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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 one-pointed yoga]30
Therefore, if
you look with
undistracted awareness directly
at the variously
arising playful expressions of
the absolute nature of the mind, they dissipate unidentified without root.
Since all that arises is the ultimate nature,
if whatever arises is
left as it is with mindfulness, it arises and is emptiness.
King of yogis, do not
have doubts! (Avalokiteshvar
[The yoga of non-proliferation31]
Therefore,
by looking at the essence of whatever defilement or mental process arises, just
that defilement arises revealing itself as being without existence.
Allowing these defilements to stir, you
are awakening.
Whatever is the essence of defilements is also the essence of
awakening.
[The yoga of single taste32]
At the
various occurrences of the unimpeded
arising of the playful expressions of the absolute nature of the mind,
the taste is the same
without rejecting or accepting
it and [you] maintain [that
state].
Bhagavan! To realize all phenomena as sameness
is awakening.
Bhagavan!
For that reason the Bodhisattva does not consider himself to be far from
awakening.
[The yoga of non-practice33]
Therefore, by
continuing the four
kinds of conduct
in an undistracted
state, self-aware primordial wisdom
arises by itself and after
it arises the dualistic
confusion <489> dissolves into self-liberation.
This self-aware
primordial wisdom completely conquers the confusion of karma like a light in the
darkness of eons.
It is like finding a person.34
Therefore, having ascertained that,
maintain it.
2.2.2. Introducing appearances as
Dharmakāya
Apart from
the body posture
and the gazing,
which are as
before, gaze at
any suitable appearance in
front of you
and allow the
mind to relax
and be at
ease without grasping [characteristics]. Again produce a heartfelt devotion for the
guru and practice [on the basis] of this
appearance free from
stirrings of the mind,
undistracted, for a long time. Thereby, when the
mind remains in
its absolute state,
appearance and mind
vividly arise as
inseparable without leaving the
appearing objects "outside" and
the mind, which
would be something other than appearances, being
"inside."
The inborn nature of the mind is the
Dharmakāya. The inborn appearances are the light of the Dharmakāya. This is the
inborn inseparability of appearances and mind.35
Therefore, the nature
of the mind is its natural radiance that appears naturally and unimpeded.
A mind
that has not realized its
own nature and
that holds the
appearing objects to
be real arises as an
erroneous appearance. Accordingly,
it occurs as if appearance and mind are being dissolved into
inseparability; but it is not
so that formerly
separate things become
one after they have merged–they
have always been like that!
All beings arise from me.
The three realms also
arise from me. All this is pervaded by me.
Another nature of the beings cannot be seen.
Therefore, apart from
the natural expression of the inborn, there is not even the smallest thing established in the outer world.
Since they did not
arise in the first place, phenomena are non-existent from the beginning. Like
space they have no substance.
This reveals
how awakening is. And in the sūtra
it is taught:
Visible form does not arise from anywhere, it does not go
anywhere and it does
not abide anywhere.
Therefore when appearances appear in various forms, they are from the beginning the natural expression of the absolute, the inseparable appearance
and emptiness, free from the extremes of the three [modes] arising,
ceasing, and abiding.
Everything that
possibly appears is Mahāmudrā, the great bliss, the ever-excellent.
This is the freedom of the mind.
You should look at it, Lord of Yogis!
It is
furthermore taught that all visual and audible
phenomena are inseparable appearance
and emptiness and like a dream and an illusion.
Visible and audible
phenomena are things without characteristics, like illusions, mirages, and
reflections.
The nature
of the mind [to whom] illusory appearances [arise] is like space. [That which
is] “without boundaries”
and “without center”
cannot be understood by anyone.
The various rivers such
as the Ganges have a single taste in the salty ocean.
Similarly, the imputed
mind and the various mental factors are to be known as having a single taste in
the Dharmadhātu. (Shavaripa)
Therefore all visible
and audible phenomena are inseparable appearance and emptiness, sound and
emptiness, awareness and emptiness, like space.
There is neither form nor
someone who sees. There is neither sound nor someone who hears. There is
neither odor nor someone who smells.
There is neither taste
nor someone who tastes. There is neither touch nor someone who touches.
There is neither mind nor mental factors.
And:
Phenomena are empty by their very own nature.
