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| Drikungpa Kyobpa Jigten Gönpo |
Introduction
to the Mahāmudrā "Inborn Union"
Removing
the Darkness of Ignorance
Through
the Ornament of Luminous Primordial Wisdom
By the matchless Drikungpa Kyobpa Jigten Gönpo (1147-1217)
I bow before the gurus,
who remove the darkness of the ignorance of beings
by expanding a thousand
lights of unimpeded compassion throughout the unborn, pure sphere of truth
[that is like] space.
With the wish of benefiting others and in accordance with the
teachings of the guru
I will write an
introduction that draws from sūtra and tantra, which clarifies the mode of
existence as it is
through the absolute nature, the inborn primordial wisdom.
The introduction to the true nature of the mind as
Dharmakāya through the pith instructions1
of Mahāmudrā "inborn union" has three parts:
1. The preliminaries, consisting of four practices,
2. the actual practice of the two introductions,
3. and the conclusion with the way of
maintaining the experience.
1. The preliminaries
1.1. [Turning the mind towards the
Dharma]
Train yourself with
regard to deeds (Skr. karma), cause, result, death, and impermanence and develop
a strong aversion [to cyclic existence].
Practice by directing
your thoughts to
that, which [is necessary]
for the short
term: Those born
in the past,
too, have died,
those taking birth at present,
too, will die and those existing at present
will also die; whatever I do, I,
too, will die today or tomorrow; leaving nothing behind, I will be gone.” Then:
How pitiful! Not
recognizing their mind
as Dharmakāya, their
own nature, all the
[other] suffering sentient
beings, too, grasp
things they hold
to be their own; they grasp a
Self where there is no Self.
1.2. Guru yoga
The second sub-section is
"causing the blessings to come fast," i.e. the guru yoga. The source
of all experience and realization arises from the blessing of the guru and
one’s devotion.
That which is not
expressed by others, the inborn, which cannot be found anywhere,
is to be
known through continuously viewing the guru as Dharmakāya and through one’s own
merit.2
And similarly:
To be recollect the
guru even only for a single moment is a hundred-thousand times more [effective]
than practicing for one-hundred thousand
eons
a deity that possesses
the major and minor marks. Praying once to the guru pleases [him more]
than one million ritual service
recitations.
Since this
has been taught,
think: “I will
obtain complete Buddhahood
for the sake
of all sentient beings.
For that purpose
I will pray to the guru,
who is the
embodiment of the four kāyas.”3 Practice
so that on
the crown of
your body, visualized
as the tantric
deity, on a precious throne with lotus, sun and moon
seat, remains your principal guru, whose body in the form of
Buddha Vajradhara blazes
with the major
and minor marks,
who smiles and,
being absorbed in many samādhis,
is pleased with you.
Then practice so
that the gurus
with their lineages dissolve
into the heart
of the guru
as snow falls
on a lake
and that he
is the embodiment of
all gurus. Also
after all Buddhas,
bodhisattvas, and tantric
deities of the
ten directions dissolved into [his heart], practice so that he is the
embodiment of all Buddhas and make
offerings; offer your
body and wealth
without reservations and
pray with fervent devotion from the depths of your
heart:
I take
refuge in the guru, the precious Buddha.
Please bless me that I may abandon the grasping of a self! Please bless
me that contentment4 may arise in my mind!
Please bless me
that I may instantaneously realize
that the mind is unborn!
Please bless me
that confusion may be
purified in itself! Please bless me that
everything that exists arises as Dharmakāya!
Thus upon
praying and visualizing [that], a stream of nectar of primordial wisdom from the body, forehead,
throat, and heart,
etc., of the
guru, who is
the embodiment of
all Buddhas, descends from
your aperture of
Brahma.5 Thereby all
your bad karma,
evil deeds, obscurations,
damages and loss of pledges of beginningless transmigrations are purified and
your body is filled with the nectar of
life and undefiled
primordial wisdom. Think that thereby your body
and mind are perfectly
blissful and pray [to the guru] in four sessions.
The four modes of conduct in between sessions:
(1) [Think:]
“Whatever I will
do, I will
die today or
tomorrow just the
same;” (2) just
by the heartfelt
awareness of thinking “Please
heed me, guru,” let tears stream
down your face; (3) think that
by dissolving the
guru into you
from time to
time the body,
speech, and mind
of the guru become inseparably
mixed with your
body, speech, and
mind, and remain
in that state;
(4) dedicate your
wholesome imprints.
1.3. Practice and recitation of the
hundred syllables of Vajrasattva
On the top of your
crown in your ordinary form arises on top of a lotus and a moon from a hū a white
Vajrasattva with one face and two arms,
holding a vajra with his right hand at
the heart and resting the bell of the
left hand on his thigh. With his right leg stretched out and his left bent he is adorned
with precious jewels.
