Mahāmudrā

in India and Tibet

Edited by

Roger R. Jackson
Klaus-Dieter Mathes

LEIDEN | BOSTON

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Contents

Notes on Contributors vii

Introduction 1
Klaus-Dieter Mathes and Roger R. Jackson

1 The Samādhirājasūtra and “Sūtra Mahāmudrā”: A Critical Edition and

Translation of Verses 1–118 from Chapter 32 of the Samādhirājasūtra 10
Paul Thomas

2 The Seven Siddhi Texts (Grub pa sde bdun): Remarks on the Corpus
and Its Employment in Sa skya-Bka’ brgyud Mahāmudrā Polemical
Literature 90
Adam C. Krug

3 Mahāmudrā and Samayamudrā in the Dunhuang Documents and

Beyond 123
Jacob P. Dalton

4 A Neglected Bka’ brgyud Lineage: The Rngog from Gzhung and the
Rngog pa Bka’ brgyud Transmission 142
Cécile Ducher

5 ’Jig rten gsum mgon’s Dgongs gcig on the Relation between Mahāmudrā
and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 170
Jan-Ulrich Sobisch

6 The Definitive Meaning of Mahāmudrā according to the Kālacakra

Tradition of Yu mo Mi bskyod rdo rje’s Phyag chen gsal sgron 185
Casey A. Kemp

7 Mahāmudrā as the Key-Point of the Third Dharmacakra according to

the Sixty Verses on Mahāmudrā by Zhwa dmar Chos grags ye shes 204
Martina Draszczyk

8 Mi bskyod rdo rje on the Question of What Remains (lhag ma,

avaśiṣṭa) 237
David Higgins

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vi Contents

9 Maitrīpa’s Amanasikāra-Based Mahāmudrā in the Works of the Eighth

Karma pa Mi bskyod rdo rje 269
Klaus-Dieter Mathes

10 Assimilating the Great Seal: the Dge lugs pa-ization of the dge ldan bka
’brgyud Tradition of Mahāmudrā 302
Roger R. Jackson

Index 329

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 Chapter 5

’Jig rten gsum mgon’s Dgongs gcig on the Relation

between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa

Jan-Ulrich Sobisch

1 Introduction

Mahāmudrā – however conceived – and the Six Yogas of Nāropa are the central
practices of the Bka’ brgyud pa lineage. There seems to be a general under-
standing that the two are closely connected, but precisely how that connec-
tion works has not yet been investigated. Sgam po Spyan snga Bkra shis rnam
rgyal (1513–1596?) famously remarked that the accomplishing lineage (sgrub
brgyud) down to Rje btsun (Mi la ras pa) chiefly practiced the pith instructions
of Mantra and taught the instructions of Mahāmudrā “at the appropriate oc-
casions [while teaching] Fierce Heat (gtum mo) and Luminosity (’od gsal), and
so forth.”1 It is not clear, however, whether such a remark is meant to say that
Mahāmudrā was previously only practiced in such contexts or whether it was
also practiced prior to or independent of the Six Yogas.
Another well-known passage is that found in Sgam po pa’s (1079–1153) per-
sonal pith instructions on Mahāmudrā to Phag mo gru pa (1100–1170). This
text is particularly interesting because the recipient of these instructions was
the principal teacher of ’Jig rten gsum mgon (1143–1217), whose teaching, the
Dgongs gcig, is the focus of this investigation. Phag mo gru pa requested in-
structions based on the following question:2 “Do you like to instruct starting
first with Fierce Heat or with Mahāmudrā?” To this, Sgam po pa replied:

1  Bkra shis rnam rgyal, fol. 108b: “In the practice lineage up to the great Rje btsun [Mi la ras
pa], however, mainly Secret Mantra[naya] instructions were practiced, and the instruc-
tion on Mahāmudrā was taught at the appropriate occasions [while teaching] Fierce Heat,
Luminosity, and so forth.” (’on kyang rje btsun chen po yan gyi sgrub brgyud la gsang sngags
kyi man ngag rnams gtso bor bsgom zhing | gtum mo dang ’od gsal la sogs pa’i skabs ci rigs su
phyag rgya chen po’i gdams pa ston par mdzad pa …). See also Namgyal 1986: 119.
2  Padma chos rgyal, pp. 22–23: ’o na sngon du gtum mo nas khrid pa dga’ ’am phyag rgya chen
po nas khrid pa dga’ zhus pas | de gnyis gang zag gi rigs kyis ’byed de | na so gzhon pa rtsa dang
khams bzang ba la gtum mo rang nas khrid cing bsgoms pas drod rtags myur du ’ong | de la
phyag rgya chen po btab pas nyams rtogs myur du ’char gsung | na so rgas pas rlung mi chun
pa’i rigs tshan cig la phyag rgya chen po’am lhan cig skyes sbyor btab pa dga’ ste | dang po nas

