Mahamudra

In Vajrayana Buddhism, Mahamudra refers to an awakened state that is non-conceptual and contains all phenomena of samsara and nirvana, and also to a path leading to this awareness through meditation. Mahamudra teachings are traced back to the great Indian mahasiddhas, Maitripa, Tilopa, and Naropa, who transmitted the teachings to Tibetan masters, including Marpa, the translator, and Milarepa, the poet-yogi who lived a famously unconventional life. The transmission lineage depicting these masters often occupies upper registers of Tibetan thangkas. Mahamudra is one of the two central teachings (along with the Six Dharmas of Naropa) in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and other Tibetan Buddhist traditions.