Article: Bodhi 10-1 - Bodhionline

It has been some years since the Buddhist teachings have spread to the West, and in that time many people have engendered a deep faith and confidence in the teachings of the Buddha. For those with such great faith and confidence, the practice of mahamudra is very appropriate because mahamudra is a particularly convenient practice to do, and at the same time it is extremely beneficial. For students following the path of mahamudra, it will be very helpful to know and understand something about the history of this lineage.

Three Lifestyles of Mahamudra Practitioners

In terms of history, in India and Tibet, we have a record of 84 mahasiddhas who practiced mahamudra and achieved realization. (1) These 84 mahasiddhas, or great accomplished ones, led many types of lifestyles. For example, we can look at Indrabodhi, a great and powerful king of India who had a wealth of enjoyments and pleasures. He was also skilled at cultivating and sustaining his kingdom in a vast way. Even though he exerted himself at cultivating and sustaining his kingdom and enjoyed the many pleasures of a king, along with that, he meditated on mahamudra. Due to his mahamudra meditation, he attained great accomplishment.

If we look at a second category of practitioner, we can take the example of the great protector Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna was a great scholar and a wise master who was learned in all of the Buddhist reasonings. He had an extremely sharp intellect and a great ability to compose Buddhist texts and treatises. He also had an uncanny ability to refute all the wrong views of various philosophical systems and spiritual traditions of his time. He was able to affirm or establish the correct views from among all the different views that were being put forth. Even though he was an adept scholar, composer of texts, and teacher, even with all those activities, he engaged in the practice of meditation. And what did he practice? He practiced the meditation of mahamudra. Through this profound practice, he was able to attain the supreme siddhi, (2) the supreme accomplishment that enabled his practice and his teaching activity to proceed unimpeded

We also have examples of those who took a much simpler approach to the path of mahamudra, such as the mahasiddha Tilopa. Tilopa’s main occupation was pounding sesame seeds and extracting their oil. Along with pounding sesame seeds, Tilopa was able to practice mahamudra and sustain his experience and realization to the point where he gained great accomplishment.

All of these examples can apply to us in this era. These days, there are many people who have wealth and who enjoy material pleasures and comforts. If these people practice the teachings, then it is completely possible for them to attain accomplishment in mahamudra. Conversely, you have people who are very intellectual and scholarly. They like to study and their faculties for learning are very sharp. These people can lead the lifestyle of Nagarjuna, and if they practice mahamudra at the same time, they can also attain the accomplishment of mahamudra. We also have people who like to lead very simple lives, lives that are free of complexities. These people too can not only practice mahamudra, but also come to complete perfection.

When the teachings spread to Tibet, a host of accomplished practitioners emerged. So we can also look at the history of the Tibetan siddhas to see how they practiced mahamudra according to their own individual propensities. From the perspective of our own tradition, the Kagyu lineage, we have those who are known as the three forefathers of the Kagyu lineage: Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa. If we look at these three examples, we can see the three different lifestyles that these practitioners embody. They are proof that we can practice mahamudra in any of these three ways.

1 Masters of Enchantment: The Lives and Legends of the Mahasiddhas by Keith Dowman. Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1988. Keith Dowman translated a work by Abhayadatta who collected the stories of eighty-four mahasiddhas, although there were many more than this.

2 The term siddhi refers to the attainment of spiritual powers as the result of one’s practice. There are taught to be eight worldly siddhis and one supreme siddhi. The worldly siddhis are powers such as clairvoyance, the ability to read others’ thought, and the ability to fly. The supreme siddhi is the attainment of enlightenment.