94261375 the false dichotomy between dzogchen and mahamudra
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On the view: the false dichotomy between
dzogchen and mahamudra
An old dharma friend named Jonny wrote me the other day with a question
that he had. We had first met in 1995 down by Mungod in south India
where he was teaching English at Drepung Loseling, and I was studying
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with Geshe Wangchen, under the kind graces of Lelung Rinpoche who
at the time was dividing his time between Drepung Loseling and Nechung
Monastary in Dharamsala.
Over the years as I came to meet and study under the late Kyabje DorjeChang Bokar Rinpoche, and my path crossed with Jonnys and other
dharma friends amidst the annual groundswell of dharma that occurs
during the fall months in Bodh Gaya. It was there that I had the opportunity
to introduce Jonny to this wonderful oceanic meditation master. From that
point onwards that my relationship with Jonny changed to that of dharma
brother, which is where we are in this moment.
After the tragic, unfortunate death of Kyabje Dorje Chang Bokar Rinpoche,
most of his students were left in a place of loss and sadness. The
confounding suddenness of his death created a barren confusion- I
remember from my own experience that this was a terribly painful and
confusing time. The loss of a teacher can be very painful. I had felt that
there was an intimacy in my relationship with Bokar Rinpoche that made
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him feel like a father- it took a number of years to be able to return to his
seat monastery in India without feeling a profound sense of loss and
sadness.
Over time the, winds of karma, the great teacher that might be described
as the impermanence of appearance, blew Jonny into the lap of
Yangthang Rinpoche, and I into the lap of H.E. Gyaltsab Rinpoche. As our
experiences arising from meditation practice change, and as we slowly try
to blend whatever insights that arise from such experiences into our daily
lives, we email from time to time- to check in and see where the other is.
In an email last month, Jonny wrote:
I have a question arising from the Tsele Natsok Rangdrol book Ive just
finished reading. He mentions the traditions of practice of the different
lineages recognising the meditation from within the view or establishing
the view from within the meditation. This has provoked a lot of interest in
my mind, and I keep coming back to it. As far as my very limited
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understanding is concerned, the first approach in this quote seems to be
that of Dzogchen, and the second Mahamudra. The Kagyupas seem to
talk more about meditation, while Nyingmapas focus more on the view. In
mahamudra there seems to be more emphasis on shinay and thenlhaktong in order to realise the view, while in Dzogchen it seems to be
more about instantaneously, effortlessly seeing what is already there. And
this seems to fit with what I said about the quotation above.
Am I on the right track here? Can you comment on the quotation for me?
Or can you recommend a book which illuminates clearly mmudra and
dzogchen and the differences?
Upon reading this email, I put down what I was doing, and with a deep
sense of joy and excitement, considered what he was asking. What an
important question- what wonderful subtlety implied in this question!
At first glance I tend to feel that there is a distinct stylistic difference
between mahamudra and dzogchenin a way. On an ultimate level,
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however, there is a false dichotomy between view and meditation. This is
something that Tsele Natsok Rangdrol touches on in the book The Heart
of the Matter. Rangjung Dorje, the 3rd Karmapa, in his wonderfully
succinct Mahamudra Aspiriation Prayer, and Karma Chakme, in The Unionof Mahamudra and Dzogchensupport this perspective.
In the Tibetan tradition there is often a reference to the term definitive
meaning (nges don) which generally translates as: ultimate meaning,
ultimate truth, truth, objective meaning. Definitive meaning exists
separately from relative meaning. Relative meaning refers to the
comparing and contrasting between things, it is a means through which we
can know and understand one thing from another. The experience of
definitive meaning- ultimate truth- occurs in some combination of gaining
clarity of relative truth. In the experience of resting within our mind as it
arises, within our experience of the arising of phenomena/appearance, we
are afforded glimpses of the definitive meaning. It is a process of
familiarization, and in some cases even described as a homecoming of
sorts; the reunion of the mother and the child.
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I sometimes gain some clarity in viewing both mahamudra and dzogchen
as something akin to mathematical sets. They are two ways to approach
the realization of mind, the definitive meaning of its experience, and the
various qualitative ways in which we experience mind. These two unique
sets, mahamudra and dzogchen, are distinctive incredibly rich paths that
undoubtedly lead to the experience of a definitive meaning, an inner
vocabulary, of our experience of mind. This mind that we experience, is
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the same for both systems, and when we look at their differences, they
often seem to drift into the misty edges of mind essence.
Both approaches recognize that experiencing the minds essential nature is
an experience akin to a mother being reunited with their child; orsomething similar to realizing that we have been carrying a priceless jewel
with us through out our life experience, but failed to notice it- until now.
That noticing, that knowing awareness, and the inner confidence which
arises announcing awakening. In fact, the mere suggestion of there being
an awakening, or a change in our being, draws us out of relationship with
the experience of mind in a definitive manner.
Both mahamudra and dzogchen describe the freshness and immediacy of
our experiences- they are now. Not something planned for the future, not
based upon trying to recreate a past experience. This experience is often
described as clear, blissful, and empty. These four words are translations
from the Tibetan, and what they truly mean for us within our own
experience, is unique to our own particular journeys. Some experience
more of the illusory aspect of mind, others experience the minds clarity,
and still yet others experience the bliss associated with resting within
definitive meaning.
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Bliss can be very dangerous and seductive, not to mention hypnotic. I
have spent much time with patients who have been admitted to locked in-
patient psychiatric facilities who struggle with bi-polar disorder and
schizophrenia; people who in the throes of their mania exert phenomenal
enthusiastic energy in trying to convey the perfect experience that they
feel. Oh, how the bliss lit their soul ablaze in a way that nothing else could.
The feeling that I am often left with when with such patients is that of aweand respect- I find it very compelling to be allowed to witness the
expression of their experience of blissfulness that often occurs within the
experience of mania. I have often found myself hypnotized while in the
presence of such people, dazzled by the passionate feeling of blissful
unity- and yet I am left feeling a profound sadness that I experience while
trying to chaplain patients who appear addicted to a sense of bliss that
disconnects them from the rest of the world.
Bliss arises, and we are taught to not be attached to it- it is one of the
many things that we may experience.
And yet, bliss is important.
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Similar shadows exist around the experience of mind as illusory. Indeed,
the profound experience of the emptiness of all phenomena as
experienced through our interface with the illusory appearance of every
moment- a joining with the totality of what arises as empty of allcharacteristics and the awareness of the interplay between ourselves and
this field of experience- holds the danger of being overly reductive. Its
shadow may be a depressive state.
Bliss, emptiness, and clarity/luminosity- these are three ways that we
experience mind.
