What is maha in yoga?

Mahayoga (Skt. mahāyoga; Tib. རྣལ་འབྱོར་ཆེན་པོ་, naljor chenpö, Wyl. rnal 'byor chen po) — the first of the three yanas of powerful transformative methods according to the nine yana classification of the Nyingma school.

Mahayoga focuses mainly on the development stage (Tib. kyérim), and emphasizes the clarity and precision of visualization as skilful means.

The vehicle of mahayoga, or ‘great yoga,’ is so-called because it is superior to ordinary yoga tantra since all phenomena are realized to be a magical display in which appearance and emptiness are indivisible.

Once one’s mind has been matured through receiving the ten outer benefiting empowerments, the five inner enabling empowerments and the three secret profound empowerments[2], one keeps the samayas as they are described in the texts.

By means of extraordinary lines of reasoning, one establishes and then realizes the indivisibility of the [two] higher levels of reality, according to which the cause for the appearance of the essential nature, the seven riches of the absolute, is spontaneously present within the pure awareness that is beyond conceptual elaboration, and all relative phenomena naturally appear as the mandala of deities of the three seats.

When it comes to the path and the practice of meditation, the main emphasis is on the generation stage. In the practice of generation stage yoga, one sets up the practice through the three samadhis, ensures that the three of purifying, perfecting and ripening are complete within the visualization, and, once the visualization is complete, seals it with the instruction on the four nails securing the life-force. In the practice of the completion stage yoga, one activates the vital points of the vajra body, its subtle energies, essences, luminosity and so on.

One maintains elaborate, unelaborate and extremely unelaborate conduct.

In the short term one reaches the four vidyadhara levels, which are the results belonging to the path, and finally one gains the ultimate fruition, and reaches the level of the Vajradhara of unity.[3]

The teachings and practices of the Mahayoga belong either to:

The sadhana class itself is further subdivided into:

Mahayoga can also be divided into three classes:

The lineage of these teachings starts in the Akanishtha heaven with the mind direct transmission of the Primordial Buddha Samantabhadra to the buddhas of the five families and sambhogakaya buddhas and bodhisattvas of their retinue such as the lords of the three families.

The lineage then continued through the sign transmission of the vidyadharas with Avalokiteshvara giving these teachings to the nagas, Manjushri to the gods and Vajrapani to the yakshas. Vajrapani also taught the human Licchavi Vimalakirti (Wyl. li tsa ba dri med grags pa)—one of the Five Excellent Ones of Sublime Nobility—at the summit of Mount Malaya.[5]

A central figure in the transmission of the Mahayoga teachings in our human world was King Dza who found on the roof of his palace the eighteen tantras of Mahayoga and a statue of Vajrapani.[6] After praying to Vajrapani, he was able to understand the chapter known as The Vision of Vajrasattva. He practised for six months, using that chapter and the statue of Vajrapani as the support for his meditation. He then had a vision of Vajrasattva, who blessed him so that he understood perfectly the meaning of all the tantras he received.[7]

King Dza also received the oral transmission of these teachings from the Licchavi Vimalakirti. The lineage was then passed on to the great siddha Kukkuraja, and then via Buddhaguhya to Vimalamitra and Padmasambhava, who taught them to their Tibetan disciples.[8]

Nyak Jñanakumara received the transmission of the Mahayoga teachings from both Vimalamitra and Guru Rinpoche; he collaborated in the translation of tantras of the Web of Magical Illusion and thus played an important role in the early transmission of the mahayoga lineage.

Alongside this long kama lineage is also the short terma lineage of Guru Rinpoche. Mahayoga teachings and sadhanas related to the Guhyagarbha Tantra have, for example, been revealed in the termas of Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa and Khenpo Jikme Phuntsok.[9]

An extensive chronological list of lineage holders of the Mahayoga, from Buddha Samantabhadra to the present day, can be found in Tulku Thondup's works. (see reference below)

Now, what is maha yoga? Maha Yoga originated from Tibetan Buddhism and is one of the ninefold divisions of the Yogic practice. It is derived from the Sanskrit word “Maha,” which means Great. Mahayoga is one of the three divisions of the Inner Tantras and is associated with alleviating inner woes, depression, agony, pain, and suffering. Yoga Maha is considered to be the superior forms of Yoga and hence the name.