The [discriminating]
mind36 that holds emptiness becomes in itself pure.
Without a [such] mind, there is nothing to be mentally active about.
This is the path of all
Buddhas. (Maitripa)
3. Conclusion: The way of maintaining
the experience
In a
state, where the
mind is kindled
through [contemplation of]
death and impermanence, produce the notion that the guru is the actual
Buddha, pray with heartfelt devotion,
relax your awareness in its
natural state and
remain in a
state of non-distraction. Thereby
a luminous, crystal clear, naked and vivid awareness unfolds, which is free from stirrings of the
mind. This [awareness]
must bring the
four kinds of
conduct to perfection.
This is called “attaining stability,
to be nailed
through habituation." It
must be maintained
without distraction for a long time.
A practice, once it has
been developed, that is not taken care of, is like a lost precious jewel in the
mud,
a king who falls to the position of a subject
and a lion who becomes a companion of a dog.
Therefore someone who maintains revulsion
[against Samsara] is necessary.
Therefore make renunciation the foundation [lit. "feet"] of practice. Keep
death close at heart. Cast all concern
for this life
far away. Make devotion
the head of
your practice. Pray
with heartfelt devotion to the
guru. By identifying in your practice all subtle and coarse stirrings of the mind
from a state
of a crystal
clear and genuine
luminosity and emptiness,
they will be recognized as something that lacks own
being.
The king of
elixirs transforms grains
into their essence.
Similarly, through the
elixir of experience
all that possibly
exists remains in
its blissful state. Whatever arises,
whatever is seen,
is without arising
and free from mental proliferation. Since nothing
can be identified
therein, “mere being empty” is not necessary.37
(Siddha
Gling-chen Gongs)
With regard
to that, there
are various “highs”
and “lows” of
experience. Sometimes the awareness
is luminous, empty,
naked, vivid and full of
certainty. Sometimes it is unclear, nebulous, and uncertain. You may think: “What
has happened to my practice?”
Sometimes unidentified stirrings of
the mind may
variously proliferate. You may even
get irritated and distressed. Since
theses are the
“highs” and “lows”
of experience, leave
them as they
are, neither rejecting nor accepting them.
Be not attached if [the
mind] abides, let go if you are exhausted. Do not hold it together but allow it
to disperse.
Whatever is
deliberately held is confusion. Look at the crows flying up from a boat!38 (Shantipa)
Therefore, if
[your mind] abides,
leave it in
the state of abiding. You
do not need
to deliberately stir a
thought. If [a
thought] stirs, identify
each stirring. You
do not need
to deliberately hold the
mind. If you
become lethargic, pray
to the guru
and invigorate awareness. Through
practice, lethargy will
be purified in
itself and cease.
If you get excited, focus deliberately
on that. Through practice
excitement will be
liberated in itself
and will dissipate into
the luminous and
empty. In this
way, by identifying
the various situations
of happiness and suffering
through mindfulness, they
will become self-purifying and
self- liberating and they will dissipate.
Whichever
characteristics arise in the six doors, Leave them as they are: self-arising,
self-dissolving. When they are seized by true reality,
the three poisons and
the five poisons cannot harm you. When they are not seized by true reality,
even when one practices all aspects of the paths
how could one obtain
the excellent stages of temporary happy births and complete liberation?
The one who knows this is freed from all defilements.
Therefore it is necessary
to practice a
continuous undistracted mindfulness
during the four kinds of conduct.
Your true nature reveals itself. Look at it!
If you lose the gaze of an undistracted mind,
the distracted mind will not realize the true nature.
The jewel that is the
true nature will be lost in the midst of a jumble of things. (Saraha)
If you
continue undistracted, the
true nature will
emerge in the
four kinds of
conduct. Sometimes, even when
you do not
hold it through
mindfulness, the luminous
and empty
appears by itself while you
take a stroll during which you are without grasping.
“Absorption” and “Non-Absorption”—
nothing is established in this!
Self-liberation of phenomena is the Dharmadhātu.
Self-liberation of the
stirrings of the mind is mahāmudrā. Non-dual equanimity is Dharmakāya.39
It is like the flowing of the
stream of a great river.40
(Maitripa)
Therefore, by
continuing in this
way for a
long time, a decisive confidence
will arise from within.