Yet, mind is mind is mind is mind. and yes, just as there can be distinct
aspects of the mind that we relate with, or experience, and just as there is
a particular style, or even flavour, that is distinct regarding dzogchen and
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mahamudra, we must remember that these distinctions arise from mind.
We feel and think, and yet from where do these feelings and thoughts
arise; these created worlds, what is their source? We interface with
different aspects of mind, but they are temporary appearances, waveslapping at the edge of a lake- no two are the same, and there is no end,
they just happen. To hold onto the distinction may be problematic.
I tend to wonder if we can say that these distinctions have more
meaning outsideof our personal experience of mind, than say, as opposed
to within our individual experience of mind. The three masters that I
refered to above, Rangjung Dorje, Karma Chakme, and Tsele Natsok
Rangdrol all occupied places within their practice traditions as
Kagyu/Nyingma masters andthe two former masters were recognized as
tertons in their own right. All three were able to hold both: mahamudra and
dzogchen. They were able to come into direct relationship with mind.
From this place, I wonder if all distinctions around how practice is
described, or how mind appears/in experienced is secondary. While I feel
that it is safe to say that individually we may all exhibit a predilection
towards experiencing glimpses of the definitive experience of mind
somewhere within the traditional nomenclature of bliss, emptiness, or
clarity, with one aspect perhaps feeling more natural than another, it
seems important to recognize that our experiences change, and that it is
possible to form an attachment to the way we experience mind-essence.
For example, usually our relationship with our yidam has something to do
with the way in which we interface with the experience of awakening as
each yidam offers a model/modality through which we can act seated
within our experience of buddha-nature. I marvel sometimes how much we
really becomeour yidam (or they become us)- in many ways it seems that
there is a profound transference of quality and of action within the
modalities of expression through body, speech, mind, and essence. At our
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best, there is an experience of natural simultaneity, a natural ease and
effortlesness in which we arethe yidam- in moments where practice feels
forced and contrived, we get hung up on the details, on experiencing
things only one way, that there is a specific way in which we have topractice, a way that we have tointerface with appearance. All of the
sudden we are working to get some where, to be something, or to induce a
particular experience. In yidam practice there are handy tricks through
which we return to focusing upon the implements or mandala of the
buddha of our practice, or a quality, or the transparency of our visualization
so that an antidote of sorts is applied to falling out of relationship with our
experience of the yidam; that which is no other than us.
Similarly, in approaching mahamudra from the perspective of shinay,
lhaktong, and their union, a structural path laid out by the polymath Jey
Gampopa, and as passed on from him down to the 9th Karmapa,
Wangchuk Dorje in the Ocean of Definitive Meaningas well as Kyabje
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Bokar Rinpoche in his essentialized distillation of Wangchuk Dorjes
seminal work, entitled Opening the Door to Certainty, yes, there may be
more emphasis placed upon establishing or perhaps easing into the
view through meditation. This approach to mahamudra, sometimes termedthe Path of Liberation, or sometimes refered to as sutra mahamudra, is
methodical and graded- often a gradual path, but not always so. And I feel
that much thought must be inserted here. As dharma practitioners, or
anyone really who follows a particular spiritual tradition, textual exegesis is
vital to the maintenance of tradition- it is what connects us to the group, to
our lineage. And yet, we must realize that the exegesis that we interface
with surrounds the way we experience mind, which ultimately ends up
being a relatively individual experience. That the Path of Liberation can
only be said to be a gradual path ignores the fact that the possibility of
instantaneous realization is always a present- in fact instantaneous
insights do occur. Karma Chakme spends time treating this particular
problem as it were. For him spontaneous realization is always a
possibility, no matter what the practice may be.
Then there is the Path of Means, often refered to as mantra mahamudra,
or the approach to mahamudra through the six yogas and or inner and
secret yidam practice. In these approaches there is often a more
instantaneous type of resting in the view, something that I feel offers a
similar feeling of sudden realization that dzogchen often refers to. I guess
you could say the Kagyupa have bridged both sudden and gradual;
Gampopa introduced the first Lam rim literature into the Kagyu lineage and
from that point in time it appears that Sutra and Mantra mahamudra was
presented as separate approaches to realizing the minds essential nature.
Peter Alan Roberts in his recent book entitled Mahamudra and Related
Instructions, describes just how distinct Gampopas work was in codifying
the Kagyupa approach to mahamudra, and how often the delineation
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between gradual and instantaneous approaches, especially in the
associated forms of sutra and mantra approaches was made along the
lines of monastic and lay. As the first person to translate much of the core
essence of the early kagyu lineage into a monastic tradition, a split had tobe made between some of the tantric practices that challenged the
conduct maintained by the monastics and his lay followers.
I suppose what I am trying to stress is that Im not so sure that looking for
the difference between the View as described within the context of
dzogchen and that of mahamudra is as helpful as modulating between
both Views within our practice. The View helps keep meditation fresh- it is
necessary to be familiar with the View (how the mind arises). Meditation,
the process of developing familiarity with the View (putting it into practice
and actualizing it) prevents the View from becoming a concept that
appears more real and rigid than perhaps it ought to be. There is a binary
relationship that we need to maintain, a relationship that shifts and
eventually blends into a naturalness in which there is no longer any applied
effort- we just are. Some of us have been lucky enough to meet people
who manifest being in this way- they are indeed buddhas.
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The false dichotomy lies within the fact that there is no real difference
between meditation from within the viewand the view from within the
meditation. The View is mind-essence, the mind as it arises, as it appears,
and how we relate to appearance. Meditation is resting within that
experience of mind. Even the practice of shinay carries all of the aspects
of mind. What is the stillness? What is it that we are we focus upon in a
single pointed way? Where is the stillness? True, asking these questions
is similar to lhaktong, and indeed may be, but that knowing, that
awareness, is always there while we do shinay- it is not necessarily
something that we add to the mix. As far as literary exegesis is concerned
there is a lineal distinction between the approach to mind as we find in
mahamudra, dzogchen, lamdre, and other forms of practice, however
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when we look at the works of great realized siddhas we find descriptions
that offer resounding clarity. For example, Rangjung Dorje says:
Free from being mind-made, this is mahamudra;
free of all extremes, it is mahamadhyamaka;this contains all, and so is mahasamadhi too.
Through knowing one, may I gain firm realization of the meaning of all.
Great bliss with no attachment is continuous.
Luminosity without grasping at characteristics is unobscured.
Nonconceptuality that goes beyond intellect is spontaneous.
May unsought experiences occur without interruption.
Preferential grasping at experiences is liberated on the spot.
The confusion of negative thoughts is purified in the natural expanse.
Natural cognizance adopts and discards nothing, has nothing added or
removed.
May I realize what is beyond limiting constructs, the truth of dharmata.