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 171

These two [possibilities] are differentiated by the individual’s type. For a

youth with good inner channels and constitution I begin instruction with
Fierce Heat itself, and the sign of warmth appears quickly through prac-
tice. Introducing them to Mahāmudrā, experience and realization arise
quickly, it is said. I like to establish Mahāmudrā or *Sahajayoga (lhan cig
skyes sbyor) [directly] in the type [of person] whose wind is not under
control due to advanced age. It is said, however, that [when such people]
are introduced to Mahāmudrā right from the beginning, they may – while
[realization] does not arise in their mental continuum – turn to bad ac-
tions and become unteachable (dred pa).

Here, Sgam po pa presents these two alternatives as dependent on the indi-

vidual’s age, capacity, and constitution. According to an instruction of Mar pa
transmitted in the collected works of ’Jig rten gsum mgon, the time for Fierce
Heat practice is between the ages of thirteen and fifty. Before thirteen, one’s
constitution is that of a small child (byis pa chung ngu’i khams yin), while after
fifty, the two (outer) channels are dry every day (zhag re la rtsa gnyis skam pa
yin).3 As Sgam po pa says, if a person is capable and young, Fierce Heat is prac-
ticed for the purpose of producing the “sign of warmth” (drod rtags), which is
to prepare the ground for introducing Mahāmudrā for the sake of obtaining
realization. The instruction of Mar pa points out:4

When this is practiced in the solitude of the mountains and so forth,

warmth is energetically established. Here, one ought to practice the “Pith
Instruction of the Wind Between the Two Spheres” and the “Instruction
of the Four Seals.” Taking Fierce Heat as the point of reference, the prac-
tice of Fierce Heat is the karmamudrā, the bliss that arises on the basis of
that is the dharmamudrā, not to go beyond that bliss is the samayamudrā,
and the realization of the simultaneously and self-arisen gnosis is the
mahāmudrā.

phyag rgya chen po btab pas rang rgyud la ma skyes par las la ngan du song nas dred pa yang
’ong gsung |.
3  ’Jig rten gsum mgon, Collected Works, vol. 9, p. 12f.
4  ’Jig rten gsum mgon, Collected Works, vol. 9, p. 13f.: ’di ri khrod la sogs pa dben pa’i gnas na
bsgom pa’i dus su | drod btsan thabs su skye ba yin | ’di la rlung ga’u kha sbyor gyi gdams ngag
ces kyang bya | phyag rgya bzhi’i khrid ces kyang bya | gtum mo lta bu la mtshon na | gtum mo
sgom pa de las kyi phyag rgya | de la brten nas bde ba skye ba chos kyi phyag rgya | bde ba de las
mi ’da’ ba dam tshig gi phyag rgya | rang byung lhan cig skyes pa’i ye shes mngon du gyur pa de
phyag rgya chen po yin |.

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172 Sobisch

The problem of the relation among the experience of warmth in the prac-
tice of Fierce Heat, the bliss that arises on the basis of that, and the realization
of the simultaneously and self-arisen gnosis, Mahāmudrā, is probably compa-
rable to the problem discussed in the Dgongs gcig’s vajra-statement 5.4, where
the focus is on the sample gnosis (dpe’i ye shes) and actual gnosis (don gyi ye
shes) in the context of empowerment. According to Rig ’dzin Chos kyi grags
pa’s (1559–1659) commentary on this point, “if the completely accurate actual
[gnosis] does not arise in the mental continuum, [whatever one experiences]
cannot be determined as being either sample or actual [gnosis].”5 The difficul-
ty here lies in the experience of bliss at the time of the third empowerment, the
prajñājñānābhiṣekha. The early commentaries quote Saraha: “Accomplishing
great bliss at the time of sexual intercourse (kun tu ru) is like drinking mirage
water.”6 In other words, in the context of the four empowerments, the experi-
ence of the bliss of the third empowerment needs to be understood through
the guru’s pointing-out of the gnosis with the word empowerment, whereby
sample and actual gnosis are united. Similarly (and as I understand the teach-
ings of the Dgongs gcig), the experience of warmth in the context of Fierce
Heat (karmamudrā) and the subsequent bliss (dharmamudrā) need the gu-
ru’s pointing-out instructions of Mahāmudrā so that the warmth of Fierce
Heat and its bliss are united with the simultaneously and self-arisen gnosis of
Mahāmudrā – otherwise the experience will only be misleading, like a mirage.7
When I concentrate in the following on the teaching of the relation between
Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas in the Dgongs gcig, the reader should keep in
mind that it is clear from the commentaries that the instructions on the re-
lation between the two practices are provided in the context of the Fivefold
Path of Mahāmudrā, which is the chief practice of the ’Bri gung Bka’ brgyud
pas.8 Thus, when we read that Mahāmudrā is to be realized first, and the yogas
are practiced afterwards to produce certain qualities subsequent to that re-
alization, this does not mean that ’Jig rten gsum mgon completely dismisses
the possibility that young and capable practitioners first produce “warmth”
through Fierce Heat practice as the basis for an introduction to Mahāmudrā.

5  Rig ’dzin chos kyi grags pa, Dgongs gcig rnam bshad, p. 190: don phyin ci ma log pa zhig rgyud
la ma skyes na | dpe don gnyis kar kha tshon gcod mi thub ste |.
6  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 155f.: kun tu ru’i dus su bde chen sgrub pa ni || ji ltar smig rgyu’i chu ni
’thung dang mtshungs ||.
7  The “not going beyond that bliss” being the samayamudrā is, as mentioned above, the re-
maining one of the four mudrās. I assume that this topic is connected with what ’Jig rten
gsum mgon teaches as the essential point of freedom from desire, which will be briefly dis-
cussed below.
8  For remarks on the Fivefold Path, see Sobisch 2004, 2009, and 2011.

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 173

However, he and his commentators point out in several places and contexts
of the Dgongs gcig that the experiences that arise through such practices as
Illusory Body, Dream Yoga, Luminosity Yoga, and Fierce Heat, are unrefined,
cankerous, and mundane, and need to be refined and integrated by the gnosis
of Mahāmudrā. Moreover, as we will see, they also maintain that these yogas
must be completely embedded within the Buddhist path.
In the general introduction to vajra-statement 6.18 of Rdo rje shes rab’s
1267 commentary on ’Jig rten gsum mgon’s Dgongs gcig, where, as usual, the
“general views” are mentioned first, we find a remark according to which some
people claim that the Six Yogas, which belong to the path of means (thabs lam)
and are a practice of the stage of perfection (rdzogs rim) “with signs” (mtshan
bcas), are a sufficient basis for obtaining realization and can be abandoned
once that realization is obtained:9

In general, to abandon the transmigration of the three realms, one needs

realization (mngon rtogs). As a means for cultivating realization, the
Exalted One taught the Mantra Vajrayāna. Its ultimate topics are empow-
erment and [the stages of] cultivation and completion. The stage of cul-
tivation is the basis. The stage of completion has two aspects: with and
without signs. “Without signs” is birthless Mahāmudrā. “With signs” is
the path of means [practices] such as the Six Yogas of Nāropa. Therefore,
since until realization has arisen one needs [this path] as the means for
the arising of realization, it is called the “path of means.” However, once
realization has arisen, [the path of means] is not necessary anymore.
There are very many examples, such as the field when the harvest has
been brought in, or the boat when the river has been crossed.

These people therefore clearly hold that yogas such as Fierce Heat themselves
are a necessary and sufficient means of producing realization. Unfortunately,
the Rdo sher ma, as this text is known for short, does not identify the propo-
nents of these views. The view, however, according to which practices “with
signs” entail mental constructions, breathing exercises, and yogic postures,

9  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, pp. 328–329: de la spyir khams gsum gyi ’khor ba spong ba la mngon
rtogs dgos | mngon rtogs skye bar byed pa’i thabs su bcom ldan ’das kyi gsang sngags rdo rje’i
theg pa gsungs | de’i brjod bya mthar thug dbang dang bskyed rdzogs gnyis las | bskyed rim
gzhir gyur pa yin | rdzogs rim la mtshan bcas mtshan med gnyis las | mtshan med skye med
phyag rgya chen po yin | mtshan bcas nā ro’i chos drug la sogs pa thabs lam rnams yin pas |
rtogs pa ma skyes kyi bar du rtogs pa skye ba’i thabs su dgos pas na thabs lam zhes bya ba yin la |
rtogs pa skyes phyin chad dgos pa med de | dper na ston thog khyim du chud pa’i zhing ngam |
chu rgal ba’i gru dang ’dra zer ba ni shin tu mang bar yod do |.

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174 Sobisch

whereas the practice “without signs” is the formless practice of the ultimate
nature of the mind, is very common.10 It is the second part of the above gen-
eral statement that concerns ’Jig rten gsum mgon in particular. The claim here
is that the path of means is a method to produce realization and that after
the fruit is obtained that path can be abandoned. ’Jig rten gsum mgon, on the
other hand, points out in vajra-statement 6.18 that “the possessor of realiza-
tion (rtogs ldan)” – i.e., someone who has realized Mahāmudrā – “has a special
need for the path of means,” meaning that the purpose of the yogas is to pro-
duce further qualities after one has obtained the realization of Mahāmudrā.
We must, however, not overextend the intention of his statement, but carefully
confine it to the context of the Fivefold Path of Mahāmudrā teachings. It has to
be carefully differentiated from comments that have in mind a general sense.

