Difference between revisions of "Mahamudra"
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− | '''[[Mahāmudrā]]''' ([[Sanskrit]], [[Tibetan]]: Chagchen, Wylie: | + | |
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+ | '''[[Mahamudra]]''' (Skt. ''[[Mahāmudrā]]''; Tib. ''[[Chakgya Chenpo]]''; [[Wyl.]] ''[[phyag rgya chen po]]''), or ‘[[Great Seal]]’ is the [[meditation tradition]] of the [[Kagyü lineage]] which passed from [[Maitripa]] and [[Naropa]] in [[India]] to [[Marpa Lotsawa]] in [[Tibet]]. | ||
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+ | [[Mahamudra]] (S): [[Tibetan]]: [[Chag]] [[gya]] [[Chenpo]]. [[Great Seal]] or [[Symbol]]. | ||
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+ | The [[highest]] [[meditative]] transmission/teaching in the [[Tibetan]] [[Kagyu school]] as is "[[Dzogchen]]" or [[Great Perfection]] in the [[Nyingma school]]. | ||
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+ | [[Lineages]] proceed through [[Tilopa]], [[Naropa]] and [[Marpa]], [[Milarepa]] and [[Gampopa]]. | ||
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+ | The [[Mahamudra]] [[Sutra]] emphasizes dwelling in [[tranquility]] and [[insight]], and progressing along the [[Five Paths]] (which starts with the beginning of [[Dharma practice]] and the [[accumulation of merit]] and ends with [[complete Enlightenment]]). | ||
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+ | ==[[Definition]]== | ||
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+ | ''[[Mudra]]'' means that it encompasses all [[phenomena]] of [[samsara]], [[nirvana]], and the [[path]]. | ||
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+ | In other words, they are 'sealed' within it. It is called ''[[maha]]'' or “[[great]],” because [[nothing]] is {{Wiki|superior}} to it. | ||
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+ | ==Subdivisions or Levels of Interpretation== | ||
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+ | * '''[[Mahamudra of the sutra system]]''' refers to the [[attainment]] of {{Wiki|perfect}} [[enlightenment]] through the [[five paths]] and [[ten bhumis]]. | ||
+ | * '''[[Tantric Mahamudra]]''' is related to the inner [[yogas]] and the [[practice]] of [[dzogrim]]. | ||
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+ | * '''[[Essence Mahamudra]]''' (Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ངོ་བོའི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ་]]}}, [[Wyl.]] ''[[ngo bo'i phyag rgya chenpo]]'') is closer to [[Dzogchen]] and is described in terms of a [[meditative]] [[practice]] leading to the [[nature of mind]]. | ||
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+ | ==Relationship to [[Dzogchen]]== | ||
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+ | [[Jamgön Kongtrul]] said that [[Mahamudra]] corresponds to the [[Mind category|Semdé]] teachings of [[Dzogchen|Dzogpachenpo]].<ref>*[[Ringu Tulku]], ''The [[Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great]]'', [[Shambhala Publications]], 2006</ref> | ||
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+ | {{reflist}} | ||
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+ | ==Further Reading=={{Nolinking|*[[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]], ''Mahamudra, The Moonlight: Quintessence of Mind]] and Meditation'', translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, [[Wisdom Publications]], 2nd ed. 2006. | ||
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+ | *Jackson, Roger R. and [[Wikipedia:Matthew Kapstein|Kapstein, Matthew]] T. (ed.) ''[[Mahāmudrā]] and the [[bKa´-brgyud]] Tradition [PIATS 2006: Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies. Königswinter 2006]'', 2011 | ||
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+ | *[[Kalu Rinpoche]], ''[[The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen]]'', [[Khyentse Özer]], Rigpa, {{Wiki|London}}, 1990. | ||
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+ | *[[Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche]], ''{{Wiki|Crystal}} Clear: Practical Advice for [[Mahamudra]] [[Meditators]]'', translated by [[Erik Pema Kunsang]], [[Ragjung Yeshe]], 2004. | ||
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+ | *Roberts, Peter Alan. ''[[Mahamudra]] and Related Instructions: Core Teachings of the [[Kagyu Schools]]'' | ||
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+ | *[[Tsele Natsok Rangdrol]], ''[[Lamp of Mahamudra]]'', [[Shambhala]], 1989.}} | ||
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+ | ==See Also== | ||
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+ | * [[Four yogas]] | ||
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+ | {{RigpaWiki}} | ||
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+ | '''[[Mahāmudrā]]''' ([[Sanskrit]], [[Tibetan]]: [[Chagchen]], [[Wylie]]: [[phyag chen]], contraction of [[Chagya Chenpo]], [[Wylie]]: [[phyag rgya chen po]]) literally means "[[great seal]]" or "[[great symbol]]." | ||
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+ | It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later [[Indian Buddhism]] and [[Tibetan Buddhism]]" which "also occurs occasionally in [[Hindu]] and {{Wiki|East Asian}} [[Buddhist]] [[esotericism]]." | ||
[[File:Chakras657.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Chakras657.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | The [[name]] refers to a [[body]] of teachings representing the culmination of all the practices of the [[new translation]] [[schools of Tibetan Buddhism]], who believe it to be the quintessential message of all of their [[sacred]] texts. The [[mudra]] portion denotes that in an adept's [[experience]] of [[reality]], each [[phenomenon]] appears vividly, and the [[maha]] portion refers to the fact that it is [[beyond]] {{Wiki|concept}}, [[imagination]], and projection. | + | |
+ | The [[name]] refers to a [[body]] of teachings representing the culmination of all the practices of the [[new translation]] [[schools of Tibetan Buddhism]], who believe it to be the quintessential message of all of their [[sacred]] texts. | ||
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+ | The [[mudra]] portion denotes that in an adept's [[experience]] of [[reality]], each [[phenomenon]] appears vividly, and the [[maha]] portion refers to the fact that it is [[beyond]] {{Wiki|concept}}, [[imagination]], and projection. | ||
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==History and {{Wiki|semantic}} field== | ==History and {{Wiki|semantic}} field== | ||
− | The usage and meaning of the term ''[[mahāmudrā]]'' evolved over the course of hundreds of years of [[India]]n and [[Tibetan history]], and as a result, the term may refer variously to "[[mudra|a ritual hand-gesture]], one of a sequence of '[[seals]]' in [[tantra|Tantric]] practice, the [[nature]] of [[reality]] as [[Shunyata|emptiness]], a [[meditation]] procedure focusing on the [[nature]] of [[Mind]], an innate blissful [[gnosis]] [[Wikipedia:Cognition|cognizing]] [[emptiness]] nondually, or the supreme [[attainment]] of [[buddhahood]] at the culmination of the [[Tantric path]]." | + | |
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+ | The usage and meaning of the term ''[[mahāmudrā]]'' evolved over the course of hundreds of years of [[India]]n and [[Tibetan history]], and as a result, the term may refer variously to "[[mudra|a ritual hand-gesture]], one of a sequence of '[[seals]]' in [[tantra|Tantric]] [[practice]], | ||
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+ | the [[nature]] of [[reality]] as [[Shunyata|emptiness]], a [[meditation]] procedure focusing on the [[nature]] of [[Mind]], an innate [[blissful]] [[gnosis]] [[Wikipedia:Cognition|cognizing]] [[emptiness]] nondually, or the [[supreme]] [[attainment]] of [[buddhahood]] at the culmination of the [[Tantric path]]." | ||
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==={{Wiki|Etymology}} in the [[tantras]]=== | ==={{Wiki|Etymology}} in the [[tantras]]=== | ||
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− | In the [[ | + | It has been speculated that the first use of the term was in the c. 7th century [[Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa]], in which it refers to a [[hand gesture]]. |
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+ | The term is mentioned with {{Wiki|increasing}} frequency as [[Buddhist tantra]] developed further, particularly in the [[Yogatantras]], where it appears in [[Tattvasaṁgraha]] and the [[Vajraśekhara tantra]]. | ||
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+ | Here it also denotes a [[hand gesture]], now linked to three other hand [[mudrās]]—the [[action]] ([[karma]]), pledge ([[samaya]]), and [[dharma mudrās]]—but also involves "[[mantra]] [[recitations]] and [[visualizations]] that [[symbolize]] and help to effect one’s complete identification with a [[deity’s]] [[divine]] [[form]] or [[awakening]] [[Mind]] ([[bodhicitta]])." | ||
