Five-Part Mahamudra by Situ Chokyi Jungnay

by Tony Duff

“Five-Part Mahamudra” is a specific way of practising Mahamudra that is used in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. It was first taught by Gampopa to his disciples and since then has become one of the main ways that Mahamudra is practised in the Kagyu lineage. This kindle book contains a very beautiful text on the subject by the eighth Situ Rinpoche of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Situ Chokyi Jungnay was one of the key figures in a great revival of Buddhadharma that happened in Tibet in the 1700’s. A feature of his writing is sheer brilliance of presentation. In this case, his text was written entirely in verse but reads more like as a continuous piece of prose. This kind of composition clearly shows Situ Rinpoche’s mastery over words and composition. The text begins with a presentation of the five parts taught by Gampopa and continues with an explanation of the two types of enlightenment mind, both of which are very nicely done. Following that, there is a very clear presentation of the distinctions between the shamatha and vipashyana practices of Mahamudra which is especially useful. These distinctions are sometimes made in other texts on Five-Part Mahamudra but not nearly as clearly. The book is strongly recommended for anyone studying Mahamudra.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2013