Essence of Mahamudra || Guru Vajradhara HH the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa

Summary

In this profound exploration of Mahamudra, Guru Vajradhara HH the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa elaborates on the vast subject of Mahamudra through a comprehensive manner using Tibetan terminologies, "Tablam" and "Trolam". He discusses the importance of being conducive to Mahamudra practice, emphasizing the need for renunciation of worldly interests, development of mindfulness, and understanding of one's intrinsic perfect nature. Through engaging analogies and philosophical insights, the teachings guide practitioners towards achieving calm and liberation, urging us to transcend ignorance, attachment, and aversion through the journey of self-realization and meditation practices leading to Mahamudra realization.

Highlights

• The essence of Mahamudra uses Tibetan terms "Tablam" and "Trolam" which refer to methods and direct realization paths. ✌️
• Being conducive to the Mahamudra practice involves eliminating worldly interests. 🌌
• Recognizing impermanence can help address minor disappointments in life. 🌿
• Through practicing calm abiding state (shine), one achieves ineffable peace. 🌊
• Mahamudra realization requires going through 12 stages of spiritual development. 🚀

Key Takeaways

• Mahamudra is a vast and profound practice requiring summarization and comprehensive delivery. 🎓
• Understanding Tibetan terms "Tablam" and "Trolam" is crucial for Mahamudra enlightenment. 🧘
• Practitioners need to be conducive to the Mahamudra path, letting go of worldly distractions. 🛤️
• Recognition of one's natural, perfect state helps overcome samsaric sufferings. 🌏
• Importance of inner balance and recognizing impermanence within spiritual practices. ⚖️

Overview

Welcome to an enlightening journey into the teachings on Mahamudra by Guru Vajradhara HH the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa. The master begins with a charming overview of the Tibetan terms 'Tablam' and 'Trolam', essential for understanding the complex journey of Mahamudra. He urges practitioners to embrace these terminologies and prepare their minds and spirits for the attainment of wisdom and liberation.

A key part of the teachings is the necessity for aspirants to become conducive to Mahamudra practices. This involves renouncement of the worldly distractions that bind us and hinder spiritual progress. By acknowledging our inherent perfection and relinquishing desires and attachments, practitioners pave the way towards achieving true enlightenment.

The teachings beautifully navigate the depths of spiritual concepts. Emphasis is placed on internal balance, mindfulness, and recognizing impermanence in life. Through the practice of calm abiding states like 'shine', practitioners can reach profound peace. The master concludes by envisioning a world where everyone realizes their innate Buddha essence, urging continuous dedication toward this transformative practice.

