This is my first article on dharma blues. Since I did not know what could be the first subject, I thought that a perennial truth on life would be a good startup.
I don’t know what mahamudra means or what it stands for. But still, the following four stages do ring a bell in my mind, and perhaps yours.
The four yogas of mahamudra:
When the mind is loose and released
It does not waver with the wind of thoughts.
Like an ocean without waves,
without excitement or fogginess.
That is the Yoga of One-pointedness.
When your mind is being looked at
It appears not as two, meditation and meditator.
As in meeting a long-acquainted friend,
Mind simply recognizes itself.
That is the Yoga of Non-projection.
When that becomes familiarized through habituation
All possible appearances - samsara and nirvana -
Will be understood as your own mind.
Mind is primordially pure in and of itself.
That is the Yoga of One Taste.
Like space, Alaya, the mind basis of all,
Neither comes nor goes.
Space dissolves within space.
Thoughts are exhausted, dharma is exhausted, and timeless awareness is exhausted.
That is the Yoga of Non-meditation.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Hi there …..
was just wondering, which text was this particular writing on the four yogas taken from?
many thanks, and best wishes to you in the Dharma
July 16th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Actually, Mahamudra should be properly written “Mahāmudrā” as a sanskrit term meaning great seal or symbol.
Mahamudra is most prominent in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. But since I’m not really acquainted with the said Kagyu school, I prefer linking you to the Khandro.Net website where, under the term “Mahamudra”, you will find explanations on the origin of these 4 Yogas of Mahamudra.
Hope that helps!
July 16th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Hi Chodpa,
A few minutes later, I also discovered a website called Mahamudra Meditation Center which contains a specific page called “A Meditation Guide For Mahamudra”, where you will even find different versions of these 4 stages…