2 The Role of Devotion in the “Fivefold Path”

In the ’Bri gung Bka’ brgyud pa lineage that starts with ’Jig rten gsum mgon,
Mahāmudrā is chiefly practiced in the form of the Fivefold Profound Path of
Mahāmudrā (zab lam phyag chen lnga ldan). The most important aspect of
that path for our present purposes is that one breaks through to the realization
of Mahāmudrā by way of guru devotion, whose climax is to see one’s guru as
the dharmakāya.11 This point is made in connection with a famous passage in
the Hevajra Tantra (1.8.36) that speaks of a particular form of guru attendance
(bla ma’i dus mtha’ bsten pa yis), which is explained by ’Jig rten mgon po as
not referring to “making great offerings, performing many services, and attend-
ing [the guru] for a long time.” Instead, it is “seeing the guru as dharmakāya
and the arising of certainty [concerning that],” and since beyond that “there
is no occasion for regarding [the guru] as anything superior to that, this [way
of seeing] is called ‘the final moment’ (dus kyi mtha’),” i.e., the breakthrough
to Mahāmudrā.12 This realization of the dharmakāya-guru is brought about

10  See Kongtrul 2007 for statements according to which the path of means is the Six Yogas
and the path of liberation (grol lam) is Mahāmudrā (p. 145), and “with signs” is the path
of means” and “without signs” the path of liberation (p. 149). I owe this reference to Cécile
Ducher. Moreover, according to Thrangu Rinpoche, you can have the path of liberation
without the path of means, but the path of means cannot be had without the path of
liberation (oral information to Klaus-Dieter Mathes, Oxford, Sept. 2002).
11  Dgongs gcig 6.6: “Devotion alone is certainly the means that makes realization arise”
(rtogs pa skyed pa’i thabs mos gus kho nar nges); Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 277.
12  ’Jig rten gsum mgon, Collected Works, vol. 3, p. 301: bla ma’i dus kyi mtha’ ni ’bul ba che
ba dang | zhabs tog mang ba dang | bsten yun ring ba la zer ba min | bla ma chos kyi skur

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 175

by the cultivation of the resolve for awakening, the practice of one’s body as
the deity, and the guru yoga of the four kāyas, i.e., the first three limbs of the
Fivefold Path. The ensuing realization is described by Rgyal ba Yang dgon pa
(1213–1287) in his commentary of the Fivefold Path:13

The guru, who is the dharmakāya, and the true nature of one’s mind are
inseparable. Moreover, since the nature of all phenomena of saṁsāra and
nirvāṇa is the same, to realize that everything that appears is inseparable
from the guru, who is the dharmakāya, which is the unattached devotion
in which dualizing into subject and object has ended – that is devotional
Mahāmudrā.

This is clearly a Mahāmudrā that is realized independent of and not necessar-

ily accompanied by the path of means practices of the Six Yogas of Nāropa.

3 The Purpose of the Six Yogas

The question arises then: What is the purpose of the Six Yogas in this practice
system? In vajra-statement 6.18 of the Dgongs gcig, ’Jig rten gsum mgon says
that “the possessor of realization has a special need for the path of means.”
The discussion of this point in the Rdo sher ma centers on the path of means
practice of Fierce Heat. Such a practice, says Rdo rje shes rab, is necessary for
the possessor of realization to produce certain qualities that are necessary for
causing the benefit of others. Rdo rje shes rab says:14

The possessor of realization needs the qualities that can produce the
meditative concentration (samādhi) of calm abiding and superior insight
in the mental continuum of those who have merely seen or heard him
after their mind of the three poisons has come to rest.

mthong zhing nges shes skyes pa de las lhag pa gzhan du mthong ba’i dus med pas dus kyi
mtha’ de yin gsungs |. See Sobisch 2009: 229.
13  Rgyal ba Yang dgon pa, p. 412f.: bla ma chos kyi sku de dang rang gi sems nyid dbye ma med
pa yin la | ’khor ’das kyi chos thams cad de’i rang bzhin ’di gcig pas | snang srid thams cad bla
ma chos kyi sku ru dbyer med par rtogs pa yul yul can gyi gnyis ’dzin zad pa’i zhen med kyi
mos gus ni mos gus phyag rgya chen po’o ||. See Sobisch 2009: 235.
14  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 329, but I prefer the reading of the Paris ms. (fol. 47v): rtogs ldan
de gang gis mthong ba dang | thos pa tsam gyis kyang | de dag gi dug gsum gyi sems zhi nas |
zhi gnas dang lhag mthong gi ting nge ’dzin rgyud la skyed nus pa’i yon tan dgos |.

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176 Sobisch

That is to say, the realized yogi needs certain qualities to induce medita-
tive concentration in others. Rdo rje shes rab explains how these qualities are
produced:15

For accomplishing various marvellous supernatural displays (rdzu ’phrul)

one needs Fierce Heat. Fierce Heat, i.e., the actual practice of dhyāna
(Tib. bsam gtan), is the cause that brings forth the qualities.

Thus, Fierce Heat, and so forth, are regarded as indirect causes for the pacifica-
tion of the poisons and the arising of meditative concentration in the men-
tal continuum of others, in that these yogas accomplish “various marvellous
supernatural displays.” This appears to refer not only to miraculous displays
such as the “ability to appear with one’s body in the midst of burning flames,”
but also in a more general way, and as will also be mentioned below, to all
kinds of abilities to control (1) life, (2) mind, (3) karma, (4) material needs, (5)
birth, (6) inclination (7) aspiration, (8) supernatural displays, (9) gnosis, and
(10) Dharma.16 In other words, the Six Yogas are to be practiced by the possess-
ors of realization to accomplish supernatural displays and all kinds of abili-
ties to bring forth the qualities that benefit the mental continuums of others.
Without the Six Yogas, the possessor of realization has accomplished true real-
ity, but the qualities that are necessary for benefiting others are still lacking.
This practice of the yogas is called by Phag mo gru pa (1100–1170), ’Jig
rten gsum mgon, and Rdo rje shes rab the “actual practice of dhyāna” (bsam
gtan gyi dngos gzhi).17 In a more general view, the complete path of means
needs to be practiced because “all the roots of the virtues of means” (thabs
kyi dge ba’i rtsa ba) are combined in it. Here, in this more general perspec-
tive, “path of means” refers to all the “inconceivable gates of skill with regard
to means.” These include the ten perfections – in particular the perfection of
disciplined conduct – through which one obtains the ten kinds of control al-
ready mentioned above. As is mentioned in various parts of the Dgongs gcig,

15  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 329: rdzu ’phrul ya ma zung sna tshogs bsgrub pa la gtum mo
dgos | gtum mo de yang yon tan bskyed par byed pa’i rgyu bsam gtan gyi dngos gzhi yin te |.
16  These are the “ten controls” (dbang rnam pa bcu) that will also be mentioned below. Yisūn
(1985): tshe la dbang ba dang | sems la dbang ba | yo byad la dbang ba | las la dbang ba | skye
ba la dbang ba | mos pa la dbang ba | smon lam la dbang ba | rdzu ’phrul la dbang ba | chos
la dbang ba | ye shes la dbang ba bcas so ||.
17  Rdo rje shes rab quotes Phag mo gru pa’s Rin chen them skas, fol. 46v3: “As long as one has
not obtained the actual practice of dhyāna, || one may realize true reality, but the qualities
are lacking. || Thus, Fierce Heat is to be practiced! ||” (bsam gtan gyi dngos gzhi ma thob
par || chos nyid rtogs kyang yon tan med || de bas gtum mo bsgom par bya ||).

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 177

disciplined conduct leads in the end to omniscience,18 yet that is not where
disciplined conduct ends. Several factors cause the continuity of such con-
duct. There is, firstly, a certain insatiability concerning the accumulations;
secondly, the emptiness that arises as cause and result,19 i.e., the realization
of emptiness that understands all subtle causes and results and, therefore,
continues the disciplined conduct and proceeds with it even more attentively
(’dzem du ’gro);20 and, thirdly, the compassion that understands that one’s
mother beings are tortured by suffering due to their delusion. From this arises
the understanding that21

if the gnosis that arises together with the resolve of liberating [sentient
beings] from suffering is not realized, [and thus] one engages in the
vast benefit for others, then there are no other means of liberation from
saṁsāra [for sentient beings].

In short, “since there is no end to all the roots of virtuous causes that cause the
benefit of others, it is necessary to accomplish the above mentioned qualities”
like the bodhisattvas, who display “an inconceivable array of qualities,” and
like the gurus of the Bka’ brgyud pa lineage, who, like all the other masters
who practiced the path of means, reveal limitless emanations like Tilopa and
Nāropa, enter into a dead body like Mar pa, display marvellous powers like Mi
la ras pa.
This is, basically, what Rdo rje shes rab explains in his commentary on vajra-
statement 6.18. To summarize, the Six Yogas are portrayed here in the context
of the Fivefold Path as the continuation of skilful practices starting with the
perfection of liberality. What all of these practices have in common is that
they produce the qualities that are necessary to engage in benefiting others.

