Mudra

A mudra is a symbolic hand gesture used in Vajrayana Buddhism during ritual and meditation. The Sanskrit word means "seal", and that is a good way to think of it: the gesture sets a seal on whatever you are practising at that moment. The Tibetan word is chakgya.

Body, speech and mind

Almost every Vajrayana practice works through three doors at once. The mind visualises and rests in meditation. Speech recites mantra. And the body takes part too, through posture and through the hands. That is where mudra comes in.

You probably know a few already. On many statues the Buddha reaches down and touches the ground with his right hand, calling the earth to witness his awakening. Another familiar one has both hands resting in the lap, one on top of the other, thumbs lightly touching: the gesture of meditation. Each deity in Tibetan art has its own gestures, and once you can read them a statue starts to speak. This one protects. That one gives. That one teaches.

Does any of this matter? It does, because body and mind aren't two separate things. Fold your hands and you become a little quieter. A gesture made with attention joins what you think to what you do. That is also why mudras aren't learnt from a book. You pick them up from a teacher, mostly by watching and joining in.

Mudra in practice

In the Düdjom Tersar Ngöndro you meet mudras early on. During prostrations you bring your joined hands to the crown of your head, your throat and your heart, keeping a small hollow between the palms like a lotus bud that hasn't opened yet. For the mandala offering the fingers interlace in a particular way, so that your two hands become Mount Meru and the four continents: the whole universe, offered in a single gesture.

At a tsok there is more. The offerings are blessed and presented with a sequence of gestures, often together with the vajra and bell. The first time you see it, it can look complicated. It's less daunting than it looks. Nobody expects you to know it straight away, and watching is part of practising too.

At Rigdzin Dzogchen Ling you learn the gestures of the Ngöndro in class, every Saturday in Hoofddorp. You see how others do it, ask about what you don't follow, and after a few weeks your hands find their own way.