Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

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Greg
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Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Greg »

Does Mahāmudrā realization line up with the traditional Mahāyāna model of mārgas & bhūmis?

It seems to me that from the perspective of the Mahāyāna model, even a brief glimpse/recognition of thamal gyi shepa would make one a first-bhūmi ārya. But I get a sense that this assertion is generally not made from the Mahāmudrā perspective.
Malcolm
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Re: Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Malcolm »

Greg wrote:Does Mahāmudrā realization line up with the traditional Mahāyāna model of mārgas & bhūmis?

It seems to me that from the perspective of the Mahāyāna model, even a brief glimpse/recognition of thamal gyi shepa would make one a first-bhūmi ārya. But I get a sense that this assertion is generally not made from the Mahāmudrā perspective.

Yes, and no. I have seen various schemes used.

As far as tha mal gyi shes pa being first bhumi, no.
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Astus
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Re: Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Astus »

"The great seal is the very essence of reality and the all-in-one path. The essence of reality being nondifferentiable, its division into the grounds and paths cannot be acceptable from the ultimate standpoint."
(Tashi Namgyal)

Tsele Natsok Rangdrol (Lamp of Mahamudra):

general preliminaries - lesser path of accumulation
special preliminaries - medium path of accumulation
guru yoga - greater path of accumulation

3 stages of one-pointedness - path of joining

some say: 3 stages of simplicity and arriving at one taste - first bhumi and path of cultivation
most say: post-meditation after attaining simplicity - first bhumi / path of sseeing

first stage of simplicity - 1-3 bhumi
medium stage of simplicity - 4-5 bhumi
greater simplicity - sixth bhumi
first stage of one taste - seventh bhumi
medium one taste - eighth bhumi
higher stage of one taste - ninth bhumi
lesser and medium stages of nonmeditation - tenth bhumi

greater nonmeditation - buddhahood/vajradhara, 11-13 bhumi

Dakpo Tashi Namgyal (Mahamudra: The Moonlight):

based on Drelpa Dönsal:
[path of virtuous absorption - one-pointed yoga
path of insight - non-discrimination yoga]
path of meditation (bhumi 2-10) - one taste yoga
buddhahood - nonmeditation yoga

based on Je Gyare:
path of spiritual merit - preparatory practices
path of virtuous absorption - one-pointed yoga
path of insight - nondiscrimination yoga
path of meditation - one flavor yoga
9-10 bhumi - lower-middle nonmeditation
buddhadhood - greater nonmeditation

Tashi Namgyal's own:
path of spiritual merits and first ground - preparatory practices and three levels of one-pointed yoga
path of virtuous absorpation and ground of joy - three levels of nondiscriminatory yoga
path of insight and meditation, 1-10 grounds - 1-3 levels of one flavor and 1-2 levels of nonmeditation
buddhahood - greater nonmeditation
1 Myriad dharmas are only mind.
Mind is unobtainable.
What is there to seek?

2 If the Buddha-Nature is seen,
there will be no seeing of a nature in any thing.

3 Neither cultivation nor seated meditation —
this is the pure Chan of Tathagata.

4 With sudden enlightenment to Tathagata Chan,
the six paramitas and myriad means
are complete within that essence.


1 Huangbo, T2012Ap381c1 2 Nirvana Sutra, T374p521b3; tr. Yamamoto 3 Mazu, X1321p3b23; tr. J. Jia 4 Yongjia, T2014p395c14; tr. from "The Sword of Wisdom"
Greg
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Re: Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Greg »

Very helpful, thank you.

Incidentally, could Dzogchen be mapped in a similar fashion? I would have thought that recognizing rigpa would be the start of the darśanamārga?
Jinzang
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Re: Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Jinzang »

There are various schemes matching the four yogas of mahamudra with the five paths and ten bhumis. None of them agree with one another.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face!" Dottie Primrose
Malcolm
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Re: Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

Post by Malcolm »

Greg wrote:Very helpful, thank you.

Incidentally, could Dzogchen be mapped in a similar fashion? I would have thought that recognizing rigpa would be the start of the darśanamārga?

Yes it can be mapped in a similar fashion. You will find such a scheme in "The Practice of Dzogchen" by Tulku Thundup in the end.

And no, recognizing rigpa and realizing emptiness are different.

N
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