Mudra (The Clear light series) [Hardcover]

Trungpa Tulku Chogyam Trungpa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 1972 | Series: The Clear light series

A mudra is a symbolic gesture or action that gives physical expression to an inner state. This book of poetry and songs of devotion, written by Chögyam Trungpa between 1959 and 1971, is spontaneous and celebratory. This volume also includes the ten traditional Zen oxherding pictures accompanied by a unique commentary that offers an unmistakably Tibetan flavor. Fans of this renowned teacher will enjoy the heartfelt devotional quality of this early work.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

About the Author

Chögyam Trungpa (1940–1987) was a meditation master, teacher, and artist who founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc (April 27, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877730326
• ISBN-13: 978-0877730323
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,553,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chögyam Trungpa (1940-1987)--meditation master, teacher, and artist--founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, the first Buddhist-inspired university in North America; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books including Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, and The Myth of Freedom.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The meaning of Mudra, August 11, 2008

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Reader "cvrcak1" (Boca Raton, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mudra: Early Songs and Poems (Paperback)

Until I read this book, I thought that Mudra means hand gestures. But what mudra means is a spontaneous gesture or action that may result in symbol or manifestation of some sort. This book consists of spontaneous poems that explain the meaning of life around us, explans the purpose of meditation and the path of meditation. I particularly liked one poems that says to be friendly towards people but not to trust them. Because trusting means surrendering and one that wants to be enlightened cannot surrender himself to someone else but only to himself. This is the first book that helped me truly understand the difference betweren love and compassion and why is it that compassion is the higher state of being than being in love is. I also loved the pictures that explain the training of the mind also known as oxherding: 1) search for the bull, 2) discover the bull's footprints, 3) seeing the bull, 4) catching the bull, 5) taming the bull, 6) riding the bull, 7)transcending the bull, 8) transcending self and bull, 9) reaching the source, 10) fully awakened state of being (in the world).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ditto, October 13, 2011

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RootReads - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mudra: Early Songs and Poems (Paperback)

Mudra is a collection of early writings and translations by Trungpa Rinpoche. All his works are enlightening, but this one in particular I felt moved me closer to getting "it". I especially appreciated the piece called The Way of the Buddha, which was a list of stages one generally goes through as one studies buddhism. Right now I'm giving two books as gifts, this one, and Anni Ultimi, A Roman Stoic Guide to Retirement, Old Age, and Death, which is also a great book, from a different point of view, but on the same wavelength.

Ruth Chevion, retired professor of law

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of 6 stars - the best Trungpa book ever, October 7, 2011

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MWebb (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Mudra (Kindle Edition)

Of course 6 stars is akin to having an amplifier that goes all the way up to 11, but still it is worth 6 stars.

The most essential Trungpa books, imho, are Born in Tibet, Meditation in Action, and this title, Mudra. And the Sadhana of Mahamudra, if you can get your hands on it (his group's essential Sadhana).

Born in Tibet is a nuts and bolts history of Trungpa growing up as a tulku or recognized reincarnate lama in Tibet, and of his escape from Tibet. It's good in terms of placing his early life in historical perspective.

Meditation in Action is sparse, simple, profound, and rivaled only by Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, in terms of the mid-century Buddhism revival in America. Meditation in Action (and Zen Mind, for that matter) is a book you can give to any friend curious about Buddhism without having to include a lot of explanations. Pure, not watered down, but not too tricky either.

And Mudra is perhaps the most personal expression of the heart of this fascinating teacher (purely in my personal, uneducated, unsophisticated opinion). It contains two critical Mahamudra texts, followed by Trungpa's very personal poetry, which combines religious expression with lay expression.

I don't know to what extent Trungpa was influenced by his association with Ginsberg in terms of his poetry, or by Suzuki Roshi in terms of the ox-herding pictures, but it is a somewhat irrelevant question - those two may have kick-started him the in the direction of his "play," but what is on the page is all Trungpa's own.

Being able to carry this anywhere and dive into it anytime on a Kindle or Kindle-enabled device like my iPod Touch just blows me away.

I was never a big fan of carrying around my entire music collection. But being able to carry around a sizeable chunk of my collection of treasured books is great. Some jewels to make up for the pulp fiction that is my entertainment.

BTW the two Mahamudra texts just blow away 300 page tomes on Mahamudra and Dzogchen, imho, the more I dwell on them the more I realize how much is in them. If you are from the school that more is better, have some 300 page tomes as well, but if you need to get to the point quickly, only Hitting the Point in 3 Words (Tsik Sum Ne Dek) is more concise.