And Tsele Natsok Rangdrol follows:
The Middle Way, the unity of the two truths beyond limitations,
Mahamudra, the basic wakefulness of the uncontrived natural state,
And the Great Perfection, the original Samantabhadra of primordial purity-
Are all in agreement on a single identical meaning.
This mind that is present in all beings
Is in essence an original emptiness, not made out of anything whatsoever.
By nature it is unimpeded experience, aware and cognizant.
Their unity, unfathomable by the intellect,
Defies such attributes as being present or absent, existent or nonexistent,
permanent or nothingness.
Spontaneously present since the beginning, yet not created by anyone,
This self-existing and self-manifest natural awareness, your basic state,
Has a variety of names:
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In the Prajnaparamita vehicle it is called innate truth.
The vehicle of Mantra calls it natural luminosity.
While a sentient being it is named sugatagarbha.
During the path it is given names which describe the view, meditation, andso forth.
At the point of fruition it is named dharmakaya of buddhahood.
All these different names and classifications
Are nothing other than this present ordinary mind.
With these words as a guide, we find our way, succeeding and failing to
realize the nature of mind- working to familiarize ourselves through practice
with mind and with phenomena. As we settle into natural awareness, an
effortlessness in being, I wonder where all the words go. Perhaps they
too, dissolve into the soft edges of graceful wakeful knowingness.
25J A N
on pacifying, enriching, magnetizing
and subjugating
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I recently attended a long weekend retreat on the Five Remembrances
held by the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. It was
wonderful to have time at the Garrison Institute to reflect upon these five
essential points:
I am of the nature to experience old age, I cannot escape old age.
I am of the nature to experience illness, I cannot escape illness.
I am of the nature to experience death, I cannot escape death.
I am of the nature to experience loss of all that is dear to me, I cannot
escape loss.
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I am the owner of my actions. They are the ground of my being, whatever
actions I perform, for good or ill, I will become their heir.
The Five Remembrances come from the Upajjhatthana Sutra which could
be translated as The Sutra of Subjects of Contemplation. You can hear
the teaching of the Five remembrances as found in the Upajjhatthana
Sutta read by Kamala Masters here, or read a portion of the sutta
translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu here.
The Buddhas discourse on the Five Remembrances resembles the
realization that young Prince Siddhartha had concerning his recognition
that we are all subject to birth, sickness, old age, death, and all of the
forms of suffering associated with each phase of our existence. In the
reading of the sutta by Kamala Masters, the Buddha points out that the first
four Remembrances serve us well to return our focus onto the primacy of
impermanence; doing so is a remedy towards arrogance, over-confidence,
and conceit.
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I will become sick. I will become old. I will experience loss. I will die.
There is nothing that I can do to change this. When that happens, as this
whole existence plays out, my only companion who remains with me
throughout is the collection of my actions.
The Fifth Remembrance, which relates to our actions, the quality of our
actions, or karma, colors the experience of each facet of our being. It can
be the root of our liberation, or the hard kernel from which our suffering
manifests. Id like to take a moment to explore the Fifth remembrance, our
actions, in a general sense and then look a little more specifically at action
from the Vajrayana buddhist perspective, especially as it relates to actions
of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and subjugating.
Action, movement, friction, trajectories, potential energies. These can
easily refer to different forces and dynamics involved within the study of
physics, which at close glance looks like a wonderful symbolic structure
parallel to aspects of Buddhism, and yet as qualities they easily also
connect to our behavior. Our behavior is composed of reactions or
responses to the events around us, how we see the play of phenomenaunfold before our very eyes. The quality of our perspective acts to
determine the flavor of our actions, and the quality of our actions affects
the continuum of our perspective. The more self-involved our perspective
is, the more our actions involve the preservation and protection of self
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interests. The more we act to preserve and protect self-interests, the more
easily we may think that others or events may be hindering our self-
interests. Likewise, a more expansive perspective affords us the ability to
act in a more expansive way. When we act with a larger concern forothers well being, our ability to see the interrelatedness of self and other
allows more clarity and more peace.
As we pass through this life, a conditioned existence that has been
flavored by past events, the habits of reacting to the display of phenomena
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around us (our daily lives) often become stronger and more ridgid. The
phrase goes: Actions speak louder than words. This seems right, but its
amazing how we use thousands of words to hide or cover up and beautify
our actions. Such elaborate verbal adornments so that we can feel okayabout how we are right now.
The above image is that of Senge Dradrok, or Lions Roar, one of the eight
manifestations of Guru Rinpoche. Guru Rinpoche took this form in Bodh
Gaya when he came to debate and challenge a group of five hundred non-
Buddhist teachers who were trying to disprove the Buddhas teachings.
Guru Rinpoche won the debate and liberated all of them with a bolt of
lightening- most of the village where the non-buddhists were staying was
destroyed, those who survived became converts to Buddhism. This type of
story is not so unique. The life story of the Mahasiddha Virupa and many
others contain descriptions of such events- they are powerful descriptions
of activities that certainly appear to run counter to the typical notion of what
buddhist behavior is thought to be. This energy of wrathful subjugation,
while not generally an everyday occurrence has its place- this hot humid
searing energy is needed from time to time to remove impediments
towards our spiritual growth.
How can we touch the quality of Senge Dradrok within ourselves? What
does it feel like to be him, or Mahakala, Vajrakilya, or Palden Lhamo?
What is the focus of these energies? How can we completely liberate the
hundreds on non-dharmic impulses within us like Senge Dradrok?
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In another form, that of Nyima Ozer, or Radiant Sun, Guru Rinpoche
displayed himself as Saraha, Dombi Heruka, Virupa, and Krishnacharya,
some of the most well-known Indian proponents of tantric Buddhism.
While in this form Guru Rinpoche spent time in the eight great charnel
grounds and taught Secret Mantra (tantric Buddhism) to the dakinis, while
binding outer gods as protectors of his secret teachings. This is an act of
magnetizing, drawing towards him the dakinis and protectors of his
treasured teachings, spreading the dharma in the form of may important
masters. In the form of a tantric master his intensity and use of whatever
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arises as a teaching tool captures the great energy deeply-seated within
through which magnetizing activity becomes manifest. It seems that
essential to the quality of magnetizing is the general awareness of skillful
means; knowing just when to act in a way to be of the most benefit in anygiven situation.
Yet another activity form of Guru Rinpoche appears as Pema Gyalpo, or
Lotus King. In the form of Pema Gyalpo, Guru Rinpoche taught the
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inhabitants Oddiyana the Dharma as he manifested as the chief spiritual
advisor for the King of Oddiyana. His selfless dedication and
compassionate timely teaching activity enriched all who came into contact
with Pema Gyalpo such that they became awareness-holders in their ownright. This enriching activity has untold benefits; the effects of the nurturing
support that Pema Gyalpo displayed through his teaching activity caused
an incredible expansion of the Dharma in Oddiyana.
