Maitripa: India's Yogi of Nondual Bliss

(Paperback)

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Maitr_x012B_pa (986-1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayana 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. Early in his life, Maitr_x012B_pa 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 Maitr_x012B_pa 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 Sangye and the translator Marpa, who brought his teachings to Tibet. Drawing on Maitr_x012B_pa'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 Mahamudra meditation.

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Perhaps no Indian master has more deeply influenced the development of Mahmudr in Tibetan Buddhism than Maitrpa, whose writings on nonconceptual realization are at the core of great seal theory and practice. And no modern scholar has mastered Maitrpas works as thoroughly as Klaus-Dieter Mathes, who presents us here with a lucid account of Maitrpas life and ideas and reliable translations of all his significant works. This is the book on Maitrpa that every serious student of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism in general and Mahmudr in particular has long awaitedand now has a chance to own.Roger R. Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Asian studies and religion, Carleton College

Author Bio

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, Mahamudra, and shentong Buddhist philosophy.