Sadhana of Mahamudra
with Shastri Merlin Cox
The Sadhana of Mahamudra is a practice written by the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Shambhala, on retreat in Bhutan in 1968. This was at an important turning point in his presentation of the Buddhist teachings in the West. Many students seemed to be fascinated by Tibetan Buddhism but were somehow missing the point.
According to the teachings we all as humans possess innate goodness which we can discover within. However we can instead fall into a mistaken tendency to use spirituality to try to create a “spiritual” façade.
This tendency, known as “spiritual materialism”, only succeeds in alienating us even further from our genuine nature. The central theme of the sadhana is to cut through spiritual materialism and discover our innate wisdom.
Overcoming Spiritual Materialism
The sadhana is considered terma, hidden teachings which can be uncovered by tertöns: specially gifted teachers who are able to discover them at the time when they are most needed. Trungpa Rinpoche was one of the great modern tertöns and the Sadhana of Mahamudra is such a teaching.
Thus, this practice is meant for our particular time as a means of overcoming the obstacles of spiritual materialism in our practice, our lives and the world. Because it was meant for this time, its potency is particularly strong.
The sadhana is based on two main principles—the principle of space or ati (dzogchen) associated with the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and the principle of energy or mahamudra associated with the Kagyü school.
The practice lasts a little over an hour and involves recitation of the sadhana text and periods of silent meditation. The text is full of vivid imagery which may at first seem strange. As with all dharma teachings, understanding develops through patience and contemplation. So we encourage newcomers to come in and experience how a sadhana practice feels. Simply recite the words and relax into the atmosphere that it creates. The chant leader is available to answer any questions and will give a brief explanation of how to do the practice before it begins.
Texts for the practice are provided at the Centre. Everyone is welcome! Free of charge.
7.00pm arrival, 7:30pm start, 9.00pm finish.
For further information please contact [email protected]