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This final image is of Guru Rinpoche as himself, who among most
Himalayan Buddhists is considered the second Buddha in the sense that
he is credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet. While he wasnt technically
the first, he was the first to introduce tantric Buddhism in a way that tookhold, and is credited with helping to construct the first Buddhist monastery
in Tibet. A dynamic teacher, Guru Rinpoche embodied all of the qualities
of his eight manifestations and countless others. Through the expression
of his life Guru Rinpoche was able to display pacification, enriching,
magnetizing, and subjugation both in Oddiyana, India, Bhutan, Tibet, and
even now.
Within tantric Buddhist literature we often find references to the importance
of adopting the behavioral modalities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing,
and subjugating as illustrated by the eight manifestations of Guru
Rinpoche. These activities were seen as extremely important as they
pertain to embodying the qualities of a variety of tantric buddhas as well as
the essence of Buddhahood in all emotions. Furthermore, they are
utilitarian activities, they support and enrich and massage us as we travel
the path of enlightenment. References to these activities can be found in
the translations of various tantric texts by a variety of outstanding Buddhist
scholars such as David Snellgrove, David B. Gray, Christian K.
Wedemeyer, and Vesna A. Wallace to name a few. One can also rely
upon the namthars (liberation stories) of many Indian and Himalayan
Buddhist Siddhas to feel the range of possible human action on both inner
and outer levels of being. Finally, our practice sadhanas contain a wealth
of wisdom and guidance- the words in sadhanas are not arbitrary- and they
often capture with great clarity the essence of dharma being.
We are aging. We will experience illness. We will die. We will experience
loss. Our actions are our ground and we are the owners of our actions.
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That this is the case is undeniable. We cannot change the first five
certainties, but we can change our actions. Our actions, and the related
ability to perceive, directly determine how we relate qualitatively towards
aging, illness, death, and impermanence. Lets apply the depth and rangeof possibilities as exemplified by Guru Rinpoche and other Buddhist
Siddhas- lets refine, strengthen, expand, and deepen our relationships with
ourselves, with the world around us and with our experience of mind. We
are completely capable of manifesting in this way- it doesnt matter if we
wish to embody Tilopa, Virupa, Tsongkhapa, Taranatha, Machik Labron, or
Garab Dorje, we are all capable of touching their essential being. No one
can do this for us. At the end, as we lay dying, who can really blame for
our shortcomings?
2J A N
Sacred geography: external, internal
and in-between
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As part of my CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training with the New York
Zen Center for Contemplative Care we have been exploring aspects of
Jungian psychology especially as it relates to symbols and images. We
recently finished a great week of classroom experience which included a
conversation with Morgan Stebbins, the Director of Training of the Jungian
Psychoanalytic Association, a faculty member of the C.G. Jung Foundation
of New York, and a long time student of Buddhism. Stebbins presentation
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on Symbol and Image was dynamic and quite moving- he embodies a
depth and conviction that I find compelling. In addition to this, Stebbins
visit to our class came at a point when Ive been playing around with
writing a blog post about sacred geography. Very timely indeed.What does sacred geography have to do with me? one might ask. I
would answer, Everything.
Within the framework of Buddhism geography and therefore pilgrimage,
has come to be something of an important phenomena. Certainly this is
not anything unique to Buddhism; we have a tendency to want to return to
places that are significant for us. Sometimes there is spiritual significance,
sometimes it is societal, and most often it is interpersonal. An example of
these would be making the Hajj if you were Muslim, perhaps visiting
Washington D.C., or taking your children there so that they could
appreciate the way that our nation governs itself, and perhaps the place
where ones parents were born, or where they died. Geography allows us
to honor the meaning that we value in our lives. We live within time and
space, and within the latitude and longitude that time and space afford us,
we intentionally (and even unintentionally) plot the course of our lives and
identities within their dynamics. How many times has a particular season or
even date reminded us of an event that occurred in the past around the
same time? My root teacher passed away on Christmas eve over a
decade ago, and I am always reminded of that great loss whenever
Christmas approaches. On the other hand, the Fall months feel like a time
of rich growth for me- they always have, and for some reason these
months continue to prove to be significant for me. These are two
examples of how I plot meaning within my experience of time.
In most faiths pilgrimage has become something that one engages to
touch the past; it is a means to feel the link of those who have come before
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us and charge the present moment with their power. It can be the Wailing
Wall, St. Peters, the Kabba, Bodh Gaya, a sacred mountain, river, the
ocean, a tree and it can also be imagined- something symbolic, a living
pulsating image such as a mandala.
According to the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha predicted that
students of the path would visit the place of his birth, his enlightenment,
where he first taught, and where he would die. He stressed that this may
be something that one does if they want to, if it brings meaning, inspiration,
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and context to their path. It was a suggestion, not a directive, and
ultimately a very insightful reading of how we relate to time and space.
Within Vajrayana, or tantric Buddhism, pilgrimage appears in a more
visionary manner. In addition to the four major sites associated with the
Buddhas life, various pithas, or seats (places of power and meaning
associated with the dissemination of Buddhist tantra) became included into
various lists of sacred places. For example, there are twenty-four
pithas throughout the Indian sub-continent that are associated with the
places where the Buddha revealed himself as Chakrasamvara and taught
the cycle of Chakrasamvara and related practices. The pithas, while
relating to actual places, also correspond to places within our bodies that
have an internal energetic significance. The exact location of these
pithas vary from tradition to tradition, but there is a relative constancy of
the mirroring of external and internal meaning in relation to these sites. In
some ways, and according to some teachers, pilgrimage can be done
without ever leaving where you are as all of the major pithas exist within
the matrix of our energetic body. This approach is touched upon by the
Buddhist Mahasiddha Saraha who in once sang:
This is the River Yamuna,
This is the River Ganga,
Varanasi and Prayaga,
This is the moon and the sun.
Some speak of realization having traveled and seen all lands,
The major and minor places of pilgrimage.
Yet even in dreams I have no vision [of these].
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There is no other boundary region like the body;
I, virtuous, have seen this for good and with certainty.
Stay in the mountain hermitage and practice self-restraint.[i]
This could be considered the more essentialist approach to pilgrimage and
sacred geography; wherever we are, we are sitting on the vajrasana under
the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya. I feel that this is a great place to be. This
approach is excellent. However it can be important to recognize that we
are constantly changing, and that there will sometimes be times when we
dont feel connected in that essentailist kind of way. What then? Well,
then there is the benefit of pilgrimage. One could go to a place of
significance to try to touch upon the inspiration that such places offer us.
