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Mahāmudrā and Related Instructions

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The Kagyü school of Tibetan Buddhism began in the eleventh century with such renowned figures as Marpa and Milarepa, and its seminal meditative traditions are Mahāmudrā and the six Dharmas of Nāropa. Mahāmudrā teachings focus on the cultivation of profound insight into the nature of the mind. The Mahāmudrā texts in this volume include a lucid work by the celebrated master Tselé Natsok Rangdröl and works by the twelfth-century master Shang Rinpoche, the great Third Karmapa, the Eighth Tai Situ, and Drukpa Pema Karpo. The volume also contains an inspirational work by Gampopa, the Drigung Kagyü root text, The Single Viewpoint, the Sixth Shamarpa’s guide to the six Dharmas of Nāropā, and finally an overview of tantric practice by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, author of the famous Moonlight of Mahāmudrā. The texts in this volume were selected by the preeminent scholar of the Kagyü school, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. (Source: Wisdom Publications)

Citation	Roberts, Peter Alan, trans. Mahāmudrā and Related Instructions: Core Teaching of the Kagyü Schools. Edited by Thupten Jinpa. Library of Tibetan Classics 5. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2011.

ContentsSources

• Foreword by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpochexi
• General Editor's Prefacexiii
• Translator's Introduction1
• Technical Notes27
  • 1. A String of Pearls: A Collection of Dharma Lectures
    Gampopa (1079–1153)31
  • 2. The Unrivaled Instructions of Shang Rinpoché: The Preliminaries and Main Practice of the Great Meditation of Mahāmudrā
    Shönu Lha (late thirteenth century)65
  • 3. The Ultimate Supreme Path of the Mahāmudrā
    Lama Shang (1123–93)83
  • 4. A Record of Mahāmudrā lnstructions
    Drukchen Pema Karpo (1527–92)135
  • 5. Instructions for the Mahāmudrā Innate Union
    Karmapa Rangjung Dorjé (1284–1339)153
  • 6. Prayer for the Definitive Meaning, the Mahāmudrā
    Karmapa Rangjung Dorjé (1284–1339)169
  • 7. Oral Transmission of the Supreme Siddhas: A Commentary on Prayer for the Definitive Meaning, the Mahāmudrā
    Situ Tenpai Nyinjé (1700–1777)175
  • 8. The Bright Torch: The Perfect Illumination of the True Meaning of the Mahāmudrā, the Essence of All the Dharma
    Tselé Natsok Rangdröl (b. 1608)289
  • 9. The Quintessence of Nectar: Instructions for the Practice of the Six Dharmas
    of Nāropa
    Shamarpa Chökyi Wangchuk (1584–1630)333
  • 10. The Single Viewpoint: A Root Text
    Sherap Jungné (1187–1241)373
    • I. The Hundred and Fifty Vajra Teachings373
    • II. The Forty-Seven Supplements to the Hundred and Fifty Vajra
      Teachings390
    • III. The Four Main Points of the Dharma of the Single Viewpoint395
    • IV. The Structural Analysis that Classifies the Sequence of the Seven
      Chapters398
  • 11. Light Rays from the Jewel of the Excellent Teaching: A General Presentation
    on the Points of Secret Mantra
    Dakpo Tashi Namgyal (1512–87)401
    • Selected topics: The way in which the Teacher appeared, 402. The Buddha's teaching, 408. The tantras in general, 426. The lower tantras, 447. Highest yoga tantra, 460. Empowerment rites, 467. Commitments and vows, 492. The two stages in general, 498. Generation stage, 507. Completion stage, 550. The yoga of channels, winds, and drops, 555. The illusory body, 565. The bardo and transference, 572. Mahãmudrā, 576. Union, 582. Conduct that enhances the path, 586. Results of practice, 598.

• Table of Tibetan Transliteration621
• Notes627
• Glossary701
• Bibliography725
• Index749
• About the Contributors765

Mnyam med bka' brgyud lugs kyi phyag rgya chen po dang 'brel ba'i chos skor. From the critical and annotated Tibetan edition published in New Delhi in modern book format by the Institute of Tibetan Classics (2008, ISBN 81-89165-05-4) as volume 5 of the Bod kyi gtsug lag gces btus series. Library of Tibetan Classics 11 Texts are contained in the book:

1. rje sgam po pa bsod nams rin chen: tshogs chos mu tig gi phreng ba.
2. zhang brtson ‘grus grags pa: phyag rgya chen po sgom ma mo chen mo'i sngon 'gro dngos gzhi. Source not found
3. zhang brtson ‘grus grags pa: phyag rgya chen po lam zab mthar thug.
4. ‘brug pa pad+ma dkar po: phyag chen gyi zin bris no source found
5. karma pa rang byung rdo rje: phyag rgya chen po lhan cig skyes sbyor gyi khrid yig.
6. karma pa rang byung rdo rje: nges don phyag rgya chen po'i smon lam. No source found
7. si tu bstan pa’i nyin byed: nges don phyag rgya chen po'i smon lam gyi ‘grel pa grub pa mchog gi zhal lung No Source Found
8. rtse le sna tshogs rang grol: chos thams cad kyi snyin gpo phyag rgya chen po'i don yang dag pa rab tu gsal bar byed pa dri ma med pa’i sgron ma.
9. zhwa mar drug pa gar dbang chos kyi dbang phyug: zab mo nA ro'i chos drug gi nyams len thun chos bdud rtsi'i nying khu zhes bya ba sgrub brgyud karma kaM tshang gi don khrid
10. skyob pa ‘jig rten mgon po: dam chos dgongs pa gcig pa'i rtsa tshig rdo rje'i gsung brgya lnga bcu pa dang,lhan thabs gsung bzhi bcu pa/ chings rnam pa bzhi, tshams bdun go rims kyi rnam dbye dang bcas pa. Source not found
11. dwags po bkra shis rnam rgyal: gsang sngags rdo rje theg pa’i spyi don mdor bsdus pa legs bshad nor bu'i 'od zer.

Mahāmudrā - Mahāmudrā refers to an advanced meditation tradition in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna forms of Into-Tibetan Buddhism that is focused on the realization of the empty and luminous nature of the mind. It also refers to the resultant state of buddhahood attained through such meditation practice. In Tibet, this tradition is particularly associated with the Kagyu school, although all other schools also profess this tradition. The term also appears as part of the four seals, alongside dharmamūdra, samayamudrā, and karmamudrā. Skt. महामुद्रा Tib. ཕྱག་རྒྱ་ཆེན་པོ།

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Kagyu - The Kagyu school traces its origin to the eleventh-century translator Marpa, who studied in India with Nāropa. Marpa's student Milarepa trained Gampopa, who founded the first monastery of the Kagyu order. As many as twelve subtraditions grew out from there, the best known being the Karma Kagyu, the Drikung, and the Drukpa. Tib. བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་

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tantra - Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism. Skt. तन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད། Ch. 密宗

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