Dakpo Tashi Namgyal - Moonbeams of Mahamudra (Tsadra)

A new translation of Tibets most important manual for Mahmudr view and meditationThis classic Buddhist work, written in the sixteenth century, comprehensively presents the entire scope of the Tibetan Kagyu Mahmudr tradition. These profound yet accessible instructions focus on becoming familiar with the nature of ones mind as the primary means to realize ultimate reality and thus attain buddhahood. Dakpo Tashi Namgyals manual for the view and practice of Mahmudr is widely considered the single most important work on the subject, systematically introducing the view and associated meditation techniques in a progressive manner.Moonbeams of Mahmudr, along with the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorjes Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance, are to this day some of the most studied texts on Mahmudr in the Kagyu monasteries throughout Tibet and the Himalayas. Elizabeth M. Callahan, a renowned translator of classical Kagyu literature, has provided new translations of these two texts along with ancillary materials and annotations, making this a genuine resource for both scholars and students of Tibetan Buddhism. This historic contribution therefore offers the necessary tools to properly study and apply the Mahmudr teachings in a modern context.ReviewThis remarkable text, Moonbeams of Mahmudr, contains the essence of the entire Buddhist tradition as it has come to us from India and Tibet. The author, Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, clearly lays out the profound path of Mahmudr with both the analytical style of a scholar and the experiential style of a meditator. This unique approach is, at the same time, profound, practical, and completely accessible. It is my sincere wish that this new translation will inspire and benefit all who encounter it.Yongey Mingyur RinpocheDakpo Tashi Namgyals Moonbeams of Mahmudr is a fine piece of traditional scholarship that is, at the same time, a clear manual for beginners as well as advanced Mahmudr meditation practitioners. With her extensive introduction and new annotated translation of Moonbeams, Elizabeth M. Callahan renders an enormous service for scholars and practitioners alike. The introduction does not only cover a comprehensive history of the relevant transmission lineages, but also discusses in an academically balanced and well-documented way the major issues of current research, such as the controversy around the attempts to justify stra-based Mahmudr. The new translation of Moonbeams profits from Callahans exemplary mastery of classical Tibetan philology as well as her long-standing experience of Mahmudr meditation. This rare combination of skills shines throughout the highly readable text, making Dakpo Tashi Namgyals Mahmudr classic for the first time easily accessible.Klaus-Dieter Mathes, Professor of Buddhist Studies, University of ViennaMahmudr, the great seal of empty and blissful awareness, was a crucial concept and meditative practice in late Indian Buddhism and lies at the very heart of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. No Kagyu text on the great seal is more important that Dakpo Tashi Namgyals Moonbeams of Mahmudr, and with Elizabeth Callahans superb new translation, this masterwork receives the full scholarly treatment it deserves. Her fresh translation of the shorter but equally influential Mahmudr: Dispelling the Darkness of Ignorance, by the Ninth Karmapa, only adds to the richness of this spiritual and intellectual feastwhich will be savored by any scholar or practitioner seeking a lucid explanation of some of the deepest explorations the nature of mind and reality ever undertaken.Roger Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies and Religion, Carleton College Moonbeams of Mahmudr is not only a meditation instruction manual but a lucid explanation of Ground, Path, and Result Mahmudr in the context of the Buddhist path. Dakpo Tashi Namgyal taught it so well that he came to be known as the reincarnation of Gampopa. Elizabeth Callahan spent her entire life studying and translating Mahmudr texts. There is no doubt that anybody who wishes to study Mahmudr will need to read this book.Ringu TulkuAbout the AuthorDakpo Tashi Namgyal (15131587) was the first recognized reincarnation of Gampopa and an important master of the Dakpo Kagyu tradition. He wrote two highly acclaimed texts on Mahmudr practice: Moonbeams of Mahmudr and Clarifying the Natural State.Elizabeth M. Callahan is a Tibetan translator of the Kagyu tradition. She completed two three-year retreats at Kagyu Thubten Chling in New York, is a student of Khenpo Tsltrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, and has been a Tsadra Foundation Fellow since 2002. Her previous translations include The Treasury of Knowledge: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy by Jamgn Kongtrul and The Profound Inner Reality by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje.