Mahamudra and Atiyoga

Mahamudra and Atiyoga are particular forms of Buddhist spirituality: Mahamudra, the 'Great Seal', is considered by Tibetan teachers to be the essence of both the short path and the final instructions that conclude the gradual common and esoteric paths of Buddhist doctrines; Atiyoga or 'Extreme Union' represents the Buddhist Dzogchen or 'Great Completeness' doctrine.

This volume comprises commentaries on and the transliteration of some ancient Tibetan texts, authored by Buddhist mystics and Tantric teachers of Mahamudra and Atiyoga.

Translated from the Italian, the book is based on oral instructions received by the author from Tibetan teachers. It discusses the insights of the sacred texts and the comment aries on them with respect to the nature of consciousness and phenomenal existence, meditation on guru and deity, Tantric sexuality, and the introduction to and realization of non-dual awareness.

Simple to understand, the commentaries explain the many meanings of the texts and the symbols and images used. They motivate readers to observe for themselves and personally experience the significance of the traditions and the application of their methods of practice.

The volume will be useful to all students and scholars of Buddhist studies, particularly of the Buddhist Tantric tradition, and of Tibetan religion and culture.

About the Author

Giuseppe Baroetto was born in Turin (Italy) in 1959. He graduated in philosophy as the Oriental University Institute of Naples, where her prepared his thesis on Tibetan Buddhism with Prof. Namkhai Norbu. Subsequently he undertook in greater depth his study and practice of the Indo-Tibetan spiritual traditions of Mahamudra and Dzogchen with various Buddhist and Bonpo masters. In Italy he has had published translations of some significant essential texts of these traditions together with the direct oral instructions of his masters. On this foundation he established in 2003 the Ati Rime School, with the aim to study and practise Atiyoga with a fresh approach of renewed openness.

Prologue

This volume comprises translations, commentaries and transliteration of some ancient Tibetan texts, significant documents of the wisdom heritage handed down in the "Land of Snow."

In the following pages, the academic training and philosophical interest that have formed and motivated my research into Tibet's religious traditions encounter the personal experiences of two Lamas, who have marked a crucial change in my approach to Indo-Tibetan studies.

Mahamudra and Atiyoga are particular forms of Buddhist spirituality that, although differentiated by distinct historical lineages, meet in the same radical essentiality where human beings, transcending their dividing attitudes, find themselves truly free in the single reality that has always unified them all.