The Heart of the Matter
Teachings on the Mahamudra Aspiration Prayer

Saturday - Sunday, February 25 & 26
9:00 am - Noon & 2:00 - 4:00 pm    
Tuition: $120

Mind’s displays that never existed are mistaken for objects.
Innate awareness is ignorantly mistaken for a self.
We wander in the expanse of existence by such dualism.
May I get to the bottom of delusional mistakes

This verse from Karmapa Rangjung Dorje’s lyrical Mahāmudrā Aspiration Prayer is truly the heart of the matter—the matter of life and confusion and mind. Every verse in this incredible poem offers the chance to unpack and explore a range of Buddhist thought and practice from the Kagyu perspective.

In this workshop, we’ll follow the perfectly attuned exploration by Mendong Tsampa Rinpoche in Ornament of Dakpo Kagyu Thought. We’ll try to get to the bottom of it; though it is certain to be mahāmudrā all the way down.

And assuming we have time, we’ll take a peek at a version from the Shangpa lineage: Lady Niguma’s Naturally Free Mahāmudrā. The late great Khyapje Kalu Rinpoche was master of both these mahāmudrā lines, which differ only in expression.

Which matter of verse or line will strike your heart?

NOTE: The Ormament of Dakpo Kagyu Thought by Lama Sarah Harding will be available from the KSC Bookstore at the end of January. The bookstore is available during open office hours.

Sarah Harding has been studying and practicing Buddhism since 1974, and has been teaching and translating since completing a three-year retreat in 1980 under the guidance of Kyabjé Kalu Rinpoché. She was associate professor at Naropa University for twenty-five years in Boulder, Colorado, where she currently resides, and has been a fellow of the Tsadra Foundation since 2000. She specializes in literature with a focus on tantric practice. Her publications include Ornament of Dakpo Kagyu Thought; Creation and Completion; The Treasury of Knowledge: Esoteric Instructions; Niguma, Lady of Illusion; and two volumes on Chö and Shijé from The Treasury of Precious Instructions.