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+ | In [[Mahāyoga]] [[tantras]] such as the [[Guhyasamāja tantra]], it "has multiple meanings, [[including]] a contemplation-recitation conducive to the [[adamantine body]], [[speech]], and [[Mind of the tathāgatas]]; | ||
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+ | and the [[object]]-—[[emptiness]]-—through [[realization]] of which 'all is accomplished,'" and it is also used as a {{Wiki|synonym}} for [[awakened]] [[Mind]], which is said to be "[[primordially]] {{Wiki|unborn}}, [[empty]], | ||
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+ | [[unarisen]], [[Wikipedia:Nothing|nonexistent]], devoid of [[self]], naturally {{Wiki|luminous}}, and immaculate like the sky." | ||
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+ | In the [[yoginī]] or [[Anuttarayoga tantras]], [[mahāmudrā]] "emerges as a major [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|concept}}."> As [[scholar]] Roger Jackson explains, | ||
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+ | : Though still connected there to creation-stage [[maṇḍala practice]], it is more often related to [[completion-stage]] [[meditations]] involving the manipulation of [[mental]] and [[physical]] forces in the [[subtle body]] so as to produce a [[divine]] [[form]] and a {{Wiki|luminous}}, [[blissful]], [[nonconceptual]] [[gnosis]]. | ||
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+ | In the [[completion-stage]] discussions in such [[Tantric]] systems as the [[Hevajra]], [[Cakrasaṁvara]], and [[Kālacakra]], [[mahāmudrā]] has three especially important meanings. | ||
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+ | First, it may refer to a practitioner’s {{Wiki|female}} [[consort]] in {{Wiki|sexual}} [[yoga]] practices. | ||
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+ | Second, as before, it is one of a sequence of [[mudrās]] [[corresponding]] to various [[Buddhist]] [[Wikipedia:concept|concepts]], [[experiences]], and path-stages. | ||
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+ | Here, though, it usually is the culmination of the series, a direct [[realization]] of the [[nature]] of [[Mind]] and [[reality]] that {{Wiki|transcends}} and perfects other, more [[Wikipedia:Convention (norm)|conventional]] [[seals]], [[including]] those involving actual or [[visualized]] {{Wiki|sexual}} [[yoga]]. | ||
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+ | Third, [[Mahāmudrā]] by itself connotes the [[ultimate truth]], [[realization]], or [[achievement]] of [[yoginī Tantra]] [[practice]]: | ||
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+ | the [[great seal]] that marks all [[phenomena]] and [[experiences]]; a {{Wiki|synonym}} for [[suchness]], [[sameness]], [[emptiness]], [[space]], and the [[goddess]] [[Nairātmyā]] ([[no-self]]); | ||
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+ | [[unchanging]] [[bliss]] [[beyond]] [[object]] and [[subject]], [[shape]], [[thought]], or expression; and the [[Wikipedia:Absolute (philosophy)|ultimate]] [[gnostic]] [[attainment]], [[mahāmudrā-siddhī]]. | ||
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− | [[Thubten Yeshe]] explains: "[[Mahāmudrā]] means [[absolute]] | + | [[Thubten Yeshe]] explains: "[[Mahāmudrā]] means [[absolute seal]], {{Wiki|totality}}, unchangeability. |
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+ | Sealing something implies that you cannot destroy it. | ||
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+ | [[Mahāmudrā]] was not created or invented by anybody; therefore it cannot be destroyed. It is [[absolute reality]]". | ||
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+ | [[Aryadeva]] summarises: "The [[discussion]] of how to attain [[mahāmudrā]] entails [[methods]] for [[meditating]] on [[Mind]] itself as something having [[voidness]] as its [[nature]]". | ||
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==[[Lineages]]== | ==[[Lineages]]== | ||
− | [[Mahāmudrā]] is most well known as a [[teaching]] within the [[Kagyu]] (w. Bka´ brgyud) [[lineages]] of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. However the [[Tibetan Buddhist]] [[Gelug]] and [[Sakya]] schools also practice [[mahāmudrā]], as does [[Shingon Buddhism]] , the other major sub-school of the [[Vajrayana]]. The [[Nyingma]] and [[Bön]] [[traditions]] | + | |
+ | [[Mahāmudrā]] is most well known as a [[teaching]] within the [[Kagyu]] (w. [[Bka´ brgyud]]) [[lineages]] of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. | ||
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+ | However the [[Tibetan Buddhist]] [[Gelug]] and [[Sakya]] schools also [[practice]] [[mahāmudrā]], as does [[Shingon Buddhism]] , the other major sub-school of the [[Vajrayana]]. | ||
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+ | The [[Nyingma]] and [[Bön]] [[traditions]] [[practice]] [[Dzogchen]], a {{Wiki|cognate}} but {{Wiki|distinct}} method of direct introduction to the [[empty nature of Mind]]. | ||
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+ | [[Nyingma]] students may also receive supplemental {{Wiki|training}} in [[mahāmudrā]], and the [[Palyul Nyingma lineage]] preserves a [[lineage]] of the "[[Union of Mahāmudrā and Ati Yoga]]" originated by [[Karma Chagme]]. | ||
[[File:Marpa447.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Marpa447.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
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+ | All of the various [[Tibetan]] [[mahāmudrā]] [[lineages]] originated with the [[tantric]] [[Mahasiddhas]] of the [[Pala Empire]] [[India]] in the 8th to 12th Centuries. | ||
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+ | The 'Profound [[Action]]' [[lineage]] originated with [[Maitreya]] and [[Asanga]] and was introduced to [[Tibet]] by [[Marpa]] and [[Atisha]]. | ||
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+ | [[Marpa]] introduced the [[lineage]] to the [[Kagyu]] [[school]] and [[Atisha]] to the [[Kadam]] [[school]], which later produced the [[Gelug]] [[school]]. | ||
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+ | [[Gampopa]] later received both the [[Kagyu]] and [[Kadam]] [[transmissions]] of the [[lineage]] and passed them through to the {{Wiki|present}} day [[Kagyu]]. | ||
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+ | The '[[Profound View]]' [[lineage of mahāmudrā]], which originated with [[Nagarjuna]], also was introduced to [[Tibet]] by [[Atisha]]. | ||
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+ | [[Marpa]] introduced to [[Tibet]] the '[[Profound Blessing Meditation Experience]]' [[lineage]] that is believed to have originated with the [[primordial]] [[Buddha]] [[Vajradhara]] and was passed to [[Tilopa]] and [[Naropa]]. | ||
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+ | [[Marpa]] also introduced a [[mahāmudrā]] [[lineage]] that traced back through [[Saraha]] and [[Maitripa]]. | ||
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+ | <poem> | ||
===[[Kagyu tradition]]=== | ===[[Kagyu tradition]]=== | ||
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− | There have been many prominent practitioners and [[scholars]] of [[mahāmudrā]] in the [[Kagyu tradition]]. The [[Rangjung Dorje|Third Karmapa]] wrote '[[Aspiration]] [[Prayer]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]'. The [[Wangchuk Dorje|Ninth Karmapa]] wrote '[[Pointing Out the Dharmakaya]]' ([[Tibetan]]: ''[[Chos sku]] mdzub tshugs''); 'An Ocean of the Definite Meaning' (Tibetan:''Nges don rGya mtsho'') and 'Eliminating the Darkness of [[Ignorance]]'. [[Tsele Natsok Rangdrol]] wrote the '[[Lamp]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]' and [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] wrote 'Clarifying the [[Natural State]]' and 'Moonlight of [[Mahāmudrā]]'. | + | The [[Kagyu lineage]] divides the [[mahāmudrā]] teachings into three types, |
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+ | "[[sutra]] [[mahāmudrā]]," | ||
+ | "[[tantra]] [[mahāmudrā]]," and | ||
+ | "[[essence]] [[mahāmudrā]]," | ||
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+ | in a formulation that appears to originate with [[Jamgon Kongtrul]]. | ||
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+ | [[Sutra mahāmudrā]], as the [[name]] suggests, draws its [[philosophical]] [[view]] and [[meditation]] [[techniques]] from the [[sutrayana]] [[tradition]]. | ||
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+ | [[Tantric mahāmudrā]] employs such [[tantra techniques|tantric techniques]] as [[tummo]], [[dream yoga]], and [[Osel (yoga)|clear light yoga]], three of the [[six yogas of Naropa]]. | ||