In front of me, behind, in the ten
directions—
whatever I see is true reality.
The
protector has cut off confusion on this very day. Now I
will ask no
more questions of
anyone. (Saraha)41
When practice reaches perfection, one attains fully realized
Buddhahood.
Because the
two obscurations and
the two selves42 are cleansed:
“cleansed” (=Bud).
Because self-awareness, self-luminosity and
primordial wisdom are
fully developed: “fully developed” (=ddha).
I, Mila, call that a Buddha.43
(Milarepa)
And furthermore:
The imputed mind
purified in the sphere [of reality]— to
label this “Vajradhara” is merely an imputation. (Shavaripa)
* * *
The
great bliss with
which one is
not united and
from which one
is not separated, is the
Dharmakāya.
Non-dual union is Mahāmudrā.
By the merit of writing
this briefly summarized introduction may all sentient beings obtain the four
pure Kāyas.
The Introduction
to Mahamudra "Inborn
Union": Removing of the
Darkness of Ignorance Through
the Ornament of Luminous Primordial Wisdom composed by Kyobpa Jigten Gonpo is completed.
[The translation of
this text has been ordered by H.H. Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche in the first week
of April 2003 in the Drikung Kagyu
Institute, Dehra Dun. Later the translation and the Tibetan text
were edited and
polished several times
in the Drikung Thubten
Shedrub Ling, Center for
the Studie and
Translation of Buddhist
Teachings and Practices,
in Hamburg, Germany, by Jan-Ulrich
Sobisch, in March 2005. In September 2005, H.E. Garchen Rinpoche taught
this text at the Garchen Dharma Institut,
Munich. Through his blessings and teachings I have been able to improve my
translation in several passages.]
NOTES
1 "Pith
instructions" (Skr. upadeśa) convey the guru’s experience directly to suitable disciples. They are
most often short
and "pithy," rather
than in the
technical style of
commentaries. They almost exclusively focus on practice.
2 This is a
central quotation from
the Hevajratantra, which occurs
many times in
Jigten
Sumgon’s teachings.
It is indeed
crucial for all
Kagyupas. Unable to
find a suitable
literal meaning I have
tried to translate
the Tibetan expression
"bla ma’i dus
mtha’ bsten pa"
according to its
meaning as expressed
in the following
passage from Jigten
Sumgon’s collected works: "It does not mean to provide many offerings and services
to the guru and to remain a long
time with him.
It means to
view him as dharmakāya and
beyond this certain conviction
never to view
him as something
else" ('bul
ba che ba
dang zhabs tog
mang badang bsten yun
ring ba
la zer ba min/ bla
ma chos kyi skur mthong zhing nges shes skyes pa de las lhag pa gzhan du mthong ba'i dus med pas dus kyi mtha' de yin gsungs, vol. 3, p. 301).
3 The guru is
the embodyment of
the dharmakāya, for
his mind is
realized awareness and emptiness, of
the sambhogakāya, for
his speech is
realized sound and
emptiness, and of the
nirmānakāya, for his body
is realized visible form
and emptiness. To realize that
the guru is simultaneously all three kāyas is the
realization of the svabhāvikakāya.
4 Garchen Rinpoche explains
"contenment"
(dgos med) as
"being satisfied with
mainly
practicing Dharma and not needing to do
much besides."
5
The "aperture of
Brahma" is the
point on the
crown of the
head which is
marked by the center of the hair swirl.
6 Garchen Rinpoche specified in general that the practice of guru
yoga is to be continued until one
is fully convinced
that the guru’s
mind and one’s
own mind are
one and the
same,
Vajrasattva is
to be practiced
until one perceives
one’s body as
pure appearance and emptiness and mandalas are to be offered
until there is no more grasping of a Self.
7
Garchen Rinpoche
pointed out that
an indispensible prerequisite
for the practice
of calm abiding in this context
is warm-heartedness for all sentient
beings. A practitioner who remains
indifferent to other
beings and is
only concerned about
his own welfare
has the strong tendency to
differentiate into a
world outside of
himself and an
inner practice. Such
an attitude is in stark contrast to the practice of mahāmudrā.