Essence of Mahamudra || Guru Vajradhara HH the 12th Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] oh no
• 00:30 - 01:00 [Music]
• 01:00 - 01:30 as per request of
• 01:30 - 02:00 all of you i am elaborating on mahamudra the essence of mahamudra and mahamudra is such a vast subject
• 02:00 - 02:30 so i have to summarize everything and present is presented in most comprehensive possible manner okay now the source of mahamudra you have to use two tibetan terminology
• 02:30 - 03:00 tablam and tulam so tap lum means through many different methods such as visualization and exercise and so many sacred practices like that so through that path then the practitioner attain realization
• 03:00 - 03:30 and of course it will lead to enlightenment at the end that is means tall means liberation so without so many of the technical methods such as visualization etc etc there is some but minimum
• 03:30 - 04:00 then directly practicing and practicing on the nature of mind so first of all one have to be able to have the cognizance of the nature of mind and once that happened then progress
• 04:00 - 04:30 will be rapid and efficiency and dynamism will follow so the tablam and trollam and tablam in mahamudra lineage of marpa kaju it will be tablam
• 04:30 - 05:00 and for example with the shangpakachu then it will be tablam nigu chuju and trollam chamber is always the same and the chambo the maha mudra and the pachimbu the mahati and madhyamaka all these
• 05:00 - 05:30 great methods are inseparable actually they are complementary to each other so um all three are in unity and union that is the lineage of the sun so these are just very basic terminology
• 05:30 - 06:00 definitions now in mahamudra itself most important part of the mahamudra practice is the practitioner have to be conducive to the mahamudra practice now every sentence being is conducive in principle
• 06:00 - 06:30 and in essence but individually speaking some are more conducive and some are less conducive for example the persons whose mind is not well grounded that is a very big obstacle for the beginners and also person who don't have the
• 06:30 - 07:00 clear renunciation of the worldly interests that is a major shortcoming and setback for mahamudra a practitioner again relatively speaking uh ultimate of the worldly and spiritual is the same of course but relatively very big difference
• 07:00 - 07:30 in the worldly interest we all wandering in suffering of samsara and spiritually we proceed towards the ultimate goal the liberation the liberation of our potential so there is uh incentive intrinsic differences but anyway essence is
• 07:30 - 08:00 the same now in the samsaric interest we have been pursuing for countless lifetimes in this life also we have cons we have pursued for so many years so we are still faced with so many sufferings so many
• 08:00 - 08:30 pressures uh so many obstacles so therefore we wish to overcome this we see we create suffering for ourself we create suffering for others we create many others create suffering we see many others create suffering to each other so therefore we are pursuing the path of liberation
• 08:30 - 09:00 and then the preliminary practice is uh essential as i have mentioned you have to know two things first the first thing is you have to know you are ultimately okay and perfect naturally okay
• 09:00 - 09:30 perfect every ascension being is okay and perfect everything is perfect and ultimately so that you have to know once you truly understand what does this mean when i just say here for a few minutes and our full time is 45 minute to half hour then i don't know
• 09:30 - 10:00 how much you are able to grasp or understand but i hope something you understand many of you already know of course then once that is there then we have to know relatively we are not doing well we might be doing well financially but we still are greedy
• 10:00 - 10:30 we still have so much to uh to worry about we have a clockwork saying if you own a elephant your responsibility is an elephant and the elephant is not as same as the statue of the elephant or a picture of an elephant but it is a living elephant with its own emotions its own needs
• 10:30 - 11:00 and its own ups and downs so that is a big responsibility and then if you are not uh decisive and not decided and not settled then you might want a 10 elephant and then you want a hundred elephant and you want to break some kind of
• 11:00 - 11:30 record of owning the maximum elephant and that fame is one thing but maintaining the elephant hundreds of them is a very very very difficult maybe you love it but still i definitely think you will have so much stress so in samsara
• 11:30 - 12:00 being powerful being rich everything is nice and wonderful but it have so much responsibility that have so much possibilities of obstacles attached to it so all of these things one have to understand so ultimately everything is perfect but relatively
• 12:00 - 12:30 nothing is perfect everything has to be dealt with mindfulness and awareness one have to develop compassion one have to develop wisdom one have to develop skill skillful means sorry skillful means and the so many ways through which you have to progress so these two is very important when we don't have these two in balance
• 12:30 - 13:00 then we have we are very unreasonable and any bad thing happen uh we are shattered any good thing happened we hit the roof and we have a saying higher you fly if you fall harder you fall therefore if you walk on the ground if you fall you just
• 13:00 - 13:30 just fell few feet you know or body's length so that way it is very important to know these basics and if you really are a good practitioner they are nothing more than a good sense of common sense sometimes little bit larger