Before attempting Maha Yoga, one needs to be aware of certain principles:

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Mahayogasiddha yoga comprises of a set of practices including the asanas, pranayamas, and mudras. Read on to know about them in detail:

The Maha Yoga postures train your body in such a way that you feel will calm and relaxed. It will free you from all tensions and release all negative energies if they exist. You will experience a very calm, serene, and balanced state of mind that will improve your metabolism and provide strength to your body.

Pranayams come from the word Prana. Prana is considered to be the most important thing of anything. This maha yoga pranayama will remove all toxins from your body, which will lead to the proper development of the nervous and the glandular system. People going through tension and pain will find a lot of relief in doing this.

Maha Yoga calls for the techniques of devotion. This will bring about peace, harmony, and a feeling of brotherhood and love. All the troubles that man faces in this world are because of the lack of love, and Yoga efficiently fights this kind of problem.

[See More: Prana Yoga]

Meditation is a natural state of mind that all of us possess. You do not need to go and have some kind of special knowledge or understanding to meditate. This removes all fear and anxiety from the mind and guides people through all their physical, mental, and social conditions.

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Check out the steps below to prepare your body, mind, and soul for Maha Yoga:

To do Yoga, it is very important for you to prepare yourself. The first thing you need to do is to find a place that is comfortable and relaxing; a place that is free from noise and chaos. Then choose a proper yoga mat so that you can practice. This is very vital for your yoga sessions.

To practice anything in life, you should have a proper time frame. If you are beginner, fifteen to thirty minutes should be ideal for you. You can take longer if you are comfortable with it. Since time is very crucial, you should use it efficiently. However, it is not always possible because of the busy and hectic schedules.

The rules of Maha Yoga are very rigid. You need to keep your eyes closed and breathe deeply throughout the session. Place your hands on your knees as this will increase your concentration level. Try to feel the energy around you and let it enter your body and rejuvenate you from head to toe. Relax and begin with the poses.

[See More: How to Start Yoga At Home]

For a beginner, it is not always possible to concentrate. It is natural for your mind to shift in different directions, but do not suppress them. Instead, you must try and shift your concentration to the other parts of your body. Focus on the energy that runs through your body and mind.

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Maha Yoga is known for its several benefits.

It is important to observe the following rules before performing MahaYoga:

Maha Yoga is not associated with any religion. It is a complete spiritual experience, which can help in rediscovering yourselves. Practising Maha Yoga everyday enables you to overcome the bandhas or attachments from past and present lives. As the days progress, you can peel these layers off your life to prevent pain, suffering, and agony. Once you get over the attachments and aversions in your life, you will achieve the Gurutattwa state. We hope this article helped you understand the complexities of Yoga and has inspired you to take it up in the future.

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Thus the objective of Maha Yoga is to make us aware of our spiritual existence, which is way beyond the awareness about the existence of body and mind. The Kundalini Shakti or in other words the Chaitanya Shakti is present in every one of us, but is dormant or sleeping. By practising the Yoga, one can awaken the Kundalini Shakti. However, a lot of purification is required before one can practice Maha Yoga.

Ans: Though Maha Yoga is a part of Tibetan Buddhism, there is no connection with any religion. It is purely a spiritual practice that aims for the upliftment of the soul.

Ans: Ramana Maharshi is famous for his concept of self-inquiry. He is the one who propagated Maha Yoga – A simple tool that helps us question and understand our inner self. Maha Yogaramana maharishi is also a book or the Upanishadic Lore in the light of the teachings of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Maha is a Sanskrit word meaning “great." It is also the root word for the term, mahayoga. Mahayoga is one of the ninefold divisions of spiritual practice in Tibetan Buddhism. All nine practices are said to be powerful and transformative. Mahayoga is the first of three divisions in the Inner Tantras.

Mahāyoga (Sanskrit for "great yoga") is the designation of the first of the three Inner Tantras according to the ninefold division of practice used by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Mahāyoga is held to emphasise the generation stage (or "development stage") of Tantra, where the succeeding two yana, anuyoga and atiyoga, emphasise the completion stage and the synthesis or transcendence of the two, respectively.

