Karl Brunnhölzl - Milarepas Kungfu: Mahamudra in His Songs of Realization

DescriptionDiscover a meditation masters kungfu of the mind.The view is the wisdom of being emptyMeditation is luminosity without fixationConduct is a continual flow free of attachmentFruition is nakedness bare of any stainThis is the first stanza of Milarepas Ultimate View, Meditation, Conduct, and Fruition: pith instructions originally sang to the great yogi Rechungpa, Milarepas disciple. These teachings are Milarepas direct offering to his disciple of his own profound realization, gained after many years of dedicated practice. Karl Brunnhlzl, acclaimed translator and senior teacher at the Nalandabodhi community of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, calls this hard-earned understanding kungfu: Gong means skillful work, hard training, or endeavor, and fu means time spent... The term refers to Milarepas diligent and skillful training in the techniques to realize the nature of his mind and benefit countless sentient beings. Ultimate View, Meditation, Conduct, and Fruition is a work of remarkable depth and clarity. In just five verses, Milarepa gives incisive instructions for progressing and for avoiding pitfalls in the stages of practice:- View: the basis or ground from which the proper meditation, conduct, and fruition of mahamudra can arise- Meditation: the training in or the familiarization with that view- Conduct: the natural outflow of having familiarized with the view in meditation- Fruition: the final outcome of having fully assimilated and realized the view, whose essence is not different from itMilarepa dedicates one verse to each stage, and Karl dedicates one chapter to each verse, weaving in wisdom from other Milarepa songs, comments by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyatso, and from Karls own insight. Readers can thus fully immerse themselves in each point of Milarepas extraordinary teaching.ReviewIn this book, Dr. Karl Brunnhlzl, our Nalandabodhi Mitra, unveils the secret of view, meditation, and action as sung by the king of yogins, Milarepa. This book is certain to open a new dimension for your mind and bring the mind-bending experience of the yogi into your heart. These teachings of Milarepa are a timely and straight-to-the-heart wisdom that will surely benefit many in this century and beyond. With heartfelt gratitude, I close with the aspiration that all who even glance at this book may see reality and free their mind. -- Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheKarl Brunnholzl provides a delightful overview of Milarepa and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtsos teachings on view, mediation, and action. The style is straightforward and profound, lighthearted, and even humorous. Karl adds his own images and observations while following Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtsos oral commentaries on Milarepas songs of realization. The book emphasizes how Milarepa is talking about view as the direct experience of mahamudra, then provides a brief introduction to how Khenpo Tsltrim Gyamtso taught the progressive stages of approaching emptiness. -- Lama Shenpen HookhamIn Milarepas Kungfu, Karl Brunnhlzl directly and simplybut not simplisticallyunpacks the wisdom instructions in a medley of Milarepas songs of realization. Brunnhlzl makes the inexpressible accessible, opening up the meaning, explaining key terms and points, and linking the songs with Khenpo Tsltrim Gyamtso Rinpoches teachings, including his five stages of meditation on emptiness. This is a masterful and delightful presentation of some of Milarepas key teachings on mahamudrato be enjoyed by all! -- Elizabeth Callahan, translator of Moonbeams of MahamudraMilarepa, the eleventh-century Tibetan poet and meditation master, was acclaimed for his songs of inner realization and spiritual attainment. In Milarepas Kungfu, Karl Brunnhlzl explores the Mahamudra tradition through a detailed commentary on Milarepas song of the ultimate view, meditation, conduct, and fruition of Buddhist practice. Written with characteristic clarity and wit, and presented in a highly engaging style, Brunnhlzls masterful work elucidates the profound meaning of Milarepas words, which encompass the entire path to awakening. Milarepas Kungfu illuminates this thousand-year-old poem as part of a living tradition that will interest the newcomer to Buddhist literature and the longtime practitioner alike. -- Andrew Quintman, associate professor, Department of Religion and College of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan UniversityAbout the AuthorKarl Brunnhlzl, MD, PhD, was originally trained as a physician. He received his systematic training in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa Institute for Translators, founded by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, as well as the Nitartha Institute, founded by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Since 1989 he has been a translator and interpreter from Tibetan and English. Karlis is a senior teacher and translator in the Nalandabodhi community of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, as well as at the Nitartha Institute. He lives in Munich and is the author and translator of numerous texts, including A Lullaby to Awaken the Heart: The Aspiration Prayer of Samantabhadra and Its Tibetan Commentaries and Luminous Melodies: Essential Dohas of Indian Mahamudra.