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Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way

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This two-volume publication explores the complex philosophy of Mahāmudrā that developed in Tibetan Dwags po Bka’ brgyud traditions between the 15th and 16th centuries CE. It examines the attempts to articulate and defend Bka’ brgyud views and practices by four leading post-classical thinkers: (1) Shākya mchog ldan (1423‒1507), a celebrated yet controversial Sa skya scholar who developed a strong affiliation with the Karma Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā tradition in the last half of his life, (2) Karma phrin las Phyogs las rnam rgyal (1456‒1539), a renowned Karma Bka’ brgyud scholar-yogin and tutor to the Eighth Karma pa, (3) the Eighth Karma pa himself, Mi bskyod rdo rje (1507‒1554), who was among the most erudite and influential scholar-hierarchs of his generation, (4) and Padma dkar po (1527‒1592), Fourth ’Brug chen of the ’Brug pa Bka’ brgyud lineage who is generally acknowledged as its greatest scholar and systematizer. It is an important academic work published in the Vienna series WSTB and is divided into two volumes: the first offers a detailed philosophical analysis of the authors’ principal views and justifications of Mahāmudrā against the background of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist doctrines on mind, emptiness and buddha nature; the second comprises an annotated anthology of their seminal writings on Mahāmudrā accompanied by critical editions and introductions. These two volumes are the result of research that was generously funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) from 2012 to 2015 under the supervision of Prof. Klaus-Dieter Mathes. The project was entitled “‘Emptiness of Other’ (Gzhan stong) in the Tibetan ‘Great Seal’ (Mahāmudrā) Traditions of the 15th and 16th Centuries” (FWF Project number P23826-G15). (Source: WSTB Description)

Citation	Higgins, David, and Martina Draszczyk. Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way: Post-Classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature. Vol. II, Translations, Critical Texts, Bibliography and Index. Wiener Studien zur Tibetologie und Buddhismuskunde 90.2. Vienna: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien, 2016.

Table of Contents About the Book Texts Translated Quotes

Volume One

• Acknowledgement12
• Introduction14
  • Current State of Research17
  • Politico-Historical Background22
  • Doctrinal Background25
  • Navigating the Middle Ways29
  • The Nature of Liberating Knowledge41
• Shākya mchog ldan44
  • Shākya mchog ldan and the Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā Tradition45
  • Life, Writings and Influences51
  • Madhyamaka and the Dialectic of Emptiness: Rang stong and Gzhan stong57
    • The Three Natures (trisvabhāva)65
    • The Two Truths (satyadvaya)67
  • Mahāmudrā and Buddha Nature74
  • Direct Perception and Nondual Wisdom101
  • The Great Seal in Shākya mchog ldan’s Mahāmudrā trilogy109
    • Mahāmudrā: What it is and What it is Not109
    • Madhyamaka, Mantrayāna and Mahāmudrā116
    • Mahāmudrā and What Remains (lhag ma : avasista)121
    • The Problem of Cessation124
    • Contested Methods of Realization127
  • Responses to Sa skya Pandita’s Criticism of Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā131
    • A Philosophical Defence and Justification of Mahāmudrā131
    • Defending Mahāmudrā Views135
      • The Self-sufficient White Remedy (dkar po gcig thub)135
      • Mental Nonengagement (amanasikāra) and the Fire of Wisdom139
  • Concluding Remarks145
• Karma phrin las148
  • Overview149
  • Life, Writings and Influences156
  • Madhyamaka Approach159
  • Extant Writings168
  • Views of Reality169
    • The Compatibility of Rang stong and Gzhan stong169
    • The Two Types of Purity181
    • Buddha Nature Endowed with Qualities184
    • On the Unity of the Two Truths200
    • “Thoughts are Dharmakāya”210
    • Understanding Coemergence: the Inseparability of Samsāra and Nirvana217
  • Concluding Remarks223
• Karma pa Mi bskyod rdo rje226
  • Overview227
  • The Differentiation and Identification Models229
  • Reconciling Affirmation and Negation238
  • Life, Writings and Influences242
  • Blending Mahāmudrā and Madhyamaka250
  • Emptiness and Hermeneutics of the Three Turnings253
  • Core Soteriological Ideas and the Role of Philosophical Distinctions265
    • Buddha Nature269
    • Nature of Reality275
    • Nature of Mind277
    • The Problem of the Remainder (lhag ma : avasista)299
    • On the Prospect of a Groundless Ground314
    • On Whether or Not a Buddha has Wisdom320
    • Mahāmudrā as Mental Nonengagement (amanasikāra)325
  • Concluding Remarks341
• Padma dkar po342
  • Overview343
  • Life, Writings and Influences347
  • The Basic Framework: Mahāmudrā and the Unity of the Two Truths350
  • Emptiness and the Hermeneutics of the Three Turnings352
  • Hermeneutics of Mahāmudrā as Ground and Path356
  • The Two Faces of Mahāmudrā: the Modes of Abiding and Error357
    • Mahāmudrā as the Mode of Abiding (gnas lugs phyag chen)359
    • Mahāmudrā in the Mode of Error ( ’khrul lugs phyag chen)363
    • Yang dgon pa on the Two Modes of Mahāmudrā369
    • Padma dkar po’s Transposition of Yang dgon pa’s Distinction376
    • Interpretations of the Mahāmudrā Distinction378
    • Mahāmudrā and the Unity of the Two Truths382
    • Asymmetrical Unity and Rival Truth Theories (Jo nang and Dge lugs)385
    • The Ground of Truth393
  • Path Mahāmudrā and Liberating Knowledge398
    • Nonconceptual Knowing in the Shadow of the Bsam yas Debate399
    • Three Strands of Amanasikāra Interpretation in Indian Buddhism403
    • Padma dkar po’s Three Grammatical Interpretations of Amanasikāra413
    • Responding to Criticisms of Amanasikāra422
  • Concluding Remarks426
• Final Reflections429

