|
MAHAMUDRA - Part 1
The summit of the Buddha's teaching is known as the Great Perfection
in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and as the Great Seal
(mahamudra) in the Kagyu school. These are one and the same goal, under
different names, and each tradition follows a similar path to attain it.
Their paths represent the practical application of the zenith of Buddhist
philosophy — a third ‘great' — the Great Middle Way (madhyamaka). The
latter makes it clear that voidness and the apparent world are one and
the same thing. Voidness is neither a spiritual state of blankness nor
a mere rejection of reality but wisdom: the clarity of the awakened mind
which is aware that no thing is real in its own right but only
as an illusion created by the coming together of many temporary, inter-dependent
factors.
How can one make this wisdom-voidness a reality in practice? Both traditions
point to two ways, the first progressive and the second more or less instantaneous.
Despite the obvious attraction of the second, it is the fortunate lot
of one disciple among hundreds of thousands, as the great Tibetan yogin
Milarepa found to his chagrin. Having met a master of the Great Perfection
tradition, who boasted of the ease with which its teachings could carry
Milarepa to enlightenment, in just a matter of days, he was left by the
master to meditate. Delighted to encounter such an easy practice, he took
the master's statement at face vale and meditated — but a little too relaxedly
— for some days with little result. The master returned, to realise that
Milarepa would need to take a slightly longer road to enlightenment and
so sent him away to the Great Seal guru Marpa. But there are also other
stories, of the fortunate few who, upon hearing a few profound, carefully-chosen
words from their teacher or simply by being in their presence, awaken
in great simplicity to buddhahood. This either happens early on in life,
upon a first encounter with a guru, due to all the purification work done
in former lives, or else it is the crowning moment of whatever time is
needed to finish off the purification accomplished in this life. In the
case of Naropa, the final awakening came with the blow of his guru's shoe,
after twelve years of intense training at his feet.
The situation is also summed up in an apocryphal story from Atisa's life.
Most days he would see a woman, crying some days, laughing on others.
He asked her why and if she was mentally distressed. No, I am not, but
you all are and so I cry. Why? One's own mind has been Buddha since time
immemorial. Beings do not recognise it. Such a small mistake ! — but through
it hundreds of thousands of beings enter into incredible muddle and complications.
Although their own mind is buddha, they suffer needlessly. I cry not being
able to bear this. But then sometimes I laugh because, by simply recognising
this small, basic error, and recognising the Buddha within, any one could
be easily freed.
Both traditions try to help people reach the state of faith and openness
required for this ‘simple' recognition to take place. In the meantime,
they stress the absolute need, for most people, of properly completing
a thorough preparation before entering into the very powerful teachings
which reveal the truth about reality and the human mind. There are two
main stages to this preparation. The first involves reflecting about life
until a newer and franker vision of existence is in place. This training
in the four ways of transforming the mind focusses on the rare potential
of a human mind, on our fragile transience through mortality, on the power
of one's actions to condition the way one experiences reality and, finally,
upon the presence of suffering throughout worldliness. The disciple then
proceeds to the four extraordinary foundation practices. The first involves
cementing Buddhist faith and altruistic motivation. Using precise visualisations,
one takes the sixfold Refuge of vajrayana as one makes prostrations. This
is usually repeated at least 100,000 times. At the beginning and end of
each practice session, the disciple takes the bodhisattva vows. The second
foundation consists of a profound method for freeing the mind of the most
part of its unhealthy conditioning, due to the imprints of past negative
karma. This is achieved through the Vajrasattva meditation, and 100,000
repetitions of the corresponding mantra, the deep meaning of which is
one of always remaining within the sphere of ultimate purity. Purification
is followed by a discovery of the joy of freeing the mind of its clinging
and entering totally into a state of dedication to enlightenment and working
for the welfare of others. This is achieved through 100,000 practices
of mandala practice: making both real and highly-symbolic offerings. The
fourth foundation practice is that of guru yoga. This is, in many ways,
much more internalised, drawing the mind into a state of openness and
receptivity towards its own true, enlightened nature. The revelation of
this true nature must, of necessity, come at first through an external
source which can point out and confirm that the recognition of the Buddha
within has been accurate and not just one of many other beautiful meditation
experiences. The presence of a guru of an authentic Great Seal or Great
Perfection lineage ensures this and this stage of preparation involves
making a pure and sacred bond between the disciple, guru and lineage.
|