The hundred syllables circulate
clockwise around the
syllable hū on top of the moon in his heart and emanate rays of light. Thereby a stream of nectar of primordial wisdom descends
from the hearts
of all Buddhas
and bodhisattvas in
the ten directions
and dissolves into
the crown of
Vajrasattva. Then a
stream of nectar
arises from the
whole body of Vajrasattva and particularly from the hū of his heart, which falls down from the toe of his right foot, entering
your aperture of
Brahma. Think that
thereby all evil
deeds, obscurations, damages
and loss of pledges of your
body, speech, and mind
are expelled as black-colored forms
and that
undefiled nectar takes
their place. Recite
the hundred syllables
as much as possible, perform offerings
when you interrupt [the
mantra recitation], dissolve
Vajrasattva into you, think that
thereby the body, speech,
and mind of Vajrasattva have
become inseparably mixed with your
body, speech, and
mind, remain in that state and finally dedicate [the wholesome imprints].
1.4. Mandala
The Mandala
[practice has] two
parts: The Mandala
to be established
and the mandala
to be offered. The first. Clean the Mandala well and visualize a square celestial palace made of precious material with four gates. In its center
and in the four directions are
precious thrones supported
by eight lions
endowed with sun, moon
and lotus seats.
Practice so that your principal
guru remains on the
central throne, in the East
the tantric deity,
in the South
the Buddha jewel,
in the West the Dharma, and in
the North the Sangha jewel. They emanate
rays of light. Thereby the
principal guru and all
the gurus of
the lineage dissolve
into the guru,
the assemblies of the tantric deities dissolve with
the tantric deity,
the Buddhas of
the ten directions
dissolve into the Buddha, immeasurable Dharmas
dissolve into the
excellent Dharma, and
immeasurable noble Sanghas
of śrāvakas, solitary Buddhas,
bodhisattvas, etc., dissolve into the Sangha.
The second part is the Mandala to be offered. Place a single heap in the center of the vast golden
ground made of precious
material and [visualize
it as] the supreme
Mount Meru of the
center of the world, place
one in the East [and
visualize it as the continent]
Pūrvavideha, one in the
South [and visualize
it as] Jambudvīpa, one in the
West [and visualize it as]
Aparagodānīya, and one in the
North [and visualize
it as] Uttarakuru.
Place one [heap]
between the center
and the Eastern [heap and
visualize it as] the sun and place one [heap]
between the center and the Western
[heap and visualize it as]
the moon. Fill
up the spaces
in between with
various precious [materials
of] the three-thousand [world systems]
in the form of piles so that it is perfect [with]
possessions and wealth of
gods and men,
offer your body,
possessions, and the
wholesome imprints accumulated in the three times without reservations and [pray]:
Excellent Guru! I offer
my body, all my
possessions and roots
of my wholesome imprints. Please accept it completely. Please cause the supreme realization
to dawn in me! Bless me that an
uninterrupted experience may arise!
[Pray] similarly:
Assembly of tantric
deities! I offer my body, possessions and all roots of my wholesome imprints.
Please accept it completely. Please cause the supreme realization to dawn in
me! Bless me that an uninterrupted experience may arise! Lord [Buddha], supreme jewels! I offer my
body, possessions and all roots of my wholesome imprints. Please accept it
completely. Please cause the supreme realization to dawn in me! Bless me that
an uninterrupted experience may arise!
Thus pray with these
and other [recitations]. [Then], having performed the preliminaries for a long
time, perform the actual practice.6
2. The actual practice - The second part has two sections:
2.1. The introduction of the true, absolute nature of the mind
2.2. The introduction on the basis of appearances
2.1. The introduction of the true, absolute nature of the mind
The first part has two sections:
2.1.1. Calm abiding
2.1.2. Superior insight
2.1.1. Calm abiding
2.1.1.1. With support
2.1.1.2. Without support
2.1.1.1. Calm abiding with support
Sit
correctly with the body posture [in accordance with] the crucial instructions
regarding the body, think:
“I will obtain Buddhahood
for the sake
of all sentient
beings,”7 and
practice so that your guru
remains on the crown of your body that is visible as the tantric deity. Produce
a heartfelt devotion, fix
your gaze on something
[endowed with] characteristics such
as a twig or a pebble in
front of you,8 without allowing
at all any
mental activities regarding
the past, future, or present and
concentrate your mind. Practice remaining [in that state] without allowing
your mind to
be distracted by
something else and
disengage [while your concentration is still] stable.