Volume Two

• Shākya mchog ldan10
• Introduction: the Mahāmudrā Trilogy11
  • 1a. English Translation of Gzhan blo’i dregs pa nyams byed14
  • 1b. Critical Edition of Gzhan blo’i dregs pa nyam byed26
  • 2a. English Translation of Grub pa mchog gi dgongs pa rnam nges34
  • 2b. Critical Edition of Grub pa mchog gi dgongs pa rnam nges43
  • 3a. English Translation of Zung 'jug gi gru chen48
  • 3b. Critical Edition of Zung ’jug gi gru chen71
• Karma phrin las pa86
• Perspectives on Rang stong and Gzhan stong87
  • 1a. English Translation of Dri lan yid kyi mun sei88
  • 1b. Critical Edition of Dri lan yid kyi mun sei91
• A Mystical Song of the View Proclaiming the Mode of Being94
  • 2a. English Translation of the Yin lugs sgrog pa Ita ba’i mgur95
  • 2b. Critical Edition of the Yin lugs sgrog pa Ita ba ’i mgur98
• A Vajra Song100
  • 3a. English Translation of the Rdo rje mgur100
  • 3b. Critical Edition of the Rdo rje mgur102
• Karma pa Mi bskyod rdo rje104
• Critique of ‘Gos Lo tsd ba’s Separation of Buddhahood and Buddha Nature105
  • 1a. English Translation of Rgan po’i rlung sman (excerpt)105
  • 1b. Critical Edition of Rgan po’i rlung sman (excerpt)109
• Some Criticisms of Shākya mchog ldan’s Buddha Nature Epistemology111
  • 2a. English Translation of Rgan po ’i rlung sman (excerpt)112
  • 2b. Critical Edition of Rgan po’i rlung sman (excerpt)115
• Two Minds in One Person? A Reply to the Queries of Bla ma khams pa117
  • 3a. English Translation of Bla ma khams pa ’i dris lan mi gcig sems gnyis118
  • 3b. Critical Edition of Bla ma khams pa’i dris lan mi gcig sems gnyis120
• A Trove Containing Myriad Treasures of Profound Mahāmudrā122
  • 4a. English Translation of Zab mo phyag chen gyi mdzod sna tshogs ’dus pa’i gter123
  • 4b. Critical Edition of Zab mo phyag chen gyi mdzod sna tshogs ’dus pa’i gter134
• Mental Nonengagement as Unconditioned Mental Engagement143
  • 5a. English Translation of Sku gsum ngo sprod rnam bshad (excerpt)144
  • 5b. Critical Edition of Sku gsum ngo sprod rnam bshad (excerpt)147
• Amanasikāra, Emptiness, and the Tradition of Heshang Moheyan150
  • 6a. English Translation of Dgongs gcig ’grel pa VI (excerpt)151
  • 6b. Critical Edition of Dgongs gcig ’grel pa VI (excerpt)153
• Padma dkar po156
• Distinguishing Gnas lugs phyag chen and ’Khrul lugs phyag chen157
  • 1a. English Translation of Phyag chen rgyal ba’i gan mdzod (excerpt)157
  • 1b. Critical Edition of Phyag chen rgyal ba’i gan mdzod (excerpt)168
• Three Grammatical Interpretations of Amanasikāra175
  • 2b. Critical Edition of Phyag chen rgyal ba’i gan mdzod (excerpt)176
• Refuting Sa pan’s Equation of Mahāmudrā with Heshang’s Chan Meditation179
  • 3a. English Translation of Klan ka gzhom pa’i gtam (excerpt)180
  • 3b. Critical Edition of Klan ka gzhom pa ’i gtam (excerpt)188
• Response to Nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan’s critique of Padma dkar po’s Amanasikāra194
  • 4a. English Translation of Shar rtse zhal snga’i brgal lan (excerpt)195
