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Mahamudra and Dzogchen are perhaps the most profound teachings within all of Tibetan Buddhism. The experience of Mahamudra, or "great symbol," is an overwhelming sense of extraordinary clarity, totally open and nondualistic. Dzogchen, or "great perfection," is the ultimate teaching according to the Nyingma tradition and also represents the pinnacle of spiritual development. These are the two paths that provide practitioners with the most skillful means to experience the fully awakened state and directly taste the reality of our mind and environment. And yet these concepts are notoriously difficult to grasp and challenging to explain. In Wild Awakening, Tibetan Buddhist master Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche presents these esoteric teachings in a style that reveals their surprising simplicity and great practical value, emphasizing that we can all experience our world more directly, with responsibility, freedom, and confidence. With a straightforward approach and informal style, he presents these essential teachings in a way that even those very new to Tibetan Buddhism can understand.
| Foreword | ||
| Foreword | ||
| Editor's Preface | ||
| Pt. 1 | Surveying the Path | 1 |
| 1 | The Nature of the Path | 3 |
| Pt. 2 | The Mahamudra Journey | 19 |
| 2 | Mahamudra: The Great Seal | 21 |
| 3 | The Path That Brings Experience | 39 |
| 4 | Ground Mahamudra: The Groundless Ground | 59 |
| 5 | The Path of Instructions: Mahamudra Shamatha | 80 |
| 6 | The Path of Instructions: Mahamudra Vipashyana | 111 |
| 7 | The Path to Enlightenment: The Four Yogas of Mahamudra | 128 |
| 8 | Fruition Mahamudra: The Three Kayas | 134 |
| 9 | Mantra Mahamudra | 142 |
| 10 | Essence Mahamudra: The Mind of Nowness | 159 |
| Pt. 3 | The Dzogchen Journey | 175 |
| 11 | Dzogchen: The Nine-Yana Journey | 177 |
| 12 | The Shravakayana and the Pratyekabuddhayana | 186 |
| 13 | The Bodhisattvayana | 205 |
| 14 | Entering the Vajrayana | 237 |
| 15 | The Final Breakthrough | 247 |
| Notes | 257 | |
| Glossary | 261 | |
| Nalandabodhi Centers | 277 | |
| Editors' Acknowledgments | 283 | |
| Illustration Credits | 286 | |
| Index | 287 | |
| About the Author | 302 |
Overview
Mahamudra and Dzogchen are perhaps the most profound teachings within all of Tibetan Buddhism. The experience of Mahamudra, or "great symbol," is an overwhelming sense of extraordinary clarity, totally open and nondualistic. Dzogchen, or "great perfection," is the ultimate teaching according to the Nyingma tradition and also represents the pinnacle of spiritual development. These are the two paths that provide practitioners with the most skillful means to experience the fully awakened state and directly taste the...