The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra Table of Contents The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra..........................................................................1 Preface............................................................................................................................1 Part I: An Introduction to Mahamudra and Its Practical Application to Life.................2 1 The Buddhist Framework......................................................................................2 Initial Sketch of the Topic...................................................................................2 The Four True Facts in Life.................................................................................4 Taking Ourselves and Our Lives Seriously.........................................................6 Safe Direction and Buddha-Nature......................................................................8 Behavioral Cause and Effect...............................................................................9 Renunciation......................................................................................................10 Eliminating Confusion.......................................................................................11 Compassion and a Dedicated Heart of Bodhichitta...........................................12 2 The Preliminary Practices....................................................................................13 Recognizing Our Mental Blocks.......................................................................13 Prostration..........................................................................................................14 Vajrasattva Practice...........................................................................................14 Guru-Yoga.........................................................................................................15 The Relationship with a Spiritual Teacher........................................................17 The Inseparability of Our Mind and Our Guru..................................................20 Guru-Mantras.....................................................................................................20 Investigating the Meaning of Every Teaching..................................................21 3 Preventing Preliminary Practices from Becoming Flat.......................................22 Reasons for Preliminaries Becoming Flat.........................................................22 Being Creative with Preliminary Practices........................................................22 Transforming All Activities into a Spiritual Path..............................................23 Establishing and Strengthening Two Enlightenment-Building Networks........24 Fitting Together the Dharma Teachings............................................................24 Avoiding Becoming Infatuated with the Teachings..........................................26 4 The Initial Level of Mahamudra Meditation.......................................................28 The Definition of Mind: General Considerations..............................................28 The Nonduality of Subject and Object..............................................................29 Clarity - The Arising of the Contents of an Experience....................................29 Awareness - An Engaging with the Contents of an Experience........................30 Merely................................................................................................................31 Summary of the Buddhist Definition of Mind..................................................32 The Nature of Mahamudra Meditation..............................................................32 The Analogy of a Flashlight..............................................................................33 The Initial Stages of Mahamudra Meditation....................................................34 Benefits of the Initial Stage of Practice.............................................................35 5 The Deeper Levels of Mahamudra Meditation....................................................36 Mahamudra Meditation on the Conventional Nature of Mind..........................36 The Necessity for Meditation on the Conventional and Deepest Natures of "Me"......................................................................................................37 The Conventional and Deepest Natures of "Me"..............................................38 Applying the Understanding of the Nature of "Me" to Mahamudra Meditation.............................................................................................39 The Relation between Seeing the Conventional and Deepest Natures of Mind.....................................................................................................40 Mahamudra Meditation on the Deepest Nature of Mind...................................40 i The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra Table of Contents The Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra Understanding That the Conventional "Me" Exists Like an Illusion................41 Understanding the Nature of Mind in Terms of Mental Labeling.....................41 Understanding the Deepest Nature of Mind To Be Like Space and Its Conventional Nature To Be Like an Illusion........................................42 Further Applications of the Understanding of Voidness to Mahamudra Meditation.............................................................................................42 Nonconceptual Meditation................................................................................43 The Relation between Ideas, Understanding and Conceptual Meditation.........44 The Stages for Gaining a Nonconceptual Mahamudra Meditation...................45 The Anuttarayoga Tantra Level of Mahamudra Meditation.............................47 Summary............................................................................................................48 Part II: The Root Text...................................................................................................50 A Root Text for the Precious Gelug-Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra...................50 Part III: A Discourse on A Root Text for Mahamudra.................................................54 1 Introduction and Preliminaries............................................................................55 Introductory Remarks........................................................................................55 Opening Homage, Praise and Promise To Compose.........................................56 The Common Preliminaries...............................................................................58 The Uncommon Preliminaries...........................................................................59 2 The Tantra and Sutra Traditions of Mahamudra.................................................60 The Tantra Tradition of Mahamudra.................................................................60 The Sutra Tradition of Mahamudra...................................................................61 3 Mahamudra within the Context of Various Buddhist Traditions........................63 The Different Lineages of Mahamudra.............................................................63 The Harmony of the Two Correct Views of Reality.........................................66 Confirmation from the Dzogchen System.........................................................67 Corroboration from the Chittamatra Practice of Tantra....................................69 4 Meditation on the Conventional Nature of Mind................................................70 Preliminaries for Shamata Meditation...............................................................70 Focusing on the Conventional Nature of Mind.................................................72 Employing Mindfulness and Alertness..............................................................73 Methods to Employ When Mind Gives Rise to a Thought...............................75 The Attainment of Shamata Focused on the Conventional Nature of Mind.....78 5 Meditation on the Deepest Nature of the Conventional "Me" and All Phenomena, Including Mind.............................................................................80 Promise to Compose..........................................................................................80 Scrutinizing the Manner of Appearance and Manner of Existence of "Me".....80 Refutation of the "Me" To Be Refuted..............................................................81 The Conventional Existence of Phenomena That Is Not To Be Refuted..........83 Total Absorption on Voidness Which Is Like Space........................................84 Voidness of Mind Itself.....................................................................................86 Understanding Voidness in Terms of Dependent Arising.................................87 Dedication..........................................................................................................89 6 The Deep Awareness Subsequently Attained......................................................89 Recognizing Anything to Which Mind Gives Rise...........................................89 Applying Our Understanding to All Phenomena..............................................91 Alternating Total Absorption and Subsequent Realization...............................91 Simultaneous Perception of the Two Truths.....................................................93