Reginald Ray (2002: p. 124) associates the Mahāyoga with removing aggression, or anger. An embedded quotation by Tulku Thondup identifies the focus of Mahayoga as viewing the universe as a manifestation of the Buddhist deities, a practice associated with the two truths doctrine that recognises both a conventional and an ultimate truth:

Ray (2002: p. 124) highlights the pre-eminent usage of visualization amongst the techniques of tantric sadhana and the teaching of the "eight cosmic commands":[2]

As with the other yanas, Mahāyoga represents both a scriptural division as well as a specific emphasis of both view (Tibetan: ta-ba) and practice (Tibetan: yod-pa). Mahāyoga scriptures are further divided into two sections: the Sadhana section, consisting of practice texts for meditation on specific deities, and the Tantra section.

In introducing the mTshams brag Edition of the Collected Tantras of the Ancients rnying ma rgyud 'bum, the textual tradition of the Mahāyoga-yana, the "Tibetan and Himalayan Library"[3] states:

The "Tibetan and Himalayan Library" states that "although the mTshams brag edition of The Collected Tantras does not rigorously organize its texts according to sub-categories, the Mahāyoga category can be further subdivided according to the following scheme":[4]

The 'eighteen great tantras' (Wylie: bshad pa dang cha mthun gyi rgyud tantra sde bco brgyad) from the Tantra series described above are at the heart of the Mahāyoga tradition. These are grouped into 'five root tantras' (Wylie: rtsa ba sku gsung thugs yon tan phrin las kyi rgyud chen po lnga), 'five practice tantras' (Wylie: sgrub pa lag len du bstan pa rol pa' rgyud chen po lnga), and 'five activity tantras' (Wylie: spyod pa'i yan lag tu 'gro ba'i rgyud chen po lnga), and the 'two supplementary tantras' (Wylie: ma tshang kha bskong ba'i rgyud chen po gnyis). Together they are known as the Māyājāla. They are as follows:

The "Guhyagarbha Tantra" (Wylie: rDo rje sems dpa' sgyu 'phrul drwa ba; gSang ba snying po) is the foremost of all of these and it abridges the content of the seventeen others as follows:

The eight Herukas (Wylie: sgrub pa bka’ brgyad) of the Nyingma mahāyoga tradition (and their corresponding sadhanas) are said to have been received by Padmakara from the Eight Vidyadharas (Tib. Rigdzin), or Eight Great Acharyas: Manjushrimitra, Nagarjuna, Vajrahumkara, Vimalamitra, Prabhahasti, Dhanasamskrita, Shintamgarbha and Guhyachandra.[6] They were proficient in the practices of, respectively,

1) Yamantaka (Tib. Jampal Shinje, ’jam dpal sku) the wrathful Manjushri, the deity of body 2) Hayagriva (Tib. Pema Sung, padma gsung) the wrathful Avalokiteshvara, the deity of speech 3) Vishuddha/Sri Samyak (Tib. Yangdak Thuk, Wylie: yang dag thugs) the wrathful Vajrapani deity of mind 4) Vajramrita (Tib. Dudtsi Yonten, bdud rtsi yon tan) the wrathful Samantabhadra, the deity of enlightened qualities 5) Vajrakilaya/Vajrakumara (Tib. Dorje Phurba, phur ba ‘phrin las), the wrathful Nivaranavishkambin, the deity of action 6) Matarah (Tib. Mamo Botong, ma mo rbod gtong) the wrathful Akasagarbha, the deity of calling and dispatching 7) Lokastotrapuja-natha (Tib. Jigten Chotod, ’jig rten mchod bstod) the wrathful Ksitigarbha, the deity of worldly offering and praise 8) Vajramantrabhiru (Tib. Mopa Dragnak, mod pa drag sngags) the wrathful Maitreya, the deity of wrathful mantras

The Tibetan master Pelyang (dPal dbyangs) was influential in bringing Mahayoga to Tibet. He was known for his focus on view as opposed to practice.[7]