begin quote from:
Mahamudra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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."
[1]
The name refers to a body of teachings representing the culmination of all the practices of the
Sarma 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.
[2]
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."
[1]
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.
[1] 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)."
[1] 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."
[1]
In the Yoginī or
Anuttarayoga Tantras, mahāmudrā "emerges as a major Buddhist concept."
[1]> 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.[1]
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".
[3]
Aryadeva
summarises: "The discussion of how to attain mahāmudrā entails methods
for meditating on Mind itself as something having voidness as its
nature".
[4]
Lineages
Mahāmudrā is most well known as a teaching within the
Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. However the
Gelug and
Sakya schools also practice mahāmudrā, as does the
Tangmi tradition of
Shingon Buddhism.
[citation needed] The
Nyingma school and
Bon practise
Dzogchen, a cognate but distinct method of direct introduction to the principle of
śūnyatā. 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
Mahasiddhas of the
Pala Empire of 8-12th century India. The Profound Action lineage originated with
Maitreya-nātha and
Asanga and was introduced to Tibet by
Marpa Lotsawa and
Atiśa. Marpa's students comprise the
Dagpo Kagyu school and Atiśa's the
Kadam school, which later had its teachings incorporated by the other Tibetan Sarma schools.
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, was introduced to Tibet by Atiśa.
Marpa introduced to Tibet the Profound Blessing Meditation Experience lineage that is believed to have originated with
Vajradhara and was passed to
Tilopa and
Naropa. Marpa also introduced a mahāmudrā lineage that traced back through
Saraha and
Maitripada.
Kagyu tradition
Three types of teaching
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.
[5]
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
ösel, three of the
Six Yogas of Naropa. Essence mahāmudrā is based on the direct instruction of a qualified lama, known as
pointing-out instruction.
Blending of sutra and tantra
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. The possibility of sudden
liberating realization was seen as a result of this blending,
[6] which was criticised:
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 Sa skya
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).[7][note 1]
According to Klaus-Dieter Mathes, the Kagyu tradition sought to base their teachings in Indian works:
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).[7]
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 Kagyupas 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.
[7]
Lineages
Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, 1st 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.[4]
In his teachings on the First Panchen Lama's root text and auto-commentary the
14th Dalai Lama delineated the Kagyu practice lineages as follows:
[8]
- 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 Nenjor and its main practice is the Six Yogas of Niguma.
- The Drikung 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 Lineage "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.
Prominent practitioners
There have been many prominent practitioners and scholars of mahāmudrā in the Kagyu tradition.
Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama wrote 'Aspiration Prayer of Mahāmudrā'.
[9] Wangchuk Dorje, 9th Karmapa Lama, wrote
Pointing Out the Dharmakaya (
Wylie:
chos sku mdzub tshugs);
An Ocean of the Definite Meaning (
Wylie:
nges don rgya mtsho) and
Eliminating the Darkness of Ignorance.
Tsele Natsok Rangdröl wrote the
Lamp of Mahāmudrā and
Dagpo Tashi Namgyal wrote
Clarifying the Natural State and
Moonlight of Mahāmudrā.
Gelug tradition
The First and Second
Panchen Lamas wrote important discourses about mahāmudrā from the Gelug perspective. The main text of
Khedrup Gelek Pelzang, 1st Panchen Lama. is
A root text for the precious Gelug/Kagyu tradition of mahāmudrā: The Main Road of the Triumphant Ones (
Wylie:
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.[10]
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
[citation needed],
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."
[11] 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.
[12]
Approaches
As in most Buddhist schools of meditation, the 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.
[13]
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,
[14]
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 a 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.
[15] 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."
[16]
Without support
In objectless meditation, one rests the mind without the use of a specific focal point.
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.
[17]
The five practices for "looking at" the nature of the mind are as follows:
[18]
- 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.
[19]
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:
[20]
- one-pointedness (S. ekāgra, T. rtse gcig)
- simplicity (S. niṣprapāncha, T. spros bral) "free from complexity" or "not elaborate."
