But the stages of the path of mahamudra in the different kagyu branches is different. Five fold profound path of mahamudra of the glorious drigung kagyu lineage. Mahamudra, i have found that maintaining some record of oral instructions which subsequently can be reflected upon and serve as a guide for practice to be helpful. Traditionally passed orally from teacher to disciple, mahamudra instructions point the meditator to the innate perfection of every experience. This text is contained in the collection of mahamudra instruction called the do ha mdzod brgyad ces bya ba phyag rgya chen poi man ngag gsal bar ston pai gzhung, which is printed at the gyalwa karmapas monastery at rumtek, sikkim. Practical instructions on union of mahamudra and atiyoga. Fivefold profound path of mahamudra of the glorious. Gampopa, a disciple of milarepa who lived in the 11th century, brought together these teachings of the buddha into one five fold path consisting of an enlightened motivation, deity yoga, guru yoga, mahamudra and proper dedication. In this view, all experiences arise from a mind that is naturally vast, empty, and luminous. Of these, 84 individuals became very famous and were. Traditionally passed orally from teacher to disciple, mahamudra instructions point the meditator to the innate perfection of every. It is also considered one of the root texts on five fold mahamudra and dozens of commentaries have been written on it. The first is the wisdom which comes from listening to and reading instructions on the dharma, on meditation, and on reality. On the other hand, if one only has some sort of understanding of this truth, but cannot experience it intimately, he is said to have strayed from the realization of mahamudra.
An entire practice leading to buddhahood based on the mahamudra practice of the kagyu tradition. The view prayer for the view of mahamudra brief verse 945. It is also sometimes referred to as the highest and most profound teaching of the buddhas. We will then look briefly at path mahamudra, which is the actual meditation practice. It is said that depending on the compassion of the guru and the devotion of the disciple, realization is transmitted from one mindstream to another mindstream. The essence of the dagpo kagyu teachings is the mahamudra.
Teaching related to the mahamudra curriculum for bodhi. One line stuck out to me if the student develops certainty that the mind is free from coming and going, free from arising, abiding and ceasing, then the student is said to have recognised the nature of mind. Enjoy this short excerpt from the mahamudra course by mingyur rinpoche. Between 1990 and 1995, thrangu rinpoche taught on mahamudra in five retreats held at big bear lake in california. Mahamudra meditation is simultaneously the most profound of meditative disciplines and the most accessible for modern practitioners. The drikung kagyu is called the blessing lineage, faith and devotion to the guru is considered to be the most important. We will learn to generate compassion, embody buddhanature through visualization practice, and engage in the actual mahamudra. Essentials of mahamudra is a commentary on tashi namgyals text. The methods of spiritual liberation of the eightyfour indian tantric masters through legend, precepts and history. Practice generating compassion, recognizing buddha nature through visualization.
Please see additional resources for a pdf of the manual below. We in the drikung practice mahamudra through the fivefold mahamudra path. That one accepts selfresponsibility for ones journey on the path and does not give this up. The moonlight quintessence of mind and meditation was the first presentation in english of a major tibetan buddhist work on meditation. It is also sometimes referred to as the highest and most profound teaching. To just aspire for the realization of mahamudra to arise in the mind is a very condensed aspiration. When the mahamudra teaching is combined with tantra, it is generally the tantric practice of the fourarmed chenrezig or avalokiteshvara in sanskrit, or the twoarmed chenrezig, or teachings related to the mahamudra curriculum for bodhi path centers 7 chakrasamvara.
Mmc version of translation of guide to the four fold pointingout of wangchug. In the path of mahamudra, three wisdoms prajna or sherab are traditionally cultivated. Fivepart mahamudra is a specific way of practising mahamudra that is used in. Similar to the practice of dzogchen, mahamudra is a direct and powerful practice. These encompass both analytical and nonanalytical ways of knowing. So there are devotees, patrons, practitioners, yogis and so on and so forth. But there are methods specific to dzokchen which are not found in mahamudra, its true. The noble eightfold path is an early summary of the path of buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth.
Rinpoche introduced the series of five meditations to follow with an explanation of mahamudra. Our discussion this afternoon is about the fivefold mahamudra and why it is necessary to reach enlightenment. From the point of view of the path, these two traditions are different, though there are similarities. Mahamudra is a meditation tradition within tantric buddhism that points to the nature of awareness itself, elevating our ordinary perception to the level of the sacred.