Discontinue [the concentration
on] the object,
such as a
stone, rest for a while, and practice
again as before. Make efforts like that for brief periods but very
frequently and practice in four sessions.9
Try to
establish also during
the whole period
between sessions a
vivid awareness free
from mental activity, without
allowing one’s thoughts to wander towards dualistic confusion.10 The eyes
gaze down a straight line
along the tip of the nose. Behave in a slow manner during
all kinds of conduct such as walking and sitting, too.
Through much gazing and holding the mind
adjust yourself until
you remain in a state of awareness. (Tilopa)11
2.1.1.2. Calm abiding without support
“Without support” has two sections:
2.1.1.2.1. Tightening
2.1.1.2.2. Loosening
2.1.1.2.1. Tightening
Apart from the body
posture and the gazing, which is like before, you tighten your awareness a bit,
gaze into space
along the tip
of the nose
and remain in an
instant without distraction
[and] with one-pointed concentration. Do
not perform even the slightest practice of something that has an object or
characteristics and eliminate distractions immediately!12
In the Mahamudra free from mental activity,
there is not the slightest bit to be practiced; thus do not
practice!
That which
is not separated from
the meaning “non-practice” is the
supreme
practice.
Since this has been
taught, practice the mind making very small sessions. Perform, as before, all conduct between
sessions, vividly aware. While doing so, at the beginning it will be so that
mental processes proliferate extensively. That is a sign for a slight settling
of the mind. Before [you experienced]
that slight settling [of the mind], mental processes arose carelessly
without their measure of
arising being recognized.13 Whenever mental
processes proliferate in any
form, recognize that
stirring, recognize without
distraction one stirring,
two stirrings [etc.], and
having recognized every
stirring [of the
mind] without losing
the focus, rest
a bit. Practicing like
that, the stirring
of the mind
itself does not
become the support
of mental fixation and you remain
with complete clarity, free from mental stirring.
2.1.1.2.2. Loosening
Body posture and
gazing are as
before. Having relaxed
body and mind
through loosening, remain relaxed
and at ease
in a state
of absolute non-mentation
in natural awareness.
By practicing that moment
of undistracted awareness
in that state,
there arises an
experience of crystal clear
awareness.
Get accustomed as much as possible to the nature of the mind
that is without discursive elaboration, like the state of space,14
Since this has been taught, observe your
experience and practice until you gain stability.
2.1.2. Superior insight
Body posture and gazing
are as before. Apart from that, with your gaze directed into the space of
the sky,
slightly invigorated awareness
and the mind established relaxed
and at ease in its natural
state, stare at
the essence of
the luminous mind
that remains in
complete clarity, so that the mind stares at itself: How is this essence
of the mind? By practicing in that way and gaining perfect certainty, a crystal
clear, genuine, naked, and vivid awareness of a luminous yet not definable mind
unfolds. Until you
reach that state,
praying to the
guru and practicing repeatedly, the
mental processes subside
of their own
accord and that
relaxed one- pointed remaining of
the mind in
its own nature
is “calm abiding.”
In that state,
there exists no linguistic or
intellectual expression for
the nature of
the mind, but
despite that, the luminous
and unceasing crystal
clear, genuine, naked,
and vivid awareness
[of the nature
of mind] is a thing to be seen
that is not seen, a thing to be
experienced that is not experienced and a
thing one becomes
confident or certain
about. Nevertheless it is
linguistically not expressible.
This is “superior insight.”
If you dedicate yourself
wholeheartedly to the authoritative [instructions] of the guru and strive respectfully, there is
no doubt that the inborn will arise.
Since it is without
color, attributes, words or illustrations, unable to express it, I will try a
rough illustration:
Like a young girl’s joy
in her heart, Holy Lord, whom could it be told? 21
(Saraha)
Just that nature of the
mind, the crystal clear, genuine [awareness] that is free from the extremes of
arising, ceasing and abiding, is called “Mahāmudrā” or “Dharmakāya.”
This is Mahāmudrā;
it is free from stains;
for this there is neither anything to negate nor to establish;
it cannot be found through paths and antidotes;
it is the body of all Buddhas;
it is the foundation of all qualities;
it arises spontaneously.
Just this
aware, empty, and naked
nature of the mind is the triple
gem in the definite
sense, and it is also the mantra, Mandala, etc. in the definite sense.
Those who possess the glory of the triple gem
are perfect with regard
to their self-aware primordial wisdom. They constantly reveal this way of being
awakened that bestows bliss.
And furthermore:
And furthermore:
This [awareness], which
is mantra recitations, austerities, burnt offerings, Mandala-[deities], and
Mandala rituals, is
in short the visible expressions of what is summarized as "mind."
Even the
three Kayas are
complete in a
moment of immediate
awareness. [Its] completely
unestablished nature is the Dharmakāya, [its] unimpeded expression is the Sambhogakāya, and both of them inseparable and abiding
nowhere is the Nirmanakāya.