But perhaps, they may not have to be in India
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In his book Sacred Ground, Ngawang Zangpo has addressed in a very
detailed manner the thoughts of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye on the
importance of sacred geography. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye lived in
Tibet from 1813 to 1899. He was a famous meditation master of the
Kagyu, the Nyingma and Sakya Lineages. Through his wide and open
attitude Kongtrul helped define and spread the Rime, or non-sectarian view
of the dharma, in response to a general atmosphere of sectarianism
amongst all schools of Buddhism in Tibet at the time. He was a
compiler of termas (revealed treasure teachings) and was a terton
(treasure discoverer) in his own right. A real renaissance man,
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Kongtrul not only helped shape and preserve the Kagyu lineage, but all
forms of Dharma in Tibet.
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye identified a variety of places in Tibet as
reflections of the twenty-four pithas in India. This change in perspectivehad the effect of being quite dynamic in that it placed Tibetans directly in
the center of their own world of sacred geography. Of course some brave
souls still made the journey to the twenty-four pithas in India, but many
visited the sites that Kongtrul and his dharma friends Chokgyur Dechen
Lingpa and Jamyang Kheyntse Wongpo felt were equivalent. For some,
this type of translation/re-orientation was too much; indeed the great
Sakya patriarch Sakya Pandita took issue with the possibility that several
pithas could be located in Tibet.
Sacred Ground is an excellent book for exploring the thoughts and
teachings of Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye on the subject of pilgrimage
and inner spiritual geography. Ngawang Zangpo translates
Kongtrul Rinpoches Pilgrimage Guide to
Tsadra Rinchen Drak[or Pilgrimage Guide to Jewel Cliff that
resembles Charitra(the union of everything)]- an amazing text that treats in
great depth the nature of that particular pilgrimage location as well as its
inner and secret significances as it relates to various energetic centers
found throughout the body. Zangpo includes a chart listing the manner in
which the pithas correspond to the body according to the Chakrasamvara
tantra, an appendix that includes three fascinating texts one by Kongtrul
and Khyentse Wongpo, one by Chokgyur Lingpa, and a compiled list of
sacred sites in Tibet by Ngawang Zangpo. Of particular interest is a
reference to a note found in Mattheiu Ricards translation of The Life of
Shabkar:
It must be remembered that sacred geography does not follow the same
criteria as ordinary geography. Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-
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91), for instance, said that within any single valley one can identify the
entire set of the twenty-four sacred places. Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche
(1903-87) also said that sacred places, such as Uddiyana, can shrink and
even disappear when conditions are no longer conducive to spiritualpractice. The twenty-four sacred places are also present in the innate
vajrabody of each being. (p.442, n.1)
A similarly fascinating book on this subject is the collection of essays
edited by Toni Huber entitled Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places in
Tibetan Culture. These essays offer a rich exploration of issues
surrounding pilgrimage sites, sacred geography and geomancy. Of
particular interest is the essay by David Templeman entitled Internal and
External Geography in Spiritual Biographyin which he explores the
relationship that the mahasiddha Krishnacharya with the twenty-four
pithas, especially that of Devikotta. Templeman considers the importance
of these sites as internal locii and suggests that while pilgrimage to these
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sites was indeed important, there is little evidence to support that many
siddhas visited all of them. In fact, Templeman suggests that some sites
more than others are of particular significance and have been over time,
while others are dangerous, home to subtle harmful beings (wild flesheating dakinis) that need to be appropriately tamed before one can occupy
that particular location. In the case of the mahasiddha Krishnacharya, his
untimely end occurred at the site of Devikotta, as this site had a reputation
for incredible unpredictable volatility that was well known throughout India
at the time.
I tend to wonder where this place of volatility, with beings that need to be
subjugated, resides within me. A three paneled chart provided by
Templeman in his article listing the twenty-four pithas according to the
Chakrasamvara Tantra, the teacher Jonang Taranatha and the Sakya
master Kunga Drolchok, indicates that Devikotta -this very powerful site- is
located within my energetic body around both of my eyes. I wonder where
its mirror locations are?
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What I find most compelling about these books, and this subject in general
is that it has a lot to do with how we relate to the world around us, how we
import meaning to this world, and what we allow of ourselves in being in
relation to time and space. The essays in Hubers book and the work by
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye describe both the Tibetan cultural, as well
as the general vajrayana approach to sacred geography- these two are not
by all means identical as Huber points out in his essay. Huber suggests
that Tibetan culture influenced vajrayana making it distinct from the Tantric
Buddhism that developed in India which then spread to Tibet. While the
distinction is subtle, it speaks to how meaning is translated. It is arguable
that there can never be a one-for-one translation of a text from one
language to another, and perhaps, a one-to-one translation of a religion is
similarly unlikely. That said, without straying into the soft edges of
hermeneutics, I would like to wonder out loud, How does Buddhist sacred
geography translate to Buddhism in the West? I think that a great
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response to such a question is, Thats a silly question, Buddhist sacred
geography is as present in the west as it is in Tibet or India. Id also add
that we should map it, live within it in a more open way, and make it ours.
If Jalandhara is a site that corresponds to the crown of my head, Oddiyana
a site that corresponds to my right ear, and Devikotta my two eyes, all the
while representing sacred places reflected upon the Indian Sub-continent
and or the Tibetan Plateau, where would they be reflected upon the
geography of the United States for example? Or more playfully perhaps,
Brooklyn? It seems that some of this has to do with fully owning and
bringing vajrayana home. In so doing, I would love to see how this type of
re-orientation occurs. Can we do for ourselves what Jamgon Kongtrul
Lodro Thaye did for Tibetans?
As Buddhism takes root here in the U.S. and continues to flourish I would
love to see all of the twenty-four pithas of the India subcontinent reflected
here. Perhaps as we learn to slow down and notice our relationship with
our surroundings this will be more evident. Im very curious to see how this
aspect of vajrayana in particular translates to western culture; it seems like
there is great potential.
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[i] Schaeffer, Kurtis R. Dreaming the Great Brahmin: Tibetan Traditions of
the Buddhist Poet-Saint Saraha. Oxford University Press, 2005. Pg. 151.
16N O V
purity, impurity and inner offerings
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From the nature of emptiness wind and fire arise.I remember very clearly the cold late November afternoon in Gangtok,
Sikkim, fifteen years ago when I was taught Milarepa guru yoga. It was
one of those incredible experience of being shown something for the first
time: electrifying, new and magical. One of the things that instantly spoke
to me about the practice was the imagery of the inner offering of the five
meats and five nectars that appears in the beginning of the text. Indeed, in
looking back at it I think that the inner offering in Milarepa practice (as wellas in many other tantric Buddhist practices) has been something that has
held great meaning for me. Part of it may be the fact that this prelude to
Milarepa practice is a wonderfully clear metaphor for Mahamudra; one of
the central forms of meditation passed down through the Kagyu Lineage.
