Within the Kagyu tradition, the study of Mahamudra is rooted in a constellation of texts that together map the path from foundational view to direct realization. At the heart of this corpus stand the Indian sources: the dohas or “songs of realization” of Saraha, the pith instructions of Tilopa such as the Ganges Mahamudra, and the Mahamudra teachings associated with Naropa. These works are treasured not only as philosophical statements but as distilled experiential guidance, often presented in poetic or aphoristic form. Milarepa’s songs and instructions continue this same current in a distinctly Tibetan voice, showing how those pith teachings are lived and embodied. In this way, the early Indian and Tibetan masters provide the archetypal Mahamudra orientation: direct, experiential, and aimed at pointing out the nature of mind.

Building on that foundation, the great systematizers of the Kagyu lineage shaped Mahamudra into a complete path. Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation, along with works such as the Precious Garland of the Supreme Path and the Four Dharmas of Gampopa, present the full structure of the journey, from basic Buddhist principles up to the Mahamudra view. These texts are not merely theoretical; they frame how preliminary practices, ethical discipline, and meditative cultivation converge in the Mahamudra experience. The Kagyu Ngondro texts, together with collections of dohas by Saraha, Tilopa, Naropa, and Milarepa, serve as the living bridge between preparatory training and the more explicit Mahamudra instructions.

Later Kagyu masters composed highly refined manuals that are often treated as the core curriculum for Mahamudra study. Dakpo Tashi Namgyal’s Mahamudra: The Moonlight (also known as Moonbeams of Mahamudra) and Clarifying the Natural State provide detailed, structured guidance through the stages of meditation, from shamatha and vipashyana to the direct recognition of mind’s nature. The Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje, further articulated this path in works such as Ocean of Definitive Meaning and Pointing Out the Dharmakaya, which are regarded as definitive expositions within the Karma Kagyu tradition. Together, these manuals offer a systematic unfolding of the view, meditation, and conduct of Mahamudra, while remaining faithful to the pith spirit of the earlier songs and instructions.

Finally, the Kagyu tradition preserves and transmits these teachings through extensive commentarial and practice literature. Collections such as the Kagyu Ngakdzö and The Rain of Wisdom gather spiritual songs, pointing-out instructions, and practice notes from Marpa, Milarepa, Gampopa, the Karmapas, and other lineage holders, allowing practitioners to see how the same realization is expressed in many voices. Commentaries by figures such as Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye and instructions from later Karmapas function as interpretive keys, helping students integrate the classical texts into their own practice. Taken together, this body of literature does not merely describe Mahamudra; it invites a gradual yet profound apprenticeship in recognizing and stabilizing the nature of mind.