Confusion Arises As Wisdom : Gampopa's Heart Advice on the Path of Mahamudra

How could confusion arise as wisdom? According to the Mahamudra view, confusion arises as wisdom when we realize that everything we experience is the radiance of the mind’s own nature. And what is the nature of our mind? And how do we come to recognize that? These are the questions Gampopa answers for his students in the text commented upon here, known as the Great Community Talks. He shows them—and now us—the path of deep understanding and meditation that leads to the realization of Mahamudra, the “Great Seal” of the true nature of reality. Gampopa was a twelfth-century Buddhist monk who was a disciple of Tibet’s greatest yogi, Milarepa. He applied Milarepa’s instructions on meditation to reach the highest realization of Mahamudra. In this volume of advanced teachings, Gampopa passes on these same instructions in the form of heart advice on how to practice the nature of mind and reach enlightenment. Ringu Tulku’s commentary on the text, taken from his own community talks to students in Europe and America, makes Gampopa’s teaching wonderfully accessible. His gentleness, warmth, and humor, as well as his wisdom and practicality, shine through in his own heartfelt advice on how we too could transform confusion into wisdom. Gampopa Was A Twelfth-century Buddhist Monk Who Was A Disciple Of Tibet's Greatest Yogi, Milarepa. He Applied Milarepa's Instructions On Meditation To Reach The Highest Realization Of Mahamudra. In This Volume Of Advanced Teachings, Gampopa Passes On These Same Instructions In The Form Of Heart Advice On How To Practice The Nature Of Mind And Reach Enlightenment.--back Cover. 1. The Lineage Of These Teachings -- 2. Understanding The Need For Devotion -- 3. The Monk Who Questioned Chenrezik -- 4. The Four Dharmas Of Gampopa -- 5. The Application Of Convergence -- 6. The Nature Of The Mind -- 7. The Meaning Of Mahamudra -- 8. Six Points Concerning The Creation Stage Practice -- 9. Stabilizing Recognition Of The Nature Of The Mind -- 10. The Qualities Of A Genuine Teacher -- 11. How To Actualize The View, Meditation, Action, And Result -- 12. The Importance Of Recognizing The Ordinary Mind -- 13. The Ways In Which A Realized Yogi Is Free -- 14. The Ideal Way To Listen To The Dharma -- 15. Pitfalls In Experience And Deviations From The View -- 16. Illusory, Dreamlike Bodhichitta -- 17. Gampopa's Heart Advice To Retreatants -- 18. Ten Ways In Which Students Attend Their Lama -- Appendix: Gampopa's Great Teachings To The Assembly. Commentary By Ringu Tulku ; Edited By Ann Helm ; Translated By Ringu Tulku And Ann Helm. Includes Bibliographical References. Includes Translation From Tibetan. The Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the freedom that comes from perceiving the emptiness of all phenomenateachings known collectively by the name Mahamudraare presented here with remarkable clarity through commentary on a twelfth-century text. The text is "Gampopa's Great Teachings to the Assembly," by Gampopa, the foremost disciple of the legendary figure Milarepa and founder of Tibetan Buddhism's Kagyu school. The commentary is by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, a contemporary teacher of deep learning and profound practice with a remarkable gift for presenting these traditional teachings in a way that is accessible to Western hearts and minds. Gampopa in his teaching combined the general Mahayana teachings he received from the Kadampa tradition of Atisha with the quintessential Vajrayana teachings, which he received from his teacher, Milarepa. These became the basis of the Kagyu lineage teachings that he founded. This particular text, which includes both Mahayana and Vajrayana teachings, is representative of the classic teachings of the Kagyu tradition in general.