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The inner offering presents a different form for approaching the minds
essence from other meditations- chod involves cutting and offering,
samatha/vipassana is quiet and still, some practices involve fiery wrath,
others still, a warm familiar tenderness. Each of these emotivebackgrounds illustrate a modality, an emotion, a style, or an outlet through
which we may we express and experience ourselves within the context of
awakened activity; the union of clarity of being and luminosity of mind.
Within the context of the inner offering, the metaphor is that of boiling and
melting (not unlike the athanor which refines the prima materia in
Alchemy). This burning and melting is so powerful that a sublime blissful
nectar is produced, a non-dual nectar that confers the blessing of the
Buddha. This part of Milarepa guru yoga came to be, and remains, an
exciting fun part of my practice, instilling a sense of dynamic power that
seems to illustrate the potential atomic nature of Vajrayana.
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In a skull on a tripod of skulls GO KU DA HA NA become the five meats
and BI MU MA RA SHU become the five nectars.The inner offering is a product of medieval India (roughly between the 6th
through 12th centuries), when both Tantric Buddhism and Tantric Hinduism
were taking shape. This was a time of immense social upheaval
throughout the Indian sub-continent. In both Hindu and Buddhist circles,
groups of siddhas broke away from the orthodoxy of their respective
majorities in order to develop, practice and teach tantric forms of Hinduism
and Buddhism. One of the principal causes of such a move was a theadoption of an antinomian attitude towards the strictures of Indian society
with its caste system, its brahmanic tendencies towards purity, and the
establishment of Buddhist monasteries so large and wealthy that their
leading teachers often lived very comfortable lives of scholastic celebrity.
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This shift was often exemplified by the lives of the 84 mahasiddhas, some
of whom left their teaching positions at the famous monasteries of
Nalanda, Somapuri, and Vikramashila to practice in jungles, others were
kicked out for their outlandish behavior, while a few were kings or princesand princesses afraid to give up their wealth, and many were of low-caste
status. Disregard for the religious and cultural status quo led to a shift
towards the charnel grounds as gathering places, frightening dirty
locations, where wild animals scavenged the remains of the recently dead.
It was a time where meditation instruction was sung in vernacular so that
the everyday person could be touched, not just those who were ordained
or occupants of a higher social station. This time also marked a focal shift
(as far as practice goes) towards cities where the concentrated hustle and
bustle of everyday life revealed itself as a ripe field of opportunity, a place
where one is faced to deal with a full range of emotions. For some it was
also a shift into the seductive luxurious courts of both major and minor
royalty. Human experience, in all of its forms was recognized as
embryonic in nature allowing most anyone who exerted themselves in
practice to become pregnant with realization. This became the birth right
of all, not just those born into one caste, and certainly not just those who
were literate or educated. Perhaps one could go so far as to say that this
period was a time of spiritual anarchic-democratization.
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One of the most interesting aspects of this time period was the apparent
looseness of sectarian divisions between the then Saivite sub-sects that
represented the forefront of Hindu tantra and the Buddhist equivalents who
ushered in Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, Candamaharosana, Guhyasamaya
and other early tantric deity practice. The shared iconography between
Saivite Kapalika Hindu tantra and Buddhist tantra is clear evidence of
some common direction and praxis orientations. Such symbolism makes
use of skulls, flayed animal and human skins, invocations of the more
wrathful nature of these deities, and sexual union with their consorts.
Similarly, the dual identities of the siddhas Matsendryanath, Gorakanath,
Jalandhara, and Kanhapa who are counted as four of the eighty-four
Buddhist mahasiddhas as well as founders of the Hindu Nath lineages
suggests that there was much more dialog between the more iconoclastic
progenitors and practitioners of Hindu and Buddhist Tantra. These four
siddhas are credited with the development of Hatha Yoga, which has many
applications within Buddhism and Hinduism. David Templeman, in his
fascinating paper Buddhaguptanatha and the Survival of the Late
Siddha Traditionhas suggested that the interaction between Buddhist
and Hindu yogins was more common than most Tibetan scholars had
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assumed. This was a perplexing and fascinating subject for the erudite
Tibetan scholar Taranatha, and according to Janet Gyatso, in her
book Apparitions of the Self, the great Nyingma terton Jigme Lingpa was
very curious about such points of contact. In some way it appears that theassumption of difference seems to be a convenient projected
organizational tool used to try to clarify such a difficult topic of study. A
way to try to define that which tries to defy definition. The Centre for
Tantric Studies offers a forum for exploring the history and development
of tantra in and around the Indian Sub-continent.
Much debate and uncertainty surrounds the issue of how tantra came into
being, even more debate surrounds how we should approach
understanding tantra. The works of scholars like Geoffrey Samuel, Roger
Jackson, Ronald Davidson, David Gordon White, Elizabeth English and
Christian Wedemeyer (to name a few) have helped to illustrate some of the
more pertinent issues surrounding the subject of Buddhist tantra.
They are melted by wind and fire.
As a means of throwing open the gates of ultimate realization, the
Pancamakara: madya (alcohol), mamsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra
(edible foods) and maithuna (sexual intercourse) were included in Hindu
tantric rituals as a means to effect a eucharistic understanding of non-
duality. In essence, by consuming that which is culturally regarded as
impure in ritual context, one undermines the very notion of the
purity/impurity dualism that keeps us trapped in feeling fragmented and
lacking expansiveness. These particular objects, when handled and
offered by practitioners of this more radical form of Hindu Tantra were held
with the left hand, the hand reserved for handling impure substances. In
adopting an enthusiasm and greater equanimity towards these violations of
cultural mores regarding cleanliness (spiritually as well as otherwise) one
was directly contradicting the rules of conventional Hinduism. It should be
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noted that the use of the left hand in offerings is also prevalent in one form
or another in Buddhist Tantra. This dynamic was central to the Kapalika
sect whose influence upon the corpus of Yogini Tantas was
considerable. While few scholars can agree who influenced who, themost important thing is that these traditions arose.
Light from the three seeds attracts wisdom nectar. Samaya and wisdom
become inseparable and an ocean of nectar descends.
