluding the many parallels with Hindu Vedas. We discover a populated mythology of gods, demons, heaven and hell or doctrine that assumed asceticism, practice and guilt touting the mortification: "It is just that you get to know that suffering strikes bliss and taste the same "(p. 106).
