This is a very confused world, a very corrupted world at all levels in terms of materialism and spirituality. The Sādhana of Mahāmudrā directly addresses the problem of materialism, abuse of power, and degeneration of society in today’s world. It opens practitioners to radiate pure goodness and peace into the world.
Every four or five weeks (as noted on the calendar), we practice the Sadhana of Mahamudra. This practice – written by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1968 while on retreat in Bhutan – is a little less than an hour long, involves meditation, chanting aloud in English, and visualizing.
The Sadhana of Mahamudra is practiced by Shambhala Centers worldwide. It’s a practice by which we can rouse our devotion and inspiration to meditation and thereby connect with the power and blessings of the past Kagyü and Nyingma Buddhist lineage holders.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
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Join the Sadhana practice here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82663309112
Technical Advice and Decorum Notes:
- Your camera will be turned on and your audio will be off when you enter the Zoom room. This is the best setting for group chanting, where only the practice leader will have their microphone on.
- If you are using your smartphone or similar device, use reliable wifi rather than your data plan (unless data is more reliable for you).
- Please leave your video on and plan to be seen by others – if possible. This helps create a sense of community. If you have weak wifi/data, turning video off will help.
- Treat the call as you would if you were in the meditation hall; for example, plan not to get up and get water during the practice.
- Eliminate technical distractions by closing other programs on your computer, disabling notifications and turning off devices you are not using to participate in this practice.
- Sit in a room where you can close the door; if that’s not possible, please ask those in your home to give you space for the duration of the session.
- Be open to the possibility of intimacy and community at a distance!
A sādhana (literally “accomplishment”) is a chanted Buddhist Vajrayana practice that works to bring about a result; i.e., peace, compassion, healing, unity, etc. The Sādhana of Mahāmudrā works to cease the negative affects that materialism has around the world; i.e., greed, corruption, discrimination, poverty, war, etc.; purify those misguided actions; and bring about care for every living being and the environment.
This is an extraordinary, poetic practice that beautifully and powerfully expresses the essence of the Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s dharma transmission to the West. On each new and full moon, anyone and everyone is invited to participate – no experience required. Trungpa Rinpoche insisted his students do this practice twice monthly and share it widely – which is very unusual as this is considered an “advanced” Buddhist practice – but he knew it would help people overcome the forces of materialism in their own immediate experience as well as in the world around them.
“The basic vision of the sādhana is based on two main principles: the principle of space and the principle of energy. Space here refers to the ati principle, the ninth and highest yana of buddhist tantra. The energy principle, or mahāmudrā, is the second level of tantra; it is also a high level of experience. So we are trying to bring space and energy together; we are trying to bring about some kind of understanding and realization in the world.”
– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
The sādhana is a liturgy – both in teaching and practice – and was inspired by Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche and Padmākara), an Indian teacher and yogi who was instrumental in bringing buddhadharma to Tibet.
“The Sādhana will help to purify the present degenerate state of philosophy and meditation practice. It will help to bring peace in the warfare waged by materialism.”
– Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
