"Aspiration Prayer of Mahāmudrā of Definitive Meaning" Mahāmudrā Teachings of the Supreme Siddhas: The Eighth Situpa Tenpa'i Nyinchay on the.
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Gradually, we can further let go of the thoughts, labels, and judgments that keep our mind moving, unsettled, and tense. We can begin to relax, expand, and inhabit a new dimension of presence and openness. There are two main types of meditation in the Mahamudra tradition: Mahamudra shamatha , or resting in the nature of mind, and Mahamudra vipashyana , or clear seeing. The focus of our attention is the mind itself, as opposed to anything external. If you have a background of sitting meditation and are familiar with that practice, then learning to rest in the nature of mind can be very simple, easy, and straightforward.
What does it mean to rest in the nature of mind, and how do we do it? We may think that to meditate, we have to concentrate, we have to focus on something. The actual meditation of Mahamudra is not really about that. That can be tricky, because on one hand we need to be mindful and stay present, and on the other, we need to let go of any stress and just relax.
Meditation: Mahamudra
So the best practice is the middle way, finding a balance between nondistraction and relaxation. In the beginning, that may feel artificial, but if we keep doing it, it becomes effortless. Our eyes are glued to the road. In the same way, Mahamudra meditation can feel unnatural and stressful at first. We may be worried that we have too many thoughts and are not relaxed enough, or that our focus is not in the right place.
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But relaxation will come naturally if we keep doing it. Then the experience of space, awareness, and relaxation will come naturally. First, take your seat on a cushion or chair in an upright and relaxed position. Take a moment to feel the cushion, the posture of your body, the attitude of the mind, and the movement of the breath.
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Sit quietly for several minutes, gently letting go of your thoughts until you feel a sense of calmness. Next, bring awareness to the eyes and look directly into the space in front. Then simply relax at ease and rest in the present moment, in nowness. The gaze is like space itself, wide and spacious. Rest the mind in that very experience, whether you regard it as good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. Rest the mind where it is and just as it is. So from time to time in meditation, reflect on the three basic characteristics of mind: It has no limit.
It has no material form, color, or shape. There is nothing we can touch. That space, that openness, is the empty nature of our mind. This mind is not just empty, however. It also has a vivid clarity, an infinite and vast luminosity, which is the radiance of emptiness itself. This experience of space with light is the experience of great compassion and lovingkindness, or unbiased great love beyond concept. It manifests in the vibrant energy of our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions.
We can see it in every experience of mind, especially in the powerful display of our emotions. Once again, sit quietly until you feel a sense of calmness. Then contemplate the clarity aspect of mind. Look directly at whatever forms, thoughts, or emotions arise: Look beyond the object and experience the radiance of emptiness, resting relaxed within that basic presence of clarity. Mahamudra is defined by Gampopa as "the realization of the natural state as awareness-emptiness, absolutely clear and transparent, without root".
Gampopa also states that mahamudra is "the paramita of wisdom , beyond thought and expression. The tradition which follows Gampopa is called Dakpo Kagyu. According to Klaus-Dieter Mathes, the Kagyu tradition sought to base their teachings in Indian works:. 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: The Gelug school's mahamudra tradition is traditionally traced back to the school's founder Tsongkhapa , who was said to have received oral transmission from Manjushri , and it is also traced to the Indian masters like Saraha through the Drikung Kagyu master Chennga Chokyi Gyalpo who transmitted Kagyu Mahamudra teachings probably the five fold Mahamudra to Tsongkhapa.
The current 14th Dalai Lama and Lama Yeshe are some of the modern Gelug figures which have written commentaries on this key Gelug Mahamudra text. Some parts of the transmission are done verbally and through empowerments and "reading transmissions. 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.
How to Do Mahamudra Meditation
The ordinary practices are samatha calming and vipasyana special insight. The extraordinary practices include "formless" practices like 'one taste yoga' and 'non-meditation'. The tradition also culminates with certain special enlightenment and post-enlightenment practices. They are as follows: These stages parallel the four yogas of Dzogchen semde. Wangchuk Dorje mentions that one can use a wide variety of supports, visual objects like a candle flame, but also sounds, a smell, etc.
Mindfulness of breathing practice is considered to be a profound means of calming the mind to prepare it for the stages that follow. 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. Shamatha without support or objectless meditation refers to resting the mind without the use of a specific focal point or object of concentration. According to Reginald Ray, in this practice "the eyes are open and one gazes straight ahead into space, directing one's mind to nothing at all.
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: 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? 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. According to Roger Jackson:. In an actual meditation session, this involves, first of all, analyzing whether the meditator who has achieved tranquil equipoise actually can be found in an ultimate sense.
Seeking the meditator both within and apart from the various elements, one encounters the meditator nowhere; seeking ultimacy in phenomena dharmas , one encounters it nowhere. Thus, one comes to abide in a space-like awareness of the void nature of both the person and dharmas. Next or, alternatively one examines more carefully whether the mind itself can be found in an ultimate sense: Its popularity in the West is quite puzzling, except that, at least superficially, it appears a suitable replacement for Christianity.
Anyone entering the Tibetan path is required to perform countless preparatory practices, composed chiefly of prostrations, rites and chanting. Only then can he or she commence a truly constructive meditative practice. Indian Buddhism makes it complicated intellectually and Tibetan shamanism adds the convoluted magical and esoteric components. While mainstream Tibetan Buddhism is more a religion than a spiritual path, there are a few of their schools which have developed a very high level of understanding on the subjects of meditation and enlightenment.
These higher teachings are very sophisticated. They possess excellent and very well articulated conceptual tools. Dzogchen is more of a sudden path, while Mahamudra is a gradual one. Do naught with the body but relax; Shut firm the mouth and silent remain; Empty your mind and think of naught. Like a hollow bamboo rest at ease your body.
Giving not nor taking, put your mind at rest. Mahamudra is like a mind that clings to naught. Thus practicing, in time you will reach Buddhahood. The Void needs no reliance; Mahamudra rests on naught. Without making an effort, but remaining natural, One can break the yoke thus gaining liberation. If one looks for naught when staring into space; If with the mind one then observes the mind; One destroys distinctions and reaches Buddhahood. The clouds that wander through the sky have no roots, no home, Nor do the distinctive thoughts floating through the mind.
Once the Self-mind is seen, Discrimination stops. In this way, it goes beyond more traditional vipassana, in which there is no clear link between insight into impermanence, suffering and no-self and actual self-realization. This is because the instructions given are different. In traditional vipassana, one aims at obtaining insight into the non-existence of self within our relative consciousness the five skandhas: The lower stages of meditation in Mahamudra are described as follows: Focusing first of all on the lower stages, we can see that, unlike Theravada Buddhism, vipassana in Mahamudra does not begin immediately after samatha — there are intermediary stages.
The first question is: What is the difference between samatha and meditation with support? Samatha does use an object, but it is not meditation — it is concentration alone. In both cases, the observer focuses on an object in order to gain a stable point of reference. In samatha, the observer tries to glue itself to an object in a very coarse, primitive way, whereas in meditation with support, it maintains the continuity of focus on an object from a distance in order to open the space of meditation and establish a stable contrast to its own presence.
Buddhism does not have the concept of pure subjectivity, so there is no clear explanation as to the meaning behind these practices. Nevertheless, they clearly intuitively recognize the need to evolve toward and develop our own subjectivity. The next step in Mahamudra is meditation without support. The question here is: Well, relatively speaking, one can, but the practice will be very limited. What is described on the path of Mahamudra resembles more of an initial attempt to abide in a condition independent of the pursuit of objects; in this case, attention resting in itself.
In Mahamudra, awareness is awakened only after going through the process of contemplation or vipassana. As previously noted, the application of vipassana in Mahamudra is more positive than in traditional Theravada Buddhism. It is not used merely to affirm the three marks of existence suffering, impermanence and no self , but to gain direct insight into our pure nature.
Its purpose is actually twofold: As a result of these insights, the base of awareness can open up, allowing one to move into the higher state of meditation without support: In our terminology, this represents moving from having developed a solidified sense of self as the observer without object, to abidance in conscious me. We will now look more deeply into the meditative contemplations of Mahamudra for a better understanding of the nature of vipassana in this tradition.
As we will see, it is quite different to the traditional methods found in Theravada. The main difference is that the contemplative process aims at discovering the actual essence of the mind; it is not oriented toward getting fixated on impermanence, suffering and the absence of self. Still, it remains limited by the Buddhist concept of reality. One cannot say that no-self exists , as the concept of no-self is a negation of self, rather than an affirmation of no-self.
Mahamudra - Wikipedia
As self does not have an inherent existence, neither does no-self. However, in Mahamudra, as well as in Dzogchen and Zen, we can find affirmative descriptions of the ground of the mind. Perhaps the differences are just semantics, but because Buddhism is exceedingly attached to its semantics and intellectual perfectionism, we might infer some sense of a positive existence did seep through into its energy and philosophy.
This does not mean, however, that you cease all attention as if you had fainted or fallen asleep. Rather, you must tie your attention to the post of mindfulness in order not to wander, and station alertness to be aware of any mental movement. Firmly tighten the hold of your mindfulness on that which has the essential nature of clarity and awareness, and behold it starkly.
Whatever thoughts might arise, recognize them as being that and that. Alternatively, like a dueler, cut the thoughts off completely, wham-wham, as soon as they occur. Once you have completely cut these off and have settled your mind, then, without losing mindfulness, relax and loosen up.
When you look at the nature of any thought that arises, it disappears by itself and an utter bareness dawns. Likewise, when you inspect when settled, you see a vivid, non-obstructive bareness and clarity. Thus, no matter what thought arises, when, without blocking it, you recognize that it is a movement of mind and have settled on its essential nature, you find it is like the example of the flight of a bird confined on a boat.
When you realize simultaneously that appearances do not obscure voidness and voidness does not make appearances cease, you are manifesting, at that time, the excellent pathway mind that cognizes from the single viewpoint of voidness and dependent arising being synonymous. The first function of looking is simply getting acquainted with the environment of our own mind.
There is no judgment in looking; there is no intention to label things as impermanent or as suffering. There is just a sense of wanting to know and directly see our phenomenal consciousness, to really become familiar with the mind in which we live our whole life, but take completely for granted. The second function of looking is to seek freedom from being ensnared by that mind, from being captive to our own thinking processes. Here, we contemplate the different ways our mind controls us and, by becoming more conscious, look for a means to break free from this bondage.
This final stage of this understanding is true vipassana: It is interesting to see that neither samatha, nor meditation — either with support or without support — can awaken the base of awareness. These three levels of meditation all relate to the process of the observer growing into himself. At the third stage, meditation without support, the observer attempts something very foreign to its own nature — just to be.