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"The Buddhalila Mahasati - Movements of Buddha"
The Buddhalila Mahasati (Buddha Mudra) meditation is practiced by a remote group of monks on a mountain beside the village of Tha Thon, North Western Thailand. The temple is exquisite in nature with obvious buddhist influences from Burma, India, China, and of course Thailand. They have a mix of Hindu to Buddhist statues covering the mountain area, and although claiming to be Theravadin Buddhists, they have obvious ties to Mahayana Buddhism as well as many of the monks practicing yoga also. The Buddha Mudra technique as I like to call it, involves a series of different forms of moving mudra meditations: sitting meditation, standing meditation, and walking meditation. This allows one to integrate the Buddha mindfulness into their daily lives and easily attain states of samadhi (focused concentration). In 2003, when I visited the temple, guided there from a shamanic vision I had while living in Canada, I showed up with the intention to stay for awhile to practice vipassana meditation. The monks were happy to have me visit, and let me stay in one of their huts while I learned their techniques. I soon realized that I had not come there to practice vipassana, but to learn some of the ancient wisdom from these monks, and a new form of buddhist meditation that had never made it's way to the west before. I had obviously followed my vision there for a far greater reason, and my teacher Ajahn Sutep made it clear to me before I left. He told me that I was the first westerner to come to Wat Tha Thon and stay to learn the Buddhalila Mahasati. Since I had done so with such perseverence and diligence in my meditation practice, he and the Abbot of the temple both wished for me to spread the teachings and gave me their blessings in bringing this teaching to the western world, so that all beings may find happiness. It took me awhile, first sharing the meditation with smaller groups in some workshop settings and amongst groups of friends, but I'm now bringing it to the internet community so that it is easy for anyone around the world to learn at home from their computers. :) Allow me to share with you this powerfully simple and effective buddha mudra meditation, and please share this with others so that all beings may find happiness. -Karl Muller (Ngakpa Yeshe Ja Shel) |
Buddha Mudra