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+ | [[Essence mahāmudrā]] is based on the direct instruction of a qualified [[lama]], known as [[pointing-out instruction]]. | ||
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+ | There have been many prominent practitioners and [[scholars]] of [[mahāmudrā]] in the [[Kagyu tradition]]. | ||
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+ | The [[Rangjung Dorje|Third Karmapa]] wrote; | ||
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+ | '[[Aspiration]] [[Prayer]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]'. | ||
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+ | The [[Wangchuk Dorje|Ninth Karmapa]] wrote | ||
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+ | '[[Pointing Out the Dharmakaya]]' ([[Tibetan]]: ''[[Chos sku]] mdzub tshugs''); | ||
+ | 'An Ocean of the Definite Meaning' ([[Tibetan]]:''[[Nges don rGya mtsho]]'') and | ||
+ | 'Eliminating the Darkness of [[Ignorance]]'. | ||
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+ | [[Tsele Natsok Rangdrol]] wrote the | ||
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+ | '[[Lamp]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]' and | ||
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+ | [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] wrote | ||
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+ | 'Clarifying the [[Natural State]]' and | ||
+ | '[[Moonlight]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]'. | ||
[[File:Naropa33.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Naropa33.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | The particular [[Kagyu]] propensity to blend [[sutric]] and [[tantric]] [[traditions]] of [[mahāmudrā]] was a point of controversy in [[Tibet]], with [[Sakya Pandita]] one of the most prominent critics thereof. As [[scholar]] Klaus-Dieter Mathes notes | + | </poem> |
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+ | The particular [[Kagyu]] {{Wiki|propensity}} to blend [[sutric]] and [[tantric]] [[traditions]] of [[mahāmudrā]] was a point of [[controversy]] in [[Tibet]], with [[Sakya Pandita]] one of the most prominent critics thereof. | ||
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+ | As [[scholar]] [[Klaus-Dieter Mathes]] notes | ||
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+ | :Certain aspects of the [[Bka´ brgyud]] teachings on [[mahāmudrā]], such as the possibility of a sudden liberating [[realization]] or the possibility that a beginner may attain [[mahāmudrā]] even without [[Tantric]] [[initiation]], became a highly controversial issue in the 13th century. | ||
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+ | For [[Sakya Paṇḍita]] (1182–1251), such teachings represented a new [[development]] stemming from a [[Sino-Tibetan]] [[influence]] on [[Sgam po pa Bsod nams rin chen]] (1079–1153). | ||
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+ | Later [[Bka´ brgyud]] pas defended their not specifically [[Tantric]] or [[sūtra]] [[mahāmudrā tradition]] by adducing [[Indian]] sources such as the [[Tattvadaśakaṭīkā]] or the [[Tattvāvatāra]]. | ||
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+ | These belong to a genre of {{Wiki|literature}} which the [[Seventh Karmapa]] [[Chos grags rgya mtsho]] (1454–1506) called “[[Indian]] [[mahāmudrā-Works]]” ([[phyag chen rgya gzhung]]). . . . | ||
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+ | Dr. Mathes investigated the [[practice]] described in these [[mahāmudrā]] works and found that it is not necessarily [[Tantric]]. | ||
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+ | In [[Saraha´s]] [[dohās]] it is simply the [[realization]] of [[Mind´s]] co-emergent [[nature]] with the help of a genuine [[guru]]. | ||
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+ | [[Maitrīpa]] (ca. 1007– ca. 1085) uses the term [[mahāmudrā]] for precisely such an approach, thus employing an originally [[Tantric]] term for something that is not a specifically [[Tantric practice]]. | ||
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+ | It is thus legitimate for later [[Bka´ brgyud]] pas to speak of [[Saraha´s]] [[mahāmudrā tradition]] as [[being]] originally {{Wiki|independent}} of the [[Sūtras]] and the [[Tantras]]. | ||
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+ | For [[Maitrīpa]], the direct [[realization]] of [[emptiness]] (or the co-emergent) is the bridging link between the [[Sūtras]] and the [[Tantras]], and it is thanks to this bridge that [[mahāmudrā]] can be linked to the [[Sūtras]] and the [[Tantras]]. | ||
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+ | In the [[Sūtras]] it takes the [[form]] of the [[practice]] of [[non-abiding]] and becoming [[mentally]] disengaged, while in the [[Tantras]] it occupies a special position among the four [[mudrās]]. | ||
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The [[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang|First Panchen Lama]] identified a number of [[mahāmudrā]] [[lineages]], according to their main practices for achieving [[mahāmudrā]]: | The [[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang|First Panchen Lama]] identified a number of [[mahāmudrā]] [[lineages]], according to their main practices for achieving [[mahāmudrā]]: | ||
− | :From the point of [[view]] of individually ascribed names, there are numerous [[traditions]], such as those of the simultaneously [[arising]] as merged, the [[amulet]] box, possessing five, the [[six spheres]] of {{Wiki|equal}} {{Wiki|taste}}, the four syllables, the pacifier, the [[object]] to be cut off, [[dzogchen]], the discursive [[madhyamaka]] [[view]], and so on. | + | :From the point of [[view]] of individually ascribed names, there are numerous [[traditions]], such as those of the simultaneously [[arising]] as merged, the [[amulet]] box, possessing five, the [[six spheres]] of {{Wiki|equal}} {{Wiki|taste}}, the four {{Wiki|syllables}}, the pacifier, the [[object]] to be cut off, [[dzogchen]], the discursive [[madhyamaka]] [[view]], and so on. |
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+ | In his teachings on the [[First Panchen Lama's]] [[root text]] and auto-commentary the [[Dalai Lama XIV]] delineated the [[Kagyu]] [[practice]] [[lineages]] as follows: | ||
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+ | * The [[Karma Kagyu]] "Simultaneously [[Arising]] as Merged" [[tradition]] - This is the [[tradition]] introduced by [[Gampopa]] with a main [[practice]] of the [[Six Yogas of Naropa]]. | ||
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+ | * The [[Shangpa Kagyu]] "[[Amulet]] Box" [[tradition]] - This [[tradition]] came from [[Khyungpo Naljor]] and its main [[practice]] is the [[Six Yogas of Niguma]]. | ||
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+ | * The [[Drigung Kagyu]] "Possessing Five" [[tradition]] - [[Jigten Gonpo]] founded the [[school]] and [[mahāmudrā]] [[lineage]] whose main [[practice]] is [[devotion]] via [[Guru Yoga]] and [[purification]] and [[merit]] collection practices. | ||
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+ | * The [[Drukpa Kagyu]] "[[Six Spheres of Equal Taste]]" [[tradition]] - [[Tsangpa Gyare]] founded this [[tradition]] which encompasses a range of practices, [[including]] the [[Six Yogas of Naropa]]. | ||
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+ | * The [[Dagpo Kagyu]] "[[Four Syllables]]" [[tradition]] - This is the [[tradition]] that derives from [[Matripa]]. | ||
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+ | The four {{Wiki|syllables}} are ''[[a-ma-na-si]]'' which comprise the [[Sanskrit]] [[word]] meaning '[[not to take to mind]]' and passed through the [[Dagpo Kagyu]] branches, i.e. any that descend from the teachings of [[Tilopa]] rather than those of [[Niguma]], which in [[practice]] means all but the [[Shangpa Kagyu]]. | ||
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===[[Gelug tradition]]=== | ===[[Gelug tradition]]=== | ||
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[[File:Khedrup_Je.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Khedrup_Je.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | The First and Second [[Panchen Lama]]s wrote important discourses about [[mahāmudrā]] from the [[Gelug]] {{Wiki|perspective}}. The main text of the [[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang|First Panchen Lama]] is 'A [[root text]] for the [[precious]] [[Gelug]]/[[Kagyu]] [[tradition]] of [[mahāmudrā]]: The Main Road of the Triumphant Ones' (Tibetan:''dGe ldan | + | The First and Second [[Panchen Lama]]s wrote important [[discourses]] about [[mahāmudrā]] from the [[Gelug]] {{Wiki|perspective}}. |