- one 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.[note 2]
These stages parallel the
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):
- Outer and inner preliminary practices: path of accumulation
- 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 accumulation 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 accumulation 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.
[21]
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 |
See also
Notes
This is a reference to Hwashang and the Council of Lhasa, in which Indian Buddhism and its gradual approach was chosen over the sudden approach of Chan Buddhism. See Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, Bkra-śis-rnam-rgyal (Dwags-po Paṇ-chen) (2006), Mahamudra: The Moonlight - Quintessence of Mind and Meditation, Wisdom Publications, p.104-105.
References
- According to Ken McLeod, the text contains exactly six words; the two English translations given in the following table are both attributed to him.
Further reading
- Chagmé, Karma (2009). a Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on Union of Mahamudra and Atiyoga. Commentary by Gyatrul Rinpoche. Translated by A. Wallace. Ithaca: Snow Lion. ISBN 1-55939-340-8
- Ray, Reginald (2000). Indestructible Truth: The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Shambhala. ISBN 1-57062-166-7, ISBN 0-399-14218-5
- Namgyal, Dakpo Tashi (2004). Clarifying the Natural State. North Atlantic Books. ISBN 962-7341-45-2, ISBN 978-962-7341-45-1
- Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, "Three Classifications of Mahamudra" http://dpr.info/media/www.DPR.info-ThreeClassificationsOfMahamudra.pdf
- Wangchug Dorje, "Mahamudra: The Ocean of True Meaning", transl. Henrik Havlat. ISBN 978-3-86582-901-6
- Traleg Kyabgon (2003), Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation through Mahamudra Meditation, Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-59030-156-2
External links
"Mahāmudrā" by Roger R. Jackson. Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd edition Gacl: 2005 ISBN 0-02-865733-0. pg 5596
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, page 261.
Yeshe, Lama Thubten (2003). Becoming the Compassion Buddha: Tantric Mahamudra for Everyday Life. Wisdom Publications. p. 21. ISBN 0-86171-343-5.
quoted in Gyatso, Tenzin; Alexander Berzin (1997). The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra. New York: Snow Lion Publications. p. 119. ISBN 1-55939-072-7.
"Blending
the Sūtras with the Tantras: The Influence of Maitrīpa and his Circle
on the formation of Sūtra Mahāmudrā in the Kagyu Schools" by
Klaus-Dieter Mathes in Tibetan Buddhist Literature and Praxis :
Studies in its Formative Period, 900-1400, PIATS 2003: Tibetan Studies:
Proceedings of the Tenth seminar of the International Association for
Tibetan Studies. Oxford: 2003 pg 201
Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, Bkra-śis-rnam-rgyal (Dwags-po Paṇ-chen) (2006), Mahamudra: The Moonlight - Quintessence of Mind and Meditation, Wisdom Publications, p.104
"Indian Mahāmudrā-Works” in the Early Bka’ brgyud pa." Centre for Tantric Studies website. [1]
Gyatso, Tenzin; Alexander Berzin (1997). The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra. New York: Snow Lion Publications. pp. 262–271. ISBN 1-55939-072-7.
http://www.unfetteredmind.com/translations/mahamudra.php
Berzin, Alexander (1995, revised July 2006). "Introduction to Dzogchen". Berzin Archives. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, pages 273-274.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, pages 272-274.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, page 274.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, pages 274-275.
Pointing
Out the Great Way: The Stages of Meditation in the Mahamudra tradition
by Dan Brown. Wisdom Publications: 2006 pg 221-34
The Path is the Goal, in The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Vol Two. Shambhala Publications. pgs 49, 51
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, page 276.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, pages 276-277.
Reginald Ray, Secret of the Vajra World. Shambhala 2001, page 277.
Mahamudra: The Moonlight: Quintessence of Mind and Meditation by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal Wisdom Publications; 2nd ed: 2006 ISBN 9780861712991 pg 463
David Jackson
