(You will be taken to the Wisdom Productions website to complete your order for the live stream and/or the on-demand recordings).

“The fact that you have met the Dharma, and in particular the Vajrayana and this crucial text, proves that you have accumulated much merit in past lives. A lot of people in the West suffer from lack of self-esteem. But if you think about the infinite lives you’ve taken in samsara, you will realize that this life is a great life. So, with a sense of confidence, you can rise to the occasion of studying the Uttaratantra Shastra and learning to embody your buddha nature.” – Venerable Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche

Program Schedule

The teachings are broadcast live in the UTC−06:00 or MDT timezone and will be available within a day for video access through September 19, 2022.

Saturday, September 3
9:00 – 9:30 am (MDT) / 11:00 – 11:30 am (EDT)  Meditation session on Zoom
10:00 – 12:00 pm (MDT) / 12:00 – 2:00 pm (EDT) Talk 1
1:30 – 2:30 pm (MDT) / 3:30 – 4:30 pm  (EDT) Discussion groups on Zoom
3:00 – 5:00 pm  (MDT) / 5:00 – 7:00 pm  (EDT)  Talk 2

History of the Text

Lord Maitreya, the Buddha Shakyamuni’s regent, composed this text based on the Buddha’s Ten Sutras that Teach the Sugatagarbha. These sutras all come from the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, which emphasizes the mind’s luminous nature. Later Arya Asanga met with Maitreya in Tushita heaven and brought the Uttaratantra Shastra and other teachings back to our world.

Because he considered this text too profound for the people of his time, Asanga concealed it as a treasure for practitioners of the future. In the eleventh century, the Mahasiddha Maitripa rediscovered the text and passed it on to Marpa Lotsawa and other disciples in the Mahamudra tradition.

His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche often spoke of how difficult it is to have deep confidence in the nondual approaches of Mahamudra and Dzogchen without understanding the Uttaratantra Shastra. Because it comes from the sutra tradition while at the same time laying the groundwork for the highest tantras, this text is considered to be a crucial bridge between Sutrayana and Mantrayana.

Year Five

This is year four of this public program in which Rinpoche will comment in depth on the Uttaratantra Shastra. The text for the program, Buddha Nature, is available from Shambhala Publications, which you can order here.

Each year of this program is largely self-contained. It is helpful, but not absolutely necessary, to be familiar with the teachings from 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. If you’d like to purchase these recordings, please visit https://wisdomproductions.org/archive/SOM. You can also read summaries of the first four years’ teachings here.

Wisdom Productions Audio-Video Study Set

The 2022  Source of Mahamudra teachings are offered both as a live streaming event and as a Wisdom Productions Audio-Video Study Set. The Study Set provides complete access to the teachings for self-paced contemplation and review. The four talks on recorded video will be available for viewing on our Wisdom Productions site for one year from the date of posting shortly after the live event. The audio recording is downloadable and is yours to enjoy indefinitely. This is a wonderful opportunity for students whose schedules limit participation. You can purchase it here.

Tibetan Terms

This document has a list of the Tibetan terms that Rinpoche used in talks from years 1-3. It was compiled by Khenchung Greg Seton.

To access the live document of Tibetan terms used by Rinpoche in this year’s program click here.