8
A thing
is consciously apprehended
by the dualistic
mind by way
of the thing’s characteristics. Here Garchen
Rinpoche instructed that such "a thing" as a
pebble or a twig is used to
focus one’s eye-consciousness (and
with it the
mind). One should,
however, resist from anaylizing
the thing; it should be merely held in one’s undistracted concentration.
9 Within each main
session of the day several brief periods
of concentration are recomended
for
the beginner. Garchen
Rinpoche further warns
against a fixation on the
pleasures of such practice. If
one gets caught
up in the
pleasurable feeling of
full concentration free
from thoughts, one should
briefly interrupt the
practice, for example
by vigorously shaking
one’s body, and then start again.
10 Garchen Rinpoche explained that while one should remain fully
aware of what one is doing
at all times between sessions, one
should avoid to be caught in a web of thoughts.
11 This two lines
are a direct quote from Tilopa’s Gangama
Instructions to Nāropa.
12
Garchen
Rinpoche explained that this is like looking at a room full of people, fully
aware of everyone, yet avoiding
to focus on
a single person.
One does not
allow any fixation
of the mind on
any individual characteristic and
remains undistracted and
with pure awareness
in that state.
13 Garchen Rinpoche illustrated
this with the
well-known example of
the sun beam
shining into a room, through
which one suddenly becomes aware
of how many dust particles
floating in the air went previously unnoticed.
14 "Space" is used here as an example in the sense that nothing that appears within
space can
change the
nature of space itself.
Similarly, whatever stirring occurs
within the mind
cannot change the nature of mind.
15 No matter how huge waves are and how violently they crash, they
are never able to destroy
the ocean.
16 A crystal, like a
mirror, reflects light or images.
In doing so, it never has to move
towards the object reflected, it
always remains were it is.
17 A flower, such
as the lotus, may blossom inmidst mud, but when it unfolds, its blossom is
pure, untouched by whatever filth
surrounds it.
18
"Vivid" (Tib.
sang ge) conveys
the notion of
being wide awake,
clear, free, open
(like space), not fixated (on characteristics) and relieved
in the sense of having recognized
the true nature of something, like recognizing a rope where one
previously saw a snake. It furthermore correlates with the above notion of
"space" and "ocean."
19 "Naked" is here to be
understood in the sense of "being completely uncovered."
20
"Pure" is to be
understood as "a
freshness of each single perception." (All
illustrations for this verse were provided
by Garchen Rinpoche. The Tibetan
text was here corrected by H.H. Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, who reads
sol le ba instead of sal le ba).
21 Another version
is recorded by
Kurtis Schaeffer, Dreaming
the Great Brahmin,
Oxford
University Press,
p. 154: Free
of color, quality,
words, and examples,//
It cannot be
spoken, and in vain
I point it
out.// Like the
bliss of a
young woman, desirous
for love,// Who
can teach its noble power to whom?//
22 Garchen Rinpoche has
pointed out that
to teach the
inseparability of compassion
and
emptiness as
the ultimate nature
of the mind is in
accordance with the
highest view of
both mahāmudrā and Dzogchen.
23
In the Tibetan tradition
the second aspect
(“standing,” Skr. sthita,
Yogācārabhūmi: sthānam)
is almost always presented as “wandering
about” ('chag pa). This is actually one of the few
mistaken of translations
in the Tibetan
tradition. Both the
Indian and the
Chinese tradition have invariably
“standing” and it
also makes much
more sense, since
in the Indian and Chinese
traditions there are
four distinguishable activities
while the Tibetan
tradition needs to explain
the relevant difference
of “wandering about”
and “going”. Some
Tibetan traditions have also
come up with
alternatives for "wandering about,"
such as "eating" and even "having bowel movement."
24 Compare Hevajratantra I.ix.20: By whatever binds the world,// the astute
are totally freed.//
25
The
following verse reveals the
qualities of the naked awareness of the nature
of the mind. The reference to "appearance of whatever is possible" alludes to the dharmakāya (or the mind which is
like space), which
is the sphere
in which everything arises.
It also loosely
refers to the name
of Buddha Vairocana,
which (in Tibetan)
could be etymologyzed
as "that what causes to appear" (and refers,
especially in Sanskrit, to the sun).
26 The reference to
"not diverg[ing] from the
supreme essence" directly alludes to "[Buddha]
Akshobhya," whose name
means "unshakable" or
"unmovable." The "vajra" element
refers to the quality of being unborn.