In Buddhist sadhanas the five meats and the five nectars share a certain
equivalency to the Hindu Pancamakara. Rather than the transgressive
five Ms (madya, mamsa, matsya, mudra and maithuna) we have the five
meats: the flesh of cow, dog, horse, elephant and man, and the five
nectars: semen, blood, flesh, urine, and feces. The five meats arerepresentative of the five skandhas: form, feeling, discrimination, action,
and consciousness. Likewise, the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind,
correspond to the five nectars. Depending on the explanation lineage of
the inner offering, these associations may vary, but generally the essence
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is the same. In this practice we join the five wisdoms with the five
elements to produce a non-dual intoxicating ambrosia that has the
capability of revealing the qualities of awakening and in that sense
provides a powerful spring-board of potential realization. In other wordswe are joining our perceptions with the objects of our perceptions- entering
into direct relationship with phenomena; uncontrived and expansive. We
boil perceptions and the ability to perceive in a five dimensional way
thereby naturally releasing our habitual confused samsaric reaction for a
more aware equanimous relationship with the world around and within us.
This is the very mechanism of samsara/nirvana! Whats more, as this
mechanism unfolds, it reveals the don-dual vastness of Dharmakaya, a
spring-board for sacred outlook. For a moment everything is okay, relaxed
into ease.
These substances emanate from their specific syllables and are brought
together to be mixed in a kapala (skull cap bowl), one then generates a
flow of prana which strikes syllables for fire and wind underneath the
kapala to make its contents boil and in a sense unify. This now ambrosial
nectar (amrita) emits the syllables Om, Ah, Hung, dispersing the blessing
of pure Buddha body, speech and mind. This simply radiates. It is used to
bless torma offerings and nectar used in offerings, or in a more general
way tsok offerings as well as the general environment.
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Om Ah Hung Ha Ho Hri Hung Hung Phe Phe So Ha.
There is another side to this as well; it seems an importantly powerful thing
to keep in mind at some level that the five meats and five nectars were
intended to be transgressive repulsive substances. Shocking and caste
destroying, they arose directly out of the charnel ground culture that figures
so largely in Buddhist Tantra. There is power in our response to disgust, to
fear, guilt, lust and all those emotions that lurk around the edges of our
movement through the world; we all have our own relationships to purity
and impurity, and they are a lot more complicated than we like to assume.
Guilt, fear, self-righteousness, abandonment, woe, depression, anger,
disgust- an army of emotions- are related to how and why we connect
to/react to purity and impurity- we carry these reactions with us wherever
we go as we label the things around us as clean and or unclean, desirable
and undesirable.
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A few years ago I was speaking with the abbot of a Buddhist monastery in
India about the historical development of tantric applications of using
impure substances. In his reply he said that things are so much more
different today in trying to connect with these practices. Its hard to seerotting corpses, scary wild animals feasting on human remains, lepers, one
cant go down to a charnel ground these days to do a puja around bodies
in various states of decay. With the use of toilet paper, some of the stigma
of the use of the left hand in India is less powerful, and in western
countries there never really was the same kind of stigma in this regard.
This he suggested that this is one of the reasons why we use/rely upon
visualizations- they can be quite powerful.
However, I wonder where these places of fear are- we all have them-
perhaps they are more individualized, or abstracted. Homelessness,
illness, mental illness, terrorism, and death, perhaps these are some of the
newer untouchables of our times. It is important to locate them for
ourselves, touch the fear or terror that they bring, and then offer them up-
the essence of fear and terror is mind, and minds essence is primordially
pure. If we can take these sources of impurity and throw them in a pot and
cook them with wind and fire, energy and exhaustive passion, they can be
seen for what they are, not much different from the purity and
wholesomeness that we so easily cling to. What then is the difference?
And why to we always run from one towards the other?
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1N O V
Pointing out the Self with the Iron Hook
of MindIn the first post on Ganachakra for the launch of www.changchub.com I
wrote a partial introduction to the very venerable Pathing Rinpoche. I
would like to return to Pathing Rinpoche, to share a teaching song he
composed and shared with my dharma brother Erik Bloom and I.
http://ganachakra.com/2010/11/01/pointing-out-the-self-with-the-iron-hook-of-mind/http://ganachakra.com/2010/11/01/pointing-out-the-self-with-the-iron-hook-of-mind/http://www.changchub.com/http://karmachangchubthinley.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/122.jpghttp://ganachakra.com/2010/11/01/pointing-out-the-self-with-the-iron-hook-of-mind/http://ganachakra.com/2010/11/01/pointing-out-the-self-with-the-iron-hook-of-mind/http://www.changchub.com/ -
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If I had to be stranded on a deserted isle with one set of instructions, just
one teaching, I would choose this one. The title alone sets the tone, it is
strong and direct. Pathing Rinpoche is clear in his description of the view,
the path (of cultivating the view), and the fruition (of familiarizing oneselfwith the view; how to blend it with your being). The tantric imagery is rich
and beautiful. This is a truly precious a wonderful teaching. If you have a
moment, take a second to clear your mind, settle down, and have a read.
Id love to hear what you feel after reading it.
Instructions on Pointing Out the Faults of Self with the Iron Hook of
Mind
In general, everything in the universe, outer, inner and secret, I offer to
satisfy and benefit the six classes of beings.
The whole field of accumulation, the three Jewels as well as the three
kayas, the entire universe I offer to the inner and secret deities, may they
be satisfied.
To the Male and female yogis and yoginis I offer vajra food and vajra
water, may they be satisfied.
Primordial Awareness, the mandala of pure amrita, I offer so that those in
the lower realms may be satisfied.
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The body mandala deities who are the union of bliss and emptiness, who
are primordial awareness, may they be satisfied.
Everyone, in an outer and inner sense, is a dakini; to them I offer this
melodious song, may they be satisfied.
As a last resort to stop all filthy activities I offer this torma, may the six
protectors and local deities be satisfied.
In this context sing this vajra song if you like.
Just as the many male and female deities, dress in the disguise of a
heruka. When prostrating do so in accordance with our noble tradition.
First, make a humble request as follows:
Ho!
Please consider me. Three times.
The lord of empowerments, Samantabhadras great mandala of perfection
is good and noble.
As stated in The Pearl Necklace, the ocean of the supreme assembly, both
outer and inner, come and join together in an excellent manner to make
the offering complete.
Visualize that the offering assembly enters and confer empowerment into
the mandala. One should exert oneself in singing this song. Thus I ask
you to pay attention to the reality of the inconceivable power of the ocean-
like display of this vajra song.
Karma and aspiration, dependent origination and the like appears as it
does.
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In this way, make offerings to the assembly when renouncing that is which
to be abandoned.
Wholly let go of finding amusement in creating conflict.
Revile material things and so on, reproach that which is rough and coarse.
Just like Guru Rinpoche, the Lord of Uddiyana, one should arise with the
power akin to a wolf when coming to the ganachakra.
Endowed with the three authentic perceptions,
the female goddesses of the ganachakra should be visualized as nectar. If
you do not realize this you will be reborn as a preta.
