The Practice of Mahamudra

by Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang

Mahamudra, the highest level of teaching within Tibetan Buddhism, rewards study and practice with the realization of the very nature of mind itself. There is not a single experience which is not subsumed within the realizations of Mahamudra. On his first tour of the United States, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche gave detailed instructions in Mahamudra methods. He carefully explained each of the five stages of Mahamudra and taught its main meditational practices. He also gave precise instructions on posture and breathing for meditation, and answered many common questions using the teachings of Tilopa and Gampopa to illustrate his various points.

Genres: Buddhism, Spirituality, Meditation, Religion

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 1999

About the author

Kyabjé Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche is the 37th throne holder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and held to be the 7th reincarnation of the Chetsang Rinpoche, a manifestation of Chenrezig (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara), the Buddha of Compassion (as are the Dalai Lamas). He is based at the Drikung Kagyu Institute at Dehra Dun, India, where he established the Songtsen Library, a center for Tibetan and Himalayan studies.

His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche was born in Lhasa, Tibet into the well-known Tsarong family. In 1949, he was recognized as the 37th Drikung Kyabgon, head of the Drikung Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism, and shortly thereafter received his religious vows from H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama. At Drikung Thil, the principal seat of the order, Rinpoche received from the many distinguished teachers there all of the important Kagyu teachings, initiations, and transmissions. His religious training was interrupted by the political situation in Tibet, when he was forced to attend a Chinese school in Lhasa and then was sent to work on a farm. Finally, in 1975, he was reunited with his family and followers in India, where he completed his formal spiritual training and a three-year meditation retreat and then set about rekindling the embers of his lineage. He has worked tirelessly to renew and spread its academic and meditative traditions in many countries including the USA.

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a brief and incredibly useful overview of the main body of Mahamudra meditation, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to any practitioner of Mahamudra, with any degree of experience. It contains the kind of direct, practical advice that can be rather difficult to tease out of traditional presentations that rely heavily on scriptural citations. The author is obviously a lama of considerable experience and his suggestions gave me insight even into foundational practices I've been engaged with for many years.

I would also highly recommend this book to anyone in the Soto Zen lineage practicing shikantaza, or any Zen practitioner engaged in a form of silent illumination. The similarities between Mahamudra and these approaches are both obvious and pervasive, and if you've ever been frustrated by the lack of detail in instructions like "think not-thinking", this book will probably have a lot to say to you.

[Christine Aliferis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never stop reading this book. Short but every time I read it I find something new to explore.

[Ishmael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains some decent instructions, but overall it is too vague and lacks phenomenological precision. It is not precise enough to work with in a way where you have certainty. Rather, you must interpret a lot for yourself and have perhaps several parallel interpretation streams running at once as to what is being conveyed.