In the last newsletter, I discussed the translation of the first point of the five points, that mahamudra has no genesis. This means that mahamudra has no beginning, or, to put it another way, that there is no thing that grows into or becomes mahamudra. I also pointed out that when we sit quietly with that statement and let it sink into the body and into the emotional field, a shift takes place, and we rest a little more deeply and a little more quietly. That shift may not happen immediately, but with a little practice, it happens for most people. In this shift, the sense of time drops away. At least, that’s how it is for me. It may arise differently for you.
Today, we turn attention to the next four sentences in this section:
Mahamudra has no conditions.
Mahamudra has no method.
Mahamudra has no path.
Mahamudra has no result.
We practice with these four points in exactly the same way as the first point. We rest quietly, holding the sentence in mind, and letting it sink into the body and the emotional field. Sooner or later, you sense a shift. The shift has a different flavor for each of these four points. Below, I note how I experience these flavors. Again, they may arise in a different way for you. For more detailed instruction, please look at the last newsletter.
Mahamudra has no conditions
This sentence could also be translated as “Mahamudra has no causes.” Here we are using the word “cause” as it is normally used in English. If we water a seed we have planted, we can say the water causes it to grow. Without water, it probably won’t. The same holds for nutrition and sunlight. Causes, conditions, both work in English as translations of the corresponding words in Tibetan and Sanskrit.
The shift here is also subtle. For me, it has the quality of “there is nothing I can do to make mahamudra happen.” When you sense that shift, the best thing to do is nothing. Rest.
The aim here is to assimilate each of these statements, not by trying to understand them or figure them out, but by letting our mind, our emotional sense, and our body become attuned to them and let them in. That is why I say just hold them in mind and let the meaning sink in. The shift for each of them is an indication that the meaning has begun to sink in.
Mahamudra has no method
No translation problems here. In most of our meditation training, we rely on some method, following the out-breath for instance, or holding in mind that we are a deity, or repeating a mantra over and over again. A method is a way of working at meditation practice, refining the quality of attention, developing skills, or building capacity. For mahamudra, there is no method, there is no way to work at it. Now let that point sink in. Again, at some point, you sense a shift. Here the shift may have the quality of “there is no way to work at this, no way to make it happen.”
As you have probably noted by now, there is physical, emotional, and cognitive resistance to each of these points. The way of practicing I am suggesting here is not mahamudra per se, but a way of preparing mind, heart, and body for mahamudra. Each of these points is easy to understand conceptually, but quite hard to accept. Thinking about each point and trying to convince yourself that that is the case usually reinforces the conceptual mind, triggers various forms of emotional resistance, and negates any chance of the body absorbing or assimilating the possibility. That is why I suggest holding it in attention and letting it sink in.
Two more to go.
Mahamudra has no path
The metaphor of a path, a journey of some kind, is used extensively in Buddhism. We start here and go there, and these are the stages, etc. Mahamudra is not like that. Mahamudra is not a thing. There is no path and there are no stages. As before, sit quietly with this statement and let it sink in. Cognitive resistance arises in many ways, as arguments or reasoning, for instance. As soon as you notice you are thinking, drop everything and start again. Emotional resistance also arises in many ways, as frustration, as boredom, as confusion, as dullness, or as explicit emotional reactions such as anger, greed, or envy. The body, too, may express its resistance as agitation or sleepiness, discomfort, or inexplicable pains or other sensations. No matter. Just keep resting with the point and let it sink in. With this point, when a shift does take place, it may have the quality of clarity or non-thought.
Mahamudra has no result
Again, hold this in mind and let it sink in. Everyone’s experience is different, of course, but don’t be surprised if resistance in mind, heart, and body arise quite strongly with this point. No result? Then why am I doing this, then? Suddenly, you are thrown right back to why do you practice at all.
Don’t fall into arguing or analyzing. Let the voices quiet down on their own. Let the emotional reactions break, crash, and subside, like waves breaking on a beach. And let tensions in the body resolve themselves. When you sense a shift, it may have the quality of opening into a larger space, a much larger space, as body and mind relax in a way you may not have experienced before.
I suggest you work with just one point for a week or two, until you have a clear sense of the shift that indicates that the point is sinking in. Then move on to the next one. The aim here isn’t to understand the point, but to create the conditions in which the point can actually sink in and start changing you. Each of these points initiates a change in you. The cumulative effect of these changes is to make mahamudra practice more accessible.
Otherwise, practicing mahamudra may be a bit like being told that 42 is the answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything.
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