it is thus legitimate for later kagyupas to speak of saraha's mahāmudrā tradition as being originally independent of the sūtras and the tantras. for maitrīpa, the direct realization of emptiness (or the co-emergent) is the bridging link between the sūtras and the tantras, and it is thanks to this bridge that mahāmudrā can be linked to the sūtras and the tantras. in the sūtras it takes the form of the practice of non-abiding and becoming mentally disengaged, while in the tantras it occupies a special position among the four mudrās.