Earth, Water, Fire and All the Elements: Reading the Sadhana of Mahamudra as if for the First Time

John Rockwell

Individual: $149
Patron: $199 The Patron rate helps us offer our generosity policy to those in need.

The Sadhana of Mahamudra was received by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1968 when he was in retreat seeking inspiration for how to present the dharma in the West. The sadhana brings together the highest and most profound teachings of mahamudra and ati. With daring compassion, Trungpa Rinpoche made this practice open to everyone.

To fully receive this precious gift, we must study and practice it wholeheartedly. This course goes step-by-step through the sadhana, exploring the inner meaning of each section of the text.

There are five recorded talks. For each talk, there are readings from the two seminars that Trungpa Rinpoche taught on the sadhana, as well as contemplation questions to spark online discussion.

Completing this course will give permission for any non-Vajrayana students to purchases the sadhana and do the practice on their own.

Topics Explored

Talk 1

Taking Refuge and Arousing Bodhichitta

Talk 2

Three Leaps and the Charnel Ground

Talk 3

Trungpa Rinpoche’s Journey to Taktsang and Beyond

Talk 4

Visualization and the Three Karmapas

Talk 5

Devotion and Supplication

Talk 6

Abhisheka and Blessing

Talk 7

Feast Offering


Teachers and Faculty

John Rockwell read Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism in 1975, and was amazed by the clearest description of confusion he had ever read. He met Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche shortly after and became his student. As a member of the Nalanda Translation Committee, he worked closely Trungpa Rinpoche on translations of The Rain of WisdomThe Life of Marpa, and other texts. He received a M.A. in Buddhist Studies from Naropa University and began teaching there, eventually as a core faculty member in Buddhist Studies. He also taught at the Ngedön School in Boulder for many years, and he travels internationally to teach.

Individual: $149
Patron: $199 The Patron rate helps us offer our generosity policy to those in need.