• 13:30 - 14:00 than day-to-day common sense sometimes little bit uh farsighted than the day-to-day common sense some common sense even goes back to the past and making the link between the past and present that is also a very important common sense so then beautifully as mentioned in the western uh
• 14:00 - 14:30 clockal you say you wear other person's boot you know so so that means you put yourself in other person's place and therefore you see how other person feel what other person have to go through how difficult it is to be
• 14:30 - 15:00 what they are and if you are a in charge or the owner of a wood meal there you create all kind of wooden beams and planks and so on and so forth and you can shout and jump on all of those people but in in reality
• 15:00 - 15:30 they have to put the woods on a chain which are big big trees tree trunks and brought in the in the truck and have to put on harness and then have to put it in the right angle and then these big machines with a big sauce you have to put it through them and you have to get it exactly correct otherwise you can ruin the whole
• 15:30 - 16:00 uh whole block of wood and so they are working very hard physically mentally they have to have experience they have to have muscle power they have to have internal intelligence they have to know how to function those very very powerful machine if a wrong move your finger is gone if if a bad move
• 16:00 - 16:30 a limp will be gone so very serious so so this way the the owner of the wood mill should put should put his or her foot in the shoe of the operator and worker and then then you will not jump on to them jump on them so often as usual and
• 16:30 - 17:00 the understanding will develop so so the understanding the communication is very important so now here the about the samsara about the buddhahood about the precious human life that impermanent suffering of samsara karma causing result all of these things has to be understood thoroughly on top of that then basic meditation to
• 17:00 - 17:30 calm your mind because your mind is so so bright so powerful so precious full of potential but if you don't calm down it cannot function for example a a horse a satastalian can race across the
• 17:30 - 18:00 field carry a huge load and a high spirit and very powerful and very beautiful and enjoys it but if you lock your stallion up in a small small cage hardly can move then then stallion cannot move and cannot exercise cannot perform so when we lock our buddha nature lock our
• 18:00 - 18:30 potential in some kind of very meager and limited and empathetic purpose it is like asking a let's say a stallion to just scratch your back
• 18:30 - 19:00 with his hoof you know very awkward and not efficient but instead of that take the stalin out put a saddle on it get on it and then race across the field let the stallion take you wherever it likes you to take you and they will take you to good places
• 19:00 - 19:30 high places beautiful places fresh air great view great stream great lake like that so it is very important to let your potential to be free so it can manifest all of its greatness so that way what makes us not free is our greed our hatred our jealousy our pride etc etc
• 19:30 - 20:00 now i want to talk about them later if there's time but first i wanted to talk about the two very important practice first is calm abiding state com abiding practice shini in tibetan language so shine your mind your mind which is right now
• 20:00 - 20:30 unseparable from your body and your speech and your body is totally dependent on your surrounding when raining outside you will run into the house if too much heat too much temperature then you will turn on the fan or air condition
• 20:30 - 21:00 and if you are thirsty you drink water if you are hungry you eat food so you're totally dependent you're not independent your mind never gets hungry but your body gets hungry your mind never gets too cold or too hot but your body gets too hot hot or too cold so therefore therefore in order to take care of that then you calm down you calm down your mind
• 21:00 - 21:30 and you minimize things around you things that make too much noise and too complicated unnecessary then and then get rid of them for the time being and you find a corner in your house preferably a room very quiet with minimum things inside that you call it a meditation room it sounds ironic but we have to
• 21:30 - 22:00 because we are beginner and when we are more uh evolved then every place is meditation place in the middle of the street and the middle of the crowd middle of the factory it is a meditation place but right now no we need a quiet place to begin with then when you do the shine method such
• 22:00 - 22:30 as breathing etc etc there are so many methods in mahamudra so gradually gradually then you reach this calm abiding state which is so pleasant so present so that it is let's say ineffable cannot describe it ineffable and and also
• 22:30 - 23:00 let's say un conceivable unimaginable because as a dualistic means you cannot imagine it and you cannot describe it you cannot explain it because you experience it your experience you try to say with so many words so many
• 23:00 - 23:30 examples and it will be pretty close but it will never be precise because the only precise is to experience it so you experience the calm abiding state of mind which is nothing comparable to anything i give few examples
• 23:30 - 24:00 just for the sake of it deep like an ocean vast like a space bright like a sun at the same time it is quite like the middle of the space at the same time it have its own sound so it is embodiment of sound and embodiment of everything