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+ | The main text of the [[Khedrup Gelek Pelzang|First Panchen Lama]] is 'A [[root text]] for the [[precious]] [[Gelug]]/[[Kagyu]] [[tradition]] of [[mahāmudrā]]: The Main Road of the Triumphant Ones' ([[Tibetan]]:''[[dGe ldan bka' brgyud rin po che'i phyag chen rtsa ba rgyal ba'i gzhung lam zhes bya ba]]'') . | ||
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===[[Sakya]] [[mahāmudrā]]=== | ===[[Sakya]] [[mahāmudrā]]=== | ||
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According to [[Alexander Berzin|Alexander Berzin]]: | According to [[Alexander Berzin|Alexander Berzin]]: | ||
− | The [[Kagyu]] and [[Gelug]]/[[Kagyu]] [[traditions]] have both [[sutra]] and [[anuttarayoga tantra]] levels of the practice, while [[Sakya]] only an [[anuttarayoga]] one. In other words, [[Sakya]] [[mahāmudrā]] focuses only on the [[nature]] of [[clear light]] [[mental]] [[activity]], while the other two [[traditions]] include focus on the [[nature]] of the other levels of [[mental]] [[activity]] as well. | + | The [[Kagyu]] and [[Gelug]]/[[Kagyu]] [[traditions]] have both [[sutra]] and [[anuttarayoga tantra]] levels of the [[practice]], while [[Sakya]] only an [[anuttarayoga]] one. |
+ | |||
+ | In other words, [[Sakya]] [[mahāmudrā]] focuses only on the [[nature]] of [[clear light]] [[mental]] [[activity]], while the other two [[traditions]] include focus on the [[nature]] of the other levels of [[mental]] [[activity]] as well. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
==[[Meditation]]== | ==[[Meditation]]== | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | Some parts of the [[transmission]] are done verbally and through [[empowerments]] and "reading transmissions." A student typically goes through various [[tantric]] practices before {{Wiki|undertaking}} the "[[formless]]" practices described below; the latter are classified as part of "[[essence | + | The advice and guidance of a qualified [[guru|teacher]] is considered to be very important in {{Wiki|learning}} and practicing [[mahāmudrā]] [[meditation]]. Most often [[mahāmudrā]] (particularly [[essence mahāmudrā]]) is preceded by [[pointing-out instruction]]. |
+ | |||
+ | Before the 1955 invasion of [[Tibet]], many of the texts and [[information]] that are now available would have been [[esoteric]] and restricted. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The [[Dalai Lama]] has been influential in making public some of these formerly [[esoteric]] [[Tibetan]] teachings, while still some remain entirely [[esoteric]], available to a [[student]] only through a private guru-student relationship. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Some parts of the [[transmission]] are done verbally and through [[empowerments]] and "reading [[transmissions]]." | ||
+ | |||
+ | A [[student]] typically goes through various [[tantric]] practices before {{Wiki|undertaking}} the "[[formless]]" practices described below; | ||
+ | |||
+ | the [[latter]] are classified as part of "[[essence mahāmudrā]]." | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Ngondro]] is the [[preliminary practice]] common to both [[mahāmudrā]] and [[dzogchen traditions]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | According to one [[scholar]], most [[people]] have difficulty beginning directly with [[formless]] practices and lose [[enthusiasm]] doing so, so the [[tantric]] practices work as a complement to the [[formless]] ones. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
===Approaches=== | ===Approaches=== | ||
− | As in most [[Buddhist]] schools of [[meditation]]e basic [[meditative | + | |
+ | As in most [[Buddhist]] schools of [[meditation]]e basic [[meditative practice of mahāmudrā]] is divided into two approaches: [[samatha|śamatha]] ("tranquility","calm abiding") and [[vipassana|vipaśyanā]] ("special [[insight]]"). | ||
+ | |||
+ | This [[division]] is contained in the instructions given by [[Wangchuk Dorje]], the [[ninth Karmapa]], in a series of texts he composed; these epitomize teachings given on [[mahāmudrā]] [[practice]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
====[[Śamatha]]==== | ====[[Śamatha]]==== | ||
− | [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] contains instructions on ways to sit with proper [[posture]]. The [[mahāmudrā]] [[shamatha]] teachings also include instructions on how to work with a [[mind]] that is beset with various impediments to focusing, such as raising the gaze when one [[feels]] dull or sleepy, and lowering it again when one [[feels]] overly excited. Two types of [[mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] are generally taught: [[śamatha]] with support and [[śamatha]] without support. | + | |
+ | |||
+ | [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] contains instructions on ways to sit with proper [[posture]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The [[mahāmudrā]] [[shamatha]] teachings also include instructions on how to work with a [[mind]] that is beset with various impediments to focusing, such as raising the gaze when one [[feels]] dull or sleepy, and lowering it again when one [[feels]] overly excited. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Two types of [[mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] are generally [[taught]]: [[śamatha]] with support and [[śamatha]] without support. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
=====With support===== | =====With support===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
[[File:Trungpa.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Trungpa.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] with support involves the use of an [[object]] of [[attention]] to which the [[meditator]] continually returns his or her [[attention]]. One of the main techniques involved in [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] with support is [[Anapanasati|mindfulness of breathing]] (S. [[ānāpānasmṛti]]). [[Mindfulness of breathing]] practice is considered to be quite profound means of [[calming]] the [[mind]] to prepare it for the stages that follow. For the [[Kagyupa]], in the context of [[mahāmudrā]], [[mindfulness of breathing]] is [[thought]] to be the {{Wiki|ideal}} way for the [[meditator]] to transition into taking the [[mind]] itself as the [[object]] of [[meditation]] and generating [[vipaśyanā]] on that basis. The prominent contemporary [[Kagyu]]/[[Nyingma | + | [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] with support involves the use of an [[object]] of [[attention]] to which the [[meditator]] continually returns his or her [[attention]]. |
+ | |||
+ | One of the main [[techniques]] involved in [[Mahāmudrā]] [[śamatha]] with support is [[Anapanasati|mindfulness of breathing]] (S. [[ānāpānasmṛti]]). | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Mindfulness of breathing]] [[practice]] is considered to be quite profound means of [[calming]] the [[mind]] to prepare it for the stages that follow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | For the [[Kagyupa]], in the context of [[mahāmudrā]], [[mindfulness of breathing]] is [[thought]] to be the {{Wiki|ideal}} way for the [[meditator]] to transition into taking the [[mind]] itself as the [[object]] of [[meditation]] and generating [[vipaśyanā]] on that basis. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The prominent contemporary [[Kagyu]]/[[Nyingma master]] [[Chogyam Trungpa]], expressing the [[Kagyu]] [[Mahāmudrā]] [[view]], wrote, "your {{Wiki|breathing}} is the closest you can come to a picture of your [[mind]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | It is the portrait of your [[mind]] in some [[sense]]... | ||
+ | |||
+ | The [[traditional]] recommendation in the [[lineage]] of [[meditators]] that developed in the [[Kagyu]]-[[Nyingma]] [[tradition]] is based on the [[idea]] of mixing [[mind]] and [[breath]]." | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
====[[Vipaśyanā]]==== | ====[[Vipaśyanā]]==== | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | * ''Looking at the settled [[mind]].'' One repeatedly looks at the [[mind's]] still state, possibly posing questions to arouse [[awareness]], such as "what is its [[nature]]? It is perfectly still?" | + | The detailed instructions for the [[insight]] practices are what make [[mahāmudrā]] (and [[Dzogchen]]) unique in [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. |
+ | |||