27 Since everything that
is necessary and deesirable arises
from such an awareness, it is
like
Buddha Ratnasambhava, the "originator or source of the
jewel."
28
Since
immeasurable experiences arise from a single moment of the awareness of the nature of the mind, this is compared
to Buddha Amitābha, the source of "boundless light."
29 "Accomplishing what
is meaningful" again
directly alludes to
the name of
Buddha
Amoghasiddhi. (All
explanations of the verse provided by Garchen Rinpoche).
30 The
term “four yogas
of mahamudra” is
actually not mentioned
in the text itself,
but it is quite evident
that these four
yogas are the background
of the following
four paragraphs and quotations. The
mental processes are
realized as the
“playful expressions of
the ultimate nature of
the mind” (sems
nyid gnyug ma'i rtsal
snang). On this
stage, the practitioner examines them
with undistracted awareness,
free from all
clinging. That is
the “one-pointed yoga” (rtse
gcig).
31 Whatever arises is left
as it is, because the essence of
defilement or mental process is also
the essence
of awakening. In fact, whatever arises
is only a defilement or mental process
if the practitioner fails to
realize it as being without existence
and as a consequence “runs after
it.” “Running after it”
means that he
allows the mind
to proliferate. A practitioner of
this stage does not do that.
Therefore this stage is called the “yoga of non-proliferation” (spros bral).
32 There is no difference
between appearance and emptiness
anymore. A “playful expression
of the
nature of mind”
is not seen
as an “outer”
appearance distinct from
an “intrinsic” emptiness anymore.
The “intrinsic” true
nature of the
mind is not
seen as distinct
from an “outer” appearance anymore. From a different perspective, this
is the stage where one realizes the inseparability of samsara and nirvana and of the two truths.
This is called the “sameness of all
phenomena” (chos thams
cad nyams pa
nyid), which is
sometimes also expressed
as “single taste of
all phenomena” (ro
gcig or ro
mnyam). This is then
the “yoga of
the single taste” (ro gcig).
33 That state of "single taste"
is now continued in the four kinds of conduct.
34
Garchen Rinpoche
provides the following
explanation: Like one
moment of light
can remove the darkness
of an eon (because darkness
cannot accumulate and
become "thicker"), the delusion
is removed by
the self-aware primordial
wisdom. It is
like a mother
who finds child lost long
ago."
35 Garchen Rinpoche
explained that mind and appearances arise simultaneously. The delusion,
which perceives
these as truely
existing outside appearances
separate from the
mind that perceives them is like holding the appearances in a dream
to be truely existing outside of
the mind.
36 The discriminating mind
(Skr. buddhi, Tib. blo) is essentially dualistic;
genuine insight is beyond
its sphere, as
was said by
Śāntideva: "The ultimate
truth is not
the sphere of the
[discriminating] mind;// the
[discriminating] mind is
taught to be
relative truth.//" It
is, however, neverthelss able
to have an
understanding of emptiness,
and when it does, it is
purified in itself and arises as primordial wisdom.
37
Garchen Rinpoche
explained that phenomena
are empty from
their own side.
It is not
necessary
to "make" them empty.
38 This is, according to Garchen Rinpoche, to be
understood in the following manner: If
crows are flying up from a boat
in the middle of the ocean,
they always have to return
to the boat, because there
is nowhere else
they can go.
Similarly, if thoughts
arise, if one
gets lost in a
perception, this is not happening
outside of the mind–where
else but within
one’s own mind should it happen? Compare also
a verse by
Saraha: Objects are
totally purified, unable
to be relied upon;// to be taken up only as
emptiness.// Just like the bird who flies from the ship,// circling, circling, and landing
there again.// (Schaeffer, p. 158).
39 This line refers, according to Garchen
Rinpoche, to the yoga of single taste (see above).
40 This line refers, according to Garchen
Rinpoche, to the yoga of non-practice (see above).
41 Cf. Schaeffer, p. 143.
42 No "Self" was
found in the
person and no
substance was found
in the phenomena.
In
Buddhist terminology, this is called the "lacking of the two
selves."
43 This etymology
works both in Sanskrit (bud / ddha) and in Tibetan (sangs / rgyas).
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