Maitreya's Ratnagotravibhaga, also known as the Uttaratantra, is the main Indian treatise on buddha nature, a concept that is heavily debated in Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. In A Direct Path to the Buddha Within, Klaus-Dieter Mathes looks at a pivotal Tibetan commentary on this text by Go Lotsawa Zhonu Pal, best known as the author of the Blue Annals. Go Lotsawa, whose teachers spanned the spectrum of Tibetan schools, developed a highly nuanced understanding of buddha nature, tying it in with mainstream Mahayana thought while avoiding contested aspects of the so-called empty-of-other (zhentong) approach. In addition to translating key portions of Go Lotsawa's commentary, Mathes provides an in-depth historical context, evaluating Go's position against those of other Kagyu, Nyingma, and Jonang masters and examining how Go Lotsawa's view affects his understanding of the buddha qualities, the concept of emptiness, and the practice of mahamudra.

A Direct Path to the Buddha Within: Go Lotsawa's Mahamudra Interpretation of the Ratnagotravibhaga (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism)

Politics & Social Sciences

Mathes, Klaus-Dieter

Philosophy

Wisdom Publications

Product Description 
Maitrīpa (986–1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayāna Buddhism. The legacy of his thought and meditation instructions have had a profound impact on Buddhism in India and Tibet, and several important contemporary practice lineages continue to rely on his teachings.\nEarly in his life, Maitrīpa gained renown as a monk and scholar, but it was only after he left his monastery and wandered throughout India as a yogi that he had a direct experience of nonconceptual realization. Once Maitrīpa awakened to this nondual nature of reality, he was able to harmonize the scholastic teachings of Buddhist philosophy with esoteric meditation instructions. This is reflected in his writings that are renowned for evoking a meditative state in those who have trained appropriately. He eventually became the teacher of many well-known accomplished masters, including Padampa Sangyé and the translator Marpa, who brought his teachings to Tibet.\nDrawing on Maitrīpa’s autobiographical writings and literary work, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the life and teachings of this influential Buddhist master. Klaus-Dieter Mathes also offers the first complete English translation of his teachings on nonconceptual realization, which is the foundation of Mahāmudrā meditation. 
 Review 
“Perhaps no Indian master has more deeply influenced the development of Mahāmudrā in Tibetan Buddhism than Maitrīpa, whose writings on nonconceptual realization are at the core of great seal theory and practice. And no modern scholar has mastered Maitrīpa’s works as thoroughly as Klaus-Dieter Mathes, who presents us here with a lucid account of Maitrīpa’s life and ideas and reliable translations of all his significant works. This is the book on Maitrīpa that every serious student of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism in general and Mahāmudrā in particular has long awaited—and now has a chance to own.”—Roger R. Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Asian studies and religion, Carleton College 
 About the Author 
KLAUS-DIETER MATHES is head of the Department of Tibetan, Buddhist, and South Asian Studies at the University of Vienna. He is well known in the academic field as an expert of Madhyamaka, Mahāmudrā, and shentong Buddhist philosophy.

Maitripa: India's Yogi of Nondual Bliss (Lives of the Masters)

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Shambhala

Saraha's Spontaneous Songs: With the Commentaries by Advayavajra and Moksakaragupta (Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism)

Religion & Spirituality

Szántó, Péter-Dániel

Buddhism

The collection of twenty-six texts on non-conceptual realization is the result of blending the essence and tantric mahamudra teachings of Saraha, Nagarjuna and Savaripa with a particular form of Madhyamaka philosophy, called 'non-abiding' (apratisthana), which aims at radically transcending any conceptual assessment of true reality. This goal is achieved by "withdrawing one's attention" (amanasikara) from anything that involves the duality of a perceived and perceiver. The result is a "luminous self-empowerment," Maitripa's (986-1063) final tantric analysis of amanasikara. The collection of texts on non-conceptual realization plays a crucial role, as it constitutes, together with Naropa's teachings, the main source of bKa' brgyud lineages. The edition and translation of this collection is followed by another text attributed to Maitripa, the *Mahamudrakanakamala, which was translated by Mar pa Lo tsa ba Chos kyi blo gros (11th century) into Tibetan. The *Mahamudrakanakamala picks up on the themes of the collection and shows that all aspects of Maitripa's mahamudra were indeed passed on to early bKa' brgyud masters. Besides an English translation and analysis, the present publication contains a new edition of the available Sanskrit on the basis of the editio princeps by Haraprasad Shastri, the edition of the Studying Group of Sacred Tantric Texts at Taisho University, the Nepalese manuscript NGMPP B 22/24, and the manuscript no. 151 from the Todai University Library. The Tibetan edition of all texts is based on the Derge and Peking bsTan 'gyur and the dPal spungs edition of Karmapa VII Chos grags rgya mtsho's (1454-1506) Collection of Indian Mahamudra Works (Phyag rgya chen po'i rgya gzhung).

A Fine Blend of Mahamudra and Madhyamaka: Maitripa's Collection of Texts on Non-Conceptual Realization (Amanasikara) (Philosophisch-Historischen ... Zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens, 90)

Austrian Academy of Sciences Press

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