Editing Mahamudra (section)

== Indian sources ==
[[File:Tilopa.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Tilopa]]]]
[[File:Maitripa.JPG|upright|thumb|[[Maitripa]]]]
All of the various Tibetan mahāmudrā lineages originated with the [[Mahasiddha]]s of medieval India (c. 8th to 12th centuries). The earliest figure is the tenth century poet yogi [[Saraha]], and his student Nagarjuna (this tantric figure not to be confused with the earlier philosopher [[Nagarjuna]]).{{sfnp|Roberts|2011|pp=9-10}} Saraha's collections of poems and songs, mostly composed in the [[Middle Indo-Aryan languages#Apabhramsa|apabhramsa]] language are the earliest Indian sources for mahāmudrā teachings, aside from the [[Buddhist Tantras|Buddhist tantras]].

Other influential Indian mahasiddhas include [[Tilopa]], his student [[Naropa]] and Naropa's consort [[Niguma]]. Tilopa's ''Ganges Mahāmudrā'' song is a widely taught short mahāmudrā text. Niguma is an important source for the [[Shangpa Kagyu]] lineage.

Tilopa's pupil [[Maitripada|Maitripa]] (<abbr>c.</abbr>  1007–1085) became the principal master of mahāmudrā in India during his time and most lineages of mahāmudrā are traced from Maitripa.{{sfnp|Roberts|2011|p=11}} Maitripa was a very influential figure of the eleventh century, a scholar and tantrika who widely taught the ''[[Ratnagotravibhāga]]'', a text which is widely seen as bridging the sutric [[Mahayana]] and [[Anuttarayoga Tantra|Anuttarayogatantra]] views.{{sfnp|Kragh|2015|p=71}} He composed commentaries on the buddhist dohas, and his works include a collection of 26 texts on "non-conceptual realization" (''amanasikara''), which are a key Indian source of mahāmudrā teachings that blend sutra and tantra, and teach an instantaneous approach to awakening.{{sfnp|Mathes|2015|p=1}}{{sfnp|Kragh|2015|pp=72-73}}

One of Maitripa's students was the [[Kadam (Tibetan Buddhism)|Kadam]] scholar [[Atiśa|Atisha]], who taught mahāmudrā to his pupil [[Dromtön]]pa (1004–63) who decided not to make mahāmudrā a part of the Kadam tradition.{{sfnp|Roberts|2011|p=11}} Another pupil of Maitripa, [[Marpa Lotsawa]], also introduced mahāmudrā to Tibet and his disciple [[Milarepa]] is also a central figure of this lineage. Another important figure in the introduction of mahāmudrā to the area is Vajrapani, yet another student of Maitripa.{{sfnp|Roberts|2011|p=12}} His student, Asu, also was a teacher of [[Rechung Dorje Drakpa|Rechungpa]] (1084-1161), one of Milarepa's pupils.{{sfnp|Roberts|2011|p=11}}

[[Gampopa]], a key figure of the Kagyu school, refers to three important cycles of Indian texts which discuss Mahāmudrā as his main sources:{{sfnp|Kragh|2015|pp=76-77}}{{sfnp|Mathes|2015|p=2}}

* "The Seven [or eight] Siddhiḥ Texts" ''(Saptasiddhiḥ,'' [[Tibetic languages|Tib]]. ''Grub pa sde bdun),'' which include Padmavajra's ''Guhyasiddhi'' and [[Indrabhuti|Indrabhuti's]] ''Jñanasiddhi.''
* "The Cycle of Six Heart Texts" or "Six works on essential meaning" (''Snying po skor drug''), including Saraha's ''Dohakosha'' and Nagarjunagarbha's ''Caturmudraniscaya''.
* Maitripa's "Cycle of Teachings on Non-Cognition" (''Yid la mi byed pa 'i chos skor'').

This classification existed since the time of [[Buton Rinchen Drub|Butön Rinchen Drup]] (1290-1364).{{sfnp|Mathes|2015|p=2}}

Indian sources of mahāmudrā were later compiled by the seventh [[Karmapa]] [[Chödrak Gyatso, 7th Karmapa Lama|Chödrak Gyatso]] (1454-1506) into a three-volume compilation entitled ''The Indian Mahāmudrā Treatises'' ([[Tibetic languages|Tib]]. ''Phyag rgya chen po 'i rgya gzhung''). This compilation includes the above three collections, along with the ''Anavilatantra'' and texts that teach a non-tantric "instantaneous"approach to the practice by an Indian master named [[Śākyaśribhadra]].{{sfnp|Kragh|2015|p=65}}{{sfnp|Mathes|2015|p=2}}