18  Dgongs gcig 3.3: “All of the precious conduct is the gnosis of omniscience”; Rdo rje shes
rab, vol. 2, p. 215.
19  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 329: “By completely practicing all roots of good virtue in that
way, one becomes omniscient like the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, yet, because of not
being satisfied with the two accumulations, that good conduct, i.e., ‘continuous conduct,’
arises as emptiness, cause, and result.” (de ltar dkar phyogs kyi dge ba’i rtsa ba thams cad
rdzogs par nyams su blangs pas | byang chub sems dpa’ kun tu bzang po bzhin du thams cad
mkhyen par gyur kyang tshogs rnam par gnyis kyis chog mi shes pas bzang po’i spyod pa
rgyun gyi spyod pa de stong nyid rgyu ’bras su ’byung bas |).
20  I have provided a preliminary description of the teaching of this vajra-statement (6.17) of
’Jig rten gsum mgon’s Dgongs gcig in Sobisch 2015/09.
21  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 330: sdug bsngal de las thar par byed pa sems nyid lhan cig skyes
pa’i ye shes ma rtogs na ’khor ba las thar pa’i thabs gzhan med par shes nas gzhan don rgya
chen po la ’jug ste |.

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178 Sobisch

There are, however, further aspects to be discussed regarding the connection

between the Six Yogas and Mahāmudrā.

4 The Yogas as a Practice in Common with Non-Buddhists

Vajra-statement 6.18 teaches in particular that those who have realized

Mahāmudrā ought to practice the yogas to achieve the qualities necessary to
benefit others. Mahāmudrā is in this system obtained through the practice of
the Fivefold Path: (1) the resolve for awakening, (2) the practice of the body as
the yi dam deity, (3) the practice of the four kāyas of the guru, (4) Mahāmudrā,
and (5) dedication. Chos kyi grags pa says in his commentary on Dgongs
gcig 5.15:22

The first – the practice of the resolve for awakening – liberates you from
the Lower Vehicle and is a great means. [Then] make visible the primor-
dially established deity of Mantra that arises from that resolve. Moreover,
if you have not realized your mind itself as the guru, the peg of your de-
votion does not stick. Therefore, practice guru [yoga]! Within that state,
settle yourself in equipoise in Mahāmudrā, where saṁsāra and nirvāṇa
are inseparable. Having made all such virtue the common [property]
of all beings of the three realms [by merit transference], dedicate it to
awakening.

That the breakthrough to Mahāmudrā is achieved by means of guru devotion

alone has been taught in vajra-statement 6.6. It is conspicuous that the Six
Yogas do not figure in any particular way in the Fivefold Path of Mahāmudrā.
Rather, the Fivefold Path and the realization of Mahāmudrā are a prerequisite
of the Six Yogas. Chos kyi grags pa continues the above statement by saying
that “leaving such paths of the profound, vital points aside, [saying: ‘I] have
become skilled in channels and winds,’ one carelessly commits the first defeat
(parājika),” indicating that one would thereby only break the vow of celibacy
(Skt. abrahmacāryaṃ), which is the first of the five total defeats of an ordained
person. The vital point that ’Jig rten gsum mgon teaches in the vajra-statements

22  Chos kyi grags pa, p. 211: dang po theg pa dman pa las grol zhing thabs chen po byang sems
bsgom | byang sems de las skyes pa’i yi dam gyi lha gdod nas grub pa gsal btab | de yang rang
sems bla mar ma rtogs na mos gus kyi rten phur mi tshugs pas bla ma bsgom | de’i ngang las
’khor ’das dbyer med phyag rgya chen po la mnyam par ’jog de lta’i dge ba thams cad khams
gsum gyi sems can thams cad dang thun mong du byas nas byang chub tu bsngo ba […].

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 179

of the Dgongs gcig concerning the Six Yogas is that they are not profound prac-
tices unless they are thoroughly embedded in the Buddhist path, starting with
(what others call) the “non-profound instructions,” such as renunciation, ref-
uge, disciplined conduct, resolve for awakening, and so forth. A Buddhist posi-
tion according to which the practice of the channels and winds is profound,
such that one can safely abandon the “non-profound instructions,” can be
found in the “general view” section at the beginning of the comments on vajra-
statement 5.15. Rdo rje shes rab summarizes such a flawed position as follows:23

In general, the Exalted Buddha has taught the Mantra Vajrayāna, the ul-
timate of all vehicles. Within that he taught the pith instructions of the
profound, namely the channels and winds. Therefore, it is not necessary
to practice the non-profound pith instructions that were aspired to ear-
lier. By accomplishing wind, the four pulses are gradually dissolved24 and
thereby one proceeds from the first to the tenth bhūmi and realizes the
result of the four bodies and the five gnoses.