• 24:00 - 24:30 so so remaining in that is the first step then after that then the then or vipassana there then in that state of calm abiding mind then
• 24:30 - 25:00 anything that it it perceives around it because in essence everything is free from cause and conditions but relatively everything is a result of cause and conditions and you will only realize that with a profound
• 25:00 - 25:30 experience or realization of shinny then you can recognize this and [Music] three words can describe it means clear ripa
• 25:30 - 26:00 means aware and means non-grasping and it is all pervading nature of itself is primordial wisdom so people like us who are doing a short session of meditation then when we reach to that state we maintain it
• 26:00 - 26:30 but then once we progress further and we become a yogi of mahamudra true yogi then then we become we become that calm abiding state we become that clarity awareness
• 26:30 - 27:00 and non-grasping primordial wisdom so that is a basic of mahamudra practice after the preliminary practice and there's so much to it so much to it and finally finally that pure mind that
• 27:00 - 27:30 uncorrupted uncorruptible essence is recognized through the blessing of the buddha the blessing of the buddha is continued through the lineage and then through the lineage it is transmitted to you
• 27:30 - 28:00 gradually when you are ready ultimately everybody is ready but relatively readiness will take time for example you have a nectar most precious nectar but you need a container for it and that container you make a beautiful
• 28:00 - 28:30 container out of clay beautiful you paint it you make it smooth you make it beautiful but you did not fire it so moment you put the nectar in it nectar will be wasted because it will fall apart so one of the condition is that clay pot
• 28:30 - 29:00 although how beautiful it is or how not beautiful it is it has to be at least fired so through the fire it becomes so durable that you put the nectar in it it will host it and then from there you can share the nectar with everyone and the nectar by definition in the highest sense is it is inexhaustible
• 29:00 - 29:30 so a small part of nectar can bless an entire ocean and all the beings in the ocean will be blessed by it now i want to say something about the nectar this is a side track the nectar in tibetan is a duty in sanskrit is amrit
• 29:30 - 30:00 means everything that is negative means the essence so essence that can transform the most negative into most positive that is duty by definition is
• 30:00 - 30:30 alchemy or the or the nectar which transforms most negative into most positive most defiled into most enlightened that is the definition of duty okay now back to the mahamudra practice
• 30:30 - 31:00 i'd like to share with you some of the basics of mahamudra progress once your shini and the tongue is progressed then in the tongue then when your mind is able to rest in this natural state which i have
• 31:00 - 31:30 described earlier then it will arise into other thoughts or whatever and so when that happen that come abiding state which is the base should not be disturbed or moved
• 31:30 - 32:00 or affected so even when you are wondering your awareness is still there and then then your awareness your rigpa the intelligence the awareness the brilliantness of the wisdom will prevail in every aspect of thoughts
• 32:00 - 32:30 and emotions everything not from the day one of course but practitioners have to practice so first like nothing is [Music] existing as a solid entity then second although we perceive impermanent things as a permanent
• 32:30 - 33:00 but still impermanent will never become permanent so that permanent perception itself will dissolve by itself example if you make a knot on a living snake nobody have to undo the knot snake itself will undo the knot
• 33:00 - 33:30 the same way this uh everything ultimately not defiled even our defilement perceives it wrongly and act wrongly but in essence it will undo itself by itself but what i the we the wrongdoers what we are left with is our bad karma of doing
• 33:30 - 34:00 the wrong thing and all the consequences of that in short term as well as in long term then rikpa the ripper is at all time and the emptiness is in union so that
• 34:00 - 34:30 clarity that brilliantness is non-dualistic therefore it will remain at all time it will be efficient at all time just like the center of the space so what do i mean by that okay if we wanted to find the center of the
• 34:30 - 35:00 space we don't have to go anywhere if you are here on this earth in your room that is the center of the space right now if you travel eastwards with speed of light let's say for 10 billion years and then you decide to stay there that is the center of the space because space have no end
• 35:00 - 35:30 therefore every place is the end of the space center of the space at the same time so is always perfect and so that is the very important part of the recognition of nature of mind those of you who have done the practice you will know and those who are not familiar i hope this would be a good
• 35:30 - 36:00 information for you then now uh i will i want to go with the few details first uh this will be good for everyone everyone can relate to it no matter whether you are a seasoned practitioner or you are brand new so impermanent everything is impermanent you know that but you somehow never thought about it
• 36:00 - 36:30 or never took it seriously but it's very important because when you are truly understanding impermanent then you will not get disappointed about small small small things that happens in your life because you know everything is impermanent and all the problems in this world
• 36:30 - 37:00 individually community as well as in a big sense all the problems happen because we are holding onto something as if this is the truth this is the reality and we are not going to let go of it and then it doesn't work because everything is moving just like a river you go to a
• 37:00 - 37:30 bridge and look down at the river and you call that at such and such river but you went two years ago and went there and called that such and such river but that particular river that you saw down there it moved miles away as you are standing there for five minutes it's not there but it is a illusion so the same way we
• 37:30 - 38:00 are holding on to everything in life and when we are younger we have one perception when we are older then we have mid-life crisis then when we are really old then we are afraid of dying but you know all of that is just a perception because with due respect i have seen many young people die
• 38:00 - 38:30 in the life of a one old person's life i have seen it i reach my age now but meanwhile so many people who i know who are 10 years younger than me 20 years younger than me even 60 years younger than me died so many so that way impermanent
• 38:30 - 39:00 is just a relative truth and so that way when you know the impermanent then you are not afraid of it and you are not stressful about it you don't take it personally good things happen good bad things happen is also okay you can handle it so that is
• 39:00 - 39:30 very important impermanent then suffering of samsara okay in this circle of samsara there is it is full of suffering my family is a farmer half farmer half nominate so example with the farmer when they they prepare the ground for growing
• 39:30 - 40:00 vegetables they have to open up the ground so all the worms all the insects inside the ground are pulled out and so many birds come and eat them they're cut in two pieces and they're suffering and there's so many things happening but we are just planting vegetables and then after that when we put the seed then put the water every day
• 40:00 - 40:30 then so many thousands and thousands of ants and all kinds of insects are drowned the entire colonies are drowned and then to avoid that then get medicine actually this is a human's arrogance they call it medicine but it's actually a poison so throw these poisons into the earth so all these little creatures die by the
• 40:30 - 41:00 colonies and we call they call that medicine so anyway that and without medicine then every day tens of thousands and thousands of of creatures drown and die and even you have a small patch of 50 feet by 50 feet you know so if you have few acreage 10 acres and like that so many will
• 41:00 - 41:30 will suffer so many will die that is suffering of samsara and then when you harvest then so much will be destroyed because when you are cutting the the creatures are living inside the straw and inside the vegetable then you are cutting them into pieces then you wash them then you are washing them and you are killing them
• 41:30 - 42:00 and then when you boil so every creature that lives inside those living vegetables are being boiled alive then we eat the vegetable so so so that is the suffering of samsara in samsara everything involves suffering so i give you one example as a farmer family i did not grow anything like that by myself but i see that
• 42:00 - 42:30 everywhere then next is this insecurity feeling all of us feel insecure some feel more some feel less but if you look at the crossroad of any major city and you see tens of thousands of people running right and left
• 42:30 - 43:00 waiting for the red light and then when the green light comes then they all rush so it is just like a ants so human beings are like ants innumerable so many so many but why are they rushing if you're if you live near an airport hundreds of airplanes fly in hundreds of airplanes fly out almost every minute
• 43:00 - 43:30 one airplane flies if it is a major airport so then some have a few runways and each one of them carrying 50 60 100 some of them carrying up to 3 400 people and running all the time all direction for what and for what they all have their own reasons they all have something to take care
• 43:30 - 44:00 and if they don't take care of them then they feel they are losing something so because of that insecurity they wanted to do all of this even those who go for holiday they also feel that they have to go for holiday otherwise they are losing their mind they are losing their their health so they want to go and walk and swim
• 44:00 - 44:30 and eat and interact and have fun and all of that all of that is for for taking care of their their need and if they don't do it their need will not be fulfilled so that is insecurity in a certain way not negatively all the time but sometimes negative of course so so in this world so many wars are happening and that is because of insecurity
• 44:30 - 45:00 and feel insecure then make war and so one have to be to be put against somebody else that is because of one's own self importance so i am more important than them therefore i have to do these things to them so that
• 45:00 - 45:30 i will be secure of course i'm not against security security is very very good but as far as a mahamudra practitioner is concerned this is also one of the reasons why we human beings suffer in the name of this then millions of people were killed in the past
• 45:30 - 46:00 in past let's say 5 000 years of human history which we roughly know throughout the world east west north south center everywhere so these are all coming from this and then next the fourth one is fear so we are afraid so because of fear we think we have to boost up our self we have to look like a
• 46:00 - 46:30 somebody we have to act like a something otherwise we we fear that no one will notice us no one will respect us and that is a luxury fear but there's another fear not enough food to eat tomorrow no place to stay no house no food no friend uh no no companion
• 46:30 - 47:00 uh no protection that kind of fear millions and millions of human beings on earth right now are in this sphere so as a result of the fear then then we feel that we are neglected so this one have to overcome so the impermanent suffering of samsara the insecurity
• 47:00 - 47:30 and the fear so this all has to be transformed transformed into what is correct then then now another five thing which i will go briefly i have a little bit elaborate one here from the zapatru rumbaches teaching which is very precious to me but because
• 47:30 - 48:00 of the today's timing not possible so first the ignorance ignorance is we are not able to know anything except ourselves i mean including ourself we call ourself i that is the beginning of the ignorance we are more than i we are a primordial
• 48:00 - 48:30 and we don't know that so therefore it becomes i and it's a continuation that that flows into everything else and if we really look at anything do we know everything about anything i hope i don't want to i hope i don't sound negative because i don't want but
• 48:30 - 49:00 the truthful you know i am rice eater okay i eat rice every day bowl of rice play the rice but do i know everything everything about one grain of rice i don't know as a maha mudra practitioner i know that to know
• 49:00 - 49:30 everything about one grain of rice i have to know everything about the whole universe you know so therefore ignorance then attachment so this perception of i which is ignorance but as a result of that i have attachment for anything to do with me
• 49:30 - 50:00 my taste my feeling my smell the sound that i hear everything i have attachment for the good ones the sound that i like the smell that i like the touch that i like but then other side of that other side of that is automatically without any effort
• 50:00 - 50:30 sound that i don't like so that is a aversion the opposite of the taste that i like that i don't like the sound opposite of what i like then a version and the feeling the touch that i like then opposite of that aversion then this goes not only with something that that is to do with my
• 50:30 - 51:00 body but then other people you know and so so we have attachment to some people and then naturally as a result of that then we develop aversion to others naturally doesn't have to be but naturally happens nobody have to teach us if you look at a pack of uh wild animal
• 51:00 - 51:30 they'll love each other but if there is a new animal of the same species comes in they all will attack it because they don't like it you know anger towards it out of fear of course out of insecurity of course but anger then ego pride when i get something done easily i get proud of it
• 51:30 - 52:00 and then the jealousy the terrible thing when somebody gets something wonderful before i get it then i will be jealous so all of these things are have to be taken care through mahamudra practice one by one so now one last thing let us meditate for a little while we don't have much time
• 52:00 - 52:30 if we encounter attachment you don't have to look where it all of us have so we look at we do the shine we just calm down and we look at that attachment itself without any other perception except look
• 52:30 - 53:00 at it with our mind of course then it dissolves it always dissolves but if we think about it then of course it might develop further but without thinking about it without
• 53:00 - 53:30 elaborating about it just look at it it's just like you see a lion charging at you in your dream but as soon as you know you're dreaming you sit there and look at the dragon look at the lion and lion just will pass through you because dream lion cannot eat
• 53:30 - 54:00 you in the dream when you truly know it is dreaming so we are not mahasidah we don't have miracles but our own attachment our own anger our own self clinging our own jealousy our own pride
• 54:00 - 54:30 then if we go a little bit further our own insecurity our own fear we can look at it and we can handle it in a most harmonious and a beautiful way and of course at the beginning it will be for a stop gap measure
• 54:30 - 55:00 temporary benefit but then if we continue then slowly slowly we become and that is what we call mahamudra realization and mahamudra realization have 12 steps so that would be the first step first stage of mahamudra realization
• 55:00 - 55:30 let us all pray that may we and all a sentient being will remain in this state of spontaneous transformation even for a stop gap measure it worth it because we shouldn't neglect
• 55:30 - 56:00 a drop otherwise ocean will never form ocean is a collection of countless drops and we make a million miles journey we should not neglect the first step without first step a million miles journey will never start
• 56:00 - 56:30 journey towards ultimate destination buddhahood mahasiddha of mahamudra like the loba like naropa like marpa lottawa like milarepa and above all buddha vajradhara
• 56:30 - 57:00 may we dedicate the merit of our teaching for the benefit of all sentient beings to realize their primordial innate buddha essence buddha potential everyone is future buddha
• 57:00 - 57:30 may they realize this we dedicate foreign
• 57:30 - 58:00 foreign [Music] you