{"id":10752,"date":"1998-02-03T12:43:14","date_gmt":"1998-02-03T10:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/?p=10752"},"modified":"2026-01-02T14:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:36:11","slug":"pith-instructions-on-mahamudra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/?p=10752","title":{"rendered":"Tilopa: Pith Instructions on Mahamudra"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

The great Mahasiddha Tilopa<\/p><\/div>\n

Pith Instructions on Mahamudra from Mahasiddha Tilopa: The Ganges Mahamudra Upadesha\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

I bow to Vajra Dakini.
\n1 Mahamudra cannot be taught, Naropa,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But your devotion to your teacher and the hardships you\u2019ve met<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Have made you patient in suffering and also wise:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Take this to heart, my worthy student.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2 For instance, consider space: what depends on what?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, mahamudra: it doesn\u2019t depend on anything.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t control. Let go and rest naturally.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let what binds you let go and freedom is not in doubt.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3 When you look into space, seeing stops.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, when mind looks at mind,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The flow of thinking stops and you come to the deepest awakening.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

4 Mists rise from the earth and vanish into space.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They go nowhere, nor do they stay.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, though thoughts arise,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Whenever you see your mind, the clouds of thinking clear.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5 Space is beyond color or shape.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t take on color, black or white: it doesn\u2019t change.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, your mind, in essence, is beyond color or shape.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It does not change because you do good or evil.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

6 The darkness of a thousand eons cannot dim<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The brilliant radiance that is the essence of the sun.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, eons of samsara cannot dim<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The sheer clarity that is the essence of your mind.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7 Although you say space is empty,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t say that space is \u201clike this\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, although mind is said to be sheer clarity,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There is nothing there: you can\u2019t say \u201cit\u2019s like this\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8 Thus, the nature of mind is inherently like space:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It includes everything you experience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

9 Stop all physical activity: sit naturally at ease.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not talk or speak: let sound be empty, like an echo.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not think about anything: look at experience beyond thought.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

10 Your body has no core, hollow like bamboo.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Your mind goes beyond thought, open like space.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let go of control and rest right there.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

11 Mind without projection is mahamudra.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Train and develop this and you will come to the deepest awakening.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

12 You don\u2019t see mahamudra\u2019s sheer clarity<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By means of classical texts or philosophical systems,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether of the mantras, paramitas,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Vinaya, sutras or other collections.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

13 Ambition clouds sheer clarity and you don\u2019t see it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking about precepts undermines the point of commitment.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not think about anything; let all ambition drop.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let what arises settle by itself, like patterns in water.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No place, no focus, no missing the point \u2014<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not break this commitment: it is the light in the dark.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

14 When you are free from ambition and don\u2019t hold any position,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You will see all that the scriptures teach.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you open to this, you are free from samsara\u2019s prison.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you settle in this, all evil and distortion burn up.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is called \u201cThe Light of the Teaching\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

15 The foolish are not interested in this.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The currents of samsara constantly carry them away.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, how pitiable, the foolish \u2014 their struggles never end.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t accept these struggles, long for freedom, and rely on a skilled teacher.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When his (her) energy enters your heart, your mind is freed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

16 What joy!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Samsaric ways are senseless: they are the seeds of suffering.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Conventional ways are pointless. Focus on what is sound and true.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Majestic outlook is beyond all fixation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Majestic practice is no distraction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Majestic behavior is no action or effort.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The fruition is there when you are free from hope and fear.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

17 Beyond any frame of reference mind is naturally clear.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where there is no path you begin the path of awakening.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Where there is nothing to work on you come to the deepest awakening.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

18 Alas! Look carefully at this experience of the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing lasts. It\u2019s like a dream, like magic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The dream, the magic, makes no sense.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Experience this grief and forget the affairs of the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

19 Cut all ties of involvement with country or kin,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Practice alone in forest or mountain retreats.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rest, not practicing anything.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you come to nothing to come to, you come to mahamudra.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

20 A tree spreads its branches and leaves.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cut the root and ten thousand branches wither.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, cut the root of mind and the leaves of samsara wither.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

21 Though darkness gathers for a thousand eons.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A single light dispels it all.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, one moment of sheer clarity<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dispels the ignorance, evil and confusion of a thousand eons.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

