Mahamudra of Conduct

(In Karma Kagyu, essence is known as ‘Mahamudra. In Nyingma, it is called ‘Rigpa’)

If we have a feeling of not making progress in meditation training, it is because we are not applying the result of meditation in our daily conduct.

This is an account from Songs of Naropa by the Karma Kagyu teacher, Thrangu Rinpoche.

“ ‘All the good deeds and harmful actions
dissolve by simply knowing this nature.
the emotions are the great wisdoms.
Like a jungle fire, they are the yogi’s helpers.’

“These words are particularly suited to those who have understood the basic view and have realised it in actuality – those who have reached a high level of experience. Since we are beginners, it is not quite appropriate for us to follow these instructions to the letter. In the case of ordinary sentient beings, there is always something that we need to avoid or abandon.

“We may have tremendous interest in spiritual practice, in the Dharma. We may have pursued that interest and succeeded in meeting a qualified teacher, to the point where we have received profound instruction. We may even have put these into practice, and to some extent have had personal experience in the state of samadhi. All that is very well – it’s excellent. But maybe we are not really progressing in meditation training. We may feel, “I have practised meditation all these years and have not got genuine results; I haven’t reached fruition yet. Why is this?”

“It is because of not having ‘made use of the conduct’ in the sense of using every moment in our lives as part of the training.

“The conduct hasn’t taken effect. Remember the quotation from Gampopa: ‘Although our view is as high as the sky, be scrupulously careful in your actions and behaviour.’ Regardless of whether or not we have realised a very high view and experienced the natural state, be careful in what we accept and reject.”