Sounds of Innate Freedom: The Indian Texts of Mahamudra, Volume 2 - Hardcover
Sounds of Innate Freedom: The Indian Texts of Mahamudra, Volume 2 - Hardcover
by Karl Brunnhölzl (Author)
The second volume in a historic six-volume series containing many of the first English translations of the classic mahamudra literature compiled by the Seventh Karmapa.
Sounds of Innate Freedom: The Indian Texts of Mahamudra are historic volumes containing many of the first English translations of the classic mahamudra literature. The texts and songs in these volumes constitute the large compendium called The Indian Texts of the Mahamudra of Definitive Meaning, compiled by the Seventh Karmapa Chötra Gyatso (1456-1539). Translated, introduced, and annotated by Karl Brunnhölzl, acclaimed senior teacher at the Nalandabodhi community of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, the collection offers a brilliant window into the richness of the vast ocean of Indian mahamudra texts cherished in all Tibetan lineages, particularly in the Kagyü tradition, giving us a clear view of the sources of one of the world's great contemplative traditions. This volume 2 (thirty-four texts) contains two long-established sets of Mahamudra works: "The Sixfold Pith Cycle" and short texts of Maitripa's "Twenty-Five Dharmas of Mental Nonengagement," which present a blend of Madhyamaka, Mahamudra, and certain tantric principles, as well as two commentaries by Maitripa's students. The vital focus of this volume is the accomplishment of true reality.Author Biography
Karl Brunnhölzl, MD, PhD, was originally trained as a physician. He received his systematic training in Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy and practice at the Marpa Institute for Translators, founded by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, as well as the Nitartha Institute, founded by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Karl also studied Buddhism, Tibetology, and Sanskrit at Hamburg University, Germany. Since 1989 he has been a translator and interpreter from Tibetan and English. Karl is a senior teacher and translator in the Nalandabodhi community of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, as well as at Nitartha Institute. He is the author and translator of numerous texts, including The Center of the Sunlit Sky: Madhyamaka in the Kagyü Tradition (2004), Straight from the Heart: Buddhist Pith Instructions (2007), Luminous Heart: The Third Karmapa on Consciousness, Wisdom, and Buddha Nature (2009), Gone Beyond: The Ornament of Clear Realization and Its Commentaries in the Tibetan Kagyü Tradition, 2 vols. (2010-11), When the Clouds Part (2014), A Lullaby to Awaken the Heart (2018), and Luminous Melodies: Essential Dohas of Indian Mahamudra (2019). He lives in Munich, Germany.
Karl has set some of the songs of realization in this and the other volumes to contemporary melodies; recordings can be accessed at https: //mindwithoutme.com.