22 What joy!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With the ways of the intellect you won\u2019t see beyond intellect.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With the ways of action you won\u2019t know non-action.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to know what is beyond intellect and action,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cut your mind at its root and rest in naked awareness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

23 Let the cloudy waters of thinking settle and clear.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let appearances come and go on their own.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With nothing to change, the world you experience becomes mahamudra.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Because the basis of experience has no beginning, patterns and distortions fall away.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rest in no beginning, with no self-interest or expectation.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let what appears appear on its own and let conceptual ways subside.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

24 The most majestic of outlooks is free of all reference.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The most majestic of practices is vast and deep without limit.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The most majestic of behaviors is open-minded and impartial.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The most majestic of fruitions is natural being, free of concern.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

25 At first, practice is a river rushing through a gorge.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the middle, it\u2019s the river Ganges, smooth and flowing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the end, it\u2019s where all rivers meet, mother and child.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

26 When your mind is less acute and does not truly rest,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Work the essentials of energy and bring out the vitality of awareness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Using gazes and techniques to take hold of mind<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Train awareness until it does truly rest.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

27 When you practice with a sexual partner, empty bliss awareness arises.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The balancing of method and wisdom transforms energy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let it descend gently, collect it, draw it back up,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Return it to its place, and let it saturate your body.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When you are free from longing and desire, empty bliss awareness arises.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

28 You will have a long life, you will not gray, and you will shine like the moon.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You will radiate health and well-being and be as strong as a lion.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You will quickly attain the ordinary abilities and open to the supreme one.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

