Maitrīpa: India's Yogi of Nondual Bliss

Book

Maitrīpa (986–1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayāna Buddhism. The legacy of his thought and meditation instructions have had a profound impact on Buddhism in India and Tibet, and several important contemporary practice lineages continue to rely on his teachings.

Early in his life, Maitrīpa gained renown as a monk and scholar, but it was only after he left his monastery and wandered throughout India as a yogi that he had a direct experience of nonconceptual realization. Once Maitrīpa awakened to this nondual nature of reality, he was able to harmonize the scholastic teachings of Buddhist philosophy with esoteric meditation instructions. This is reflected in his writings that are renowned for evoking a meditative state in those who have trained appropriately. He eventually became the teacher of many well-known accomplished masters, including Padampa Sangyé and the translator Marpa, who brought his teachings to Tibet.

Drawing on Maitrīpa’s autobiographical writings and literary work, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the life and teachings of this influential Buddhist master. Klaus-Dieter Mathes also offers the first complete English translation of his teachings on nonconceptual realization, which is the foundation of Mahāmudrā meditation. (Source: Publisher Page)

“Perhaps no Indian master has more deeply influenced the development of Mahāmudrā in Tibetan Buddhism than Maitrīpa, whose writings on nonconceptual realization are at the core of great seal theory and practice. And no modern scholar has mastered Maitrīpa’s works as thoroughly as Klaus-Dieter Mathes, who presents us here with a lucid account of Maitrīpa’s life and ideas and reliable translations of all his significant works. This is the book on Maitrīpa that every serious student of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism in general and Mahāmudrā in particular has long awaited—and now has a chance to own.”—Roger R. Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Asian studies and religion, Carleton College

Citation	Mathes, Klaus-Dieter. Maitrīpa: India's Yogi of Nondual Bliss. Lives of the Masters series. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2021.

Series Introduction by Kurtis Schaeffer vii
Preface ix
Introduction 1
Life
- 1. Translation of Maitrīpa’s Life Story 17
- 2. Conversion, Monkhood, Expulsion Stories, and Legacy 29
Philosophy
- 3. Between Yogācāra, Madhyamaka, and Mahāmudrā 39
- 4. Sudden versus Gradual Paths 45
- 5. Maitrīpa’s Gradual Path 49
- 6. Nonconceptual Realization (Amanasikāra) 71
- 7. The Ten Verses on True Reality in the Light of Sahajavajra’s Commentary 77
- 8. Empowerment 95
- 9. Mahāmudrā Practice 129
- 10. The Four Signs of Mahāmudrā Meditation 139
Teachings: Maitrīpa’s Collection of Texts on Nonconceptual Realization
- 11. A Summary of the Amanasikāra Texts 151
- 12. The Destruction of Wrong Views 169
- 13. A Commentary on the [Initial] Statement of The Destruction of Wrong
  Views185
- 14. The Major Offenses 189
- 15. The Gross Offenses 191
- 16. A Jewel Garland of True Reality 193
- 17. Explaining the Seals of the Five Tathāgatas 211
- 18. A Presentation of Empowerment 221
- 19. The Succession of the Four Seals 231
- 20. A Summary of the Meaning of Empowerment 239
- 21. The Five Aspects of Vajrasattva 247
- 22. A Discourse on Illusion 255
- 23. A Discourse on Dream 259
- 24. An Elucidation of True Reality 263
- 25. An Elucidation of Nonabiding 267
- 26. An Elucidation of Indivisible Union 271
- 27. The Manifestation of Great Bliss 275
- 28. The Twenty Verses on True Reality 279
- 29. The Twenty Verses on Mahāyāna 283
- 30. The Five Verses on Penetrating Insight 287
- 31. The Six Verses on the Middle Path 289
- 32. The Five Verses on Transcendent Love 291
- 33. The Ten Verses on True Reality 293
- 34. A Justification of Nonconceptual Realization 295
- 35. The Six Verses on the Coemergent 301
- 36. A Pith Instruction on Reality Called A Treasure of Dohās 303
- 37. A Pith Instruction on Settling the Mind: A Genuine Secret 307
Notes 311
Bibliography 345
Index 359