+ | In [[Mahāmudrā]] [[vipaśyanā]], [[Wangchuck Dorje]] gives ten separate [[contemplations]] that are used to disclose the [[essential]] [[mind]] within; | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[five practices]] of "[[looking at]]" and five of "[[pointing-out instruction|pointing out]]" the [[nature of mind]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | They all presume some level of stillness cultivated by [[mahāmudrā]] [[shamatha]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In [[retreat]], each [[contemplation]] would typically be assigned specific [[time]] periods. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | The [[five practices]] for "[[looking at]]" the [[nature]] of the [[mind]] are as follows: | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | * ''Looking at the settled [[mind]].'' One repeatedly looks at the [[mind's]] still [[state]], possibly posing questions to arouse [[awareness]], such as "what is its [[nature]]? It is perfectly still?" | ||
+ | |||
* ''Looking at the moving or [[thinking]] [[mind]].'' One tries to closely examine the [[arising]], [[existence]], and ceasing of [[thoughts]], possibly posing oneself questions so as to better understand this process, such as "how does it arise? What is its [[nature]]?" | * ''Looking at the moving or [[thinking]] [[mind]].'' One tries to closely examine the [[arising]], [[existence]], and ceasing of [[thoughts]], possibly posing oneself questions so as to better understand this process, such as "how does it arise? What is its [[nature]]?" | ||
− | * ''Looking at the [[mind]] reflecting [[appearances]].'' One looks at the way in which [[phenomena]] of the external [[senses]] occur in [[experience]]. Usually, a [[visual]] [[object]] is taken as the [[subject]]. One repeatedly looks at the [[object]], trying to see just how that [[appearance]] arises in the [[mind]], and understand the [[nature]] of this process. One possibly asks questions such as "what is their [[nature]]? How do they arise, dwell, and disappear? Is their initial [[appearance]] different from how they eventually understood?" | + | |
+ | * ''Looking at the [[mind]] {{Wiki|reflecting}} [[appearances]].'' One looks at the way in which [[phenomena]] of the external [[senses]] occur in [[experience]]. Usually, a [[visual]] [[object]] is taken as the [[subject]]. One repeatedly looks at the [[object]], trying to see just how that [[appearance]] arises in the [[mind]], and understand the [[nature]] of this process. One possibly asks questions such as "what is their [[nature]]? How do they arise, dwell, and disappear? Is their initial [[appearance]] different from how they eventually understood?" | ||
+ | |||
* ''Looking at the [[mind]] in [[relation]] to the [[body]].'' One investigates questions such as "what is the [[mind]]? What is the [[body]]? Is the [[body]] our [[sensations]]? What is the [[relation]] of our [[sensations]] to our [[mental]] image of our [[body]]?" | * ''Looking at the [[mind]] in [[relation]] to the [[body]].'' One investigates questions such as "what is the [[mind]]? What is the [[body]]? Is the [[body]] our [[sensations]]? What is the [[relation]] of our [[sensations]] to our [[mental]] image of our [[body]]?" | ||
− | |||
− | The practices for "pointing out the [[nature of mind]]" build on these. One now looks again at each of the five, but this [[time]] repeatedly asks oneself "What is it?" In these practices, one attempts to [[recognize]] and realize the exact [[nature]] of, respectively: | + | * ''Looking at the settled and moving [[minds]] together.'' When the [[mind]] is still, one looks at that, and when the [[mind]] is in {{Wiki|motion}}, one looks at that. One investigates whether these two stages are the same or different, asking questions such as "if they are the same, what is the commonality? If different, what is the [[difference]]?" |
+ | |||
+ | The practices for "pointing out the [[nature of mind]]" build on these. One now looks again at each of the five, but this [[time]] repeatedly asks oneself "What is it?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | In these practices, one attempts to [[recognize]] and realize the exact [[nature]] of, respectively: | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
* The settled [[mind]], | * The settled [[mind]], | ||
* The moving or [[thinking]] [[mind]], | * The moving or [[thinking]] [[mind]], | ||
− | * The [[mind]] reflecting [[appearances]], | + | * The [[mind]] {{Wiki|reflecting}} [[appearances]], |
* The [[relation]] of [[mind]] and [[body]], | * The [[relation]] of [[mind]] and [[body]], | ||
* The settled and [[thinking]] [[mind]] together. | * The settled and [[thinking]] [[mind]] together. | ||
+ | |||
The above practices do not have specific "answers"; they serve to provoke one to scrutinize [[experience]] more and more closely over [[time]], seeking to understand what is really there. | The above practices do not have specific "answers"; they serve to provoke one to scrutinize [[experience]] more and more closely over [[time]], seeking to understand what is really there. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
===Four [[yogas]]=== | ===Four [[yogas]]=== | ||
− | |||
− | + | [[Mahāmudrā]] is sometimes divided into four {{Wiki|distinct}} phases known as the [[four yogas of mahāmudrā]] (S. [[catvāri mahāmudrā yoga]], [[Wylie]]: [[phyag rgya chen po'i rnal 'byor bzhi]]). They are as follows: | |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | These stages parallel the [[Semde#Four_Yogas_of_Semde|four yogas of Dzogchen semde]]. | + | |
+ | # [[one-pointedness]] (S. ''[[ekāgra]]'', T. ''[[rtse gcig]]'') | ||
+ | |||
+ | # [[simplicity]] (S. ''[[niṣprapāncha]]'', T. ''[[spros bral]]'') "[[free from complexity]]" or "[[not elaborate]]." | ||
+ | |||
+ | # one {{Wiki|taste}} (S. '[['samarasa]]'', T. ''[[ro gcig]]'') | ||
+ | |||
+ | # [[non-meditation]] (S. ''[[abhāvanā]]'', ''[[sgom]] med'') | ||
+ | |||
+ | The [[state]] of not [[holding]] to either an [[object]] of [[meditation]] nor to a [[meditator]]. [[Nothing]] further needs to be '[[meditated]] upon' or 'cultivated at this stage. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | These stages parallel the [[Semde]]#Four_Yogas_of_Semde|four [[yogas]] of [[Dzogchen]] [[semde]])]. | ||
The four [[yogas]] of [[mahāmudrā]] have been correlated with the [[Mahāyāna]] [[Bhūmi|five paths]] (S. ''[[pañcamārga]]'') as follows: | The four [[yogas]] of [[mahāmudrā]] have been correlated with the [[Mahāyāna]] [[Bhūmi|five paths]] (S. ''[[pañcamārga]]'') as follows: | ||
+ | |||
According to [[Tsele Natsok Rangdrol]] (''[[Lamp]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | According to [[Tsele Natsok Rangdrol]] (''[[Lamp]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | ||
+ | |||
*[[Ngöndro|Outer and inner preliminary practices]]: [[path of accumulation]] | *[[Ngöndro|Outer and inner preliminary practices]]: [[path of accumulation]] | ||
+ | |||
*[[One-pointedness]]: [[path]] of application | *[[One-pointedness]]: [[path]] of application | ||
+ | |||
*[[Simplicity]]: [[paths]] of [[seeing]] and most of the [[path of meditation]] ([[bhūmis]] one through six) | *[[Simplicity]]: [[paths]] of [[seeing]] and most of the [[path of meditation]] ([[bhūmis]] one through six) | ||
+ | |||
*One {{Wiki|taste}}: last part of the [[path of meditation]], most of the [[path]] of no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] seven through nine) | *One {{Wiki|taste}}: last part of the [[path of meditation]], most of the [[path]] of no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] seven through nine) | ||
+ | |||
*Nonmeditation: last part of the [[path]] of no-more {{Wiki|learning}} (tenth [[bhūmi]]) and [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] eleven through thirteen) | *Nonmeditation: last part of the [[path]] of no-more {{Wiki|learning}} (tenth [[bhūmi]]) and [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] eleven through thirteen) | ||
− | According to [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''Moonlight of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | + | According to [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''[[Moonlight]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): |
+ | |||
*Outer and inner [[preliminary practices]] and [[one-pointedness]]: [[path of accumulation]] | *Outer and inner [[preliminary practices]] and [[one-pointedness]]: [[path of accumulation]] | ||
*[[Simplicity]]: [[path]] of application | *[[Simplicity]]: [[path]] of application | ||
+ | |||
*One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] & no-more-learning | *One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] & no-more-learning | ||
+ | |||
*Nonmeditation: [[path]] of no more {{Wiki|learning}} & [[buddhahood]] | *Nonmeditation: [[path]] of no more {{Wiki|learning}} & [[buddhahood]] | ||
