The Gelug-Kagyü Tradition of Mahamudra by Lozang-chokyi-gyeltsen, the First Panchen Lama Translated by Alexander Berzin Originally published in: H. H. the Dalai Lama and Berzin, Alexander. The Gelug/Kagyü Tradition of Mahamudra. Ithaca, Snow Lion, 1997. Used with permission. _______, Precious Sprout, Deciding the Difficult Points of [Chandrakirti's] "An Illuminating Lamp [for 'The Guhyasamaja Root Tantra']" (sGron-gsal dka'-gnas-kyi mtha'-gcod rin-po-che'i myu-gu). _______, The Pure Stages of the Yoga of Guhyasamaja (gSang-'dus rnal- sbyor dag-rim). _______, A Short Presentation of an Exceptionally Perceptive State of Mind (Lhag-mthong chung-ngu). _______, A Short Presentation of the Graded Stages of the Path (Lam-rim chung-ngu). _______, Totally Clarifying the Intentions [of Chandrakirti's "Supplement to (Nagarjuna's 'Root Stanzas on) the Middle Way'"] (dGongs-pa rab-gsal). _______, The Three Principal Aspects of the Path (Lam-gtso rnam-gsum). You can order the complete version of this book, which includes, in addition to the root text, an introduction to Mahamudra and its _______, A Treasury of Commentaries on the Five Stages [of the practical application, a commentary and an auto-commentary, Guhyasamaja Complete Stage] (Rim-lnga 'grel-mdzod). directly from Snow Lion Publications. The Twenty Thousand Stanza Prajnaparamita Sutra (Pancavimshatisahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra; Nyi-khri stong-pa). It can be found online at the Berzin Archives: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/x/nav/group.html_680632258.html Vasubandhu, A Treasure-house of Special Topics of Knowledge (Abhidharmakosha; mDzod). Yogini Chinta, Establishing the Very Nature of the Reality of What Follows from Becoming Clear about Functional Phenomena (Vyaktabhavanugatatattvasiddhi; dNgos-po gsal-ba'i rjes-su 'gro-ba'i de- kho-na-nyid grub-pa). Yongdzin Yeshey-gyeltsen (Yongs-'dzin Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan), Clearly Indicating the Main Points from the Oral Teachings of the Gelug Tradition of Mahamudra (dGa'-ldan phyag-rgya chen-po'i man-ngag-gi gnad gsal-bar ston-pa). _______, Notes from a Discourse on the Gelug Tradition of Mahamudra (dGa-ldan phyag-rgya chen-po'i khrid-yig). Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford MA: August, 2010 17 _______, The King Dohas (rGyal-po do-ha). A Root Text for the Precious Gelug-Kagyu _______, The Queen Dohas (bTsun-mo do-ha). Tradition of Mahamudra (dGe-ldan bka'-brgyud rin-po-che'i phyag-chen _______, The Three Core Volumes (sNying-po skor-gsum). rtsa-ba rgyal-ba'i gzhung-lam) By the First Panchen Lama, Lozang-chokyi-gyeltsen Sershul (Ser-shul dGe-bshes Blo-bzang phun-tshogs), Notes on the Five Stages [of the Guhyasamaja Complete Stage] (Rim-lnga zin-bris). (Pan-chen Blo-bzang chos-kyi rgyal-mtshan) The Seven Texts of the Mahasiddhas (Grub-pa sde-bdun). Translated by Alexander Berzin July 1996 Shantideva, Engaging in Bodhisattva Behavior (Bodhicaryavatara; sPyod- Namo mahamudraya -- Homage to mahamudra, the 'jug). great seal of reality. A Sutra on the Essential Factors for Accordant Progress (Tathagatagarbha Sutra; De-bshegs snying-po'i mdo). I respectfully bow at the feet of my peerless guru, lord of that which pervades everywhere, master of those with Tagtsang Lotsawa (sTag-tshang Lo-tsa-ba Shes-rab rin-chen), An Ocean of actual attainment, who expounds, in a denuding manner, Teachings on the General Meaning of Kalacakra (Dus-'khor spyi-don bstan-pa'i rgya-mtsho). the diamond strong vajra sphere of mind, parted from (what can be expressed in) speech, inseparable from The Three Mothers (Yum-gsum). mahamudra, the great seal of reality, the all pervasive nature of everything. Tsongkhapa (Tsong-kha-pa Blo-bzang grags-pa), The Essence of Excellent Explanation of Interpretable and Definitive Meanings (Drang-nges legs- bshad snying-po). Gathering together and thoroughly condensing the essence of the oceans of sutras, tantras, and _______, A Grand Presentation of an Exceptionally Perceptive State of Mind (Lhag-mthong chen-mo). quintessence teachings, I shall write some advice concerning mahamudra from the Gelug-Kagyu tradition _______, A Grand Presentation of the Graded Stages of the Path (Lam-rim of the fatherly Dharmavajra, a mahasiddha with chen-mo). supreme actual attainment, and his spiritual offspring. _______, A Grand Presentation of the Graded Stages of the Secret Mantra Path (sNgags-rim chen-mo). For this, there are the preparatory practices, the actual methods, and the concluding procedures. As for the _______, A Lamp for Clarifying the Five Stages [of the Guhyasamaja first, in order to have a gateway for entering the Complete Stage] (Rim-lnga gsal-sgron). teachings and a central tent pole for (erecting) a _______, An Ocean of Reason [Commentary on Nagarjuna's "Root Stanzas mahayana mind, earnestly take the safe direction of on the Middle Way"] (Rigs-pa'i rgya-mtsho). refuge and develop a bodhichitta aim. Do not have these Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford