The 4 Yogas of Mahamudra: Direct Introduction to Wisdom Nature
The 4 Yogas of Mahamudra
Mahamudra (Tibetan:
Tilopa’s six lines of advice are the foundation of mahamudra practice. In this retreat, we will focus on the four yogas of mahamudra outlined in Karma Chagme Rinpoche’s classic text.
One-pointedness
One-pointedness is also called ekaggatta or single-mindedness. It is a universal mental state that arises during cognition and meditation. It is a strong concentration that enables you to hold your mind on an object without wandering. It is different from the Samatha mindfulness that other schools/methods teach.
The practice of maha mudra stimulates the three bandhas, mula (root lock), uddiyana (abdominal lock), and jalandhara (throat lock). By activating the sushumna nadi it creates pressure on kundalini energy at the bottom of the spine. Moreover, it provides control over sexual energy, and spreads the energies throughout the chakra system. Additionally, it improves the lungs capacity to store oxygen, relieves respiratory diseases and helps with menstrual pains. It also reduces gout and joint problems. This form of maha yoga also improves memory and concentration. It clears the mind of negative thoughts, and gives clarity to it. It also teaches you the importance of self-control and discipline. This is a crucial aspect in spiritual progress.
Freedom from elaboration
The second yoga of mahamudra is freedom from elaboration. This is a meditation practice that trains in awareness itself without any regard for appearances, whether it be the never-ceasing moment-to-moment event of seeing and apprehending things or the deeper nature of mind’s voidness.
As the great master Tilopa explained, “In general, when people meditate they take up something to meditate on, such as a tree or an image of Buddha. However, the Mahamudra practice is different from this in that it is meditating directly on reality itself.”
Tilopa was a master of a style of meditation that emphasizes embracing the totality of human experience and teachings a path that is both accessible to all and suitable for every individual. His advice is to seek mind itself, to abandon all the coverings of it that are like clothing, and to search for its naked, essential essence. This is the truth that is hidden behind the illusory appearances of everything that appears in our lives.
One taste
Mahamudra is a non-conceptual practice that allows you to remain with your experience of mind waves and sensations. It helps you to develop equanimity, free of identification with entanglement and appearances. It also activates and raises the energies of sushumna nadi. It is also a quintessential Hatha Yoga practice that integrates the sun and moon energies, improves sexual energy and balances the doshas.
Unlike a sudden intellectual realisation, the awakening of mahamudra is more gradual and takes place at the level of dharmakaya, or buddha nature. The meditator becomes increasingly familiar with the stillness of this primordial awareness, which is not confused by the arising of thoughts or sensations.
It is known as the Great Seal in the Nyingma tradition, the Natural State of shamatha in the Kagyu school and the zenith of the bodhisattva path in the Sakyapa tradition. It is the result of a meditation that has shamatha at its core and leads to the enlightened state of the ten bodhisattva stages.
No meditation
Many mahamudra practitioners, especially in the Kagyu and Gelug schools, practice shamatha along with mahamudra. This helps to quiet coarse mind, and clear the cognitive confusion that is the root of all samsara suffering. It also prepares for crossing over into awakened awareness.
However, mahamudra itself does not depend on meditation. It relies on one-pointedness, simplicity, and equal taste. These are the three essential qualities of mahamudra.
This yoga uncoils delusions and identifies pristine awareness, free of all ego-identification. It activates the energies of akasha and awakens Kundalini through the central channel, Sushumna Nadi. It is an alchemical process that releases the lower energies and transforms them into spiritual energy.
This is the final fruition of mahamudra described by daniel ingram, the 4th path. Most yogis do not reach this stage, but it is a good place to start and it is the foundation for other practices.
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