Seen as the culmination of all practice and study by the New Translation Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the experience of Mahamudra, or "great symbol," is an overwhelming sense of extraordinary clarity, totally open and nondualistic. Dzogchen, or "great perfection," is the ultimate teaching according to the Nyingma tradition and also represents the pinnacle of spiritual development.
Both lineages of meditation practice emphasize the ultimate state of awareness within and the clear and luminous nature of the mind. In this book, Dzogchen Ponlop, holder of the wisdom lineages of both Dzogchen and Mahamudra, presents the view and practices of these two traditions with a pragmatic approach and informal style. He teaches that by applying ourselves to these practices, we can all experience our world more directly.


Wild Awakening, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 298 pp., $29.95

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars of his generation in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Fluent in English and well-versed in Western culture, Rinpooche has worked to develop and adapt traditional Tibetan education curriculums for Western audiences. Nitartha Institute (www.nitharthainstitute.org), where Rinpoche is the main teacher, provides a focused Buddhist studies program. Rinpoche is a visiting professor of buddhist philosopy at Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado. In 1997, Rinpoche founded Nalanabodhi to preserve the genuine lineage of the Nyingma and Kagyu Schools of Tibetan Buddhism. There are Nalandabodhi centers in North America and Europe, and curriculum materials are available to people worldwide.

Foreword	xi
Foreword	xiii
Editor's Preface	xv
Surveying the Path	1
The Nature of the Path	3
Buddhism: The Science of Mind	5
Preparing for the Journey	7
The Stages of Mahamudra and Dzogchen	9
Entering the Path	16
The Mahamudra Journey	19
Mahamudra: The Great Seal	21
The Glacier Mountain	23
Mahamudra Lineage History	28
Three Classifications of Mahamudra	30
Perspectives on the Mahamudra Journey	35
The Path That Brings Experience	39
The Four Common Preliminaries: The Four Reminders	40
The Four Uncommon Preliminaries	46
The Four Special Preliminaries	47
Ground Mahamudra: The Groundless Ground	59
Two Aspects of Ground: Emptiness and Ego	59
Breaking through Obstacles to Enlightenment	70
Generating Perfect Mind	73
The Inseparability of Samsara and Nirvana	75
The Path of Instructions: Mahamudra Shamatha	80
Mahamudra Pointing-Out Instructions	81
Three Stages of Resting	86
Three Methods of Resting	88
General Techniques of Shamatha Meditation	94
Nine Stages of Resting the Mind	100
The Path of Instructions: Mahamudra Vipashyana	111
Vipashyana Pointing Out	111
Coemergent Mind: The Dharmakaya	113
Coemergent Thought: The Display of Dharmakaya	113
Coemergent Appearance: The Light of Dharmakaya	116
Working with the Pointing-Out Instructions	117
The Path to Enlightenment: The Four Yogas of Mahamudra	128
One-Pointedness	128
Nonfabrication	129
One Taste	130
Nonmeditation	131
Fruition Mahamudra: The Three Kayas	134
Transcending Reference Points	135
The Wisdom of the Buddha	135
The Three Kayas in Everyday Life	140
Mantra Mahamudra	142
Names of the Secret Mantrayana	143
Shunyata and Sacred Outlook	146
Qualities and Marks of the Mantrayana Path	147
The Three Vajras	152
The Teacher-Student Relationship	154
Essence Mahamudra: The Mind of Nowness	159
Wild Awakening	159
The Ground of Essence Mahamudra	161
The Path: Mahamudra Shamatha and Vipashyana	163
The Fruition: The Stainless Trikaya	169
The Dzogchen Journey	175
Dzogchen: The Nine-Yana Journey	177
The Great Exhaustion	178
The Lineage of Dzogchen	180
Not Losing the Way	182
The Nine Stages of the Path	183
The Shravakayana and the Pratyekabuddhayana	186
The Shravakayana: Vehicle of the Hearers	186
The Three Stages of Meditation	188
The Four Noble Truths	193
Pratimoksha: Individual Salvation	199
The Pratyekabuddhayana: Vehicle of the Solitary Realizers	200
The Hinayana Journey	203
The Bodhisattvayana	205
The Greater Vehicle	205
The Fence of "Mine"	207
Nurturing the Seed of Enlightenment	208
Relative and Ultimate Bodhichitta	209
The Six Paramitas	214
The Bodhisattva	217
The Two Main Streams of the Mahayana Lineage	223
The Emotions: Friends and Enemies	226
The Chittamatra and Madhyamaka Schools	228
The Ground of the Two Truths	231
Entering the Vajrayana	237
Taking Risks	237
Entering the Royal Banquet	238
View and Meditation	240
The Vehicle of Austerity and Awareness	240
The Final Breakthrough	247
The Vehicle of Overpowering Means	247
The Guru in the Dzogchen Lineage	248
Maha Yoga	248
Anu Yoga	250
Ati Yoga	251
Waking Up	255
Notes	257
Glossary	261
Nalandabodhi Centers	277
Editors' Acknowledgments	283
Illustration Credits	286
Index	287
About the Author	302