  • 4b. Critical Edition of Shar rtse zhal snga’i brgal lan (excerpt)197
• Amanasikāra in the Context of Nonreferential Meditation199
  • 5a. English Translation of Snying po don gyi man ngag (excerpt)199
  • 5b. Critical Edition of Snying po don gyi man ngag (excerpt)201
• Bibliography202
• Abbreviations of Canonical Collections, Journals, and Online Sources202
• Primary Sources: Indian Works202
• Primary Sources: Tibetan Works207
• Secondary Sources218
• Index232

David Higgins and Martina Draszczyk's Mahāmudrā And The Middle Way is a study of four Tibetan philosophers from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries who attempted to forge a middle way between contemporary doctrinal extremes regarding Mahāmudrā and buddha-nature theory. Three of the four authors were Kagyu: Karma Trinle Chokle Namgyel, the Eighth Karmapa, and the Fourth Drukchen Pema Karpo, and one was Sakya, Śākya Chokden, who was, late in life, a student of the Seventh Karmapa. The four authors did not agree with each other, all finding their own ways to steer, as Higgins and Draszczyk put it, "a middle course between the Scylla and Charybdis of eternalism and nihilism."

All four authors studied were "scholar-yogis,"—philosophers who were also keenly interested and accomplished in the meditative practices of their traditions. Higgins and Draszczyk position the four as responding to the doctrinal extremes of the Geluk and Jonang traditions, the first representing nihilism of Tsongkhapa's interpretation of Candrakīrti, and the second being Dolpopa's teaching on zhentong. All four wrote in an era in which Geluk Prasangika was becoming dominant, in a language that suggested an anti-tantric polemic; Geluk and Sakya authors were rejecting Saraha, an Indian saint whose writings form part of the Mahāmudrā canon. Certainly, the two hierarchs of Kagyu traditions could not afford to leave their central doctrines undefended. This perspective is true to the authors studied, but it should be noted that followers of the Geluk or Jonang would certainly not accept the label of extremism, and would—and did—view the authors' positions as intellectually naive.

Still, the four attempts at reconciliation between doctrinal poles are a needed corrective to the many studies in which the extremes are presented as contradictory; for all four authors, the philosophical binaries were complementary and integral to the practice of Buddhism. They each advocated for an intellectual inquiry of emptiness using the language of negation favored by Geluk and mainline Sakya teachers, paired with or followed by a meditative engagement with positive-language doctrines of buddha-nature and the natural luminosity of mind. The great debates of the era between Madhyamaka and Yogacāra, zhentong and rangtong, analytical or meditative approach, Sudden vs. Gradual Enlightenment, and so forth, were for these authors not issues of either/or but matters of synthesis and balance.

