Mahāmudrā and Related Instructions

Book

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.

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: