Pith Instructions on Mah›mudr› by...

Pith Instructions on Mah›mudr› by Tilopa

with a Commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa, Göncho Yenla

ilopa (988-1069) was born into a Brahman family in thekingdom of Sahor in eastern India (present-day Bengal) andfirst received the name Prabh›svara. As he grew up, one daymany old and ugly women appeared in his home and

ordered him:

Herd buffalo and learn the letters,The prophecy of the ˜›kinıs will come!

He did as they had said and later, while he was tending buffalo, the samewomen appeared again and asked for his name, country, and parents. Hetold them, but the women angrily answered:

O boy, you have no idea!Your country is U˜˜iy›˚a in the West,Your father is Cakrasa˙vara,Your mother is Vajrav›r›hı,Your sister is me, the ˜›kinı Sukhad›,And you are Pañcapana.Do not tend buffaloes, those animals.Rather, in the middle of the forest of the bodhi-tree,Always tend the buffalo of experience!

Then, they sent him to the charnel ground of S›lavih›ra in the south,where he received the instructions of “the four great streams of the ear-whispered lineages”:356 illusory body from N›g›rjuna, dream yoga fromK¸˝˚ac›rya, luminosity from Kambala (aka Lavapa), and ca˚˜›lı from the

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˜›kinı Subhaginı. He practiced both the creation and the completionstages for a while, when the ˜›kinı told him:

In Bengal in the east,In the marketplace of Pañcapana,Dwells the prostitute Bharim› and her entourage.If you work as her servant, you will be purified,Reach the end of practice, and attain siddhi.

Accordingly, at night, he attended Bharim› in receiving the men thatcame to her. During the day, he was grinding sesame seeds (thus his nameTilopa) and eventually realized Mah›mudr› while doing that. When theking of that country came by with his retinue, he and Bharim› sang inunison:

As for the oil of sesame, which is its essence,The ignorant know that it exists in sesame,But if they don’t know the branches of dependent origination,They cannot extract the sesame oil, its essence.Just so, connate natural wisdomExists in the heart of all beings,But cannot be realized without the guru pointing it out.By pounding sesame and taking off its husk,Sesame oil, the essence, comes forth.Likewise, by relying on the guru, suchness, true reality,Just like sesame oil, will be shown by symbols.Objects are of the single nature of inseparability.Ah! That reality, far-reaching and hard to fathom,Is clear right now, how wonderful!

Later, again at the behest of the ugly women, Tilopa went to U˜˜iy›˚ato receive the most profound instructions of “the whispered lineage with-out words” from the ˜›kinıs of nirm›˚ak›ya, sambhogak›ya, and dhar-mak›ya. They also gave him teachings on Cakrasa˙vara and named himPrajñ›bhadra. Finally, they said, “Go to the hermitage of ⁄iroma˚i andtake care of N›ropa, Riripa, and Kasoripa!”From then on, when asked by students who his guru was, he replied:

94 straight from the heart


I have no human guru,My guru is omniscience.

Following this, he showed his powers in eight episodes. First, he out-shone a Buddhist yogin by his wisdom and display of miracles andma˚˜alas. Next, he subdued a non-Buddhist teacher at N›land› in a con-test of debate and magical powers. He defeated the magical army of amagician who was threatening a whole kingdom. Supreme realization wasinduced in a barmaid by Tilopa manifesting as a monkey and a cat thatdrank all her beer and also in a famous troubadour by prevailing in asinging contest with him. Tilopa converted a butcher who relentlesslykilled animals to feed his son by transforming the meat in the butcher’spot into the limbs of this son. He convinced a materialistic hedonist ofthe existence of karma by taking him to the hells and heavens. Lastly,Tilopa subdued an evil sorcerer, who murdered people through castingspells, by killing and reviving the sorcerer’s family.

Later, Tilopa ostentatiously appeared as a monk named Kalapa in themonastery AŸoka in eastern India. However, he did not engage in monas-tic life, but killed lots of locusts and piled up their heads and bodies intwo heaps. When everybody started accusing him, he revived the insectswith a song and thus became renowned as an emanation of Cakrasa˙vara.

After that, he went to another country in eastern India and composedsome sublime verses on the occasion of receiving alms at the king’s court.When the king asked him about their meaning, he sang:

I have neither father nor mother—I am Cakrasa˙vara, supreme bliss.I have neither preceptor nor instructor—I am a self-born Buddha.I have neither grammar nor valid cognition—My science of reasoning streams forth on its own.The enlightened body, speech, and mind of Cakrasa˙varaAnd my own body, speech, and mind are inseparable.I am walking in great bliss!

Thus, Tilopa became known as Cakrasa˙vara in person. Finally, heappeared as the embodiment of all the Buddhas of the three times. Upon

pith instructions on maha– mudra– by tilopa 95


many siddhas having been invited by King Si˙hacandra to give empow-erments, Tilopa had a ma˚˜ala of colored sand float in the sky. The peo-ple present perceived him in different ways, so he sang:

My body is Hevajra,My speech is Mah›m›y›,My mind is Cakrasa˙vara.My skandhas and dh›tus are Guhyasam›ja.My major limbs are K¸˝˚ayam›ri.My minor body parts are Vajrabhairava.My pores are limitless pure realms,In which the enlightened body, speech, and mindOf the Buddhas of the three times abide.

Pith Instructions on Mah›mudr› 357

In Sanskrit: Mah›mudropadeŸa358

In English: Pith Instructions on Mah›mudr›

I prostrate to glorious Vajra˜›kinı.359

You work with hardships, are dedicated to the guru,Can endure suffering, and are full of insight, N›ropa.You fortunate one, deal like this with your mind!360

Though Mah›mudr› cannot be taught,361

Just as in the example of which [part of ] space is supporting which,Your own mind, Mah›mudr›, lacks any supporting ground.Let go and rest in the uncontrived, fundamental state.If you loosen up your tightness, there is no doubt that you are

liberated.

For example, when you look at the center of the sky, seeing will cease.

Likewise, when mind looks at mind,The swarms of thoughts cease and unsurpassable enlightenment

is attained.362



For example, clouds [formed by] vapor on earth vanish in the sky’s expanse.

They neither go anywhere, nor do they dwell any place.The same is true for the swarms of thoughts sprung from the

mind:Through seeing your own mind, the waves of thoughts clear up.363

For example, the nature of space is beyond color and shape,Untainted and unchanged by black or white.Likewise, the essence of your own mind364 transcends color

and shape,Not tainted by the black and white phenomena of good

and evil.

Just as the bright and clear365 heart of the sunCannot [even] be obscured by the darkness of a thousand eons,The luminous heart of your own mindCannot be obscured by this cyclic existence of [infinite] eons.

For example, though space is conventionally labeled as empty,Space cannot be described as being like this.Likewise, though your own mind may be called luminosity,Through this expression, it is not established in this way nor is

there a basis for conventional labeling.366

Thus, the nature of the mind is primordially367 like space.There is not a single phenomenon that is not included within it.

Cast away all bodily activities, rest at ease368 in naturalness.Let your speech be without utterance,369 resounding yet empty,

like an echo.Don’t think of anything in your mind, behold the dharma of

the final leap.The body is without pith, just like a bamboo cane.Mind is like the center of space, beyond being an object

of thinking.Without discarding or placing, relax and leave it in its

own state.



If mind lacks any point of reference, this is Mah›mudr›.If you become familiar and acquainted370 with this, you attain

unsurpassable enlightenment.

Whether it be what the mantra[y›na] or the p›ramit›[y›na] say,The collections of the vinaya, the sÒtras, and so on,371

Or your own individual scriptures and philosophical systems,Through none of these will you see luminous Mah›mudr›.Through what springs from wanting, you do not see luminosity,

but it obscures.Through conceptions, precepts and samayas fall away from

the actual.

Not engaging mentally, free from all wanting,Self-arisen and self-settling, just like patterns on water—372

If you do not go beyond the actuality of nondwelling and beingnonreferential,

You do not go beyond samaya,373 which is the lamp in thedarkness.

If you are free from all wanting and do not dwell in extremes,You will see all dharmas of the scriptural collections without

exception.If you merge into this actuality, you are released from the dungeon

of cyclic existence.Resting in equipoise in this actuality, all wrongdoing and

obscurations are consumed.374

This is explained as “the lamp of the teachings.”

Foolish beings who are not interested in this actualityAre always just carried off by the stream of cyclic existence.How pitiful are these fools who undergo unbearable sufferings in

the lower realms!If you wish to be liberated from such unbearable sufferings, rely

on skillful gurus.Once their blessings enter your heart, your own mind will

be released.



Oh! The phenomena of cyclic existence are meaningless and thecauses of suffering.375

Since produced phenomena lack any essence, behold the essencethat is meaningful.376

Being beyond all that apprehends and is apprehended is the kingof views.

If there is no distraction, this is the king of meditations.377

If there is no activity with effort, this is the king of conduct.If there is no hope and fear, the fruition is revealed.Beyond an object of focus,378 the nature of the mind is luminous.Without a path on which to travel, the beginning of the path of

the Buddha is seized.If you become familiar with there being no object with which to

become familiar,379 unsurpassable enlightenment is attained.

Oh! Wordly phenomena, well seen through,Are unable to persist, just like dreams and illusions.Dreams and illusions do not exist in actuality.Therefore, give rise to weariness and cast away worldly activities.Cut through all bonds of attachment and aversion toward your

retinue and country380

And meditate alone in forests and mountain retreats.Dwell in the sphere of there being nothing on which to meditate.

If you attain the unattainable, you have attained Mah›mudr›.For example, on a tree with a trunk,381 branches, and foliage

so vast,Once its single382 root is cut, its millions of branches will wither.Likewise, if mind’s root is severed, the foliage of cyclic existence

will wither.

Take, for example, the darkness that has accumulated overthousands of eons:

A single lamp dispels the immensity of this blackness.Likewise, a single moment of mind’s luminosityEliminates the ignorance, wrongdoing, and obscurations383 that

have amassed for eons.



Oh! Through the phenomena of the mind, the actuality beyondmind is not seen.

Through the phenomena of doing, the actuality of nothing to bedone is not realized.384

If you wish to attain the actuality beyond mind in which nothingis to be done,

Resolve mind to its depths and leave awareness nakedly.Allow the polluted waters of thoughts to become clear.Do not stop or make up appearances, leave them in their own

place.

If there is no rejecting and adopting, whatever can appear385 isliberated as Mah›mudr›.

Since the all-ground is unborn, its being covered by theobscurations of latent tendencies is cleared away.386

Do not be self-inflated or evaluate,387 rest within the unbornessence.

Appearances are self-appearances, so let mental phenomenaexhaust themselves.388

Complete release from extremes is the supreme389 king of views.Boundless spacious depth is the supreme king of meditation.Freedom from the bias of decision making390 is the supreme king

of conduct.Self-abiding with no hopes is the supreme fruition.

In beginners, this is similar to water [gushing down] a gorge.In between, it is the gentle flow of the river Gaºg›.Finally, all waters391 meet like a mother and her child.

If persons with inferior minds cannot dwell in the natural state,392

They should seize the essential points of pr›˚a and strip393

awareness bare.Through the many branches394 of gazing techniques and holding

the mind,They should be disciplined until awareness dwells in its

natural state.



If you rely on a karmamudr›, blissful-empty wisdom dawns.By blessing means and prajñ›, enter into union.Let it descend slowly, retain it, pull it back up,395

Guide it to its place, and let it pervade the body.

If there is no attachment, blissful-empty wisdom dawns.You will be of long life, without white hairs, and flourish like the

moon.Your complexion will be radiant and you will be powerful like a

lion.You will swiftly attain the common siddhis and blend with the

most supreme.

May this pith instruction on the esssential points of Mah›mudr›Dwell in the hearts of fortunate beings!

This completes the twenty vajra-verses on Mah›mudr› that glorious Tilopa,who was accomplished in Mah›mudr›, spoke to the Kashmiri pa˚˜itaN›ropa on the banks of the river Gaºg› after having put him through thetwelve kinds of hardship.

It was translated and finally edited in this form by this pa˚˜ita himself andthe great Tibetan translator Marpa Chökyi Lodrö at Pu˝pahari in the north[of India].

The Commentary by the Fifth Shamarpa, Göncho Yenla

The Fifth Shamarpa, Göncho Yenla396 (1525-1583), was born in GandenKangsar397 in the southern Tibetan province of Gongbo.398 As soon as hewas born, he looked at his mother and smiled at her. At the age of two, hewas recognized and enthroned by the Eighth Karmapa. At the age of four,the young Shamarpa had learned reading and writing without effort andalready knew several major texts on Tibetan grammar and Buddhism, suchas AŸvagho˝a’s Fifty Stanzas on the Guru and the Third Karmapa’s ProfoundInner Reality.399 When he was eight, he received the vows of an up›saka400

from the Eighth Karmapa, who gave him the name Göncho Bang401 andhis red crown. He continued to obtain many empowerments, reading



transmissions, and instructions from the Karmapa (such as the Six Dhar-mas of N›ropa, the Six Dharmas of Niguma, and Mah›mudr›) and com-pleted his education with him at the age of twelve. Thereafter, he wasinstructed by the Second Pawo Rinpoché, Tsugla Trengwa402 (1504-1566),thus obtaining the entire transmission of the Kagyü lineage. In 1539, hereceived his novice vows and became formally installed at his main seat,Yangbachen,403 by the Eighth Karmapa. He continued to receive manyprofound teachings and spent time in meditation retreats at Tsurpu, withhis realization increasing greatly. In 1542, he was fully ordained as a monkby the Karmapa, Pawo Tsugla Trengwa, and ⁄›kya Gyatso.404 Besides thesethree, Göncho Yenla also studied with the tertön Shigbo Lingpa KargyiWangchug Dsal405 (1524-1583), Kunga Chösang,406 the Jonang masterDzamtang Gyalwa Sengé407 (1509-1580), and Dalung Namgyal Tragba408

(1469-1530?). After the Eighth Karmapa had passed away in 1554, hebecame the supreme holder of the Kagyü lineage until 1561, when heenthroned the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchug Dorje409 (1556-1603) and passedon all transmissions to him. Göncho Yenla was not only very erudite inboth the sÒtras and the tantras but also a highly accomplished meditationmaster. Besides the Ninth Karmapa, his numerous illustrious disciplesfrom different Kagyü, Nyingma, and Sakya schools included the FourthGyaltsab Rinpoché, Tragba Töndrub410 (1550-1617); the Fifth Situpa,Chökyi Gyaltsen411 (1562-1632); the Third Pawo Rinpoché, TsuglaGyatso412 (1567-1633); Kyabda Drubcho Wangbo413 (1563-1618, abbot ofLegshé Ling and reincarnation of the Drugba Kagyü siddha Gyalwa Göt-sangba);414 Sönam Gyatso415 (main shédra teacher at Legshé Ling); KarmaTrinlé Lhundrub (main teacher at another Kagyü college, called SungrabLing);416 the head of the Drikung Kagyü, Chögyal Püntso417 (1547-1602);the head of the Dalung Kagyü, Kunga Dashi418 (1536-1599/1605); NamkaDashi419 (founder of the Karma Gardri painting style); Yenba Lodé420 (1536-1597, a reincarnation of the great tertön Pema Lingpa);421 and the Sakyamaster Dsedong Dagchen Kunga Legbé Jungné.422 Besides the FifthShamarpa’s commentary on the Ganges Mah›mudr›, his collected worksin eight volumes include several other texts on Mah›mudr›, such as teach-ings on the Drikung “Fivefold Mah›mudr›”; a general presentation of thetantras; instructions on the Six Dharmas of N›ropa and the Six Applica-tions of the K›lacakratantra; a brief interlinear commentary, a moredetailed explanation, and a general synopsis on the Profound Inner Reality;


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interlinear commentaries on the Third Karmapa’s Pointing Out theTath›gata-Heart and Distinction between Consciousness and Wisdom; workson the seven-point mind training; a commentary on the Ornament of ClearRealization;423 a glossary of Buddhist terminology; and various s›dhanas.

A Commentary on The Ganges Mah›mudr›, Called The Essence of Siddhis

I prostrate to glorious Vajrayoginı.

This Ganges Mah›mudr› is the instruction by the great and mightyyogin Tilopa to lord N›ropa on the banks of the river Gaºg›.

It has three parts:1) Meaning of the title2) Prostration by the translator3) Meaning of the text

In Indian language: Mah›mudropadeŸaIn English: Pith Instructions on Mah›mudr›

1) “Mudr›” (seal) has the meaning of there being no place beyond it togo. It refers to appearance and emptiness, bliss and emptiness, means andprajñ›, emptiness and compassion and so on. This means that it neithergoes beyond or above seeming phenomena—appearances—nor beyondor above the ultimate phenomenon—emptiness. It is just a mudr› (seal),but if the two—[appearance and emptiness]—have not become a unity,it is not able to seal all phenomena. Hence, in order to make it more dis-tinguished, “mah›” (great) is added. “Pith instructions” means theessence of all the eighty-four thousand collections of dharma.

2) Prostration by the translator

I prostrate to glorious Vajra˜›kinı.

Since she is the caretaker of the pith instructions, or, since she is the onewho speaks vajra-words, or, since she is the guru of gurus, or, since she is



the nature of the entirety of ground, path, and fruition (the topic of thesepith instructions), [the translator Marpa] prostrates to her at the begin-ning of speaking vajra-words and translating treatises.

3) Meaning of the textThis has two parts:1) Commitment to impart the pithy vajra-instructions2) The progression of how they are imparted

3.1. Commitment to impart the pithy vajra-instructions

You work with hardships, are dedicated to the guru,Can endure suffering, and are full of insight, N›ropa.You fortunate one, deal like this with your mind!

These words teach about the most excellent triad of guru, disciple,and pith instructions, since they teach the characteristics of a disciplewho is a [proper] vessel, that pith instructions which fully qualify as suchmust be taught solely to disciples who are [proper] vessels, and thatsomeone who teaches them in such a way is undoubtedly Vajradhara inperson. The four [features] of working with hardships, being dedicated,enduring suffering, and being full of insight refer to possessing the four[qualities] of vigor, devotion, endurance, and prajñ›. The instruction [toN›ropa] is, “You who are such a fortunate one, understand like this and,once you have understood, deal with your mind by making it a livingexperience!”

3.2. The progression of how [these instructions] are impartedThis has five parts:1) Pointing out Mah›mudr›2) Teaching that it is the essential actuality3) Teaching that it is beyond mind4) The way in which experiences dawn through practicing it5) Teaching its aid, the yoga of messengers



3.2.1. Pointing out Mah›mudr›

[In the following three lines, Tilopa] teaches that the nature of Mah› -mudr› is unspeakable, unthinkable, and inexpressible.

Though Mah›mudr› cannot be taught,Just as in the example of which [part of] space is supporting

which,Your own mind, Mah›mudr›, lacks any supporting ground.

You may wonder, “How should one make something that cannot betaught a living experience?” No matter whether perfect Buddhas havecome or not, the true nature of phenomena is naturally free from con-trivance, spontaneously present, and never changes into anything else.

Since this is the very actuality of the basic nature, [Tilopa] speaks aboutthe way to leave it evenly in just this state:

Let go and rest in the uncontrived, fundamental state.If you loosen up your tightness, there is no doubt that you are

liberated.

[Next, he] describes the way to let go [through] an example and its meaning:

For example, when you look at the center of the sky, seeing willcease.

Likewise, when mind looks at mind,The swarms of thoughts cease and unsurpassable enlightenment

is attained.

The meaning of this is as follows. In the y›na of characteristics, outerreferents, such as forms, and momentary consciousness are ascertainedthrough reasonings, such as the ones of the freedom from unity and mul-tiplicity or of dependent origination. Hence, you cause a mere inferentialobject-generality424 or object of understanding to emerge in your mind,thinking, “They are unborn, free from reference points, and so on.” Here,however, through the power of the guru’s blessings and the disciple’smerit, you do not depend on such arguments and reasonings. Rather, you



will realize the basic nature of all phenomena right within momentaryawareness itself and resolve the depths of cyclic existence and nirv›˚a. Allphenomena are mind and it is mind’s nature to be momentarily imper-manent. Since being impermanent is very swift, when a later [momentof ] consciousness looks at the mind of the past by facing inward, it can-not be observed, since it has already passed, just like the traces of a birdflying in the sky. [The mind of ] the future is not seen either, since it hasnot yet arisen. If you also examine and analyze the looker (the presentconsciousness), it is [nothing but a series of ] many distinct earlier andlater moments. These do not withstand examination, are beyond beingan object of mind, and are free from reference points, just like the centerof space. By thus cutting through doubts from within, all swarms ofthoughts cease and uncontrived certainty about the basic nature of phe-nomena—not being established as anything whatsoever—and its way ofappearance—the way of being suitable to appear as anything whatso-ever—will arise directly as if pointed to with a finger. In this way, it ispointed out directly that connate mind as such is the dharmak›ya’s ownface.425

The way in which thoughts cease at that point is expressed [by Tilopa]as follows:

For example, clouds [formed by] vapor on earth vanish in thesky’s expanse.

They neither go anywhere, nor do they dwell any place.The same is true for the swarms of thoughts sprung from the

mind:Through seeing your own mind, the waves of thoughts clear up.

All the swarms of thoughts of [primary] minds as well as [mental fac-tors] sprung from the mind426 (that comprise [all the many] levels of thethree realms) and the very nature of the mind free from reference pointsare not two. Therefore, when you see the nature of the mind, all the wavesof thoughts cease. Since these swarms of thoughts are adventitious stains,just like clouds vanishing in the sky, there is also no need for someone todeliberately dispel them. They are in no way established as any real enti-ties of the kind that, once they have been dispelled from here, have gone[to another place] over there. Through this, [Tilopa] teaches the presen-



tation that connate appearances are the light of the dharmak›ya. This isheld to teach that this nature—mind and appearances not being two insuch a way—is not established as any entity or nonentity whatsoever.

For example, the nature of space is beyond color and shape,Untainted and unchanged by black or white.Likewise, the essence of your own mind transcends color and

shape,Not tainted by the black and white phenomena of good and evil.

Through this, [Tilopa] explicitly only teaches that the nature of themind is not some material entity. However, implicitly, he teaches that itis not at all a [primary] mind or a mental factor. If it were, it would be thebasis that is tainted by the mind’s latent tendencies of good, bad, and neu-tral actions. If it were like that, the phenomena of cyclic existence wouldbe able to obscure the nature of the mind. However, that is not the case:

Just as the bright and clear heart of the sunCannot [even] be obscured by the darkness of a thousand eons,The luminous heart of your own mindCannot be obscured by this cyclic existence of [infinite] eons.

You may wonder, “If the nature of the mind is not any entity—matteror consciousness—whatsoever, it must be a nonentity.” It is not, [sincehere] it is only negated as an entity, while it is not affirmed as a nonen-tity. Moreover, all [notions of ] “is” and “exist” must be posited in relationto entities, but “is” and “exist” cannot be posited with regard to nonenti-ties, just as there are no [notions of ] “is” and “exist” with regard to thechild of a barren woman. If there is nothing existent, the conventionalterm “nonexistent” does also not occur, since it is only [the dependent factof ] an existent having perished or ceased that is described as “nonexis-tence,” while nonexistence right from the start is not established as anyexistent or nonexistent whatsoever.

This meaning is clearly taught [in the following verse]:

For example, though space is conventionally labeled as empty,Space cannot be described as being like this.



Likewise, though your own mind may be called luminosity,Through this expression, it is not established in this way nor is

there a basis for conventional labeling.

Through this, [Tilopa] teaches that all phenomena are neither empty,nor nonempty, nor both, since these two [words—empty and non-empty—] are conventional terms that are posited in mutual dependence.Hence, if empty exists, nonempty exists too. If nonempty exists, emptymust also exist. However, [all phenomena] are neither of these two, [but]free from all extremes. Since this is the nature of all phenomena, once youinternalize this mode, you will realize the entirety of the actual way ofbeing (suchness) and the way of appearance (its variety).427 Therefore, thenature of the mind is said to be “luminosity.” Also this expression is justa mere conventional label. Ultimately, since any objects and subjects, or,consciousnesses and knowable objects, are not established, luminositytoo is nothing but a mere name.

Thus, the nature of the mind is primordially like space.There is not a single phenomenon that is not included within it.

This is [Tilopa’s] pointing out that all phenomena are mind, that mindis empty, and that being empty is freedom from reference points.

[Then,] he gives purposeful instruction about the way of making theactuality that he has pointed out a living experience through your threedoors:

Cast away all bodily activities, rest at ease in naturalness.Let your speech be without utterance, resounding yet empty,

like an echo.Don’t think of anything in your mind, behold the dharma

of the final leap.The body is without pith, just like a bamboo cane.Mind is like the center of space, beyond being an object

of thinking.Without discarding or placing, relax and leave it in its

own state.



[Tilopa] instructs: “Rest your body at ease, uncontrived in natural-ness. Let your speech be uncontrived, without utterance and thinking,and let sounds be resounding yet empty. Don’t think of anything in yourmind, but take the final leap: within the state of having resolved [yourmind], behold the dharmat› of all dharmas.” He continues instructing inthe following way: “The efforts of the body, such as physical yogic exer-cises, are without pith and are just like a bamboo. The recitations andutterances of your speech are [equally] without pith, just like an echo.Since the nature of your mind too is without pith and free from referencepoints, like the center of space, it is beyond being an object of thinking.Thus, without either trying to discard your vigor due to being faint-hearted and discouraged or place [your mind] in equipoise through strainand effort, relax and leave it just as it is in itself.”

The summary of these [instructions] says:

If mind lacks any point of reference, this is Mah›mudr›.If you become familiar and acquainted with this, you attain

unsurpassable enlightenment.

The meaning of this is as follows. The grasping of the mind [thatbecomes apparent] in the connections between subjects and objects islabeled as a point of reference. Whatever you may be grasping at, you donot go beyond the extremes of permanence and extinction. Therefore, ifyou rest without grasping at anything within the state of the nature ofphenomena just as it is in itself, this is evenly resting in Mah›mudr›. Ifyou become familiar and acquainted with this through mentally engag-ing in devotion and true reality, you attain enlightenment, since you real-ize that all phenomena in all aspects are completely and perfectlyperceived as buddhahood.

Now follows the way in which this very actuality of the basic naturecannot be realized through any views that you claim and can also not beseen through any meditation and conduct that entail reference points:

Whether it be what the mantra[y›na] or the p›ramit›[y›na] say,The collections of the vinaya, the sÒtras, and so on,Or your own individual scriptures and philosophical systems,Through none of these will you see luminous Mah›mudr›.



The reason for this:

Through what springs from wanting, you do not see luminosity,but it obscures.

Through conceptions, precepts and samayas fall away from theactual.

Views that originate from philosophical systems are what springs fromyour own wanting, and wanting means mental grasping. Through this,you do not only not see luminosity, but it obscures realizing both [phe-nomena’s] actual mode of being and their way of appearance. Since alsothe precepts of the three doors and the samayas of the creation and com-pletion [stages] that you adopt through conceptions are [just] mental cre-ations, they fall away from and stand outside of the actual, ultimate wayof being.

[Then, Tilopa] teaches that, through resting in equipoise within thesphere of mental nonengagement, the basic nature of phenomena isrevealed and you are liberated from both existence and peace:

Without mental engagement, free from all wanting,Self-arisen and self-settling, just like patterns on water—If you do not go beyond the actuality of nondwelling and being

nonreferential,You do not go beyond samaya, which is the lamp in the

darkness.

If you do not at all mentally engage in the actuality of the basic natureand are free from all biased wanting, however thoughts may proliferate,they do not go beyond that very nature and will thus be self-liberated. Asan example, [you could say that] they are like patterns on water, that is,drawings on water. Hence, if you do not go beyond the actuality of notdwelling on anything and being nonreferential in any way whatsoever,you do not go beyond the samaya of Mah›mudr› and that is the lampthat dispels the darkness of ignorance.

[Tilopa] continues:



If you are free from all wanting and do not dwell in extremes,You will see all dharmas of the scriptural collections without

exception.If you merge into this actuality, you are released from the

dungeon of cyclic existence.Resting in equipoise in this actuality, all wrongdoing and

obscurations are consumed.This is explained as “the lamp of the teachings.”

Not dwelling in any extremes whatsoever refers to the wisdom thatknows suchness. Subsequent to this knowing the basic nature just as it is,also [the wisdom that] knows the entire variety of the way of appearances,no matter how they may appear, dawns on its own accord. Therefore, allinner [Buddhist] and outer [non-Buddhist] philosophical systems too areknown. This nondwelling in either existence or peace is the nature of phe-nomena.

Through his compassion, [Tilopa] instructs the foolish beings who donot realize such:

Foolish beings who are not interested in this actualityAre always just carried off by the stream of cyclic existence.How pitiful are these fools who undergo unbearable sufferings

in the lower realms!If you wish to be liberated from such unbearable sufferings, rely

on skillful gurus.Once their blessings enter your heart, your own mind will be

released.

3.2.2. Teaching that [Mah›mudr›] is the essential actuality

Oh! The phenomena of cyclic existence are meaningless and thecauses of suffering.

Since produced phenomena lack any essence, behold the essencethat is meaningful.



Since afflictions, karma, and the perpetuating skandhas are produced byeach one serving as the cause for the others, you experience the sufferingof cyclic existence, which is like [the constant turning of ] the rim of awater wheel. These are in turn produced by their root, the pair of appre-hender and apprehended as represented by the imaginary and the other-dependent [natures]. Since the phenomena of such causes and results lackany essence, they are nothing but hollow fictions, nullities, and vanities.You may wonder, “What is the essential actuality?”

Being beyond all that apprehends and is apprehended is the kingof views.

If there is no distraction, this is the king of meditations.If there is no activity with effort, this is the king of conduct.If there is no hope and fear, the fruition is revealed.Beyond an object of focus, the nature of the mind is luminous.Without a path on which to travel, the beginning of the path of

the Buddha is seized.If you become familiar with there being no object with which to

become familiar, unsurpassable enlightenment is attained.

[Here, Tilopa] teaches that the nature of view, meditation, conduct,and fruition and the actuality of the basic nature can be fathomed neitheras any object of focus nor by setting up presentations of bhÒmis andpaths.

[Tilopa] instructs on the way that this very actuality is made a livingexperience:

Oh! Wordly phenomena, well seen through,Are unable to persist, just like dreams and illusions.Dreams and illusions do not exist in actuality.Therefore, give rise to weariness and cast away worldly activities.Cut through all bonds of attachment and aversion toward your

retinue and countryAnd meditate alone in forests and mountain retreats.Dwell in the sphere of there being nothing on which to meditate.



[Finally, Tilopa] speaks about the benefits of making it a living experiencein this way:

If you attain the unattainable, you have attained Mah›mudr›.For example, on a tree with a trunk, branches and foliage so

vast,Once its single root is cut, its millions of branches will wither.Likewise, if mind’s root is severed, the foliage of cyclic existence

will wither.Take, for example, the darkness that has accumulated over

thousands of eons:A single lamp dispels the immensity of this blackness.Likewise, a single moment of mind’s luminosityEliminates the ignorance, wrongdoing, and obscurations that

have amassed for eons.

3.2.3 Teaching that [Mah›mudr›] is beyond mind

Oh! Through the phenomena of the mind, the actuality beyondmind is not seen.

Through the phenomena of doing, the actuality of nothing to bedone is not realized.

If you wish to attain the actuality beyond mind in whichnothing is to be done, . . .

[Then, Tilopa] instructs, “Make it your living experience like this”:

Resolve mind to its depths and leave awareness nakedly.Allow the polluted waters of thoughts to become clear.Do not stop or make up appearances, leave them in their

own place.If there is no rejecting and adopting, whatever can appear is

liberated as Mah›mudr›.Since the all-ground is unborn, its being covered by the

obscurations of latent tendencies is cleared away.Do not be self-inflated or evaluate, rest within the unborn

essence.



Appearances are self-appearances, so let mental phenomenaexhaust themselves.

[Tilopa’s] instruction says: Once you have resolved your own mind toits depths, allow thoughts to become clear, without chasing after thepast. If you do not stop or make up present and future, but leave themin their own place, you will be able to seal everything whatsoever thatcan appear—as exemplified by your own awareness—with Mah›mudr›.At that point, since the nature of the all-ground is unborn, the previouslyexistent, obscuring latent tendencies will be cleared away all by them-selves, because a place that is tainted by these latent tendencies is notobservable. Henceforth, a basis for being tainted is unobservable and,whichever qualities may dawn within that [groundlessness], do not beself-inflated (that is, do not develop pride), but rest within the sphere ofthe unborn. Once you have resolved that appearances—however theymay appear—are self-appearances, you need to let grasping thoughtsexhaust themselves.

[Next, Tilopa] teaches the nature of this view, meditation, conduct,and fruition:

Complete release from extremes is the supreme king of views.

The view refers to both the object to be viewed and the subject that isthe viewer as being unmistaken. For example, if you view what exists asexistent and view what does not exist as nonexistent, what is to be adoptedand to be rejected is not mixed up. Likewise, here, the king of views iswhen the mind as the subject does not view the nature of phenomena—which is released from the extremes of existence and nonexistence—asanything whatsoever.

Boundless spacious depth is the supreme king of meditation.Freedom from the bias of decision making is the supreme king

of conduct.

Having thus taught that the meditation and the conduct that accordwith that view must be equally free from extremes, [Tilopa] teaches alsothat the fruition is not something that originates newly from causes and



conditions. Rather, with regard to the self-nature that is spontaneouslyabiding, there is no need for any hopes of attaining it or fears of notattaining it:

Self-abiding with no hopes is the supreme fruition.

3.2.4 The way in which experiences dawn through practicing[Mah›mudra]

In beginners, this is similar to water [gushing down] a gorge.In between, it is the gentle flow of the river Gaºg›.Finally, all waters meet like a mother and her child.

The meditative equipoise of beginners entails intense movement ofthoughts, similar to water gushing down a narrow gorge. The reason forthis is as follows. Though there is some slight resting in equipoise,thoughts proliferate. Right at that point, through the remedy of alertnessand by considering that you like resting in meditative concentration anddislike not resting in it, you rest in meditative equipoise again. Throughsuch an approach, your mind becomes somewhat uplifted.

The meditative equipoise of those who have attained a little bit morestability than that and are of middling428 faculties is similar to the gentleflow of the river Gaºg›. The reason is as follows. Even if some thoughtscome up, a little here and there, their own face is immediately recognized,so that the movement of thoughts does not run wild. Without variousnotions that chase after these [subtle thoughts] or any physical and men-tal effort, all thoughts that come up will dawn slowly. There is also noneed to make great effort in [applying] their remedies. Rather, these hap-pen naturally or of their own accord.

Finally, in the meditative equipoise of those with highest faculties, nei-ther thoughts to be relinquished arise nor is there any need to newly cre-ate some remedial wisdom, because there is nothing to be relinquished.Since existence and peace have become one taste, mother and child lumi-nosity blend, or, expanse and wisdom have become indifferentiable. Oncethe tributary waters and the ocean have become one taste, like a motherand her child meeting, they cannot be disturbed.

The purport of these [three phases] is that, [first,] the remedy chases



what is to be relinquished after it has already arisen; [secondly,] since whatis to be relinquished and the remedy are of equal speed, [the remedy]crushes what is to be relinquished head-on; [thirdly,] since anything to berelinquished or a remedy is not observable at all, they are no longer two.With these purports in mind, in their essential points, they are the same asthe well-known approach in the precious Kagyü[-lineage] that “the mostinferior [practitioners] chase after [thoughts], the middling ones crushthem, and, for the supreme ones, they are released [right upon] dawning.”[Next, Tilopa] speaks about the way to eliminate obstacles to this:

If persons with inferior minds cannot dwell in the natural state,They should seize the essential points of pr›˚a and strip

awareness bare.Through the many branches of gazing techniques and holding

the mind,They should be disciplined until awareness dwells in its natural

state.

Those persons whose minds, due to not possessing the latent tenden-cies of previous good actions, cannot dwell in the natural state of medita-tive equipoise, should—by applying this according to their individualfaculties as outlined in the pith instructions—seize the pr›˚a. They shouldnot chase after whatever may come up within awareness, but strip it bare,429

that is, not care about [what comes up]. Through the many branches ofmethods—such as gazing techniques (since the essential point of the mindlies in the pr›˚as, the essential point of the pr›˚as is in the n›˜ıs, and theessential point of the n›˜ıs is in the eyes) and holding the mind on a focalobject, if mind is not still—they should discipline their minds.

3.2.5 Teaching its aid, the yoga of messengers

If you rely on a karmamudr›, blissful-empty wisdom dawns.By blessing means and prajñ›, enter into union.Let it descend slowly, retain it, pull it back up,Guide it to its place, and let it pervade the body.If there is no attachment, blissful-empty wisdom dawns.You will be of long life, without white hairs, and flourish

like the moon.




Your complexion will be radiant and you will be powerful like a lion.

You will swiftly attain the common siddhis and blend with themost supreme.

As the means to make you realize Mah›mudr› when not realized and toincrease and expand this realization, [Tilopa] teaches the way of enteringthe conduct of the secret mantra with karmamudr›, dharmamudr›, andsamayamudr›.

Then, in order to complete his vajra pith instructions, he teaches in themanner of dedicating [the merit]:

May this pith instruction on the esssential points of Mah›mudr›Dwell in the hearts of fortunate beings!

This completes the twenty vajra-verses on Mah›mudr› that gloriousTilopa, who was accomplished in Mah›mudr›, spoke to the Kashmiripa˚˜ita N›ropa on the banks of the river Gaºg› after having put himthrough the twelve kinds of hardship.It was translated and finally edited in this form by this pa˚˜ita himselfand the great Tibetan translator Marpa Chökyi Lodrö at Pu˝pahari inthe north [of India].

This fancy of commenting on the word-meaning of such profound and vastvajra-words was composed at Ganden Mamo upon being requested by masterKunga Dorje,430 who aspires to the swift path of vajray›na, by the one calledGöncho Bang, who is blessed by the name of the bearer of the Red Crown. Iopenly confess the entire collection of my mistakes to the assembly of the lordsof dharma and the ˜›kinıs.

Due to this [commentary], may the ever undying bliss,The excellent stream of wonderful honey,Be enjoyed by beings as they pleaseAnd may I too delight in it together with them.

The lineage [of these teachings runs from] the wisdom ˜›kinı [to] Tilopa,N›ropa, Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, Tüsum Kyenba, and so on.


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