Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance [Paperback]

Will Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2005

Presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra

• Explains how balance is the key to achieving higher consciousness

• Includes somatic koans

Mahamudra, literally "the great gesture," is often looked upon as the highest manifestation of consciousness known within the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. In Yoga of the Mahamudra, Will Johnson explains how it is possible to bring forth the condition of mahamudra naturally by utilizing the mystical yoga of balance to create what he calls the embodied cross.

He presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra. The first principle, "do nothing with the body but relax," forms the vertical axis of the embodied cross. It is an internal process that focuses on the upright structure of the body, which opens up our relationship to the divine source. The second principle, "Let the mind cling to nothing," allows the horizontal flow of energy to our mind. This horizontal axis represents our relationship to the world: what we see and hear, and what our mind does with the objects we perceive. The establishment of these vertical and horizontal flows of energy allows us to embody the third principle, "to become like a hollow bamboo." In this way the body and mind become extraordinarily fluid, surrendering to the currents of the life forces that constantly flow through them like air through a flute. The author concludes with a number of somatic koans, exercises that allow the direct experience of balance and lead to the creation of the embodied cross.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In Yoga of the Mahamudra Will Johnson affirms that the primary method of transcendence used by authentic spiritual practices is direct experience of one’s own living body--a mindful awareness of the body’s energies as they change from moment to moment. Moreover, he has given us a timeless manual for wise and healthy living that is sorely needed in our difficult modern world.”
(Robert K. Hall, M.D., Vipassana meditation teacher, cofounder of the Lomi School and Counseling Clinic, and founder of El Dharma Retreats )

“A fascinating look into the physical and mental universe of Mahamudra. Will Johnson gives the body-mind unit back to space and unveils the principles that liberate the cosmic dancer within.”
(?Daniel Odier, author of Yoga Spandakarika and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening )

"Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance reads like a sustained breath of clean, purifying mountain air. In this beautiful volume by Canadian writer Will Johnson, you will learn how the body can become like a bamboo flute and how relaxed, spontaneous movements of the body can express higher consciousness and usher in divine energies."
(Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Book ?em, May 12, 2005 )

"Johnson's book consists of vivid meditations on the mahamudra state of awareness, which even more orthodox practitioners of Buddhism might find helpful. All too often, Buddhist practitioners in the West fall prey to mentalizing their meditation practice. Yoga of the Mahamudra is a timely reminder that if the process toward enlightenment does not include the body, we are shortchanging ourselves."
(Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., Traditional Yoga Studies Interactive, Nov. 4, 2005 )

"For those who choose to stand up and explore through their own experience of embodiment, Johnson promises a whole other level of adventure."
(Anne F. Hoff, Structural Integration, June 2007 )

From the Back Cover

EASTERN RELIGION / MEDITATION

“A fascinating look into the physical and mental universe of Mahamudra. Will Johnson gives the body-mind unit back to space and unveils the principles that liberate the cosmic dancer within.”
--Daniel Odier, author of Yoga Spandakarika and Desire: The Tantric Path to Awakening

“In Yoga of the Mahamudra Will Johnson affirms that the primary method of transcendence used by authentic spiritual practices is direct experience of one’s own living body--a mindful awareness of the body’s energies as they change from moment to moment. Moreover, he has given us a timeless manual for wise and healthy living that is sorely needed in our difficult modern world.”
--Robert K. Hall, M.D., Vipassana meditation teacher, cofounder of the Lomi School and Counseling Clinic, and founder of El Dharma Retreats

Mahamudra, literally “the great gesture,” is looked upon within the tantric traditions of Tibet and Northern India as the highest manifestation of consciousness known. In Yoga of the Mahamudra Will Johnson explains that the body is the vehicle that brings the ecstatic energies of God to earth. To arrive at the entrance to higher consciousness, one must first establish a great gesture of the body--physical balance--which is best expressed through spontaneous movement and dance. By utilizing the mystical yoga of balance one can create what he calls the embodied cross--an embodiment of free-flowing and unfettered life force--thereby opening the door to higher consciousness.

He presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa’s “Song of Mahamudra.” The first principle, “do nothing with the body but relax,” forms the vertical axis of the embodied cross. It is an internal process that focuses on the upright structure of the body and opens up our relationship to the divine source. The second principle, “Let the mind cling to nothing,” allows the horizontal flow of energy to our mind. This horizontal axis represents our relationship to the world: what we see and hear, and what our mind does with the objects we perceive. The establishment of these vertical and horizontal flows of energy allows us to embody the third principle, to “become like a hollow bamboo.” In this way the body and mind become extraordinarily fluid, surrendering to the currents of the life forces that constantly flow through them like air through a flute. The author concludes with a number of somatic koans, ecstatic exercises that allow the direct experience of balance and provide the practitioner with a palpable embodied awareness of his or her fundamental union with the Divine.