− | According to Je Gyare as reported by [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''Moonlight of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | + | According to Je Gyare as reported by [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''[[Moonlight]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): |
*[[One-pointedness]]: [[paths]] of accummulation and application | *[[One-pointedness]]: [[paths]] of accummulation and application | ||
*[[Simplicity]]: [[path of seeing]] (first [[bhūmi]]) | *[[Simplicity]]: [[path of seeing]] (first [[bhūmi]]) | ||
+ | |||
*One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] and part of the [[path]] no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] two through eight) | *One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] and part of the [[path]] no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] two through eight) | ||
*Nonmeditation: rest of [[path]] of no-more-learning, [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] nine through thirteen) | *Nonmeditation: rest of [[path]] of no-more-learning, [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] nine through thirteen) | ||
− | According to Drelpa Dönsal as reported by [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''Moonlight of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | + | |
+ | According to [[Drelpa]] Dönsal as reported by [[Dakpo Tashi Namgyal]] (''[[Moonlight]] of [[Mahāmudrā]]''): | ||
*[[One-pointedness]]: [[paths]] of accummulation and application | *[[One-pointedness]]: [[paths]] of accummulation and application | ||
*[[Simplicity]]: [[path of seeing]] (first [[bhūmi]]) | *[[Simplicity]]: [[path of seeing]] (first [[bhūmi]]) | ||
+ | |||
*One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] and no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] two through ten) | *One {{Wiki|taste}}: [[paths]] of [[meditation]] and no-more-learning ([[bhūmis]] two through ten) | ||
*Nonmeditation: [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] eleven through thirteen) | *Nonmeditation: [[buddhahood]] ([[bhūmis]] eleven through thirteen) | ||
− | ===Six Words of Advice=== | + | |
+ | ===[[Six Words of Advice]]=== | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
[[File:Tilopa-22.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Tilopa-22.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | [[Tilopa]] was a {{Wiki|Bengali}} [[mahasiddha]] who developed the [[mahāmudrā]] method around 1,000 C.E. [[Tilopa]] gave [[Naropa]], his successor, a [[teaching]] on [[mahāmudrā]] [[meditation]] called the Six Words of Advice. | + | [[Tilopa]] was a {{Wiki|Bengali}} [[mahasiddha]] who developed the [[mahāmudrā]] method around 1,000 C.E. [[Tilopa]] gave [[Naropa]], his successor, a [[teaching]] on [[mahāmudrā]] [[meditation]] called the [[Six Words of Advice]]. |
+ | |||
+ | In the following chart a translation is given of the [[Tilopa's]] [[Six Words of Advice]]. | ||
− | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
− | |+Six Words of Advice | + | |+[[Six Words of Advice]] |
|- | |- | ||
− | ! !! First short, literal translation !! Later long, explanatory translation !! [[Tibetan]] (Wylie transliteration) | + | ! !! First short, literal translation !! Later long, explanatory translation !! [[Tibetan]] ([[Wylie]] transliteration) |
|- | |- | ||
| 1 | | 1 | ||
− | | Don’t recall || Let go of what has passed || mi mno | + | | [[Don’t recall]] || [[Let go of what has passed]] || [[mi mno]] |
|- | |- | ||
| 2 | | 2 | ||
− | | | + | | [[Don’t imagine]] || [[Let go of what may come]] || [[mi bsam]] |
|- | |- | ||
| 3 | | 3 | ||
− | | Don’t think || Let go of what is happening now || mi shes | + | | [[Don’t think]] || [[Let go of what is happening now]] || [[mi shes]] |
|- | |- | ||
| 4 | | 4 | ||
− | | Don’t examine || Don’t try to figure anything out || mi dpyod | + | | [[Don’t examine]] || [[Don’t try to figure anything out]] || [[mi dpyod]] |
|- | |- | ||
| 5 | | 5 | ||
− | | Don’t control || Don’t try to make anything happen || | + | | [[Don’t control]] || [[Don’t try to make anything happen]] || [[mi sgom]] |
|- | |- | ||
| 6 | | 6 | ||
− | | Rest || [[Relax | + | | [[Rest]] || [[Relax, right now, and rest]] || [[rang sar bzhag]] |
|} | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
{{W}} | {{W}} | ||
− | + | [[Category:Buddhist Terms]] | |
[[Category:Mahamudra]] | [[Category:Mahamudra]] | ||
− | [[Category:Tibetan Buddhist practices]] | + | [[Category:[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist practices]] |
+ | [[Category:Tibetan Buddhism]] |
Latest revision as of 19:21, 28 March 2023
Mahamudra (Skt. Mahāmudrā; Tib. Chakgya Chenpo; Wyl. phyag rgya chen po), or ‘Great Seal’ is the meditation tradition of the Kagyü lineage which passed from Maitripa and Naropa in India to Marpa Lotsawa in Tibet.
Mahamudra (S): Tibetan: Chag gya Chenpo. Great Seal or Symbol.
The highest meditative transmission/teaching in the Tibetan Kagyu school as is "Dzogchen" or Great Perfection in the Nyingma school.
Lineages proceed through Tilopa, Naropa and Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa.
The Mahamudra Sutra emphasizes dwelling in tranquility and insight, and progressing along the Five Paths (which starts with the beginning of Dharma practice and the accumulation of merit and ends with complete Enlightenment).
Definition
Mudra means that it encompasses all phenomena of samsara, nirvana, and the path.
In other words, they are 'sealed' within it. It is called maha or “great,” because nothing is superior to it.
Subdivisions or Levels of Interpretation
- Mahamudra of the sutra system refers to the attainment of perfect enlightenment through the five paths and ten bhumis.
- Tantric Mahamudra is related to the inner yogas and the practice of dzogrim.
- Essence Mahamudra (Tib. ངོ་བོའི་ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ་, Wyl. ngo bo'i phyag rgya chenpo) is closer to Dzogchen and is described in terms of a meditative practice leading to the nature of mind.
Relationship to Dzogchen
Jamgön Kongtrul said that Mahamudra corresponds to the Semdé teachings of Dzogpachenpo.[1]
Footnotes
Further Reading
- Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, Mahamudra, The Moonlight: Quintessence of Mind]] and Meditation, translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, Wisdom Publications, 2nd ed. 2006.
- Jackson, Roger R. and Kapstein, Matthew T. (ed.) Mahāmudrā and the bKa´-brgyud Tradition [PIATS 2006: Proceedings of the Eleventh Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies. Königswinter 2006], 2011
- Kalu Rinpoche, The Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, Khyentse Özer, Rigpa, London, 1990.
- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Crystal Clear: Practical Advice for Mahamudra Meditators, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang, Ragjung Yeshe, 2004.
- Roberts, Peter Alan. Mahamudra and Related Instructions: Core Teachings of the Kagyu Schools
See Also
Source
Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit, Tibetan: Chagchen, Wylie: phyag chen, contraction of Chagya Chenpo, Wylie: phyag rgya chen po) literally means "great seal" or "great symbol."
It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."
The name refers to a body of teachings representing the culmination of all the practices of the new translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism, who believe it to be the quintessential message of all of their sacred texts.
The mudra portion denotes that in an adept's experience of reality, each phenomenon appears vividly, and the maha portion refers to the fact that it is beyond concept, imagination, and projection.
History and semantic field
The usage and meaning of the term mahāmudrā evolved over the course of hundreds of years of Indian and Tibetan history, and as a result, the term may refer variously to "a ritual hand-gesture, one of a sequence of 'seals' in Tantric practice,
the nature of reality as emptiness, a meditation procedure focusing on the nature of Mind, an innate blissful gnosis cognizing emptiness nondually, or the supreme attainment of buddhahood at the culmination of the Tantric path."
Etymology in the tantras
It has been speculated that the first use of the term was in the c. 7th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, in which it refers to a hand gesture.
The term is mentioned with increasing frequency as Buddhist tantra developed further, particularly in the Yogatantras, where it appears in Tattvasaṁgraha and the Vajraśekhara tantra.
Here it also denotes a hand gesture, now linked to three other hand mudrās—the action (karma), pledge (samaya), and dharma mudrās—but also involves "mantra recitations and visualizations that symbolize and help to effect one’s complete identification with a deity’s divine form or awakening Mind (bodhicitta)."
In Mahāyoga tantras such as the Guhyasamāja tantra, it "has multiple meanings, including a contemplation-recitation conducive to the adamantine body, speech, and Mind of the tathāgatas;
and the object-—emptiness-—through realization of which 'all is accomplished,'" and it is also used as a synonym for awakened Mind, which is said to be "primordially unborn, empty,
unarisen, nonexistent, devoid of self, naturally luminous, and immaculate like the sky."
In the yoginī or Anuttarayoga tantras, mahāmudrā "emerges as a major Buddhist concept."> As scholar Roger Jackson explains,
- Though still connected there to creation-stage maṇḍala practice, it is more often related to completion-stage meditations involving the manipulation of mental and physical forces in the subtle body so as to produce a divine form and a luminous, blissful, nonconceptual gnosis.
In the completion-stage discussions in such Tantric systems as the Hevajra, Cakrasaṁvara, and Kālacakra, mahāmudrā has three especially important meanings.
First, it may refer to a practitioner’s female consort in sexual yoga practices.
Second, as before, it is one of a sequence of mudrās corresponding to various Buddhist concepts, experiences, and path-stages.
Here, though, it usually is the culmination of the series, a direct realization of the nature of Mind and reality that transcends and perfects other, more conventional seals, including those involving actual or visualized sexual yoga.
Third, Mahāmudrā by itself connotes the ultimate truth, realization, or achievement of yoginī Tantra practice:
the great seal that marks all phenomena and experiences; a synonym for suchness, sameness, emptiness, space, and the goddess Nairātmyā (no-self);
unchanging bliss beyond object and subject, shape, thought, or expression; and the ultimate gnostic attainment, mahāmudrā-siddhī.
Thubten Yeshe explains: "Mahāmudrā means absolute seal, totality, unchangeability.
Sealing something implies that you cannot destroy it.
Mahāmudrā was not created or invented by anybody; therefore it cannot be destroyed. It is absolute reality".
Aryadeva summarises: "The discussion of how to attain mahāmudrā entails methods for meditating on Mind itself as something having voidness as its nature".
Lineages
Mahāmudrā is most well known as a teaching within the Kagyu (w. Bka´ brgyud) lineages of Tibetan Buddhism.
However the Tibetan Buddhist Gelug and Sakya schools also practice mahāmudrā, as does Shingon Buddhism , the other major sub-school of the Vajrayana.
The Nyingma and Bön traditions practice Dzogchen, a cognate but distinct method of direct introduction to the empty nature of Mind.
Nyingma students may also receive supplemental training in mahāmudrā, and the Palyul Nyingma lineage preserves a lineage of the "Union of Mahāmudrā and Ati Yoga" originated by Karma Chagme.
All of the various Tibetan mahāmudrā lineages originated with the tantric Mahasiddhas of the Pala Empire India in the 8th to 12th Centuries.
The 'Profound Action' lineage originated with Maitreya and Asanga and was introduced to Tibet by Marpa and Atisha.
Marpa introduced the lineage to the Kagyu school and Atisha to the Kadam school, which later produced the Gelug school.
Gampopa later received both the Kagyu and Kadam transmissions of the lineage and passed them through to the present day Kagyu.
The 'Profound View' lineage of mahāmudrā, which originated with Nagarjuna, also was introduced to Tibet by Atisha.
Marpa introduced to Tibet the 'Profound Blessing Meditation Experience' lineage that is believed to have originated with the primordial Buddha Vajradhara and was passed to Tilopa and Naropa.
Marpa also introduced a mahāmudrā lineage that traced back through Saraha and Maitripa.
===Kagyu tradition===
The Kagyu lineage divides the mahāmudrā teachings into three types,
"sutra mahāmudrā,"
"tantra mahāmudrā," and
"essence mahāmudrā,"
in a formulation that appears to originate with Jamgon Kongtrul.
Sutra mahāmudrā, as the name suggests, draws its philosophical view and meditation techniques from the sutrayana tradition.
Tantric mahāmudrā employs such tantric techniques as tummo, dream yoga, and clear light yoga, three of the six yogas of Naropa.
Essence mahāmudrā is based on the direct instruction of a qualified lama, known as pointing-out instruction.
There have been many prominent practitioners and scholars of mahāmudrā in the Kagyu tradition.
The Third Karmapa wrote;
'Aspiration Prayer of Mahāmudrā'.
The Ninth Karmapa wrote
'Pointing Out the Dharmakaya' (Tibetan: Chos sku mdzub tshugs);
'An Ocean of the Definite Meaning' (Tibetan:Nges don rGya mtsho) and
'Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance'.
Tsele Natsok Rangdrol wrote the
'Lamp of Mahāmudrā' and
Dakpo Tashi Namgyal wrote
'Clarifying the Natural State' and
'Moonlight of Mahāmudrā'.
The particular Kagyu propensity to blend sutric and tantric traditions of mahāmudrā was a point of controversy in Tibet, with Sakya Pandita one of the most prominent critics thereof.
As scholar Klaus-Dieter Mathes notes
- Certain aspects of the Bka´ brgyud teachings on mahāmudrā, such as the possibility of a sudden liberating realization or the possibility that a beginner may attain mahāmudrā even without Tantric initiation, became a highly controversial issue in the 13th century.
For Sakya Paṇḍita (1182–1251), such teachings represented a new development stemming from a Sino-Tibetan influence on Sgam po pa Bsod nams rin chen (1079–1153).
Later Bka´ brgyud pas defended their not specifically Tantric or sūtra mahāmudrā tradition by adducing Indian sources such as the Tattvadaśakaṭīkā or the Tattvāvatāra.
These belong to a genre of literature which the Seventh Karmapa Chos grags rgya mtsho (1454–1506) called “Indian mahāmudrā-Works” (phyag chen rgya gzhung). . . .
Dr. Mathes investigated the practice described in these mahāmudrā works and found that it is not necessarily Tantric.
In Saraha´s dohās it is simply the realization of Mind´s co-emergent nature with the help of a genuine guru.
Maitrīpa (ca. 1007– ca. 1085) uses the term mahāmudrā for precisely such an approach, thus employing an originally Tantric term for something that is not a specifically Tantric practice.
It is thus legitimate for later Bka´ brgyud pas to speak of Saraha´s mahāmudrā tradition as being originally independent of the Sūtras and the Tantras.
For Maitrīpa, the direct realization of emptiness (or the co-emergent) is the bridging link between the Sūtras and the Tantras, and it is thanks to this bridge that mahāmudrā can be linked to the Sūtras and the Tantras.
In the Sūtras it takes the form of the practice of non-abiding and becoming mentally disengaged, while in the Tantras it occupies a special position among the four mudrās.
The First Panchen Lama identified a number of mahāmudrā lineages, according to their main practices for achieving mahāmudrā:
- From the point of view of individually ascribed names, there are numerous traditions, such as those of the simultaneously arising as merged, the amulet box, possessing five, the six spheres of equal taste, the four syllables, the pacifier, the object to be cut off, dzogchen, the discursive madhyamaka view, and so on.
In his teachings on the First Panchen Lama's root text and auto-commentary the Dalai Lama XIV delineated the Kagyu practice lineages as follows:
- The Karma Kagyu "Simultaneously Arising as Merged" tradition - This is the tradition introduced by Gampopa with a main practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa.
- The Shangpa Kagyu "Amulet Box" tradition - This tradition came from Khyungpo Naljor and its main practice is the Six Yogas of Niguma.
- The Drigung Kagyu "Possessing Five" tradition - Jigten Gonpo founded the school and mahāmudrā lineage whose main practice is devotion via Guru Yoga and purification and merit collection practices.
- The Drukpa Kagyu "Six Spheres of Equal Taste" tradition - Tsangpa Gyare founded this tradition which encompasses a range of practices, including the Six Yogas of Naropa.
- The Dagpo Kagyu "Four Syllables" tradition - This is the tradition that derives from Matripa.
The four syllables are a-ma-na-si which comprise the Sanskrit word meaning 'not to take to mind' and passed through the Dagpo Kagyu branches, i.e. any that descend from the teachings of Tilopa rather than those of Niguma, which in practice means all but the Shangpa Kagyu.
Gelug tradition
The First and Second Panchen Lamas wrote important discourses about mahāmudrā from the Gelug perspective.
