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Great-Bliss-Tantric-Sex-and-the-Path-to-Inner-Awakening

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Benefits<br />

The initial benefits of Mahāmudrā are peace of mind <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> freeing of emotional <strong>and</strong> mental<br />

obscurations. Your mind is quiet <strong>and</strong> exceptionally clear, your emotions are released of <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

negative qualities, <strong>and</strong> your thoughts become your friends. You are physically healthier, you<br />

glow, <strong>and</strong> your inner power is immense. You experience each moment as clear <strong>and</strong> fresh, <strong>and</strong><br />

you possess <strong>the</strong> “beginner’s mind” that leaves you open <strong>to</strong> new possibilities. You are fearless,<br />

because you know that everything is pure <strong>and</strong> perfect, <strong>and</strong> nothing is in any way separate from<br />

yourself. You experience life more richly, as all appearances take on a precious, jewel-like<br />

quality. Mahāmudrā is so magnificent that even a partial realization of it dramatically enhances<br />

<strong>the</strong> pleasure <strong>and</strong> fulfillment in everything you do.<br />

Common Problems<br />

Mahāmudrā is <strong>the</strong> most direct path <strong>to</strong> enlightenment - that is its great strength. But it is also <strong>the</strong><br />

most subtle, which makes it easy <strong>to</strong> miss <strong>the</strong> mark or attain only partial success. Mahāmudrā<br />

must be correctly unders<strong>to</strong>od <strong>and</strong> practiced. By keeping in mind <strong>the</strong>se possible errors, you can<br />

steer a swift path <strong>to</strong> enlightenment.<br />

Common mistakes <strong>to</strong> avoid in underst<strong>and</strong>ing Mahāmudrā:<br />

It is not merely quieting your mind or silencing your thoughts.<br />

It is not holding a mental underst<strong>and</strong>ing of what it is, without practicing it as a meditation.<br />

It is not shifting in<strong>to</strong> a high meditative state.<br />

It is not mindful awareness of your own thoughts <strong>and</strong> emotions.<br />

Common mistakes <strong>to</strong> avoid in practicing Mahāmudrā:<br />

You might practice Mahāmudrā on its own instead of as part of <strong>the</strong> Four Yogas which, according<br />

<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yoginī Tantras, cannot succeed.<br />

You might practice o<strong>the</strong>r Completion Stage practices without Mahāmudrā, <strong>and</strong> fail <strong>to</strong> achieve <strong>the</strong><br />

highest results.<br />

You might practice Mahāmudrā before you have developed skill in Tranquility Meditation or <strong>the</strong><br />

preceding <strong>Tantric</strong> practices, before your mind is pliable enough <strong>to</strong> benefit from its subtleties.<br />

You might get attached <strong>to</strong> extraordinary experiences <strong>and</strong> magical powers as <strong>the</strong>y arise.<br />

You might not attain <strong>the</strong> view <strong>and</strong> mistake lesser experiences as <strong>the</strong> view.<br />

You might attain an initial experience (vetana) of <strong>the</strong> view, <strong>and</strong> mistake it for its final, permanent<br />

realization (adhigama).<br />

You might try <strong>to</strong> control your mind through your thoughts or your will.<br />

You might try <strong>to</strong> alter your mind <strong>to</strong> generate high meditative states.<br />

You might become attached <strong>to</strong> one level of Mahāmudrā, <strong>and</strong> s<strong>to</strong>p without attaining <strong>the</strong> highest<br />

level that is <strong>the</strong> true <strong>and</strong> complete end <strong>to</strong> suffering.<br />

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