[It] reveals the way of
the inseparability of that, which is unborn, the Dharmakāya,
that, which is unimpeded, the Sambhogakāya,
and that, which is abiding nowhere, the Nirmanakāya.
This nature
of your mind,
the ultimate nature,
the self-aware, naturally
luminous inborn primordial wisdom,
is also inseparable
emptiness and compassion,22 inseparable two
truths, inseparable method and
insight, and inseparable
[stage of] production
and completion. The completely unestablished original
natural state is the insight, namely
emptiness. The completely
unimpeded expression is the method,
namely compassion. The inseparable unity of both, namely
emptiness and compassion, is taught in the following.
The meaning that is
intended by all the Buddhas is inseparable emptiness and compassion, the single
nature of the minds [of] the beings.
Having loosened
the mind into
its own nature,
there is nothing
to be practiced
apart from being undistracted
from the state of the "luminous and empty" and the "aware and
empty."
Since the inborn is
free from discursive elaborations, it is nothing to be practiced.
Do not interrupt the stream that is by nature uninterrupted.
Recognize therefore
any stirring of the mind
or mental process
that arises from
a state of continuous uninterrupted mindfulness of
the four kinds
of conduct and
they will dissipate like
snow falling upon
a lake. By
continuing like that
for a long
time, the “experience of
uncontrived self-abiding” is
such that also
during the four
kinds of conduct [going, sitting,
lying down, standing23], luminosity,
emptiness and awareness
become more and more manifest.
The undistracted mind looks at itself.
When the mind itself
realizes its true nature, even the distracted mind arises as Mahāmudrā.
[This is] the state of self-liberated characteristics, the great
bliss.
2.2. The introduction on the basis of appearances
The introduction [on the basis of appearances] has two parts:
2.2.1. Introducing mental processes as Dharmakāya
2.2.2. Introducing appearances as Dharmakāya
2.2.1. Introducing mental processes as Dharmakāya
Take the
body posture as
before and remain
loosening and relaxing
your mind in
its own nature. Thereby,
in the state
of nakedly staring
at the essence
of the nature
of the mind
that remains luminous and without
stirrings, crystal clear and genuine, look directly at the essence
of any mental process
that stirs and
look carefully whether
there is a difference
between the abiding and the
stirring mind. Repeatedly practicing as
[described] above and gaining certainty with
regard to the
stirrings of the
mind, their unimpeded
arising will reveal
itself as the luminous and empty. For example waves
move in the water as waves, but just these waves are water. Apart from the
water, there are no waves, apart from the waves there is no water. Similarly,
in the state
of the luminous,
empty absolute nature,
various mental processes arise, yet both are without duality.
This is called Samsara
this is Nirvāna. Abandoning Samsara,
Nirvāna is not realized elsewhere.
Therefore, by
looking directly at the essence
of whatever mental
process arises, when
you remain without mental stirrings wherever you abide [with your
awareness] without identifying mental
processes, a blissful
joy unfolds in
the heart. Neither
a distinct "bad" stirring
of the mind is necessary nor is it necessary to search specifically for an antidote, such as primordial wisdom.
When you recognize just
that, what binds you, you become free.24
When this special path is realized,
you proceed to Buddhahood within one lifetime.
Therefore, if
a stirring of
desire abruptly arises,
without following it,
look directly at its
essence and remain
[in this contemplation] without
allowing distraction to
occur. Thereby, since desire
arises without basis
and root, without
abandoning it, desire
is purified in
itself. This is also
called “liberation in
itself,” “discriminating primordial
wisdom,” or “Buddha Amitābha.” It is similar
when the five
defilements arise. Through
looking at their
essence without following them,
they arise as self-purified, self-liberated, without
basis and root, and they are then
called “five primordial wisdoms” and “five Buddha families.”
The great appearance of
whatever is possible, is Vairocana himself.25
Because it does not
diverge from the supreme essence,
this is also Akshobhyavajra
himself.26
Because it is empowered with the supreme necessary and desirable
[things]
and bears fruits, this is Ratnasambhava.27
[Because] immeasurable
experiences [arise] from a single element, this is the shining Amitābha.28
Because the meaningful, the inborn
is realized, this is the accomplishing Amoghasiddhi.29
It is the Lord of all!
Thus, through direct
looking at arising mental processes, they become self-liberating, without
having an own nature.
It is also called taking the five poisons as the path, like the
planting of the
seed
of purity into the poison with the help of a mantra.
of purity into the poison with the help of a mantra.
This contains the pith instruction of taking the five poisons as
the path.
\
The four yogas of
Mahamudra
