More than Mindfulness—Mindless Mahāmudrā with Mitra Dean Karl Brunnhölzl Recordings

This page is to register to view the previous two talks in this series by Mitra Karl. The first talk is in English only. The second talk is in English, French, and German. You will receive an email with the link and password to view these videos after registering. To register for the upcoming third talk in this series on March 27th, click here.

“Meditation” does not mean meditating on something; rather, it means to become familiar with the nature of our mind. (Milarepa)

“Let your mind be in its uncontrived natural state, evenly and free of effort, like a great garuḍa soaring in the sky.” (Mahāmudrā Without Letters)

Mitra Dean Karl is teaching a series exploring the meaning of Mahāmudrā. You can (re)watch the first two talks by registering here.

In his first talk, Mitra Karl discussed the meaning of mindfulness and why, if we wish to be free from suffering and cultivate wisdom & kindness, we need to go beyond the usual understanding of mindfulness. We need, he taught, to go into the depths of the ocean. Which means, to look at the nature of what is going on in the mind.

The second talk focused on the meaning of Mahāmudrā (explained as “the gift of pleasure” in one of Nāropa’s texts) through the fourfold pith instruction the mahāsiddha Saraha, which are called:
(1) “minding” (or “mindfullness”),
(2) “nonminding” (“mindlessness”),
(3) “unborn,” and
(4) “beyond mind” and appear in several of his dohās (songs of realization).

If you would like to (re)watch these talks, we are offering both for the cost of one talk. We hope this way all can benefit from listening to these teachings (again) before joining the third talk and continue to dive deeper into the ocean of our own mind.

The practice of Mahāmudrā

The practice of Mahāmudrā provides us with tools to directly click in to the spontaneously present clarity and vast openness of our own buddha mind. In Mahāmudrā shamatha, we familiarize with this through resting the mind in its natural state, which is open, spacious, and relaxed, yet very vibrant. In Mahāmudrā vipashyana, we take a closer look at the mind when it rests in such a way and also when it starts moving and experiences external and internal objects. By engaging in these profound practices with a genuine sense of trust in our own buddha nature and the teachers that point it out to us, the birth of unborn mind—the warm and all-pervasive glow of emptiness with a heart of compassion—can become a direct experience.

About The Teacher

Mitra Karl was born in Munich, Germany, and originally trained as a physician before becoming a Buddhist translator and teacher. After  completing five-years of training in Buddhist philosophy, he went on to receive Buddhist and Tibetan language training, as well as study Tibetology, Buddhology, and Sanskrit. In 1989, Karl began serving as a translator, interpreter, and Buddhist teacher in Europe, India, and Nepal. He is the author and translator of several Buddhist books, including The Center of the Sunlit Sky, The Heart Attack Sutra, and A Lullaby to Awaken the Heart.

Mitra Karl first met Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 1986 during Rinpoche’s first European teaching tour. He served as Rinpoche’s personal translator during his tours in Europe from 1999 to 2005. In 2021, Karl moved back to Germany where he currently works as a Tibetan and Sanskrit translator.

Mitra Dean Karl supervises Nalandabodhi’s Path of Study courses, leads Path of Study classes, presents weekend courses and open house talks, offers teachings to practice communities, and provides personal guidance as a Practice Instructor. He also teaches weekend seminars and courses at Nalandabodhi centers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Mitra Karl is especially enthusiastic about the teachings on Mahamudra, Dzogchen, Yogacara, Buddha Nature, and the doha (songs of realization) tradition. Currently, Karl is focused on translating the collection of Indian Mahamudra texts compiled by the Seventh Karmapa, which includes the vast majority of songs of realization in the Tibetan canon.

For questions about this event email help@nalandabodhi.org.

Date/Time Date(s) - Sun., March 27, 2022
10:00 am PDT - 12:00 pm PDT

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Registration

Ticket Type	Price	Spaces
Standard Ticket This ticket includes a gift to the teacher and allows Nalandabodhi to offer a free and donation-based option.	$40.00	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Donation Ticket in $10 Increments Attendance with a donation in increments of $10 USD.	$10.00	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Free Attendance For those with financial hardship, Nalandabodhi offers the opportunity to attend this talk for free.	$0.00	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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