Mind at Ease: Self-Liberation Through Mahamudra Meditation

I have been practicing mahamudra meditation for over thirty years, and "Mind at Ease" is by far the clearest exposition of mahamudra I have encountered. In this book the reader is not confronted with any content that might confuse a direct understanding of mahamudra as can be the case with some translations of classical mahamudra texts. Not to belittle those texts--they are amazing and certainly very useful, but if the motive is to find encouragement to undertake mahamudra meditation practice, you can do no better than start with this book.

I found this book in a closing down bookstore and purchased on a whim because it had "meditation" in the title. I thought if I was lucky it might be an interesting read. What actually happened is this book completely changed my life for the better. After reading the book five times (I was quite stubborn and cynical initially) I decided to give it a go, for over two years I practised the instructions without a teacher with great benefit. By that time (far less stubborn and no cynicism left for the practise) I decided it was time to find a teacher and knowing Ven Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche taught in my hometown hoped that Rinpoche would agree to teach me, which he did. It is only after you find some relief from the dissatisfaction that you realise how entrenched it is in normal day to day living. This book is a direct path to liberation and I can not recommend any other book more highly.

Traleg Kyabgon's instruction in Mahamudra meditation is a lucid, highly-readable and practical explication of the Kagyu way of meditation. The author is a wonderful communicator whose mastery of both the philosophical and practical aspects of these teachings is guided by his "discriminating wisdom" in imparting them to lay people in the modern western world (although his home base of Australia is arguably more southeastern than western). One of the key points he makes is that despite all the talk in Buddhism about meditation as empiricism, the practices are actually ways of recognizing and internalizing the Buddhist view of reality. After giving us a "crash course" in that view with an eye to practice, he outlines the three meditation approaches of shamatha-mindfulness / tranquility, vipashyana-insight / analysis, and mahamudra-direct experience of the mind, which actually extends to the entire spectrum of experience. Having said this, I must add that I did not read this book because I was searching for this information; rather, I had hoped to find a sort of "universal" practice for spiritual realization that might coalesce with any religious point of view. As one who believes in God and the soul (not that I claim to understand either), I soon recognized that this is not the case with Mahamudra -- nor can it be the case. Every system or path has its own unique character, and it is a mistake to try to "mix and match" as if one were in the supermarket picking out food items for the coming week. Traleg Kyabgon is very out front about this and many other common misconceptions and confusions. Yet despite my getting what I was not looking for, I found that there was much to learn from this volume and recommend it to anyone who wishes to explore the endless mystery of the mind.

I am a student of Tibetan Buddhism focusing on Mahamudra as my main practice, so I read many wonderful materials, modern and traditional, to support my (admittedly infantile) practice. This book is an absolute treasure for any practitioner of Mahamudra. Traleg Rinpoche is a teacher of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, and has lived in the West for some time. His sensitivity to the cultural concerns of Westeners coming to Buddhism, along with his skill in transmitting the Dharma directly in English add to his comprehensive command of the subject and practical experience, yielding an unbeatable combination. As Traleg Rinpoche (along with all the realized masters of the lineage) repeatedly stresses, Mahamudra should not be practiced purely "by the book," that is, without the guidance of a genuine spiritual teacher in an authentic unbroken lineage of Mahamudra. For those who have the great fortune to have such a teacher, the explanations and exercises in this text will be a magnificent companion to their direct teachings. The text follows very closely the structure and presentation of the Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje's "Ocean of Definitive Meaning," the quintessential text on Mahamudra practice. Traleg Rinpoche summarizes each of the stages, in a contemporary voice, presenting the principles and practices in gracefully elegant language that is nevertheless to the point. He also devises meditation exercises to go with many of the individual stages of the practice, so one can follow the exercises one by one as a complement to one's teacher's instructions. He clearly explains the structure of a meditation session. Moreover, Rinpoche presents the stages of the Mahamudra path in the broader context of spiritual seeking and the nature of the path. The text ends up a sublime blending of traditional meditation instruction and modern understanding, and may well be the best contemporary Mahamudra practice manual available. As a result, despite the caveat regarding the need for a teacher in order to practice Mahamudra, the text is helpful to those who are not practicing under the direct guidance of a spiritual master--to the extent that it provides a thorough overview and glimpse at the nuts-and-bolts aspects of Mahamudra practice. It would be a great starting point for someone interested in learning more about the practice before finding or committing oneself to a teacher. No doubt the book will be invaluable in encouraging dedicated students to do just that! Nothing could be more worth the effort.

Traleg Kyabgon is a Tibetan who directs the Kagyu-Evam Buddhist Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He has studied extensively in the West. He says in his introduction that he is attempting to keep the book simple and accessible. He succeeds, IMHO. As he says on page 225, "in approaching the spiritual path, we need some understanding of what the journey involves." This deep book is incredibly easy to read and understand, despite its stated lack of personal experiences. Unlike many others, the author includes the reasons behind the practices, the whys and wherefores as well as the how. He also includes many, many exercises/meditations with very fine descriptions of the practices. He also defines terms amazingly well-shining light on them with great clarity. His Glossary is wonderfully written. I especially liked his definition of "Interested Humility" (page 242) vs. "devotion." Within the text, he beautifully defines and describes such important experiences as Bliss, Clarity, and Mental Spaciousness (page 199) as well as delineating important distinctions such as meditative experiences and realizations (page 198). The only point I still have a problem with (despite his quoting the Dalai Lama on page 125) is the difference between soul and Buddha nature. It seems to me that they are addressing the Hindu atman which is not necessarily the idea in the West. For example, Jung's archetype of the Anima or Animus differs from the atman. It would be interesting to hear a Mahamudra analysis of such Jungian ideas. Additionally, the author introduces some new terminology which is helpful to the student's understanding. For example, "conceptual overlays" (page 195) and mystical Mahayana (Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and some Zen sects on page 137); also he explains the relationships among memory, mindfulness, and being in the now (page 146). Throughout the book is practical. It even includes suggestions for using a zafu (small round cushion for the buttocks) on top of a zabuton (larger square cushion to help the ankles) on page 144. Furthermore, he provides a fine description of the use of the Four Immeasurables (pages 92-117) as an prelude to the main Mahamudra meditation and refers to the applicability of them and Lojong (mind training: see Pema Chodron's "Start Where You Are" for particulars on this and "Noble Heart" for another view of the Four Immeasurables) for the Mahamudra practitioner (page 218). I don't think I've heard that anywhere before either in Lojong books/tapes or Mahamudra & Dzogchen ones. Nevertheless, as the author explains on page 202, insight does not come from purely from learning. The author's explanation of the value of differing perspectives is well worth quoting at length: "In Buddhism, it is openly conceded that having different terminologies and different concepts gives us a different understanding of something. Multiple perspectives are valued because particular perspectives will necessarily yield correspond