In this regard, endowed with the three authentic perceptions, think of the
Lama as Heruka and the Buddhas with their consorts.
Think of the Vajra siblings, fellow practioners, as male and female deities.
Recognize the blessings of the Ganachakra.
Do not be separated from the three circumstances.
May we never be separate from the yidam; our ordinary body.
May we never be separate the mantra of speech.
May we never be separate from realizing the nature of mind.
May we be free from the three doubts.
May we be free from any doubt regarding the tantric textswhich are the
enlightened speech of the Lama.
May we be free from any doubt as to whether ganachakra is clean or
unclean.
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May we be free from any doubt concerning secret conduct.
The three things that are not to be done.
One should abandon carelessness of conduct.
One should not allow aversion (hatred, anger) and envy consume the
mind.
Conceptual thought (discursiveness) is not appropriate.
It is improper for Bhikshus to take meat and beer with fear, or based upon
discursiveness.
It is improper to continually engage in Brahmanic pure expression out of
conceptual thought.
It is improper to engage in actions and conduct which is upon worries of
good or bad.
These are the three unwholesome actions not to accumulate.
For one who follows the path introduced by the Lama, do not accumulate
unwholesome actions.
The path of the spiritual instructions is profound, do not accumulate
unwholesome actions.
Do not accumulate unwholesome towards vajra brothers and sisters or
phenomena in general!
These are the three things not to give freely.
Do not give secret blessed substances to others.
Do not give away the oral instructions.
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Do not perform offerings when not suitable.
These are the three secrets.
Secretly, one should make offerings when the feast assembly gathers.
Secretly, one should manifest great numbers of deities.
Secretly, perform activities and deeds that lead towards liberation, this is
the essence.
These are the three things not to practice!
Do not call upon the Lama without respect and devotion.
Do not call upon the feast gathering in an ordinary way.
Do not apply unwholesome forces [actions and thoughts] towards vajra
sisters and brothers.
Thus, in knowing what to adopt and what to abandon, the magnificent
blessings of this ganachakra will flood rotten karma everywhere and
siddhis will arise.
Recognize this!
Sing this feast song if you like; through it you will realize the essence of
dependent origination, karma, and so on. May you receive inspiration from
this vajra song.
In the sky of emptiness this sun dawns,
Appearing, but not remaining, it will proceed to cross over.
Similarly, according to books, precious human rebirth has happened in this
lifetime, not an ordinary birth.
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As soon as one is reborn, one does not remain, death arrives.
Over a long period of time one remains, not accounting for ones actions.
One should approach the path with zeal and diligence while sowing theseeds of Dharma.
Keep Meditating!
In the marketplace people go this way and that, continually abiding in daily
hustle and bustle.
At all times separate yourself from the company of others.
Create an example similar to past masters.
At all times do not remain separate from the master.
Right now, accompany the master.
Discuss the profound Dharma so that you may resolve for yourself its
excellence.
Just as the honey bee gathers the sweet essence of flowers without regard
for the honey gathered
by others, it is just so regarding material goods in the present lifetime.
Do not desire the accumulation of wealth gathered by others; attachments
to the desire realm should not be great.
Whatever you have in terms of wealth, let it go!
Commonplace work and responsibilities, what?!
Due to sporadic effort one will miss the fruits of the autumn harvest.
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Similarly, through sporadic effort and enthusiasm towards the practice of
meditation over the length of a whole lifetime, one will not experience
awakening.
Do not engage in practice which is either too tight or too loose.
Constantly, day and night, generate enthusiastic diligence, keep
meditating!
Achieve the freedoms and advantages that this human birth can bring here
and now!
In this and in later lives, accomplish the aspiration towards liberation.
In your free time guard that the frame of ones mind does not let it become
thin and weak.
Harmonize your mind with its experiences through the practice of
meditation so that they dissolve together.
Through this ganachakra of liberated conditions, we
may we receive the esoteric revelation of this song of spiritual experience
now in this very lifetime.
Here, at this ganachakra pervading the entire sky, may all sentient beings
conquer the undying Dharmakaya citadel.
Gewo!
Written by the authentic Phul Chung Tulku, Known as Pathing Rinpoche,
incarnation of the Mahasiddha Kukkuripa.
Translated by his student Karma Tenzin Changchub Thinley in the western
pure land of Brooklyn, with the gracious guidance from the venerable
Khenpo Lodro Donyo. All errors are mine. Sarva Mangalam!
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30
O C T
Naro Khachoma, Naropas Space LadyRecently I was contacted by a member of Tsem Tulku Rinpoches sangha
who asked if I could write a blog post about Tsem Tulku Rinpoches
activities and recent birthday. In familiarizing myself with his activities, I
was really happy to see that within the larger website for his organization,
Kechara, there are a number of specific blog posts about the Gelug
approach to Vajrayogini: Naro Khachoma.
I invite you to take a look: http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-
rinpoche/category/vajra-yogini
This form of Vajrayogini was given directly to the Mahasiddha Naropa by
Vajrayogini herself. Naropa passed the practice of Naro Khachoma to the
two Nepali Pamthingpa brothers (Vagisvarakirti and Bodhibhadra) who
after spending years studying and practicing with Naropa, brought the
teachings back to Nepal. According to Glenn H. Mullin the Pamthingpa
brothers spent years in retreat in their hermitage in Parping, a very
important site to Vajrayogini practice. Below is a picture of the main
Vajrayogini temple in Parping that I visited in 2008.
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Eventually the Pamtingpa brothers eventually ended up teaching Melgyo
Lotsawa Lotro Drakpa, an early Sakya translator/practitioner and teacher
of the great Sakya teacher Kunga Nyinpo. In this way Naro Khachoma
practice was included within the Sakya lineage, and later worked its wayinto the Gelugpa lineage. Naro Khachoma, or Naropas Space Lady, is still
a very highly regarded practice within these two lineages; a practice that is
profoundly powerful in its effacacy of transmuting ones experience of
ordinary being into that of the blissful immediacy of Vajrayogini and her
consort Heruka Chakrasmvara.
Perhaps Tsem Tulku Rinpoche could one day share his thoughts on death
and the process of dying and aspects of bringing Vajrayogini to these
events with us here
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Praising Vajrayogini and the Dakinis
I prostrate of the glorious
Vajra Dakini, queen of the dakinis,
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The savior of beings who has
The five wisdoms and the three bodies.
I prostrate to all of the many vajra dakinis
Who cut the bonds of conceptual thought
Even while doing various forms
Of worldly activity.
(Taken from Sermey Khensur Lobsang Tharchin Rinpoches Sublime Path
to Kechara Paradise.