The main text of the First Panchen Lama is 'A root text for the precious Gelug/Kagyu tradition of mahāmudrā: The Main Road of the Triumphant Ones' (Tibetan:dGe ldan bka' brgyud rin po che'i phyag chen rtsa ba rgyal ba'i gzhung lam zhes bya ba) .
Sakya mahāmudrā
According to Alexander Berzin:
The Kagyu and Gelug/Kagyu traditions have both sutra and anuttarayoga tantra levels of the practice, while Sakya only an anuttarayoga one.
In other words, Sakya mahāmudrā focuses only on the nature of clear light mental activity, while the other two traditions include focus on the nature of the other levels of mental activity as well.
Meditation
The advice and guidance of a qualified teacher is considered to be very important in learning and practicing mahāmudrā meditation. Most often mahāmudrā (particularly essence mahāmudrā) is preceded by pointing-out instruction.
Before the 1955 invasion of Tibet, many of the texts and information that are now available would have been esoteric and restricted.
The Dalai Lama has been influential in making public some of these formerly esoteric Tibetan teachings, while still some remain entirely esoteric, available to a student only through a private guru-student relationship.
Some parts of the transmission are done verbally and through empowerments and "reading transmissions."
A student typically goes through various tantric practices before undertaking the "formless" practices described below;
the latter are classified as part of "essence mahāmudrā."
Ngondro is the preliminary practice common to both mahāmudrā and dzogchen traditions.
According to one scholar, most people have difficulty beginning directly with formless practices and lose enthusiasm doing so, so the tantric practices work as a complement to the formless ones.
Approaches
As in most Buddhist schools of meditatione basic meditative practice of mahāmudrā is divided into two approaches: śamatha ("tranquility","calm abiding") and vipaśyanā ("special insight").
This division is contained in the instructions given by Wangchuk Dorje, the ninth Karmapa, in a series of texts he composed; these epitomize teachings given on mahāmudrā practice.
Śamatha
Mahāmudrā śamatha contains instructions on ways to sit with proper posture.
The mahāmudrā shamatha teachings also include instructions on how to work with a mind that is beset with various impediments to focusing, such as raising the gaze when one feels dull or sleepy, and lowering it again when one feels overly excited.
Two types of mahāmudrā śamatha are generally taught: śamatha with support and śamatha without support.
With support
Mahāmudrā śamatha with support involves the use of an object of attention to which the meditator continually returns his or her attention.
One of the main techniques involved in Mahāmudrā śamatha with support is mindfulness of breathing (S. ānāpānasmṛti).
Mindfulness of breathing practice is considered to be quite profound means of calming the mind to prepare it for the stages that follow.
For the Kagyupa, in the context of mahāmudrā, mindfulness of breathing is thought to be the ideal way for the meditator to transition into taking the mind itself as the object of meditation and generating vipaśyanā on that basis.
The prominent contemporary Kagyu/Nyingma master Chogyam Trungpa, expressing the Kagyu Mahāmudrā view, wrote, "your breathing is the closest you can come to a picture of your mind.
It is the portrait of your mind in some sense...
The traditional recommendation in the lineage of meditators that developed in the Kagyu-Nyingma tradition is based on the idea of mixing mind and breath."
Vipaśyanā
The detailed instructions for the insight practices are what make mahāmudrā (and Dzogchen) unique in Tibetan Buddhism.
In Mahāmudrā vipaśyanā, Wangchuck Dorje gives ten separate contemplations that are used to disclose the essential mind within;
five practices of "looking at" and five of "pointing out" the nature of mind.
They all presume some level of stillness cultivated by mahāmudrā shamatha.
In retreat, each contemplation would typically be assigned specific time periods.
The five practices for "looking at" the nature of the mind are as follows:
- Looking at the settled mind. One repeatedly looks at the mind's still state, possibly posing questions to arouse awareness, such as "what is its nature? It is perfectly still?"
- Looking at the moving or thinking mind. One tries to closely examine the arising, existence, and ceasing of thoughts, possibly posing oneself questions so as to better understand this process, such as "how does it arise? What is its nature?"
- Looking at the mind reflecting appearances. One looks at the way in which phenomena of the external senses occur in experience. Usually, a visual object is taken as the subject. One repeatedly looks at the object, trying to see just how that appearance arises in the mind, and understand the nature of this process. One possibly asks questions such as "what is their nature? How do they arise, dwell, and disappear? Is their initial appearance different from how they eventually understood?"
- Looking at the mind in relation to the body. One investigates questions such as "what is the mind? What is the body? Is the body our sensations? What is the relation of our sensations to our mental image of our body?"
- Looking at the settled and moving minds together. When the mind is still, one looks at that, and when the mind is in motion, one looks at that. One investigates whether these two stages are the same or different, asking questions such as "if they are the same, what is the commonality? If different, what is the difference?"
The practices for "pointing out the nature of mind" build on these. One now looks again at each of the five, but this time repeatedly asks oneself "What is it?"
In these practices, one attempts to recognize and realize the exact nature of, respectively:
- The settled mind,
- The moving or thinking mind,
- The mind reflecting appearances,
- The relation of mind and body,
- The settled and thinking mind together.
The above practices do not have specific "answers"; they serve to provoke one to scrutinize experience more and more closely over time, seeking to understand what is really there.
Four yogas
Mahāmudrā is sometimes divided into four distinct phases known as the four yogas of mahāmudrā (S. catvāri mahāmudrā yoga, Wylie: phyag rgya chen po'i rnal 'byor bzhi). They are as follows:
- one-pointedness (S. ekāgra, T. rtse gcig)
- simplicity (S. niṣprapāncha, T. spros bral) "free from complexity" or "not elaborate."
- non-meditation (S. abhāvanā, sgom med)
The state of not holding to either an object of meditation nor to a meditator. Nothing further needs to be 'meditated upon' or 'cultivated at this stage.
These stages parallel the Semde#Four_Yogas_of_Semde|four yogas of Dzogchen semde)].
The four yogas of mahāmudrā have been correlated with the Mahāyāna five paths (S. pañcamārga) as follows:
According to Tsele Natsok Rangdrol (Lamp of Mahāmudrā):
- One-pointedness: path of application
- Simplicity: paths of seeing and most of the path of meditation (bhūmis one through six)
- One taste: last part of the path of meditation, most of the path of no-more-learning (bhūmis seven through nine)
- Nonmeditation: last part of the path of no-more learning (tenth bhūmi) and buddhahood (bhūmis eleven through thirteen)
According to Dakpo Tashi Namgyal (Moonlight of Mahāmudrā):
- Outer and inner preliminary practices and one-pointedness: path of accumulation
- Simplicity: path of application
- One taste: paths of meditation & no-more-learning
- Nonmeditation: path of no more learning & buddhahood
According to Je Gyare as reported by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal (Moonlight of Mahāmudrā):
- One-pointedness: paths of accummulation and application
- Simplicity: path of seeing (first bhūmi)
- One taste: paths of meditation and part of the path no-more-learning (bhūmis two through eight)
- Nonmeditation: rest of path of no-more-learning, buddhahood (bhūmis nine through thirteen)
According to Drelpa Dönsal as reported by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal (Moonlight of Mahāmudrā):
- One-pointedness: paths of accummulation and application
- Simplicity: path of seeing (first bhūmi)
- One taste: paths of meditation and no-more-learning (bhūmis two through ten)
- Nonmeditation: buddhahood (bhūmis eleven through thirteen)
Six Words of Advice
Tilopa was a Bengali mahasiddha who developed the mahāmudrā method around 1,000 C.E. Tilopa gave Naropa, his successor, a teaching on mahāmudrā meditation called the Six Words of Advice.
In the following chart a translation is given of the Tilopa's Six Words of Advice.
First short, literal translation | Later long, explanatory translation | Tibetan (Wylie transliteration) | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Don’t recall | Let go of what has passed | mi mno |
2 | Don’t imagine | Let go of what may come | mi bsam |
3 | Don’t think | Let go of what is happening now | mi shes |
4 | Don’t examine | Don’t try to figure anything out | mi dpyod |
5 | Don’t control | Don’t try to make anything happen | mi sgom |
6 | Rest | Relax, right now, and rest | rang sar bzhag |
Source
Wikipedia:Mahamudra
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