To refute this position, ’Jig rten gsum mgon maintained: “If one lacks the ‘non-
profound instructions,’ one will not obtain buddhahood through the profound
[practices of] the channels and winds.” Rdo rje shes rab explains (p. 187) that
just as a Cakravartin King, who possess the immeasurable wealth of a king-
dom, still needs to nourish his body through (ordinary) food and beverages,
the pith instructions of profound channels, winds, and drops, even if practiced
for eons, are useless without the non-profound support of all the qualities of
saṁsāra and nirvāṇa. Thus, to obtain liberation, one first develops a distaste
for saṁsāra, takes refuge, practices disciplined conduct to obtain the ten pow-
ers of the Tathāgata, cultivates the resolve for awakening, and then, to over-
come phenomenal existence, one must employ entirely all the vital points
of tantric consecration, cultivation, and completion. Without these, states
Rdo rje shes rab, it might be possible with great effort in the yogas to obtain

23  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 186f.; Paris fol. 155r f.: de la spyir sangs rgyas bcom ldan ’das kyis
theg pa thams cad kyi mthar thug gsang sngags rdo rje’i theg pa gsungs | de’i nang nas zab
mo rtsa rlung gi gdams ngag rnams ston pas gong du smon pa mi zab pa’i gdams ngag de
rnams bsgom mi dgos te | rlung bsgrubs pas ’gros bzhi rim par thim pas sa dang po nas sa
bcu’i bar bgrod cing | ’bras bu sku bzhi dang ye shes lnga la sogs mngon du ’gyur […].
24  The four pulses are channels, syllables/letters (yi ge), elemental nectars (khams bdud rtsi),
and wind. The latter three pulsate in the channels and are gradually dissolved into the
central channel; cf. Kongtrul 2007: 391 n. 25.

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180 Sobisch

certain super-perceptions and supernatural displays, but these are only those
Buddhists have in common with Non-Buddhists. Chos kyi grags pa states:25

Without [the “non-profound” practices] it may be possible that supernor-

mal powers of any of the non-Buddhist [sects] and of [practices] com-
mon [to both Buddhists and non-Buddhists] arise by mastering only [the
practices of] channels and winds. [However], it is not possible to achieve
buddhahood! To achieve buddhahood, you must enter into the gate of the
teachings. If you lack refuge, you do not join the ranks of the Buddhists.
If you do not possess any of the Prātimokṣa vows, you do not belong to
one of the four retinues of the Buddha. If you lack the twofold resolve [for
awakening], you have not planted the root of the Mahāyāna path. If the
meaning of empowerment has not arisen in your mental continuum, the
maturation of your mental continuum is impossible. If you do not pos-
sess the stage of creation, which is primordially established, the clinging
to ordinary appearances is not warded off, and ground, path, and result
are grasped as three different [components]. If the stage of completion
endowed with signs is lacking, one is side-tracked into nihilism. If the
stage of completion without signs is lacking, one is side-tracked into [the
belief in a] permanent [self]. For these reasons, no matter what kind of
Dharma you practice, the complete preparation, main part, and conclu-
sion, i.e., a correct progression of the path, is very important.

Thus, the common super-perceptions and supernatural displays do not accom-

plish the qualities that are necessary to liberate other beings. These qualities
are only cultivated through a Fierce Heat that is practiced on the firm basis of
the Fivefold Path. Moreover, it has been mentioned above that the “inconceiv-
able gates of skill with regard to means” include in particular the perfection of
disciplined conduct. The reason for that is that the qualities that benefit others

25  Chos kyi grags pa, p. 210f.: med par rtsa rlung kho na la gnad du bsnun pas kyang mu stegs ci
rigs dang thun mong gi rdzu ’phrul tsam ’ong srid | sangs rgyas par mi srid de | ’tshang rgya
ba la bstan pa’i sgor ’jug dgos | skyabs ’gro med na nang pa’i gral du mi tshud | so thar sdom
pa gang rung dang mi ldan na ston pa’i ’khor rnam bzhi’i grangs su mi ’gro | sems bskyed
rnam gnyis med na theg pa chen po’i lam gyi rtsa ba’i mi tshugs | dbang don rgyud la ma
skyes na rang rgyud min pa’i go mi chod | gdod nas yongs grub kyi bskyed rim dang mi ldan
na tha mal gyi snang zhen mi bzlog cing gzhi lam ’bras gsum tha dad du ’dzin | mtshan ma
dang bcas pa’i rdzogs rim med na chad par gol | mtshan med kyi rdzogs rim med na rtag par
gol | don des na chos ci ’dra zhig byed kyang sbyor dngos rjes gsum tshang ba lam gyi bgros
ma log pa zhig gal che ste |.

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 181

can only arise based on an absence of desire. Rdo rje shes rab, for instance,
states:26

All the non-Buddhists, too, are practicing channels and winds; however,
for the [uncommon] supernormal perceptions and supernatural displays
to arise, it is necessary to be free from desire.

