Mind teachings of Tibet
Preservation of mind teachings of Tibetan Buddhism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The mind teachings of Tibet (Wylie: sems khrid) are a body of sacredly held instructions on the nature of mind and the practice of meditation on, or in accordance with, that nature.[1] Although maintained and cultivated, to various degrees, within each of the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions, they are primarily associated with the mahamudra traditions[2] of the Kagyu[3] and the dzogchen traditions[4] of the Nyingma.[5]
The mind teachings of Tibet are generally believed to have originated with Shakyamuni Buddha,[6] although the recorded lineages only trace back to adepts from various regions of the Pala Empire within the Medieval India era between the 7th and 11th century (CE.)[7][8] After the great Tibetan diaspora in 1959, the mind teachings were among the first Tibetan Dharma teachings identified for preservation and propagation, an effort which assumed an increased sense of urgency under the direction of the 14th Dalai Lama as the full scope of the destruction to Tibet's religious and cultural heritage became apparent. Important treatises by the illustrious Nyingmapa Longchenpa (1308–1364) and the Kagyu master Wangchuk Dorje, 9th Karmapa Lama (1556–1603) were among the earliest of the works published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA.)
The first Nyingma work by Longchenpa published by LTWA was based on the four dharmas of Gampopa (1079–1153), the founder of the Dagpo Kagyu.[9] The first mahamudra work published by them was a concise, yet comprehensive, Karma Kagyu mahamudra meditation manual by Wangchuk Dorje, "pertaining to ancient Tibetan traditions of the mind."[10]
In addition to texts published by, or in cooperation, with LTWA, Kagyu and Nyingma leaders independently pursued other avenues to further the preservation of their most important works. By the dawn of the 21st century, the two most highly regarded Tibetan works on the nature of the mind, and the practice of meditation on, and in accordance with, that nature, were translated by highly qualified translators and published openly in English.