May these pith instructions, the essentials of mahamudra,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Abide in the hearts of all worthy beings.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Colophon: Tilopa\u2019s Mahamudra Instruction to Naropa in twenty Eight Verses\u00a0was transmitted by the Great Guru and Mahasiddha Tilopa to the Kashmiri Pandit, Sage and Siddha, Naropa, near the banks of the River Ganga upon the completion of his Twelve Austerities. Naropa transmitted the teaching in Sanskrit in the form of twenty eight verses to the great Tibetan translator Mar pa Chos kyi blos gros, who made a free translation of it at his village of Pulahari on the Tibet \u2013 Bhutan border.
\nThis text is contained in the collection of Mahamudra instruction called the Do ha mdzod brgyad ces bya ba Phyag rgya chen po\u2019i man ngag gsal bar ston pa\u2019i gzhung, which is printed at the Gyalwa Karmapa\u2019s monastery at Rumtek, Sikkim. The Tibetan title is Phyag rgya chen po\u2019i man ngag, or Phyag rgya chen po rdo rje\u2019i tsig rkang nyi shu rtsa brgyad pa.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This translation into English has been done by Kunzang Tenzin Ken Mc Leod in 1977, after transmission of the oral teaching by Khamtrul Rinpoche in Tashi Jong, Kangra Valley, India.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The great Mahasidda Tilopa said to Naropa: \u201cMahamudra cannot be taught.\u201d<\/strong> The most profound teachings on Mahamudra \u2014 designed to allow the student to develop their own awareness \u2014 famously came from the great Mahasiddhas Tilopa and Saraha, in Dohas (songs.) Even though it cannot be \u201ctaught,\u201d pith instructions help students \u201ccoach themselves.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, in answering a student at a teaching on meditation, Venerable Zasep Rinpoche referenced both Tilopa and Saraha [<\/span><\/span><\/span>full video here>><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em>], and gave\u00a0an especially vivid, and helpful, description of Tilopa\u2019s \u201cGanges Mahamudra\u201d song:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you meditate \u2026 You see your mind is rushing down, like a river coming down from the mountains of the Himalayas. Rushing down. Strong mind\u2026 Then, at some point you see your mind, the same river, like the Ganges river, but now it is flowing down into the Indian plains. Not rushing, just moving. Strongly, and smoothly moving \u2026 Then, you see your mind is now merging with the great ocean\u2026 all gone into the ocean, becoming one taste. Likewise, when you experience Mahamudra, you experience Emptiness. Clear light and bliss. There is no Samsaric mind.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rinpoche was explaining how we can use Saraha\u2019s Doha\u2019s, and the songs from Tilopa and the great Marpa and Milarepa to self-coach ourselves on advanced meditation \u2014 \u201cbe your own Guru,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to follow the footsteps of Mahamudra. You have to coach yourself. That\u2019s why we sing those, what we call \u2018Doha.\u2019.. Poems of Mahamudra.\u201d Rinpoche advised studying them and even reciting them. (Most are available online.) With this in mind, we\u2019re reproducing the most famous of these, by the great Mahasiddha Tilopa, \u201cThe Pith Instructions on Mahamudra\u201d \u2014 also known as the Ganges Mahamudra song.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche described Tilopa\u2019s Mahamudra Upadesha as \u201cTilopa\u2019s most significant teaching.\u201d In a commentary in Vancouver, Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche pointed out that Naropa \u2014 who was the student of Tilopa \u2014 had already undergone \u201causterities\u201d and \u201cmet a number of extraodrdinary, great teachers and mahasiddhas.\u201d This implies\u00a0that these instructions are advanced, requiring years of foundation practices, before they can be understood. Naropa, after all, by this time, was already a most advanced scholar in his own right.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If Tilopa began by saying \u201cMahamudra cannot be taught\u201d why are these called his instructions to his student, Naropa? Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche explained,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMahamudra cannot be taught because it is absolute truth and therefore cannot be expressed in words or even concepts. As was said by Shantideva, \u2018Absolute truth is not an object of intellect because the intellect itself is a relative truth.\u2019 The intellect is an aspect of ignorance and therefore intellect is always ignorant.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rinpoche went on to explain: \u201cbecause Mahamudra is emptiness, because it is the absence of substantiality of the mind, it therefore cannot be shown.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The key instruction, the pith, is Tilopa\u2019s instruction: \u201cRest, relaxed in nature,\u201d which Rinpoche explained meant \u201cthe nature of your mind \u2014 without alteration. \u201cNormally when we think about\u00a0our minds we think of them as\u00a0miserable, even pitiful, and quite\u00a0afflicted. And indeed they may\u00a0seem to us from time to time to be like that. But\u00a0in fact, that is not the true condition of your\u00a0mind. As was said by Saraha, \u201cHomage to the\u00a0mind that is like a wish-fulfilling jewel.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA wishfulfilling\u00a0jewel is something that in legends is\u00a0supposed to be able to grant any wish. And the\u00a0reason the mind is compared to this legendary\u00a0wish-granting or wish-fulfilling jewel is that, if\u00a0you attend to your mind, if you look at your\u00a0mind, then by coming to know it you will realize\u00a0the nature of everything. And in order to do this\u00a0you do not need to attempt to alter what your\u00a0mind is. Not altering the mind means that you\u00a0simply rest in your mind as it is. If your mind is\u00a0something, then rest in that something; and if\u00a0your mind is nothing, then rest in that nothing.\u00a0Do not feel that you have to turn it into nothing\u00a0if it seems to be something, or turn it into something\u00a0if it seems to be nothing. Of course, the\u00a0mind is not something. It has no substantial\u00a0characteristics. And it is not nothing, because it\u00a0is lucid cognition. It is simply your mind and you\u00a0just rest in it as it is without attempting to make\u00a0it into anything other than what it is. And if you\u00a0can do that, then you will realize the view of\u00a0mahamudra.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tilopa\u2019s concise Upadesha presented instructions in \u201cseven topics.\u201d According to Khenchen Rinpoche these are:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. the view of Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  2. the conduct of Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  3. the meditation of Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  4. the samaya of Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  5. the benefit of Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  6. the defect of not practicing Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n
  7. how to actually practice Mahamudra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Pith Instructions on Mahamudra from Mahasiddha Tilopa: The Ganges Mahamudra Upadesha\u00a0 I bow to Vajra Dakini. 1 Mahamudra cannot be taught, Naropa, But your devotion to your teacher and the hardships you\u2019ve met Have made you patient in suffering and also wise: Take this to heart, my worthy student. 2 For instance, consider space: what Continue reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[90,106],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10752"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12690,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10752\/revisions\/12690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sangye.it\/altro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

    Teachers of advanced Mahamudra and Dzogchen often refer to the great Tilopa Ganges metaphor. <\/span><\/span><\/span>https:\/\/buddhaweekly.com\/pith-instructions-mahamudra-mahasiddha-tilopa-ganges-mahamudra-upadesha\/?fbclid=IwAR0GvOsbYDw3gvJx4Tj4KO-Uh75WNMrjIlCFNcdgyHeT_9_vTOU1L6UNdzI<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"