Sie yogax osf naropa are of the latte groupr synthesia of ths e arisin ang d per fecting yogas wit, speciah emphasil on ths lattere. Similarly, in approaching mahamudra from the perspective of shinay, lhaktong, and their union, a structural path laid out by the polymath jey gampopa, and as passed on from him down to the 9th karmapa, wangchuk dorje in the ocean of definitive meaning as well as kyabje bokar rinpoche in his essentialized distillation of wangchuk dorjes. A skillful teacher can weave them together, without losing the meaning, and without confusing the student in his or her practice. It is said that just by hearing the name, or mantra, of medicine buddha that innumerable benefits arise including enhancing any healing practices and medicines.
An introduction to mahamudra meditation by the venerable khenchen thrangu rinpoche geshe lharampa is an important guide to the technique. This is consistent with the teachings of the lineage, which define the path of mahamudra to consist of listening to, reflecting on, and meditating according to the teachings. It is fundamentally a view of the most basic reality of our mind and world. It is in this fathomlong body with its perceptions and its mind that i describe the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world, and the way leading to the cessation of the world. Mahamudra in india, the appropriateness of mahamudra meditation becomes evident. Fivefold profound path of mahamudra drikung dharma.
General prayer for unmistaken practice on the path verse 737 b. His talks there have been edited into essentials of mahamudra. Drawing on enormous textual erudition and mastery of tibe. He used the example of sacred dance, where the entire body of the dancer becomes the mudra. Between 1990 and 1995, he conducted five retreats at big bear lake, california.
Now there is a little, how do you say, unfinished business here, because mahamudra means everything, but now here is the mahamudra lineage. These are collectively known as the twelve aspects of the four yogas on the path of mahamudra. Through guru devotion, it is possible that we can gain liberation in a single life time with a single body. If we sincerely wish to practise the instructions on mahamudra tantra presented in this book, we should first receive the. Medicine buddha and the fivefold path of mahamudra the five fold mahamudra method embodies the view of dzogchen, madhyamaka the middle way, shamatha, and vipashyana. His main disciple, pakmo drupa, gave this approach the name the profound five fold path of mahamudra. Dzogchen and mahamudra, two great paths lions roar. These are equally valid and merely describe the everdeepening levels of experience and stability in the natural, ordinary mind. The fivefold path of mahamudra includes the cultivation of bodhicitta, guru yoga practice, yidam practice, mahamudra practice, and the dedication of merit. Garchen rinpoche 20 seattle teachings drikung seattle. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Difference between dzogchen and mahamudra dharma wheel. In the kagyu tradition of tibetan buddhism, mahamudra or the great seal is considered the essence of the buddhas teachings. The mahamudra course is included as part of your vajrayana online subscription for those who meet the requirements.
Mahamudra meditation instructions from zasep tulku rinpoche. Mahamudra in the firs part ot f thi boos ark e o f the forme r group, whic thh readee mar y soo discoven to br e strikingly similiar to earl zey n buddhism th. Mahamudra is considered the most profound and direct path to awakening in the kagyu school of tibetan buddhism. During these talks, rinpoche presented a comprehensive introduction to the mahamudra path. Mahamudra is a term referring to the great seal or the absolute state of nonduality the great seal of awareness, which is but another way of defining ultimate reality. Learn a concise and simple tibetan buddhist healing practice based on the generation and embodiment of the medicine buddhas characteristics. During the flourishing of the mahamudra teachings in india in the 8th to 12th centuries there were innumerable people who practiced mahamudra and who then attained realization through this practice. Any meditation practitioner will enjoy this simple and direct guidance to aid their meditations. Another approach is to apply the structure of the four yogas to each of the yogas, resulting in sixteen aspects. The five fold path of mahamudra includes the cultivation of bodhicitta, guru yoga practice, yidam practice, mahamudra practice, and the dedication of merit. Gampopa, a disciple of milarepa who lived in the eleventh century, brought together these teachings of the buddha into one five fold path consisting of an enlightened motivation, deity yoga, guru yoga, mahamudra, and proper dedication, to which his main disciple, pakmo druba, gave the name the profound five fold path of mahamudra. Both describe that final state of realization in which the duality of apparent existence, the differentiation of subject consciousness and object world, collapses into. Garland of mahamudra practices shambhala publications. Fivefold profound path of mahamudra drikung dharma surya.