Karl Brunnhölzl - Sounds of Innate Freedom

FOREWORD

As he maneuvered through the fair, he became mesmerized by a young woman who was straightening a piece of bamboo with three segments. Noticing her exceptional powers of concentration, he asked: Young lady, what are you doing? Are you an arrow-maker? Moving in closer, he saw that she had one eye closed and the other looking directly at the piece of bamboo. She was one-pointedly focused on her task, not distracted or disturbed by all the hustle and bustle of the marketplace. Nevertheless, she answered Rhulabhadra, saying: The intention of the Buddha can only be known through signs and skillful means, not through words and concepts. In that moment, the three-kya nature of buddha-mind became apparent to him through the signs and symbols the young woman, secretly a wisdom kin, had displayed. A classical text relates the insights that arose in his mind: Her one eye closed and the other open is the symbol of closing the eyes of consciousness and opening the eyes of wisdom; the bamboo is the symbol of the nature of mind; the three segments symbolize the three-kya nature; straightening is the direct path; cutting the bamboo from the root is cutting the root of samsara; cutting the top of the bamboo is cutting ego-clinging; making four slots [for feathers] is the four unborn seals of mindfulness; adding the arrowhead at the end is the need for sharp praj;...

Sudden awakening took place in his heart and he fully realized mahmudr. Recognizing that a wisdom kin was in front of him, he proclaimed, You are not an arrow-maker but a symbol-maker! From that time onward he followed her, abandoning scholarship and adopting the tantric path. He became known as Saraha or Sarahapda, the arrow shooter, referring metaphorically to he who has shot the arrow of nonduality into the heart of duality. Saraha became the foremost mahsiddha of the tantric tradition of Buddhism. The doh lineage in tantric Buddhism began when Saraha, also known as the Great Brahman, started singing spontaneous songs of realization to his disciples: the king, the queen, and the people of the kingdom. Since then, the great siddhas of the Mahmudr lineage have continued to express their realization and instructions to their disciples in pithy and spontaneous songs known as dohs. The most renowned of these many songs of realization is Milarepas Ocean of Songs, commonly known as the Hundred Thousand Songs.

The doh tradition continues today with numerous songs from my own guru, Dechen Rangdrol, a contemporary mahsiddha. I am genuinely excited to have this opportunity to work with Mitra Karl Brunnhlzl to translate the large compendium of texts called The Indian Texts of the Mahamudra of Definitive Meaning, compiled by the Seventh Karmapa Chtra Gyatso (14561539). Making this classic mahmudr literature available in English for the first time is a historic and noteworthy project. As many readers may already be aware, Mitra Karl not only is well versed in Buddhist philosophy and the Tibetan and Sanskrit languages but has also practiced these teachings for many years under the guidance of my guru, Dechen Rangdrol. Mitra Karl has also been studying with me, and I have full confidence and trust that his translation work here will be true to the original. I want to thank Wisdom Publication for their openness and support in bringing these treasures of the East to the West.

May this book help all to discover the treasure within our ordinary mind of neurosis. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche Nalanda West, Seattle, WA

PREFACE

The large anthology that is called The Indian Texts of the Mahmudr of Definitive Meaning and they range from a single sentence to almost two hundred pages. Roughly categorized, they fall under seven genres: the Anvilatantra (selected as a tantric source of mahmudr attributed to the Buddha himself) and its commentary songs of realization (doh, carygti, and vajragti) commentaries on songs of realization and other texts independent tantric treatises nontantric treatises edifying stories doxographies (presenting hierarchies of different Buddhist and non-Buddhist tenet systems) In its modern Tibetan book edition, the anthology consists of six volumes (with the modest number of 2,600 pages). Volume 1 opens with the catalogue of the collection by Karma Dashi Chpel Lodr Gyats Drayang Volume 2 (thirty-four texts) begins with Keralis