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Tilopa's Mahamudra Upadesha: The Gangama Instructions With Commentary

An explanation of the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa's renowned Gangama Mahamudra meditation instructions, given in a traditional Tibetan context by one of its lineage's most accomplished contemporary masters. These ancient instructions, in the form of a "song of realization," are the original source for all Mahamudra lineages of meditation.All lineages of Mahamudra meditation have their source in a verse teaching--a "song of realization"--sung by the Mahasiddha Tilopa to his disciple Naropa on the banks of the Ganges River more than a thousand years ago. Since that time the meaning of the instructions has been passed directly from master to disciple in a continuous transmission lineage that exists unbroken to this day. Mahamudra meditation, while highly advanced, is yet simple and practical because what is identified and meditated upon is the very essence of one's own mind. This book offers the reader a window into the oral transmission of these instructions, given in a traditional Tibetan context by one of the Kagyu lineage's most learned and accomplished contemporary masters.

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: Snow Lion; First Edition edition (April 15, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1559394269

ISBN-13: 978-1559394260

Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 9.3 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #331,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #129 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Sacred Writings #406 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Eastern > Buddhism > Tibetan #70899 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

This is simply an extraordinary work by a contemporary Tibetan monastic practitioner on one of the most important works on the nature of meditation practice. It is the clearest and most straightforward of the commentaries on the mahasiddha Tilopa's short text that is available in English.It is hard for me personally to overstate the regard I have for this effort by Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche and David Molk. I was preparing for open heart surgery when I receive a copy of the text and read it for the first time. For me it was the perfect written work to be "taking in" under those circumstances.Unlike the book itself, I would not say that this is in any way a beginner's text. It is subtle and subject to radical misinterpretation without the guidance of a qualified teacher and long practice. Unusually, the book deals primarily with "resultant mahamudra" as opposed to the more common "four yogas" presentation. Refreshingly, this is not another "feel-good" Buddhist book. It is also not another academic discussion of speculative philosophy, nor is it a meditation manual. The commentary is rather an extremely subtle yet straight forward examination of the underlying theory and the necessities behind practice, daily action and the realization of the "ordinary nature of mind".The commentary is on a short teaching (spiritual song) by the great mahasiddha and unconventional lay teacher Tilopa. The teaching is directed at the pandit Naropa, who had been chancellor of the most important Buddhist monastery in India in the early first century C.E..

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