WILL JOHNSON is the founder and director of the Institute for Embodiment Training, which combines Western somatic psychotherapy with Eastern meditation practices. He is the author of The Posture of Meditation; the award-winning Rumi: Gazing at the Beloved; and The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain. He lives in British Columbia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (July 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892816996
• ISBN-13: 978-0892816996
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,718 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > History > Asia > Tibet
  • #70 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Meditations

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meditating with the Body-Mind: a Great Gesture, November 8, 2007

By 

James G. Snyder "taiji dreamer" (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance (Paperback)

I have been delighted with several of Will Johnson's books, and I have found this one to be the most profound and challenging of his works. Traditional students of Vajrayana Mahamudra teaching might take issue with his application of these teachings to ideas involving the body-mind in a method that has been variously described as somatic psychology or somatheraputic methodology. Tibetan Buddhism doesn't actually teach very much with regard to the nature of the physical body. Mostly the body is simply taken as the vehicle that allows one to experience karma in the form of physical sensations or emotional sensations. Meditation in this tradition mostly considers the body as an impediment to be transcended.

On the other hand if one practices the Chinese form of Yoga called Qigong or Taiji you can experience a vast range of meditative practices that take the body and its internal energies as their object. As a teacher of these Chinese practices I yearned for a meditative method that was as mentally deep and transformative as Tibetan Buddhist curricula while still taking the body as an object of focus. The first time that I read a translation of Tilopa's millennium old instructions for Mahamudra practice, I was taken by how much it sounded like the primary instruction that I give my taiji students. However, I was still at a loss for a practical method for implementing these mind instructions for a physical practice.

When I found this text I had at least one good approach to solving this dilemma. The second half of this book contains exercises that are physical embodiments of contemplating the philosophical explanations in the first half. Will Johnson terms these "Somatic Koans" in reference to the famous koan riddles of Zen Buddhism. If one practices these physical riddles the body will hopefully discover that the answers, or rather the un-answers to the problem of the body. I will give the "pith" description of the first Koan as and example. "Stand as tall as you possibly can while remaining as relaxed as you possibly can". These contemplations are as intellectually impenetrable as their famous purely mental progenitors, and if you give them the same time and diligence, they have the same potential to liberate your mind.

I would recommend this book highly to everyone, but especially anyone interested in body oriented or moving meditation. Dancers, runners and internal martial artist will find questions to the answers their body has been whispering with every wave of pleasure that occurs inside the magic moments when everything flows.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not much Mahamudra here, June 14, 2006

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance (Paperback)

There are a number of good exercises (posture & breathing--though holding the breath for healing etc. is discounted) & wise observations (the value of balance & mindfulness meditation) in this book, but mostly it depicts the author's personal, impressionistic path. It includes Tilopa's famous & wonderful Mahamudra (MM) Song as an appendix, however, the book is not a commentary on it. The author uses only 3 lines of it to expound his personal views--heavily oriented towards the physical: bodywork, Hatha Yoga, dance, & the author's inventive "somatic koans." There's a Hindu bent to the book: the cover is a picture of the Hindu god Shiva, & the author advocates p. 144 "walk in Shiva's path." He repeatedly uses theistic terminology & Western mystical concepts--fine for comparison purposes, but not MM. Despite his rhetoric, Hinduism has nothing to do with MM, a Tibetan Buddhist wisdom teaching--the highest one of the Kagyu school (there's also a Gelugpa version--see the Dalai Lama's book). The author describes some Theravada Buddhist practices, but MM is a Vajrayana practice--a type of Mahayana, not Theravada--they don't practice MM. He also mentions Rinzai--a Japanese Mahayana but not Vajrayana sect (as is Japanese Shingon). While I agree with him that p. 144 "The practice is always one of personal exploration & personal discovery," his title is misleading; his teachings are not authentic MM. At best it's a low level, very loose, physically-oriented, New Age interpretation of a very high level, authentic, numinous, noetic path. In Hindu terms, it's a Hatha Yoga interpretation of Jnana Yoga. In Jungian/Myers-Briggs terms, it seems to be Extroverted, Sensate, Feeler, Perceptive. Since I'm far from that, (iNtuitive Thinker), I don't attune well with it--indeed, if I'd read this review before buying the book, I wouldn't have. Still, it's valuable to develop one's inferior function (Sensate for me), it's strong suit is my weak suit, & beauty is in the eye of the beholder--others may love it. It is easy to read.

But, it doesn't compare with other books I've read:

-- Osho's "Tantra-the Supreme Understanding," an enlightening/impressive interpretation of Tilopa's Song

-- Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now," a fine, new age oriented view of mindfulness

-- Traleg Kyabgon's "Mind at Ease," a terrific easy-to-read explanation of MM

-- Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche & Alexander Berzin's several translations/commentaries on volumes of the 9th Karmapa's wonderful MM trilogy

-- Takpo Tashi Namgyal's amazing "Mahamudra: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation" (an English version of "Moonbeams of MM"), the "bible" of MM, if there is one

In addition to Tilopa's Song, Johnson quotes (p. 143) Niguma's wonderful MM stanza (with more MM than his book!)--Don't do anything whatsoever with the mind, Just abide in an authentic, natural state.

One's own mind, unwavering, is reality. The key is to meditate like this without wavering.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great foundation and starting point, May 4, 2006

By 

Divine Chemechanical (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance (Paperback)

What a wonderful way to approach both meditation and living. So many writers, readers, and meditators fail to- shall I say?- glorify the miracle that is the human body's experience. It is our foundation, our temple, and our doorway to the phenomenally real and stupefyingly ordinary enlightenment that is the moment. This book is both food for thought and practice, and is a wonderful inspiration to truly and happily immersing oneself into the literally life-long experience of the body.