Mahāmudrā & bhūmis

[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]

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.

[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

[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]

There are various schemes matching the four yogas of mahamudra with the five paths and ten bhumis. None of them agree with one another.

[Malcolm]

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