Therefore, ’Jig rten gsum mgon says:27

The three-hundred-sixty methods of passionate union

And the vital points of channels, winds, and drops are not profound.
[Only] if they are pure within the sphere of Luminosity are they the
Buddha’s teaching.
[That] is taught by the Victor as the vital point of profound tantra.
Elsewhere [such non-profound practices] are again and again taught
with great effort,
[Namely] in the sādhanas of non-Buddhists and their retinues.

5 Concluding Remarks

’Jig rten gsum mgon has pointed out that the six yogas are, in fact, practices that
Buddhists have in common with Non-Buddhists. What renders these methods
a special path for Buddhist yogis is that they are practiced with the support of
the entire Buddhist path, starting from developing distaste for saṁsāra, on up
to the realization of luminosity and Mahāmudrā. The comments by Rdo rje
shes rab on vajra-statements 5.5, 6.6, and 6.18 suggest that the practice of the
Six Yogas, although acknowledged as a central practice of the Bka’ brgyud pas,
was not taught by ’Jig rten gsum mgon in the context of his Fivefold Path as a
means of accomplishing Mahāmudrā. As I have argued elsewhere, the Fivefold
Path of Mahāmudrā is a Mantra path where the realization of the dhamakāya
for one’s own sake is obtained through a variety of practices that culminate in
what ’Jig rten gsum mgon describes as the supreme form of guru devotion. The

26  Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 188: phyi rol mu stegs pa kun yang rtsa rlung bsgom | ’on kyang
mngon shes dang rdzu ’phrul rnams ’ong ba la yang ’dod chags dang bral dgos.
27  Jig rten gsum mgon, vol. 3, fol. 125v, quoted by Rdo rje shes rab, vol. 3, p. 188: chags pa spyod
pa’i sbyor thabs sum brgya drug cu dang || rtsa rlung thig le’i gnad rnams zab pa ma yin te ||
de dag ’od gsal dbyings su dag na thub pa’i chos || rgyal bas gsang sngags zab pa’i gnad du
gsungs pa yin || gzhan du mu stegs ’khor ba’i sgrub thabs su || nan tan chen pos bka’ stsal
yang yang gsung ||.

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182 Sobisch

Six Yogas, on the other hand, are a continuation of the practices of the path of
means that aim to establish the qualities, embodied as the kāyas of form, for
the sake of others.28
In the specific sense stated in the context of the Fivefold Path, the realiza-
tion of Mahāmudrā is produced through devotion, and after that, the yogas are
to be practiced with the purpose of producing qualities for the sake of benefit-
ing beings. However, as Sgam po pa has mentioned in his reply to Phag mo gru
pa, this teaching does not exclude the general possibility that some people may
produce realization by first practicing Fierce Heat – until the “sign of warmth”
is produced – as a preparation for the introduction to Mahāmudrā. Another
question is whether ’Jig rten mgon po taught a practice of the Six Yogas for the
purpose of directly obtaining Mahāmudrā as a separate path apart from a com-
plete Buddhist path such as that of the Fivefold Path Mahāmudrā. If we accept
the above teachings of the Dgongs gcig as his authoritative view on the matter,
however, such a practice would need another system of a complete Buddhist
path like the Fivefold Path as its basis in order to avoid the contradiction that
a practice that has commonalities with the practices of Non-Buddhists would
achieve a result that is exclusively the result of Buddhist practice.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Klaus-Dieter Mathes and Roger Jackson for organizing
another stimulating panel on Indian and Tibetan Mahāmudrā traditions at the
ITAS conference in Bergen, 2016, and I am grateful for the considerable efforts
they have made to edit and publish the present collection of essays. In par-
ticular, I would like to acknowledge their suggestions for my essay, which has
benefited from their remarks.

28  Chos kyi grags pa says, p. 222 (Dgongs gcig 5.20): “Freedom from the arising and cessa-
tion of the mind is the dharmakāya, [its] arising in various [forms] is the sambhogakāya,
and its unimpeded appearance is the nirmāṇakāya.” In his comments on Dgongs gcig
7.14, Rdo rje shes rab (vol. 3, p. 415) describes the nirmāṇakāya as the benefiting of sen-
tient beings through the activities of the two inseparable bodies, i.e., the sambhogakāya
and the dharmakāya. The illustration is Buddha Śākyamuni, whose dharmakāya aspect
is that he is “separated from all proliferations of phenomena of saṁsāra and nirvāṇa
and [has] spontaneously accomplished realization that possesses the four marks. His
sambhogakāya aspect is the ornamentation of that dharmakāya with measureless quali-
ties, [such as] the major and minor [marks]. His nirmāṇakāya aspect is the benefiting of
sentient beings through various activities.” “Four marks” must refer to the four Mahāyānic
aspects of purity, bliss, real Self, and permanence.

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the Relation between Mahāmudrā and the Six Yogas of Nāropa 183

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