The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1422 page)

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Mah
m
y
.

The great power of creating appearance in Hinduism. This power to make the universe appear as though it is real is exercised (in personified form) by Mah
m
y
, the goddess identified with
Durg
.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

(Tib.,
Phyag.rgya.chen.po
, ‘Great Symbol’). Principal religious and philosophical teaching of the
Kagyü
school (appearing also in Gelugpa, see
GELUK
) of Tibetan Buddhism. Obtained by Marpa Lotsawa from the 11th-cent. yogins Maitr
pa and N
ropa, Mah
mudr
has two aspects—
s
tra
and
tantra
. The s
tra aspects contain the teachings that the ultimate nature of reality is coincident wisdom and luminosity, bliss and emptiness (
nyat
), while the tantra aspects concern the active realization of this truth through spiritual practices. As a teaching, Mah
mudr
falls in the
zhen dong
perspective of Tibetan thought, and is related also to
dzogchen
, especially in the realization of the three kayas (
trik
ya
).