1. PaN chen shAkya mchog ldan. phyag rgya chen po gsal bar byed pa'i bstan bcos tshangs pa'i 'khor lo. In gsung 'bum shAkya mchog ldan, Vol. 17: 359-412. Kathmandu: sachen international, 2006.
2. karma phrin las pa. dri lan yid kyi mun sel zhes bya ba lcags mo'i dris lan. In chos kyi rje karma phrin las pa'i gsung 'bum las rdo rje'i mgur gyi phreng ba dang thun mong ba'i dris lan gyi phreng ba. New Delhi: ngawang topgay, 1975: 88-92.
3. ____________. yin lug sgrog pa lta ba'i mgur. In chos kyi rje karma phrin las pa'i gsung 'bum las rdo rje'i mgur gyi phreng ba dang thun mong ba'i dris lan gyi phreng ba. New Delhi: ngawang topgay, 1975: 8-10.
4. ____________. rdo rje mgur. In chos kyi rje karma phrin las pa'i gsung 'bum las rdo rje'i mgur gyi phreng ba dang thun mong ba'i dris lan gyi phreng ba. New Delhi: ngawang topgay, 1975: 43-44.
5. mi bskyod rdo rje. bdud rtsi'i dri mchog. In gsung 'bum mi bskyod rdo rje, Vol. 15: 975-1024. Lhasa: s.n., 2004.
6. ____________. bla ma khams pa'i dris lan mi gcig sems gnyis. In gsung 'bum mi bskyod rdo rje, Vol. 3: 219-223. Lhasa: s.n., 2004.
7. ____________. zab mo phyag chen gyi mdzod sna tshogs 'dus pa'i gter. In gsung 'bum mi bskyod rdo rje, Vol. 15: 1025-1038. Lhasa: s.n., 2004.
8. ____________. sku gsum ngo sprod rnam bshad. In gsung 'bum mi bskyod rdo rje, Vol. 21: 208-210. Lhasa: s.n., 2004.
9. ____________. dgongs gcig 'grel pa. In gsung 'bum mi bskyod rdo rje, Vol. 6: 98-102. Lhasa: s.n., 2004.
10. pad+ma dkar po. phyag chen rgyal ba'i gan mdzod. In gsung 'bum pad+ma dkar po, Vol. 21: 38-42, 173-192. Darjeeling: kargyud sungrab nyamso khang, 1973-1974.
11. ____________. klan ka gzhom pa'i gtam. In gsung 'bum pad+ma dkar po, Vol. 21: 553-561. Darjeeling: kargyud sungrab nyamso khang, 1973-1974.
12. ____________. shar rtse zhal snga'i brgal lan. In gsung 'bum pad+ma dkar po, Vol. 21: 585-587. Darjeeling: kargyud sungrab nyamso khang, 1973-1974.
13. ____________. snying po don gyi man ngag. In gsung 'bum pad+ma dkar po, Vol. 21: 414-415. Darjeeling: kargyud sungrab nyamso khang, 1973-1974.

In that regard Sgam po pa says, “the hallmark of my Mahāmudrā is self-awareness and its scriptural source is the Uttaratantra treatise."  

~ ShAkya mchog ldan in Mahamudra and the Middle Way - Vol. 2, page(s) 17

To illustrate with an example, [the Buddha]—after explaining in the middle dharmacakra that all phenomena are simply empty of own-nature—taught in the third dharmacakra that the unchanging perfect nature which is empty of that [self-emptiness] is the definitive meaning. Likewise, one doesn’t find any core of a banana plant when one searches for it, yet in the middle of the unfolded leaves [bananas] nonetheless ripen as sweet fruits.  

~ ShAkya mchog ldan in Mahamudra and the Middle Way - Vol. 2, page(s) 21

As for the meaning of mahāmudrā, Shākya mchog ldan explains that all sentient beings are 'marked' by this Great Seal in the sense that they are universally endowed with nondual wisdom and therefore have within them the "possibility to one day be separated from samsāric states". He describes mahāmudrā as that which is beyond the domain of what can be expressed in thought and languages. It is the wisdom one arrives at when the searching mind has not found anything with which to identify.  

~ in Mahamudra and the Middle Way - Vol. 2, page(s) 12

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།

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

Madhyamaka - Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Skt. मध्यमक Tib. དབུ་མ་ Ch. 中觀見

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་

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་

Sakya - The Sakya tradition developed in the eleventh century in the Khön family of Tsang, which maintained an imperial-era lineage of Vajrakīla and which adopted a new teaching from India known as Lamdre. Tib. ས་སྐྱ་

Geluk - The Geluk tradition traces its origin to Tsongkhapa, who propagated a modified version of the Kadampa lojong and lamrim teachings. It is the dominant tradition of Tibet, having established its control of the government under the figure of the Dalai Lama. Tib. དགེ་ལུགས་

Jonang - The Jonang tradition was established by Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, a thirteenth-century Sakya monk famous for his Zhentong teachings. The Jonang teachings and monasteries were suppressed in Tibet in the seventeenth century but survived in Amdo. Tib. ཇོ་ནང་

gzhan stong - The state of being devoid of that which is wholly different rather than being void of its own nature. The term is generally used to refer to the ultimate, or buddha-nature, being empty of other phenomena such as adventitious defiling emotions but not empty of its true nature. Tib. གཞན་སྟོང་

prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt. प्रभास्वर Tib. འོད་གསལ་ Ch. 光明

Madhyamaka - Along with Yogācāra, it is one of the two major philosophical schools of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Founded by Nāgārjuna around the second century CE, it is rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, though its initial exposition was presented in Nāgārjuna's Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. Skt. मध्यमक Tib. དབུ་མ་ Ch. 中觀見

rang stong - The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena. Tib. རང་སྟོང་

svasaṃvedana - An important term for the Yogācāra that refers to a consciousness of consciousness itself, or how one knows that they know something. It was a hotly debated topic that was disputed by followers of the Madhyamaka. In Tibet it would later become a common Dzogchen term, though with the entirely different meaning of one's own innate awareness (rig pa), a crucial concept in the Dzogchen teachings. Skt. स्वसंवेदन Tib. རང་རིག་ Ch. 自證分

Uttaratantra - The Ultimate Continuum, or Gyü Lama, is often used as a short title in the Tibetan tradition for the key source text of buddha-nature teachings called the Ratnagotravibhāga of Maitreya/Asaṅga, also known as the Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra. Skt. उत्तरतन्त्र Tib. རྒྱུད་བླ་མ་ Ch. 寶性論

These are the root verses of the Uttaratantra attributed to Maitreya by the Tibetan tradition.

tridharmacakrapravartana - Three successive stages of the Buddhist teachings. Though they are traditionally attributed to the historical Buddha, modern scholarship tends to view them as developmental stages that occurred over the course of an extended period of time, with interludes of several centuries, in which we see major doctrinal shifts often based on seemingly newly emergent scriptural sources. Skt. त्रिधर्मचक्रप्रवर्तन Tib. ཆོས་འཁོར་རིམ་པ་གསུམ་

pariniṣpannasvabhāva - The third of the three natures, according to the Yogācāra school. It is the perfect nature that represents the most authentic understanding of phenomena, which is classically defined as the complete absence of the imaginary nature within the dependent nature. Skt. परिनिष्पन्नस्वभाव Tib. ཡོངས་སུ་གྲུབ་པའི་རང་བཞིན་

rang stong - The state of being empty of self, which references the lack of inherent existence in relative phenomena. Tib. རང་སྟོང་

nītārtha - Refers to a teaching that is literally true. Skt. नीतार्थ Tib. ངེས་དོན་

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།

advaya - Literally, "without duality," it refers to that which is indivisible, in that it is not divided into two. Skt. अद्वय Tib. གཉིས་མེད་ Ch. 不二