Mahāmudrā (Sanskrit: great seal or great symbol), (Tibetan: Chagchen, Wylie: phyag chen, contraction of Chagya Chenpo, Wylie: phyag rgya chen po), is a Buddhist method of direct introduction to the nature of Mind (or Buddha-nature) and the practice of stabilizing the accompanying transcendental realization. It draws upon instructions from all levels of Buddhism, from sutra through to tantra, to provide a range of approaches to enlightenment suited to various people's needs. Mahamudra is believed to enable one to realise mind's innate purity, clarity and perfection, summed up by the term 'buddha nature', the topic of the third and final phase of the Buddha's teaching.
The term mahamudra is often explained as referring to the uncontestable validity of the experience. For example, if a document bears the Great Seal of the Emperor, then there is no question as to the authenticity of that document. Similarly, during the genuine experience of mahamudra, one has no question that one is directly glimpsing the nature of Mind (which is Tathāgatagarbha, realization that it is possible to achieve Buddhahood) and that recalling and stabilizing this experience leads to profound certainty and eventual enlightenment.
Mahamudra meditation practice works to directly reveal emptiness to one's own direct experience in one's own mind. This is achieved by meditating directly on one's own mind. This is known as "taking the path of direct valid cognition"—it emphasizes directly experiencing the phenomena of one's own mind and experiencing emptiness.
As in all Buddhist schools of meditation, the basic meditative practice of Mahamudra is divided into two approaches: śamatha ("tranquility") and vipaśyanā ("insight").
The meditation manuals (in particular those of The 9th Karmapa) are among the most detailed and precise in the Buddhist literature. For tranquility practice they enumerate the stages of settling the mind and specify many common problems (eg. excitement, torpor, doubt, apathy) and practices to remedy these problems. The objects of meditation are simple objects, statues of the Buddha, the breath, mantras, complex visualizations and deities and Yidams. These objects of mediation are common throughout Tibetan Vajrayana practice.
The detailed instructions for the Insight practices are what make Mahamudra (and Dzogchen) unique.
The meditator is instructed to observe the mind at rest and then during the occurrence of thought. In some practices disturbing emotions are deliberately invoked and the meditator is directed to experience their "empty" nature. The meditator is further instructed to observe that which is looking for the nature of the mind: to observe the observer.
Questions are posed to the meditator to verify the experiences, to trigger further insight and to identify and correct misconceptions. The Ocean of Definitive Meaning and Pointing out the Dharmaya (9th Karmapa) both enumerate these questions and common answers to them.
A relationship with a teacher is strongly stressed, and in the former Tibet these texts would not have been available except through a teacher and without having completed preliminary practices. Some parts of the transmission are done verbally and through empowerments and "reading transmissions". In particular the teacher directly Points out the Mind of the Student.
The Soto Zen practice of meditation bears many similarities with Mahamudra. In both traditions the direct pointing-out transmission occurs between master and disciple. The Mahamudra teachings, however, on both tranquility and insight meditation are much more detailed than in the Soto schools.
Mahamudra is most prominent in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, but is practiced by the Gelug and Sakya schools of as well, and possibly also by derivative Vajrayana orders in China, Russia and Japan. The Nyingma and Bön traditions and their derivatives practise a cognate but distinct method of direct introduction called Ati Yoga (Tib. Dzogchen). However, it is not unusual for Nyingmapas to receive supplemental training in Mahamudra, and the Palyul Nyingma lineage preserves a lineage of the Union of Mahamudra & Ati Yoga originated by Karma Chagme.
All of the various Mahamudra lineages originated in India. The Profound Action Lineage of Mahamudra originated with Maitreya and Asanga, introduced to Tibet through Atisha, who passed it along to the Kadampa lineage, from which Gampopa received it and passed it the Kagyu. The Profound View Lineage of Mahamudra, which originated with Nagarjuna, also was introduced to Tibet by Atisha. Marpa introduced to Tibet the Profound Blessing Meditation Experience Lineage of Mahamudra that originated with Vajradhara and passed to Tilopa and Naropa. Marpa also introduced a lineage tracing back through Saraha and Maitripa.
- wikipedia
