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From Tilopa to Mingyur Rinpoche: Bringing Ancient Songs of Realization to Life
It’s a hot and humid day in July, and the sounds of doha, Sanskrit for song of realization, fill the air. However, we’re not on the banks of the Ganges River. We’re in San Antonio, Texas, at the home of Philip Castillo, Buddhist father of two and nonprofit administrator. He’s following the Mahamudra instructions transmitted to him through his teachers.
These teachings—passed on for hundreds of years—have transformed the hearts and minds of countless beings. They often lead to spontaneous songs, dohas; expressing their direct realization and pure devotion to the lineage and, ultimately, their own buddha nature. Although often originating over one thousand years ago, the beauty of dohas is that, when sung, they bring the masters’ realization alive, in the here and now.
“After resting naturally settled in the nature of mind, I often end my practice singing one of many beautiful dohas sung by my teacher’s teacher, Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche,” Castillo said. “It’s so beautiful to connect with Rinpoche’s heart and mind in this way.”
Castillo is one of thousands of people from around the world engaging in Tergar’s Vajrayana Online program. The Vajrayana Online program began in early 2016, with courses continually added multiple times a year. They include teachings from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, webinars with Rinpoche and the Tergar Instructors, as well as readings, discussion forums, and opportunities for one-on-one interviews with the instructors.
Since 2021, each year Rinpoche has generously imparted a complete lineage transmission to the Tergar community. August 2023 marks the beginning of a new year-long lineage transmission, Mahamudra: A Song of Realization.
One thousand years ago, the great master Tilopa sang a song of realization to his student Naropa, instructing him on the essential points of Mahamudra. This doha has come to be known as The Ganges Mahamudra.
“There are many Mahamudra teachings, and Tilopa taught many, many things. But this teaching on Mahamudra is particularly concise, clear, and profound, ” said Tim Olmsted, Tergar Instructor. “These songs are expressions of the experience of masters deeply immersed in the dharma. They’re filled with inspiration, devotion, and appreciation. Devotion is part of the doha tradition because when someone begins to give rise to the experience, there’s great appreciation and great confidence. That’s what we mean by devotion.”
When we read and study dohas, they touch our hearts, cutting through our often anxious and busy lives. For the first time to a Western audience in English, Mingyur Rinpoche will explore these teachings on the most direct path of awakening through multiple online courses, events, and retreats—beginning with the Vajrayana Online course, Voices of Mahamudra from August 5-31.
The Voices of Mahamudra course offers a diverse range of live experiences, featuring prominent voices in Vajrayana Buddhism who will clarify elements within the Mahamudra tradition, centering around the Mahasiddhas and their songs of realization.
Featured teachers include Mingyur Rinpoche; Tibetan translator and Marpa Foundation director Elizabeth Callahan; teacher, author, and translator Karl Brunnhözl; and translator of the central text in the annual transmission, Tilopa’s Ganges Mahamudra, Lama Yeshe Gyamtso.
The Mahamudra transmission continues through July 2024 with two courses exploring the doha verse by verse, with commentaries by the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje and the late Thrangu Rinpoche. There are also several opportunities to attend online Mahamudra retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche. To receive these profound instructions from the convenience of your own home is an incredibly rare opportunity.
“It’s amazing to think that not long ago, I would have had to fly to Nepal time and time again to receive these teachings, ” Castillo said. “Through Vajrayana Online, I can receive live weekend teachings from Rinpoche at home, practice via Zoom with friends from around the world each week, ask questions through the discussion forums, and discuss the dharma with fellow Texans in our small practice group. We are so fortunate!”
Back in San Antonio, Castillo’s five-year-old son Elliott is humming the tune to one of Khenpo Rinpoche’s songs. While he may not understand what Rinpoche means by appearance emptiness, there’s a universal connection to the love being expressed by being present with our buddha nature. Through the emotive energy of song, Elliott seems to naturally let go and go where no mind goes.
Discover the transformative power of doha in this year’s Tergar transmission of Mahamudra: A Song of Realization at learning.tergar.org.
The Mahamudra transmission continues through July 2024 with two courses exploring the doha verse by verse, with commentaries by the third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje and the late Thrangu Rinpoche. There are also several opportunities to attend online Mahamudra retreats with Mingyur Rinpoche. To receive these profound instructions from the convenience of your own home is an incredibly rare opportunity.
“It’s amazing to think that not long ago, I would have had to fly to Nepal time and time again to receive these teachings, ” Castillo said. “Through Vajrayana Online, I can receive live weekend teachings from Rinpoche at home, practice via Zoom with friends from around the world each week, ask questions through the discussion forums, and discuss the dharma with fellow Texans in our small practice group. We are so fortunate!”
Back in San Antonio, Castillo’s five-year-old son Elliott is humming the tune to one of Khenpo Rinpoche’s songs. While he may not understand what Rinpoche means by appearance emptiness, there’s a universal connection to the love being expressed by being present with our buddha nature. Through the emotive energy of song, Elliott seems to naturally let go and go where no mind goes.
Discover the transformative power of doha in this year’s Tergar transmission of Mahamudra: A Song of Realization at learning.tergar.org.