MA: August, 2010 Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford MA: August, 2010 16 1 merely be words from your mouth. Then, since seeing _______, Root Stanzas on the Middle Way (Mulamadhyamaka Karika; dBu- the actual nature of mind is indeed dependent upon ma rtsa-shes). strengthening the enlightenment-building networks and _______, [A Method to Actualize Guhyasamaja] Made in Brief (Pindikrta, purifying yourself of the mental obscurations, direct mDor-byas). (toward your root guru) at least a hundred thousand Ngari Panchen Pema-wanggyel (mNga'-ris Pan-chen Padma dbang-rgyal), repetitions of the hundred-syllable mantra and as many A Commentary on [Sakya Pandita's] "Differentiating the Three Levels of hundreds of prostrations as possible, made while Vowed Restraints" (sDom-gsum rab-dbye'i 'grel-ba). reciting The Admission of Downfalls. In addition, make repeated, heartfelt requests to your root guru inseparable Padampa Sanggyay (Pha-dam-pa Sangs-rgyas), A Hundred Verses to the People of Dingri (Ding-ri brgya-rsta-ma). from all Buddhas of the three times. First Panchen Lama, Lozang-chokyi-gyeltsen (Pa-chen Blo-bzang chos-kyi As for the actual basic methods, although there are rgyal-mtshan), An Extensive Explanation of "A Root Text for the Gelug/Kagyu Lineage of Mahamudra": A Lamp for Further Illumination many ways of asserting mahamudra, there are two when (dGa'-ldan bka'-brgyud srol phyag-chen rtsa-ba rgyas-par bshad-pa yang- divided according to the sutras and tantras. The latter is gsal sgron-me, Phyag-chen rtsa-ba'i rang-'grel). a greatly blissful, clear light mind manifested by such skillful methods as penetrating vital points of the subtle _______, A Ritual to Honor the Spiritual Master (Bla-ma mchod-pa). vajra-body and so forth. The mahamudra of the _______, A Root Text for the Precious Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of traditions of Saraha, Nagarjuna, Naropa and Maitripa, it Mahamudra: The Main Road of the Triumphant Ones (dGe-ldan bka'- is the quintessence of the anuttarayoga class of tantra as brgyud rin-po-che'i phyag-chen rtsa-ba rgyal-ba'i gzhung-lam, Phyag-chen taught in The (Seven Texts of the) Mahasiddhas and The rtsa-ba). (Three) Core Volumes. The former refers to the ways of _______, A Six-session Guru-yoga (Thun-drug bla-ma'i rnal-sbyor). meditating on voidness as directly indicated in the expanded, intermediate and brief (Prajnaparamita Third Panchen Lama, Pelden-yeshey (Pan-chen dPal-ldan ye-shes), Answers Sutras). The supremely realized Arya Nagarjuna has to Questions (Dri-len). said, “Except for this, there is no other pathway of mind Pundarika, Stainless Light [Commentary on "The Kalachakra Abbreviated leading to liberation.” Here I shall give relevant Tantra"] (Vimalaprabha; Dri-med 'od). instruction on mahamudra in accord with these Sakya Pandita (Sa-chen Kun-dga' rgyal-mtshan), Differentiating the Three intentions of his and discuss the methods that lead you Levels of Vowed Restraints (sDom-gsum rab-dbye). to know the mind, face to face, in keeping with the exposition of the lineage masters. Sanggyay-yeshey (Sangs-rgyas ye-shes), Songs of Meditational Experience (gSung-mgur-ma). From the point of view of individually ascribed names, Saraha, The Commoner Dohas (dMangs do-ha). there are numerous traditions, such as those of the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford MA: August, 2010 Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Medford MA: August, 2010 2 15 _______, A Lamp to Clarify the Meaning of the Generation Stage of simultaneously arising as merged, the amulet box, Guhyasamaja (dPal gsang-ba 'dus-pa'i bskyed-rim-gyi don gsal-bar byed- pa'i sgron-me). possessing five, the six spheres of equal taste, the four syllables, the pacifier, the object to be cut off, dzogchen, _______, A Lamp for Further Clarifying the Five Stages [of Guhyasamaja] the discursive madhyamaka view, and so on. (Rim-pa lnga'i yang-gsal sgron-me). Nevertheless, when scrutinized by a yogi, learned in _______, An Ornament for "The Stainless Light" [Commentary on "The scripture and logic and experienced (in meditation), Abbreviated Kalachakra Tantra"] (Dri-med 'od-rgyan). their definitive meanings are all seen to come to the same intended point. The King of Absorbed Concentrations Sutra (Samadhiraja Sutra; Ting-nge- 'dzin rgyal-po'i mdo). And so for this (sutra tradition of mahamudra), out of Lakshmikara, Establishing Non-discordance (Advayasiddhi; gNyis-med the two methods, namely seeking a meditative state on grub-pa). top of having gained a correct view (of voidness) and seeking a correct view on top of a meditative state, (I Longchenpa (Klong-chen Rab-'byams-pa), A Treasury of Deep Awareness (Ye-shes mdzod), shall explain) here in accordance with the latter method. On a seat conducive for mental stability, assume the The Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapundarika Sutra; Padma dkar-po'i mdo). seven-fold bodily posture and clear yourself purely with a round of the nine tastes of breath.