Gampopa
Gampopa: The Very Essence of Mind, Mahamudra, the One Sufficient Path
The Mahamudra of Gampopa, the One Sufficient Path, has three sections:
1) To Have a Decisive Understanding About the True Nature,
2) The Introduction to the Fundamental Character, and
3) Training on the Path of Suchness.
To Have a Decisive Understanding About the True Nature
Mahamudra has no causes.
Mahamudra has no conditions.
Mahamudra has no methods.
Mahamudra has no path.
Mahamudra has no result.
The Introduction to the Fundamental Character
“Mahamudra has no causes,” and yet faith and devotion are the causes of mahamudra.
“Mahamudra has no conditions,” and yet genuine gurus are the conditions for mahamudra.
“Mahamudra has no methods,” and yet uncontrived mind is the method of mahamudra.
“Mahamudra has no path,” and yet undistracted mind is the path of mahamudra.
“Mahamudra has no result,” and yet the mind liberated into dharmata is the result of mahamudra.
Training on the Path of Suchness
As the preliminary practice, meditate on guru yoga with faith, devotion, and respect, three times during the day and three times at night.
As the main practice, rest within the state of uncontrived mind with undistracted recognition.
As the conclusion, recognize whatever appears as your own mind and train your awareness with skill.
Relying upon the sequential arising of experiences, exert yourself in meditation until conceptual mind is exhausted.
There are two ways in which experiences arise: as unfavorable experiences and as favorable experiences.
As for the first: All unfavorable experiences—whatever they are, such as dullness, agitation, illness, fear, fright, or doubt—arise from your meditation. Therefore, recognize them to be experiences. Without abandoning them, meditate, taking those very things as the object of your view and meditation.
As for favorable experiences:
First, the experience of the mind’s abiding arises.
Based on that, the experience of the essence, emptiness, arises.
Based upon that, the experience of attaining realization arises.
Based upon that, the experience of turning away from attachment arises.
With that sequential arising of experiences, you should exert yourself in practice without any complacency.
The mind’s merely abiding at first is not sufficient—you must meditate in order to see the essence.
Merely seeing the essence is not sufficient—you must meditate in order to attain realization.
Merely attaining realization is not sufficient—you must meditate in order to turn away from attachment.
Merely turning away from attachment is not sufficient—you must meditate so that, through the liberation of conceptual mind into dharmata, conceptual mind is exhausted, phenomena are exhausted, and you awaken.
This completes The Very Essence of Mind, Mahamudra, the One Sufficient Path by Gampopa. Translated orally into English during a teaching by Tenga Rinpoche at the Kalachakra for World Peace program at Madison Square Garden in 1991, and later revised, by Elizabeth Callahan. Tenga Rinpoche’s commentary was published in Shenpen Osel, Vol 4, No 1, June 2000.
http://www.naturalawareness.net/mahamudra.html#SarahasSongforaKing